Oh god, I'm still going. F Scott Fitzgerald is great, Hitler is wearing a bit thin, I've finished one of my uni assignments, my baby is happy, I've gone back to work for one whole day, the house is relatively clean, I've watched Benjamin Button AND Slumdog Millionaire, and seen people and family.
So I'm on top of things, if reading has taken a bit of a backseat. But it's still there!
08 March 2009
27 February 2009
Keepin' my one reader (me) on the low down
OK, I haven't updated for a bit so I'll just keep me posted with what I'm doing.
I believe I mentioned I'm doing my Masters, and my reading material came in the mail a week ago, so I've been doing that and am well underway with my first assignment (real assignment, not poxy Certificate of RE stuff) in six years, give or take.
I also believe I mentioned my attempt to read two books at the same time. I have never been able to do this, because one book always gets more interesting than the other. But the two books I'm reading at the moment (the Adolf bio and "Beautiful and the Damned" by FSF) are equally fascinating, and I genuinely mean that.
The only problem is that I keep getting the three (including my masters stuff) confused in my head. So I return to FSF and think "huh? I thought Anthony Patch was about to stage a Putsch?" or the Hitler bio and wonder if maybe he had academic achievements delays at school, which in turn led to a social and emotional disorder and start mentally creating a intervention program to encourage positive social skills for little Adi. It only takes a couple of seconds to right itself though.
So, Hitler IS in the middle of the Beer Hall Putsch, where he takes three of the most powerful Bavarian leaders hostage, in an attempt to install himself as leader of Bavaria, and all is going swimmingly, until he has a pressing phone call and leaves the three in the care of the dimwitted General Ludendorff. One of the triumvirate does the old Tweety/Sylvester trick, saying "Oh...I think I need something from my office, but I really PROMISE I'll come back, cross my heart and hope to die". Ludendorff lets them go, and I haven't read on yet, but I just have this sneaking suspicion that he's not coming back, but maybe that's just my cynical beliefs in human nature popping up again. Boy, is Hitler going to be maaaaaaaaaad when he gets baaaaaaaaack. And he's one of these Type A numbers you don't want to be on the bad side of.
As for FSF, I am LOVING this book. I really like the way it's written. I'm really glad I am reading it while I am still in my 20s. (I only have one year left.)
Anyway, we are just about to watch "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (more FSF), so I'll elaborate on this ASAP.
Until then, may all you Putschs be non-abortive and your children be free of language disorders.
I believe I mentioned I'm doing my Masters, and my reading material came in the mail a week ago, so I've been doing that and am well underway with my first assignment (real assignment, not poxy Certificate of RE stuff) in six years, give or take.
I also believe I mentioned my attempt to read two books at the same time. I have never been able to do this, because one book always gets more interesting than the other. But the two books I'm reading at the moment (the Adolf bio and "Beautiful and the Damned" by FSF) are equally fascinating, and I genuinely mean that.
The only problem is that I keep getting the three (including my masters stuff) confused in my head. So I return to FSF and think "huh? I thought Anthony Patch was about to stage a Putsch?" or the Hitler bio and wonder if maybe he had academic achievements delays at school, which in turn led to a social and emotional disorder and start mentally creating a intervention program to encourage positive social skills for little Adi. It only takes a couple of seconds to right itself though.
So, Hitler IS in the middle of the Beer Hall Putsch, where he takes three of the most powerful Bavarian leaders hostage, in an attempt to install himself as leader of Bavaria, and all is going swimmingly, until he has a pressing phone call and leaves the three in the care of the dimwitted General Ludendorff. One of the triumvirate does the old Tweety/Sylvester trick, saying "Oh...I think I need something from my office, but I really PROMISE I'll come back, cross my heart and hope to die". Ludendorff lets them go, and I haven't read on yet, but I just have this sneaking suspicion that he's not coming back, but maybe that's just my cynical beliefs in human nature popping up again. Boy, is Hitler going to be maaaaaaaaaad when he gets baaaaaaaaack. And he's one of these Type A numbers you don't want to be on the bad side of.
