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Jan
23
Okay, here is the very last henna belly photo I will subject you to, unless of course you’d like to view the whole damn set, and who would blame you if you wouldn’t?
I took that with a tripod and the self-timer on my camera, and I put a dog-hair-covered black blanket behind me and then I used Photoshop to black out the remainder of the background and these photos are officially the most self-obsessed thing I’ve about ever done because seriously, it occupied me throughout Riley’s entire naptime today and I tried on all kinds of outfits and I took about a thousand crappy images and if you’re wondering about the goofily downturned head it is because I could not deploy a facial expression that didn’t make me look like I was trying to act like Demi Fucking Moore or some shit, but WHAT THE HELL, I’m a thousand months pregnant and it’s very unlikely I’ll ever be pregnant again and I kind of wanted professional photos to document this last stage but these will have to do, dog hair and all.
I posted these on Flickr despite the fact that there sure are a lot of skeevy people who enjoy favoriting maternity photos, every few days I’ll see that someone has added one of my pictures to their collection of ripely enormous women and I’m just thinking, the hell? I know we all have our kinks but big pregnant bellies, really? Poor delusional bastards, someday they’ll actually be with a pregnant woman and their fantasies will be rudely crushed by the decidedly unsexy reality of acid reflux, gas, congestion, and hemorrhoids.
In other, non-body-part-exposing blog content, I have two questions for you. First: I have a copy of All the Pretty Horses on my nightstand which I am loving but it is taking me forever to read, probably because my brain is utterly useless at this point since it’s full of PLACENTA or something, and I’m planning a trip to the used bookstore this weekend to stock up on some light reading. You know, beach books, except it’s January and the weather sucks ass. Do you have any suggestions for fast-paced, entertaining novels that don’t feature high heels on the cover?
Second: I’d like to create a book out of my entries back over at ClubMom, just as a keepsake for me. I’ve looked into Blurb, and although their software seems like it has the right features, it’s slow as hell and crashy and generally is a pain to work with (at least on my Mac, dealing with a LOT of entries and pictures — its performance may well be a thousand times better under different circumstances). I’d like to use something that can automagically grab my blog content while it’s still hosted on Typepad, and dump it into something I can print — rather than, say, me having to format everything myself in some big gnarly Word document. Have any of you had any experience with successfully doing this?
Comments
109 Responses to “Navel gazing once again not a metaphor”
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Each year - I use http://www.blogprinting.com - and I now have nice paperbacks of each year of my “diary.” I have no complaints. And the version I used (they come in different formats) was like $11. For a whole years worth of blogging that goes in my hope chest.
Oh - I should add that while I’m moving to WordPress - All my stuff was with Movable Type - so I didn’t use the TypePad portion, but I know it’s available.
What a beautiful photograph! You look stunning. That’s a really great memento– I don’t think you could have done better than this even with a professional photographer!
My BF keeps saying he wants to knock me up because pregnant chicks are hot (he has 3 kids). UM, NO. Also, I have friends who have had awesome luck with the iPhoto mac self-publishing thing. I don’t know the particulars though.
Michele - That Blogprinting site looks easy enough, but they don’t have any samples. Or am I just not seeing them?
You prove that a little bit of self-absorption can be absolutely beautiful. Brava :)
How did you keep the dog hair blanket up behind you?
I like th elook of the blog printing site too, but would definitely need to see some kind of product.
You look beautiful, Linda! :)
I did the same thing when I was pregnant, but I did them myself because I was so horrified by my ‘deformed’ body that I couldn’t imagine asking anyone else to look at it. After the hormones calmed down a bit, I realized that they were really beautiful photos, and I’ve had one framed in my daughter’s room since she was born. I dealt with the retarded facial expressions by simply cutting off my head and focusing on the belly. Seriously, looking downwards with my already sexalicious double chin? I was not going to save that for posterity.
I do have a good suggestion for easy beach reading- “Bitter is the New Black” by Jen Lancaster. I loved it- and its easy without falling into the whole cutesy romance chick lit thing.
Wow! The pictures are awesome, I esp like the one straight on showing the entire tattoo, plus you are smiling more.
I’ve got to learn to work my photoshop dammit.
These are by far the best pregnancy photos I’ve ever seen.
