Accomplishment #22: Build a Bonfire (#94)

Okay. Um... I probably don't need to really tell you this, but I'm not exactly the Burning Man type of girl. Sure, lots of people are totally into it, and come from all over the world to burn the man, and that's great. But me? Nah. I'm not one for mud and grit. Or fire. Or camping. (So Accomplishment #46, Take a Camping Trip, is gonna be Real Fun for me.) Or seeing naked people on acid hugging one another. (Okay, sorry. That's Woodstock. I don't lament missing that, either.) So... this Accomplishment, I admit, I totally wussed out on. Now, if I were a true Accomplisher, I'd actually go to Burning Man and do it up 100%, but I don't think so. I'd be the one who'd die of dehydration or lose my teeth or something like that. I love you, Blog, but not enough to risk my life or teeth for you.

The book (97 Things...) tells you to experience a bonfire at least once in your teen life. I guess I did -- I went to the big campfire on the last night of junior high church camp, where all the girls loaded up on so much Kissing Potion their lips were cherry flavored reflectors as everyone sang Kum Ba Ya and felt, like, totally holy and sad because it was the last night we'd ever be together. Ever. But while I might have sung and exchanged addresses with bunkmates I'd never see again, I didn't have anything to do with building a bonfire. So I'm not sure if that counts. And I think I went to one at the beach and sat there, alone and miserable, while my friend Tammy made out with some guy. But then again, that could have been pretty much anywhere I ever went with my friend Tammy, so I'm not sure if a bonfire was even a setting. (I do know that happened on the bus a few times. Ugh.)

When I think of bonfires, I think of two things, other than Burning Man. (Or Guy Fawkes Day. Now, if I were a wealthy Accomplisher, I would have flown to England on November 5th to partake. I am a very poor Accomplisher, so therefore, I didn't.) One is the scene in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, where there's the Nazi's big book burning bonfire and Hitler signs Indiana Jones' dad's Holy Grail book.


Yes, that scene is AWESOME.

And secondly, the scene from the Great Movie Grease where it's the football game and Sandy's the cheerleader and Rizzo and the Pink Ladies push her into Danny Zuko and he acts all cool and... Whatever, here's the clip:


(With the fabulous slumber party scene for your added enjoyment!)

Our high school football games didn't have bonfires. I don't think, anyway. My friends and I didn't have what you'd exactly call school spirit, and since the jocks were the ones who were mean to us, we didn't exactly feel terribly supportive of their endeavors. But I went to some games my freshman year, and then sophomore year, my friend Andrea and I took Marching Band to get out of P.E. so we had to go. We couldn't even play instruments, and yet they let us in, and we were constantly in trouble. But the humiliation of wearing our polyester band uniforms in public was better than the humiliation of athletic excursion and ineptitude, even when a kid barfed all down my back at a game and we were asked not to come back in the spring. That one semester of band took care of all our PE requirements for the rest of high school, so yeah, it was definitely worth it. And you couldn't recognize us in the yearbook photo, so, well, you would never have known we were band geeks if I hadn't just confessed.

Anyhow, this past Thanksgiving we went to my sister's house in Sonoma. She and her husband live in a magical adobe house and they have miniature DONKEYS.



This has nothing to do with the bonfire. I just love this donkey.

And as an added bonus to the BBQed turkey and donkeys, there would be a bonfire. "Terrific!" I thought. "It's part of my blog!" The book even says that it's all part of spiritual yaddie yaddie (obviously my words there), and a way to celebrate holidays for many cultures. So what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with overindulging on food and flames? It was what the book said to do. An Accomplishment in a snap!

So we went to my sister's house, where I ate too much shrimp dip and turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and cake and wished that pants with elastic waistbands were more fashionable.

And yes, indeed there was a bonfire:


Come on, baby...


Except all I did was look at it for a few minutes, and then told the kids that they couldn't eat marshmallows because they'd already eaten a bunch of them and cake and they'd be bouncing off the walls and so I was the total killjoy and, well, that was about it. I didn't even throw a stick on there.

