MoBo plays her closet like a virtuoso, yo

Best fashion sense among the six-year-old set ever

this is my darling little niece's new hat. she picked this out. and chose the colors. a unicorn hat. a knit unicorn hat.

god, i love my niece.

"My thoughts are dirty, too."

from http://www.welovefine.com/4137-i-love-you.html

Of particular note

*respectful silence*

Listageddon: Or, what we ought to be reading at the end of 2012

the best books of 2012: in many genres, according to lots and lots of different sources,* for you, dear reader; an ongoing compilation


recommended by three or more outlets


2312: a novel by kim stanley robinson -- B&N


A
the age of miracles: a novel by karen thompson walker -- B&N

alif the unseen by g. willow wilson -- NYT

all we know: three lives by lisa cohen -- NYT, PW

almost never by daniel sada, trans. katherine silver -- NYT

american dervish by ayad akhtar -- HP

an american spy by olen steinhauer -- NYT

american tapestry: the stories of the black, white, and multiracial ancestors of michelle obama by rachel l. swarns -- NYT

american triumvirate: sam snead, byron nelson, ben hogan, and the modern age of golf by james dodson -- NYT

arcadia by lauren groff -- BP, NYT, WPBR

are you my mother? a comic drama by alison bechdel -- B&N, NYT 

the art book: new edition by phaidon press -- B&N

the art of daniel clowes: modern cartoonist by daniel clowes, ed. alvin buenaventura -- B&N, WPBR

the art of fielding by chad harbach -- GQ

as if by michael saler -- HP

astray by emma donoghue -- BN

at last by edward st. aubyn -- BN, NYT


B
the barbarous years: the peopling of british north america; the conflict of civilizations, 1600–1675 by bernard bailyn -- PW

barack obama: the story by david maraniss -- NYT 

batman: earth one by geoff johns, ill. gary frank -- BN

the beautiful anthology: essays, stories, and poems ed. elizabeth collins -- DC

beautiful ruins by jess walter -- B&N, H, NYT

behind the beautiful forevers: life, death, and hope in a mumbai undercity by katherine boo (interesting note: kitty boo penned the pulitzer prize–winning expose' of the broken d.c. systems that lead to the abuse of people with mental disabilities, which i've read multiple times and posted here and here. she's amazing.) -- A, B&N, NYT, WPBR

belzoni: the giant archeologists love to hate by ivor noel hume -- NYT 

billy lynn's long halftime walk by ben fountain -- A, H, NYT, WPBR

birds of a lesser paradise by megan mayhew bergman -- HP

the black count: glory, revolution, betrayal, and the real count of monte cristo by tom reiss -- NYT

blasphemy by sherman alexie -- NYT

blood, bones, and butter: the inadvertent education of a reluctant chef by gabrielle hamilton -- GQ

the book of mischief: new and selected stories by steve stern -- NYT

breasts: a natural and unnatural history by florence williams -- NYT

bring up the bodies by hilary mantel -- BN, PW, NYT, WPBR

broken harbor by tana french -- B&N, WPBR

building stories by richard ware -- B&N, NYT, PW, WPBR 

by blood by ellen ullman -- B&N, NYT 

by the iowa sea by joe blair -- BP


C
canada by richard ford -- B&N, NYT, WPBR

carry the one by carol anshaw -- BP, NYT

city of bohane by kevin barry -- NYT

crimes in southern indiana: stories by frank bill -- GQ

collected poems by jack gilbert -- NYT

coming apart: the state of white america, 1960–2010 by charles murray -- NYT


D
dancers among us: a celebration of joy in the everyday by jordan matter -- B&N

daniel fights a hurricane by shane jones -- DC

darwn's ghosts: the secret history of evolution by rebecca stott -- NYT

days of destruction, days of revolt by chris hedges and joe sacco -- WPBR

dc comics: the new 52 by dc entertainment -- WPBR

dear life: stories by alice munro -- NYT

defending jacob by william landay -- B&N

detroit city is the place to be: the afterlife of an american metropolis by mark binelli -- PW