(And also, I have an urge to give you a zerbert! Sorry if that’s weird….)
You are so beautiful–I just love the henna. I miss you, a lot. I’ve been meaning to tell you that lately.
What a wonderful image! You look stunning, and such inventiveness in capturing these moments of your life is truly impressive. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have the energy for any such thing.
Re: books, I thought I’d share my love for everything by Joanne Harris, she’s the author of Chocolat (the one the awesome movie was based on), and her books are deeply absorbing, with lots of texture, and very very well written.
Nice work on the self-portrait, looks like a professional shot. Lighting is particularly great.
Maybe sway All The Pretty Horses for No Country For Old Men?
I’m not much of a reader, but I must admit (guilty pleasure, this one) that I really enjoyed the His Dark Materials series (Golden Compass). Sure, it’s technically a fantasy series for people who think Shia LaBeouf and Zac Effron are the greatest thing on Earth (save for the polar bear battles and atheist message!), but it’s awesome, addicting and it took me about a week to read the whole thing (granted, I read A LOT). It’s fun, to say the least.
Janet Evanovich books are entertaining. They are about a bounty hunter chick who is really pretty clumsy and unlucky. And technically, they don’t have high heels on the cover but there is some romance. Not normally my type of books but I’ve read all of them b/c they are a fast read and keep me laughing.
Your henna belly photos look great and professional, and also you are hilarious. I’m enjoying the Dexter series (Dexter Darkly Dreaming or something is the first one) but I’m not sure if these would be in a used bookstore, but one can always dream.
Beautiful pic. It’s worth all the time spent - you might not be pregnant again and you probably won’t have selfish time again for a while! Enjoy it. :)
I loved A Thousand Splendid Suns…quick read.
That photo is gorgeous. My pregnancy will simply not be documented like that, but I fully support the great job you’ve done. I think I have two pictures from my first pregnancy and I’ll probably take one or two at the end of this one, just in case the kids every want to see. . . but they will not be on the web!!!
As far as book suggestions I think you can’t go wrong with Jennifer Weiner, even though I’m pretty sure some of her books MIGHT have high heels on the cover. . . (One of them is called “In Her Shoes”). She often gets lumped in with “chick lit” which doesn’t bother me, but makes it difficult for some people to take her seriously. I have never been disappointed with one of her books and I am dying for the new one which doesn’t come out until April. You might even have some luck with her in the used book store. Happy hunting!
P.S. Let us know what you do about the Club Mom entries. I’m afraid that blogger will stop functioning someday in the future and my blog will be lost, I’m very interested in any suggestions for ways to preserve it, and I’m not particularly tech savvy. Sadly the quick print thing another commenter recommended doesn’t currently work with blogger, boo.
If you’re looking for light, entertaining, but not chick lit-type books, try Christopher Moore, particularly Lamb.
Also, I’d second the Janet Evanovich books, but only the Stephanie Plum series. The rest of her stuff is ridiculously bad chick lit. At least the Stephanie Plum books have a mystery to detract from the cheesy romance.
Absolutely amazing, gorgeous pictures. You take beautiful ones of your family all the time; it’s about time there are some great ones of you!
Books, books, books - they are my life! Some great ones I’ve read lately are Candy:A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody, the woman who wrote the screenplay for Juno (loved it too!), I Love You Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle (a writer on The Simpsons), How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper (looks cheesy, but is crazily great), How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo…oh, I could go on and on. Sorry about the book rant, but they make me excited. I just started the new Stephen King and it seems good; I just don’t know if they’d have it at a used store yet.
The henna came out just gorgeous! Thank you for sharing those with us. And look at your splendid baby bellah.
My husband I use Lulu.com for our home publishing business, and they are great. Highly recommend them.
Good luck!
Wow. Very nice.
I’m reading Life of Pi right now. But, nah, I wouldn’t recommend it for a “beach read.” Too much talk of swimming pools and zoos and how that’s supposed to make me believe in God …
For fairly quick reads (with the added benefit of sometimes laughing out loud), I like Sarah Vowell, David Sedaris or Chuck Palahniuk.
Oooh, Carl Hiaasen! Carl Hiaasen! Anything by him will keep you mightily entertained.
