Cynical Optimism

Following up last week’s question about reading writing/grammar guides, this week, we’re expanding the question….
Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not?
Do you ever read manuals?
How-to books?
Self-help guides?
Anything at all?




Big complicated gadget that I don't know about: heavy skim. I won't read cover to cover but I will keep it around to make sure I know what I'm doing.If i get something i already know how to use like a camera I wouldn't read it at all probably. I do read furniture instructions usually.

How to books: really only cooking books on any kind of regular basis. I know I've read a few dog training books, books on scrapbooking and photography but i don't really practice my other hobbies much so i don't read those a lot.

Self-help: hmm. I am trying to read books on depression. The problem is I really can't get to into them because reading about the symptoms, the automati…

This week's is about books you loved as a child. This, for me, is going to be a very weird list. I remember reading little kid books at maybe age 5 or so. I remember reading adult novels, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, at age 8 or so. I don't know that I had much of a "proper books for my age" stage. I remember reading a few and liking them, like Stuart Little and The Hobbit,and I remember not particularly caring for some, like Nancy Drew and Judy Blume and Sweet Valley High. I didn't get into comics until middle school so they weren't a big deal when i was really young.


So here's a random list of things I do remember loving very much and reading multiple times. Yes, I was a strange kid. I know I am forgetting a ton of books that i probably loved.

The Westing Game by Ellen Rankin, The Shining and The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg, some greek mythology book with intricate illustrations …

More work on the 1001 list. Mee at Books of Mee is hosting a challenge on the 1001 Books list. For this, you read 1 out of each section of 10, skipping any sections that you have already read a book from. End date is October 31.

01-10-skipping, I've read The Plot Against America
11-20-Lambs of London by Peter Ackroyd
21-30-The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
31-40-Youth by JM Coetzee
41-50-Don't Move by Margaret Mazzantini
51-60-Nineteen Seventy Seven by David Peace
61-70-skipping, read House of Leaves
71-80- Cryptonomicon by Neil Stephenson, also on my TBR challenge.
81-90-Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan
91-100- skipping, read Memoirs of a Geisha
Speaking of the 1001 list, I finished Foundation by Isaac Asimov yesterday. Also a book on my TBR challenge. This makes the fourth I've read by the author. Caves of Steel and Naked Sun were both murder mysteries and I, Robot and Foundation are more a series of short stories that are linked. I really liked Foundation. In a weird way i…

Movie first. R and i went to Speed Racer on Friday night at the IMAX theater here. Yes, I have since read the bad reviews. But what did they expect from a PG movie about a cheesy cartoon that includes a pet chimp? High Drama? We went to the 9:40 at night showing and we had a bunch of people our age in line, as well as several dads with kids between 8-12 who all seemed very excited. I personally really liked it. It was a candy-colored explosion. It was fun. Ridiculous car races, a great Evil Villian (though i did want to yell "England Prevails" a few times), good chemistry between the actors. Nice to see Matthew Fox as something besides intense Dr. Jack from LOST. Christina Ricci is still hot, John Goodman seems to have lost weight? A nice 5.

Speaking of V for Vendetta, R and I were headed to Noshville for breakfast (though as we slept late it was about 11 and we both felt like lunch when we got there. I had the best roast beef sandwich and they have incredible coffee too.) a…

So Carl V at Stainless Steel Droppings had an interesting conglomerate post, the first section of which was on literary tattoos. The article he linked to concerned both people's tattoos of literary works and a short story that the author tattooed onto over 2000 people, one word at a time. I had never thought about getting words tattooed on myself until that moment (i prefer black and white mandala type things when i was considering getting one) but i knew immediately what i would get:

By heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare
Any guesses what it's from?

What type of Fae are you?

For the second week of the Weekly Geekschallenge the idea is to try, going forward at least, to link to other people's reviews when you review a book that is the same. I feel like I am making it sound more complicated than it is. So I am announcing I intend to do this but I don't know how much I really will be able to. I tend to read on my own sort of whims, incorporating a lot of older stuff and not necessarily the newest best sellers or most raved about blogosphere books. I read a lot of politically progressive books as well as other non-fiction which doesn't seem to be as popular to write about.

Soooo, speaking of progressive non-fiction, i finished George Lakoff's Whose Freedomthis morning at work. It is a 7. It discusses the differences between what liberals and conservatives are saying when we speak of freedom. At only 266 pages, not counting the suggested reading and endnotes, it manages to perfectly articulate the progressive mindset. It shows what we think and…

May is off to a great start. Hit Iron Man today after work since I had a rough weekend and couldn't make it out before. Iron Man wasn't a comic I ever read; I believe the character may have wandered into a few of my X-men comics at some point but I really know almost nothing about the comics. I loved the movie. Robert Downey Jr was wonderful; I am so glad they didn't cast some young dumb face in this role. For a comic book movie it had some great themes: redemption, the purpose of life, loyalty. Sure, the effects were cool but this isn't an effects-based movie. It is character driven. Definitely a 6.
Going to catch Speed Racer on IMAX Friday night.

I am not going to call BF "BF" any more. I guess if i end up referring to him i guess I'll use "R". We've been separated for a while now but we are just in a sort of "holding pattern" with no resolution in sight. So I just have to accept it. I'm not good enough for him. He's almost definitely not going to want me around like i want him. I love him but he doesn't love me the same. He says he loves me and wants to spend time with me, and we do, and i just have to be content with that. that has to be good enough because I screwed up so badly i don't deserve anything better. I regret everything I've done for the last 9 months, every decision was wrong. This is just how it is.

So before i go on my mass media movie binge,diving into an orgy of bright lights, colors, superheroes, explosions, fast cars, talking animals and guys with whips, I decided to take in one more real movie. Another documentary, Girls Rock! is awesome! It is a film about the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, OR. Over a week of day camp, girls from 7-18 learn to play instruments, create a band, write songs, scream, dance and meet plenty of non-traditional female role models.

On the surface this could be just a fun, cool movie about kids making music. It is truly so much deeper. It is one thing to read the statistics about girls' self image and another to see a girl, maybe 10 years old, who is literally afraid to scream, to be loud. To hear the 15-yr old talk about how much she hates herself. To hear the 7-yr old's really dark lyrics or how sad the 8-yr old is because she's shunned at school. We get to see them change, open up and become free to be themselves. …