Semester 2 Week 11: so boring

It's about 47 degrees and we just bought 2 quarts of ice cream at the *new* safeway

...do you know how it feels to not have finished a damn thing in weeks?


Current reads:







Okay that's not all I'm reading, but to keep consistency with my other posts I won't talk about it until I actually finish it. (as of today I'm on page 265 of 568)... yea on top of papers about library collections and reference interviews..

I think I'm getting used to this... like reading about all the bad things that happen to these kids and then realizing that it will all be okay. I used the word 'protagonist' in a party convo yesterday, and it was probably from this book. I can't believe that suicide was a part of this, then it wasn't, but Count Olaf killed her off anyway. What an evil bastard!

Due in three days and I can't finish it

edit: I never finished this... I barely got halfway. Kickin' it to the curb...well more like returned to the libr. Hopefully the next person will enjoy it more/ read it faster I did.



I am/was really determined to finish this.. I made it to more than halfway and I can't renew that damn thing. So it's supposed to be a laugh out loud book... hrm. I guess my giggly-ness didn't kick in here. Maybe because this is the same story I've grown up reading, and even with all the profanity and concubines... eh. I really dig the premise and how Biff is brought back by an angel and is given the gift of tongues to write the story about Jesus that wasn't included in the Bible, and all the excerpts before each chapter about his day to day musings in the present times. I think I would have rather read 400 pages of that business, than the 350+ pages about Jesus or Joseph as a kid. I like how they incorporate prophets from every religion. I think there is a lot of subtle truths to the plot, but shit- this isn't that funny. Jesus' character doesn't say or do enough.... I think this was written for white people with white people jokes... you know the ones that laugh to things like the rapping grandma or bulldogs in bumble bee fits.

At least it was almost halfway happy, instead of thoroughly depressing like the first. I liked the explanations on dramatic irony and the phrase "Back at the Ranch". I feel so bad for these kids, even though they're fictional and I hate the stupidity of the "good" adults, even though they are fictional too. This book makes my heart beat with anger. yea it's good, but too much for my lil' endocrine system.

Can I achieve this?

30 ways to do things which are just outside your comfort zone to increase your mental capacity:

1. When someone asks you to do something, make your default answer “yes” (but don’t forget to say “no” when appropriate).
2. In a gathering (class, conference, etc.), sit next to someone you do not know.
3. Visit a place you normally wouldn’t (museum, monument, national park, etc.).
4. Eat at a new place.
5. Try a new kind of food.
6. Go to a conference or seminar in a topic you are not familiar with.
7. Email or call an old friend you haven’t met for a long time.
8. Initiate conversation with someone you don’t know.
9. Find the most unpleasant task in your to-do list and do it first.
10. Email or message someone you don’t know to initiate a friendship.
11. Learn a new hobby.
12. Learn a foreign language.
13. Join a new club and interact with the people there.
14. Practice an art you normally wouldn’t (painting, music, etc.).
15. Learn a new musical instrument.
16. Be dare to ask. This is to familiarize yourself with rejection.
17. Read fiction if you normally read non-fiction, and vice versa.
18. Read a new author.
19. Read an old book.
20. Visit a new genre of blogs.
21. Find friends from a new country (i.e. a country from which you haven’t had any friend before).
22. Find friends from different professions.
23. Volunteer for activities conducted by your social or business group.
24. Do your groceries at a different store.
25. Take a different route to work.
26. Attend an art festival.
27. Listen to a new genre of music.
28. In a bookstore or library, browse books in a section you wouldn’t normally visit.
29. Watch a new genre of movies.
30. Read history more than news.

Source: http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/08/02/30-ways-to-increase-your-mental-capacity/

my facebook update I never posted

"ohh scrabble and tecate and friends are a fine saturday night. (I was about to say other things about titties at the love fest, or free beer at octoberfest, or vegas, but f*** it i wasn't there)."

I hate facebook now and will again.