the devil all the time by donald ray pollack -- GQ

the devil in silver by victor lavelle -- NYT, PW

devil in the grove: thurgood marshall, the groveland boys, and the dawn of a new america by gilbert king -- B&N

a disposition to be rich: how a small-town preacher's son ruined an american president, brought on a wall street crash, and made himself the best-hated man in the united states by geoffrey c. ward -- NYT 

district comics: an unconventional history of washington, d.c.  ed. matt dembicki -- WPBR

the diviners by libba bray -- DC

the dog stars: a novel by peter heller -- B&N

dora: a headcase; a novel by lidia yuknavitch -- DC

double cross: the true story of the d-day spies by ben macintyre -- B&N

drama by raina telgemeier -- WPBR

drawn together by aline and r. crumb -- WPBR

drift: the unmooring of american military power by rachel maddow -- B&N


E
the elephant keeper's children by peter hoeg -- HP

enchantments by katheryn harrison -- NYT

the end of your life bookclub by will schwalbe -- A, B&N 

the expats by chris pavone -- BP


F
far from the tree: parents, children, and the search for identity by andrew solomon -- B&N, NYT

farther away: essays by jonathan franzen -- HP

the fault in our stars by john green -- A, BP, HP

the fear: robert mugabe and the martyrdom of zimbabwe by peter godwin -- GQ

flagrant conduct: the story of lawrence v. texas; how a bedroom arrest decriminalized gay americans by dale carpenter -- NYT

flight behavior by barbara kingsolver -- NYT

the flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey -- BP

fobit: a novel by david abrams -- B&N, NYT

the folly of fools: the logic of deceit and self-deception in human life by robert trivers -- NYT

the forgetting tree by tatjana soli -- NYT

forgotten country by catherine chung -- BP


G
gatherings of waters by bernice l. mcfadden -- NYT

girl walks into a bar: comedy, calamities, dating disasters, and a midlife miracle by rachel dratch -- DC

god's hotel: a doctor, a hospital, and a pilgrimage to the heart of medicine by victoria sweet -- B&N

gods without men by hari kunzru -- B&N, NYT

gone girl by gillian flynn -- A, B&N, H, HP

good american by alex george -- BP

the grey album: on the blackness of blackness by kevin young -- NYT

a grown-up kind of pretty by joshilyn jackson -- BP

gypsy boy by mikey walsh -- BP


H
haiti: the aftershocks of history by laurent dubois -- NYT

happiness is a chemical in the brain by lucia perillo -- PW

hello goodbye hello: a circle of 101 remarkable meetings by craig brown -- B&N

HHhH by laurent binet -- NYT

a hologram for the king by dave eggers -- A, H, NYT

home by toni morrison -- NYT

hope: a tragedy by shalom auslander -- BP, NYT

house of stone: a memoir of home, family, and a lost middle east by anthony shadid -- WPBR

how children succeed: grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character by paul tough -- NYT

how music works by david byrne -- NYT

how should a person be? a novel from life by sheila heti -- H, HP, NYT


I
immobility by brian evenson -- HP

in one person by john irving -- NYT 

the invisible ones by stef penney -- BP

iron curtain: the crushing of eastern europe, 1944–1956 by anne applebaum -- NYT, PW, WPBR


J


K
kayak morning: reflections on love, grief, and small boats by roger rosenblatt -- NYT


L
a land more kind than home by wiley cash -- NYT 

the last lion: william spencer churchill; defender of the realm, 1940–1965 by william manchester and paul reid --  B&N

the layered garden: design lessons for year-round beauty from brandywine cottage by rob cordillo, david l. culp, and adam levine -- B&N

the leftovers by tom perrotta -- GQ 

the light between oceans: a novel by m. l. stedman -- B&N

life in color: national geographic photographs by annie griffiths -- B&N

the lifespan of a fact by john d'agata and jim fingal -- HP

lincoln's code: the laws of war in american history by john fabian witt -- NYT

little america: the war within the war for afghanistan by rajiv chandrasekaran -- NYT

