I’ve often said that deep within my soul lives a middle-aged woman who likes to throw parties. That line sums me up pretty well. I think said woman looks like an amalgam of the following two women:
Not just any photo of Meryl Streep or Margaret Atwood (who’s on Twitter – how fucking awesome is that?!!) – these particular pictures. Their poses/actions are applicable, too.
That’s all.
Reading books takes more time and represents a more significant chunk of your life than a movie-viewing experience does. Movies will take three hours from your life, tops, and they’re solitary activities where generally you’re only watching that movie. But I carry books with me for weeks (even if I’m reading quickly, I tend to read a bunch of things simultaneously), and that book immediately assumes an instant association with the period in my life when I read it.
A movie can be re-watched with little effort, but to re-read a book is very much a commitment. Reviews are thus a much more integral step in the reading process, as I’ve learned during my epic failure of completing the Cannonball Read. A review helps to encapsulate how the book affected me and what I was thus feeling and experiencing during the period in which I read it. Before attempting the Cannonball (read 100 books in a year), I don’t think I’d ever written a book review. Now I have seven snapshots of my reading history since January 1, 2009.
I was simply too ambitious in this task, and I’ll own up to that. Though one of my books was nearly 900 pages in length (the amazing, awesome I Know This Much Is True), two of them were just barely over 200 pages. Though others seemed to glide past the finish line ahead of schedule, I struggled to average one book a month. All told, though, I’m glad I tried. I got to put together a list of books I want to read, which required research and a thirst for good literature, and I probably read more than if I hadn’t at least tried the ambitious task of 100 books in a year. And that alone is a triumph for me.
The Cannonball will be back starting November 1st, and I will be participating again. The challenge has been softened considerably: 52 books in a year. One book a week. Doable, right? Enh, probably not for me. But I will try. I think the caveat I’m going to put on myself is that all 52 books must be books I already own. I have way more books than I’ve actually read, but every book I own (for the most part) is a book that I’ve wanted to read.
All in all, though I failed miserably, I’m still glad I tried at the first round. And with the promise of a monetary donation to charity if you finish 52 books, maybe I’ll actually finish the damn thing this time around.
Or, y’know, fail miserably again.
Man, how behind schedule am I??!!! Shit, man. Three books in four months? That is shit pace, y’all. I never said I was gonna be great at this. I’m reading a 250 page children’s book next. It has REALLY big type. And I powered through a 900-page book. I’ll count that as an accomplishment as someone who until finishing that book would have to answer Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix if asked what the longest book they’d ever read was.
I know I know I know, I’m a horrible person. But to those who actually read this: sorry. I’ve been terrible about updating. For some reason, I find it easier to find time to update this when I’m working and bored at work. ::shrugs:: Whoops.
But yes, I have indeed been unemployed for a month now. My post-production gig ended (and the show’s almost done airing, too), and the waters have been stagnant ever since. I’ve been fine financially-speaking for the time-being, so it’s actually been kind of nice having all this free time. Though it’s taken up until now for me to kick it into high gear and actually apply for stuff and try to write and try to power through some reading.
Basically, we always want the opposite of what we have – when I was employed, I would have KILLED for this much free time and now that I have it, I find myself longing for full-time employment just because it adds structure to my day. During these in-between bouts of unemployment, it becomes startlingly clear how bad I can be at time management.
So I’ve been admittedly slacking off for a while with intermittent bursts of productivity, but I’m trying to turn it around. Hopefully I’ll be putting this time to good use.
Onwards! Things I’ve been loving:
This music video:
LOVE LOVE LOVE this song, and the accompanying video is awesome, gorgeous, and all-around tops. I never thought I’d love Lily Allen so much, but this bodes well.
This book:
I’m only a couple dozen pages in, but so much shit goes down in this book! It’s so tense, well-written, and engrossing. And it’s 900 pages long! I have no idea how Wally Lamb can keep up the pace, but I’m excited to see him rise to the challenge.
The act of trying to get through this book:
Man, what a tome of a book this is. Snow Crash is a justifiable modern-day classic, but Anathem is an ungodly beast of a project to read. But I like the challenge. It’s one of those alternate-worlds books with a huge glossary in the back that you have to keep flipping to, but the alternate world that Stephenson creates is one where mathematicians (I think) sequester themselves from the outside world in convents. They’re like monks, but monks who do math and have philosophical discussions. Long philosophical discussions. But it’s kind of a fun project (for me, at least) to try and get through the novel. It’s another big book: over 900 pages, but there’s something oddly engrossing about the whole thing. It’s like just by writing it, Stephenson has challenged the reader to actually finish it, and I kind of want to play his game and finish the book. At least so I can say that the longest book I’ve read isn’t Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
So yeah, Cannonball hasn’t been forgotten, but um, it’s been… not a top priority, though I have absolutely no excuse with all this free time. My style of reading is to have like, ten books in progress at a time, which is how it is right now, so I’ve probably read the equivalent of a couple more books, but it’s spread out over 50-70 pages each in ten books. Whoops.
And hopefully I’ll be better about updating in here, for those who have been paying attention. :-)
I got my paycheck for last week’s work-week today. Here’s a breakdown of my week:
Regular rate: 40 hours
Regular overtime (1.5 rate): 20 hours
Doubletime: 10.5 hours
6th day rate: 12 hours
So I guess I even topped out on overtime hours, pushing me into doubletime. This is a roundabout way of explaining my total consumption by work right now… Alas, not a lot of reading has been accomplished, and general upkeep of this site has been sparse, but it seems that things are a little less crazy ’round these office parts. (Though I am thoroughly pleased with the robust check I was cut for this week.)
I have managed to watch some good TV, though, so hopefully I’ll be getting some thoughts up about the current season of Damages (loving it), the current season of Real World (FINALLY loving it again) and hopefully you’ll be seeing a Breaking Dawn review up here soon. My weekend is clear, so it’s time to detox, catch up on missed reading, and generally regenerate some forward motion. :-)
I know I know I know, I’m about to sound like that guy. The guy who apologizes for not writing on his blog and then promises lots of updates in the future.
Well… I am sorry for not writing, those half-dozen of you who read (and that’s probably being generous). But I did actually have a friend tell me that he noticed I hadn’t updated (thanks, McDuffie!) so I know at least ONE person is reading. And I’m also using the blog for a new purpose starting January 1st: that would be for the Cannonball Read. You can read about it by clicking over on the right about “The List.” But that’ll at least guarantee my being around these parts for shortish book reviews.
And I’m not promising other regular updates, but I’m at least going to promise to try.
Every year that I head towards the beginning of the year, I always come up with grandiose plans of self-improvement and other projects that I hope to accomplish. So this will all very likely fizzle away, but there is that small glimmer that it won’t, and that glimmer is what’s keeping this blog going right now. :-)
In short – I know I’ve neglected the blog. But now I’ve spiffed it up (I always like redesigns – anyone who remembers the Xanga days of high school can attest to this) and there will hopefully be some awesome content ’round these parts in the near future. For now, I’m enjoying the rest of my pseudo-vacation in Santa Rosa and am looking forward to getting back to lovely Hollywood and starting 2009 on a good, literary foot.
So, happy reading.
