Christmas Break, I Needed You: A List of Activities and Musings on Reading And Writing And Books. // December 24, 2009

Instead of thesis, which I was meant to work on over the break, I’ve been up to other shenanigans that include, and are pretty much limited to:

• Watching +/- (which will get its own post, for sure, but in the meantime, here is my Flickr set of the said event)
• Reading! Currently: “Hey Nostradamus!” by Douglas Coupland. I finished “Looking for Alaska” by John Green the other day. That’s going to get its own post, too.
• Christmas shopping. Nearly done. I’m a doofus for having waited this long. To anyone I promised Christmas cards to, you’re getting them way, way after the holidays. So you’re pretty much getting random mail, and not exactly of the Christmas sort. I hope that’s okay.
• I GOT MY FIRST FACIAL~*~* Nobody told me it would hurt like a bizatch. I have now been schooled.
• Tumblin’. That’s actually what has sucked away my time for this site. I’m sorry, domain. Nevar again! (Maybe.)

Why exactly did I update? Mostly, I wanted to write about the going-ons in my life, however trivial they are. Also, blogging here actually makes me feel like I am being at least a teensy bit productive. I actually have a lot of ideas, it’s just that other things get in the way, so I never am able to put them down here. Also, I don’t really get a lot of response, comments-wise, which is a bummer, but I’m not fishing. Just saying that I get more response over at Tumblr, but that place makes me feel like my time is being sucked away. Which is pretty accurate, if you think about it.

My friend, Sasha, actually keeps a pretty updated book blog over here, and I guess I got kind of jealous, because as you can see, she spends her time reading and writing about what she’s read and it’s kind of nice to see something great come out of something that she loves doing. One of the things that prompted me to write this is actually an entry of hers (this one!), in which she joined a challenge (this one!) to read books about books.

And I wanted to do that, too.

Having actually finished a book (I don’t get to do so very often these days) and seeing great writing over at McSweeney’s Internet Tendency (where a teenager is actually a columnist — I’m jealous) and This Recording made me rethink my reading habits (currently oscillating between until the first chapter and none) and the dream I’ve always had about being a good writer. And then I thought about how I am doing absolutely nothing about this dream. And then I thought about how sucky that is.

So, here we are. The list of books I am going to commit to reading for The 2010 Bibliophilic Books Challenge:

1. “Days of Reading” by Marcel Proust
2. “Housekeeping vs. the Dirt” by Nick Hornby
3. “Believer: Book of Writers Talking to Writers”

Committing to doing 3 first (Bookworm level), but we’ll see how it goes, since I’m hopefully graduating this year and will have some time freed up for more reading, maybe. I’m very open to suggestions, especially of the fiction variety. I saw Sasha’s list and she had Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief” on it, and I was thinking of re-reading that book, since it is very dear to me, but I want more space for new books and new words that I haven’t read yet.

So, that’s that.

 

Whoa, I suck. // December 18, 2009

The video is actually about nothing. I just decided to try out my brother’s Nikon D90′s video feature. If you are planning to watch it, please watch it in HD, so that it looks at least a little bit prettier. Also, for some sort of (attempted) continuity, the music in the video is by Don’t Forget, Clementine, whose launch I posted about in the last entry. Sadly, I wasn’t able to go to the launch, because I contracted some weird disease, but I heard it was awesome.

And also, the music was obviously ace.

(Watch the video, if you don’t believe me. And then try not to die after you hear how good they actually are.)

Here is a photograph of me holding it (Marb was nice enough to save me a copy) and another album by another friend, Steve. His band is called Klieg Lights. I can’t say that I’m as familiar with their work, but the few times I’ve seen them live, they were really good. Haven’t listened to the album yet because school is (always!) in the way.

It’s kind of depressing how these people are the same age as me, and they’ve released albums, and I have done zilch. This sounded way more articulate in my head. But I think you get the point that I am trying to make. Which, actually, follows “organic unity” (sort of) when it comes to the title, at least.

Speaking of music (kind of — earlier), I will probably do a Best of 2009 post soon, although I am hardly the authority, obviously. Speaking still of music, I am so excited for the anticipated releases of 2010. So. Much. Winning! (Did I say that right? Anyway.)

That’s really all I have to say. Today is actually the last day of classes before I go on my Christmas break, which excites me more than you can imagine.

 

DEPARTURES: Don’t Forget, Clementine’s Album Launch. // December 4, 2009

Don’t Forget, Clementine is the band of a few of my (and Paulina’s) friends. We were asked to do their album art, since they are releasing one this month. It’s called Grace, And Dragging Her Wings and the launch is actually next Saturday, December 12, 2009.

If you live near or want a copy of the album (because they are extremely good), drop by! To maybe somehow “convince” you into going, here are a few shots of the inlay. (This leads to their MySpace account, with short samples.)

I promise, we are going to have a time.

 

 

 

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