Book Review: The Impostor's Daughter

by Laurie Sandell

Simply put, you really should read this book.

It's a "graphic memoir," but before you start thinking it's manga, it's not. It's fun cartoons or comics, but without the slapstick of Bazooka Joe.

Laurie Sandell tells the story of trying to figure her father out and as a result figures herself out. Sandell's storytelling is straightforward and she doesn't work too hard to bring meaning to her stories--it just happens. She follows the "if I tell my deep dark secrets, they no longer are secrets that I have to haul around" rule (whether she means to or not). Which, is quite refreshing--and I'm sure anyone who has experienced adversity in their life will find it reassuring.

The book, despite being 247 pages, goes very quickly. I read it from start to finish last Friday. So, go get it and start reading! This is the best book I've read in a long time.

Enjoy!
T. Budnik

Chompers!

So, I haven't seen a "dentist" in 10 years--since I had my braces removed when I was 16 years old. And, really, I haven't had my teeth cleaned in about 12 years (right before I had my braces put on). This was hard for me to admit to anyone as I figured they would think I was slovenly.

My reasons for not going to the dentist for those all-important cleanings are that I was either under-insured, un-insured, or just hesitantly lazy. I never had health insurance when I was in Atlanta because I was working retail. I can't remember if I was offered benefits being a part-time employee, but I would have declined them anyway. Being a full-time student and part-time retail worker, I needed every penny I could get my hands on. That meant taking the risk that I wouldn't break an ankle climbing up the stairs at Amicalola Falls.

But, I've been fully insured since I've been fully employed here in Cincinnati. I've lived in this fine city for one and a half years now. My reason for not going to the dentist was purely laziness and hesitation--ten years, folks. I couldn't imagine what they'd find, not to mention I had a wisdom tooth poke out in July.

Today, I took the trek to a dentist in my neighborhood for a good ol' fashioned cleaning and to hear any bad news. The only bad news I heard: I need my wisdom teeth pulled. Um, I knew that. I knew that when my braces came off and my orthodontist took one last x-ray. All of the teeth were there, waiting patiently in my gums. He recommended they be removed. The good news: my teeth are in pretty darn good shape for not seeing a dentist in 10 years. That is, no cavities, no problems, and such mild build-up that the dentist said I could come in for a cleaning once a year as opposed to every six months, but he said it was up to me. I told the receptionist I'll come in once a year. She'll be mailing me a postcard in about ten months.

This leaves me to wonder: how much will my dental insurance company save on me?

Enjoy!
T. Budnik

What I've Been Reading (and What You Should Be)

I feel like I've been reading a lot of books lately (I'm always Internet reading--which is a whole other thing). But then, maybe I've just been reading a lot of easy books recently. Whatever the case may be, here are three books I read in the fine month of August.

Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee

by Alex Frankel

Anyone who has worked or is working retail can appreciate this quote from one of Frankel's Gap co-workers: "Dude, this place fucks with time. It slows down, it crawls, it moves backwards." Amen. I didn't get through my entire high school Algebra 2 class before I was applying the laws of exponential decay to that last hour of work.

I really wanted this book to be a blow to those companies that don't carry their branding to their store employees. Some companies can pull it off, but others aren't. That interaction between the kid/part-time mom/grad student/career retailer wearing a polo at the register is more influential than any marketing dollars poured into billboards, television, and that sneaky thing described as "viral."

This is more of a memoir than a biz book, but it's good.

Next up:

Free-Range Chickens

by Simon Rich

This book is such a quick read, why wouldn't you pick it up? Not all of it is funny, but there are enough funny portions to make it worth your while. You won't get upset about having to read something unfunny.

One note: Simon Rich is a year younger than me. He has published 2 books (one of which I have read and like) and writes for Saturday Night Live. Because of this, I have to hate him, as it is obligatory to hate anyone younger and more successful than yourself.

Finally:

The Hummer and The Mini: Navigating the Contradictions of the New Trend Landscape

by Robyn Waters

It's good, but feels dated. The book was published in 2006--it's been 3 whole years. There are a lot of good examples in the book that encourage me to think differently about branding and the biz in general, but some of the examples I've seen before. Then again, maybe it's because I read Waters's other book.

Bottom line: read it. While some examples given seem obvious, they'll be classics in 2 more years. Plus, it's a quick, insightful read.

Enjoy!
T. Budnik

Things That Have Happened Since April 29, 2009

1. My boyfriend and I took a hike around the lake at Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky. We also saw the following animals: one Canadian Goose sitting on its nest; several Bison. (May 3, 2009)

2. Went on many bike-toodles.

3. The water in my apartment was threatened to be shut off. I do not pay directly for water. (May 19, 2009)

4. I have decided that once my lease ends, I'm moving out of this apartment.

5. Hot. Sunny. Humid. Sticky hot.

6. I had my eyeballs checked. They are -.25 worse than they were before. (May 29, 2009)

7. My boyfriend and I took a Wilderness First Aid Course. I highly recommend it for anyone who goes out into the wild.

8. I saw the movie “Up.”

9. While jogging, I was charged by 2 dogs. One was a boxer, the other looked like a golden retriever, except that it was black. I yelled at the dogs to leave me alone and then proceeded to yell at the 2 owners who had their dogs, unleashed and uncontrolled.

