Review: Later, at the Bar

This is the last time I'll harass you about this, I swear.

Check out the NY Times review!

Reading: Later, at the Bar

Hello everyone!

I am writing to inform you all of a reading to take place this Tuesday, May 8, at 6PM at the Publick House in Brookline . The book:

Later, at the Bar by Rebecca Barry

Rebecca is an old friend of John Hodgman's, who some of you know from our Brookline schooldays. When Rebecca decided to do a tour of bars with her book, to complement her more traditional bookstore tour, John said: "You have to read in Brookline! Contact Jen Deaderick!"

I am the center of Brookline literary life. Perhaps you didn't know that.

So, Rebecca did contact me. I set up this reading, and she and I became fast friends through the magic of email.

The book is amazing. Really. Don't take my word for it; read the NY Times Book Review. It's a series of linked short stories about people who sort of waste their lives away in the same bar. It's funny and poignant and all those good things.

I'm sure the Times will do a better job of describing it.

Again, the reading is at the Publick House in Brookline. That's right in Washington Square at 1648 Beacon Street.

It starts at 6PM and should last about an hour, although you can stay at the Publick House for as long as you'd like.

Rembs and I will be there front and center. I do hope you can make it.

-Jen

P.S. - If you have a Mac, I have attached, for your convenience (and as a shout-out to John) a pre-formed iCal event. If you open the file, the event should pop right into your iCal, like Athena springing from the head of Zeus.

Playground Project: Sennott Park- Cambridge, MA

One of the Beautiful Trees

LOCATION: Broadway, East of Prospect, Cambridge, MA (map)

T STOP: Central Square, Red Line

STRUCTURES:

• Little Kid Climbing Structure (small slides, including double; spiral slide; arc climber; flippy toys on walls)
• Big Kid Climbing Structure (big tube slide; lots of hand-over-hand, vertical ladder thingees, including a round one; monorail slidey thing)
• 2 Baby Swings
• 1 Tire Swing
• 3 Small Trees that might be good for climbing

KIDS:

The playground is part of a school, so it is probably packed during school time. We were lucky we went on a weekend day. Still, a nice mix of kids; i.e. economic and cultural differences. Lots of Big Boys, which Rosie loves, but might be stressful for some little kids. The playground adjoins a basketball court, so there are a lot of safely removed big kids to watch and admire.

SITTING AND READING POSSIBILITIES:

The playground is small and fenced in, so it's great if you want to sit and read while the child plays. There are a lot of benches, and even two picnic tables. Plus, the wooden perimeter is slightly raised, so you could perch there if necessary.

COFFEE POSSIBILITIES:

A million. The closest is Carberry's, which also has great sandwiches and whatnot. You'll walk right past it if you're coming by T. Starbucks is right next to the T stop. Toscanini's is a couple of blocks away. Coffee heaven!

PICTURES:

Climbing Up Big Kid Structure...

...and Sliding Down the Tube Slide!

Swinging with the Two Climbing Structures Behind

More about Nikki Giovanni

From GetReligion.org:



"My strange new respect for Nikki Giovanni"

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Judith Warner is So Great

The Life A Mother 'Should' Have

Playground Project

Now that it's getting warm, and my semester is about to end, I am in
the final planning stages for the Playground Project.

"What is this Playground Project?" you might ask.

Rosie and I are going to go to as many different playgrounds as we
can this summer. We've already picked out some early contenders. Each
trip will be documented in writing on this very blog... pictures
might even be involved. In fact, pictures are highly likely to occur!

Friends might join us, and their reactions will be taken into
account. They may even be asked to write corresponding comments with
my entries.

Anything could happen! Brace yourself!

-Jen

Your Only True Existence is on Your Blog

My class is creating blogs today. Now they will all officially exist. We have discussed that you might want to think twice about posting something that you don't want other people to read...duh. This generation doesn't get that sometimes. The private/public line has gotten a bit warped.

Nikki Giovanni

Just thinking about Virginia Tech...

"There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don't expect you to save the world I do think it's not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect."

Noah and Ada

IMG_1411.jpg, originally uploaded by knowuh.

My dear old friend Noah with his cute new daughter Ada.

I have seen this 80 times

Rosie thinks that this the greatest thing that she has ever seen. I bought a copy on iTunes, just to watch it as a "big one." Note the name of the song!!!

for Gus...

A list of my favorite movie endings (that I can think of at this late hour):

Broadcast News: How many romance movies end with neither guy getting the girl and everyone being kind of okay with it. It's a great illustration of what it's like to look back in a crazy period of time in a life. Excellent! And it doesn't come off as smarmy or self-important. Because James L. Brooks is fabulous. (Mary Tyler Moore Show: another great ending)

The Graduate: An obvious choice, but still great. I guess I like ambiguous endings to romances. The more I see that movie the more I identify with Mrs. Robinson (I'm a year older than she was supposed to be in the movie!). In the end, on the bus, the kids start to realize what she already knows: life just goes on. There's all this excitement sometimes, but then it just keeps going. Until, of course, it doesn't. 

40 Year Old Virgin: I'm not going to give it away, but it's great

Okay, Gus, see, this is why I don't do these things. I'm already in the realm of local paper puff piece, or one of those annoying Salon articles. I type this stuff out, and it just seems too obvious. 

Classic play ending: Hedda Gabler. Just see the thing. Really. Or read it, at least. It's a stylized ending, but that doesn't make it any less great.

Wouldn't this been more fun to talk about over some cool tea at the Big Table? Why do I have to be another person with an opinion on line? Okay, I'll keep going.

It Happened One Night has a great, satisfying, well-crafted ending. The whole damn thing is so well written and well made that I don't know why anyone thought another movie ever had to be made. But, again, life goes on.

Of course, Some Like It Hot has a great ending, but who doesn't know that?

I love the end of Mary Poppins. Let's go fly a kite! And why not???

The Apartment has a pretty good ending. Or is it a little cutesy? I'm not sure. It's feels like a bit of a bow to propriety, or to the need for a happy ending. But it still has a little of the ambiguity that I like. And, come on, it's Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon. It does have a really great, classic beginning, that movie. But that's another blog entry.

Okay, I've done my bit. I'm going to bed. To hell with the lot of you!