#Books Are Not Your Trendy #HomeDecor #Read! + #GroundhogDay

Lately, I keep seeing decorating tips involving books in various home + garden magazines that I read. Everything from people color coordinating the spines by shelf (How do you find anything? Must you recall "Mathematica had a blue cover" in order to remember to look upon the blue book shelf for it?) to those advocating stacking books sideways in order to have them act as pedestals for flower pots. Water much? While these ideas may be attractive, they aren't exactly practical for an inveterate reader.

My books are there for reference, for entertainment, for edification. They are not meant as mere decoration though many of them are exquisitely beautiful. And yes, I understand that one may acquire discards or "junk" tomes to use as decorative pieces, but that seems a waste. I cringe at the thought. I suppose if a book were damaged beyond repair I might consign it to some purely decorative use, but I still don't like it. Far better to use a faux book (a block wrapped in a book jacket or some such), for using an actual book seems somehow like sacrilege.

We each must make our own interior design choices, but, fair warning, if I happen to visit your home and the only books in it are glued shut, stacked sideways and holding up a begonia, I will look at you askance and make up an excuse to quit the premises pronto. I read.



P.S. By the way, we're hoping for an early Spring. Today is Groundhog Day, and that meteorological rodent had better NOT see his shadow.

What I'm Watching... #Movies #Television #Watchlist #NowPlaying #Queue

I've recently been bombarded with several limited time redemption codes for free movie rentals and have acquired some new movies (and television seasons and/or episodes) through promotions & sales/deals. Additionally, I'm also trying to see as many of this year's Academy Awards nominees as possible prior to the awards show broadcast. As a result, my movie + television watchlist of titles in my viewing queue is stacked. Luckily, there's no particular hurry to watch the movies that I own (the impetus here is desire), so, of course, limited term movie rentals take precedence. Check it out:

My Watchlist - Alphabetical Order
Bunyan and Babe (own)
Central Intelligence (Vudu movie rental)
Ghostbusters [2016] (FandangoNow movie rental)
In a World (Vudu movie rental)
Inspector Lewis, Season 8 (own)
Magnificent 7 (own)
Sully (Google Play movie rental)
War of the Arrows (own)

#PeriodicalsBrief: Quick Notes from #Magazines #GetCaughtReading #Reader #WrittenWord #InPrint

Spent yesterday afternoon catching up on my magazine & journal reading. I still receive quite a few magazines as (free) print subscriptions, instead of those increasingly popular digital editions. (I do plan to have a private library, after all.) One occasionally comes across worthwhile nuggets of information even in "fluff" magazines, and there are a few publications which still bring a hefty plate of solid articles and readily digestible blurbs. Without further ado, here are a few orts that caught my attention.

A Periodicals Brief

The December 2016 issue of Cigar Aficionado had a nice little Good Life Guide article on collecting maps with a couple links to check out:

1) The web store of The Map Man, a fellow named Murray Hudson, who "owns the largest private cartographical(sic) collection in the world" and who is also a purveyor of items of cartographic interest. www.antiquemapsandglobes.com.

2) An online Antique Map Price Guide published by Marti & Curt Griggs. www.collectingoldmaps.com

I love cartography (this rather goes hand in hand with being a history buff) and have a fledgling map collection that I hope to expand, so this was right up my alley.

NOTE: I don't smoke personally, but I have a certain fondness for pipes and cigars --- preferred vices of a favorite uncle --- as opposed to cigarettes, which I loathe, but really it's a lifestyle mag that covers more than cigar ratings.

The December 31 2016 - January 15 2017 issue of Wine Spectator had an interesting blurb titled "Clash Over Wine Merchant Shipping Laws Grows" which highlights the fight to allow interstate wine sales at the federal level, i.e., across the entire country without individual state restrictions. (Many states bar shipments of wine and other alcoholic beverages directly to consumers from sellers outside the state. Some also limit what can be shipped intrastate by local retailers just as many states had so-called Blue Laws which prevented or restricted the sale of alcohol on Sundays.) A team of lawyers is filing suits in some of the most restrictive states challenging the laws with the hope that the fights will eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

This was good to hear. As someone who enjoys alcoholic beverages, I've always thought states barring direct-to-consumer shipments from out of state merchants was a little too "self-serving." As a consumer, of legal age, I should be able to order beer, wine & spirits and have them delivered to my house, regardless of which vendor I choose. (I LOVE red wine, by the way.)

Both the January/February 2017 issues of Martha Stewart Living (MSL) and Cooking Light featured some interesting recipes that I want to try. MSL is also showcasing its American Made Awards, while the December/January 2017 issue of Garden & Gun is showcasing its Made in the South Awards. Both publications gave me a new set of places, stores, restaurants and/or goods to check out.

I'm big on supporting artisans, love slow food, local food, organic food. I support health- and environmentally conscious movements. I am a firm believer in "being a good steward" of this planet to insure the health and quality of life of future generations. So I appreciate awards series like these which shine a light on talent, craftsmanship and the desire to have a positive impact on the world around us.

Well, that's it for this edition of Periodicals Brief.