While there has been a tremendous lack of blogging lately, I have still been doing a lot of thinking about blogging, and what I want to do with it. I have some ideas. Mainly, to blog more. So I am tearing myself away from the fantastic book I'm reading to type a bit.
One of those ideas I had is that I want to start doing some weekly things, to trick myself into at least doing that much (anyone who struggles with their creative processes will know the value of tricking oneself. Bribes work, too). One for books, and one for knits.
It's been a good weeks for books, so I'll start there.
I finished The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear, by Walter Moers. And it was ok. I don't think it quite measured up to the critic's quote on the cover comparing it in one go to J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, and Shel Silverstein. I don't think Mr. Moers is quite in their class, but then again, how many people can be? Those are some big literary shoes to fill.
Anyway, it was largely enjoyable and it went by fast, so I'm mostly happy with it, in all its fluff. I did like the pictures. Especially the one of the dragon that went on for eight or nine pages. That was a good one.
I also finished Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World. And of course I liked it. It was about books. Really nice books, which the two writers, Nancy and Larry Goldstone, collect. As one who is happy with the beat-up old library discards that cost a dollar or less, I don't anticipate ever becoming a serious book collector (never say never, though). My strategy with buying books is to get as many as possible for as little as possible (Yay for Half Price Books, my favorite bookstores yet). Where I found three lovely and well-loved copies of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books (Blue, Red, and Green, the first three in the collection), a boxed set of the Griffin and Sabine trilogy, and once a signed copy of Stardust, which I'm still sort of kicking myself for not getting. So Used and Rare was an interesting look at how people get started down that road of spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on a single book at a time. I tend to like my books about books with a little more history, like in Nicholas Basbanes' stuff, but it was a nice read.
I'm almost done with Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, by Dava Sobel. I have Galileo's Daughter, which is probably her best-known work, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. The giant Half Price Books in Dallas has their cartography books shelved right next to the genetics, and I was looking for Richard Dawkins when I came across Longitude and picked it up on impulse. And it sounded interesting, and it is. I started reading it while I was still visiting in Texas, one night when the time-change had me up later than everyone else. And then I didn't want to go to sleep, because it was so interesting. It's only in recent years that I've started really branching out into more non-fiction, especially into science and history writing, but this has been one of my more successful forays. Who knew men puttering around their workshops, inventing clocks that changed the world would make for such lovely reading?
And finally, the mailman rang my doorbell this morning to hand me my copy of I Capture the Castle, which I've been waiting impatiently for all week. I actually visited four bookstores last weekend without finding it, and then finally came home and ordered it off Amazon, along with the newest B-52s CD, "Funplex", which I still have yet to listen to, because I can't seem to stop listening to the newest Regina Spektor CD, "Far".
Nevertheless, I am already four chapters into it, and adoring every word. I wanted to read it after Brenda Dayne talked about it during her Audible spot on her brilliant podcast, Cast On. She mentioned that she fell in love from the first sentence: "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink." It's about a genteel British family, post WWII, living in a crumbling, centuries-old castle on less and less money every year, and that's about all I know so far. But it's very charming, and I'm dying to get on with it. I fear it'll be another weekend in which I don't even leave the apartment.
I must say, as well (and this should make you happy, Mama), reading about how they get by in a castle that's falling apart around them, only reminds me just a little bit of how it's always been in our house, with one unfinished project or another going on. I still wonder if the wall in living room will ever be finished, or if it'll just be studs and drywall until someone buys it as-is. I'm not even going to mention how many of the self-appointed deadlines have gone by on when the house in Louisiana was supposed to be done.
The other literary thing going on this week, is that I started volunteering at the public library. Since I've not only decided to go to grad school for library sciences, but have started narrowing down which schools I'll apply to I figured I ought to get a little experience. So far I like it. They had me start with re-shelving children's books, which was nice. And then they had me throw a bunch of out-dated reference books in the dumpster, which was a little bit traumatic. I did not expect to start my library career by trashing good books. But such is life, I guess. Out with the old. Although, I now know the combination to the padlock at the library's dumpster, and don't think I didn't seriously consider going back to rescue some of those books.
My triumph for the evening was when I sent The Hundred Dresses home with a little girl, just by telling her how much I loved it when I was her age. I hope she loves it too.
And then that was overshadowed by almost getting myself locked in the library and setting off the alarm. I thought the staff would stay a little while after closing to finish up what they're doing, but it turns out they run for the door at closing time. So while I was in the stacks, straightening books and whatnot, I was forgotten, and I didn't come out until they had almost turned the alarm on.