lone wolf by jodi picoult -- BP


M
magnificence: a novel by lydia millet -- B&N

marbles: mania, depression, michelangelo, and me; a graphic novel by ellen forney -- WPBR

marigold: the last chance for peace in vietnam by james G. Hershberg -- WPBR

the marriage plot: a novel by jeffrey eugenides -- GQ

married love: and other stories by tessa hadley -- NYT

memoir of a debulked woman: enduring ovarian cancer by susan gubar -- NYT

the middlesteins by jami attenberg -- A

modern cuisine at home  by nathan myhrvold and maxime bilet -- B&N

morality by christopher hitchens -- A, B&N

my friend dahmer by derf backderf -- B&N

my heart is an idiot: essays by davy rothbart -- DC, HP

my poets by maureen n. mclane -- NYT


N
the night swimmer by matt durant -- BP

ninety days: a memoir of recovery by bill clegg -- HP

no animal we could name by ted saunders -- DC

no one is here except all of us by ramona ausubel -- BP, HP

nw by zadie smith -- NYT


O
the obamas by jodi kantor -- NYT

object lessons: the paris review presents the art of the short story ed. the paris review -- HP

oddly normal: one family's struggle to help their teenage son come to terms with his sexuality by john schwartz -- NYT

the odds by stewart o'nan -- BP

on a farther shore: the life and legacy of rachel carson by william souder -- NYT

office girl: a novel by joe meno -- DC

the one: the life and music of james brown by r. j. smith -- NYT

on saudi arabia: its people, past, religion, fault lines—and future by karen elliott house -- NYT

on the spectrum of possible deaths by lucia perillo -- NYT

open city by teju cole -- GQ 

the orphan master's son by adam johnson -- BP, B&N


P
page 1: great expectations by graphicdesigns& -- HP

the passage of power: the years of lyndon johnson by robert a. caro -- B&N, H, NYT

the patriarch: the remarkable life and turbulent times of joseph p. kennedy by david nasaw -- NYT

pearls freaks the #*%# out: a (freaky) pearls before swine treasury by stephan pastis -- WPBR

penelope by rebecca harrington -- DC, HP

people who eat darkness: the true story of a young woman who vanished from the streets of tokyo by richard lloyd parry -- NYT, PW

phantom by jo nesbo -- B&N

the power of habit: why we do what we do in life and business by charles dughigg -- B&N

prague winter: a personal story of remembrance and war, 1937–1948 by madeleine albright -- B&N

pulphead: essays by john jeremiah sullivan -- GQ

pure by julianna baggott -- NYT


Q
quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by susan cain -- B&N


R
ragnarok: the end of the gods by a. s. byatt -- B&N

the receptionist: an education at the new yorker by janet groth -- DC

red brick, black mountain, white clay: reflections on art, family, and survival by christopher benfrey -- NYT 

reinventing bach by paul elie -- B&N

reporting the revolutionary war: before it was history, it was news by todd andrlik -- B&N

the right-hand shore by christopher tilghman -- NYT

the round house by louise erdich -- A, NYT, PW

rule and ruin: the downfall of moderation and the destruction of the republican party; from eisenhower to the tea party by geoffrey kabaservice -- NYT


S
sad desk salad: a novel by jessica grosse -- DC

sailor twain: or, the mermaid in the hudson by mark siegel -- B&N, WPBR

salvage the bones by jesmine ward -- NYT

san miguel by t. coraghessan boyle -- NYT

saul steinberg: a biography by deirdre bair -- NYT

seating arrangements: a novel by maggie shipstead -- B&N, DC

the second world war by antony beevor -- B&N

shadow of night: a discovery of witches by deborah harkness -- B&N

shine shine shine by lydia netzer -- NYT

shooting victoria: madness, mayhem, and the rebirth of the british monarchy by paul thomas murphy -- NYT

short nights of the shadow catcher: the epic life and immortal photographs of edward curtis by timothy egan -- NYT

shout her lovely name by natalie serber -- NYT

the signal and the noise: why some predictions fail—but some don't by nate silver -- B&N

