Book Review: Madame Bovary

Author: Gustave Flaubert

Originally Published: 1857 (after the back lash)

Read in: July and August 2009

After months and months of reading British literature (my favorite) I decided to move back to my college roots and read a French author. I don't know much about Flaubert (I have only read "A Simple Heart" up to this point) but was interested in reading Madame Bovary. I had a much easier time finishing this book than my last classic, perhaps because the main character was a bit on the tragic side for my tastes.

The book is basically the story of what happens when a woman, Emma, gets very bored with her life and lives for a fantastic ideal. At a young age, her father hands her over to Charles Bovary, a second-rate physician. She is almost immediately tired of the marriage and is repulsed by Charles. The physician thinks she needs a change of scenery and moves her to a different town. The new location only distracts Emma more and she begins to form relationships with other men. Emma also has a taste for the finer things in life and her reckless attitude with money combined with her passion for... well, passion creates dire consequences for her and Charles.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Flaubert's writing style and his attention to detail were amazing. But I LOATHED Emma, mainly because I am not a romantic. I realize that the novel was likely a social critique of the time, so she had to be over the top, but I have never read about a more self-centered character. Sadly, I think we can all see some part of ourselves in Emma, because nobody is perfect.

Next on the list? Matther Lewis's The Monk. Should be creepy!

What I've Learned In 4 Years of Blogging

I can't believe it! My beautiful blog turned 4 earlier this month. I had blogs before this one, all of which failed, mainly because I took blogging too seriously and spilled my heart all over the internet. I was able to stick with this one though, even though its conception started during a rough summer for me.

This blog got me through my last year of graduate school, which was a very productive time in my life, but also a time of degraded self-esteem, which was all my own fault. I was giving up an activity that defined me for years, holding on to relationships that I should have let go when I moved to Indiana, and most importantly, dealing with living out of state by myself, without knowing a soul (admittedly, I was much more comfortable with the latter by the time I started the blog because I had made some friends). From graduate school, I moved back to my hometown with my parents for almost two years. I received my first professional job offer, re-met my husband (obviously he wasn't my husband at the time) and began traveling. New friendships were formed and old friendships blossomed. Then came time to pack up once again and make the long journey to Colorado, where I was offered a new job (thank goodness) and married. It's been quite a journey! So what have I learned over the past few years?

• Don't change the font color for every blog... not worth it. I realize that most people don't do this, but I did it all the time when I began my blog.
• Simple layouts work best (for me). I'm content using one of the basic layouts and changing the colors seasonally. In fact, this blog will become orange on September 1st!
• I don't have to find a clever quote to title each blog.
• I don't have to update periodically. Who has the time to update frequently??? I'm lucky if I get two words in every week. This week is exceedingly special... two blogs!
• Books are great! I think book blogs (and baking blogs) are the best things out there. I admire such wonderful, positive communities... something I don't see on a lot of social networking forums and specialized blogs. What a better way to bring people together than book challenges or Bakerella's beautiful blog.
• Don't fuss about comments or followers. Blogging is a good archiving method for me, since I don't journal. I can look back to late 2005 to see all of the exciting or mundane things I was doing. Lack of comments and followers will not be my demise, but getting more busy might just be the ticket.
• Pictures! I love pictures when I look at blogs. They add depth and help me connect with the author. I want to post more pictures in my blog... I shall work on this.

It's been an interesting 4 years blog. Let's see where technology takes us during the next 4!

Marriage Survey

For all you married people out there! Tag your married friends that you want to know about!



1. When is your "engagement" anniversary: I think it was early to mid-October 2007. I don't remember the exact date.



2. When is your "marriage" anniversary: October 18th, 2007



3. How long have you known your spouse: I met him at band camp (snort) when I was in 10th grade... so 12 years.



4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged: About a year



5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time? Band Camp in South Carolina



6. What is your spouse's full name: I refuse to post that...



7. Do you have any children: I'll go with Ashley and say "two furry ones!"



8. How many - boys/girls: one boy and one girl :)



9. Do you have any house pets: see above



10. Do you own a house or rent: own



11. Do you live in the country or town/city: A Town



12. What is one of your favorite activities together: Walking, which sometimes leads to hiking, watching movies, running errands, and most importantly, eating and traveling



13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: I'm not sure, but we're hoping the honeymoon becomes the favorite spot. We have travelled a lot all over the west, but we've planned for much more



14. When did you first kiss? Christmas eve, 2006



15. What church do you attend? St. Josephs



16. Is this the church you were married in? No... we were married in a university chapel in Illinois (where my grandfather taught)



17. What town is your current address at? Fort Collins, CO



18. Do you work or stay at home: I work and so does Jon. If we have children in the future, I hope to go down to part time and would love to be a stay at home mom, which is it's own complicated job.



19. Where did you go on your honeymoon: We haven't gone yet. We're going this November to NZ.



20. What was the funniest gift you gave when dating? There were many, but all I can remember right now is the "I Dewey" shirt



21. How long have you been together? 3 years



22. How long did you know each other before you started dating? About 10 years being acquaintances

23. Who asked who out? He asked me.



24. How old are each of you? I'm 27 and he is 28



25.Where do you each work or go to school? I am a librarian for a public library district in a nearby town and he is a medical animator


26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? For me, it's making dinner... I never know what to make for dinner and never have the energy to make it!


