So I absolutely love true crime story and history. Combine the two and I am in heaven. That's why I suggest you read Gangster Squad: Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles by Paul Lieberman. I discovered this book after seeing the movie which was beyond amazing.
Mickey Cohen was one of the most powerful mobsters in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. I became interested in the Los Angeles mobster scene after seeing L.A. Confidential and Devil in a Blue Dress when I was about ten years old. Cohen was the head of the West Coast Outfit after seeing the potential there. Because he was Jewish he was considered an outsider by the mostly Italian crime families in Chicago and New York. No one had ventured far enough west so Cohen claimed it as his own. Combine a drive to succeed with being a murderous sociopath you have a man who was able to take over a city.
Because Cohen was so powerful he was able to take over an entire city and have most of the law enforcement on his payroll. The cops, chief, and majority of judges were receiving kick backs from the mobster and turned a blind eye to his racketeering, money laundering, prostitution houses, illegal casinos, and murders. The Gangster Squad was an off the record team formed to take down Cohen. They did not follow the rules and stepped way outside of their jurisdiction to stop the most notorious gangster in the west.
This story explores the personal lives of the men who spent a large part of their careers trying to bring down a single man who destroyed an entire city. Its not a happy story, but it is incredibly interesting. The author is able to step into the personal lives of these real people and how their work which at the time they could not be acknowledged for changed police work and showed that there were still people dedicated to justice.
It is much more detailed than the movie which takes a lot of artistic licenses so read the book...and always pay your taxes because you know....that's one thing you can always definitely go to jail for.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Did I do that?
Have you ever been doing something typical in your daily routine and notice you do something that isn't quite "typical"? For example I write a lot, whether for the blog or just to write out my thoughts. I noticed the other day that when I spell specific words I do it to a song it may have been in. For instance, "bananas"...I can not spell that word without doing it to the the beat of Gwen Stefani's songs Hollaback Girl. Then there's "independent", in my head it is required that I spell it out the same way Webbie does in Indepedent. I have no idea how long this has been going on but I can assume its around the same time the songs came out.
Just to refresh your memory...
Who knows what other bad habits I've picked up but I hope when it comes time for me to have children I will be over this. Do you have any bad habits that took you a while to even notice? Let us know.
I wasn't there.
Being who I am, it is rare that I will have enough patience to complete a long book unless it is read in one sitting. I read roughly three to five books at a time and seldom make it to the end of any of them. Due to the fact that this is such a big trend for me I find books that will interest me the most. Fiction is a rare read. I tend to be drawn to non-fiction, specifically (auto)biographies and inspirational books that are a bit quirky.
Christmas 2011 I was in an independent bookstore with my brother in DC and came across This is Water by David Foster Wallace. I wrote it down with an intent to buy and read it when I had time. Spring 2012 during the end of my final senior year I decided it was time to add it to my collection of reads that were already in rotation. It immediately drew me in on the first page. Within less than a week I was done and reread it immediately because its not like I had any other books to read. (Pure sarcasm if you didn't catch that)
This is Water is Wallace's 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College. He begins with a story where an old fish asks two young fish "How's the water". The young fish reply with "What the hell is water?". Deep right? (No pun intended) Wallace explains that the story isn't for him to be that wise old fish to explain life but to merely point out that the most obvious of things are the hardest to see and talk about. The speech goes on to discuss the cliches of commencement speeches, teaching you how to think and how insulting that can be. He tells more short didactic stories that draw you in and make you wonder where is this man going. In the end you realize with the help of Mr. Wallace of course, that life is your real education, your "job of a lifetime".
I reread this book in hopes that I could create my own graduation memory. Graduation day arrived and I looked around and realized I didn't have a relationship with anyone so when it was time to go though the "remember when" segment of the ceremony I zoned out. Then the speaker began his speech and I focused on him for one or two minutes hoping he would be as amazing as David Foster Wallace. Nope, didn't happen. I zoned out once again. By the end of the whole ceremony I had recreated a graduation ceremony that I would have actually enjoyed. So when I passed a group of graduates discussing what they thought was interesting about what the speaker had said, in my mind i was thinking "I don't remember that". Instead what I remembered was that when I walked across that stage my job of a lifetime was beginning and no degree can prepare me for what I was to start learning.
Sometimes we have to make our own experiences in order to learn more than what we can receive from any random memory someone else attempts to create for us.
