bigBADbobby.blogspot.com

Book #55 = The War of Art by Pressfield, 3/5 Stars

Book #53 = Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

Book #30 = The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #29 = The Fisher King by LaGravenese, 2.5/5 Stars
Book #28 = The Passage by Justin Cronin, 2/5 Stars
Book #27 = I Hope They Have Beer in Hell by Tucker Max, 0/5 Stars
Book #26 = Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney, 3/5 Stars
Book #25 = Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by Rowling, 3/5 Stars
Book #24 = Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by Rowling, 3/5 Stars
Book #23 = Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Rowling, 4/5 Stars
Book #22 = Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Rowling, 2/5 Stars
Book #21 = Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Rowling, 3/5 Stars
Book #20 = Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Rowling, 3/5 Stars
Book #19 = Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Rowling, 3/5 Stars
Book #18 = For an Architecture of Reality by Michael Benedikt, 4/5 Stars
Book #17 = The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs, 2.5/5 Stars
Book #16 = Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis, 3/5 Stars
Book #15 = Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, 5/5 Stars
Book #14 = This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper, 4/5 Stars
Book #13 = After Dark by Haruki Murakami, 1.5/5 Stars
Book #12 = Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #11 = Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster, 1/5 Stars
Book #10 = American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, 3/5 Stars
Book #09 = Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen, 4.5/5 Stars
Book #08 = The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, 3/5 Stars
Book #07 = The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, 5/5 Stars
Book #06 = What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Murakami, 4/5 Stars
Book #05 = Existentialism by Steven Earnshaw, 1/5 Stars
Book #04 = The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, 1/5 Stars
Book #03 = The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, 5/5 Stars
Book #02 = The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Kabani, 2/5 Stars
Book #01 = Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, 3/5 Stars

See 2010's list of 40 books.
See 2009's list of 53 books.

Fan Mail (what?)

2011-11-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Image by woodleywonderworks via FlickrI don't think I've ever gotten fan mail before, but it was sure nice to wake up on this Friday morning to an email from (OH MY GOODNESS I HAVE FANS THAT READ MY WRITING!) a fan!

*SMILE* *BLUSH*

Hello! I'm a really big fan... and you happen to be one of my inspirations. I need feedback on a recent poem I wrote. I've written many poems and many writing pieces. I'm trying to be the youngest teen novel publisher. Writing is my passion. Please get back to me if you have the time to give me feedback! It would mean the world. Thank you so much.

I honored and humbled to receive your letter. Thank you. I suppose I should get my boo-tay to working on my novel, too.

CHIEEEEFS!!!

2011-10-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

The Hammer Behind Reality's Back

2011-10-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have some friends who have been making terrible choices, of late, and they're impacting how we do what we do, when we do it and whom we do it with. I know I can't fix it--I can't even smack some sense into their heads--because I know we all have to learn what we learn through our own successes and fall flat on our faces failures, but to do so, we must have enough confidence, fear and respect to admit the truth, especially when we know that dreadful hammer will fall... and fall hard into our guts, upon our heads and crush our hearts.

I imagine the dichotomy:
My mistake sitting with us
As I speak to opposing states of you.
Because I learned, again—
And maybe I will learn this time—
That which I should already know:
I cannot solely love today,
The woman she will be tomorrow.

This advice I now hand to you—
These Herculean opposites of you,
The physics of your pendulum—
Intoxication may relieve sobriety's guilt,
But the symptom is far from the cure.
This dramatic virus that eats your soul
And causes you to wring and pace
Is for love, you say,
Which would be noble…
If true.

Love is creation;
Two trusting forces that cannot do apart,
What they can accomplish together.

This love you claim
Slops Joes on a plate—
Three full squares, Sir—
Each and every day,
And masks the expiration date
Of the peppery ire that appears unexpectedly and often,
Completely irrational and terribly fierce.

This is not love's form.

The fool with false confidence,
Hiding his guilt and insecurity,
Rafts a rapid river toward Conrad's dark heart.

Contrary to common belief
White lines do not mark the way,
Only tempt suspended disbelief,
That this is the life you want,
That this is as good as it gets,
That this is your “one” dream.

Someday your lesson will be learned—
By chance or by purpose—
When the inebriated dream
Pulls the key and opens the door
To the hammer behind reality’s back,
And the sound of glass under your feet
Brings awareness to the (ass) end of your grace.

An inflection point in life—
For some it never comes,
For others an unexpected guest,
For a few a conscious choice—
When you will understand:
Actions have consequences.
When the “I’m” is forever severed
From the rest of “maturity,”
And, by choice,
You no longer try to get away with it,
But bask and burn in all you are:
Loved, frustrated and fucked,
To hope for forgiveness,
Now brave enough to truly apologize
In the republic of your immediate public,
And accept our choice
Should it exclude you,
And live with the choice
That true love eternally demands…
Or damns.

gimme some new street!

2011-10-27T07:54:00.001-07:00

Hey Road Runner, meet my BIRD!

2011-10-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Abbreviated chat transcript from my online conversation with Time Warner this afternoon while inquiring about why they raised my internet rates without notification:

Image by chris jd via Flickr

TW: I checked your account to see that the revised rate for internet has been applied.

