The Summer Zine, Issue No. 2

Good afternoon, T-storms and thunderclaps!

Since NYC public schools close this week, I thought it appropriate to talk about summer despite the gloomy weather we're expected to have this week (boo!). This is issue #2 of The (Semi-)Ultimate NYC Summer Bucket List although this one isn't quite in bucket list form...

Tattly's Randomizer Tour!
Nothing cries "summer" more than a colorful popsicle stick (or pair of sunnies) tattooed on your forehead. This summer, Tattly has teamed up with stores across lower Manhattan and Brooklyn to bring you the Randomizer Tour! At selected venues during selected dates, our favorite temp tattoos will be sold via a kawaii little vending machine for a quarter each! That's right, 25c. I fully intend to raid my crayon bank for quarters in anticipation of spending them all on tattoos. (Can you tell I'm really excited?)

Adventures in Adventure Suits (iPhone5)
If you're planning on going someplace characterized by water sports and the deep blue sea this summer, consider opting for this awesome iPhone adventure suit instead of that really cute pair of shoes you've been eyeing. I know, I know: What could possibly trump a highly-coveted designer garment of your choice?! Well this iPhone suit will fully protect your precious while going underwater and you'll be able to get really cool shots down there too! This is a must-buy for Instagrammers who want to one-up their friends with kooky snaps from the pool, waterslide, beach, lake, or any other body of water. Also available for the iPhone 4 and 4S (and a lot cheaper too, you lucky people)

Speaking of suits... SUITS
Everyone's favorite lawyer-associate duo is back on the air in July! Can you imagine the things you could do with an eidetic memory (photographic memory in layman's terms)?! Aside from taking standardized exams for snooty kids who don't have the brains to get into Harvard, you could be a circus act! You probably got your PhD at age 16 and now work as a kickbutt medical research scientist who performs life-saving surgeries on the regular with a side gig as a top-notch attorney who recites the entire Encyclopedia Britannica to a stadium full of kids after breakfast. (What?)

Learn Something!
I really love the idea of recalling back to a summer and saying "Oh yeah, that's the summer I learned how to _____________" Options include, but are not limited to: speak Klingon, surf, ride a bike, write a computer program, make an ace sandcastle, recreate King's Landing in Minecraft, build a fire, perfect a microwave brownie, etc. While the possibilities are endless, I find the novelty of spending a summer perfecting a craft quite splendid because when August ends, you are an expert in a craft of your choice.

Will there be an Issue No. 3? Stay tuned to find out...

Julia, over and out.

Adventure is Out There!

I was just thinking that I could really use a wonderful adventure this summer , but then I realized that I'm working! There goes that pathetic excuse again :'(

It's been almost a year since my last adventure to Chicago for the Girls' World Forum and I got really nostalgic... Things like that should happen all the time. (Read about my trip here) But alas, mere peasants like myself don't get to jetset all across the globe like Ms. Aimee Song who is seriously never at home. (crazy, I know)

I suppose this summer will just have to be an adventure as a working girl. Fear not, I'll recount all my tales of enlightening children and getting them into Harvard (oh what fun!). As a result, I'll get to have loads of fun spending money on fun things and saving some too... Did I mention that I have an IRA? I think saving money is a lot of fun, actually. It makes me feel all grown up and responsible :)

In other news, I walked to the far library today. It was a really pleasant day, but the allergens here in urban-suburbia dropkicked me and left me on the ground to die, so I think I'll just stay at home forever. Yup, that's my adventure of the day.

Summer Bummer

How has your summer been so far?

Aside from a crazy Father's Day weekend and a GNO on Monday, I've been left without much to do since my summer job hasn't started yet. I'm counting down the days to July 1st when I'll finally have something to do (FINALLY). This past month has been such a bore and I've been spending a lot of time playing Minecraft.

So what have you been up to? Have any exciting jetsetting summer plans that I wish I could take part in?

Fun Fact: The only other country I've been to is Canada. (life of a homebody, what can I say)

I'm looking forward to a quiet day on the beach.
Also: I'd like to learn how to surf.

Bretagne

6 Signs of Summer on Tumblr

Summer Reads

Wow, it's Friday! That was fast.

I don't know about you, but one thing that I enjoy doing during the summer is catching up on my reading. With a bountiful surplus of daylight hours and pleasant weather to enjoy, picking up a book could never be more easy than in the summer. That being said, here is my list of Summer reads, including books that I have and have not yet read.

Summer Read (n): A piece of literature that is light in manner and easy to read without sacrificing quality of content.

Magical Thinking, Augusten Burroughs
Having recently read this, I can vouch that Augusten Burroughs' collection of true stories is honestly funny. From a too-short housemaid to a rodent in his tub, it's hard to read this without thinking that you don't seem so funny after all (in comparison). Burroughs' humor easily translates through his text and leaves a story much too funny to keep to yourself. [Goodreads]

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), Mindy Kaling
If you're a fan of The Mindy Project, or of anything Mindy Kaling has touched, you're bound to be a fan of her memoir. While reading her stories, it's inevitable to hear her voice narrate her words. Kaling's writing is humorous, personal, and very relatable: qualities that make you want the book to continue. She recounts stories from her childhood while growing up in Boston as well as her climb to success as an Off-Broadway performer and playwright to a comedy writer who gets chauffeured rides to work in avoidance of the "Rape Train." [Goodreads]

 

The Art Forger, B.A. Shapiro

This mystery novel follows a struggling artist who is commissioned to reproduce one of the infamously stolen artworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in 1990. Claire makes a living painting reproductions of famous artworks and begins to suspect that the prized Degas in her living room may be one too. This read details the romance between an artist and his work, as well as the struggles that they face. It's fact meet fiction: art history lesson meets mystery, but this is no art history lesson you've ever dozed through. [Goodreads]

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, Therese Anne Fowler
Following the hype of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, Therese Anne Fowler paints the picture of the Fitzgerald couple from Zelda's eyes. From the first time they meet at a country club, to their wedding in St. Patrick's Cathedral, and to every new destination they set their hearts on, this is a story about being the golden couple without even trying. Jay Gatsby mirrors his maker like never before: Scott and Zelda are Jay and Daisy, and not even Jay's parties can last forever. [Goodreads]

Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game is easily the most under-appreciated book of our time. What was once the most popular read is now a long-forgotten science fiction that collects dust in the back of the library. With its silver screen counterpart coming out this November, I strongly urge you to read the novel first. You have plenty of time between now and November to enjoy this fantastic story set in space, and I can assure you: it's pretty damn good. Ender's Game follows Ender Wiggins, a brilliant young boy who is drafted to Battle School for military training in the war against the Buggers. Like Harry Potter, Ender is destined to end the existence of their enemies, but his loneliness and declaration as an outcast leaves him struggling to understand what he is expected to do. [Goodreads]


If none of these reads provoke any interest in you, then I suggest heading over to the beloved NYT Bestsellers List or the Guardian's List of 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. Both are fantastic resources for every reader and I have made it my mission to read a good chunk of that 1000 books. Otherwise, I do enjoy a good re-read of childhood classics, namely Harry Potter.

Please don't end up reading chick-lits and teen drama-romance novels. Please, I beg of you.

Happy Reading!