A really great recommendation by a girlfriend... Urrea compiles all the detail of the Yuma 14, which were a group of men from Mexico who were looking to cross the border in to the U.S. to find work and in search to improve their quality of life back home. Relying on a gang of Coyotes, the men both young and old, cross the border into the hottest deserts in the U.S., the devil's highway. The week they crossed it was reported that the temperature at midnight was a low 95 degrees, while the high was 108. Not only was it the lack of water (they only had waterbottles vs. the 2 gallons recommended per person per day), but it was the rough terrain and horrible tendencies of their guide that lead more than half of the group to death. Urrea chronicles each detail, including the interests and slight personalities of each walker,and how they were found in there death (black like leather) which sometimes sounds more exaggerated or he really did his research. He also becomes too cynical at times. I like how he alternates with the story of the Yuma 14, and very informational accounts of other tragic occasions where others have died (even Gringos), the science of how the body decomposes in heat, and the history of the region itself. A well rounded story with a sociological perspective of why border crossing persists with horrendous deaths, the economic cost of these deaths and low cost labor, as well a other situations -like the conspiracy theories behind the hundred unexplained rapings and deaths of young women in Juarez. holy shit.

I love Julia

Beautiful book filled with artsy, graphic scenes in different media.. photos, stitching and sketches, but a sad story that focuses on the life of one of the many young women who were murdered in Ciudad Juarez. It reminded me greatly of book 4 in Bolano's 2666 about the murders of women in Santa Teresa, although this book focuses on one girl who worked in a factory just outside the U.S. border, and was horrendously murdered and no one can figure out why. The writer sheds light on her life and humanizes a situation that the police and others would consider just another death amongst many. A really creative and mindblowing (true) story.

Apparently its also one in 4 others... this one is the "I live here 3"

What a horrible book... I think even for adults it has a lot of underlying scummish themes, but it's a great read for kids and a way to pick up on some good vocabulary. I haven't seen the movie, but I guess I started my 13 book commitment with these. How horrible...but fine reading. Like the young 7 year old articulate child said with mighty fine eloquence,"Not all good books have to have a happy ending", and "Make sure you start with the first one." I remember she said that this series and Nancy Drew were her fav.

edit: per darryl's convo last night..I'm saying that I like the book really. I went to the library today and borrowed the second one.

she's a hoe a classy hoe

Remember that cheesy early 2000's song..the one that starts "And I said what about Breakfast at Tiffany's... she said I think I remember that film.." I've had that fucking song in my head for the last week.. well more like that ugly chorus probably cause I've been reading this short story for no apparent reason. I've been trying to hold of on reading this (like do I really NEED to? NO.) but I had to YES.
I forgot how much I like Capote's writing. I like this story. I like Holly Golightly and will admit I wish I had her lifestyle, her repertoire. I love the POV of the narrator. You never know who he is, except he is a aspiring writer. Holly is mysterious, but it all unravels and when you think she would loose her cool, she doesn't and never will. Men love her and women hate her. I denno... her no name cat (no name cause they don't own each other) is rad too. I'm sure this is a favorite amongst glamor girls across America.

Times are tough. I think I am ready to be a free bird, but I am not.

I guess I am late on the Gladwell train. wait I am really late. He wrote this in 2002... but

What an interesting concept. The little things matter yes, and Malcolm you have drilled that into my head by repetition, as well as stunning and diverse situations such as the drop of crime in New York, the makings of sesame street, teenage smoking, and suicides in Micronesia. I have to admit that the hushpuppies in Greenwich thing got played out after the first chapter. I really buy this concept, I especially like the various cases that the book presented about how environment is very influential on human behavior, and that we often fail to acknowledge it. BUT then it had to talk about Airwalks. I hate airwalks (ugly pieceashits that I am glad resulted in failure!)...and I thought of all the marketing, advertising sales turds that will read this book and try to be cool and blow out of the water all the things subcultures and "cool" kids live off of. Like the things that mean so much....*&(^*^%.

Now I am a little bitter.. like this is great, but how much does this contribute to society. Am I really enthused that Gladwell pretty much summed up the behaviors of people and that we seem that easy to figure out. yes. ok. I'm done.

It's fabulous and sweet and poetic.