Me: So, you just raise rates without notification?

TW: You might have received an email.

Me: Might?

TW: Don't worry, you'll get more promotions and offices on your account.

Me: Offices? What the heck are you even talking about?

TW: Sorry for the typo. *offers

Me: Let me get this straight... you raised my monthly bill $5/month, but I shouldn't worry because I'll get more promotions and offers?

TW: Please let me know what you want.

Me: I want you to tell me why you think you can raise my bill without notification.

TW: Please check your SPAM folder for notification.

Me: I don't have a SPAM folder. I run my own mail client.

TW: Contact your local office for a new promotion.

Me: As far as I'm concerned, you ARE my local office.

TW: I apologize, but I don't have appropriate resources to apply a new promotion to your account which will reduce your bill.

Me: Why does the submission form for the chat client ask for my ZIP Code so it can connect me to a local representative if that local representative can't actually help me?

TW: I apologize for the inconvenience.

Me: You've done that about 4 times now. It's not helping.

TW: Is there anything else I can help you with?

Me: Yes, please remove me from all USPS snail mail direct mailings. You are spamming my mailbox about once per week.

TW: You will no longer receive any marketing email from us.

Me: LOL. Are you a robot? I don't get marketing email as it is. I DON'T WANT USPS DIRECT MAIL!

TW: Done.

Me: ***disconnect***

Who do you think you are... Bank of America? Just add $5 monthly fees wherever you like, we don't care!

The problem when you don't know love...

2011-10-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

Had a long walk this morning and thought about a conversation I had the other day regarding the rationalization of irrational behavior. The longer I live the more I see irrational behavior that emanates from monogamy. Now, I'm not purporting that we strike monogamy from culture and enter a great sex fest. No, not at all, there are too many good reasons to not do that. I don't think we should live in such a "light switch" world, though. It's obvious that neither "on" nor "off" are working for most people. In this case, neither people are happy committed to each other or sleeping around on each other.

What's the point?

I read an Esquire article many years ago that described the perfect plan for infidelity; it must be with someone in your similar state of relationship (say, both married with kids), this someone must live out of town and you must meet at a neutral location (neither town you live in). The article might have also said something about only meeting once per year for a couple of days since it's hard to cover up much more than that.

I think we can apply the same thought process to our everyday relationships... minus the secrecy.

A big sliver of the happiness pie chart is trust. If one person doesn't trust the other to stay true to the "rules" of their relationship, then irrational behavior becomes the norm. You aren't trusted to go out on a bender with your friends, to meet the gals/guys in Las Vegas, to run into an ex accidentally, carry a conversation with her and act friendly even in the slightest way--men and women both do this--suddenly treating the other like a piece of property. "Hey bitch, that's my man," or, "I don't want you talking to that dickhead."

Damn, seriously? Grow up or get out of my life.

If you trust someone enough that you want to spend the rest of your life together, then you should trust them with these ultimately petty situations. Problem is you can't. You can't because you have no idea what love really is--you don't know yourself, what you want or where you're going--so you don't have any clue what kind of partner works for you. And, because you're in a mad rush to get married and/or have kids, your life equation looks like this:

W x F = P
W = Weddings
F = Frequency of Her/My Girlfriends Having Them
P = Pressure to Marry

You commit the act of accepting a life of unsuccessfully but constantly trying to hammer a round peg into a square hole--neither of you are right for each other, but you believe you can shape the other. Now, change and sacrifice are a healthy part of a good relationship, but the degree to which most of you want your "other" to change is irrational, but instead of the risk of not finding real love, you engage in the ultimate rationalization of a completely irrational act by getting all wedded up for a life of frustration, complaints, constantly picking on each other in public (yes, you pick on the one you like, on the playground in 3rd grade! If you're doing this constantly as an adult, you're not in love), hours in separate rooms watching separate television shows (by the way, if you already spend most every night doing nothing but watching TV and you're not married yet... you're not in love) and probably, some degree of "cheating" because flirting, winking, sexing or having a friend of the opposite sex gives oxygen to the smoldering embers of mistrust that have always been a massive slice of your relationship pie chart, whether you admit it or not.

I don't think everyone gets it wrong. We all, hopefully, have examples of ideal couples in our lives--we want to be like them. In fact, we want to be like them enough that we believe we are without stepping back to look at why we get so frustrated with each other or partake in a jealous fit of rage or name calling when some trivial thing goes awry. Guess what? Just like a driver on the road might not have seen you in a blind spot, therefore didn't cut you off intentionally, a lot of people aren't in the business of intentionally being mean to each other. Just remember, it's one thing if it happens periodically in unique ways, it's another if it's normal behavior. The first is a mistake. The last is an asshole.

In this conversation that I was having the other day, repeated irrational behavior was rationalized by one person claiming to "understand" the reasons for the other person's behavior. A valid statement, but not rational, not enough to make it acceptable behavior. As adults, emotionally immature behavior is simply childish. So, why is it being rationalized? Guilt? Fear? Convenience? Yeah, it's probably a combination of not wanting to be alone, enjoying the convenience of the relationship and, perhaps, retribution for some offense that one person committed to the other. On this last point, you can't have trust if you aren't honest with each other. You'd think that would be obvious, but it's so obviously and frequently not.

