Moving

Dear readers.

In answer to your unspoken questions. Yes I am still alive and yes I plan on continuing to blog. BUT... [smile] I feel the need for a new star. It is with a degree of sadness that I have come to this decision. I've loved blogging on "Just Me" over the last two years. I've met some great blogging friends, enjoyed sharing my life with the world, and loved the process of self-exploration. This experiment has also reminded me that writing is something that can be fun, exciting, relaxing. (Four years of undergrad tended to leave me a little jaded when it came to expressing my thoughts in the written word. [smile]) However, to continue to feel the same way about writing I feel I need a bit of a change... a new volume in which I can continue my journey. And with that I would like to announce that I'm moving to a new webpage. The website will continue in a similar blogging format though I'll have a few more subject specific pages (books, movies, etc.). I'll also be launching a cooking section, as I've taken on the role of chef since I returned home. Keep your eyes peeled for a Julie/Julia type challenge that I plan to embark on in the new year.

This space is filled with great memories that I will always cherish and I'm sure my new site will be as well. Join me if you would like, though please forgive as it is still very much a work in progress. HTTP://MARGARETBAGWELL.WORDPRESS.COM/

Now for a final time I'll sign off as Just, Margaret

Happy Halloween!

Today we're watching Fear Fest on AMC, cooking chili, carving a pumpkin, handing out treats... all in all a pretty perfect Halloween and a nice Saturday. Hope you enjoy your day as much as I plan too.

And before I forget a very happy birthday to my bff, Jane Marie.

Just, Margaret

October Book Review

Excitedly most of the books on the list this month were bought at Shakespeare and Company in Paris though I'm sure you could find any of them in your local bookstore.

MY SISTER'S KEEPER by JODI PICOULT

I actually finished this book in September but traveling prevented a review until now. First to say I enjoyed this book doesn't feel right at all. How can one enjoy a story this depressing! I did find the ethical dilemmas of genetic engineering and organ donation intriguing. When I finally reached the ending- a task that at times felt like a journey toward inevitability- I found the author's conclusion predictable and lamentably tidy for an otherwise challenging/frustrating text. Read one if you want to know what all the fuss is about, but don't expect to find a classic wrapped in a summer read. [read]

THE READER by BERNHARD SCHLICK

I devoured this book in little over 24 hours. Remarkably easy to read for an English translation of a foreign text. The story is excellent and made me really appreciate the movie's interpretation. Still make sure to read the book because brilliant passages need to be verbally consumed. Next time I pick it up I plan to read it aloud. [read, re-read, recommend]

THE WOMAN IN BLACK by SUSAN HILL

A well written, short ghost story. This is definitely a classic read for October when if you are at all like me you enjoy thinking of ghost and ghouls. Not overly frightening, it reads like a conclusion to a night of ghost stories around a fire as it is intended. [read, re-read]

MOSTLY HARMLESS by DOUGLAS ADAMS

The final installment to THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY diverts little from the trajectory set forth by the four books previous. Still humorous, the story plays with the idea of linear time measurements which made the timeline of the first few chapter more than a bit complicated. Overall a great conclusion to a very fun series. [read, re-read, recommend]

Just, Margaret

Rediscovering a beloved classic

I loved the Anne books when I was a child. I wept as I finished the final chapter Rilla of Ingleside simply because I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend. I decided just before I left the UK that I would re-read these favorite books of my childhood. I'm kinda hoping to rediscover what it is that attracted me to the books and what about Anne I so admired... probably that after all her silliness and flights of independence she ended up with Gilbert [smile]. He was my first literary love.

Just, Margaret

Art in Paris

Okay just one more post about Paris. While walking through the city I encountered street art, galleries displaying their wares, and even full blown art exhibits.

Too cool... and begs the question "Why wouldn't something like that work in the United States?" Quick answer, we don't walk anywhere, but I don't really want to get started on that. Too early in my new life in the US to complain about some of the ways we could learn from the rest of the world. Just something to think about.

Just, Margaret

Paris

Just a few pictures from the almost 200 that I took over three days in Paris. The fall palate made taking photos like a tourist too hard to resist. I had so much fun despite the rain. Really felt like a birthday present to myself. And I have to say that it never occurred to me when I was younger that this kinda of trip might coincide with my 26th birthday. I used a day-by-day guide to the city and crammed my days with the sights I missed on my first visit to Paris... La Marais, Montmartra and Sacra Coeur, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Company, and a boat tour down the Seine. I feel like I've now experienced the city in full... at least until the next time I find myself passing through. If anyone was wondering my high school French was barely passable. Could read some signs, but not speak a word. So apart from breakfast in the hostel, most of my day was spent in silence. [smile]

Just, Margaret

Today's my birthday.

Not sure what else to say other than I've enjoyed celebrating with the family. Hope you've had a good day too.

Just, Margaret