A quick update

There is a massive thunderstorm going on right now, and it's great. The thunder sounds almost reluctant -like the sky is getting popped instead of cracked in half. It's pretty crazy. Also the rain is great, as it's been about 2 weeks+ since we had any.

I'm still reading The Library at Night, because it's worth reading slowly. I'll work through an essay and then pause for a few minutes to allow for mental digestion. It's really a fantastic book. I will admit, however, that I am itching to begin the graphic novel version of F451; I am aware that if I start it I won't read anything else until I've finished it, so I'm holding off.

There is no review today, obviously, it's a Tuesday. There might not be one tomorrow, either. There might be a little thing about some current events in Cleveland, perhaps. I'm not sure.

Also, just because I feel like letting the world know -one of my biggest pet peeves is when people say, "A whole nother." Nother is not a word. It's "another whole." Please? For my sake?

Trying to read over the noise of my little brother's Speed Racer Sky Jump toy is impossible, even for me. It sounds like a cement mixer. As much as I love explosions, car crashes and death-defying stunts, sometimes the desire for silence (or at least quiet) takes precedence.

Reading The Library at Night is not an experience to be had when noises abound. The book takes on the feel of a library and its many silent tomes, and it demands to be read when the reader is able to sit peacefully, still and soak up the stories. At least that's how it seems to me, book-obsessed as I am (this book proving to be no exception to the rule; in fact in many ways the desire for this book is greater than for others, this being a book about libraries -a book about books -a book written by a man who has a gorgeous library that, when I see pictures of it, fills me with envy).

The Library at Night is a book I read with coffee in mind or at hand, and with nothing else going on. It's spoiled otherwise. Stringent demands for a reader like me; I read anywhere: in class, in the car, in bed, outside, inside, in restaurants, while driving (okay, just kidding) -you get the idea.

The book is great. Habent sua fata libelli -my new favorite phrase. Books have their own fate.

Go buy a copy of TLaN. I haven't reviewed it yet, but I'm telling you now -you don't want to miss out on this.

In the life and times

I drove my little sister to Mass today (something which, given my own religious views, always gives my conscience a bit of a prick...I feel like I'm taking a lamb to the slaughter, if I may mix metaphors and religious symbolism into an anti-church sentiment; I figure she has to travel the road herself. Nobody told me what to believe [unless I was in a church], and I won't attempt to convert her to my way of thinking. Plus it'd freak her out I think) and I was exposed to three different examples of the people going to/coming from the church that just made me shake my head. Or laugh hysterically.

1. After dropping the sis at the door, I swung back around to leave the parking lot. I'm cruising along at less than 10 mph, listening to music at a tolerably respectable level (I wasn't blasting Highway to Hell, which I am always tempted to do) when a girl tries to swing left in front of me to get a parking spot. As I clearly had the right of way, I neither stopped nor slowed down, resulting in her having to come to quite an abrupt halt. This resulted in her giving me a dirty look and the finger. The bird. She flipped me off. Call it what you will, but this little Catholic girl (who couldn't have been more than 15 or 16 and driving on her temps -Daddy was in the front seat) on her way to worship almost hit my car and got pissed at me for it, despite the fact that an accident would have been her fault. It just reminded me of that weird attitude some (but admittedly not all) religious people have: they'll be respectful and kind for an hour on Sundays. Outside that? Watch yourself, buddy.
2. I returned about 45 minutes later to sit outside the church and bring the sis back home. I parked behind a car near the curb, shut the car off and proceeded to start reading some more of "The Library at Night" which is rapidly taking its place among my favorite books (and I'm barely 30 pages in!). Shortly before 7, a group of 3 people saunters out of the church. Each individual is roughly my age and, upon spotting me sitting in the car behind theirs, each promptly began laughing and making random and peculiarly rude comments directed at me (none of which made sense, either). All stared at me, got into their car and drove off -still staring. Now what is that about? Did my parking somehow offset their karma? Was the fact that I was clearly not attending the service upsetting? Did my reading of a book frighten them? Is it that I have short hair? Maybe that the car is a white Mazda. The world may never know. Regardless, I think it's sort of odd/funny/to be expected that a group of people leave a church service and immediately start mocking someone not of their ilk.
3. The final incident was the least amusing of the three, to me. I'm not sure what the deal was, but a woman in a minivan with a few kids pulled up shortly after I did (maybe they were doing a food drive? I know they caught the last few minutes of the Mass). Before they entered the church, the woman who had been driving proceeded to scream at the kids for a solid minute and a half. About what I'm not sure, but if her voice didn't carry all the way to the pulpit of the church, I'd be surprised. It was a pretty heavy scene; I wasn't sure if it was going to progress beyond just yelling, so I kept a close eye on things. Nothing physical was done to the kids, but their red faces and teary eyes were bad enough. I can't imagine walking into a church service (or any crowded place) 10 minutes before whatever program is ending with a blotchy, tear-stained face and the memory of having shortly before getting verbal whiplash. It seems profoundly unchristian and certainly wrong in any walk of life to just lay into little kids like that. I get annoyed with my siblings, but I don't scream at them until they cry (I resort to sarcasm and biting comments -just as bad, but with fewer decibels).
   

