Bed Bound Monday

There’s something about a bad breakup that sends me spiralling out of control into…..everything girly. I don’t know what it is. But I kind of like it. Instead of sitting in the shower bawling my eyes out, I’m painting my toenails a lovely shade of coral. Instead of drowning my sorrows in a glass of wine, I’m falling in love with love all over again with Nora Ephron films. Instead of listening to sappy love songs on repeat, I’m shopping for a sassy little pink dress. There is comfort and hope in beauty. And I’m damn well going to have my fill.

So. What do you say? Shall we cozy up here a while? Shall we eat macaroons and sip lemonade? Shall we read Bridget Jones’s Diary or Sense & Sensibility? Let’s.

On Choice

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.

– Nora Ephron –

Mealy Apples

A couple of months ago I bit into a mealy apple and realized that that was the worst thing that had happened to me in ages. But the past few days have made it seem like nothing will go right again. Although I know it will. I just have to wait for it. But in the meantime, I have been sleeping far too much for anyone over the age of five. The forestry industry is working over time churning out enough kleenex for me. And just when I think my tear ducts have retired their functionality, they give it one more go. And then another. And then I wonder if they will ever quit.

My beautiful, wonderful, strong best friend, Sonya, gave birth to a sweet baby girl on Saturday. Ella Mae. Isn’t it a beautiful name? She’s pudgy and pink and all the wonderful things little babies should be. But after birth, Sonya had complications and needed surgery. I think I cried the whole day. I know surgery ain’t no thang these days and it’s fairly routine. But I was worried sick. And it wasn’t until she sent me a message in recovery that I breathed a sigh of relief. She showered. She went home. And then today she went back so the doctors could check on little Ella Mae. She’s still there. Ella Mae has jaundice and she’s in icu for 24 hours. My bestfriend is exhausted, recovering from labour and surgery and is currently worried sick about her newborn daughter. And I can’t do a damn thing except send them positive thoughts. I hope you will too.

Nora Ephron died. She was my role model. She brought When Harry Met Sally, Julie & Julia, and You’ve Got Mail into the world. She was witty and heartfelt. Reading her books and watching her movies always felt like hearing from an old, dear friend. Her characters found happiness in a bouquet of sharpened pencils, apple pie with ice cream on the side, and even butter (of course, butter). Nora delighted in the little things and made them so romantic that you fell in love with them right alongside her.  And now she’s gone. And there will be no more movies. Or books. Or words. And it breaks my heart.

There are other things. But I can’t go into them right now. They hurt too much.

I’m sorry for such a sad, mushy post, my loves. I hope to bring you April minus her life of mealy apples soon. Bear with me.

 

Julie & Julia

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a Nora Ephron film. I think I’d probably choose to live in When Harry Met Sally since it’s my favourite Ephron film, but Julie & Julia comes a close second (probably due to the fact that I’d have to live through boiling lobsters and deboning a duck – yuck). Last year, Design Sponge did a sweet post on Living In: Julie & Julia (the images above are courtesy of Grace and her lovely blog). Oh to tour the markets of Paris with Julia and snuggle up next to Julie’s fabulous hubby. Yes I could live with that. Lately I’ve placated my yearning for Paris and all things Julia Child by drinking in the film’s happy soundtrack at work. I highly recommend it for days where your workload seems to keep piling up.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

I asked for this book for Christmas. I really really really want it. I want it so much that I’m hoping my mother will read this post and rush out to buy it for me. The New York times called Mindy Kaling the next Nora Ephron (hello? I love her!!) and Tina Fey’s cool little sister (who wouldn’t want to know her?). Here’s the scoop on the book:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
 
Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!
 
In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

What I Will Miss

 

I’ve been wanting to create a Nora Ephron-inspired regular post for a while now but just couldn’t figure out a way to do it. In her latest book, “I Remember Nothing” she’s got a chapter called “What I Will Miss” that’s filled with all the stuff Nora loves: waffles, the concept of waffles, twinkle lights, taking a bath, etc. So I’m starting my own “What I Will Miss” and I’m featuring it right here. Hope you enjoy!

What I Will Miss? Painting my toes.

On Flings

Summer bachelors, like summer breezes, are never as cool as they pretend to be.
Nora Ephron

{image by Valerie Chiang}

 

Between the Lines: I Remember Nothing

The Dust Jacket: Ephron writes about falling hard for a way of life (“Journalism: A Love Story”) and about breaking up even harder with the men in her life (“The D Word”); lists “Twenty-five Things People Have a Shocking Capacity to Be Surprised by Over and Over Again” (“There is no explaining the stock market but people try”; “You can never know the truth of anyone’s marriage, including your own”; “Cary Grant was Jewish”; “Men cheat”); reveals the alarming evolution, a decade after she wrote and directed You’ve Got Mail, of her relationship with her in-box (“The Six Stages of E-Mail”); and asks the age-old question, which came first, the chicken soup or the cold? All the while, she gives candid, edgy voice to everything women who have reached a certain age have been thinking . . . but rarely acknowledging.

My Take: While I was reading I Remember Nothing, I changed my facebook status to, “April Overall idolizes Nora Ephron.” That’s how much I liked this book. That’s how much I adore Nora Ephron. If you’re not familiar with her, she’s the mastermind behind When Harry Met Sally, Julie & Julia and Sleepless in Seattle. And yes, I think “mastermind” is the perfect word. Nora has a way of sharing her rose coloured glasses with her readers (and viewers). She immortalizes loved ones with dogwood trees and bread and butter pudding. She makes us laugh and read bits of her writing out loud because when you read Nora you want to share the love. My favourite story of the bunch was “My Life as an Heiress.” Enjoy! But try not to read the whole book all in one night like I did. Savor it!

Perfect For: When you’re feeling in the dumps. When you’re feeling happy. When you’re feeling peckish (Nora’s a foodie!).