Hey! the Magpie List is a part of a new, larger project:

magpieLIFE

check it out at www.evesturges.la

see you there…

- Eve

1. Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast with Robin Williams
2. Disney’s Aladdin as the Genie
3. Good Will Hunting, as psychologist Sean Maguire
4. Good Morning Vietnam, as Adrian Cronauer
5. Comedy Set at Nerdist: Stand-Up Without a Net
6. Dead Poets Society, as teacher John Keating

In no particular order, this short list summarizes my favorite Robin Williams’ moments, although it by no means resembles a comprehensive list of his work. I am feeling particularly moved and saddened by his death, and find myself distracted from my daily routine and responsibilities. I can’t help ruminating about the way a world is moved by the struggles of celebrities, and Mr. William’s own public challenges with mental illness and addiction. And, undeniably, I am thinking about my own struggles with mental illness. I don’t feel quite ready to write much about my own personal diagnoses or its effects, and/or what might be the appropriate forum.  Because she is my writer-idol, and can always say things better than I could ever hope to, I have decided to re-post Anne Lamott’s words from Facebook this morning. Read it at the Magpie Blog.

1. Prince
2. Woody Allen (“OLD Woody Allen.”)
3. Los Angeles
4. 90′s Hip Hop
5. Vintage Painted Signage
6. Dogs
7. Vodka + Sparkling Grapefruit
8. Road trips
9. Dancing
10. Making playlists
11. the beach
12. cheese.

Nikki is the powerful lady behind my most recent aesthetic transformation, and I’ve been hounding her for a list for months! Looking at it now, it feels perfectly Nikki, perfectly Los Angeles, and perfectly American–right on time for the 4th of July weekend.

If you live in Los Angeles, go see Nikki for new hair and bitchen’ company. In the words of my wise friend, Jennifer, “Change your hair, change your life.”

After: Whoa, baby! See what I mean?

Before: blah. My life suuuucks.

**Top 10 Songs To Rock Out To While Writing Your Resume!**

I hooked up with some friends at the AfterCollege blog for some fun tunes during graduation season; check them out for support, job searches, personal stories, and more!

1. On The Pulse of Morning
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
3. A Brave and Startling Truth
4. Phenomenal Woman
5. Still I Rise
6. The Rock Cries Out to Us Today
7. A Conceit

Maya Angelou was the first “adult” poet to whom I was introduced; we watched Clinton’s inauguration in 8th grade and heard her read On The Pulse of Morning. Our teacher gave us copies of it and I made my whole family listen to me read it that night at dinner.

This list represents my favorite poems by Dr. Angelou, although it might as well be all of them.  I am so grateful to have lived in her time, to have been audience to her work, and be inspired by not only her poems, but her powerful voice as a woman.

1. Light on Snow, Anita Shreve
2. This is Where We Live, Janele Brown
3. Dog On It, Spencer Quinn
4. Hemlock Bay, Catherine Coulter
5. Absolutely Fabulous, Jennifer Saunders
6. Collections of Nothing, William Davis King
7. The Hollywood Musical, Jane Feuer
8. Growing Up Green, Deidre Imus
9. The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, Drs Rachel and Richard Heller
10. Class, Citizenship, and Social Development, T.H. Marshall
11. Forever in Your Embrace, Kathleen Woodiwiss
12. The Volcano Lover, Susan Sontag
13. Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
14. Smoke and Mirrors, Tanya Huff
15. Poets and Murder, Robert van Gulik
16. Who Says, Fritz Ridenour (ed.)
17. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
18. Personal Injuries, Scott Turow
19. The Big House, George Howe Colt
20. Reinventing Eve, Kim Chernin
21. East of Eden, John Steinbeck
22. A Radom Walk Down Wall Street, Burton G. Malkiel
23. Bowling Alone, Robert D. Putnam

As of this morning, all 23 books are available in the lending library; hooray for community and neighbors and strangers!

ranunculus

an aqua and coral colour palette

terrible jokes

hard cheeses

giggling

dogs

tall iced non-fat five-pump chai from Starbucks

lists

manners

the smell of grapefruit (but not the taste)

*Emily was the awesome photographer at my friends, Mark and Valerie‘s, wedding! I was the officiant. It was so fun! See some shots over at the blog.

1. Habitation, Margaret Atwood
2. since feeling is first, e.e. cummings
3. Resignation, Nikki Giovanni
4. Instructions for Life in the New Millennium, his holiness the 14th Dali Lama
5. The Life that I Have, Leo Marks
6. i carry your heart with me (i carry it in), e.e. cummings
7. I am Offering This Poem, Jimmy Santiago Baca
8. A Blessing for Wedding, Jane Hirshfield

I’ve been sorting through romantic poetry for an impending wedding (not mine!) and chose my favorites. I’ll forever be a sucker for e.e, but The Life That I Have makes me cry.

1. White Tiger, Aravind Ardiga
2. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
3. New York: A Travel Guide
4. Only Revolutions, Mark Z. Danielewski
5. How to be Good, Nick Hornby
6. World War Z, Max Brooks
7. Body Surfing, Anita Shreve
8. The Weight of Numbers, Simon Ings
9. Don’t Read This Book if You’re Stupid, Tibor Fischer
10. When We Dead Awaken, Henrik Ibsen
11. Bury Me Standing, Isabel Fonseca

This is a list of the books that have come and gone from our new lending library in its first 48 hours!

