Oh, Fierce and Nerdy!  How I’ve missed you.  Thanks for letting me visit you again — this missive comes to you from the west coast now, where I am fiercely anticipating the start of a new job in Los Angeles.  As a reader I tend not to delay my gratification (actually, that’s pretty much a [...]

The animals are discomfortingly close at the Washington zoo.  The cheetah, with a running start, seemed like it could easily clear that mere wall of holly surrounding its realm.  The sign which warns not to touch the prairie dogs due to their propensity to bite appeared, well, much more necessary than in other zoos I’ve [...]

I’m planning a dinner party, so of course I’m reading Mrs. Dalloway.  There has never been a better dinner party book, not in the history of literature.  It so perfectly captures that dreamy sense of excitement the afternoon before a party as you shop for ingredients and choose your dress.  There is so much space [...]

Wondering how long it will take me to stop writing 2010 and then having to delete and correct with 2011. So far I’ve made this mistake four weeks and counting. Sad. How are you all doing with this? Other than that, let’s get into my notes re this week at Fierce and Nerdy. 1. Missy’s [...]

I should have known when my aunt recommended it; she always appreciates books as literature rather than some sort of a terrible looking glass and can tolerate much more emotional turmoil in her reading than I can manage.  I should have known better than to read it on a work night, I thought, when I [...]

Despite my general dislike of new year’s resolutions – winters are hard enough without February being riddled with disappointment and moralistic shame along with seasonal affective disorder – I have made one every year since I graduated from college.  It is: finish the Guardian’s 100 Best Books and the BBC’s Big Read booklist.  There’s another list [...]

Ernessa says: Yay! Well, New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday and my favorite holiday activity is making my New Year’s Resolutions. But in order to do that, it’s good to review how you did the year before. So out of the 11 bulletpoint resolution list that I made last year, I accomplished 5 items. [...]

Ernessa says: My big complaint of the year is that there were really too many bad TV shows to choose from in 2010. I seriously had a hard time narrowing down my choices. Note to TV Execs: Next year you’ve just got to do better. That said, I’m going to have to go with THE [...]

Ernessa says: Well, guys for the first time in the entire history of me being moi, I find myself ending the year with no favorite new show. None of last winter’s mid-season replacements, the summer series, or the new fall series are deserving of high praise in my opin. As every entertainment outlet has buzzed [...]

Ernessa says: SO many great songs this year. Standouts for me included ROLLING IN THE DEEP by Adele, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON by Wave Machines, DIFFICULT by Uffie, BURIAL by Miike Snow, and XXXO by MIA — which was a surprising “grow on me,” since I claimed to meh it back in August when the video came [...]