10. I’ve been taking advantage of “summer hours” at work.

11. Kayaked 5 miles down the Little Miami River.

12. Hiked the Adena Trace Trail along Brookville Lake in Indiana with my boyfriend. It took us 7.5 hours to go 12.5 miles. We saw 2 toads, 2 tadpoles, 4 turtles, 2 deer, bunches of squirrels and bunches of snails. It poured down on us twice. (June 14, 2009)

13. Purchased a new digital camera.

14. Jogged the entire Hyde Park Blast Fun Run. Here are my stats: distance-4miles; time-43:52; pace-10:43. (June 27, 2009)

15. Decided that I really need to stop buying Healthy Choice Pizzas, because no matter how much I think they’ll be delicious and “not that bad for me,” they’re disgusting.

16. Um, did I mention I journeyed back to the homeland? (July 3, 2009)

17. And that my boyfriend came up for the second week?

18. We climbed Lazy Mountain, some of us fell, we went to Seward, did a wildlife cruise, camped, saw Exit Glacier, climbed Bodenburg Butte, drove to Denali National Park, took a shuttle bus, saw bears, camped, and enjoyed being with my family that’s in Alaska.

19. Started and continue to harvest cherry tomatoes and big tomatoes from the plants my boyfriend and I planted this spring.

20. I finished reading these books:

a. Sky Time in Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place—Robert Michael Pyle

b. When You Are Engulfed in Flames—David Sedaris

c. IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea—Sam Harrison

d. Orbiting the Giant Hairball—Gordan MacKenzie

e. The Trendmaster’s Guide: Get a Jump on What Your Customer Wants Next—Robyn Waters

21. I recommend all of these books except for the first.

Enjoy!

T. Budnik

Conservationist Fashion

I kid you not, The Nature Conservancy's blog has covered fashion for conservationists. It's something we already know: if you want something/want to fit in, dress the part.

My favorite tip is #10.

Enjoy!
T. Budnik

Sundays I Write Letters

Dear Readers, 

I'm still in the mood to write lists. So, here's another list that will update you on my daily adventures.

1. First, I'd like to respond to the comments that were left.

2. (That is the purpose of Sunday Letters.)

3. Mom, I got the tourist info. We will be perusing the activities.

4. No, KBezzie, I have not caved. I will not be acquiring a microwave. Especially since I now am the proud owner of a George Foreman Grill that I got from a friend of my boyfriend.

5. Aunt Susan, I enjoyed seeing the photos of Uncle Joe's party. It looks like everyone had a good time.

6. Grandma, I'm glad to hear the Uncle Joe's party was great.

7. Now onto what I've been up to.

8. I have to renew my library book for the 2nd time and I'm not even half way through it. 

9. Don't worry Mom, I'm not acquiring any fees and I promise to pay any fees on time.

10. It was gorgeous yesterday, so I put on my hiking boots and walked to Ault Park.

11. I wanted to break in my boots.

12. But I'm not sure if my boots broke in my feet.

13. I got a small blister. 

14. And then I had "hot spots" on the bottom of my feet.

15. The same places where I got HUGE blisters from my Teva sandals. 

16. I think my feet are my problem.

17. Not my shoes.

18. My car actually doesn't need struts.

19. I took it into a Ford dealership, telling them about the sound and how Midas had told me I needed to replace the rear struts.

20. Ford told me they couldn't hear any noise. 

21. And that they didn't see any reason to replace the struts.

22. They did see funky wear on the rear tires and thought it was the alignment.

23. But it wasn't the alignment.

24. I think I just haven't had my tires rotated in awhile.

25. So, what I thought was going to be $800-900 ended up being $80. 

26. HINT:  Unless your car is not moving, don't take the first mechanic's word for it. Get a second opinion. 

27. It's absolutely gorgeous today. 

28. Perhaps there will be a bike ride.

Enjoy!

T. Budnik

Sundays I Write Letters

Dear Readers,

Obviously, I haven't written to you or on my blog for awhile. What can I say? Life has been keeping me busy. So today, I give you a list of what's been going on in the past few weeks.

1. I have acquired tickets to Alaska.

2. I'm calling my trip "Journey to the Homeland."

3. My mom was in The 'Nati last weekend.

4. We did the following:

5. Walked to Ault Park.

6. Did Downtown.

7. Had dinner with my boyfriend.

8. Rented bikes and took a toodle in Loveland.

9. As you can tell, we had a good time.

10. I've decided that maybe I need to put more thought into my space.

11. But that doesn't mean that I'll be acquiring any of the following:

12. Television.

13. Couch.

14. Microwave.

15. I just feel like I need "stations" in my apartment to do things.

16. And maybe this will facilitate more blogging.

17. My beloved Taurus has been making a creaking sound when I get into or even put a heavy bag into the back. 

18. The mechanics say it's my rear struts.

19. So, that's a pricey meatball.

20. Have I ever told you that I finally made it to running 30 minutes straight?

21. But I don't do it every day.

22. I run 30 minutes one day.

23. And 15 minutes the next day.

24. Repeat.

25. My running is going well.

26. Friday I ran upon a 4-car accident.

27. It was only a chain of rear-endings. 

28. I didn't witness it, but ran upon it only moments after it happened.

29. Everyone was okay.

30. So I kept running. 

Enjoy!

T. Budnik