But I actually sat next to a bona fide bonfire. And being that this is not an every day occurrence (in my city, you don't really want to see a bonfire, trust me -- it would mean there something going on) I feel that this is a Bona Fide Accomplishment.

And I found that I am more of a hanging with the donkeys type of girl anyway, so that counts for something.


The Donkey Whisperer

Twenty-two down, 75 to go.

I have been remiss...

... in posting lately, and I do apologize. But I swear, it's because I have been Accomplishing things! Who knew that Accomplishing things could take up so much time? I'm looking forward to having some time to simply hunker down and post some entries, and I promise, it will be soon.

In the meantime, I want to thank everybody for their support for my reading -- it was fun! The turnout was fantastic (thanks to everyone who came!), and I appreciated the applause. In the end I wrote about how Facebook is really the online equivalent of junior high school. (You can call it "networking" all you want, but let's face it -- there is NO WAY I'd ever get a job from my facebook page. But you CAN subscribe to this blog via facebook! I heart modern technology!) A lot of people could relate to it, but one girl came up to me and said, "I will NEVER join facebook, but you have rockstar hair!" And then yesterday, when I was at Top Dog buying a bratwurst while in a grubby sweatshirt and *gasp* no tiara, a woman said, "Hey! I saw you read at Mixing Bowl last week!" Yes folks, I am famous. I can no longer go to places like Top Dog without being recognized. I will be going to The Ivy and 21 from here on out.

Should you want to recognize me as well, this is me reading and looking very serious indeed:

photo by Ken Duffy



And on a different note, tis the season for the next Mid Century Potluck -- the MID CENTURY SUPPER CLUB WINTER WONDERLAND HOLIDAY POTLUCK that is.



If you're in the bay area and you've always wanted to accomplish creating a dish featuring canned meat and aspic, be our guest!

Okay, must go finish all those pesky Accomplishments now. I promise, more updates soon!

Accomplishment #21: WriteYour Own Op-Ed Piece (#72)

[Okay, the book says if you have an opinion, write an Op-Ed and send it in to your local newspaper, and if it doesn't get published to post it on your blog. I DO have a strong opinion about something (big surprise), but I am skipping the whole rejection part, and just posting it to my blog. It still counts, right? Since I am the queen of 97land, I think it does.]


AN OPEN LETTER TO HOLIDAY SHOPPERS: PLEASE BUY BOOKS.

Because I work in publishing, I get daily emails and updates about how the economy is wreaking havoc on the book and publishing industries. Even before all of this recent economic turmoil happened, more and more independent bookstores were going out of business, eaten up by the bigger chains and inability to discount their books to compete, and rents skyrocketing to the point that more and more bookstores had to shut their brick and mortar establishments. And I am not talking about little, tiny, out of the way bookstores that someone opened recently on a whim; I am talking about well established stores that had been in business for decades. I actually cried when I found out that my favorite travel bookstore, Candida's in Washington DC, shut down, as did the giant Olsson's. And those are just two examples.

Now experts are saying that this is going to be a bad retail season, which drives fear into everyone's hearts. This is the season that keeps most retail businesses afloat, and without good sales, we could see a very ugly period ahead. And hit hard is going to be the book business. It used to be said that the book industry was nearly recession proof, as people still would buy books because they were inexpensive, enjoyable, and accessible, but now I'm not so sure. With the internet and the economy, things aren't looking so good.

I would like to encourage you, should you be buying gifts this year, to please buy BOOKS for everyone on your list this holiday season. A few months ago I would have said to please buy from your local independent, and I still believe that is the first choice to exercise whenever possible (if there is even a local independent near you anymore -- I'm still worried they are going the way of the DoDo and ultimately the polar bear, which makes me cry and we need to change the subject), but buy them from any bookstore. Everyone's hurting.

And do I really need to tell you that books make great gifts? Come on... But I will anyway:

~ Books are relatively inexpensive. These days they cost the same or less than a two hour movie, yet they last much, much longer, and can be read again and again. They are a bargain.

