*hey there, it's christa*

Loved the Book, Can't Wait for the Movie...

I'm embarrassed to say that I first started reading the fabulous Where'd You Go, Bernadette the day after Christmas and (gasp!) just finished.

Normally when it takes me that long to finish a book it's because I'm not really feeling it. But since part of my job involves reviewing novels, and I subscribe to a veritable truckload of magazines, my pre-bedtime reading has mostly consisted of work-related titles and flipping through Williams-Sonoma catalogs and Food Network magazine and, of course, catching up on all things entertainment with People and EW.

So needless to say, poor Bernadette was neglected for way too long.

Speaking of Bernadette, I absolutely adored her character. To say she's quirky is the understatement of the century. For one, she's practically agoraphobic and outsources even the most menial of tasks, loathes her new hometown of Seattle with a passion (yeah, I don't get that either) and was a forward-thinking, accomplished architect until things went very wrong.

Yeah, to elaborate more on that would rob you of the many joys of reading, so just take my word for it and check it out. Trust me, thanks to Maria Semple, one of the writers of TV's "Arrested Development," Bernadette is a character you won't forget any time soon.

In fact, I can hardly wait to see who plays her on the big screen since the novel was recently optioned for a movie that reportedly involves a few of the people who worked on (500) Days of Summer, one of my all-time favorites.

10 Words I'd Be Happy to Never to Hear Again...

Words are how I make my living, so you'd think I'd love and cherish each and every one of them, right? 

Well, I'm sitting at Starbucks typing as we speak, and I just heard one of my least favorite words—moist. Yes, one of the baristas was describing the cinnamon swirl coffee cake, and that's the description he gave. 

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that cake that isn't all dry, flavorless and basically the equivalent of a door stop is delightful indeed, but must it be called "moist?"

Ewww.

For whatever reason, hearing the "m" word today got me thinking about other words I don't like, so I thought I'd share a few for your reading pleasure.

Surreal. This is a word that actors throw around a lot, particularly during awards season. Working with (insert actor or director here) was surreal. The Academy giving me this award is surreal, blah, blah, blah, blah, yak. In fact, when you watch the Oscars this weekend, listen for it. My money's on Anne Hathaway using it during her "Best Supporting Actress" speech when she's waxing poetic about working on the dream of a project known as Les Misérables.

Literally. My hatred of this word mostly stems from the fact that it's used improperly again and again. Most of the things people add "literally" to isn't literal in the least. Figurative? Maybe. Literal? No. Ok, moving on...

Poignant. Sure, the word's meaning is pleasant enough, but I've never been a fan of how this word sounds. Whenever "poignant" fits with what I'm describing, I opt for another adjective instead. It's just how I roll...nothing in my world is poignant.

Nice. The blandest of adjectives. Whenever I hear this milquetoast sentiment, I die a little inside—not literally, of course. If something's merely "nice," why bother even referencing it? 

Chortle. Yes, Lewis Carroll used it when he said "he chortled in his joy," but I  just can't bring myself to follow suit. To me, "chortle" is one of those annoying words that doesn't sound like what it means, so I avoid it altogether. 

Blog. Really? There isn't a better word for this jaunty little webpage? Grrrr.

Emoticon(s). Another techie term that drives my ears crazy. Emotions? Fine. Icons? I can deal. But when these two words join forces? No, no, no, no, NO! :(

Honestly. This is one of those icky filler words that I loathe with a passion. Does anyone have to use "honestly" when trying to convey that something's true? Are we being dishonest every other time if we don't use "honestly" as a qualifier? I'd like to take a red pen and scratch out this word permanently from the vocabulary of mankind. Can I get a witness?

Panties. I won't elaborate on this one, but say it a few times, and it won't take you long to figure out why it should be never said again. Ick.

Ok, readers, so now that I've gone on and on about the words I can't stand, I'd love to hear a few of yours—and why Webster's should banish them from the dictionary. Any words you'd be happy never to hear again?

You'd Think Being Nice During Communion Was a No-Brainer But...

If you're within 100 feet of, say, Gordon Ramsey, it wouldn't exactly be surprising if he barked at you for any number of reasons—justified and otherwise.

But when you're at church taking Communion of all things, you'd expect people, especially church leadership, to have a certain sense of decorum during this most sacred of moments.

Right?