Don't confuse guilt with love.
Don't confuse fear with love.
Don't confuse convenience with love.

[Words of advice should you ever date me: I don't intend to offend you. If I do then please consider it a learning opportunity for us both and teach me. And when teaching me, skip the part where you think I'm the biggest slime-ball asshole in the world and get right to why you were offended. Nothing aggravates me more than being told I'm loved to being told I'm a piece of crap. 'Cause if you really feel the latter then it's time for you to leave.]

So, if the traditional template of a relationship is broken for most, and the number of divorces pretty much points to this fact, why don't we change the template?

We already do this with friends; we have one person that we spend most of our time and conversations with, but we've one or two others that fill-in or provide a completely different support function aside from the "best friend."

Can we do this with love, too?

Think about it.

62/64: Aleph by Coelho

2011-10-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

62/64: Aleph by Coelho, 1/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Low / Made Me Think: Low

Image via WikipediaI don't think I've enjoyed a Coelho book since The Alchemist, which inspired me to tell my own story... and to correct what I believe to be the real power of the elements in our lives. I suppose I can also give some love to Brida as an entertaining read. Reading Aleph, I constantly felt bombarded by the seemingly pompous nature of the author; as much as he is a "believer" in the religious and spiritual mysteries of the world, he sure negates them a lot. Perhaps he gets bombarded by every person in the world who feels a connection, but dude... you wrote the popular fucking books about it, accept the role that you've been given and stop being such as ass.

I did love this passage you wrote, however:

“I love you because all the loves in the world are like different rivers flowing into the same lake, where they meet and are transformed into a single love that becomes rain and blesses the earth.”

2 BOOKS TO GO!

Book #61 = The Havana Room by Harrison, 3/5 Stars
Book #60 = The Book of Joe by Tropper, 3/5 Stars
Book #59 = The Summerhouse by Deveraux, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #58 = How to Talk to a Widower by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #55 = The War of Art by Pressfield, 3/5 Stars

Book #53 = Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

begin angelic singing...

2011-10-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Current distance corkthrow champ!

2011-10-21T20:57:00.001-07:00

time 2 start a party wkend w/ mi vino favoritivo!

2011-10-21T15:24:00.001-07:00

naked blue machine

2011-10-21T11:32:00.001-07:00

10 years ago...

2011-10-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Image by Pierre J. via FlickrMy Dad asked me this morning, "If 10 years ago, you knew what you know today, where would you be on your journey?"

First thing I had to do was figure out where I was 10 years ago...

Stacy and I were nearing the end of our 4-odd years of being in and out of a relationship together. We questioned whether we'd actually ever be happy apart because we kept coming back together. So, we decided to spend the days before Thanksgiving in Hawaii with an intent to really focus on the things that we liked about each other, the things that we thought were important and the things that we felt were missing. I remember flying home and everything was closed; we settled for eating hot dogs as our Thanksgiving meal.

A month later I was on a plane to Indiana as Claire's date to a holiday party. We'd been trading emails, IMs, phone calls and texts for a year and a half and it was time for us to meet. Claire had many of the things that I thought I wanted, but had never experienced: fashion sense, world traveling experience, attitude, flair, a design-type with huge dreams about a career that she was willing to pull up all the tent pegs to pursue--a lot like me.

What was different between her and Stacy, at the time, drove me to experience more with Claire, but ultimately helped me realize that the kind, motherly, sometimes comical nature of Stacy was just as important as Claire's experience in the world.

And that knowledge in the above paragraph makes this question hard to answer. As difficult as my year and a half with Claire was--a heart-ripping, soul-trying, dehydrating, physically-wearing 18 months--I love that time most in my life than practically any other. Why? I learned more about who I am in my time with her--the depth of my emotional and physical well--than with anyone that I've ever been with before or since. That knowledge is invaluable. Until you've been pushed to your limits you cannot know what you are capable of enduring or, on the flip side, what you are capable of accomplishing.

I remember laying on the floor speaking to Claire's mom. I had no tears left to cry, but my body refused to cease trying. I had no words that I could form and speak with any hint of comprehension. Her mom just sat there and listened, consoled me, held me in her arms from afar, shed a few tears of her own and finally said, "You have to leave her. You have to. Before it kills you."

With some help with friends, I climbed up out of my deep, dark empty well (it took a few years) and started to write. And, as I wrote, I learned that it was what I'm meant to do.

So, to answer my Pop's question, where would I be on my journey?

As much as I move around to experience new things, I likely wouldn't be where I am right now. I wouldn't have sold a condo somewhere or maybe I would have stayed in a condo longer somewhere or wouldn't have purchased a condo somewhere or maybe I wouldn't have run from the hard work with a good woman who I started dating when I first returned to my home town... who knows... but I've loved every trip that I've taken in the past 10 years (and there are a few that I should have taken that I didn't).