~ Books become your friends. If you are sad or worried, a book can cheer you up with a good plot or good advice. They can make you laugh out loud, or tell you a story that will make you cry. They can inspire you to go and do Great Things. (Or Accomplish a bunch of stuff you never did in High School.) And they will NEVER flake on you or cheat on you, and will be there for you as long as you keep them on your shelves. (Though some WILL tell you not to eat that second helping of ice cream. The Health & Diet genre can be a bit cruel and pushy sometimes.)

~ Books are treasures. There is something about a book that has been given to someone that makes it magical, especially when the giver has inscribed it. I still have most of the books my father gave to me when I was little, and while the author's printed pages are precious, my father's handwriting is absolutely priceless.

~ Sharing a book you love with someone has the ability to shape someone's life. My sister, though she didn't inscribe it, gave me a copy of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers in 9th grade, because it was one of her favorites. It became one of mine, too. And my other sister gave me a collection of John Steinbeck in 9th grade also because she loved him, and again, so do I. Passionately. (And have been thinking a lot about The Grapes of Wrath lately. Time to revisit it.)

~ There are so many to choose from. Even if the people you're shopping for aren't readers, there is a book in the store that they will love. Whether it's a coffee table book full of pictures, a graphic novel, a how to, or a travel guide for somewhere they might go or have been... Trust me. It's in the bookstore.

~ One stop shopping! The best gift you can give yourself that pays off for everyone is lack of stress. What better way to combat it than get all your shopping done in a nice, clean well lighted place that's not the mall or Wal-Mart? Just thinking about that upped my blood pressure. Ugh.

~ Books are a good and cheap and diverse education. I don't know about you, but I'm too broke to go back to school. The next best thing? Books. And books about EVERYTHING. you can virtually teach yourself anything. Sure, you can Google it, but you can't use a HIGHLIGHTER.

~ They are the easiest thing to wrap. Take it from me, the world's worst wrapper. My presents look like they were wrapped by a four-year-old. One time I went to a baby shower and the guests actually laughed at my crappy wrap job. But books? I am a PRO. In my bookstore tenure, I must have wrapped thousands of books. And it wasn't practice that made it perfect -- it was the clean, even lines. Not a lot of tape, and no need for a gift bag, God's answer for the Gift-Wrapped Challenged.

~ Sustainability. I know, it's hip to be green, and how green are books that trees have to die for? Well, a lot of books are now printed on recycled paper, and they do last a long time. Even when you're done with it, you can pass it along. Plus there's that Kindle, which I don't prefer but it's a fact. And like I said before -- easy to gift wrap so no gift bag and wasteful decorative tissue.

~ Books smell good. Seriously. New book smell is heavenly. One of my favorite things to do is walk into a new bookstore and get happily pummeled by that scent. I even like the smell of old books and their musty history, but then again, I'm weird.

~ Reading a printed page is way better than scrolling down on a computer screen. I have never heard about any reported cases of anyone getting carpal tunnel by reading a book. Sure, maybe your butt will fall asleep and you may get a papercut, but it's not like clicking a mouse, which can result in physical therapy or some fancy and expensive aerodynamic or whatever keyboard that doesn't really work anyway.

~ What my Favorite tee shirt says is true:


'Nuff said. Available here: buyolympia

~ Buying books helps the good people of the book industry. Okay, I was an English major in college, so I've never made the big bucks. And with the exception of maybe Danielle Steele and John Grisham and Stephen King and other blockbuster exceptions, people in the book industry -- no matter what side of the counter they're on -- gets paid much money. Writing, producing, editing, marketing, publicizing and selling books is really hard. Trust me. We're all underpaid, but it's a labor of love.

~ Books are Community Organizers. You think I'm joking? you may laugh at Oprah's book club (though I don't know why you would or should), but that's only one of them out there. Social circles are formed around books, as are movements. And there are a lot of towns out there who rely on their libraries and bookstores for events, education, and jobs. Ahem. Communities.