Christmas 2011 I was in an independent bookstore with my brother in DC and came across This is Water by David Foster Wallace. I wrote it down with an intent to buy and read it when I had time. Spring 2012 during the end of my final senior year I decided it was time to add it to my collection of reads that were already in rotation. It immediately drew me in on the first page. Within less than a week I was done and reread it immediately because its not like I had any other books to read. (Pure sarcasm if you didn't catch that)
This is Water is Wallace's 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College. He begins with a story where an old fish asks two young fish "How's the water". The young fish reply with "What the hell is water?". Deep right? (No pun intended) Wallace explains that the story isn't for him to be that wise old fish to explain life but to merely point out that the most obvious of things are the hardest to see and talk about. The speech goes on to discuss the cliches of commencement speeches, teaching you how to think and how insulting that can be. He tells more short didactic stories that draw you in and make you wonder where is this man going. In the end you realize with the help of Mr. Wallace of course, that life is your real education, your "job of a lifetime".
I reread this book in hopes that I could create my own graduation memory. Graduation day arrived and I looked around and realized I didn't have a relationship with anyone so when it was time to go though the "remember when" segment of the ceremony I zoned out. Then the speaker began his speech and I focused on him for one or two minutes hoping he would be as amazing as David Foster Wallace. Nope, didn't happen. I zoned out once again. By the end of the whole ceremony I had recreated a graduation ceremony that I would have actually enjoyed. So when I passed a group of graduates discussing what they thought was interesting about what the speaker had said, in my mind i was thinking "I don't remember that". Instead what I remembered was that when I walked across that stage my job of a lifetime was beginning and no degree can prepare me for what I was to start learning.
Sometimes we have to make our own experiences in order to learn more than what we can receive from any random memory someone else attempts to create for us.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Did You Know...
Did you know that there's an easy way to let us know what you're thinking? SImply look for the gold box on the right side of the page and tell us what you think anonymously. We love feedback!
PGSD
How to admit your lessons.
Sitting and looking through old pictures and friends a la Facebook and your mind starts churning through thoughts and memories. Lately a subject my fellow PGSD ladies and I have covered is upbringing. How different rules and values shaped us into who we are today. So naturally, it is easy to think back to Little B.
I went for a therapeutic jog this past weekend, and I am thinking back to the rules I had growing up. How I couldn't drink my juice prior to finishing my meal, how I had to be home by 6pm or else my mother was calling the cops, or how my chores had to be done, and grades on par before even asking for anything. I got an allowance, and was taught how to save, and make your money stretch. Also reminded daily that everything you do shouldn't be for the all-mighty dollar. You need to just do for other people, just to be there for your fellow man. Not only is this a blessing to another, but you will be richly rewarded with the experience.
I used to feel like my adolescence was too controlled. I didn't live in a household where it was okay to talk back to or question your parents. I did whatever I was told without question, and did it wonderfully. There were times I tried to rebel, sure! But me being me, I would always end up doing the right thing. (Or telling a half-truth as I became known for in HS with my parents) My parent's goal was to raise a well-rounded, worldly, educated individual.
When I got to college and finally spread my wings, I was mad at my parents. I didn't know freedom was that wonderful and exhilarating. I wanted to keep my freedom and not have to answer to anyone, so I made sure in college I was as self-sufficient as my education would allow me to be. At one point, I had three paying jobs and an internship. Granted at times it was very difficult, but that taste of freedom was beyond great and I haven't given it up since.
Looking around at all my friends, and folks our same age, I see a lot of people stepping out on their own for the first time post graduation. Some don't know how to pay a utility bill, or even write a check. Some don't even have a passport, nor a desire to ever have one. These are things I have been doing since high school. I personally equate the ability to hold your head above water with independence. Sure we all need help sometimes, self included, but if you constantly have to have someone figure out your life for you? You need to sit back and re-evaluate some things honey.
I find I often times have no patience for people who don't desire independence. You don't have a ride somewhere? CTA is $3. You don't have a know how to file your taxes? Turbotax and H & R Block have an app for that. Do not let your lack of knowledge, know-how, or circumstances hinder you from being great. Get up and do something about it.
I thank my parents now. I see so many adults nowadays that struggle so much with the basics of the world. My curfews taught me consequences, my allowances were my money management lessons, my restrictions taught me the resourcefulness and responsibility of being an adult.
The world is moving in a different direction from the standards of our parents. Children as a whole are being brought up in an era that is much different and as unexpected as anyone can imagine. In this muck of confusion, I am grateful to have the foundation of my upbringing that has helped to shape me in the person I am today. I have finally become adult enough to realize some things were done for my benefit, and to this day, I can admit I carry those lessons with me daily.
I went for a therapeutic jog this past weekend, and I am thinking back to the rules I had growing up. How I couldn't drink my juice prior to finishing my meal, how I had to be home by 6pm or else my mother was calling the cops, or how my chores had to be done, and grades on par before even asking for anything. I got an allowance, and was taught how to save, and make your money stretch. Also reminded daily that everything you do shouldn't be for the all-mighty dollar. You need to just do for other people, just to be there for your fellow man. Not only is this a blessing to another, but you will be richly rewarded with the experience.