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(eve’s note: so I was 4 days late to music Monday! i think this list makes it worth the wait…)

1. “I’m Not in Love,”  10cc
2. “Seabird,”  Alessi Brothers
3. “Right Down the Line,” Gerry Rafferty
4. “Box of Rain,” Grateful Dead
5. “Ventura Highway,”  America
6. “Who Were You With in the Moonlight?”  Dollar
7. “Captain of Her Heart,”  Double
8. “Sunset Eyes,”  Starbuck
9. “Summer Breeze,”  Seals and Croft
10. “Baker Street,” Gerry Rafferty

“Top Ten Feathered Hair and Faded Sunset Songs (SOFT BOAT ROCK)”

1. Mysterious Island, Movie and book (Jules Verne)
2. Tom Swift and His Megascope Space Prober, Victor Appleton
3. West with the Night, Deryle Markham
4. Don Martin, Illustrator, Cartoonist circa 1960’s Mad Magazine
5. Jurassic Park, or anything by Michael Creiton
6. Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’engle
7. Farewell to Arms, and anything by Ernest Hemmingway
8. Magnificent Men in their flying Machines – movie
9. Accidental Tourist, Anne Tyler
10. Minority Report and other stories by Phillip K. Dick

It was my birthday yesterday; seems apropos to post my own dad’s list, non?

1. Rocksteady, Alton Ellis
2. the Piggot Brothers
3. Lotus Flower, Radiohead
4. Being Erica
5. Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
6. Mike McHugh, Creative Sweet TV
7. Candy (the stuff you eat)

“Today’s obsessions: awesome AND distracting.”

check out Music Monday at the blog to be distracted like Aly

1. The quiet of 4 a.m. even in Los Angeles
2. Taking a break after a fight with a friend, that could last 48 years.
3. Humans don’t know how good they smell. Stop with the perfume.
4. Coyotes taste like chicken.
5. Everything looks different when you’re jumping rooftop to rooftop.
6. People really should stop saying “Bite me” and “Kill me now.” It’s torture.
7. A stake isn’t deadly. It’s just annoying.
8. The Sun is a bitch with entitlement issues.
9. Time to think…is overrated.
10. Where to hide the bodies, a conundrum worsened by forensic scientists. Blast them.

I asked author F.M. Hopkins for a vampire list…

yikes.

1. The Book of Fame, Lloyd Jones
2. Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis
3. Landfall in Unknown Seas, Allen Curnow
4. Watership Down, Richard Adams
5. “The Grey Havens,” from The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

“what I read when I can’t sleep!” -Emma

1. Adaptation
2. Funeral – Arcade Fire
3. Love is a Mixtape, Robb Sheffield
4. Self-titled, The Airborne Toxic Event
5. High Fidelity (movie)
6. Just Kids, Patti Smith
7. 69 Love Songs, The Magnetic Fields
8. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
9. Rock!!!!!  Violent Femmes
10. Greenberg

1. You Were Always on My Mind, Elvis Presley
2. Koh Gen Do -#001
3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog
4. BIC Crystal Ballpoint Pens
5. Creme Abricot – Christian Dior
6. Veuve Cliquot
7. Tina Turner
8. Eiffel Tower
9. Coco Chanel
10. Bichon/Poodles

1. Calvin and Hobbes
2. Radiohead
3. ”Paper Bag” by Fiona Apple
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Arcadia
6. The Onion
7. Rushmore
8. Elliott Smith
9. Infinite Jest
10. The Sopranos

Sean is one funny dude, check out his site and laugh at(with?) him and ask him how he can love Elliot Smith and be a comedian. (Just kidding.)

1. Candy Land
2. Chutes and Ladders
3. Checkers
4. Blockus
5. Pictionary
6. jump rope
7. Hopscotch

“this is a list of games I wish the kids would play instead of throwing tantrums.”

i acquired a new computer since my last post and there is a camera on it. my 1st computer self picture ever.

Guys.

These are the things I am supposed to be doing right now:

1. finishing the dishes
2. calling health insurance (i hate you i need you i’m sorry i’m not sorry) for the hundredth time so i can be on hold for the rest of the evening.
3. opening mail
4. doing homework, which means at least looking at it.
5. working on a writing deadline (t-minus 6 days, eeep.)

INSTEAD: here i am.

I am scrolling through the magpie list, loving it, remembering it, longing for it again! so i am sitting here at my computer, thinking that IF i must procrastinate (and i must.) than this is how: by stirring and embracing that which started all of this in the first place. INSPIRATION.

So much has happened this past year, so much that I am thinking maybe I don’t need to go over it piece by moment for anyone. The point is, it was all mostly good things, and even when it wasn’t a good thing happening, it’s lead me here. You know? And these days I’m feeling pretty happy. And pretty happy is the most happy I have ever felt in my whole life. starting the Magpie list was the beginning of that. So I’m trying to find the more of that, the more of the things that keep me pretty happy.

Today, though, like today today, despite the “pretty happy” part, I am feeling heavy. I feel FULL of learning (philosophy and psychology, ooof.) and sadnessanger (Dylan Farrow) and sadnessanger (Philip Seymour Hoffman). I feel worried, lately, about the internet and our growing dependence on technology, and confused about the NSA, and worried about health insurance (see above reference to phone calls and hold times) and the future of the earth which is the future of my children.

Before I was pretty happy, these kind of whirlpools would suck me right down. Overwhelm put me right into my bed under the covers, out in the world acting angry at the wrong people, crying over spilled milk, maybe chewing my fingernails, maybe drinking too much, definitely thinking too much.

Right now I’m not in bed or snapping at the wrong people; I’m just eating some chocolate frosting, drinking some mint tea and wiping the dust off The Magpie List.

I feel like this note could get terribly dreadfully long if I were to explain right here and now all the new ideas/questions/stories  I have for The Magpie List and there are other things I’m supposed to be doing (see list, above.) So I’m going to stop here.

…But I will say this: perfectionism has no place here. So if you stay a part of the magpie community (please do!) be ready for lower case i’s. Be ready for blog posts that have little theme or “through-line.” And be ready to be inspired.