27. Did you go to the same school? High School and College, but not Grad School



28. Are you from the same home town? Yes



29. Who is smarter? I would say the same... although in different areas



30. Who is more sensitive? Me



31. Where do you eat out most as a couple? The Rio, Suehiro, or Sri Thai... all local restaurants



32. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Well, living here, I would say Georgia



33.Who has the craziest exes? I don't think either of us have crazy exes



34. Who has the worst temper? Me.



35. Who does the cooking? Both.



36. Who is more social? He is... he is confident in making friends and I am shy



37. Who is the neat-freak? Depends on the day



38. Who is more stubborn? Me



39. Who hogs the bed? Jon would say me and I would say him



40. Who wakes up earlier? Me



41. Where was your first date? Throwing frisbee at the park



42. Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends? Equal for us, or at least close.



43. Do you get flowers often? No, but I don't want them a lot because they'll die.



44. How do you spend the holidays? I prefer it with just him instead of running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to satisfy both families.



45. Who is more jealous? Me



46. How long did it take to get serious? We were serious about 4 months into the relationship



47. Who eats more? Him.



48. Who does the laundry? Me



49. Who’s better with the computer? Him.



50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples. Don't sweat the small stuff and only spend what you can afford!

Survey

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7am... sleeping in!

2. Diamonds or pearls? no preference

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

4. What is your favorite TV show? Doctor Who

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Depends on the day, but I would usually say cereal

6. What is your middle name? Sue

7. What food do you dislike? Raw tomatoes, cooked carrots, eggplant, squashes, Chinese 5 Spice

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I don't have one... but I always listen to the local classic rock station

9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda CR-V

10. Favorite sandwich? I don't have a favorite

11. What characteristic do you despise? cockiness/conceit (I'll keep Camille's answer)

12. Favorite item of clothing? I am having clothing issues as of late, so I would say pajamas because they don't make me feel bad

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Most anywhere that doesn't have a lot of bugs and doesn't compromise my safety

14 . Favorite brand of clothing? J. Crew, Banana, and Ann Taylor

15. Where would you retire to? Somewhere accessible to an airport, but not Florida

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? ???

17. Favorite sport to watch? None

18. Furthest place you are sending this? No clue

19. Person you expect to send it back first? No one

20. When is your birthday? April 2

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning

22. What is your shoe size? 8 or 8.5

23. Pets? Quincey (named after the character in Dracula hence the different spelling-- most people think we named him after the town in which we were married) and Meadow (we kept the breeder's name for her)

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? No

25. What did you want to be when you were little? teacher, paleontologist

26. How are you today? Day off! I'm so tired.

27. What is your favorite candy? Most anything gummy

28. What is your favorite flower? dahlias, roses

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? November 21st... overseas vacation!

30. What's your full name? (excluding that from the blog)

31. What are you listening to right now? Cash Cab

32. What was the last thing you ate? Waffles (me too Camille!)

33. Do you wish on stars? No

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? turquoise

35. What is the weather like? cool and sunny

36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Haven't talked on the phone today

37. Favorite soft drink? Root Beer, but I try to avoid all of them

38. Real hair color? Light Brown

39. What was your favorite toy as a child? Rub-A-Dub Doggy

40. Summer or winter? Change of seasons

41. Hugs or kisses: both

42. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla

43. Coffee or tea? ??

44. Do you want your friends to email you back? Depends on what I am emailing

45.When was the last time you cried? Last week?

46. What is under your bed? nothing

47. What did you do last night? I closed the library

48. What are you afraid of? Why would I list that in a public area?

49. Salty or sweet? Sweet

50. How many keys on your key ring? 4?

51. How many years at your current job? 1 year

52. Favorite day of the week? Usually Friday

53. How many towns have you lived in? 6

54. Do you make friends easily? No, I am shy.

55. Favorite restaurant? Here in Fort Collins? Either The Rio, Suehiro, or Sri Thai

Moose!

Hiking in Southern Wyoming...

Squeaky Clean Editorial

I love bar soap to the point of obsession (but not compulsion). The only time I have ever preferred a body wash to bar soap was when I toured around the country for this in college. I like the way soap makes my skin feel clean without stripping too much away. Body washes tend to smell detergent-y (to me) and most of the time involve some sort of beads or ribbons that I just don't care to deal with. I like a well made, triple-milled soap, preferably with some sort of scent.

My favorite brands that I must praise are this and this. The former has been falling out of my favor as of late ever since it joined partners with the main owner of the site. I feel like the company has drained the soaps of any of its former variety and creativity (if I could just get my hands on their Fresh Cut Grass and Ocean scents again, I would be so happy). The original and oatmeal varieties are excellent though. The latter is one of my childhood favorites. My dad always made sure that my mom and I always had an ample supply of bath items and this was his choice, mainly because they carry a Gardenia scent, which is my mom's favorite. Also, this company has been in business since the 1700s. When I was a kid I was all over the bubble baths, but these days, the lavender soap is my absolute favorite. Lavender is my all time favorite scent, and these guys get the spicy, yet soothing scent down to a tee.

While I have an ample supply of soap at home (there were some major summer sales and my husband and I are well stocked for the next year) I'm always on the lookout for a good bar soap, whether it be from a major company, locally made, or made from my own hands (one of these days I will try soap making). What is your favorite scent/variety/brand, or better yet, care to prove me wrong on the body wash front?