I recommend “Gods in Alabama” by Joshilyn Jackson. It reads like a short story but it’s a novel that’s funny, quirky, and just a good all around read.
The pictures are gorgeous!! Seriously, you should model. Most women would kill to look that amazing in “full bloom.” I just finished the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I know, it’s in youth literature section but I couldn’t put it down. Really fun. Fast paced. No brainer easy read, but deliciously entertaining.
Please don’t ban me from your website. I just picked up “The DaVinci Code” because my brain seriously needed a reading rest, and I couldn’t handle any more chick lit. It is so mindless and meaningless that I can’t help but recommend it for you.
Seriously. Don’t ban me. You’re so pretty!
Read “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks or Richard Russo’s latest.
Beautiful photo. I can’t get over how great you look. And now I think you’re officially ready to have a baby.
I just read “A Ship Made of Paper” by Scott Spencer, and I literally read it on the beach so I can tell you it is great beachy reading without being brainless. It’s beautifully written and is filled with tension and vivid characters, and overall I just loved it. He also wrote “Endless Love”, which is supposed to be excellent as well, even though the title is goofy.
Oddly enough, I recently reread “The Great Gatsby” and I am telling everyone I know to read (or reread) it ASAP. It is so, so awesome. And now I’m on a Fitzgerald kick, currently on “The Beautiful and Damned”, which is also literary without being at all dry. You know, Jazz Age and all.
Other recent favorites: “Prep” by Curtis Sittenfeld, “Special Topics in Calamity Physics” by Marisha Pessl, and (a few years back but still awesome) “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt.
you are seriously all belly and boob– if you don’t mind me saying. lol. checking out the set of photos with the size of those jeans i would never guess that you have baked dozens of cookies as you claim. is that even true? ;) btw the photos are lovely! way to get it all done during rileys nap because that would completely take me two days, a two month break and the bf finishing them off later. they are so neat. you come up with the coolest ideas.
You look GORGEOUS in your photos. Especially having taken them yourself. STP is going to love seeing them when he’s older.
I second the recommendations for Janet Evanovich. Her books are fast-paced, funny and pretty much fluff. They don’t require heavy thinking.
I don’t know what genre you like, but the last books I was obsessed with were the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. It’s technically teen lit, but I loved them. I read one a day for three days.
I just finished reading exactly the kind of book you’re looking for: Other People’s Dirt by Louise Rafkin. Funny, super easy to read, interesting but light. Put it down, pick it up….perfect for that last week of pregnancy (and trust me, I know).
Check out The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken.
I love recommending this book to people, and I haven’t ever heard of anyone not loving it.
Also, anything by Eleanor Lippman is always a good read. Her books are all based on quirkly, hysterical, and wonderful women “of a certain age.” Sort of the Chick Lit genre, All Grown Up and with a greater sense of maturity.
{I love the henna photos!}
Um, make that “Elinor Lipman”
I just read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. I really liked it.
I love Marian Keyes for books that are quick and entertaining and easy to read, but still well-written and with some point to them. Some are more serious than others. Sushi for Beginners, Last Chance Saloon, and Angels are some of the lighter ones.
I can’t see any dog hair.
These photos are gorgeous and if you wouldn’t have said otherwise, I would have thought they were professional. What a great keepsake.
The Thursday Next series are quick, entertaing reads. Don’t require a lot of brainpower at all.
LOVE the pics!!!!!
I’m reading “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult right now, and it’s amazingly fast. Most of her books don’t take much brainpower. (I love when you ask for recommendations… I’ve discovered tons of great music and books this way!)
Kerflop had posted an entry covering this a while back…here’s the link. It had some good info…
http://kerflop.com/2007/09/05/that-time-of-the-year-again/
Awesome picture. Less than 2 weeks left. Wow.
I like to read Preston/Child novels. They are slightly creepy and have interesting characters.
There is a whole series that starts with “The Relic”(which spawned a dorky movie)..
and I love “The Codex” and “Thunderhead”
You look great! I was thinking maybe he came sooner, because it seemed like a while since I read one of these… enjoy these last few days of “relative” peace!
Your pictures look great! I can’t wait to meet STP!
First time commenting here… very entertaining blog you have here. I love the belly pics, but not in a skeezy way. Try “The Monkey Wrench Gang” by Edward Abbey, very fun and funny book. And no high heels involved whatsoever.