As for FSF, I am LOVING this book. I really like the way it's written. I'm really glad I am reading it while I am still in my 20s. (I only have one year left.)
Anyway, we are just about to watch "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (more FSF), so I'll elaborate on this ASAP.
Until then, may all you Putschs be non-abortive and your children be free of language disorders.
20 February 2009
Situation anywhere
I have a bit of an overwhelming book situation, but I love it when that happens. I am reading "The Beautiful and Damned", at the same time as "Adolf Hitler", my friend just gave me two great looking baby books, and my husband just bought me "Hard Times" by Dickens. I just read the first paragraph:
"NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!"
And I can't wait to read THIS now, either.
PS Also got a massive folder of reading for my Masters course that I am doing this year, but we wont talk about that.
"NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!"
And I can't wait to read THIS now, either.
PS Also got a massive folder of reading for my Masters course that I am doing this year, but we wont talk about that.
18 February 2009
Goodbye Jimbo...forever
Thank god that's done. Finished up at about 9:30pm last night, after putting in the hard slog for two hours. I've said all there is to say about this book. It's obvious the authors are big fans, and that's super for them, but geeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz it was a painful couple of days.
I'm reading F Scott Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and Damned" now to wash away the filth.
No-One Here Gets Out Alive gets one cheese wheel out of five. My personal grading system doesn't give less than one cheese wheel if I finished the book. If I didn't finish the book it must be REALLY bad. I gave this book one cheese wheel because it was easy to read and the book smelled nice.
I have also picked up the 900 page Hitler biography but it's so scary to commit to a book like that. I'm trying to do the 50 book challenge (this is just a personal challenge, with work and social commitments and always trying to read quality books I haven't been able to do it as an adult) this year, which means finishing 4-5 books a month. I think I did 4 in Jan, but have done about 7 in Feb, so it's probably a good idea to spend the rest of Feb and possibly half of March reading the Hitler bio. The only problem (and this is a serious consideration) is that it's so big I can't take it in the bath! And it's not really bedtime reading, so I could go between Fitzgerald and this. I've never really been good at that though, I usually end up giving up on one book for the other, and then can't return to one because it seems stale.
So I'll keep you (no one but me) posted.
Here's an interesting idea:
http://community.livejournal.com/50bookchallenge
They do the 50 book challenge but also have a minimum amount of pages (usually around 20,000) that they have to read in the year. Which would mean, I guess, that The Little Prince isn't on many people's reading lists.
I'm reading F Scott Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and Damned" now to wash away the filth.
No-One Here Gets Out Alive gets one cheese wheel out of five. My personal grading system doesn't give less than one cheese wheel if I finished the book. If I didn't finish the book it must be REALLY bad. I gave this book one cheese wheel because it was easy to read and the book smelled nice.
I have also picked up the 900 page Hitler biography but it's so scary to commit to a book like that. I'm trying to do the 50 book challenge (this is just a personal challenge, with work and social commitments and always trying to read quality books I haven't been able to do it as an adult) this year, which means finishing 4-5 books a month. I think I did 4 in Jan, but have done about 7 in Feb, so it's probably a good idea to spend the rest of Feb and possibly half of March reading the Hitler bio. The only problem (and this is a serious consideration) is that it's so big I can't take it in the bath! And it's not really bedtime reading, so I could go between Fitzgerald and this. I've never really been good at that though, I usually end up giving up on one book for the other, and then can't return to one because it seems stale.
So I'll keep you (no one but me) posted.
Here's an interesting idea:
http://community.livejournal.com/50bookchallenge
They do the 50 book challenge but also have a minimum amount of pages (usually around 20,000) that they have to read in the year. Which would mean, I guess, that The Little Prince isn't on many people's reading lists.
17 February 2009
The Lizard King is chapping my hide
There are 384 pages in this book. In two days, in a total amounting to maybe 3 hours, I have read 240 of them. Taking this into account, I could reasonably expect to put in 1.5 hours to finish the rest of it today, so I don't have to wake up tomorrow morning and still be reading this book.
