Whatcha up to?

What are you reading?

I just last night finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak which was fantastic.  The unique POV took a little getting used to, but I loved the book even if I did sit in my chair and sob for 5 minutes near the end.  Books about Germany during WWII have that tendency. 

I immediately (well, after mopping up the tears and debating whether I had any "happy" books) started a new book I received for my birthday this year.  It's called Call the Midwife and the BBC/PBS series is based on these memoirs by Jennifer Worth.  I only read the intro, but am definitely looking forward to digger deeper into this one.

What are you watching?

Downton Abbey Season 3. Duh.  Let's see, what else... I love Parenthood and am getting into Nashville.  I know it's intentionally soap opera-y and dramatic, but I'm still hooked.  I have a love/hate relationship with the way they seem to take news out of the headlines and tweak it a bit. Part of me is like "be more original for crying out loud" and then part of me is like "oh, so he's kind of supposed to be Tim Tebow, and she's doing a Renee Zellweger/Kenny Chesney type thing."

I'm watching a lot of movies because it's Oscar season, though.  My favorite so far is definitely Silver Linings Playbook.  I've seen it twice in the theater already and can't wait to own so I can watch it after doing things like reading books on Germany and the Holocaust.  

I feel like most of the other movies I've seen have been really good, but just a tad too long.  Get those folks some editors!!  

Hobbit? Good. Just a bit too long.  Sweeping vistas and all are nice and New Zealand sure is pretty, but I've also got to pee.  

Life of Pi?  Good, although I had a different grasp of the ending in the movie than when I read the book.  Maybe I just don't remember it well, but I feel like even though the words/scenes were the same at the end, Ang Lee tweaked things to make the meaning come out slightly different.  Also, just a tad too long.  

Zero Dark Thirty?  Very good.  Very intense.  Very torture-y right from the get go which was hard to jump right into (although, really, when is it easy to watch torture?)  Now I'm very conflicted about having a bit of a crush on a guy I saw torture people.  I felt like it was a really even-handed account. Lots of suspense. Great performances.  Also, I was surprised to note the similarities between Pakistani and Chinese interior decorating choices - I swear I had that same washing machine in China.  With that giant range of mountains between the two countries, it's easy to forget that they border one another. 

Les Mis? I read a lot of bad stuff about it before going, so I feel like I still had many of those thoughts in my head as I watched.  It was good.  I just had such high hopes.  I feel like there definitely was a lot more they could have taken advantage of.  For example, Anne Hathaway's stunning solo had so much story going on with it as well.  All the other solos are close-ups of people singing and walking or standing or riding a horse - I feel like the story that could have developed during those solos was a lost opportunity.  I do look forward to seeing it again with a more open heart/mind.  Also, once again, just seemed a tad too long.

Lincoln?  Stunning.  My 2nd favorite of the season.  It was like an episode of The West Wing taken back in time but with REAL HISTORICAL people!!  (sidenote: Bartlett for President!!)  Daniel Day Lewis was stunning.  I mean, he totally was Lincoln.  Now, whenever I read a Lincoln quote (which have been prolific lately between the movie and our current president and fighting modern-day slavery) I hear it Daniel Day Lewis's voice.  

What am I eating?

Lots of yummy recipes lately which I'll try to post/link to later.  Last week I made turkey sausage with white beans and kale - yum!  A coworker tried the recipe with her family and her son (who is a chef) said it was really similar and almost as good as something they make (at his fancy restaurant).  Also appreciate my new oven mitt from Anthropologie courtesy of the family gift exchange - thanks, Meg!

This week I'm eating off (the joy of being single, one recipe and you have food for a week - better like leftovers) a quiche which is a long-loved recipe from the Wycliffe recipe book.  Basically, a pie crust, cheese, eggs, milk and whatever kind of meats and veggies happen to be hanging out in the fridge.  It's a great way to use a lot of random leftover type things (half a pepper, one stalk of broccoli, etc.)

And I'm also enjoying BBQ turkey meatloaf - super yummy!  And easy (which you may have noticed is a theme with my recipes).  I got green beans to go with it and I just have to say that after growing my own green beans last summer, store-bought ones now basically make me want to spit them out of my mouth.  Looking forward to spring and planting new veggies!!

What am I listening to?

The new Taylor Swift album.  Like incessantly.  Like I'm a 12 year old girl (which works out fine since I use the word "like" overabundantly like a 12 year old girl as well).  

Atlanta radio stations pretty much suck at the moment, so if you've found a good one, let me know!!

I'd love to hear your answers to these questions!  If you end up sharing, please post a link in the comments so we can get good ideas from you!