It was one of the most bizarre church-related scenes I've witnessed in a very long time. Maybe I should go to church more often!

August 10. The new August 14. Kind of.

The most frustrating thing about buying books online is, of course, the wait. The shipping. I got a friendly e-mail from Amazon a couple of days ago when I ordered my books saying the delivery date is expected to be August 10 (4 days before my birthday). I got that e-mail August 4 and figured, "Oh, hey, that's only 6 days -not bad at all, considering the shipping was free and I'm getting 4 books." Here I am two days later, having bitten off all of my fingernails and having begun spazzing every time I see a UPS truck pull onto the street. August 10, although only 3 days away, seems like it will never come. I want my books.

Yesterday I was in a pretty foul mood all day, so I avoided human contact as much as possible. Of course, without a car and sans my own room, it became kind of difficult. The internet/cell phone don't work in the basement and my little brother's room (where I sleep) just isn't built for solitary hanging out. There's nowhere to sit but the bunk bed or the floor...and I sleep in the bunk bed and I try to keep my electronics out of it and my butt goes numb after about 10 minutes of floor-sittage. There are no other viable (read: comfortable) areas in the house where I could sit undisturbed and be a bitch in peace. Alas for all involved. We lived, and I wasn't the only crab-ass in the house.

Today I decided to do something that would a) take my mind off the fact that my books won't be here for another three days and b) would put me in a better mood than the one I was in yesterday. Essentially I beat myself all to hell. 4 games of Wii tennis (all of which I won of course), 3 rounds against those infernal punching bags (there's really no way to win there -the punching bags explode and my arms hurt for two days), 15 minutes on the treadmill (accompanied by the band And Then There Were None -good stuff) and then 20 minutes of Wii fit exercises. These include lunges, the half moon yoga pose, hula hoops (yeah, really), ski jumping, jackknifing and those weird ab twists that supposedly tone your whole waist area.

By the end of all of this, my knees are shaking, I've downed two rather large glasses of water and my head hurts. But endorphins make you happy (remember the Legally Blonde line? Thought so. Not that I have a husband to kill, happy or unhappy as I may be, but the same principle applies). Hopefully this grueling workout will keep me slightly more cheerful than I was yesterday -and who knows? If I keep it up, maybe those ab twists will actually tone my waist. Not that I need that, but it never hurts to be in better shape.

However, all through these workouts, I was still half hoping the UPS guy would show up with my books, despite the fact that I'm wearing red Pirates of the Caribbean men's medium boxers that I got at Disney World and a pink and orange sports bra (my two least favorite colors in one garish garment that should never be exposed to the light of day. Boo-yah). He didn't, of course. It's only just after 11 right now, and UPS guys don't show up in my neighborhood until around 2 or 3, sometimes later. Cue heavy sighing here:_____.

The books that are coming are awesome! I'm really excited about them. They were all paid for by a birthday present from my dad, who is also awesome. His only requirement was the I get one specific book, called The Library at Night. It looks sweet.

The other three books I got were:

1. The Time Traveler's Wife (the movie comes out on my birthday-August 14- and I've been meaning to read the book for ages anyway. Plus Eric Bana is in it. Win-win-win situation.)
2. Secrets to Happiness: A Novel (chick lit that isn't really chick lit. I've read good things about it, and it's about time I found a companion to my favorite chick lit book, English as a Second Language).
   
3. Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation (you read that right. If you know what that means, give yourself 1 internet. If you don't, I'll tell you: it means I got Fahrenheit 451 in the form of a graphic novel. Two of my favorite things -graphic novels/comic books and Ray Bradbury's genius -in one package. I couldn't not buy that and remain a whole entire person).
   

So there you have it, folks. This is why I'm more excited about August 10 than my own birthday (well, kind of).

It's supposed to be a review day, but since I plan on applying for a (better paying) job at another site, I'm skipping it. I've put up 3 things this week anyway, so it's not like I haven't met my goal. It's all good. Anyway, I'm sure some of you need refreshers on what I've already written, so go check it out.