Well, apparently, I was wrong. Big time. We had Communion at church yesterday, and after taking my cracker from the plate passed to me from the right, I passed it left, only to discover that the young woman sitting next to me was already holding a silver plate of her own. Laughing for a second at this funny little coincidence, I decided it was probably best to hold my plate until somebody came by to pick it up.

As I waited for the next step, though, I was quickly—and quite loudly—informed by the Gordon Ramsey of Communion that I needed to PASS THE PLATE immediately. I tried explaining how everyone, to the left and right of me, had already gotten their bread, but he didn't seem to care in the least. Instead, he shot me the look of death, refused to take my plate and probably walked away thinking I was basically the dumbest person on the planet.

Not taking kindly to a complete stranger being so rude to his wife—at CHURCH of all places—my hubby immediately walked to the back to have a word with the guy. But instead of offering a simple "I'm sorry" for the misunderstanding, the Communion dictator was only intent on ending the conversation as soon as possible, lest anyone nearby get wind of it.

For whatever reason, he didn't think he was even remotely out of line because he "has a responsibility to make sure 3,000 people have their Communion elements" and "some people just don't know what to do when the plate is passed."

Yeah, that "someone" is me, apparently, although last time I checked, you didn't need to be a Mensa candidate to know how to properly pass a Communion plate.

If anything, the whole situation just left me cold. While I'll, no doubt, forget about this soon enough, what if I'd never been to church before, and this was my first impression of how Christians in leadership behaved? And really, aren't you missing the point of Communion, and even going to church, if you're freaking out about something as small as a plate not being passed in what you believe is a timely manner?

Plus, if someone thinks you're being rude, isn't the right course of action to say you're sorry, rather than school someone on your "responsibility?" The last time I checked, the mission of anyone working in church leadership is to serve, not reprimand.

These are just the sorts of instances that give Christians, not to mention church, a bad reputation. You'd think being nice during Communion was a no-brainer, but I guess it's not. Really, one can only hope this guy will chill out and get his act together before souring someone else's Sunday morning. Or at least train his staff better so two plates don't (gasp!) end up in the same row.

Yes, I Finally Got Around to Reading...

When it comes to those "it" books that everyone seems to be reading, I'm usually a little late to the party. And the same holds true for Kathryn Stockett's The Help, which everyone has been oohing and aahing about since it released in 2009.

For whatever reason (and it had nothing to do with the quality, mind you), I'd read a few pages here and there and then moved on to something else. But since the big-screen version of The Help is hitting theaters soon, I wanted to be prepared for the forthcoming film vs. novel debate if I ended up reviewing the movie for Crosswalk. So I decided to finally finish it once and for all.

And wow, I'm sure glad I did...

Not only is The Help quite the page-turner from a pure storytelling perspective, but it was the sort of book where the three-dimensional characters really began feeling like family. Stockett does such a wonderful job of setting the scene and creating memorable, three-dimensional characters with unique voices and perspectives. In fact, if my own writing deadlines hadn't been looming, I probably would've finished in a couple of days rather than a week.

Plus, given that I wasn't alive during this particularly volatile moment in history, I was thankful for the perspective. My heart was just breaking for the maids and their families who lived through such hateful prejudice day in and day out, and reading was such a powerful reminder of where we've been as a nation, how far we've come and the challenges that still lie ahead with the issue of racism.

But like we've been told again and again, it only takes one person to make a significant difference, and I love that an awkwardly tall woman with uncontrollably frizzy hair named Skeeter was able to do that through the power of the written word. An aspiring journalist who hoped to write about something more substantial than simple household tips, she was encouraged by a Manhattan publishing company to tackle something of substance that mattered to her. 

Even though she took quite a few risks by doing so, Skeeter decided to write about how black maids were treated by their white employees back in the early '60s—the good, the bad and the ugly. Naturally, this wasn't an easy subject for these women to open up about, considering they'd lose their jobs if their employers ever found out, but with persistence (and Skeeter never, ever gave up), their stories were eventually told in an anonymous book that really shook things up culturally.

To say much more would ruin it for anyone who late to the party like I was. But I will say this, if you were on the fence about reading, I'd definitely recommend it. I don't remember being this moved by something I've read in a good long while.

Don't you love how well-crafted fiction can do just that? Reading books like that definitely motivates me to keep writing, that's for sure.