Things I’ve read / am reading:
Momma Zen
Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs - Chuch Klosterman
The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale
And I don’t think you can ever go wrong with anything by Nick Hornby!
You look stunning in those pictures and GEEZ they certainly look professional.
Also, my favorite book (and it’s a quick read!) is The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing. Enjoy :)
I guess you couldn’t really call them “light” reading because they are about a serial killer, but I have been enjoying the Dexter series and find them to be a quick read.
I guess you couldn’t really call them “light” reading because they are about a serial killer, but I have been enjoying the Dexter series and find them to be a quick read.
The covers look kind of like chick lit, but I’ve really enjoyed the “Confessions of a Demon-Hunter Soccer Mom” books by Julie Kenner. There are three in the series so far, and they’re described as Buffy getting married and moving to the ‘burbs.
lulu.com lets you make books..
you took that yourself?! When I first saw it I was sure it was professionally done. Nice job!
I just finished Bill Bryson’s “Thunderbolt Kid” memoir about growing up in the midwest in the 50s. He’s such a smart and witty writer and it’s definitely not chick lit. Also, it’s more like a collection of essays than a chronological story, so it’s not necessary to plow through it or lose your place.
I second (third, fourth–whatever, I couldn’t make through all the comments!) the Janet Evanovich books. Fluffy and fun, but with an Anti-Heroine edge.
The photos are lovely, BTW! Great job.
You look great - and the pose is pretty cool, actually. Though I’ll skip the whole Flickr set because it’ll make me jealous (my whole body expanded greatly while pregnant, much more so than yours has).
I’m a big fan of high heels on the cover, so my book recommendations are probably way more fluffy than you are looking for, but one that you might enjoy is Jennifer Crusie. She does the chicky romancy stuff, but she’s hilarious and her characters are always a blast. I have to second (third, maybe) the Janet Evanovich and Christopher Moore (esp. Christopher Moore!!) books, they are both hilarious, laugh-out-loud sorts of books.
I have to say, you did pretty damn good for taking your own photo! Definitely looks professional! Great job!! I read a book by Paul Auster that you might like, it’s called THE BROOKLYN FOLLIES. it’s easy to read, very entertaining, deep at times, a page turner. Plus I love paul auster, he’s one of my favorite authors. Anyway… photos look great!
The henna pictures are fabulous! What great keepsakes! I am jealous, you are oh so pregnant, and still no muffin top on your pants. Kudos to you and more gym time for me.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfield - light, easy, entertaining, but not cheesy or chick-litty
“Bright Lights, Big Ass” by Jen Lancaster is also absolutely hysterical.
Also? Holy crap, I hope I’m as pretty as you when I’m with child!!
I’m on the Janet Evanovich Bandwagon as well - I often laugh out loud at her Stephanie Plum series. I also second Carl Hiaasen - he is hilarious and I love everything he’s ever done. Plus, most if not all of his stuff takes place in Florida, so how is that not automatically beach reading? Christopher Moore is also funny.
I also second the letting us know about what you choose for your blog publishing. I have been wanting to do the same thing, but unfortunately I have the giant word document.
You’re so pretty with your baby belly. Even if you feel whale-y, you are most definitely not.
beautiful pics! Prep is a great suggestion, or the other book by Curtis Sittenfield - The Man of My Dreams. Both are easy to read like “chick lit” but definitely much more well written.
Also Jennifer Weiner - Little Earthquakes (about pregnancy/new moms), or Good In Bed.
Also- anything in the Shopholic series is quite entertaining.
I think you’d like Iain Banks (he also writes as Iain M. Banks.) Sedaris will keep you laughing, I think, and if you want good Irish stories that are charming and funny but don’t even hint at high heels on covers, try Maeve Binchy. (I reread The Evening Class once a year because it makes me so happy.)
You look amazing. Good for you for documenting the belly!
I didn’t read all the comments so this may have been suggested, but a quality fluff book I just read was The Ghost by Robert Harris. It was written by a former speech writer for Tony Blair and its a murder mystery/ political intrigue-type deal that got high marks from everyone a book club.
And yes, please keep us posted on whatever you use to publish your blog entries. I’d like to do that sometime, too.