I used to feel like my adolescence was too controlled. I didn't live in a household where it was okay to talk back to or question your parents. I did whatever I was told without question, and did it wonderfully. There were times I tried to rebel, sure! But me being me, I would always end up doing the right thing. (Or telling a half-truth as I became known for in HS with my parents) My parent's goal was to raise a well-rounded, worldly, educated individual.
When I got to college and finally spread my wings, I was mad at my parents. I didn't know freedom was that wonderful and exhilarating. I wanted to keep my freedom and not have to answer to anyone, so I made sure in college I was as self-sufficient as my education would allow me to be. At one point, I had three paying jobs and an internship. Granted at times it was very difficult, but that taste of freedom was beyond great and I haven't given it up since.
Looking around at all my friends, and folks our same age, I see a lot of people stepping out on their own for the first time post graduation. Some don't know how to pay a utility bill, or even write a check. Some don't even have a passport, nor a desire to ever have one. These are things I have been doing since high school. I personally equate the ability to hold your head above water with independence. Sure we all need help sometimes, self included, but if you constantly have to have someone figure out your life for you? You need to sit back and re-evaluate some things honey.
I find I often times have no patience for people who don't desire independence. You don't have a ride somewhere? CTA is $3. You don't have a know how to file your taxes? Turbotax and H & R Block have an app for that. Do not let your lack of knowledge, know-how, or circumstances hinder you from being great. Get up and do something about it.
I thank my parents now. I see so many adults nowadays that struggle so much with the basics of the world. My curfews taught me consequences, my allowances were my money management lessons, my restrictions taught me the resourcefulness and responsibility of being an adult.
The world is moving in a different direction from the standards of our parents. Children as a whole are being brought up in an era that is much different and as unexpected as anyone can imagine. In this muck of confusion, I am grateful to have the foundation of my upbringing that has helped to shape me in the person I am today. I have finally become adult enough to realize some things were done for my benefit, and to this day, I can admit I carry those lessons with me daily.
Since Reality TV has been slacking, pick up a book...
I love to read, and I’ve read a lot of books in my time (the latter
part of that sentence makes me sound old). I have a love of fiction, but I don’t
shy away from a good self-help/spiritual/inspirational or history book. However, more often than
not, I gravitate towards fiction.
One of the best books I’ve read recently is called Room by Emma
Donoghue. Without revealing too much of its plot, the story centers on a woman
who has been held captive for years and the child that she conceives during her
captivity. What makes this story remarkable, in my opinion, is that it is told
from the point of view of Jack, the five-year-old little boy who has only known
life to be inclusive of that small space. By having Jack be the novel’s sole
point of view, the reader is not forced to read scenes of the sexual and
physical abuse that we know his mother, Ma, is subjected to at the hands of Old
Nick. Donoghue really forces the reader to rely on their common sense and
imaginations. Room is an engrossing novel that you will find yourself
getting through easily and quickly because of its innocent and accessible language
and style. When I finished reading it, I looked at the world a little bit
differently. It changed my perception of space, and I realized that every
space, no matter what tragedy or happy time is associated with it, is
meaningful. I appreciated my experiences more because I realized that Jack and
Ma were not just characters, but people who actually existed. After all,
Donoghue’s inspiration for writing this novel was the Fritzl case, where a
woman in Austria was held captive by her father for 24 years. During this time,
she endured physical and sexual abuse at his hands and bore seven of his
children. The case made Donoghue pose
the question: What would it be like for a child to grow up without ever having
been outside? From this question, Room was born.
Definitely a must read!
http://www.roomthebook.com/
There's nothing like a new toy!
No matter how old you get there is still that same excitement when you get something new. This week I got a Nutri-Bullet. I was so excited to try it out and now I have to admit that I can't stop using it. It's so simple and fast that I juice daily in order to try out new recipes. I go shopping specifically to buy new fruits and veggies to try. Green juices are currently my favorite. The one pictured below is spinach, romaine, 1 granny smith apple, 1 banana, and a few almonds. Yummy!
Rumor has it that green juice helps clear your skin (I will let you all know if I notice any benefits like that as I continue my daily green juice breakfast). I have noticed that it does provide a great morning pick me up. My energy in the morning is through the roof and I love it!
Rumor has it that green juice helps clear your skin (I will let you all know if I notice any benefits like that as I continue my daily green juice breakfast). I have noticed that it does provide a great morning pick me up. My energy in the morning is through the roof and I love it!
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