List #6: 10 Websites That Qualify For My Coveted M.V. Status

Yeah, like everyone else on the planet these days, I participate in everyone's favorite form of procrastination social networking: Facebook and Twitter.

On any given day, Google also racks up plenty more pageviews thanks to silly ol' me (namely for driving directions since I'm a little challenged in that area and happen to live in a brand-new city), and I'd be an awful, awful freelance writer if I didn't check out the sites I write for, right? So everything from Crosswalk.com to GospelMusicChannel.com to Scribble Chicks gets some regular attention from my Web browser.

But aside from the aforementioned, I'd like to nominate 10 more websites for the coveted M.V. (that's must-visit) status. These are the places that are nothing but a pure joy to visit online and are rather helpful and insightful to boot—a formidable combination, no?

Food Network.com: It's no secret that I absolutely love to cook, and there's nothing more fun than dreaming up a recipe on the fly. But every once in a while when I find myself completely uninspired by the chicken I've defrosted for dinner, I go to Food Network.com and see if I can jazz things up a little, and it's never failed me yet. Plus, if you're like me and regularly watch the Food Network chefs like Ina, Giada, Paula, Sunny and Rachael, they always post whatever they've made that day for easy reference (and bookmarking).

Writeitsideways.com: Now that I've been a professional writer for a decade (yeah, I can't believe it's been that long either), one of the most frequently asked questions I get is whether I still love it, considering it's something I do every day, rain or shine, whether I'm feeling the Jerry Maguire, up-until-the-wee-hours-of-the-night level of inspired or the I-can't-possibly-dream-up-anything remotely-inspiring-to-say doldrums.

For the record, the answer is definitely yes. But from time to time, working as a full-time freelancer can feel a little isolating, so it's great to know there's people who absolutely, positively get that. And that's just one of the many reasons I like WriteItSideways. Not only do they offer great professional advice and helpful tips on grammar, beating writer's block, etc., but they totally understand what it's like to work with words.

HipParis.com: Yes, I've always dreamed of going to Paris, and that's actually happening in early 2011, meaning that all my reading up on the City of Love on HipParis.com hasn't been for naught. From fashion to restaurants to sightseeing off the beaten path, trust me, they've got it covered.

Sephora.com: Shopping at Sephora.com is almost as much fun as shopping at my favorite cosmetics purveyor itself—almost. The best thing is the web-only exclusives and your choice of free samples whenever you buy something. Yeah, you get to pick the samples!!!

Goodreads.com: 'Cause it's always fun to see what everyone's reading, right? Plus, I keep track of everything I've read, too, which is a nice reminder at the end of year when I wonder what I've done with all my spare time.

Chicklitisnotdead.com: Love the name, love the site, love the girls who run it. In fact, whenever I need a good laugh, it's my go-to webpage because Liz and Lisa not only do a fantastic job of spotlighting great female writing talent, but their blog posts seriously deliver the funny in that lovingly sarcastic way I adore so much.

Pandora.com: Yeah, I'm a little late to the game, I know. But when I don't feel like driving to Panera for Wi-Fi, their hazelnut coffee and classical music to write by, it's been my new best friend when I'm craving a good dose of Vivaldi, Chopin and Debussy.

ThePioneerWoman.com: While I'm pretty sure I'd never trade city living for a downhome country existence, I still love reading how Ree Drummond (a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman) does it. Plus, there's plenty of great home and cooking ideas all in one place...think HGTV meets chic hillbilly housewife.

Groupon.com: Awesome discounts on everything from entertainment to beauty services to restaurants. Yeah, I'm hooked.

Kayak.com: If you're like me and don't like searching for cheap airfare, car rentals and hotel rooms on a gazillion different travel websites, Kayak.com actually knows how to multi-task. I've not only found countless awesome deals on travel this way, but managed to save a little sanity in the process. Bonus!

List #3: I Haven't Done One of These in Ages...

It's still all lists, all the time here on my blog, but today's entry was inspired by a tag on my Facebook page.

Remember when a day wouldn't pass without one of these "getting to know you" quizzes landing in your Inbox? Well, in the spirit of not doing one of these in ages, I thought I'd devote this list to just that...

Getting to Know You (courtesy of Joshua St. John)

What time did you get up this morning? I slept in until (gasp!) 8:00 a.m., a rarity in my world.

How do you like your steak? Non-existent. I don't like steak.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I was reviewing Red with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich.