There are two clear decisions that I might change: not returning to someone that I really had a connection with when I left San Diego to "change the country" in DC and purchasing this anchor of a mortgage that makes it hard to continuously travel the world, as I'd really just rather do right now. I have no regrets, and the friends, family and experiences that are in my life because of where I am are fantastic; don't want to take anything away from them at all, but I'm struggling to realize my full potential here, and the struggle hasn't been the type that makes for great writing, makes more for poor health and a chubby beer belly.

She was here last night...

2011-10-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Image by primatage via FlickrShe came to me again last night, seemingly in a different form than I've ever seen her before. Hair, not long enough to really be messy, wrapped around her face, strands here and there tickling the grin that she kept sending my way, but never hiding the beauty mark at the peak of her cheek. Last night she was a brunette with mysterious eyes, floating on a wind that she seemingly controlled with her mind; a chariot that teased all who saw her pass. In her silence she told me much, as if her presence in my dream was another sign that was meant to point me in the right direction. Her stature was great though her frame small; a spring-loaded soul capable of sitting idly next to the warmth of a fire or shooting meteors from her eyes to burn holes through those who would dare to impede her path--she's the type of woman you want next to you in a fight or at a fair.

Who does she look like? No one that I can think of. When she comes I don't recall her coming in the same look, often the same shape, definitely the same soul, but not always the same look. I am convinced that should I ever cross her path (or, of course, should she ever cross mine) that I'd know her, that I'd walk up to her in some nervous, dorky manner and say the thing that would seem most strange to every other woman except for her. She'd know.

And that would begin a lifetime of getting to know each other.

grandma always said...

2011-10-16T00:38:00.000-07:00

hash...

2011-10-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

GO HAWKS!!!

2011-10-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Books 60 & 61 of 2011's goal of 64

2011-10-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

61/64: The Havana Room by Harrison, 3/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Med / Made Me Think: Low

Harrison is probably one of the most detailed writers that I read. I can see where his vocabulary and attention to detail could ward off those that typically read authors that write at the 6th-grade level (like Grisham or Patterson). Over the years I tended more toward Koontz than King because his vocabulary was much more enjoyable. For those that don't know, most of what we read each day--the stuff like advertising that's posed to the masses--should be written at an 8th-grade reading level: the average reading level of the U.S. Okay, enough about writing stuff, this book was a fun ride, though I did see what was coming fairly early on, but still, it was a good way to kill an afternoon or two.

Cover of The Book of Joe

60/64: The Book of Joe by Tropper, 3/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Med / Made Me Think: Med

Best thing I liked about this book: the protagonist (if you could call him that) was a writer. Three cheers, three beers and a heartfelt poem of love for the writer! (Sorry.) Unfortunately, he was also an asshole. I enjoyed the tale because I enjoy Tropper's style, but it definitely was not on the order of Everything Changes, my favorite of his books.

3 BOOKS TO GO!

Book #59 = The Summerhouse by Deveraux, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #58 = How to Talk to a Widower by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #55 = The War of Art by Pressfield, 3/5 Stars

Book #53 = Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

she's trying to sneak up on me

2011-10-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Thing about me #294

2011-10-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

294. A writer and his wine can never be trusted.

Image via Wikipedia

59/64: The Summerhouse

2011-10-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

59/64: The Summerhouse by Deveraux, 3.5/5 Stars

Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: Med

On the recommendation of a great friend and fellow avid reader, I picked up The Summerhouse at the library. A different friend saw it on my nightstand and said, "Isn't she a romance writer?" I had no idea, so I said so, then remembered when my roommate's girlfriend gave him crap when she saw Sex & the City 2 on the DVR. "It's Bob," he said, "and his research." Yes, research. I write about love, so I like to see how others tell their stories.

I really enjoyed this book aside from a few chapters here and there that were too sappy for my taste. Why did I like it? Probably because it was a nice mix of reality and fantasy, which is what we bounce between when we think of love anyway.

5 BOOKS TO GO!

Book #58 = How to Talk to a Widower by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #55 = The War of Art by Pressfield, 3/5 Stars

Book #53 = Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

Thing about me #373

2011-10-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

373. I prefer a silent mountain to a deserted island.

lunch by the creek

2011-10-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Books 55-58 of 2011's 64

2011-10-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

58/64: How to Talk to a Widower by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: High

Am I reading a lot of books about death lately, or what? I chalk it up to another mechanism of the metaphysical universe: either I've been surrounded by too much death lately (and I have) and death beckons these books, or the books listen to my life and they present themselves contextually (ooo, there may be a short story there).

Tropper and Charles Martin have taken over as my two favorite authors, eclipsing the entertainment that Koontz and King once provided--the 4 are all stellar writers of non-fiction, but the previous 2 hit me so much more smack-dab in the heart that I can't help but love them... as I am a writer of the heart, as well. Once published, I believe you'll see how they've all influenced my work.

Anyway, this Tropper tale started slowly for me, but really came strong down the stretch and I very much enjoyed it. I'm learning that I love stories about seriously dysfunctional families; they make me laugh out loud.

