"Let's call the whole thing off..." Peter, Bjorn and John
I am out of control and must be stopped. I have realized two things lately. One is that I have very good taste in music. I don't want to be grand about this, but I do. I was fed up with my iPod, a 4GB Nano that came out a couple of years ago, so I deleted everything on it and reloaded it with music that I have purchased or acquired through legal means, but not had the chance to really sit and listen to. Bands that made the cut: Au Revoir Simone, Hot Bitch Arsenal, Headlights, Jose Gonzalez, Peter Bjorn and John, Great Northern, Aloha, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Clientele, Benjy Ferree, Benoit Pioulard, Blonde Redhead, Brown Recluse, Dosh, Ghislain Poirer, Girl In a Coma, The Ike Reilly Assassination, Jukebox the Ghost, Matt Pond PA, Mew, The Ocean Blue (ahh the nineties indie scene), Pizzicato Five, Sigur Ros, and Via Audio. There are many more on there but that is a sample. The result is a great mix of sounds and music and I have to say that I don't understand how radio stations can still be in business when the portable MP3 player is so cheap.
The other thing I realized is that I am so behind on my reading that I am not sure when I will catch up and get anything completed. Here is a list of books started, at least a hundred pages in, and unfinished:
Kenzaburo Oe, "Somersault". This one is quickly becoming a thorn in my side. I started it a couple of years ago, set it down, restarted it, and made some progress then I stalled out during a vivid description of anal penetration. It has been slow going since then.
China Mieville, "Un Lun Dun". It's a young adult story. A girl finds out she is the "chosen" and gets whisked away to a Un-London. A place where trash walks and people wear stories as clothing. It is written a little to preciously for me and I have a bit of a hard time getting into it. I think it is very similar in its feel to "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman and since I just read that a year ago I am having trouble with getting into the PG-13 version of it.
Umberto Eco, "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana". A man loses his memory about his life, doesn't know his name, or his wife or how long he has been alive, but he can remember everything he has ever read. I got bogged down when he spent 100 pages in the attic of the Italian Villa he grew up in on a long piece of exposition about WWII Literature in Italy.
Josh Emmons, "The Loss of Leon Mead". Emmons is a friend of my friend Josh. I like the book but in fairness to it, I haven't been diligent in trying to finish it.
John Dos Passos, "The 42nd Parallel". This is just my ego at its worst. I don't know how but I got interested in reading the Lost Generation and picked this up. It is absolutely amazing and I made more progress on this last night than I did on four months of Somersault. This is my most likely prospect for a strong finish.
Rebecca McClanahan, "Word Painting". This is for a writing workshop I am taking through the Writers' Digest Online Workshops. I like the book, have about 40 pages left and if it was leisure reading I would count this as my best prospect to finish, but it isn't leisure reading and I don't know if I would read it all by myself.
Philip Pullman, "The Subtle Knife". Book two of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. The first book, "Golden Compass" was turned into a movie that came out last winter. The movie was okay. Not wonderful, just okay. The second book is just taking a little time to get into and I keep setting it stupid places that I can't find right away. So again, nothing wrong with the story I just haven't given it a fair shake.
So you see the problem... here is the worst part. I keep getting books, because I see them on the street or at a used book store for a buck and half and I can't say no. So soon I will be starting "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott, and "The Stranger" by Albert Camus.
I am ridiculous. I need to be stopped. I have a lunch date with a friend from work today at noon, and then a get together with some friends this evening. Every other waking minute is going to be spent finishing the three books I am the furthest along in: namely, Oe, Eco and McClanahan.
Wish me luck.
The other thing I realized is that I am so behind on my reading that I am not sure when I will catch up and get anything completed. Here is a list of books started, at least a hundred pages in, and unfinished:
Kenzaburo Oe, "Somersault". This one is quickly becoming a thorn in my side. I started it a couple of years ago, set it down, restarted it, and made some progress then I stalled out during a vivid description of anal penetration. It has been slow going since then.
China Mieville, "Un Lun Dun". It's a young adult story. A girl finds out she is the "chosen" and gets whisked away to a Un-London. A place where trash walks and people wear stories as clothing. It is written a little to preciously for me and I have a bit of a hard time getting into it. I think it is very similar in its feel to "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman and since I just read that a year ago I am having trouble with getting into the PG-13 version of it.
Umberto Eco, "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana". A man loses his memory about his life, doesn't know his name, or his wife or how long he has been alive, but he can remember everything he has ever read. I got bogged down when he spent 100 pages in the attic of the Italian Villa he grew up in on a long piece of exposition about WWII Literature in Italy.
Josh Emmons, "The Loss of Leon Mead". Emmons is a friend of my friend Josh. I like the book but in fairness to it, I haven't been diligent in trying to finish it.
John Dos Passos, "The 42nd Parallel". This is just my ego at its worst. I don't know how but I got interested in reading the Lost Generation and picked this up. It is absolutely amazing and I made more progress on this last night than I did on four months of Somersault. This is my most likely prospect for a strong finish.
Rebecca McClanahan, "Word Painting". This is for a writing workshop I am taking through the Writers' Digest Online Workshops. I like the book, have about 40 pages left and if it was leisure reading I would count this as my best prospect to finish, but it isn't leisure reading and I don't know if I would read it all by myself.
Philip Pullman, "The Subtle Knife". Book two of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. The first book, "Golden Compass" was turned into a movie that came out last winter. The movie was okay. Not wonderful, just okay. The second book is just taking a little time to get into and I keep setting it stupid places that I can't find right away. So again, nothing wrong with the story I just haven't given it a fair shake.
So you see the problem... here is the worst part. I keep getting books, because I see them on the street or at a used book store for a buck and half and I can't say no. So soon I will be starting "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott, and "The Stranger" by Albert Camus.
I am ridiculous. I need to be stopped. I have a lunch date with a friend from work today at noon, and then a get together with some friends this evening. Every other waking minute is going to be spent finishing the three books I am the furthest along in: namely, Oe, Eco and McClanahan.
Wish me luck.
posted by V. at 9:01 AM
4 Comments:
" This is my most likely prospect for a strong finish."
This is my favorite line in this post; I'm not sure why.
Rats! Nicky beat me to it.
V--I share your pain. Books everywhere, bookmarks scattered throughout them. I'm working on Camus right now: just trying to steamroll through "The Myth of Sisyphus." (Isn't that a great way to enjoy a book? The way a three-ton road leveler would.)
Also, visited JuktheGhost myspace the other night. Pop at its finest: crisp and spry and oh-so-sweet. Thanks for the heads-up.
I started The Stranger a couple of days ago. How interesting.
V--
Not a comment but a question. Did you tell folks at trin rep to visit the VB? Got some nice feedback and wondering if you were the inside man. Thanks.
Also, Gamm Theatre this month?
And Scrabble? I'm sick of you dodging our death-match, dude. "Writing" your "soon-to-be-published" short stories and pursuing your job at a "theater" while applying to "grad" school? Sounds like a load--if you ask me.
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