The living dead

I'm a big fan of the show True Blood. I don't have HBO at my house, sadly, so I have to watch grainy videos of it online the day after each episode comes out. Yes I'm that dedicated, shut up. I'm not missing that much of the season just because I don't get the right channel! It's a fun show -by which I mean it's nasty, snarky and full of violence and blood -and not a little sex. The characters are good, the acting is better than what I expect and it's just a nice mindless way to spend an hour every week.

The books the show is based on are not that great; I'll be honest. I like them a lot, but as far as literature goes? They're trashy. They're trashy, low-brow, simply written, easily read little books. And that is what makes them great. They're just good enough to merit being read for pleasure. And unlike some books, they don't pretend to be the next big thing in literary history. They're just there for fun, sort of like that one friend who always wants to go out and party -fun for a while. It's the coffeeshop books you go to for substance (real, capital L Literary books like Jane Eyre or Rebecca), and it's these books you go to when you need a mental break and something light to read.

Thus, today's review: Living Dead in Dallas (aka season 2 of True Blood). Awesome. Get on it.

It's been a slow couple of weeks for me, reading-wise. The library's shittiness is finally catching up with me, and I seem to have run out of steam. I'm still reading Zadie Smith's book White Teeth (slowly but surely) and I have a few other things out...but on the whole, I think I need a bit of a breather. I'm trying to build up a log of reviews for when I go back to school and yet here I sit with something akin to writer's block. It's very frustrating. Like someone has cut off my arm, or denied me coffee. I know the best solution to writer's block is just to write, so I have been -every day, writing something. But none of it is really breaking through the review block I seem to have developed.

I have a book on curing writer's block (which is sort of a funny thing when you think about it -the idea of writing a book about how to be able to write when you can't. I don't know. I'm amused), but it's largely geared toward fiction writing, which I do...but which doesn't offer much help in writing reviews. I don't need to create believable characters with human depths and flaws in them to write a review, I just need to write about the characters other people have already created. Normally that's not a problem. The problem is that I'm not reading as much, as fast or with as much pleasure.

And for that I blame the library. I have 4 new books coming in the mail from Amazon; hopefully they'll be here within the next week. That will give me some motivation to read/write again, so there's definitely a light at the end of this particular tunnel. For the time being, I'm just going to keep plugging through the same stale offerings at my public library and attempting to find some sparks there.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Review's up! Go read it!

Additionally, I checked out White Teeth from the library yesterday (or was it Saturday?) and borrowed Field Notes from the Compassionate Life from my grandma yesterday and received instructions from my dad that I am to use part of my birthday present (amazon gift card) to buy a book called Libraries at Night. So all of these things will lead to further awesomeness in the realm of reviewing.

I'm also buying my textbooks today. I won't review most of those (unless they're just that awesome), but one of them is Frankenstein, so we'll see what happens with this. I'm pretty pumped. I love getting books.

And coffee makers. I totally got a baby Keurig for my birthday as a joint present from parents/grandparents and if I was the type to descend into girls acronyms this post would be filled with omglolwtf-type writing. Keurigs a) make the best coffee, b) make it one cup at a time and c) are absolutely gorgeous pieces of tech. I made my excited face when I got it. It's not as excited as Bubby's excited face, which we were witness to when he realized he got an Indiana Jones Lego set. I can't wait to see what happens when Jonah gives him the Force Unleashed Wii game he got... :)

August is birthday month. My uncle's is the 7th, mine is the 14th, my cousin's is the 15th, my dad's (Braden, not biological) is the 16th, my brother's is the 19th and my grandpa is somewhere else in the middle of all of that. And I think my other cousin might be in here somewhere soon, too, maybe early September? I don't know. That's too many people for me to keep track of -suffice it to say, there are a lot of birthdays going on right now. And it's always fun. :) Lots of cake and ice cream and hyperactivity.

I'm excited to buy me some books today. Look for more reviews soon. Also this week will be my piece on what Literature is!

The Saturday Evening...post.

Puns kill me (not in the ha-ha, killer joke kind of way, either). I don't know why I continue making them; I despise most puns. I don't think they're usually very clever, and they definitely don't take much effort...not that all cleverness does, but you know. I'm just not a fan of puns, okay?!

I am a fan of Spongebob, however. And Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" -which I checked out from the library today. Something I'll have a good time re-reading! Expect a review of that within a week or two.

Short entry today -I'm off enjoying my Saturday. You ought to be as well. :)