57/64: The Postmortal by Magary, 2.5/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Med / Made Me Think: Med

Excellent plot. Well introduced. Reminded me a lot of recently-read Brooks' 2030, but about halfway through the book it turned to the left when I figured it would turn to the right like so many other books. I appreciate that. In fact, I think we should always appreciate it when he good guy or the underdog doesn't win; it's too often that we get exactly what we expect. That said, I wasn't that fond of the way the latter half of the book unwrapped, hence the rating below 3.

56/64: Risk by Harrison, 3/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Med / Made Me Think: Low

I enjoy reading Colin Harrison, but didn't enjoy this book as much as I've enjoyed some of his others. Still a short, quick and entertaining read. Excellent writer.

55/64: The War of Art by Pressfield, 3/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Med / Made Me Think: Med

I much preferred the previous Pressfield book that I read, Do the Work (see below), but this was still a good read for those that often find that taking the first step is the hardest part. And, I definitely struggle with doing so. Once I take it, however, I'm off and running for hours (or until I have a Pavlovian response to an email *bonk" or a Facebook Chat *ding* or an iPhone text message *bzzzt.*

My favorite passages from this book:

“The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.”

“We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are. More than our parents, children, teachers think we are. We fear that we actually possess the talent that our still, small voice tells us. That we actually have the guts, the perseverance, the capacity. We fear that we can steer our ship, plant our flag, reach our Promised Land. We fear this because, if it’s true, then we become estranged from all we know.”

6 BOOKS TO GO!

Book #53 = Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

Thing about me #3

2011-10-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

3. Since I started writing, I listen more closely to what people say.

54/64: Eat, Pray, Love

2011-10-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

54/64: Eat, Pray, Love by Gilbert, 4/5 Stars

Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: High

Image via WikipediaI can already hear the gallery groaning, You read WHAT?!?! Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it; I really enjoyed this book because it hit on a curiosity that I've had for many years: interest in a more spiritual religion than Christianity. I admit, however, that I hid the front cover when I was reading it alone in a bar... though, in hindsight it could have been a great conversation starter with a beautiful woman.

A few of my favorite excerpts from the book:

“To find the balance you want this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead.”

“The resting place of the mind is the heart. The only thing the mind hears all day is clanging bells and noise and argument, and all it wants is quietude. The only place the mind will ever find peace is inside the silence of the heart.”

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.”

"Most of humanity have eyes that are so caked shut with the dust of deception they will never see the truth, no matter who tries to help them. A few others are so naturally clear-eyed and calm already that they need no instruction or assistance whatsoever. But then there are those whose eyes are just slightly caked with dust, and who might, with the help of the right master, be taught to see more clearly someday."

10 BOOKS TO GO!

Book #53 = Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

found on my walk this morning

2011-10-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Momentarily Ever After

2011-09-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

This poem comes to you after three weeks that demanded much thought while I was traveling between Kansas City, New York City, Portland (and Cannon Beach) and Chicago. The amazing sunset that I saw while on the coast of Oregon felt like a destination--one that I'd set out to reach years ago--and as orange changed to yellow then flashed a spot of green before the chilly wind consumed the heat of the day, I felt like I'd arrived, perhaps more like I'd made it back. So, this poem really combines my thoughts about three women (you may see the different emotions that they've contributed): the one who has come back, the one who rarely leaves her tower, and the one who is silent.

It lingers on mornings when you've just departed--
This residue from a lifelong dream--
Like one fateful day in September,
When so much was lost,
And years of complacence
Were forever shattered.

No need to run again that race,
Despite great distance to finish,
For actualization trumps competition.
Like the vast sky above
Our run against time persists.
Blue sky and perfect weather--
These the daily wish--
Blind hope when we wake each day...
But not the dream. Not the dream.
Dreams are much more
Than what you see or where you are.
Dreams are not needs, but wishes
When we pray to a greater power, or
Wait anxiously to hitch upon a star, or
Try against might not to blink
As the wind takes over
What the sun left behind.

Dreams require effort to reach, by nature.
If you claim to live a dream each day,
You dare live too little, and
Dream not enough, I daresay.

Listless dreamer,
As you gaze dreamily
Into the comfort of your blue sky,
Dither not in autumn-scented flannel
Clutching a silk-lined blanket.
Seek instead, more special moments--
Instances of surprise and emotional grandeur--
That form the reasons we live,
Debatable inventions of our memories,
Wings of our tales.

I, too, long for my perfect sky,
Though I prefer all its emotions:
Lilies that stretch for the morning offer,
Tantrum of an angered wife,
Quiet rhythm of rain's elevator music,
Soul's tomb of alabaster silence.

Live to find surprise in these unpredictable moments,
And love them, like
I love to hear the staccato of your breath,
Inseparable spoons in a bed of feathers,
Holding each other like braided hair.
Verbal goodbyes though souls never part,
As we simultaneously look back over our shoulders
For one last, it’s-the-little-things wave.
These are the moments
When stars sit anxiously in the sky,
To watch us pass them by.

Image via Wikipedia
Forever will I travel,
In orbit of your heart.
Compass that points,
North to the true you.

Long not to stay.
When we burn,
They fade away.
Some love to last,
Others just the day.

When I can’t breathe your breath
Or your lungs alive from mine,
Life grows fat with desperation,
This world that’s not in your eyes.

