I want to go here this week for a pedicure: European Institute of Cosmetology.

Who wants to go with me? Let’s plan it!

Below is another book meme that I stole from Carly at andsosheblogs.com, who actually stole it from Rhi at rhiinpink.com. My comments are on top, then Carly’s . . . and so on. (By the way, the formatting is screwed up, so if a book is italicized and bold, that means I read it.) My picks are at the bottom in PURPLE. Duh.

Carly: So I am stealing this from the oh so awesome Rhiannon. Because I love to read, but am not known for reading all those fancy teach you something kind of books.

Rhiannon’s My List of Must Read Books for the Twenty or Thirty-Something Career Girl With an Active Social Life and Reality TV to Watch

BOLD the books you have read. Italicize the books you intend or want to read. And in my case I will mark through the ones I have no desire to ever read. (Carly added a few at the end of the list that she thought should be on there . . . and what the hell, I added a couple too!)

1. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
2. East of Eden, John Steinbeck
3. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
4. The New Kings of Nonfiction, Ira Glass
5. Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, Danielle Ganek
6. White Teeth, Zadie Smith
7. Then We Came to the End, Joshua Ferris
8. Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kinglosver
9. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
10. A Girl Named Zippy, Haven Kimmel
11. Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!, Fannie Flagg
12. Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters, Mark Dunn
13. Stupid and Contagious, Caprice Crane
14. Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs
15. Bitter is the New Black, Jen Lancaster
16. Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, Lois P. Frankel
17. I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies), Laurie Notaro
18. Running in Heels, Anna Maxted
19. She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb
20. Sushi for Beginners, Marian Keyes
21. Jemima J, Jane Green
22. Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin
23. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
24. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
25. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume
26. The Gift of Fear, Gavin De Becker
27. Emma, Jane Austen
28. The Hours, Michael Cunningham
29. Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf
30. The Romance Reader, Pearl Abraham
31. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
32. Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
33. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Lynne Truss (I have a copy at home AND at work)
34. A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn
35. Manufacturing Consent, Noam Chomsky (I read this as part of my Media Major in college, AMAZING BOOK)
36. Swell: A Girl’s Guide to the Good Life, Ilene Rosenzweig
37. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, Amy Sedaris
38. Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, Jennifer Baumgardner (also whoever I lent this to, I’d like it back now, thanks)
39. The Official Guide for GMAT Review (only because then you can tell me what it says in there, I’ve been reading this book for 6 years now)
40. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search…, Elizabeth Gilbert (have purchased but not read yet) (Ash’s comment: I’ve read this book twice. The first time I liked it somewhat, but the author whines way too much. Her voice is like that of a 16 year-old who just broke up with her puppylove boyfriend. Too drama, too many tears … just too much overall. The 2nd time I tried to read it, I only got to the yoga retreat section, when the whining, once again, became overwhelming. I have no idea why so many people think this book is life-altering. If you think whining and a depressing sob-story is life-changing, then by all means, be my guest.)
41. Bloodsucking Fiends, Christopher Moore
42. The World According to Mimi Smartypants, Mimi Smartypants
43. The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Melissa Bank
44. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
45. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
46. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
47. The Singing Creek where the Willows Grow, Opal Stanley Whitely (just read it, then thank me, it’s GOOD)
48. I Am America (And So Can You), Stephen Colbert (because you will laugh, and laugh)
49. No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories, Miranda July (Ash’s comment: This is one of my favorite books of all time! I love dark, complex, edgy short stories that make you question what you just read and have it roll around in your head.)
50. Shopgirl, Steve Martin
51. Good In Bed, Jennifer Weiner
52. A Million Little Pieces, James Frey
53. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
54. The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks
55. Confessions of a Shopoholic, Sophie Kinsella
56. Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell
57. 4 Blondes, Candace Bushnell

58. What Smart Women Know by Steven Carter
59. He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, and Lauren Monchik
60. I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
61. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
71. STori Telling by Tori Spelling

I copied this post from Rhi, who copied it from a lovely on her blogroll. Here it goes:

Key

• Bold the books you have already read
• Italicize the books you intend to read
• Give yourself a point for each book you’ve read and total your score at the end

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

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 
4. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
11. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
17. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch by George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
34. Emma by Jane Austen
35. Persuasion by Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
39. Memories of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
41. Animal Farm by George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
45. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
50. Atonement by Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
52. Dune by Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
62. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 
65. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road by Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
72. Dracula by Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses by James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal by Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession by AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web by EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
94. Watership Down by Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

My final score is 42/100. Yikes! Well, still plenty to read.