What is your favorite TV show? Anything on the Food Network

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Nashville, Tennessee would be my home sweet home.

What did you have for breakfast? English muffin with crunchy peanut butter and a little raspberry jam, turkey bacon and a bottle of water.

Your favorite cuisine? Italiano.

What foods do you dislike? Steak, roast beef, hamburgers (see a theme emerging here?), most fish, raw fennel, pulled pork, cooked cabbage

Favorite Place to Eat? Dos Caminos

Favorite dressing? Balsamic vinaigrette

What kind of vehicle do you drive? SUV

What are your favorite clothes? Depends on the occasion...I'm not too picky but the older I get, the more comfortable I like to be.

Where would you visit if you had the chance? I'd spend two months in Italy, move on to France and then, the Czech Republic.

Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends if I'm feeling happy or snarky.

Where would you want to retire? Santa Monica or Santa Barbara, California

Favorite time of day? Whenever Will gets home from work.

Where were you born? Madison, Wisconsin

What is your favorite sport to watch? Are there are any other sports worth watching besides pro football?

Bird watcher? Yes, I have an unhealthy fear of them, so it's good to know where they're at.

Morning or night person? Is it possible to be both?

Do you have any pets? Only stuffed

Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I'll let you know.

What did you want to be when you were little? Hannah Storm or Judy Blume

What is your best childhood memory? Shooting hoops with my dad

Are you a cat or dog person? Neither really, but if pressed, I'd say a dog person. Cats make me sneeze and are a little too mean for my liking.

Are you married? Yes, five years now...

Always wear your seat belt? Always!

Been in a car accident? Yes, and it's forever changed the way I drive.

Any pet peeves? People who are mean, people who are always late, bad drivers...yeah, that pretty much covers it.

Favorite Pizza Toppings? The works or Hawaiian works for me.

Favorite Flower? Gerbera daisies...so cute!

Favorite ice cream? Chocolate chip cookie dough

Favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-a-fila

How many times did you fail your driver's test? None, I passed the first time.

From whom did you get your last email? My movie review editor, Laura MacCorkle

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, Sephora or Nordstrom (and yes, I can't pick just one)

Do anything spontaneous lately? I went for an unplanned walk this afternoon, does that count?

Like your job? Definitely. I'm my own boss.

Broccoli? Better steamed than raw, but I'll eat it either way.

What was your favorite vacation? My honeymoon, hands down. We drove up the 101 and stayed in L.A., Santa Barbara, Carmel and San Francisco...it was perfect.

Last person you went out to dinner with? Sir William

What are you listening to? The Barefoot Contessa talking about tuna tartare in the background.

What is your favorite color? I'll say red. But I reserve the right to change my mind.

Favorite Bands/Artists? U2, Coldplay, Radiohead, Ryan Adams, Josh Rouse, John Mayer, Ray LaMontagne, and the list goes on and on and on...

Favorite Beer? I'd rather have a peach bellini please.

Favorite Comfort Foods? Pasta and ice-cream

Favorite way to relax? A great book or film will do just fine.

The Battle of Who Could Care Less

I typically loathe e-mail forwards with a passion, but this particular exercise was pretty fun (and you'll understand the blog entry title when you see the last question.)

So here's what I had to do...

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle. (Easy enough)

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

4. Make a fun/silly/witty comment on your answer.

5. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the same as well as the person you got the note from. (Not going to happen, but this will be fun anyway.)

1.What is your motto?
"Amsterdam" by Guster
I don't know how a cool European country can be a motto, but hey, it could be worse, right?

2.What do your friends think of you?
"Come Pick Me Up" by Ryan Adams
So they either need a ride somewhere or an emotional boost, huh? So glad I can oblige.

3.What do you think about very often?
"Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
With the nasty cold Minnesota weather right now, I'm dreaming of Will and I's favorite vacay spot, Los Angeles. But it's hardly somewhere only we know.

4. What is 2+2?
"Airbag" by Radiohead
Doubtful. But at least it's another great song.

5.What do you think of your best friend?
"Overrated" by Gavin DeGraw
This is hilarious. I doubt my best friend (a.k.a. Will) would appreciate this!

6.What do you think of the person you like?
"Warning Sign" by Coldplay
Again, I don't think Will is going to like this one...