We are not to run that race again
Even when healed by time—
Good memories grown and bad wilted away—
Truthful dreams revive moments
Embraced in passion’s flame.
Each kiss a word on a page in a lifelong story
For us…
Between all the others.

Momentarily ever after.

Thing about me #175

2011-09-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

175. The greatest gift you can ever give me is your time.

Image via Wikipedia

Tailgating at NIU w/ Laney!

2011-09-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

nice seats! go usa!

2011-09-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Photo from a loyal reader...

2011-09-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

A fan attached this photo in an email, claiming it defines me well...

What do you think?

53/64: Tuesdays with Morrie

2011-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

53/64: Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom, 4.5/5 Stars

Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: High

I picked up this book when I left my aunt's house earlier in the summer. She said to me, "Take as many of those books as you want. They're all going to Goodwill!" I picked up two books; this is one of them. I'd been carrying it around for a month, maybe a little longer, but finally cracked it open on a flight from New York to Dallas. About halfway through the book, a boarding pass stub fell out of it... for my recently departed uncle. Jim has made his presence known since he left us, several times when I was still in his house and a couple of times in my own house. I welcome his presence, Jim was a good man. Given the content of the book, it was especially moving to know that he was the last one who read it, and read it on a flight back to his home. And, although, I wasn't headed toward my own home, his memory made me feel at home... and maybe, an airplane really is a second home for my nomadic soul.

A few of my favorite excerpts from the book:

“We're too involved in materialistic things and they don't satisfy us. The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted.”

“Because if you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can't wait until 65.”

“As long as we can love each other, and remember the love we had, we can die without every really going away. All the love you created is still there. You live on--in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here. Death ends life, not a relationship.”

Book #52 = Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Book #51 = Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

ecola pt

2011-09-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

heading to ecola pt

2011-09-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Thing about me #381

2011-09-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

381. Do I have a problem with always wanting what I can't have?

No. I never think I can't actually have what I want.

20min to sunset: cannon beach, or

2011-09-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Books 50-52 of 64

2011-09-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

52/64: Delivering Happiness by Hsieh, 2/5 Stars

Entertained Me: Low / Made Me Think: Med

For the poetic culture that has been described at Zappo's, this book (hopefully) doesn't nearly do it justice. I realize that the CEO wrote it without a real editor--simply told the stories that he wanted to tell--and that's why it really fell flat to me. Now that I've slammed it a bit, there were plenty of things that I took from it. In fact, it was one of those books that really had me noodling on an idea that's been percolating in my head for many weeks. I constantly put down the book to note the things that were spinning around in my head. So, I thank it for that.

51/64: Young Men and Fire by MacLean, 1/5 Stars
Entertained Me: Low / Made Me Think: Low

This book about Smoke Jumpers was recommended to me by a gentleman I spoke with in a bar a few weeks ago. I rarely refuse to finish a book, but this one finally got to me with all the boring details about fire. I now know that he and I don't enjoy the same kinds of books... and that's okay!

50/64: Do the Work by Pressfield, 4/5 Stars
Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: High

Brilliant, thought-provoking book about pushing through the resistance to your creative dreams. Very quick, power-packed read that all right brains should complete.

"A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It's only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and over think and hesitate. Don't think. Act."

Book #47 = Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars

Book #46 = A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars

Book #45 = A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

Thing about me #380

2011-09-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

380. I move silently so it's hard to remember
that you don't know you're in my way.

the rock(s) at cannon beach, OR

2011-09-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

baby, i'm a star!

2011-09-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

feast de san gennaro! little italy!

2011-09-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the moon

2011-09-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

I've been traveling a lot the last few weeks and the moon has come with me. I feel it over my shoulder. I'll wake up in the middle of the night, open my eyes and it will be peering through my window. I'll sit down for dinner and it will watch me between the sliver of sky between two of New York's taller buildings. So, Moon, this poem is for you...

Image via Wikipedia

My Moon

Omnipresent moon--
A spy with no speech.
Blatantly follow.
Beckon our faces.
Illuminate thoughts.
Implore the truth,
On this night of lies.

Damn you, moon.
In your gaze revealed,
Confessions now known.
Penetrate our porous layer
With your stare.
Cringe of guilt.
Mark to see.
Like the powdery circles
On your cheeks and mine--
Ashen rouge of deceit.

If untrue to you,
In truth we cannot be.

Oh moon, you live
In the limbs of trees,
Between brick and steel,
Reflected on water,
And mirrored in glass…
To find me.
To judge me.

Tonight, moon,
Just you and I.
Ride on my shoulder.
Look into my eyes.
Hear my words—
Especially when I howl—
But say nothing in return.
Nothing you say
Can ever be heard…
I know.

Oh trusted moon,
Keep my secrets.

To you, moon, I am true.
Should ever there be a night
When I cannot reflect your light,
I will make it up to you.
For I know your secret…

Woe is the bright moon
With too few waves to inspire.

My Moon

2011-09-15T06:04:00.001-07:00

Woe is the bright moon with too few waves to inspire.

