Rain, at last

It's raining in Los Angeles, which makes me very happy.  My plans for the evening are very basic. The highlights:  Make dinner (something from Trader Joes), take a long bubble bath in my clawfoot tub and curl up with a book. I just started Ian McEwan's "On Chesil Beach." I usually wait until books come out in paperback because it's easier to write in the margins and underline beautiful passages. (Plus I always feel bad about marking up hardbacks.)  I thought "Atonement" was brilliant, so I'm interested to see how this new one compares!

(Photo by +Lyn)

John Updike 1932-2009

My small tribute to John Updike:

From Rabbit Run:  "Men are all heart and women are all body.  I don't know who has the brains. God Maybe."

(And I also love "The Witches of Eastwick.")

If You Please

Awhile back, while browsing at Anthropologie, I noticed a flood of new etiquette books. They seemed to be on every shelf and table: How to write a letter; how to spiff up your boyfriend; how to throw a party; how to slip away from a one-night stand (leave quickly).  And perhaps the ultimate:  What would Jackie do?...

I wondered: What did the etiquette books look like when our grandmothers were debutantes?  With the help of eBay, I found a number of interesting vintage tomes. 

Here's a sampling of the advice:

✒On smoking (from New American Etiquette, 1941):

"Smokers far out number non-smokers in every type of community, in every class of society...Non-smokers have a right to refrain but they must learn to put up gracefully with those who do -- otherwise they must retire from social activities." (Hah!)

✒On diet (from Personality Unlimited, 1943):

"Cut down on the intake of fatty foods! Use less fatty meats and no fried foods at all. But do eat an abundance of fresh fruits and at least one salad a day." (A book ahead of its time.)

And finally...

✒On dating (from New American Etiquette, 1941):

"If a girl is a nice girl, with a sense of true proportions and a desire for things in good taste, she will remain a nice girl despite her new freedom. She will probably safely end up with a good husband, nice home, and clever children...If she is a cheap girl , she will have future hours of deep regret." (But a lot more fun.)

PS: The wonderful folk artist CJ Metzger created the illustration (above) for a story I did on this subject! Check out her website! 

Oh, and thank you!

xoxo