silent house by orhan pamuk -- NYT

the sleepy hollow family almanack by kris d'agostino -- DC

the smitten kitchen cookbook: recipes and wisdom from an obsessive home cook by deb perelman -- B&N 

the snow child by eowyn ivey -- BP

the social conquest of earth by edward o. wilson -- NYT

sometimes there is a void: memoirs of an outsider by zakes mda -- NYT

spillover: animal infections and the next human pandemic by david quammen -- B&N, NYT

the starboard sea by amber dermont -- BP, NYT

stories i only tell my friends by rob lowe -- GQ

suddenly, a knock at the door by etgar keret -- HP

sweet tooth by ian mcewan -- NYT

swimming home by deborah levy -- HP, NYT

swimming studies by leanne shapton -- HP


T
talulla rising by glen duncan -- B&N

the taste of war: world war ii and the battle for food by lizzie collingham -- NYT

telegraph avenue: a novel by michael chabon -- B&N, H, NYT

the testament of mary by colm toibin -- NYT 

the things that matter by nate berkus -- B&N

this is how you lose her by junot diaz -- B&N, HP, NYT

thomas jefferson: the art of power by jon meacham -- B&N, NYT

three strong women by marie ndiaye, trans. john fletcher -- NYT

tigers in red weather: a novel by liza klaussmann -- DC

the tiger's wife by tea obreht -- GQ

toby's room by pat barker -- NYT

turing's cathedral: the origins of the digital universe by george dyson -- B&N


U
the underside of joy by sere prince halverson -- BP

V
victory: the triumphant gay revolution by linda hirsham -- NYT


W
watergate by thomas mallon -- NYT

we only know so much: a novel by elizabeth crane -- DC

what we talk about when we talk about anne frank: stories by nathan englander -- NYT 

when god talks back: understanding the american evangelical relationship with god by t. m. luhrmann -- NYT

when i was a child i read books by marilynne robinson -- HP 

where'd you go, bernadette? a novel by maria semple (note: bff 'netta recommended this to me a few days ago. you go, 'netta, literary tastemaker!) -- B&N, DC

why be happy when you could be normal? by jeanette winterson -- B&N, NYT

why does the world exist? an existential detective story by jim holt -- NYT

why nations fail: the origins of power, prosperity, and poverty by daron acemoglu -- WPBR

wild: from lost to found on the pacific crest trail by cheryl strayed -- B&N

wild girls: a novel by mary stewart atwell -- DC

wind through the keyhole: a dark tower novel by stephen king -- B&N

winter journal by paul auster -- H

winter of the world by ken follet -- B&N

wizziwig: portrait of a serial hacker by ed piskor -- B&N

a wrinkle in time: the graphic novel by madeleine l'engle, ill. hope larson -- B&N


X


Y
the yellow birds: a novel by kevin powers -- B, HP, NYT

young house love: 243 ways to paint, craft, update, and show your home some love by sherry petersik and john petersik -- B&N


Z
zona: a book about a film about a journey to a room by geoff dyer -- HP



 * Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, BookPage, DailyCandy, GQ, Hollywood.com, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, The Washington Post Book Review,

Teh happeeness

oh my bob, people. dinner tonight. so amazing.

g got home from his work thingy EXHAUSTED and famished, so we yelped for a close restaurant. we were guided to Gilda's, just twoish blocks from our hotel. 

people, let me PREACH. it.

the restaurant was smallish with an open view to the kitchen. the lights were low, and the atmosphere cozy and laid back. since we didn't have a reservation, they sat us in siberia, along with a few students who clearly hung out for hours on end milking one espresso drink, but i didn't mind. the wait staff was cheerful and informal and attentive. good times. 

the menu was pretty brief, but the pickings were good, and we were happy.

so, the feast:

we started out with an oil dipping sauce mixed with a kalamata olive tapenade, crushed raw garlic, a bit of chopped parsley, excellent olive oil, and freshly ground pepper. it was served with a very tasty bread with an excellent crumb. i am so making this hors d'oeuvre some time for a dinner party. really easy and killer tasty.