~ Speaking of Community Organizers... Our new president is a writer and reader, and this is one way he leads by example. Shouldn't we up the ante a bit and follow suit? It would be amazing to shed the dumb American stereotype. And what better way to do it than READ BOOKS.

Okay, I could go on, but that's plenty to get you started. Ask is anyone you know has a Wish List, Amazon or otherwise. Pay attention to what they're talking about -- I'm sure a book on that topic is out there. Ask your bookseller for ideas -- they may not get paid a lot, but they have some good suggestions. And think about what you've read and loved that you could give to someone to enrich their lives. And very important: BE VERY VOCAL AND TELL EVERYONE WHAT BOOKS YOU WANT, TOO. Sure, sure, it's better to give than to receive and all that BS, but make sure you're covered, too.

And may I suggest this little gem?


the book that started this blog.

Thank you for reading.


Twenty one down, 76 to go.

Accomplished!

The piece for Wednesday night has been written, thanks to channeling my muse:


The fabulously Pucci-clad Jackie Susann.

So if you're in Oakland on Wednesday night, come on down to The Mixing Bowl!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


HELLO BAY AREA!

This month we're mixing things up a bit with some delicious prose.

November's writers are electric with humor, grace and pizzazz – just what you'll
need to heat up these chilly autumn nights!

So, please come out and support these talented writers (and have a bowl of yummy
soup or a steaming cup of tea while you're at it!)
Your Host,

Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen


THE MIXING BOWL
LITERARY READING SERIES
The Word is Out: Oakland's Emerging Writers Mix it Up!

"The Word is Out: Oakland's Emerging Writers Mix it Up!" – a literary reading series
featuring some of Oakland's most talented emerging writers. A mixture of poetry
and prose, this series includes a range of writers from Oakland's diverse artist
communities and Bay Area Creative Writing programs. Come mix it up at The Mixing
Bowl Cafe and experience great food and contemporary works from Mills College, California
College of Art (CCA), Stanford University's Stegner Program, Deep Oakland, Voices
of Our Nations (VONA) and more.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

WHEN: 2nd Wednesdays of the Month

TIME: 7 PM

WHERE: The Mixing Bowl Cafe,
4920 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609


READERS: Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Melanie Hilario is a freelance writer, editor, and writing coach. Constantly on
multiple projects at once, she feels sort of like the Samuel L. Jackson of the writing
world. Mel loves her dog Gogo, kung fu, grammar, and the city of Oakland. Her novel
misses her terribly, but they have frequent one-night stands in between jobs.

Diana Ipis completing her first collection of stories and starting a novel based
on a short story. She is a graduate of the Mills MFA program and has attended residencies
and workshops at Hedgebrook, Blue Mountain Center and Voices of Our Nation Arts
(VONA). She was the recipient of an Elizabeth George Foundation grant in 2008. She
published her first story "Drunken Chicken" in Hyphen Magazine this spring.

Karen Finlay(not to be confused with the performance artist who spells her name
with an "EY") received her MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College,
where she wrote serious, hard-hitting pieces about buying Go-Go's records and
getting her period for the first time. Since then, her work has been seen in many
emails, myspace comments, and on her blog, 97thingstodobeforeiturn97.blogspot.com. She
has also aired some dirty laundry as part of The Rebel Reading Series and has been
featured on dublit.com. A Gemini who loves pina coladas and hates getting caught
in the rain, she has a deep love/hate relationship with The Twilight series by Stephenie
Meyer.

Cleavon Smith, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Mills College Creative
Writing MFA Program was born and raised in Mississippi and moved to the Bay Area
while still serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Cleavon has been a National
Endowment of the Humanities Fellow and his prose and poetry has been published in
the "Potomac Review," "The Best Gay Asian Erotica," and "Nine Lives," a collection
of essays about the lives of Bay Area elders in facilitated care. He lives in Oakland
with his fiancée and their cat Cedric and teaches in the English Department at Berkeley
City College.