Tell me … what’s your score?

Hi Fabulous Readers of AshUnabashed,

This is, really, an apology and an excuse letter. I’ve been neglecting my blog lately in favor of running around like a maniac, trying to keep up with my workload, i.e. the place I sit, fly or hustle to every morning that pays my bills and lets me lead the life I’ve grown accustomed to.

Not to say that I don’t love my blog, but when I’ve been crafting techinal and business writing pieces all day (pitches, contributed stories, press releases, etc.- who can guess MY job …), I really don’t have any sort of urge to come home and type something out for you, my blogshere. I know, I know, it’s a different type of writing you say, but on a fundamental level, it’s still writing and usually all I want to do is go to bed, or read or eat Hot Lips pizza.

I have been busy trying to squeeze a little summer into my 11 hour days. I went raspberry and marionberry picking, see pic. And last weekend I went back to my hometown and enjoyed a drunk reunion with all of my highschool and hometown buddies. We took 92 pictures with my new superstar pink camera, so I’ll post pics later this week.

So there’s my apology, half-assed? Yes. Whole-hearted. Of course! Why, it’s Ash Unabashed, although I might be lax at my blogging duties, I’m always genuine! xoxo

With affection,

Ash

P.S. I’ve decided I will only post once or twice a week, so if you’re looking to revel in more Ash Unabashed adventures on a regular basis you’ll simple have to call me! Being so connected left me feeling lost. Strange, huh.

*P.S. I thought now that Wordpress updated I would be able to post pics, but alas, I still cannot. Therefore, you won’t be totally jealous and tempted by berries.

Alright so I have decided to FINALLY sit down and do the review of the Guest Blogger CD that was sent to me.

Song 1) Viva La Vida – Coldplay:  I am totally bias towards this band. The song itself isn’t that bad… it’s really not. However I am TOTALLY sick of Coldplay. It goes back the summer of 2000 when I heard the song “Yellow”. I swear when I first heard the song I kinda liked it…. Then I heard it 56 thousand other times and by the end of the summer I couldn’t stand to hear his voice. Song was WAY over played and now I cringe when I hear Coldplay. They have good stuff and some of it I don’t totally hate but still the tingle runs down my spine when I hear his voice.

Song 2) Brandy Alexander – Feist: Never heard this song before now and even though I am normally opposed to most “girly” songs (sorry don’t have a better way to describe it) I found myself liking this song. Something about her voice that I really enjoyed. I wouldn’t be putting this song on my playlist for when I am driving but it is definitely a great song to have playing in the background when friends are over.

Song 3) Fans – Kings of Leon: Never heard of this band…. But I LOVE this song…I noticed that I am going straight to this song when I put CD in. I am gonna be searching for other CD’s from this band for sure!

Song 4) If I Had Eyes – Jack Johnson:  I love everything Jack Johnson…. And the opening line to this song “If I had eyes in the back of my head I would have told you, that you looked good as I walked away” is a great line! I am gonna admit to you right now that I went out a bought the sound track to the movie Curious George and I LOVED it. I still play that album and it makes me smile.

Song 5) Back to Black – Amy Winehouse:  Hate her…. Hate her music. I can’t stand the fact that all the reviews about her say she is a musical genius. I my eyes (which count for squat) she is NOWHERE close to a musical genius. I can’t stand the fact that all I hear about her is how she was all coked up and went on some rampage and then they play that horrible song “rehab”. I would be a happy person if I never had to hear about her anymore. I haven’t even heard the whole song; I skip it soon after I hear her voice.

Song 6) No Cars Go – Arcade Fire: It’s weird cause I really have no opinion about this song. I don’t really feel anything when I listen to it. I don’t hate it, I don’t love it. But I also don’t skip it… It is confusing me really. I don’t think I have ever felt that way about a song before.

Song 7) Mr. Brightside – The Killers:  They are one of my fav bands. I love to listen to them when I am driving… the whole “Hot Fuss” album is amazing.  This is a GREAT tune to play when your in your car…. So fun to drive to.

Song Levater – Yael Naim: Wow… this song caught me off guard… when I first heard it, I thought it was strange. I was driving in my car and I just came off the high of listening to Mr. Brightside and then this song comes on. I had to go home and Google her to find out what language she was singing in. She’s a French-Israeli singer. And even though I normally skip songs like this I was mesmerized by her voice. I have no idea what she is saying mind you but the way she says it makes me keep listening. I am surprised to say that I like this song…. Strange… real strange.

