NEW BLOG: morgancates.tumblr.com

I WILL NO LONGER BE POSTING ON THIS BLOG.

I'm changing to a tumblr blog.

Here's the link:

morgancates.tumblr.com

It's called The Overhead Light. I think this will be good.

Allons. . .

This Christmas, David and I will be headed

here. . .

plus England, Switzerland and Italy.

We have the tickets, we have 16 days - I can't wait!!

photo via thedailygreen.com

Currently Reading

Remember when summer would roll around and the summer reading list for school would be released? I always looked forward to finding out what books were on the list and going to the library or book store, picking out the books, and coming home to pour over the pages all summer long.

I really miss the summer reading list. Being an adult is sometimes not as magical as being a child or adolescent. When I find that magic slipping away, I try to hold on to those simple things, like a reading list, that are able to inspire the levels of jubilation I experienced as a youth.

This summer seems to be consumed by work and moving. . . and little else.

I have, however, managed to create my own summer reading list, of sorts, and I'm currently working on what I think is one of the best books I have ever read.

The summer started with a selection made by Dana, for the e-book club. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, was a fun, easy read. I enjoyed starting the summer with a romance, set the the backdrop of post-World War II England. The love story is light and sweet, but the real jewel of the novel is the stories of the German occupation of the Guernsey Channel Islands. I had no prior knowledge of this event and reading about it in a fictional setting was, I think, a very interesting way to learn about it. I am a big fan of post-war fiction. War alters so much more than the landscape of a country, it is ever-present in the minds of the people who live through it. The novel was simple, but I love any book that reminds me of the weight of war.

I decided to stay on the British track for my next novel selection. David has been urging me for some months to read Last Orders by Graham Swift, so I obliged him. The story is about four men, charged with the duty of spreading the ashes of their friend. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the men, including the dead friend (prior to his death, of course). The stories are funny, disturbing, touching; they encompass the events of the men's lives and show the entanglement that results from a lifetime of friendship.

I am currently working on a novel that is very different from anything I have ever read. White Noise by Don DeLillo is, on the surface, a story about a typical blended family living in the 1980s. But beyond that, it is a post-modern examination of what makes a life. I think DeLillo suggests that what so many of our lives consist of is distraction and that the driving force of our distraction is an all-encompassing fear. Fear of what? DeLillo talks about one particular fear in the novel, bit I don't think it's as simple as categorizing our fears, I think the novel suggests that life itself is a fearsome thing. I am about half-way through the novel, and I am in love with DeLillo's writing. His phrasing of simple sentences is beautiful and the characters, while sometimes troubling, are so ridiculously human. I love literature that is able induce long periods of introspection and self-examination. White Noise is definitely one such book.

images via about.com, book rags.com and bookswim.com

Bicycle

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race"

- H. G. Wells

We had a very lovely Saturday.

We were lucky enough to have our wonderful friends, Josh and Natalie, come see us.

We spent the day talking, eating great Cuban food at Papi's, watching the cyclists race the Omnium at the velodrome and planning future adventures together.

It was a great day!

Listening To . . .

Just a handful of songs that are getting me through the summer in this hot, hot city.

1. “Cosmic Love” – Florence + the Machine

2. “As If by Magic” – La Roux

3. “Fake Plastic Trees” – Radiohead

4.”Pale Blue Eyes” – R.E.M.

5.”Here Comes Your Man” – the Pixies

6.”Don’t Worry Baby” – the Beach Boys

7.”Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – Starf***er

8.”Rockaway Beach” – the Ramones

9.”Glorylight and Christie” – Cotton Jones

10. “Main Theme from Gone with the Wind” – The City of Prague Philharmonic (this one might seem odd, but living in Atlanta, it seems apropos. It’s a little surreal listening to it as I’m riding over the city on MARTA)

And most importantly, the number one thing that gets me through my summer days is NPR podcasts of The Moth: Storytelling Series, and my favorite, Car Talk!

If you have never listened to Car Talk, you’re missing out. Click and Clack are the funniest Bostonian brothers ever!

I love this video from Florence + the Machine-great visuals!

video via youtube

LA ROUX

There are some days that turn out to be not so brilliant.

We all have them.

Sometimes, at the end of the day, I feel extremely tired or stressed or miffed, if you will. On those days, I turn to my ipod for a song to improve my mood.

I love music. Nothing else has the ability to change my state of mind and make me instantly happy or sad or any number of emotions in the way that music can.

When I’m looking for a song to make me happy, I always wind up scrolling to La Roux.

I am in love with all of their music, but I especially love “I’m Not Your Toy”.

Just ask David, when this song comes on – at home, in the car, waiting for MARTA – I can’t help but dance and smile. It is such a fun song.

Which is why I’m very, very excited that David has procured two tickets to see La Roux at the Variety Playhouse on July 31^st!

It is going to be wonderful. I will be dancing all night long!

Please enjoy one of my favorite La Roux songs:

Her hair is odd, she is odd, she loves Prince and David Bowie - she's perfect.

video via youtube.

-Once again, my blog does not seem to be able to handle files of a certain size.

Any Ideas?

I can't seem to find the right shampoo.

Never in my life have I been completely satisfied with the shampoo or conditioner I have used.

For years I have used Bumble and Bumble Gentle Shampoo and Super Rich Conditioner.

They work pretty well, but I'm just not completely happy with the texture of my hair after I've washed and styled my hair.

We recently purchased Nature's Gate Tea Tree Calming Shampoo.

This shampoo actually works really well as a clarifying shampoo on my hair, but it's not ideal for daily use.

So I'm putting this out there. Does anyone have any suggestions for all natural (or at least almost all natural) shampoos and conditioners that they absolutely love? Ideally, they would work well on my semi-thick/humidity-induced frizz/bi-weekly blow dried hair. I don't really use shampoos like Pantene or Garnier, because the alcohol and other ingredients in them really dry my hair out and only add to the frizz/tangles.

I thought about just purchasing the Nature's Gate regular shampoo, because I think it's a good company, but I would prefer to use something that comes highly recommended, rather than just blindly trying something out.

Any ideas?

Otherwise, I think I will be trying out more Nature's Gate.

image via the vitamin shoppe