That's a mistake I'll only make once.
July 18, 2009
June 25, 2009
Somebody stop me
I have got to stop looking at roving and handspun yarns and spinning wheels and spindles on people's etsy shops and blogs, because I suddenly (not so suddenly, really) have this desperate desire to learn to spin yarn and quit my job.
June 19, 2009
Inspiration at long last
Boy-Creature and I saw The Brothers Bloom last night, and I am nuts about it. I almost wanted to go again tonight.
We saw Brick awhile back, from the same director/writer, Rian Johnson. It's a fantastic movie as well, but I liked this one better. They're very similar in their styles and in the way the plot moves (Oh, so many delicious twists!), but where Brick is dark and brooding, Bloom is light and lovely and marvelously, smartly funny. My favorite kind of funny. It's a very well-written movie, which is a rare thing these days, and I didn't even realize how well it's done until I started reading some of the background and inspiration on it. I can't think the last time I saw a movie with main characters inspired by anything as formidable as Ulysses. I'm a sucker for a good literary reference, and it was full of them.
There's this great line at the beginning of the movie where Bloom says of his brother Stephen, "He writes cons like dead Russians wrote novels." And then it becomes not just a line that sounds good, but catches up the theme of the entire movie.
Plus, it's got a good, twisty plot, as every con movie should. My favorite kind of plot. It even got me wanting to write again, as well. After four years in college scribbling in notebooks, mostly about books, the writing this last year has gone much more slowly. With everything that's gone on, I've lost a lot of momentum and discipline. But my fingers are always itching for a pen (or even, occasionally, a keyboard), and thoughts and hopes of a good story are always steeping at the back of my mind. Still, I've found myself doing a lot of thinking lately about if I want to keep writing, and if so what I want to write.
It's strange to have these doubts and hesitations after so many years of knowing it's what I wanted to do. I remember the day I realized I wanted to be a writer, in Mrs. Hedman's fourth grade language arts class. As hard as it may be for me at the moment, there have been moments along the way that have reminded me why I keep scribbling. These days, The Brothers Bloom has become one of the biggest ones.
There's nothing like a good story, to make me long to write a good story. And this is the kind I love most. Where the storytelling and style have just as much to do with it as the actual plot or characters. I'll read all the great, formidable, highly-respected novels of acclaim that my old professors and classmates recommended, but it's the page-turners that suck me in for hours while the day passes me by that will keep my pen moving across the pages. The page-turners, and the occasional well-written, quirky, literary romp of a romantic-comedy con movie.
We saw Brick awhile back, from the same director/writer, Rian Johnson. It's a fantastic movie as well, but I liked this one better. They're very similar in their styles and in the way the plot moves (Oh, so many delicious twists!), but where Brick is dark and brooding, Bloom is light and lovely and marvelously, smartly funny. My favorite kind of funny. It's a very well-written movie, which is a rare thing these days, and I didn't even realize how well it's done until I started reading some of the background and inspiration on it. I can't think the last time I saw a movie with main characters inspired by anything as formidable as Ulysses. I'm a sucker for a good literary reference, and it was full of them.
There's this great line at the beginning of the movie where Bloom says of his brother Stephen, "He writes cons like dead Russians wrote novels." And then it becomes not just a line that sounds good, but catches up the theme of the entire movie.
Plus, it's got a good, twisty plot, as every con movie should. My favorite kind of plot. It even got me wanting to write again, as well. After four years in college scribbling in notebooks, mostly about books, the writing this last year has gone much more slowly. With everything that's gone on, I've lost a lot of momentum and discipline. But my fingers are always itching for a pen (or even, occasionally, a keyboard), and thoughts and hopes of a good story are always steeping at the back of my mind. Still, I've found myself doing a lot of thinking lately about if I want to keep writing, and if so what I want to write.
It's strange to have these doubts and hesitations after so many years of knowing it's what I wanted to do. I remember the day I realized I wanted to be a writer, in Mrs. Hedman's fourth grade language arts class. As hard as it may be for me at the moment, there have been moments along the way that have reminded me why I keep scribbling. These days, The Brothers Bloom has become one of the biggest ones.
There's nothing like a good story, to make me long to write a good story. And this is the kind I love most. Where the storytelling and style have just as much to do with it as the actual plot or characters. I'll read all the great, formidable, highly-respected novels of acclaim that my old professors and classmates recommended, but it's the page-turners that suck me in for hours while the day passes me by that will keep my pen moving across the pages. The page-turners, and the occasional well-written, quirky, literary romp of a romantic-comedy con movie.