next, we shared an order of arancini, and the kitchen KILLED it. the risotto was parmesan-y with a subtle undertone of white wine of quality. the mozarella was not gummy and seemed to only be around the outer edge, holding things together, while adding a fun texture and not going all am'r'ka crazy with cheesiness. they got their oil temps JUST right, because the crumb shell was super crisp and super thin. no greasiness or heaviness. simply the best arancini i've ever had. they were presented on a simple rectangular platter on a small bed of a *wonderful* red sauce—complex without skewing acidic or too reduced. and they were finished with a drizzle of basil-infused olive oil and just the tiniest shreds of fresh basil for a freshening brightness. so delicious.

next we shared a caesar salad, composed of only the crispest, highest-quality hearts of romaine, tossed in a homemade dressing that was surprisingly lemony with a welcome bite of anchovy flavor. the croutons were clearly homemade and though a little dry were in excellent proportion to the rest of the ingredients. all in all a win.

for our entrees, my man got linguine genovese with a slight oil dressing, featuring winter squash, peas, and a sprinkling of parmesan. each bite had the zing of pepperoncino, possibly infusing the oil. i found it underwhelming, but my man was pleased. so, let's call that a win.

i upgraded the tagliatelle to the homemade papardelle, served with a bolognese sauce. pretty much any time a menu offers papardelle, i'm gonna get them. in fact, if i ever overcome my weird phobia about learning how to use my pasta maker, it will probably be mostly because i love papardelle. gilda's were thin and silky and perfectly cooked. i've tasted better and would have liked more of an eggy undertone, but i was still happy. the bolognese was very nicely balanced. my man thought the meat too uniform and finely ground, "like a sloppy joe." i saw what he meant, but i enjoyed the texture. the beef was rich, and the red sauce was balanced and smooth, tempered with a complement of parmesan. i'd definitely order it again.

i would have loved to sample their dessert menu (or, let's face it, chill there for another few hours 'til my stomach was ready to order round 2), but it wasn't in the cards (or our wallets). 

but should i ever find myself again super hungry, hankering for italian, and in the neighborhood, i would totes swing by Gilda's for some hot lovin' on a plate. 

gilda, mille grazie!

A thing that just happened

my Pandora stream was just interrupted by a commercial for Robert Half Technology that began, "We can tell by your music stream that you're smart, very smart—"

and i just puffed up, thinking, "well, that's true . . ."

and it took me, honestly, almost a full minute to realize that Robert Half Technologies has paid to air this commercial for every single Pandora listener, not just the big-headed ones who think their clicking the thumbs-up icon on the Yo-Yo Ma piece means they're Special.

 

(look at Eusebia. she's covering her face with her little wing. buddy's embarrassed for me. i know, dude. i so know.)

What a sticky mess

Hauskeeping

Eusebia has always hated the text-verification rigmarole you, our ardent fans at Priddy, have had to go through in order to post comments, so she's disabled it. she hopes you'll comment with abandon.

 

(thank you, Eusebia.)

To Eusebia, life is a bed of roses

ten zillion thanks to sweet 'netta for the bei fiori! ti voglio molto bene, cara. sei l'ottima. anche Eusebia lo pensa.

Meet Eusebia

Priddy's newest correspondent.

Say hi, Eusebia.

(Hi, Eusebia.)

The pollen is thick in the air

hoo. kleenex, plz.

Boo gets me misty.



*sniffle*

There is a balm in Gilead

a few days ago, DJ wrote: 

all praise o'barry, muslin overlaird from kinyuh! voted today. wheeeeeee!

how's state of 'apples poling on barriness?

Herf replied:

Positively blue with liberality, my sow. We here are Mondale-lovin', civil-rights supportin', Al Franken votin', gay-marrriage toutin', Wellstone-stickers-on-the-Volvo Democrats. 

OK, so Barry's up by about three points, within the margin of error. But a girl can dream.

