Trust me on this one

I have a new label (on the blog) called "Trust me on this one".

I'll use it for suggestions about things I really like and vividly recommend to you.

(Great) Free eBook!

This one promises: "100 New Yorkers of the 1970s", by Max Millard - free profiles of Isaac Asimov, George Plimpton, Tom Wolfe, among others.

A definite must-read!

I’ve started reading some of the profiles and they are truly amazing.

The book includes such profiles as

ISAAC ASIMOV - Author of 188 books

GEORGE BALANCHINE - Artistic director of the New York City Ballet

JULES FEIFFER - Screenwriter for “Popeye the Sailor”

GEORGE LANG - Owner of the Cafe des Artistes

Amazing people. Amazing stories. Amazing writing. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Go here for more informations, and here or here for the book itself.


p.s. - I hope it is as good as "Journalistas - 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists" (this one not for free, though)

Extra weight

After finishing a 700 page book (Stieg Larsson's 'Milennium' trilogy), I turned to a 150-Agatha Christie murder mystery (Elephants Can Remember).

I miss the extra weight.

Licking the monitor

Oh My God!!! I know I use this expression a lot, but in this case, it is so true.

I could also say “eat your heart out” but, given the context, it wouldn’t be very appropriate - or it would, I don't know. Just go here (also in English here) and try not to lick the monitor.

The recipes look fabulous and the photos are heavenly delighful! One of the most delicious food/cooking blogs I've discovered recently! Seriously good!

Here's a little something to open your appetite.

Bon appetit!

P.S. - The photos are very artistic, right?

It's too hot to write

It's too hot (36º C) to write.

Sad Sara

Last week I did a translation about a PRODUCT that a PERSON created.

Today, the CLIENT sent us another document to be translated.

When I opened it, I realized that the PERSON who created the PRODUCT had died and I had to translate THE PERSON’S obituary.

Sad Sara

(Confidentiality agreements unable me from being more specific)

Secret to a Lasting Marriage

Around the time of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, I turned to my father at the dinner table one night and said, "It's amazing, Dad — 50 years, and you never once had an affair. How do you account for that?"

He replied simply, "I can't drive."

Watching the governor of South Carolina cry like a little girl because his sexy e-mails got forwarded to his local newspaper, the State, made me wonder whether the real secret to a lasting marriage lies in limiting your means of escape.

“Is There Hope for the American Marriage?”, by Caitlin Flanagan, Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009, TIME Magazine, here.

Leibovitz Love

One of the first photographers whose work I started admiring was Annie Leibovitz’s. Then Richard Avedon, Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and many others.

When I discovered that there was going to come out a book with Annie Liebovitz work – A Photographer's Life 1990-2005 – I was super excited about it. The book was receiving great reviews, everyone loved it, everyone was eagerly waiting for the book… and then I find out the price. 76 €. OH MY GOD!! My heart almost stopped. I mean, the book is huge and amazingly beautiful, but, seriously … 76 €? No thanks.

(A Photographer's Life 1990-2005)

So, yesterday, I went to FNAC, one of the favourite bookstores (they aren’t exactly a bookstore; it’s more a commercial establishment that sells books, CD, DVD, computers and related stuff) and discovered a book called “Annie Liebovitz At Work”. It was a true finding! The books comes with hundreds of Leibovitz’s photos, with texts written by her explaining the photo, the context, something funny about it. It is a very complete book and it only cost me 25 € (minus a discount that I had, I ended up paying 18 € for that masterpiece)

(Annie Leibovitz's At Work) (the masterpiece)

So, if you love her work and couldn’t afford “A Photographer’s Life 1990-2005”, my advice is: LEAVE YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW AND GO AND BUY “AT WORK”.

NOW.

Beauty Quotes

Quando já não se faz parte do universo sexual - quando se é suposto ser demasiado velho, ou gordo, ou se deixou simplesmente de ser alvo desse tipo de pensamentos - aparentemente, surge toda uma nova onda de reacções masculinas. Uma delas é o humor.

É do género, uma família já não funciona quando todos os que fazem parte dela estão mais infelizes do que estariam se estivesse sozinhos.

O tempo não é o que é, mas sim o que se sente [...].

