Book Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

A brief overview:
On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.

The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.
Is one of the strangest books I have ever read. It took me awhile to get into the book. For some reason or another, I kept confusing the main character's brother - Joseph with his best friend, George. Something else that caught me off-guard and made the book frustrating to read was the lack of any type of quotations or punctuation when people in the book were talking.

I had heard from a friend, that it was a good book, and added it to my mental list of "books to check-out at the library." Upon my visit to the library, my mental list vanished and I just went looking around at various books to pique my interest. I suddenly looked down and lo and behold, there was the book that my friend had told me about! I love it when things work out like that! So I scooped up that one as well as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and My Name is Memory.

What a great day to finish reading a book though! We went to bed around 1am this morning - just because we were both awake and busy doing things around the house. I was busy scanning in all of the pages of my "inspiration" 3-ring binders. I have four HUGE binders that hold magazine clippings, ads, articles, anything that drew inspiration at some point, cataloged and filed under common name groupings. I finished one entire binder last night. I had started the project a little after 3pm and finished up around the 1am marker. Anywho, the weather here turned stormy around 3 or 4am. At about 5:30 or 6, we were both wide awake and could not fall back asleep. I showered, made myself breakfast and snuggled up on the futon downstairs to finish the book.

I am looking forward to jumping into the next book. There has been a lot of talk more recently about the "series" of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books, so I am excited to see what all the fuss is really about!

Later today we will be driving over to WI for my cousin and sister's grad party (from college - even though my sister does not officially graduate until next December). But I suppose we will also be celebrating her engagement to Tyler there as well... I made some "specialty cupcakes" for the party - stay tuned for photos of those!

-LD

"Your Position Has Been Eliminated."

that phrase has got to be one of the hardest phrases to hear after pouring your heart, soul and talents into a company for almost 6 years.

On Friday I was admitted into the league of "The Unemployed." It was the first time that I was "eliminated" from a place of employment, and to be honest, it was quite the double-edged sword. I think I now know how an addict feels after going through "the steps." Right away I was shocked, then horribly sad, crying, etc. Then I was scared, MAD, then a peace and general sense of happiness set in. I am still riding the waves of more happy than sad. I am mad at certain individuals at my former work place because the most maddening part of all of this, that others can attest to: it was not me, the reason I was let-go. Basically, from my perspective, my new boss did not like me or my co-worker before me, whom she also had fired earlier this year in January. After that firing, my new boss brought on one of her older co-workers and FRIENDS to fill the position. I know that she had just hired another one of her former co-workers and FRIENDS for another "made-up" position that was not, to my knowledge, even posted on our career part of the website. She starts at the end of the month.

So, for the first time since high school, I find myself without employment. What a weird feeling. Last night, while getting ready for bed, I did not have to set my alarm, pick out an outfit or anything. I am a free bird. I could be in my pajamas all day, or having a beer right now and not even think anything of it. And you know, I just might...to the second part, not the first part - gross.

I have also been pleasantly surprised by my friends and coworkers whom have left comments on my Facebook page, or the emails that have been trickling in after they realized I was no longer with the company. Some of them have been through the same thing, others, offer words of encouragement.

There are going to be a handful of individuals who I am really going to miss seeing and interacting with every day. They are the ones that made the last part of my time there so much more bearable.

But the planner in me perseveres! I already have a small notebook at the ready to jot down something in or around the house that I would like to accomplish in the near future. I am already onto my second or third page! So, between job-hunting and checking-off my to-do list, I should be fairly occupied for awhile.  I just have to remember to pace myself!


-LD

Sudoku Super Genius

I recently started a new Sudoku book on my lunch break at work. It is an odd feeling starting an entirely new book. I am on the "easy" puzzles and I have been using a PEN to complete them! I tend not to use a pen, but a pencil when I get to the "hard," or "evil" puzzles. There is still one "evil" puzzle in my drawer that I have yet to complete because it is pretty difficult to figure out! I like feeling like I am a super genius when I am going through the "easy" puzzles at warp speed.

At work, I have been trying to take walks around the warehouse with a coworker and yesterday and today, we walked OUTSIDE! It has been so beautiful! I love the sunshine and getting fresh air. That is the bad thing about our office, or any office really, the air gets stale and stuffy, and unless you are a select group of lucky managers or VPs of the company, you don't get any window in your vicinity. When I was sitting upstairs in one location, I had a sky light over part of my desk. That was nice to have the somewhat filtered natural light stream through, and I could also tell if it was raining! Down here I am (at times) literally in the dark about the weather!

Restaurant Review

Okay, I am going to state this one up front. I have in no way been endorsed by the following restaurant to give any type of review. I just wanted to state how awesome they are and they keep me coming back for more...and more...and more...

The Restaurant in question is the 5-8 Club. There is one conveniently located directly across the street from our house. From the day that I bought our townhouse, Derick and I were unpacking boxes with the windows open and we smelled the yummy aroma of fried onion rings. Wow - talk about getting your salivary glands working overtime! 


I cannot tell you the specific date that we first wandered over across the street, but I can tell you that we have been there too many times to count, and we keep coming back for more. 

One of the burger "baskets" they offer. Burger, coselaw and your choice of fries, onion rings or Jo-Jos

We love just about everything about this place. The waitresses are awesome. There are some that almost know us by name - at least they smile and waive as we come in as if we've known them forever. Another thing we like about this place is obviously the FOOD! I have tried a lot of different things on their menu, and while I have my obvious favorites (ahem: Roadhouse Burger) I have not had anything that I have been disgusted with or could not eat. The end-all of our love affair with the 5-8 are the prices. You leave full, or over-full, and pay just a small amount. 


My husband and I joke that some day we will have to eat dinner at home and then go "across the street" for dessert only! We have yet to indulge in any of their desserts since we are usually too full to fit another thing into our happy bellies.


I just had to post about this because we went there for dinner last night. The convo went a little something like this:


Me: So, anything you want for dinner tonight?


Him: No, not really. Wanna go "across the street?"


Me: YESSS!!! 


Me: I will see you at home in a few minutes and we can walk over.


Him: Okay, see you soon, Bye!


Me: Bye!


That seriously made my bad day a WHOLE lot better! mmm...





I recently saw this contraption in an Avon catalog and wondered if I should get it for Derick...


Then he could make his own Juicy Lucys!! YUM! Not sure just how well it would work, but it made me wonder!

-LD