Here's how it starts:
"In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia’s death. Let’s say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature:".

withdrawals... silly-ness

I am not a very social person. I think this weekend (labor day)I surprised myself. Really not trying to be out and about, but it happened and I did my share of sloshing every night. I was caught up with school on Thursday and now I am behind... behind in reading textbooks and behind in reading in general. I picked up some books that have been great reads so far (like <50 pages in...sigh). Friday: SF dilly dally-ing & Oakland Art Murmer with Pav, Jay, Alaina, Barry and Sarah. I spent 20 dumb dollars on paintbrushes, then on the Bart ride, then more on Korean soju. The art was crappy and expensive, but I LIKE OAKLAND. I do.... I need to do more exploring. Saturday: Tahnee and Quynh are in town. Ivana came down too and everyone was out. Cinebar for one night. Negative was that I got clowned on for my fanny pack. MF*&*^. Sunday: Bookstore gathering that was also a scrabble fest with good food and beer. Then I listened to my lushy coworkers and followed them to trials, then cinebar again... gah. Monday: Hungover, but went to the beach for bbqing with T & Q and their pals. Sooooo sleepy. I need to nerd. No more floozy boozing. Need more words. ***************

Yeeesh. What a bummer this book is. Down and out in Paris and London wasn't even this harsh. Wilhelm is a New Yorker that was raised with a decent upbringing, but made all the wrong decisions in his life. It seems he ignored his intuitions and tried to create his own destiny for success. He didn't want to be in the medical field, cause his father already did that. He left college to become an actor in Hollywood; he left his wife and two kids to be with the love of his life Olive, but can't marry her because of her Catholic upbringing and his wife won't divorce him; he quit his sales job because he was destined to be vice president, but the company gave the position to a relative outside; he lost all his money because he put his money in stocks and trust in a lunatic doctor, who sounds like a compulsive liar, but speaks some wisdom about life. In all this, his retired and wealthy doctor of a father, won't lend him a penny because of all his mistakes.

After 100 pages of this... I wished something good happened to this guy. I wished that he would make one right decision. It was hard to decide who was the bad guy. His wife and father came off as the bad parties, but it could have been his conscience. Wilhelm wanted success like the next guy, but everything he acted upon was foolish. I liked how Bellow made the third person perspective neutral, but so much it made me anxious!. Everyone that lived in his hotel building was loony, Wilhelm meant well but made dumb mistakes, and maybe his family was justified for leaving him to fend for himself, but the narrator never concluded who was at fault for Wilhelm's troubles.

I just feel bad for the guy really. AND I thought I would end this book feeling warm and humble inside. I think I have to genuinely be one of those people who laugh at others faults. seriously.

**I remember having my old co-worker's (she was a compulsive liar) husband (poor guy) having been hired and fired for stupidity on the job. He was really incompetent. His name was Wilhelm. What were his parent's thinking? I think they set him up.

caffeinated.

I need to paintslashdraw more.

The toilet won't quit running water. It stops, but leaks every 8 or so minutes. I keep counting and thinking how much water is wasted. It's 2:14 am and me and Pav can't make it quit.

************



I've been wanting this book... way before I wanted the 'last evenings on earth', but I could never find it. But behold, it was the only Bolano book they had at the library. Score! The story is told by a Uruguayan woman who is wanders in Mexico City hanging with the poets in cafes, not really having family or a steady place to live, but working odd jobs at the university. The story involves her, what seems to be short-lived, but memorable relationships and interactions with people in the city, but more often then not, she is brought back to relive the event of 1968 that she survived in the bathroom of the Literature and Philosophy department at the University. The army invaded and rallied all the students (to what hints to be war and death), but she was the only one who survived in the college and lived 12 - 13 days in the bathroom on water, poetry, and constant sleep. The book starts off proclaiming to be a horror story, but it's subtle and not at all creepified compared to his other stories.

I admire her persona.. she's what most people here, would consider a staggerer: skinny, toothless, no steady income or belongings, drunk at times, but she is known around the city and is offered places to reside, but knows when her stay is overdue. He adds that in Latin America, no one tries to hide they're poverty because it is just part of everyday living. She seems to become disillusioned at the end, but is smart, accepted, and a legend to the young in the city.

It's written sweetly and screams bolano... full of all his literary reference, his own fictitious cameo, and weird cryptic meaning shit. BUT its short and sweet... unlike his later books of bricks.

...it still didn't wear off my crema buzz.. I need to feel sleepy.