Eu não pergunto a mim própria para que é que vivi [...]. Isso é uma pergunta de homem. Pergunto para quem é que vivi.

Não foi a primeira vez que numa reunião de Faculdade, Howard desejou estar tão sensorialmente deficiente como a própria [Helen] Keller.

Uma Questão de Beleza, Zadie Smith

Gaffiti Urban Art Gallery

Lisbon's Municipal Council did something really nice.

They arranged for this really cool space for graffiti artistics to do their thing. The artsy graffities, not the tags and other scribbles.

They say it is a "Garrifit and Street Art Galley supported by the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa and dedicated of creative freedom as expression of urban art."

These are two of them. Great colours.

More information here.

Manjerico

This little 'plant' is associated with the festivities of the City's Saint - St. António - and during the month of June and July, they sell them like crazy.

It comes in a little pot, with a small paper flower and a rime. They're a tradicional item to purchase, and the best thing about them is that, in order for you to smell them, you don't stick your nose into it. No, you pat it once or twice and them you smell your hand.

Dancing with myself

About a month ago, I went to the downtown area of Lisbon, Baixa / Chiado, for a walk and started hearing this great music someone was playing. It was this really jazzy, alive music, and people were just standing there, listening and taking pictures. I though it was strange that people were taking pictures of a couple dancing, and only after I looked closer did I noticed that the couple wasn't human.

I mean, the woman was, but she was dancing with a puppet. She had one hand inside his hat, her other hand was on his back and their shoes where attached. So cute!

(look at the man/puppet's legs, near the shoes)

VF's Bodies Swayed to Music

Vanity Fair magazine is amazing.

They publish daily new contents online, which everyone can consult for free. They include photos, interviews, magazine articles, and many more things.

Today, I was amazed by their photo gallery of dancers. Truly beautiful/ funny/ moving/ artistic picutres here. No login/ payment/ subscription necessary.

Ⓒ American Ballet Theatre stars Ethan Stiefel, Jose Manuel Carreño, Vladimir Malakhov, and Angel Corella, photographed by Annie Leibovitz in New York City. From the December 2002 issue.

I too love NY

I first gave this news a while back, in April (go here for more details or info)

For all of you Paris, Je t’aime fans, here’s good news: the NY version of the movie, New York, I Love You, will be premiering in Portugal in 5 November 2009.

YES!

Hope it is as good and the French one.

Furnishing books

Books not only furnish a room, to paraphrase the title of an Anthony Powell novel, but also accessorize our outfits. They help brand our identities.

"What’s a Culture Snob to Do?", by James Wolcott, Vanity Fair Magazine on-line, August 2009.

Complete text here. Worth reading.

How books got their titles

Do you wanna know how books get their titles? Click here.

Really funny and interesting.

Book wizard

I like to read. A lot. I always liked to read. I remember being very young and my father reading to me and my sister the Enyd Blyton books – The Five, The Twins, etc. Them I started reading on my own. I read again the entire The Five collection and many other Portuguese collections. To be honest, I think I devoured books.

I later managed to choose the books I wanted to read my myself and have been ever since.

However, there are times when I don’t know what to read next (ring a bell, father?). I read a really good book and them I think “What shall I read next? I really liked this book and I want to next book I read to be as good as this one.”

I am glad to inform you that help is coming. (To be honest, it’s already here, but the sentence “help is coming” is way better than “help is here”.)

Just go here and write the name of the book you’ve just read, and the author and then you’ll get suggestions from 2 bookstores – Amazon and LibraryThing – whether from the same author or with a similar thematic or genre. Very helpful and fun. I think it only works for English titles, but write the English title of the book you’re reading and BAM! You’ll get a suggestion.

Work, translations, Zadie Smith

I am reading Zadie Smith’s On Beauty and I am loving it - the Portuguese translation.

Because I’ve been working during the week and weekends as well, I haven’t had time to go around and snap photos of strangers. I’ll try and get around to it this weekend.

Now I have to get back to work.

No title good enough

Life is too important to be taken seriously.

Oscar Wilde

Moments (Salamanca Exhibition # 22, 23)

No words necessary.

Reading in the sun.

No human was harmed during the performance of this stunt.