The Latest

Bloggin’ Mania!

Well sort of. I just wanted to turn your attention to a couple of blogs that different cross-sections of this audience may find interesting. The well-established blog ‘I’m Seeing Green’ out of Park Slope Brooklyn by my uncle Chandru Murthi may prove interesting for those of you that are interested in global warming, sustainable cities/development, civic issues and general NYC liberalism. I comment occasionally and do my best to incite violence and bloodlust (ex: Global Warming=Y2K), but usually without success. Also edited and maintained out of the same locale (in a nearby room, in fact), but not really a blog and with a completely spin, is my aunt Sukey’s website. It’s for her design company ‘Goodform Design’. I may a bit biased but I think her stuff is brilliant. If you know anyone needing a website or logo or collateral work they will get something fresh, clever and original from her.

Finally I was happy to see my good friend (and a friend to a cross-section of ‘The Latest’ readers) Julie Lauzon take a ride on the blog train to launch her blog focusing on her life in Seattle and the crazy world of mountain biking divas (to each her own).

Enjoy. And please, although I know my plea will fall on deaf ears – consider starting your own! Curious minds really do want to know! Although I feel so self-centered writing all this ‘me me me me me’ stuff, friends always tell me they are happy to get it. And whenever I get great group emails or big letters/essays to a larger group sent out by friends I am always absolutely delighted. Our worlds can get so big and extended and distant, it’s good to be in the loop.

On My Bookshelf:

Nine Parts of Desire, The Hidden World Of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks

So far this is FA-SCI-NAT-ING. Not only am I learning a lot about the Muslim world and the myriad stains of  Islam, I’m getting interesting insights from an author whom I can respect and identify with (so far) that are really stretching the limits of what I always felt was in my enlightened and tolerant attitude about the Islamic world.

A Heartbreaking Work of  Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

A Pulitzer finalist. I started out absolutely adoring this book. It takes place in the mid-nineties in the EastBay and San Francisco, both a time and place I have incredibly strong fond memories of. In fact, I started reading it fresh off my ‘Northern California Periocarditis 2006 Tour’ - it got me scheming of was I could spend part of the year back in the Bay. He sort of went off the deep end in the second part though, It all got a little too manic. However, there are some really hilarious and poignant passages that are really worth reading.  Warning: could also be very generation specific. I’m starting to feel like one of those oldies that gets nostalgic about ‘the ‘60s, man’.