7. What is your life story?
"Everything's Not Lost" by Coldplay
Well that's comforting...

8.What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Hotel Yorba" by The White Stripes
I'm pretty sure I don't want to be anything that Jack White is singing about.

9.What do you think when you see the person you like?
"Rebel Prince" by Rufus Wainwright
Ok, I'm thinking Will's going to like this one.

10.What do your parents think of you?
"Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows
I hope my Mom's love for me isn't just accidental.

11.What will you dance to at your wedding?
"Lump" by Presidents of the U.S.A.
Good thing this didn't really end up being the case.

12. What will they play at your funeral?
"Grace" by U2
Not a bad song for such a bittersweet day! :)

13. What is your hobby/interest?
"Skyway" by The Replacements
This is oddly appropriate given that I spend many a Minnesota afternoon walking through the skyway (to grab a cup of coffee at Caribou and avoid the cold).

14. What is your biggest secret?
"At Last" by Etta James
Not sure how this one fits with "biggest secret" 'cause it's no secret that I'm very happy in love. But this could've been my theme song when I met Will.

15. What do you think of your friends?
"Times Like These" by Foo Fighters
This song fits really well with friendship. You've got your good times, your struggles...all part of friendship.

16. What's the worst thing that could happen?
"Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5
Yeah, this is pretty bad. Oxygen=good!

17.How will you die?
"One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" by Ben Folds Five
I don't think I even want to know how this one will play out. Scary!

18. What makes you laugh?
"A Wink and a Smile" by Harry Connick Jr.
Yeah, that works pretty nicely. Well, unless it's someone scary winking and smiling at me.

19.What makes you cry?
"Hate to Say I Told You So" by The Hives
Yeah, I don't like being wrong, so there you go...

20. Will you ever get married?
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae
If I wasn't already married, this might give me hope.

21. What scares you the most?
"Rehab" by Amy Winehouse
Hilarious! I'm guessing I probably won't have to worry about this...

22. Does anyone like you?
"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow
If not, sounds like some chocolate would do the trick!

23. If you could go back in time, what would you change?
"Who Did You Think I Was" by John Mayer
I guess people's perceptions of me, huh?

24. What hurts right now?
"i Feel it All" by Feist
Sometimes this is very apropos.

25. Now for the title of this blog entry...
"The Battle of Who Could Care Less" by Ben Folds Five
Makes me sound sort of apathetic, don't you think? Thank goodness I'm not really that cynical about life.

26. Lastly, what is the one thing you regret?
"Life on a Chain" by Pete Yorn
Never lived on a chain, so I doubt I'd regret it.

The Perfect Saturday

When you're a freelance writer for a living, there's plenty of Saturdays where you're camped out in front in your laptop just like any other day of the week. I mean there are definitely much worse ways to spend a Saturday, but I was pretty excited to spend today sans laptop.

So what's a perfect Saturday with no writing on your agenda look like? Well, here we go...

Well, I slept in until 9:30—a world record for me these days.(For the record: This isn't me or my baby!)

Then I made homemade Belgium waffles and turkey bacon for Will and I. As Rachael Ray would say "Yum-O!"

Next: Off to Starbucks for our morning brew...a caramel macchiato for me, of course. Will someone how ended up with three coffees for the price of one—A regular Pike's, an iced mocha and a regular mocha (my guess is he liked the plain ol' Pike's best of all).

Instead of writing, (Will brought his laptop and blogged today, though), I decided to catch up on my reading. Julie & Julia has been a fun read so far. And since they're making it into a movie soon, I thought I'd finally get around to finishing it (I got it for Christmas last year, sad huh?).

Afterward, Will and I went for a walk all around Lake Calhoun on what's probably going to be one of the last warm summer days in the Twin Cities. Not only did I have the best company imaginable, but it was the perfect sunny/breezy day. The only thing that would've been better is if Lake Calhoun had been the Pacific Ocean...but hey, you enjoy what you've got, right?

Now Introducing...My New Blog!

Don't get me wrong, I still love MySpace and Facebook and will still post there, too. But they just aren't as conducive to the sort of blogging I'm hoping to do in the coming months. So with that said, welcome to my new corner of cyberspace where I'll gab about whatever random thing I'm thinking about...

So check back often for the latest. :)

And in the meantime, why not check out my feature on Abigail Breslin for her latest flick "Kit Kittredge: American Girl?" It was a super fun one to write...

Until next time,
Christa