Bookstore Blues

So at work, we call the lunatics that come in "flying pigs". I thought I had my share of them... from the guy in the German army jacket who wouldn't shut up about Arthur Doyle and his conspiracies or the army kid in campbell who spent his pant (yes bottoms) money on a military book that he hoped to build missiles in his garage with. Today I had the ultimate pig with wings. I think that if people look loony from the start, it's okay. I can deal. The thing that irks me the most are the sobs who come in and talk to you like they are completely normal people, until they say something that says 'I am really short of my marbles'. Normal looking kid ...really.

He comes up with a meditation book. "have you read this?".. my reply "no, but I have read some books on Buddhism that involve meditation, but not specifically" (Pretty much like me trying to offer a suggestion). Then he asks a couple more reasonable questions... How do you like working here? Seems like a great place to work. What kind of books do you like... etc. Are you hiring?...I give the typical 'No, but you can always bring in a resume and we can keep it on file.' He says, What's your name? Mine is MASON.

Really he seems 'normal', enough anyway. He asks more about the books I'm into and when I say cultural crit or things about media and society, he relates the whole deal to spiritualism somehow. I quit talking cause this dude is not making sense, but whatever. Then awhile later, while I look for a book order, I look up and homie has his right arm up and takes a FAT whiff of his armpit. Like I can hear his nostrils flaring right next to his pit.

Holy f*ck. In my mind I'm thinking maybe I should leave a memo and draw out his face and say if this guy comes in with a resume and his name is Mason, don't hire him, he just smelled his armpit. well maybe that wasn't a viable reason...

Then Mason becomes the craziest dude ever cause of what is coming from his mouth...'do you have any books on Celestine prophecy?',' do you know anything about tai chi?'... I pretty much point this guy to the metaphysical section. He grabs a stack of books, sits in the seating area and instigates on things that I say to other customers, then dares to comment on the books I'm mylaring. Its closing time and I make the announcement.. he says something that I cant hear and don't care to... he waits to be the last guy in the store.. "Did everyone leave?" YEA CAUSE WE ARE CLOSED MF*^(%^*.

Then he wants to put his books on hold that are wet from his sweaty hands... yea I knew his name is Mason. Then every book he pulled from the shelf, he stacks on the top of each shelf of books. Lazy f*(^*. Mason... wtf... smell your armpits, get into my business, disarrange the worst section in the store, and don't buy a thing. Buying nothing is fine, but be a decent human being.



Now for things that made my day... I guess a guy came in to sell his books, but since we dont look at them on Sundays, he left 3 crates of them by the dumpster.



I copped Ficciones by Borges, Green Eggs and Ham, and Cricket in Times Square. Score!

why libraries are the shit. (meaning spactacular institutions)

I also like this thought...
“the books we’ve loved best are seldom the ones we esteem the most highly—or the ones we’d most like other people to think we read over and over again.”

Back to school.

I will never in my life read Harry Potter. I'm sorry. I did pick up the first book of Unfortunate Events, which I will get around to, when I know I can read all the way until book 17. I guess this book is a bit similar to both of these series (or so it says!) Its for 9 - 12 year olds and its a great easy, but long read about 4 orphaned super unique smart children, who are on a mission to save the world from Mr. Curtain, a power hungry dictator who opened up an Institution for kids to use them to transmit messages that will eventually brain sweep everyone's memory. The characters are awesome, the plot is realistic and its slightly relative to our society, which is that most do not seek the truth and just look to be happy and content, except for select few who see past the world's shinanigans and look to save things that are pure and true. How each child is initiated is also great. The series of 'tests" are odd, creepy, and have different 'right' answers, which show that everyone is smart in their own way.





I never read catcher and the rye, but a coworker suggested these two books that surround the Glass family, who are a very eccentric bunch. Both books focus on the two youngest and two oldest children, who were all part of a wise child radio program as adolescents. Each part is written in the individuals pov and as adults, they each are articulate and intellectual, but have their own oddities and vices, which you can pick up through their interactions and conversations. A really awesome read, although its something I wish I read all the way through at times.

Now time to read school shit. shit.

16 days left of scummer...