I recommend Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal or any books by Bill Bryson.
You look beautiful.
I found The Golden Compass to be a quick read. Some of my favorite light reading are Jasper Fforde’s books. I like the Thursday Next series (beginning with The Eyre Affair) and the Nursery Crime books are also amusing (my husband likes those ones best).
I couldn’t read much by the end of my pregnancy. I would get through a couple of sentences and then need to go nap for two hours.
These are truly wonderful photos. You will treasure them forever.
And for mind fluff, read anything by Harlan Coben. “Tell No One” is one of my favorites. It’s a suspense thriller, and a page-turner, but he writes with humor.
If you are liking All the Pretty Horses, you might like “Work of Wolves”. It’s a western but easier to read than Pretty Horses and has the story telling grace of Nicholas Evans. Or, heck, anything by Nicholas Evans, but I really liked Smoke Jumper.
But, if you want Work of Wolves, I know the Bellevue Library has 3 copies last time I was there. :)
I’m pretty sure you’ve already read Operating Instructions by Anne Lammott but if you haven’t in awhile, that’s my suggestion.
However, I’m currently reading Traveling Mercies and her thoughts on faith are really beautiful. At times, she does get a little too Jesus-y for my taste but overall she’s got some beautiful anecdotes about life in there.
Your belly is beautiful!
My pregnancy reading consisted of Jane Austen and “The Princess Bride”. Fun and entertaining - like eating candy.
Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos. It’s perfect for what you’re looking for, just a light, sweet, wonderful story about a couple of really compelling characters and about the different kinds of love. So, so good. I wanted to buy a copy for each of my female family members for Christmas
For something really light and quick, Anita Shreve’s usually good, and Elin Hilderbrand’s The Love Season kept me amused. You might also try Water for Elephants (thought I didn’t love this as much as some other people did).
Anything by Walter Moers. He writes and illustrates adult fairy tales (well…not adult-adult, but you know…for grownups) and they are utterly charming and full of awesome satire. They’re not small books but I’ve finished three in as many weeks, they’re impossible to put down.
Look for The City of Dreaming Books or The 13 and 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear. Amazing.
That photo is gorgeous. I’m impressed that you took it yourself (and a wee bit jealous of your photography skills!). It is so gorgeous. If (when?) I ever manage to become pregnant myself I am definitely keeping this in mind as a way to commemorate the occasion.
Also, I am loving all of these book recommendations. Some of my favorite books ever have already been mentioned. In fact, I may have to go searching for my copy of The Princess Bride. I had somehow managed to forget how much I love that book. And I second (third?) the Jennifer Weiner, Jen Lancaster, and Marian Keyes recommendations.
I got all squicked out after posting photos of my new brace face back in September. All of my braces photos got over 800 hits in less than 24 hours. I had NO idea until then, that there’s a braces fetish. *shudder* I have since protected all of those photos.
Great photos, and so professional-looking!
I just re-read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy after, oh, eleventy-three years, and now I’m on a Douglas Adams kick. I second whoever mentioned Bill Bryson, too.
Those are beautiful pictures. And good for you for taking some. I never did and I kinda regret it now…
Picture = beautiful! Wish I had thought of doing that!
Book - check out the Stephanie Plum novels (dunno if they’ve already been mentioned here, just kinda scrolled down to the comment form, forgive the double mention if they are) by Janet Evanovich. They are light, funny, and a pretty quick read. And she’s on #14(? I think), so there’s a bunch of them, too.
Enjoy!
I second the recommendations for “Water for Elephants”, anything at all by Jodi Picoult, and the Preston/Child books (read the whole series, but skip “The Reliquary” because it’s stupid and really doesn’t add much to the overall effect).
I also have a soft spot for Sue Grafton (”A is for Alibi”, etc), Nelson Demille (my favorite one of his is “The Charm School” - dated, yes, but a nonetheless excellent spy novel), The Sweet Potato Queens books by Jill Conner Browne, and, if you are looking for something really really mindless (God, I can’t believe I’m copping to reading this shit, but oh well) - The Cat Who… mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun. Yes, they’re vaguely cheesy and silly, but they won’t keep you up at night and they’re cute.
I love that picture. I hated my pregnant body, so I find it really awesome that you are celebrating yours. I so admire that.
