my ajumma notes

With uncharacteristic perseverance, and a grand departure from chick lit, I have just finished Noah Charney's The Art Thief . (Last book read was Shoe Addicts Anonymous . Pretty successful variation on the chick lit theme, I thought. Surprising.) The Art Thief is a very clever book. It is so clever that I think I have to read it again another day to see the full picture, ha ha. There was this reviewer who said that he had to keep writing down what happened to which piece of painting to keep up with the story. For me, there were just one too many of these: forgeries, thefts and double-crossings. As another reviewer put it, the book is 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. In other words, too smart for my slow brain. Nevertheless, it is an intriguing read (Rome-Paris-London plotline) and highly educational if one is interested in art history. I don't know much art history and it was wonderful for me that a lot of the 'educational' parts came from a fu...

Despite the final result, today's accolades and picture must go to Andy Roddick. He played so well this year. His last three matches were like a trip to the past and better because he has improved so much. Many people thought last year's final was the greatest Wimbledon final, but I'd say this year's was even closer, no? It just showed how far Roddick has pulled himself this year and was testimony to his the-match-is-not-over-till-the-last-point-is-played fighting spirit. After so many disastrous outings with Federer, to have pushed him so far yesterday was amazing. Of course I wish he (Roddick, of course) had won. He deserved to. I just read his post-match interview where he was asked about losing the second set. His answer, “You know, at that point, like everything else, there's two options: you lay down or you keep going. The second option sounded better to me." Well said. As for Federer, (grudging) congratulations again. I don' t care who thinks he...