For you see, it's quite terrible. Thank god there are whole page photos to pad out the remaining 144 pages. I'm eagerly awaiting Morrison's death because then I'll know I am near the end.
I hate reading books I don't like, but being so far in that I would feel I was cheating if I didn't finish it. But on my above calculations this will be 4.5 hours of my life I'll never get back. If I spent that time sitting in a chair staring at a wall I can't help but feel it would have been better spent.
For you see, it's quite terrible. Thank god there are whole page photos to pad out the remaining 144 pages. I'm eagerly awaiting Morrison's death because then I'll know I am near the end.
I hate reading books I don't like, but being so far in that I would feel I was cheating if I didn't finish it. But on my above calculations this will be 4.5 hours of my life I'll never get back. If I spent that time sitting in a chair staring at a wall I can't help but feel it would have been better spent.
16 February 2009
Jim Tosserson
OK, I'm going to just put this out there: Jim Morrison is a: stone. cold. wanker.
I understand the importance of art as much as the next person. Clearly. I believe that the presence of creative endeavour and artistic expression are integral to society, and that the suppression of the freedom of speech is the first step to dictatorship and is a loss of a basic human right.
However. There is a fine line between creative endeavour and self indulgence. Jim Morrison doesn't just step over this line, he snorts it and spews it up on the steps of a fancy New York Hotel.
Why is it always middle class rich kids? Why are they the ones who claim minimalism and wear the same outfit every day but are in reality just doing this because they spend all their money on smack? There is a story in this book about Andy Warhol giving Morrison an ivory and gold French phone, which he promptly throws out the window of a limo into a bin. I know I'm supposed to be impressed at his frivolous attitude to material things, but all I could think of in reality was: if he didn't want it, couldn't he have sold it and given the money to an orphanage or doctors without borders? If it existed then? Seriously.
Because I can handle all the microphone stand humping, the onstage masturbation is just peachy, I'm all for the "Father, I want to kill you"'s in the world, but it's the waste that I can't stand. The mindless decadence of being given a gift for lyricism and believing that the self is more important than the whole. For all his peyote snuffling under Alabama desert night skies, he doesn't seem to have ever looked up and felt insignificant - he probably saw himself reflected in the stars. He never felt himself as part of a whole that he could have made greater, he was just a boring nihilist hippie stoner, given thousands and pissing it all away on himself.
I don't know how much more of it I can handle.
I understand the importance of art as much as the next person. Clearly. I believe that the presence of creative endeavour and artistic expression are integral to society, and that the suppression of the freedom of speech is the first step to dictatorship and is a loss of a basic human right.
However. There is a fine line between creative endeavour and self indulgence. Jim Morrison doesn't just step over this line, he snorts it and spews it up on the steps of a fancy New York Hotel.
Why is it always middle class rich kids? Why are they the ones who claim minimalism and wear the same outfit every day but are in reality just doing this because they spend all their money on smack? There is a story in this book about Andy Warhol giving Morrison an ivory and gold French phone, which he promptly throws out the window of a limo into a bin. I know I'm supposed to be impressed at his frivolous attitude to material things, but all I could think of in reality was: if he didn't want it, couldn't he have sold it and given the money to an orphanage or doctors without borders? If it existed then? Seriously.
Because I can handle all the microphone stand humping, the onstage masturbation is just peachy, I'm all for the "Father, I want to kill you"'s in the world, but it's the waste that I can't stand. The mindless decadence of being given a gift for lyricism and believing that the self is more important than the whole. For all his peyote snuffling under Alabama desert night skies, he doesn't seem to have ever looked up and felt insignificant - he probably saw himself reflected in the stars. He never felt himself as part of a whole that he could have made greater, he was just a boring nihilist hippie stoner, given thousands and pissing it all away on himself.
I don't know how much more of it I can handle.
Memories
This book smells exactly like my old Archie and Veronica comics used to smell when they were new. It's so comforting.
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