My two go to fun light reads are “Sloppy Firsts” which is just such a good book…if you haven’t read it, it’s a must. I would get Second Helpings at the same time because otherwise you might have to make a midnight run to bookstore to get it when you finish Sloppy Firsts. Not that I know that from experience or anything. And then second, “Youth In Revolt” is a quick read and the funniest thing I’ve ever read. The only book that has ever made laugh out loud. I read it over and over again, I love it that much.
Great photos! I’m so impressed!
I’ll 3rd or 4th the Jennifer Weiner (Little Earthquakes). Stephen Colbert’s “I am America & So Can You” is a hoot. I’ve just read through the Bourne series. They’re a little confusing, but very good. I’m currently reading Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations”, a must for anyone who’s worked in food service or loves to eat! :)
Nice shot! And, if the blanket was as covered as you say, nice photoshopping, too.
I’m sure that the entries are all in an SQL database, so I’d be shocked if there isn’t an SQL query that would snarf the text out for you… but I’ve never fooled around with it myself, so I wouldn’t know how to construct it. But I’d poke around for SQL manipulation tools, rather than blog-specific tools?
Straight fiction seems to be covered here (though I’d hesitate to classify *either* A Thousand Splendid Suns or anything Iain Banks has written as “light”). In the genre category, I can’t help noticing a conspicuous absence of Good Omens, a collaboration between Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It’s fabulous, funny, and very very quick.
Oooh. I thought of another one: http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Adventure-Scientists-Novel/dp/0375423214/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201210907&sr=1-8
The very definition of light & funny!
Dude. Seriously. Post a tutorial - from setting up to teching - on how you took those photos. I just found out I’m pregnant with our first and would LOVE photos like this. I have a D70 and Photoshop; I just don’t know what to do with them!
I have loved Alexander McCall Smith’s series about a Botswanan lady - Precious Ramotswe - whe begins a career as a detective. Great for reading about a new culture and funny and interesting. I think they’re the best thing I’ve read in a long time. Best wishes to you and yours.
Love, love the photos! You’re going to be really glad you took the time to make those…
I’ll 4th Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, and add The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith.
I just finished reading The Girls by Helen Yglesias. It took me two days to read, in not so long bursts. It’s about 4 Jewish sisters between the ages of 80-95, told from the perspective of the youngest. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up, but it was really good. Amazon does better reviews than I could ever hope for.
Christopher Moore has written some fabulous books! My 4 favorites are “Bloodsucking Fiends”, “You Suck”, “Dirty Job”, and “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal”. I can not recommend these books enough! They are light hearted and funny, with just enough intellect and philosophy to keep you from hating yourself in the morning.
BEAUTIFUL photos. Those are awesome.
Books: One of my favs of all time…”Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal” by Christopher Moore. I’ve read it a few times and crack up every time.
More recently I’ve burned through “The Double Bind” by Chris Bohjalian, “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. I recently went through a bit of a reading drought set off by slogging through “Eat, Pray. Love” and these three books got me out of my funk pretty fast.
BTW - oh my hell! WTF if going on at Parent Dish? …are they all out to get you over there or something. I’ve been reading there for about 18 months now and things are just getting nasty. Sorry about all that, but I loved your response. Very well put.
So beautiful!
Ok. I first saw these on Flickr and thought, “Oh, yay! I’m so glad that she decided to have the mongo belly-shots (sounds like one nasty-ass shooter) taken!” And then I came here to hear the back story and ended up So Freakin’ Impressed that you actually did it yourself! High-five! You’ll forget how dumb it felt to set up and take the self-portraits, and just end up being grateful that you have them.
Linda, you’re completely beautiful, and so is that photo.
Ooo, pretty! I love the henna.
Books: I second Water For Elephants - I read that book straight through in 5 hours. Very intertaining, and well-written.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Funny, light-hearted, and yet, you COULD write a 15 page paper if you wanted. (Can you tell that I’m an English major?) But you don’t have to, you can just read and laugh. I Love Love Love Gaiman, his novels are great.
Pretty, pretty photos. A lovely memento of the orca months.
I loved “Water for Elephants” and “The Book of Joe” as fast, light reads that didn’t include high heels on the cover.