Song 9) The Funeral – Band of Horses: My first instinct was to skip this song when I heard it… it’s sounds A LOT like Coldplay to me and as I have stated earlier I don’t like Coldplay. I will say that I did listen to the whole song a couple of times and still I find myself wanted to hit the “next” button. Coldplay has ruined me.

Song 10) Hair Down – Cold War Kids: This song reminds of my friend Jay. This style of song is exactly what he listens to… not me though, don’t hate the song, just don’t really like it. It also falls into the “skip it” category.

Song 11) Tolerance – Michael Franti: This is another song that I would sit back and listen to as background music when friends are over. I find that I skip the song while driving cause it is a little to mellow for me.

Song 12) Money Talks – AC/DC:  I was surprised to hear this song on the CD. It is unlike everything else on the disk. I will admit that I am an AC/DC nut. I saw them in concert and loved it. I have the Razors Edge CD, bought it when I was a kid. Great music to drive to.

Song 13) My Hands – Her Space Holiday: Never heard of this band either. I liked the song. It has a strange way of creeping up on me. I found myself humming it while I was at work. The song had that stuck-in-my-head effect.

Song 14) In The Rain – Estelle: This song is upbeat and I can drive to it. My friend Muffin was in the car one day and this song came on and she LOVED it. I have never really listened to Estelle before but I really enjoyed this song.

Song 15) Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash:  Where the hell did this come from?????  I never expected to find Johnny Cash on this CD. This song reminds me of sitting around with friends and a bottle of whiskey. Johnny Cash is the perfect artist to listen to while sitting there having a few wobbly pops with your buddy’s. Totally shocked to find it on your CD.

Song 16) How It Ends – DeVotcha: Not a fan of this song at all…. I can’t even sit thought it. I skip it every time. I just can’t seem to get into it. It’s depressing.

Song 17) Pages – Starlight Mints: This is a strange song. It has no “ups and downs” the whole song is on one level. I get no emotional rise out of it… I am sitting hear listening to it expecting something exciting to happen and it never does…. Keeps the same beat and the same tone the whole song. I get a very weird feeling while listening… can’t explain it, it’s similar to the feeling you get when someone is standing over your shoulder… No a Fan, Not at all.

So there it is… my review (if you can call it that) I have to mention that to me music is something that I listen to while driving. I drive about 3 hours a day, and I tend to judge music on wither or not I can listen to it while I drive. I need up-beat-happy music so if I stray away from songs that are more mellow, that is why. Also when I hear a song for the first time and it doesn’t grab my interest in the first 15 seconds I tend not to listen to the whole song. I did however listen to this CD over and over again so I could write something about all the songs.  I even played it for friends on night while they were over for drinks. It was a conversation piece for sure… in fact Muffin commented on your hand writing… she said that it looked “sexy”. Have you every had anyone say your hand writing was sexy? Can hand writing even be sexy? I don’t know… but I will say this, I was so happy to receive this CD. It was exciting for me to listen to songs that someone I have never met likes… if you want to send me another CD please free. I am in the process of putting together a CD for you of all my favorite songs to drive to!

I just got home from the Deathcab for Cuties concert at Edgefield, McMenaminsand had an absolute blast with Sarah, Kjersti, Monica and Jasmine. Monica and Jasmine were already at there (M with Peter and Jas with 2 girlfriends) so I had a bit of a fun girlfest. I absolutely LOVE when I go somewhere and I see someone I know. It’s doubly better when I see TWO PEOPLE I know. Yep, lucky me. One more reason I love Portland and my friends.

If you don’t know about Deathcab, I suggest your fingers do the walkin’ and hurry on over to iTunes and download Narrow Stairs. (Or if you’re hesitant about buying the whole CD, ask me for recommendations.) I heart Deathcab, and it doesn’t hurt that they are NW buddies from Seattle. The weather tonight was perfect -cool breeze and the right amount of warmth. Blankets covered the little hill and I could see the boys right in front of me. PERFECT SUMMER NIGHT! Yay. Now if only I had a boy to return home to …. :). No worries- still had an incredible time with the girls and I took pictures. Unfortunately, there is a glitch in my uploading picture button andit’s not working. *Remind to ask Carly about this. And on to other fun things . . . . 

This meme is compliments of Lys over at Cooking in Stilettos. Check her out. Her blog is darling and so is her writing.

