Books I have Read:
Training –
1. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
2. Fury - Salmon Rushdie
3. Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
4. Twilight – Stephanie Meyer
5. The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown
6. Emma’s War - Deborah Scroggins
7. Edgar Sawtelle - Deckle Edge
8. Bitter is the New Black – Jen Lancaster
9. Adventure Divas – Holly Morris
10. Pillars of the Earth – Ken
11. Rant – Chuck Pulanik?
12. Short stories of F Scott Fitzgerald
13. Pride and Prejudice and Jasmin Field – Melissa Nathan
At Site –
1. The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain – Paul Theroux
2. Many Waters – Madeline L’engle
3. Kidnapped – Robert Lewis Stevenson
4. The Europeans – Henry James
5. Prisoner of Zenda – Anthony Hope
6. Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid – Denis Leary
7. Bella Canto – Ann Patchett
8. Speed of Dark – Elizabeth Moon
9. Tin Princess – Philip Pullman
10. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim – David Sedaris
11. Benjamin Button and 4 other stories – Penguin Modern Classics
12. Bones to Ashes – Kathy Reichs
13. Mapping the Edge – Sarah Dunant
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
yarn ahoy!
so I FINALLY have my crochet hooks - YAY!!!
in the last 3 days that i have been at home and had all my equipment, I have learned the single stitch, the half-double stitch, the double stitch, the triple stitch, stitching in the round, and the slip stitch.
I have made Penny pot holders, and I'm working on a scarf for Char.
my only issue is that the yarn I have is pretty standard, cheap stuff, and pretty large weave. it catches on itself really easily and isn't very soft for making anything wearable. I'm excited to practice on it, but can't do much outside of really itchy scarves.
does anyone have any recommendations for brands or material I should be working with?
ps. I was really excited by this website
http://www.yarn.com/
if I were in the states, I may have just found my new excess money drain.
in the last 3 days that i have been at home and had all my equipment, I have learned the single stitch, the half-double stitch, the double stitch, the triple stitch, stitching in the round, and the slip stitch.
I have made Penny pot holders, and I'm working on a scarf for Char.
my only issue is that the yarn I have is pretty standard, cheap stuff, and pretty large weave. it catches on itself really easily and isn't very soft for making anything wearable. I'm excited to practice on it, but can't do much outside of really itchy scarves.
does anyone have any recommendations for brands or material I should be working with?
ps. I was really excited by this website
http://www.yarn.com/
if I were in the states, I may have just found my new excess money drain.
sci-fi stretch
does anyone else think that Orson Scott Card's 'philotic network' sound a LOT like string theory?
book review 1
F Scott Fitzgerald - Collection of short stories
I borrowed this book recognizing the author's name, but not remembering the reason it stands out so clearly in my head is because I HATED Great Gatsby. But, running out of options, I decided it was better than nothing.
Begrudgingly, I read the prefaces that explained why each story was chosen and what influenced Scotty at the time. This, at least, intrigued me. With Fitzgerald's history and world view laid out before me, I could approach his work with a different perspective than I did in 11th grade. Not that this retrospectively muted my loathing of Gatsby...
F Scott's verbal portrait of his peers and zeitgeist is almost Picassan. Unlike vague and unrecognizable abstract art, there is a clear image underneath the exaggerated figures. Fitzgerald's focus of vanity, futility of wealth, and frustrations of the middle class highlight the essence of the time in a manner truer than most history texts can portray. And, in small doses, are palatable. Gatsby is like eating Cassava root - dense with hints of flavor and requires far too much cutting into to be edible. Also, it sucks all the liquid out of your mouth and leaves you craving something refreshing.
The short stories are compact enough that you can absorb Scott's wit and be amused at his cynicism without being weighed down by it. You can see the truth under the symbolism without too much mastication, but the longer you chew on it, the more juice is released - like a good piece of gum.
If you liked Gatsby, I recommend exploring Fitzgerald’s earlier and later works that and earned him the title of "America's greatest short story writer". And read the history - it adds to the symbolism without prejudicing you too much.
If you hated Gatsby, join me in a bonfire upon returning to the states. In the meantime, I encourage you to try these smaller pieces and see if they resonate a little better.
(if you're a PCV, honestly, what else are you going to do with your time?)
The Short Stories of F Scott Fitzgerald
I borrowed this book recognizing the author's name, but not remembering the reason it stands out so clearly in my head is because I HATED Great Gatsby. But, running out of options, I decided it was better than nothing.
Begrudgingly, I read the prefaces that explained why each story was chosen and what influenced Scotty at the time. This, at least, intrigued me. With Fitzgerald's history and world view laid out before me, I could approach his work with a different perspective than I did in 11th grade. Not that this retrospectively muted my loathing of Gatsby...
F Scott's verbal portrait of his peers and zeitgeist is almost Picassan. Unlike vague and unrecognizable abstract art, there is a clear image underneath the exaggerated figures. Fitzgerald's focus of vanity, futility of wealth, and frustrations of the middle class highlight the essence of the time in a manner truer than most history texts can portray. And, in small doses, are palatable. Gatsby is like eating Cassava root - dense with hints of flavor and requires far too much cutting into to be edible. Also, it sucks all the liquid out of your mouth and leaves you craving something refreshing.
The short stories are compact enough that you can absorb Scott's wit and be amused at his cynicism without being weighed down by it. You can see the truth under the symbolism without too much mastication, but the longer you chew on it, the more juice is released - like a good piece of gum.
If you liked Gatsby, I recommend exploring Fitzgerald’s earlier and later works that and earned him the title of "America's greatest short story writer". And read the history - it adds to the symbolism without prejudicing you too much.
If you hated Gatsby, join me in a bonfire upon returning to the states. In the meantime, I encourage you to try these smaller pieces and see if they resonate a little better.
(if you're a PCV, honestly, what else are you going to do with your time?)
The Short Stories of F Scott Fitzgerald
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