Author Archives: Kara

Listy Friday

Posted in Lists, Listy Friday, Random by

– I quite enjoy opening up WordPress and seeing what bizarre search terms that have brought people to my blog.  Some resent search terms include: “peeing during labor,” “full grown malamute dogs,” “roast chicken slow cooker low food poisoning,”and “postpartum didn’t know i was urinating.” Good to know that I’m the go-to blog for urination.

– Have I posted a side-by-side of how much my feet have changed in size since giving birth? The photo on the left was taken when I was about 38 weeks pregnant. The photo on the right was taken about 2 weeks post-partum. It’s amazing to me to see the difference! You’d never think those feet belong to the same person.

– On Saturday, Kyle discovered that a pack rat has been living in our shed. It was a ballsy little bugger, staring right at us and not really bothering to run away. We put Campbell’s terrier capabilities to the test and tried to get him to hunt it, but he was just curious more than anything. So, unfortunately, we had to go buy a trap to kill the little bugger. Yeah – We kill rodents. They carry disease, they make a mess of things … so yeah. Sorry animal lovers. Here’s a photo I managed to take of him before we set the trap (obviously). He’s cute, but YUCK. We did end up catching him yesterday.

– I’m so not a fan of the Summer Olympics, but since there’s nothing else on TV because of them, I’m stuck watching them. (Woes of Maternity Leave!) I don’t know if I can pick a favourite event though. Maybe gymnastics or diving? The way they manage to flip their bodies around without breaking their necks amazes me.

– Tomorrow Isla is going on her first road trip! Well, we’re only going an hour out of town to visit my grandpa, but still – it will be her first out of town venture! I’m excited for it, and so glad that my mom is coming as well. I have a feeling I’m going to pack way to much stuff to bring just for a few hours, but better too much than not enough, right? Right!

– Campbell has been eating citronella candles and his farts smell HORRID. Seriously. I don’t know what is wrong with this dog, but he’ll eat anything, I swear. He’s such a turd, but when he gives me the pouty eyes I just melt every time.

– I’m now a part of KamBlogs, which features local bloggers. I’m pretty stoked to be a part of it. It doesn’t hurt that my work organizes it either ;)

– I am getting really good at typing with one hand, thanks to Isla and her constant desire to be snuggled to sleep and my refusal to just let her cry. I’m a sucker, what can I say?

– I was asked to be a part of a new parenting series that will be appearing on one of our local TV stations! It’s all about trends in parenting and I’m being featured in a segment about being a mom and blogger. We shot everything yesterday and it will be airing sometime in the fall. Isla’s going to be a TV star and she won’t even know it, lol. Even Daphne had a close-up :) I’m so glad that it wasn’t live, because my last experience with being on TV was and it was horribly awkward.

Happy Friday!

What I’m Reading: The Next Best Thing

Posted in Book Review, Books, What I'm Reading by

What I'm Reading

Synopsis from GoodReads.com:
Blockbuster #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner returns with an irresistible story about a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood…
At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to be hired as a television writer. Four years later, she’s hit the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the show-runner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on a boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.
Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear and eye for writer’s rooms, bad behavior backstage and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood rollercoaster and a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

My Review:
I’m a pretty big fan of Jennifer Weiner’s, so when I heard that she was writing a new novel, I was pretty excited for it to hit the bookshelves. (Or, in my case, the eBook-shelf)

I was rather amused to find out that an eBook short story that Weiner had written, Swim, was the inspiration for this book. I actually didn’t realize it until after I started reading The Next Best Thing, but that’s all beside the point. I was looking forward to learning more about Ruth and her past, as well as how her career would take off.

I found The Next Best Thing intriguing to read. The way Weiner made Ruth a “regular” woman trying to make it appealed to me, that and the fact that she wasn’t an actress trying to get a break in Hollywood. It was refreshing to read about one of the lesser-known (or talked about) show-biz jobs. I can’t help but wonder if Ruth’s character was at all inspired by Tina Fey, and I amused myself by trying to draw parallels to the celebrities Weiner mentions and real-life celebs.

As much as I did enjoy it, I’m only giving The Next Best Thing 3 out of 5 stars. Why? Well, I found it to be a little predictable, and sometimes confusing. There’s A LOT going on, character-wise. Maybe too many characters? I really enjoyed her last book, Then Came You, and so I was expecting something a little better this time around. Oh well, I suppose you can’t have everything, can you? This definitely isn’t going to make me jump off the Jennifer Weiner Bandwagon – I still love her work regardless :)

Have you read The Next Best Thing? Thoughts?