Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt

b Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do
by Tom Vanderbilt

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I listened to an abridged audio version of this book. Vanderbilt makes some interesting points and explains common American driver behavior and attitudes. There weren't any tips about how to drive better (which for some reason I was looking for), but it was still pretty good.


View all my reviews.

California State Capitol

I didn't know that the Capitol was open to the public until just recently. However, the Capitol is the people's building. Our taxes paid for it and our lawmakers and leaders work there. A fundamental part of democracy is the ability of the people to have access to their government and that is what the Capitol is for.

The building is open to the public every day from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. All of California's legislators have offices in the Capitol where constituents can visit with them, and the legislative chambers are always open during sessions. The California State Parks Department has a unit in the Capitol to provide public tours and visitor information services. The Capitol is a great place to explore California's government and its history.

If you don't live in California, find out about your capitol - there is more available to you there than you might realize.

Links:

California State Capitol Museum
California State Parks Capitol Museum Page
California Legislature
State of California

1984

A negative utopia by George Orwell.

An excellent book. I don't like negative stories, but the book is well written and the underlying themes are very relevant to society in the twenty first century.

The Ultimate Smoothie Book

An awesome smoothie recipe book by Cherie Calbom.

The first 60 pages or so are dedicated to talking about juicing, smoothie ingredients, and nutritional supplements - very educational and empowering. The rest of the book has 101 healthy and easy recipes. Calbom has them divided into sections such as "Meals-in-a-Glass," "Pick-Me-Uppers," "Health-and-Healing," "for Summer Afternoons," and much more. Each recipe is accompanied by a NutriSips (a nutritional breakdown even more comprehensive than what you find on commercial labels).

I think this book is great! I eat smoothies more often now that I have it and therefore get more fruit in my diet.

ISBN: 0-446-67775-2
Published by Warner Books

Mostly Martha

Set in Germany and Italy. Martha is an obsessive chef who learns how to live when a painful family death occurs. This is a great food movie (don't watch it when you're hungry). There is a lot of deliciously subtle character development. Great soundtrack. A couple of really cool scenes (e.g. Getting Lena to Eat, Star Anise, "Do you have asthma?" and a lot of the Working in the Kitchen scenes)

German with English subtitles

Swearing:
-Some, although not all of it is translated in the subtitles. (The worst of it isn't translated.)

Sex:
-There is one kiss scene and one make-out scene but please note the blatant lack of Holywood lust in these scenes!
-Also, there is one scene where Martha is in her underclothes/pajamas but the scene is focused more on the fact that something went wrong while she was asleep and is not trying to show off her body. As a side note - Martha's underclothes are more modest than most American bathing suits.

Violence:
-No explosions.
-No guns.
-No swords.
-No blood.
-No guts.