Image via Wikipedia

today's office view

2011-09-13T08:10:00.001-07:00

FREEDOM!!! (tower)

2011-09-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

Misty Morning

2011-09-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Ran the mist off the beach,

Before I ran out of steam.

this is san diego to me: fish tacos!

2011-09-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

TESLA!

2011-09-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

feets of fire!!!

2011-09-04T19:37:00.001-07:00

meet ellie!!!

2011-09-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

danger will robinson!

2011-09-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

and i know it.

2011-08-27T16:21:00.001-07:00

Remind me...

2011-08-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

I promised someone that I'd write her a poem for her birthday.

Books 46 & 47 of 2011's 64

2011-08-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

47/64: Everything Changes by Tropper, 4/5 Stars
Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: High

With the very first paragraph of this book I was captivated. Why? Because for the past few weeks (maybe even months) I've been waking up to sense an invisible form next to me in bed--a longing for a reality that simply isn't there. Here, I adapted the first paragraph to show you what I mean:

"I instinctively reach over for her, but it isn't her, of course, it's no one. There have been a few brief times when it was her. And yet, lately, whenever I wake up, my first, dazed instinct, before real life comes back into focus, is to assume that it's her in the bed beside me. I suppose that in my dreams, not the one or two that I can recall, but the millions that vanish into oblivion like flies when you've barely even begun to move your cupped, ready hand in their direction, in those dreams, she must be mine, over and over again. So there's always this vaguely troubling notion when I wake up like this, this sense that I've somehow been transported to an alternate universe where my life took a left instead of a right because of some seemingly insignificant yet cosmically crucial choice I made, about a girl or a kiss or a date or a job or which Starbucks I went to... something."

This book had 5 stars written all over it through the first few chapters. Its characters were slices of all the parts of my life. But then, I started to see--maybe to feel--myself creeping back into the dark (You know what I mean? I haven't shared many of those dark words with y'all yet, but they've been written). The last couple of years haven't been easy, but I'm not there anymore. The book was me. And because it's me and I'm not yet back to full steam, I can't give it 5 stars. So, I could see myself doing those things because I'd considered some pretty crazy things to get others to understand me. I had to recover from that while reading (I had a hard time putting it down. Finished it in 24 hours). Enough said. On to the end, which is probably an account to how things will work out for me someday, not literally, but in a great and immediate similar surprise as two people suddenly see eye to eye... as I wake up to find not the invisible form, but the real woman in bed next to me.

46/64: A Brave New World by Huxley, 2/5 Stars
Entertained Me: Med / Made Me Think: Med

It surprises me how the books that I enjoyed in my younger years do little for me now that I've grown older. Reading ABNW this time around felt disjointed. It failed to live up to the greatness that I remember. But, so go many things in life, right?

Book #44 = The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #43 = The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

In the words of Tropper...

2011-08-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

I sometimes feel this way...

"You're out at a bar on a cold Friday night with your two best friends, feeling inferior and hopeless because one is the indisputable stud and the other is newly married and just along for nostalgia's sake, to bask in the utter irrelevance of it all. So one has nothing at stake and the other has nothing to prove and you're in the middle, with plenty at stake and everything to prove and no real prospects of success. It's been eight months since your last relationship and six months since you've had any kind of sex, and that was of the desperate, rebounding nature, and you're starting to feel invisible in the Big City, wishing you could go back home to your small town, where it was so much easier and the girls were so much more approachable, so much less jaded. Except that you don't come from a small town; you come from here, or, at best, a soulless suburb of here, and there's nowhere to go back to, so you're just going to have to soldier on, get over your fear of rejection, and find someone who will somehow recognize that thing in you, that thing you can't even recognize in yourself but you know is there, that will make you seem like a worthwhile investment, the thing that will somehow inspire a woman to take you home and exchange fluids and then stories and then secrets, in the hope of finding a love that will fill you both up to the point where you can stop looking for it."

- Jonathan Tropper, Everything Changes

matthews and reynolds at #farmaid

2011-08-13T17:57:00.001-07:00

u said it...

2011-08-13T12:45:00.001-07:00

new handmade, wooden phone charger!

2011-08-09T18:57:00.001-07:00

drink local

2011-08-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

can u say hot?

2011-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Are you following me?

2011-08-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

In late August of 2001, I tried to call my Mom from "The Top of the World." A few weeks later, friends and family still had postcards from the World Trade Center on their refrigerators when the World Trade Center did no longer exist. That may have been the last time I ever sent postcards from my travels.

Image by Joshua Schwimmer via Flickr

In early July of 2011 (a month ago), I spent a few days in Oslo for a conference; walked the streets where the bomb would explode a few weeks later.

In the past 45 days, I've lost a lifelong friend's little brother, a friend from high school who fought bravely for years against breast cancer and a beloved uncle who always had advice to give and a joke to tell.

So I ask again, "Death, are you following me?"

This weekend I thought about the words that I would have wanted to share if I was to suddenly find myself in a difference place and on a different path.

Do not mourn for what I meant to be,

I lived fully and experienced much.

Do not wonder of my regret,

I learned more from failure than success.

Do not think I never found love,

I always had you in my heart.