It's really time to move out of this hole. Came up to Sf for a two day break and am sad its almost over. [haight for cds. lower haight art walk. free drinks. madness bar hop. toasties breakfast. union street white collar shopping. vintage paper fair for a vargas pinup. park chows. now time for dinner and more drink for alaina's 'not' birthday.]

Amongst it all, I was able to finish a couple swell reads...

I picked this up randomly and on a limb. I think I did judge this book by its cover (despite the fact that he is super popular), which turned out to be really funny. It took me longer to finish then I expected. I really enjoyed the short stories, more than his final essay on trying to give up smoking when in Tokyo, although his insights about Japan were interesting, they were also at the same time a bit ignorant like... its obviously coming from a white, well off dude. I did like how open he was about his sexuality and it wasn't at all over done. I don't think I would read anything else, except I did pick up 'barrel fever' for a couple bucks and will probably get around to it soon enough.

To balance it out..

I got through the first chapter and thought..wtf is a moocow...then when Stephen Dadelus has been wronged by one of the heads of the school and has decided to report to the higher authority about this, it reminded me of my private school and the trivializations of the punishments they used to carry out. I then read on through the next three chapters and thought...why the hell is this thought of as such a great book. For about 10 pages, it was a lot of preaching about God and sins, etc. ouch. But! it soon enough begins to conclude with Stephen's dialogue with his peers about what is art, what is beauty, about his beliefs in himself and with religion and faith ..it becomes fresh and very enlightening. The fact that the character denies and questions the religious views he was brought up in and studied throughout his childhood is familiar and relative.

what the hell

I feel off. way off.

Things aren't right, but there is nothing obvious to tell me its wrong.
What the hell am I doing with myself.

I started reading a couple books that I was really excited about...but then a few days into them, I got bored real bored. Why? no god not now!
I picked up Galapagos by Vonnegut and the premise is good. Survival of the fittest, narrator is a million years forward, reminiscing about the past... characters are told they will die off ahead of time... some interesting characters to start out with...then
Pooop fart... who the hell are all these new people, and why do the things that happen to them have no build up and depth to the situation... 200 pages in and NOTHING absolutely nothing.. let it go..just let it go

Then to compensate I picked up Nazi Literature in America, which is a fictional encyclopedia of 14 different authors, and the first few genealogies were interesting then it got boring too..like same format, same shit...why why why whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.This one I only got about 70 pages in and then I decided its time to let it go.

Now I'm reading Sedaris best shmeller book and its good and funny and too easy.

I'm telling you something is not right.

I learned a little bit of nothing

There's some things I just should not do again, for instance
1. I shouldn't go to Vegas with my parents until I am married and have kids, so I don't get mad at them, take them for granted, and regret spending 4 days of vacation doing PG - 13 things in the city of sin. But being gone reminds me how much I miss my Pav and how much I don't need facebook in my life.

2. The moment I come back on bay area soil, I should not get excited because I'm home and Pav's friends want to go to the bar, but I have to wake up and open the store at 9am in Campbell the next morning...even though I promise myself I would only drink beer and have one shot of Fernet and still come home early. Instead I don't really remember the ride home and probably talked Pavel's ear off... then wake up hungover and reek of alcohol at 8am, but come home early from work nauseated.

3. Should not buy the ISBN the cat a large bunch of fresh catnip, so he can roll around, get f&*%^ed up, then wet the table and part of the mousepad from his overexcited loins, then lay for hours fully sedated with kids asking "What's wrong with the cat?"

I did however get through more books...
I don't know why I chose to pick up this one, but I found it at the salvation army all beat up and disrespected. Despite the multiple bad observation notes written by its previous owner, such as this passage shows that the character is intelligent... yeesh, and the heavy jewish culture lessons...the story of the two kids that grow up in Williamsburg in the time of the overthrow of Hitler, its a great story about the relationship of the father and sons, and how much religion and culture in its extreme causes separation between the two, as well as between people. This also made me wish that I had a photographic memory and could swallow books by the hour.

This book is crazy... well I think he went over the edge with these stories, but they are still awesome. The first is called "stupid dog", the second is "orgy". I think I'll leave it at that.

The last of the New York series, these were short, but sweet stories about 4 individuals who are all somehow connected to 'the building'. Once the building is demolished, it takes their lives with it and their ghosts haunt the new building that takes its place.

