Health advice

Here is some good advice on how to live a healthier life from Gwyneth Paltrow's blog Goop.  The article includes advice from three different doctors.  It sounds good but the hard part is actually taking the advice and putting it into practice.

http://goop.com/newsletter/6/?utm_source=Goop+Newsletter&utm_campaign=5d059dc16f-Goop_Newsletter_181_05_31_2012&utm_medium=email

You Really Got Me

At the end of the most recent episode of Mad Men, they played a song by the British group The Kinks called "You Really Got Me."  The song came out in 1964 and is one of their biggest hits.  Mad Men really uses music well.  The scene where Peggy says goodbye to Don really got me!

Enjoy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk3Ei_yoI4c&feature=colike

My next book...

I just picked up my next book at the library today.  It's called Mr. Monk on Patrol and is the 13th book in the Monk series written by Lee Goldberg.  I've read several of the Monk books in this series since I'm a huge fan of the USA television series that ran for eight seasons.  I own the entire series on DVD. 

In this book, Monk and his long-suffering assistant Natalie, are called to Summit, New Jersey to help former SFPD lieutenant Randy Disher who moved there when he married Monk's previous assistant Sharona Fleming.  Randy is the new police chief in Summit and is dealing with a wave of residential robberies which escalate to murder.  It sounds good and I'm anxious to get started on it.  I'll let you know what I think of it once I've finished it.

"Hilarity abounds at the Taxi garage"

Jon Hamm is going to appear on a new show on the IFC channel called Comedy Bang! Bang!  It's a stream-of-consciousness music-as-comedy show and Jon does a hilarious riff on the 70's classic TV show Taxi.

Enjoy -

http://bcove.me/8qwbsu9y

The show premieres on June 8th on IFC.

Mad Men musings

Spoiler warning - Do not read this if you haven't seen the May 27th episode of Mad Men called "The Other Woman" if you plan to watch it! 

A major development was that Peggy decided to leave her job at SCDP to work for a rival agency.  Entertainment Weekly has posted an article on Peggy's potential future which is really clever.  Here it is -

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/05/29/mad-men-peggy-elizabeth-moss/

It seems hard to believe that Peggy will be off the show but you never know with Mad Men.  There are only two more episodes this season.  Stay tuned!

Peggy leaving

Quote of the Day

Here is a quote I like from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Maud Muller" -

God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall.

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

Happy Anniversary

May 26th is the anniversary of the day my husband Jackson and I got married in 1980.  It's hard to believe it has been that long.  On the other hand it seems like it was just yesterday that we began our life together.  I'm so very lucky to have found such a wonderful man to spend my life with. Here's to another 32 years together!  Cheers!

In Paris 2010

Green Eggs and Ham

My friend Brad Simkulet from goodreads.com recorded his clever review of the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham.  Here is the recording for your listening pleasure -

http://soundcloud.com/bradsimkulet/green-eggs-ham-review-at

Say! I love Green Eggs and Ham.
I do! I love it Seuss-I-am.

So I will read it with Miloš
Or he will read it cause he's precoš.
And I will read it with my Të
And we will read it night and day.
And I will read it to my Scout
And she will love it, I have no doubt.
And I will read it in the rain.
And I will read it on the train.
And I will read it in my socks.
And I will read it with a fox.
And I will read it in the shower.
And I will read it every hour.
And I will read it doing dishes.
And I will read it with the fishes.
I will read it here or there.
Say! I will read it ANYWHERE!

I do so love Green Eggs and Ham.

Thank you. Thank you, Seuss-I-am.

Thanks Brad!

Love lilacs...

We have a lilac bush in the backyard that took forever to grow.  But now it's quite large (I have to stand on my tiptoes to reach the top) and is in full bloom.  I absolutely love the smell of lilacs!  One of the best parts about Spring is being able to cut some lilacs and put them in a vase on the kitchen table.  I should have taken a picture to post with this but I haven't done that yet.  Anyway, I hope you have a chance to stop and smell a lilac bush while they are still blooming!

My next book...

I picked up a book by Laura Lippman at the library a few days ago.  It wasn't on my list but I have heard of the author before and it looks interesting so I grabbed it.  It's called The Most Dangerous Thing and was written in 2011.  Laura Lippman is married to David Simon who is the creator of the critically acclaimed TV series The Wire.  The book jacket states that she has been awarded every major prize in crime fiction.

The Most Dangerous Thing is about five best friends who grew up in Baltimore and have come together again when one of them dies suddenly.  The chapters alternate between the past and the present.  I'm about half way through and I'm curious as to what happened in the past that haunts the characters.  I'll let you know if I think it's worth your time once I've finished it. 

20 Best Series Finales

Entertainment Weekly posted their top 20 best TV series finales online today.  See if you agree with their choices -

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20593459_20387623,00.html?xid=email-top25-today-20+best+TV+series+finales+ever#20603553

I agree with most of them, especially Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Wire.  I would not have included the Seinfeld finale because as much as I loved the show, I felt the finale was disappointing.

All Out of Love

I heard this classic song by Air Supply on the car radio when I was on the way home from the gym today.  Hope you enjoy it too -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKvNiYHOTHA&feature=colike

10 Facts about Heart Disease

I read an interesting article about women and heart disease and thought I would pass it along. Here it is -

http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/849369/ask-a-doctor-10-surprising-facts-about-heart-health?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=1-19-12+Diet+%26+Fitness+Campaign

The end of The Closer

One of the shows that my husband and I never miss is The Closer on TNT starring Kyra Sedgwick.  This is the seventh and last season and the final six episodes begin on Monday, July 9th.  Check out their website for details -

http://www.tntdrama.com/series/closer/

As Brenda would say, "Thank yew!"

Some good books...

I just read a good memoir called Kiss Me Like a Stranger by the actor Gene Wilder.  I didn't know a lot about Gene's personal life other than his marriage to the late Gilda Radner.  It was fun to read about his time making two of my favorite movies from the 70's - Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles (although he didn't write as much about Blazing Saddles as I would have liked).  I didn't know that Gene had gone to the University of Iowa, which is my alma mater.  This memoir was written in 2006. It was a quick read and I do recommend it especially if you are a fan.

I am now in the middle of another memoir called But Enough About Me: How a Small Town Girl Went From Shag Carpet to the Red Carpet by Jancee Dunn.  This coming-of-age, funny memoir from 2007 is about a Jersey girl who was a writer for Rolling Stone magazine.  The parts where she talks about how to interview celebrities are especially fun.  I found this in the bargain book section and I'm glad I did since I've really been enjoying it.  I'm waiting for my copy of Fifty Shades of Grey to come in at the library.  Due to all the hype surrounding this book and the other two in the series, a lot of people have requested it from the library.

Keiko Matsui

Last Saturday night my husband and I went to a jazz club in Seattle aptly named Jazz Alley, to see the jazz pianist Keiko Matsui.  I think this is the fourth time we have seen her and she never disappoints.  The Jazz Alley is a great venue for her too as it's not really huge and we got a table close to the stage and could see and hear her really well.  The serve dinner but we just had dessert and drinks. 

Keiko has a new album out called The Road and her website has a video on it of the title song.  Enjoy -

http://www.keikomatsui.com/

Southland

I just noticed that the cop drama Southland has been renewed by TNT for 10 episodes airing next February.  Here are the details -

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/southland-renewed-tnt-38566

It's one of the shows that my husband and I never miss.