Mourn briefly for the smiles my life gave to you

Over the perfect flavors of wine and thought.

And set about to live one day of your life like mine,

By coddling nomadic dreams

To experience something new--

A culture, a coffee, a conversation.

Soulfully wondering over questions

That we were never able to answer--

That we never cared to answer--

Because we learned always to love the journey

And the destination...

When we happened upon it.

And if answers should fall upon your lap,

Send them back to me on the sea

And laugh once you realize

They may have come to you

From me.

The load in my drawers...

2011-07-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have a problem in my home: I've reached the capacity of boxers and socks that my underwear drawer can handle.

Image by sunshinecity via Flickr

The decision that must be made:

Should I toss some of my boxers, some of my socks or a little bit of both?
Or, should I simply acquire more space for the boxers, the socks or for both?
I suppose there could be a third option, where I could eliminate some of the older undergarments and clear the way for new ones by splitting them into separate socks and boxer drawers.
Do nothing and see what happens?

My socks, in their infinite wisdom thought that they could solve the problem by getting together and deciding to match. Unfortunately, though there are a lot of them, their colors are different enough that matching is a bit of a challenge--an impossibility, really. But, not only that, they're unwilling to compromise with the boxers at all. (Let's be honest, boxers and socks have been fighting for attention since about 1860... that's even longer than the boxers vs. briefs debate).

The socks say, "You're already spending waaaaaay too much on boxers. In fact, we need to get rid of a lot of boxers to make room for all these new socks."

The boxers say, "Why don't we compromise and cut out some of the more worn articles of clothing (holes in the toes and worn elastic bands), and think about how we can make way for future expansion."

The socks, still trying to get to a place where they all match, are so inwardly focused that they are incapable of compromise. I peeked into the drawer where they were conversing and I was astonished to see that they'd all worn holes in themselves! They can't even agree with each other, let alone work on an agreement with the boxers! RIDICULOUS!

Meanwhile, the boxers have gone public--they've placed a sign on the drawer unit that says, "Will someone please call the socks and tell them how lame they are?"

GO BOXERS!

The boxers are willing to agree to cutting some of the older garments, but they also want to look to the future and pave the way for progress by raising rent payments to increase the coffers.

I tried to intervene by asking them all to consider a simple, logical plan: Get rid of the socks that don't match, toss out the boxers that are past their prime, leave the everyday socks and boxers where they are, and move the silk boxers and dress socks into the penthouse drawer in the top shelf and charge them a bit more in rent.

Can someone do the laundry? Can the washing machine "eat" a few of the socks? To tell you the truth, the socks and boxers have pissed me off enough that I think I'll go commando and wear flip-flops until the next paycheck... and, at such time, I'll replace them all.

PS: I've discovered something I never wanted to know: people actually post pictures of the underwear drawers online. Why?

it only comes out once per year and it only lasts a few weeks

2011-07-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Books 44 & 45 of 2011's 64

2011-07-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

45/64: A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, 2/5 Stars
Entertained Me: Low / Made Me Think: Med

Cover of The Art of Racing in the RainI struggled through this book even though I love listening to or reading Pink's blog posts. The reason? I think it was because I already knew what this book was about. But also, this is the first book that I've read that simply didn't format well to the Kindle. I read half of it 3 months ago and, finally, the other half this week.

44/64: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Stein, 3.5/5 Stars
Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: Med

Took about 25% of the tale before I became wound up in it. Turns out it's a great story that's very easy to read, incorporates the underdog, perseverance and the American Dream--good entertainment value. After finishing this book, I went to my parents' house and spent some quality time with Waylon the dog!

Book #42 = The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, 2/5 Stars

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars

Book #31 = Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, 5/5 Stars

5 reasons why I'm not writing...

2011-07-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

Image by Adams K. via Flickr5. Reading too much, likely, to make up for not reading enough last year. In other words, all my free time has my nose in another book, not with a proverbial pen in hand.

4. Unfortunately thinking: so much complete, but so much yet to say. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Though, my busy mind may never see it and I should just accept that truth.

3. Been kinda quiet inside my head lately. No lovely ladies orbiting around my earth.

2. Spending so many hours in front of my laptop working that writing in front of it never sounds like fun.

1. That g'damn television in the living room. If not for the roommate, I wouldn't have one that was connected to any programming.

43/64: The Mountain Between Us

2011-07-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Cover of The Mountain Between Us: A Novel43/64: The Mountain Between Us by Martin, 4.5/5 Stars
Entertained Me: High / Made Me Think: High

Loved this latest book by one of my favorite authors, Charles Martin. Completely surprised the crap out of me at the end; didn't see it coming. Simply love the way that Martin describes love, writes his female characters as strong, sassy and smart--I fall in love with every single damn one of them. When I got to about 75% complete, I had to make the mad race to the end and couldn't put it down again. Keep writing, Charles!

Book #41 = The Devil in the White City by Larson, 3/5 Stars

Book #40 = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, 3.5/5 Stars

Book #38 = The Accidental Tourist by Tyler, 2/5 Stars

Book #37 = Room With a View by Forster, 1.5 Stars