June 15, 2009
Playing catch up
The last week has been a largely wasted one. I blame Boy-Creature, because last Monday he brought home games for the PS2 that's been sitting ignored on the shelf below our TV. I had been fine with it sitting there, inert, for the two months since our friend gave it to us, but suddenly there was Lego Indiana Jones, and Kingdom Hearts, and just like that the week imploded.
Luckily, the novelty has already worn off, so I'm back to getting things done.
I was reading The Prestige, but I finished it on Saturday morning. It was weird, and while I appreciate some of the differences between the two, I think the movie was way, waaay better. For one thing, the movie has more than two characters. It got kind of boring after awhile. Anyway, I finished that, and then read Alice Hoffman's Local Girls, all in one day.
It felt good to finish a book that fast. I used to get one of my parents to take me to the library on a Friday night, and I'd check out six or seven chapbooks from the young adult section and read as many of them as I could in that one weekend. You'd think I wouldn't have retained a single thing, going at that speed, but it's surprising how many of those books stuck with me. Patrice Kindl's Woman in the Wall, and this strange book called Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, and anything by Patricia Wrede or John Bellairs. And Douglas Adams. It used to be a ritual I'd perform every summer, that I'd steal my brother's copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and read through the whole thing, lying on a beach towel in the backyard and drinking cherry 7Up and eating E.L. Fudge cookies and cherry Twizzlers.
I'd give just about anything to be able to read that quickly and that deeply now. I realize a big part of what's slowing me down is that I'm reading more substantial books, but I still miss the days of the pages flying past. But at least I'm still reading. So like I said, I've finished those two, and now I'm on The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear. It's a little bit insane, but pretty funny. Plus it's a pretty quick read. I'm already on life number six. Which is much farther than I've gotten in Kingdom Hearts.
Speaking of how far I've gotten, I'm finally nearing the end of the Blue Angel Sweater. I finished the right sleeve, and I'm through the cap sleeve and onto the decreases on the left. Then all I'll have left is the neck, and a little bit of weaving in ends, and it'll be done!
One of my short row wraps went a little wonky on the sleeve cap, though, so I'm contemplating ripping it back and redoing it. I most likely will, just not tonight. I don't have the strength for frogging tonight. But I'm sure I will. After all the time and effort I've already put into this thing, I want it to be as perfect as possible. Besides, the weird spot makes a little hole, and it's right in front. So I'll fix it tomorrow.
Luckily, the novelty has already worn off, so I'm back to getting things done.
I was reading The Prestige, but I finished it on Saturday morning. It was weird, and while I appreciate some of the differences between the two, I think the movie was way, waaay better. For one thing, the movie has more than two characters. It got kind of boring after awhile. Anyway, I finished that, and then read Alice Hoffman's Local Girls, all in one day.
It felt good to finish a book that fast. I used to get one of my parents to take me to the library on a Friday night, and I'd check out six or seven chapbooks from the young adult section and read as many of them as I could in that one weekend. You'd think I wouldn't have retained a single thing, going at that speed, but it's surprising how many of those books stuck with me. Patrice Kindl's Woman in the Wall, and this strange book called Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, and anything by Patricia Wrede or John Bellairs. And Douglas Adams. It used to be a ritual I'd perform every summer, that I'd steal my brother's copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and read through the whole thing, lying on a beach towel in the backyard and drinking cherry 7Up and eating E.L. Fudge cookies and cherry Twizzlers.
I'd give just about anything to be able to read that quickly and that deeply now. I realize a big part of what's slowing me down is that I'm reading more substantial books, but I still miss the days of the pages flying past. But at least I'm still reading. So like I said, I've finished those two, and now I'm on The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear. It's a little bit insane, but pretty funny. Plus it's a pretty quick read. I'm already on life number six. Which is much farther than I've gotten in Kingdom Hearts.
Speaking of how far I've gotten, I'm finally nearing the end of the Blue Angel Sweater. I finished the right sleeve, and I'm through the cap sleeve and onto the decreases on the left. Then all I'll have left is the neck, and a little bit of weaving in ends, and it'll be done!
One of my short row wraps went a little wonky on the sleeve cap, though, so I'm contemplating ripping it back and redoing it. I most likely will, just not tonight. I don't have the strength for frogging tonight. But I'm sure I will. After all the time and effort I've already put into this thing, I want it to be as perfect as possible. Besides, the weird spot makes a little hole, and it's right in front. So I'll fix it tomorrow.
May 30, 2009
Excuse my dust
Sorry about the weird layout. I'm renovating the blog. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out by the end of the weekend.