Let us know how you print out your stuff from Purple is Fruit. I’m looking for some way to keep my blog in an old-school paper format as well.
You might want to check out Shutterfly; scrapbook queen Ali Edwards just put together a project for them where you just drag in pics and drop in text to make your own book. It might work for what you have in mind, especially since you have lots of pictures.
Love your blog….Have a book idea…It is not long and a page turner…can’t remember th author right now but try “The Tattoo Artist.”……very intersting story.
Books suggestions:
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow (VERY MINDBLOWING)
Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
The Game of Kings (Dorothy Dunnett)
Hunger for Memory (Robert Rodriguez)
i’ll second “the monkeywrench gang”.
i have read all the books by mary kay andrews. they are very light reading, mystery sorta but not exactly b/c i don’t like mysteries but i love these.
i’ll second “the monkeywrench gang”.
i have read all the books by mary kay andrews. they are very light reading, mystery sorta but not exactly b/c i don’t like mysteries but i love these.
Linda that pic is GORGEOUS! I am so jealous. I am going to go get professional ones done in the next couple months and I hope they turn out as well as yours. Well done!!
Anything by Carl Hiaasen or Tim Dorsey would be good for quick, voracious reading. Always works for me.
You look beautiful! Can’t wait for STP!!!
I’d recommend Kristin Gore’s (yes, that Gore) Sammy’s Hill. It’s a bit like Bridget Jones meets Capital Hill, but I found the main character to be a lot less annoying than Bridget.
Another commenter mentioned “Lamb,” which I heartily second, but I believe its true potential can be detected within its full title - “Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s childhood pal.”
Both of these books are the kind that make you snort out loud on public transportation…not that I’ve done that or anything…
I thought I’d make it an even 100 comments for you! Your belly looks gorgeous. =)
Sorry to blow Mary O’s sense of symmetry, but the photos are absolutely stunning. Go you.
Cue pic. Book: Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis. Gay, debonair, a classic.
that’s a beautiful photo! You don’t look demi moore-esque at all. I’ve been trying to think of a good book recommendation, but apparently I haven’t read anything fun recently at all. I need to lighten up.
How ’bout short stories? “Interpreter of Maladies is one of my favorite books ever, and you can come and go and still get a worthwile coupla minutes. Along the same ethnic/short story theme the book “Arranged Marriage” is also great, and they might talk about henna in it, so you can look at your belly knowingly while you read.
That is so awesome!! 9 months and still DIY the way it should be. Take that, Demi Moore. Wow, you’ve truly inspired me for some great ideas when I (ever) get pregnant!!
I think your photo is absolutely beautiful and I’d favourite it myself with no creepy intentions whatsoever! : )
Also, try the Stephanie Plum (bouty hunter) series, they’re silly and fast although have some violence if you’re prone to nightmares…. (wait, am I making sense yet?)
Linda,
I spoke to my boyfriend about your experience using Blurb, since he works there now, and I *used* to work there a couple years ago. Awesomest company ever btw…
So anyway, here you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth (aka, Jason Bull QA Manager of Blurb.com):
“We support the Typepad blogging engine and we can ’slurp’ her entire blog straight into a book (I would suggest a 7×7 for blog books as they have the best blog-tastic layouts, but if she is going to have a lot of photos, more of a photo journal than a text blog, the other trim sizes may be better).
Make sure that she has BookSmart 1.9.2, the latest, and she can slurp her blog directly into a book without really having to do too much else to it. But we do recommend the following system requirements for Macs:
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4.5 or later
Memory: 512 MB minimum, 1 GB or more recommended (especially for PPC Macs)
Processor: 1.5 GHz G4 minimum, 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo or faster recommended
The thing is that if she is running a G4 Mac with an un-updated version of Tiger, she is likely to find the whole experience pretty miserable. You can do it. But it is no fun. At the very least she should run software update to make sure that she has the latest Java installed, as that sorts out a series of instabilities caused by OS X. But the G4s are not really powerful enough to push around the BookSmart bits I fear…
My advice would be that she try again, try to make a 7×7 blog book slurped directly from her site. If the application is still too slow on her hardware, then I fear that she will have to go to one of our competitors… L
Hope this helps.
J.”
Duprost.
Duprost.
Buy tadalis.
Buy tadalis.