ordinarily

Spent most of last week in New Orleans. It was fascinating, crazy and crumbling. At points it reminded me of Venice, San Francisco and Hillyard. It's worth a visit.

While there I picked up a copy of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of Ordinary Life and read it on the plane on the way home. I recommend it as an alternative to the typical memoir. Or typical book, really. It might be the closest to an interactive book I've seen that doesn't come attached with doodads. I would say you can't help but smile as you read each page and each encyclopedia entry. But this isn't Erma Bombeck-style observations, though Rosenthal is a work-at-home mom. She's not trying to make you laugh so much as think of things differently. Please read it. If you happen to live in a big city, you might find a copy for free!