If you're in the Bay Area, I'm doing a reading...

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing a reading on Wednesday, Nov. 12th at 7 pm, in Oakland, CA.

There's just ONE teeny little problem.

I have NO IDEA what to read. To write about, actually. I am having Writer's Block like all git out. I've been so involved in the election that I've put it off, and now I'm, um, up that creek without a paddle. I know it will be memoir (as it always is), but I don't know what the THEME will be. Ugh.

If anyone can come up with a good topic that I can use, I will send you a present.



And if you come, I will give you big hugs and my undying gratitude.

****************************************


HELLO BAY AREA!

This month we’re mixing things up a bit with some delicious prose.

November’s writers are electric with humor, grace and pizzazz – just what you’ll
need to heat up these chilly autumn nights!

So, please come out and support these talented writers (and have a bowl of yummy
soup or a steaming cup of tea while you’re at it!)
Your Host,

Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen


THE MIXING BOWL
LITERARY READING SERIES
The Word is Out: Oakland’s Emerging Writers Mix it Up!

“The Word is Out: Oakland’s Emerging Writers Mix it Up!” – a literary reading series
featuring some of Oakland’s most talented emerging writers. A mixture of poetry
and prose, this series includes a range of writers from Oakland’s diverse artist
communities and Bay Area Creative Writing programs. Come mix it up at The Mixing
Bowl Cafe and experience great food and contemporary works from Mills College, California
College of Art (CCA), Stanford University’s Stegner Program, Deep Oakland, Voices
of Our Nations (VONA) and more.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

WHEN: 2nd Wednesdays of the Month

TIME: 7 PM

WHERE: The Mixing Bowl Cafe,
4920 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609


READERS: Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Melanie Hilario is a freelance writer, editor, and writing coach. Constantly on
multiple projects at once, she feels sort of like the Samuel L. Jackson of the writing
world. Mel loves her dog Gogo, kung fu, grammar, and the city of Oakland. Her novel
misses her terribly, but they have frequent one-night stands in between jobs.

Diana Ipis completing her first collection of stories and starting a novel based
on a short story. She is a graduate of the Mills MFA program and has attended residencies
and workshops at Hedgebrook, Blue Mountain Center and Voices of Our Nation Arts
(VONA). She was the recipient of an Elizabeth George Foundation grant in 2008. She
published her first story "Drunken Chicken" in Hyphen Magazine this spring.

Karen Finlay(not to be confused with the performance artist who spells her name
with an "EY") received her MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College,
where she wrote serious, hard-hitting pieces about buying Go-Go's records and
getting her period for the first time. Since then, her work has been seen in many
emails, myspace comments, and on her blog, 97thingstodobeforeiturn97.blogspot.com. She
has also aired some dirty laundry as part of The Rebel Reading Series and has been
featured on dublit.com. A Gemini who loves pina coladas and hates getting caught
in the rain, she has a deep love/hate relationship with The Twilight series by Stephenie
Meyer.

Cleavon Smith, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Mills College Creative
Writing MFA Program was born and raised in Mississippi and moved to the Bay Area
while still serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Cleavon has been a National
Endowment of the Humanities Fellow and his prose and poetry has been published in
the “Potomac Review,” “The Best Gay Asian Erotica,” and “Nine Lives,” a collection
of essays about the lives of Bay Area elders in facilitated care. He lives in Oakland
with his fiancée and their cat Cedric and teaches in the English Department at Berkeley
City College.



UPCOMING READERS:

December 10, 2008
Prose
Grace Loh
Ly Nguyen
SianJones
Caroline Kim Brown




Contact: Armando Koghan at 510-655-5630 (The Mixing Bowl) or Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen
at poetesshoa@yahoo.com

A BIG, FAT, HUGE, COLOSSAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America.

I am so proud of my candidate and country right now.

And I'm so cried out that I have no more words, just feelings of pure elation.

Yes we can... and yes, we did.