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE? Sex & The City. I’m not much a movie girl either! But I’m all about romantic comedies or anything involving Carrie, Samantha, Kristen and Miranda.

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING? Currently, I’m in the middle of 3. The Gift of Fear, What Smart Women Know, and That Brings Me To You.

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? Mall Madness.

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? It’s a ginormous tie between Portland Monthly, Martha Stewart, O and Glamour.

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS? The first rain, warm vanilla and freshly washed boys.

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?When I was little, the car door shutting when my parents came home from dates. I would strain to hear it in my bed. Even today when I hear a door shut when I’m in my bed it reminds me of them coming home. Last year, when Nordy would stay out late and I wasn’t supposed to care, I’d do the same thing. And then bawl my eyes out when he didn’t come home.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?Feeling unincluded or ignored. Attention and affection rock my world.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE? “Ugh. Isn’t there an excuse I can use to sleep in later?!?!?”

9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Burgerville. Poor Josh, the one on MLK is closed. Whatever will he do for dinner?

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?Talismin, Torrance, Hadleigh, Elin and Chanteuse for a little girls, and Allister, Hudson and Macadam for little boys.

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D… pay off debt; pay off my family’s debt, donate to several non-profits and buy myself and my friends lots of vacations and booze. Oh, and purses and shoes. (I know, I know, my priorities are fucked.)

12) DO U DRIVE FAST? Not really. When I had my Mercedes 420 with a beautiful sport package I definitely ZOOMED. But now in the new Jeep, it’s just not as exciting.

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? Nope. I’ve never like stuffed animals. They always freaked me out.

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Cool. It’s romantic, and a good excuse for candles and kissing under blankets.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?Nissan Sentra

16) FAVOURITE DRINK? Iced Water. I used to be a die-hard Diet Coke addict, but I’ve kicked the habit. I do love Marker’s Mark with soda and a lime twist … and I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for a Cosmo.

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD… blog more; write more; work on my own business. Ditto.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? I usually cut them off to just the nubs. They’re just too “woody.”

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Sexpot red.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?Albany, OR; Waldport, OR; McMinnville, OR; Ashland, OR; Portland, OR; and Boulder, CO.

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?Football and hockey. Except now that Eric is the new coach of the Heat, basketball will be filling my evenings next season. Go Coach Spo. (Umm, if Monica is reading this I am prepared to be ridiculed.)

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Definite night owl. I get my 2nd wind around 11am and then can stay up until 2am cleaning, blogging … shopping online.

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? Sick. Neither. Scrambled. With cheese please. Preferably smoked gouda or chevre.

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? In Hawaii.

28) FAVOURITE PIE? Strawberry or Banana Cream from Helen Berhardt’s Bakery.

29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR?Hagen Daz Creme Brulee, or Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey.

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? I don’t even know how to tag. But I bet it will be Rhi.

 Have a great Friday!

Over at I’ve Come Undone, Zoe started the following famous Summer questions. And since I’m a Summer Baby, I thought I’d respond. What about you?

• What “means” summer to you? When I was younger, the end of school always signaled summer had begun. But now that I’m in that stage of not being in school and not having babies in school (or at all for that matter!), so the beginning of summer takes on a different signifigance. I usually start celebrating summer the week or so before my birthday. Or if June has flown by, then my birthday signals the start of barefoot dancing under the stars and picnics galore.
• Do you celebrate the end of the school year? No. If not for my close girlfriend, Zoe, who teaches at for the Aloha school district, I would have no idea when school even lets out!
• Do you have big plans for summer? Not really. I just started a new job about 4 months ago and I’m keeping pretty busy working 10 hour days. I am going to the Deathcab concert at Edgefield tonight … and Habes and I keep talking about taking a 4-day “Getaway” to Palm Springs in August, but it would be SO HOT.
• Do you have summer traditions? When we were in grade school and my mom didn’t work we would also spend part of the summer at our place at Black Butte, and at the beach. But leisurely “kid” summers went by the wayside once she went back to work.
• Favorite thing about summer: I would have to agree with Zoe about most of this stuff. Farmer’s markets, lazy warm days, trips to the beach, sandals, pedicures, my birthday, Habes’ birthday, less clothing and LESS HURRY.
• Least favorite summer things? Mosquitoes-I am a magnet. - Zoe. ME TOO! I’ve already been bitten 3 times. Once on my elbow, once on my knee and once on my foot. Ugh.