P&PS

Number of times the gps has been wrong: 5 Number of ants stuck in my shoe: 4 Number of bookstores visited: 16 Number of visits to Asian grocery stores: 3

Sunday I went and saw Jim Byrnes perform at the Vancouver Fanclub, to say I had an amazing time would be an understatement. I fel like such a broken record saying this since I haven't come up with another way of describing the experience, but it was absolutely amazing.

Columbus 21 June 2013 10:05 am local | 01:05 pm est Columbus followed my first long bus ride for the summer and therefore contained what had to be my favorite shower so far. There's something extremely satisfying about washing off day old sunscreen.  Columbus was also my first stop with an adorable four-legged furry thing also known as a cat. I wasn't there long, but I did manage to fit in the Art museum with its creepy puppet exhibit, a tour around downtown and its four lane one way streets, the farmers market, and some awesome food. I liked Columbus a lot and I have to say I was surprised by this. It's such a laidback, welcoming, artsy city with a real sense of community pride and I love that. Number of times the gps has been wrong: 5 Number of ants stuck in my shoe: 4 Number of bookstores visited: 8

Chicago was a but if an odd city to me, tall brick buildings, and innumerable people walking around at all hours. I suppose the massive amount of construction along Michigan Avenue didn't help matters much, but the pedestrian and automotive congestion surprised me. The crowds in Millennium Park were more expected, given the warmer weather and the time of year, but even there, the overwhelming number of people was a distraction. People speak of loving Chicago, of it being their favorite city, but I didn't see that, maybe it's the hustle and bustle they love, but that didn't work for me.

I've downloaded a copy of Jekyll and Hyde onto every electronic device I own. It's time to start my Classics Retold journey, but I thought before I did that, I should share with you a couple of the other books I had considered taking on for this project. The Scarlet Letter by    Nathaniel Hawthorn The first time I read this book was for an English class in high school.  I remember most of the class disliking the book.  I don't know if it was because of the book itself, the language and the subject matter, or if it was the tedious questions and halfhearted discussions that followed, but a lot of the class was downright miserable during the unit.  I, on the other hand, was in love.  Hester's strength inspired me, Prim fascinated me, and both Dimmsdale and Chillingworth fascinated me. While I haven't seen any strict adaptions of the text, I have seen other more liberal interpretations, my favorite of which is Easy A , one of my favorite movies. ...

Chicago 01 June 2013 03:01 pm local | 03:01 pm est Number of times the gps has been wrong: 5 Number of ants stuck in my shoe: 3 Number of bookstores visited: 8

Pictured: JP Licks (Beacon Hill), Beacon Hill, Shop going in near Quincy Market, Haul from Brattle Books, View out the window Number of times the gps has been wrong: 5 Number of ants stuck in my shoe: 3 Number of bookstores visited: 8