I put of reading this for awhile... i think cause my memory of reading 2666 was that I enjoyed his writing, but it was way dense and after so many f*&*ing pages, didn't conclude a damn thing. Who the hell is killing all those young women?! BUT his short stories are amazing! His style slightly reminded me of Reinaldo Arenas' short stories, but Bolano is much more creepy and doesn't throw perspectives back and forth. I remember reading "Anne Moore's Life" and then feeling paranoid in bed at 2am.. sleepy but afraid of bad dreams. He does alternates with first and third person, but his stories are wide in variety, except that many characters are of some literary sort. "Mauricio 'The Eye' Silva" is also a favorite. I think you could find and read most of the stories on google books here.

Wimpy Kid "The last straw" wasn't as great as I hoped... I think the beginning was great though, especially with the giving tree by shel silverstein bit. spectacular.

I'm kind of tired of the summer. Well summer was going to be exciting until I started working on Sundays and closing a couple nights out of the week in Campbell where white people take me seriously only half the time. I know I should stay at home and read... I know I should paint/ draw more... but then I feel like going cheap shopping. oh but then i gave up my car for a month, so I should be biking and I wish to have sushi or a beer... but then no one's around and no one cares for any bar and bullshit cheap shit.

But ChrisT did visit last week and that was a blast, especially with blonderedhead I've also been seeing a lot of a hot couple (Julia and Marc) and that has been fun too.
But... yea still.

I get it. I'm sick of San Jose.

The second wimpy kid "rodrick rules" is better than the first.. and its not all about his brother, which is good too. Their mom though is really starting to irk me... what a square and a lesson of a mother that i never want to be when my kids are turning tweeny. goodness.... well i wish that i could remember it all, but these books are pretty much a whole lot of punch lines (more like graphics) and quick a.d.d. plots.

now to borrow the third one... yes!

The city people notebook wasn't as great as the first, but it still was a sweet read covering the issues of space, smell, noise, and rhythm in a big city. Very Georg Simmel-esk... which I <3. I started on 'invisible people', which is super good but leaves me squeamish like reading about bad things that happen to those who don't do anything to cause their fate.

I finally finished this and it has to be one of the best things I've read. It's so rich in history and references to literature (which I can't pinpoint more than half of what he's talking about)... but each chapter covers the various aspects of a library (personal and public), such as 'library as a space"... "island"... "home" ... "order"..."mind" ..."survival"..etc. It's crazy how much is out there and how much we may have lost due to lack of preservation, etc., as well as how reading is such a grasp of power that in the past so many governments have burned books and tried to keep groups of people illiterate to suppress them or rid them of their culture and past. holy shit.

<
A pretty decent read. The first maugham book i've picked up and is called a classic by many. I couldn't relate to all the literature bourgeoisie gimmicks, but the first person perspective and the character of Rosie Driffield, i think evokes a lot of sexist culture themes that are current today. i.e women who sleep around are seen as whores, while men who do the same aren't put down. It was slow, but good. Nice I think.

Well if your now bored.. this is how I spent the rest of my weekend:

by:Pavel
(golden gate and car shots by me...hey i have to take credit for something. ohh and it was my song, but he chose to use it) fair enough.

I guess I'm too old for this, but after quick read through its pretty entertaining. A friend as well as 10 year old boys in campbell are psyched about it. Pretty cool stuff for this age in time... all me and my brother read at this age were choose your own adventure, pilgrim's progress and whatever the christian library would lend to us.

Sure beats Sarah Plain and Tall.

I think whenever I read Fante, I have to realize that the first chapter will never read like the rest. I thought "Full of Life" was a lovey first baby book, and this was an all about making it to the big leagues baseball book, but it still has its funny moments and loud characters that make it short and sweet. The main character of his books all have this awkward, cowardly, but hopeful attitude that I imagine is instilled in Fante himself and love. I do I do.

Dang this was good. As close as I get to reading anything close to bible stories, since I was a wee private school kiddie. It takes place right before WWI and follows the life and death of two families that live in the marginally developed Salinas Valley and beyond (SJ, SF, Palo Alto, etc.) The characters are similar to the ones that supposedly started the genealogy of civilization (i.e. Adam, the snake, God the Father, Cain and Able).