I'd have worked on it earlier today, but I got held up by a book. I'm reading Tales of the City, and it goes so fast, it's kinda hard to put down. Which is why I'll be done with it tonight, and onto something new tomorrow. Just how I like it.
I'd have worked on it earlier today, but I got held up by a book. I'm reading Tales of the City, and it goes so fast, it's kinda hard to put down. Which is why I'll be done with it tonight, and onto something new tomorrow. Just how I like it.
May 29, 2009
May 21, 2009
A self-confessed bubble gumaholic
I tried a new bubble gum today at work. I love gum, and especially when it's actually bubble gum, and not just yummy-flavored chewing gum. It's been a long-term love affair. For probably a decade, I have been of the opinion that Extra classic bubble gum is the best bubble gum there is.
It's got the right flavor, and it lasts a long time, and it makes great bubbles. Dubble Bubble and Super Bubble have probably the best flavor, but it runs out too quick, and then the gum gets kind of hard, and it's like you're chewing a rubber band. Not worth it. Bubble Yum and Bubblicious have good flavors, too, but they're too big. My jaw starts to ache before the flavor even runs out. Extra makes another flavor called original bubble gum, but it doesn't taste right. So the classic bubble gum flavor wins.
Until today. Stride Uber Bubble has ousted it, after all this time.
It has the flavor of Super Bubble, but it doesn't go away! It smells amazing, too (as does the inside of my purse now). I had the pack sitting on my desk most of the day, and every time I got a whiff of it, it gave me a little childhood-nostalgia rush of endorphins. It's like the gum in a Blow Pop, but without having to wait through the candy part. It may be the perfect gum.
And it's called Uber Bubble, and you get to say "uber" all day. I love that word.
Plus, I really like that Stride is making it. I like Stride, and the things they do as a company. I actually started buying their gum because of this site I adore, Where the Hell is Matt? It's pretty amazing to see what kind of life he's gotten to live. After getting bored with his long-term job as a video game developer, he quit, and started traveling around the world. And everywhere he went, he'd get a video of himself dancing. That's all. And now he's yet another internet sensation. Here's why I like Stride, though: they found out about Matt's first video, and gave him money to do another one. Just like that. They just said, "We like what you do. Go do more of it." They didn't ask him to advertise for them, and wear Stride t-shirts and hand out gum. They just found something cool going on in the world, and did what they could to keep the world going in that direction.
It makes me really happy to know that things like this happen. It's the reason why I have Matt's second video on my ipod. It's one of those things that's always guaranteed to make me feel a little better (especially the part in Rwanda. It's impossible not to smile when you watch that part).
So I'll spend money on a company that does stuff like that, just because they feel like it.
It's got the right flavor, and it lasts a long time, and it makes great bubbles. Dubble Bubble and Super Bubble have probably the best flavor, but it runs out too quick, and then the gum gets kind of hard, and it's like you're chewing a rubber band. Not worth it. Bubble Yum and Bubblicious have good flavors, too, but they're too big. My jaw starts to ache before the flavor even runs out. Extra makes another flavor called original bubble gum, but it doesn't taste right. So the classic bubble gum flavor wins.
Until today. Stride Uber Bubble has ousted it, after all this time.
It has the flavor of Super Bubble, but it doesn't go away! It smells amazing, too (as does the inside of my purse now). I had the pack sitting on my desk most of the day, and every time I got a whiff of it, it gave me a little childhood-nostalgia rush of endorphins. It's like the gum in a Blow Pop, but without having to wait through the candy part. It may be the perfect gum.
And it's called Uber Bubble, and you get to say "uber" all day. I love that word.
Plus, I really like that Stride is making it. I like Stride, and the things they do as a company. I actually started buying their gum because of this site I adore, Where the Hell is Matt? It's pretty amazing to see what kind of life he's gotten to live. After getting bored with his long-term job as a video game developer, he quit, and started traveling around the world. And everywhere he went, he'd get a video of himself dancing. That's all. And now he's yet another internet sensation. Here's why I like Stride, though: they found out about Matt's first video, and gave him money to do another one. Just like that. They just said, "We like what you do. Go do more of it." They didn't ask him to advertise for them, and wear Stride t-shirts and hand out gum. They just found something cool going on in the world, and did what they could to keep the world going in that direction.
It makes me really happy to know that things like this happen. It's the reason why I have Matt's second video on my ipod. It's one of those things that's always guaranteed to make me feel a little better (especially the part in Rwanda. It's impossible not to smile when you watch that part).
So I'll spend money on a company that does stuff like that, just because they feel like it.
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