Am going to brave the lines in the AM to vote and am kicking myself for not voting absentee (there is no early voting here). Oh well(stone!).

How ewe?

Also, please intercede with the gay saint of your choice, as our marriage amendment is on the ballot and it sounds like it is going to be super-duper close. Am actually more scared about this than Romneygeddon (seriously, why do they say it's going to be close? because I don't think the electoral math says it will be).

This is what I get when I gergle-image "gay saint." I have no idea. 

I got Barry for you this year, girl.

i hope you like it.

Spelchek, pleez

And then there's This Guy!

 

and somehow, bizarrely, i know exactly what he means. 

couldn't have said it better myself, weird horsehead guy.

These guys!

let's get a close-up of that cuteness:

At Last redux

Ohio and the State of WA

Broo:  Downloading some nonsense.

Eating cheese.

Drinking wine.

me:  daily show is calling the 2016 race for hilary clinton (against jeb bush).

 

Broo:  Hahahaha!

 Sent at 8:13 PM on Tuesday

me:  samantha bee is bitching out a group of undecided voters. they don't know what's going on. it's hilarious.

 Sent at 8:15 PM on Tuesday

Broo:  Watching. Love it.

me:  so glad you're in

Broo:  In and happy about it.

me:  OBAMA WAS JUST ELECTED.

HE JUST PASSED 270.

MSNBC called it!

 

Broo:  Stop it!

 

me:  CNN just called it!

ohio went blue!!!!!!

 

Broo:  Hold on.

Really?

me:  YES> REALLY.

Broo:  Holy cow!

Wow!

 

me:  they JUST called it.

 

Broo:  Yippee!

Woohoo!

 Sent at 8:19 PM on Tuesday

BOO-YA!

Worth the sixteen minutes and forty seconds out of your day it will take to watch these in full

my sweetie pointed this article out to me the other day: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-rodricks-1104-20121103,0,288496.column

i managed to find videos of said homily up on youtube, which i share with you.

in this first video, father dick opens his homily by reading a letter of instruction from baltimore archbishop william e. lori.




in this second video, father dick then offers his own personal reflection on the referendum.



father dick is sort of a force of nature. he and his parish at st. vincent de paul in baltimore have drawn notice for letting part of the city's significant homeless population reside in a sort of shanty town set up on a green owned by the parish, abutting the church. the sermons of father dick's that i've heard myself have always been nuanced and solidly situated within church scholarly tradition; he is a thoughtful, eloquent homilist. i am thrilled he's turned his heart and and considerable intellectual prowess toward this issue.

Victim of my own success

for Yon and Jak's annual halloweenvaganza, i went as miss havisham, g went as a mouse from my wedding cake, and i made a grody wedding cake to share. it was so grody, in the end, that it was largely left uneaten. oh well. at least it looked kick ass!

i just love those cute little marzipan mouse guys!! now i need to find an excuse to fill all of the baked goods with little marzipan mice . . .

Pro Muslin Kenyan overlords

 

all praise the state of WA's early voting system.

Cake makes everything taste better

relevant to the halloween treat i'm bringing to this weekend's bash:

How to Turn All-Purpose Flour into Cake Flour
from http://joythebaker.com/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/

Cake flour.  Let’s face facts:  I never have cake flour on hand when I need it.  Luckily, there’s a super easy way to turn good old all-purpose flour into cake flour, lightening your cake crumb, making it super soft and delicious.    Maybe you already know this trick.  It’s a good one.

Here’s a step by step.  From me to you!

Step One:  Measure out the all-purpose flour that you’ll need for your recipe.

Step Two: For every cup of flour you use, take out two tablespoons of flour and return it to the flour bin.  Throw the cup of flour (minus the two tablespoons) into a sifter set over a bowl:

Step Three:  Replace the two tablespoons of flour that your removed with two tablespoons of cornstarch:

Step Four:  Sift the flour and cornstarch together.  Sift it again, and again and again.  The cornstarch and flour need to be well incorporated and the flour aerated.  Sift the flour and cornstarch mixture about five times.

 

Look at that!  You just made cake flour!