I also got to borrow another Eisner gr novel "The heart of the storm"...but never finished. I guess I got to caught up in this and war stories aren't too interesting to me. well whatever.

26...its time.

I got my final grades for my first semester... 89%, 92%, and 98.8% What!!! I'm happily surprised, especially with the 98.8% that was in my hardest class. It actually gets me motivated for next semester!


I just finished this and like I mentioned in my last rant, I don't intend on reading any of his novels (well maybe one called, All My Friends are Going to Be Strangers, but I like the way he wrote this, and appreciated his insightful accounts on bookbuying and opinion about how reading has become such an 'eccentricity'. I really think it has amongst my generation, but at work I do see alot of younger folks turning to books for pleasure. rad! Well this book was mainly about his book hunting and building a library, then about books that make $100,000 at Christie's because of the first edition and famous inscriptions. I like how some of his adventures took place in the bay area, as well as mentions the replacement of computers in libraries where books should be. As a recent release, I was still surprised how modern it was... he does mentions iPods and how the Internet has affected book buying (yep!). Eh I dig it. Now I can chat with the white haired 50-somethings who bought this book too.

Well its a Monday summer night... when I would typically be beering and biking...I'm poor, but am relying on my lil' pile for entertainment.

Drove 800 miles, crossed Oregon state and saw Mt Shasta...to go to sasquatch fest. I guess I won't go into it much even though everyone thought I was going to a squash festival... hrm. But I saw super duper bands... deerhoof, grizzly bear, santigold, beach house, erykah badu, explosions in the sky.. as well as danced to chromeo... ahh.
Santigold became my fav..i have to admit. "to all the performers out there, don't eat burger king before you're about to do a show".


Some kiddie/ regular customer brought this in for me to read. I finally finished it and this writer is pretty amazing. Some stories, like "the end of the parade" left me depressed, but others like "mona", "Hally's comet", and "in the shade of the almond tree" were fantastic. In these stories he often writes in first person and switches off sporadically with characters so its difficult at first to realize whats going on, but he also writes like the character is talking to you, especially with all the inner dialogue. So sweet!

I also borrowed some books from the library, I started Joan Didion's "Plays as it lays" but it made me feel so insanely depressed with her character that I decided to ditch it midway. Now I'm reading "Books" by Larry McMurty, and even though I've never read any of his books, nor plan to read them, nor am I not anywhere near interested in westernized gone with the wind, lonesome dove like jumbo.... I dig it. I like these books about books- books.

Pet peeve

halfway done... then crack! the binding splits. After an unprofessional repair of glue and scotch tape, two pages fall out of place and distracts me horribly. Why why...

I spent an hour and a half's worth of my paycheck for a hardbound, 1971 edition with an okay dust jacket. Its a definite keeper....but

how nerdy... why do I even care!!!!!

Feeling Keen about life with some minor disctractions

Two good reads in the midst of papers and papers....can't wait until summer vaca, No summer school for me.

I guess I'm looking to get out of here

-Will Eiser's New York: The Big City
I'm late but utterly obsessed with this series. I went to the library, but they're all gone.


Charley is my fav. Steinbeck has a great perspective...I dig it. Kick's Keroac's sucky hobo butt.

The past week was insane. I seriously questioned my decisions about getting back into school and even was on the brink of giving up on one class... the first class of the whole program that's supposed to be the easiest and most broad. I turned in my first late and somewhat incomplete assignment, yea but reading this seriously reminded me f myself.. I guess I am one of those people who needs constant recognition and to ace everything, especially only try things that I know I will succeed at. Its so dumb to say that this comic helped me through, but it did. America Splendor was freakin' great. This is pretty good too. I never thought I'd be into any heros.

I have also been reading the "Sun Also Rises"... I got through the first half pretty quick, but its been slow from then on. I did like the conversation...

"Don't you ever get the feeling that all your life is going by and you're not taking advantage of it? Do you realize you've lived nearly half of the time you have to live already?".... "Do you know that in about 35 years more we'll be dead?"

But Brett does seems like such a whore attention slut, and it makes me want to go fishing in Spain.