Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
My Wish List of Books.... Griffin and Sabine
Today I am ordering some books in order to take advantage of some discounts I've accrued from Borders. As I am trying to find the "perfect" book to round out my discount in the most advantageous way for me, I am remembering some books that have been on my wish list for a long time. The "must have" books that are really just fun for me.
Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine series.
Alexandria
The Morning Star
Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine series.
Alexandria
The Morning Star
I believe that I will get The Morning Star and The Gryphon today, since Amazon has them bargain listed for $4 and $6. It's hard to beat that. The rest will just have to wait, but feel free to buy them for me if you want!!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Synesthesia...
From time to time, my thoughts return to the subject of synesthesia, and right now is one of those times. Ellie recently described a song as "the black and yellow one that dances and dances and dances..." which started me thinking again.
My mom and I have had several conversations about how we see different colors or patterns when we listen to music, and how we have colors associated with pain. It appears that Eliana does some of the same.
So yesterday I was telling Robert about the conversation with Eliana and he said he didn't quite get the color thing, as he has no color associations with things. So I went onto explain that some synesthetes "taste" certain words, or how some see different months as closer or further away. Without hesitation, Robert said, "Oh, yeah, my whole calendar is a lopsided oval." I laughed out loud. I have no idea how strong a role genetics play in synesthesia, even mild synesthesia, but there are 4 of us in 3 generations with it. =D
It also got me thinking about my calendar. I laughed at Robert and his oval calendar, and said I didn't have a spacial calendar like that. But I do... Mine is linear, with some color associations. It always starts at September and stretches out kind of at an angle from me toward the right. The months have color associations, though some are stronger than others, for sure. September is a dark, cloudy blue, July is a navy blue, June is more of a royal blue, as is January. December is a light, almost glittery, blue. March is kelly green, while November is brown, and October is orange.
Certain numbers have color associations for me, too. 1 is yellow, 2 is green, 3 is red, 5 is blue, 6 is blue, 7 is yellow, 8 is orange, and 0 is black. 4 is purplish.
My week sort of works like my year, though not exactly. It starts on Monday and stretches out in front of me through Sunday. With the year, it's ALWAYS in front of me (no matter what month we're actually in) and September is always closest to me. I can "zoom" in to the month we're actually in, but when I think of the calendar, September is always first. With my week, whatever day we're in is automatically right in front of me (or I am in it, however you want to say it) and the others are in line with it, in front of or behind me. There is only ever one week. It's not like thinking of next week means that there are days after Sunday. Sunday is always the last one. So today (Sunday), the entire week stretches out behind me. Then tomorrow it will sort of move right back through me and the entire thing will stretch out in front again. What is in front of me is "this" week. So, for me, today is Sunday. That means that "next" Sunday will be on December 6. A new week starts tomorrow, though, which means that tomorrow the 6th becomes "this" Sunday and "next" Sunday will be the 13th. I have thought of it this way for as long as I can remember, but never realized until today why I have always had a communication break down when it comes to "this" Sunday and "next" Sunday (or whatever day). Now I get it. Huh.
So... there you have it. I don't know exactly what you have, other than more evidence that I'm weird, but there you have it.
My mom and I have had several conversations about how we see different colors or patterns when we listen to music, and how we have colors associated with pain. It appears that Eliana does some of the same.
So yesterday I was telling Robert about the conversation with Eliana and he said he didn't quite get the color thing, as he has no color associations with things. So I went onto explain that some synesthetes "taste" certain words, or how some see different months as closer or further away. Without hesitation, Robert said, "Oh, yeah, my whole calendar is a lopsided oval." I laughed out loud. I have no idea how strong a role genetics play in synesthesia, even mild synesthesia, but there are 4 of us in 3 generations with it. =D
It also got me thinking about my calendar. I laughed at Robert and his oval calendar, and said I didn't have a spacial calendar like that. But I do... Mine is linear, with some color associations. It always starts at September and stretches out kind of at an angle from me toward the right. The months have color associations, though some are stronger than others, for sure. September is a dark, cloudy blue, July is a navy blue, June is more of a royal blue, as is January. December is a light, almost glittery, blue. March is kelly green, while November is brown, and October is orange.
Certain numbers have color associations for me, too. 1 is yellow, 2 is green, 3 is red, 5 is blue, 6 is blue, 7 is yellow, 8 is orange, and 0 is black. 4 is purplish.
My week sort of works like my year, though not exactly. It starts on Monday and stretches out in front of me through Sunday. With the year, it's ALWAYS in front of me (no matter what month we're actually in) and September is always closest to me. I can "zoom" in to the month we're actually in, but when I think of the calendar, September is always first. With my week, whatever day we're in is automatically right in front of me (or I am in it, however you want to say it) and the others are in line with it, in front of or behind me. There is only ever one week. It's not like thinking of next week means that there are days after Sunday. Sunday is always the last one. So today (Sunday), the entire week stretches out behind me. Then tomorrow it will sort of move right back through me and the entire thing will stretch out in front again. What is in front of me is "this" week. So, for me, today is Sunday. That means that "next" Sunday will be on December 6. A new week starts tomorrow, though, which means that tomorrow the 6th becomes "this" Sunday and "next" Sunday will be the 13th. I have thought of it this way for as long as I can remember, but never realized until today why I have always had a communication break down when it comes to "this" Sunday and "next" Sunday (or whatever day). Now I get it. Huh.
So... there you have it. I don't know exactly what you have, other than more evidence that I'm weird, but there you have it.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Obedience
Obedience.... Sometimes it means doing what you need to do, even when you don't feel like it.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
30
I turned 30 this week.
It was a milestone.
And if this week is any indication, 30 is going to be a great year!
My actual birthday was pretty low-key. Ellie and I spent the day at home. She was great, played nicely, didn't whine. My mom called at 7:35am, like she does every year, my dad called, my best friend Charlotte called, and my brother called, all to wish me a happy birthday! When Leif came home he made me delicious steak for dinner. It was great! Tuesday she was at a friend's house from 9-3, so I hit the town and did some shopping! It was wonderful to have a relaxing day in town! Wednesday was busy, but great! I got everything done that I needed to in a timely manner, and even had time to take Ellie to the park! Thursday I had a brunch at my house, and then yesterday was, perhaps, the greatest day of the week... It started with Bible Study at 6. I love my morning Bible Study!! Then Ellie and I went for a walk (well, I walked, she rode her bike) around the lake and to the park. We came home and had lunch and then Erika and a babysitter showed up so we could leave Ellie and Zoe with the sitter and Erika and I went scrapbooking at Kristii's! We got home around 5, and at 6 Taylor and Leif threw me a birthday party!
Now, I haven't had a birthday party since, well, since I was in college, I think. Not since my 18th! So this was pretty special... To top it off, I had great friends there, chocolate fondue and cheesecake for dinner (I love it when dinner smells like chocolate!), and I even got gifts! Who knew you still got gifts at a birthday party when you were 30?? I certainly didn't. I got a beautiful watch from my friend Tracee, an amazing beaded garland from Cheryl, and an hour massage gift certificate from Cathy! Sweet!
Today began with my Aerial Dance class. I love it! I am always just plain giddy by the end of class. I didn't think I would get to go today since we have road-trip plans, but I did! Pleasant surprise that was! So after class we hit the road and now I'm enjoying some peace and quiet in a hotel room in Red Lodge while Ellie and Leif enjoy the pool. Tomorrow we head up the Beartooth highway to the pass! It should be beautiful this time of year, and I'm looking forward to it!
So there you have it... my first week of 30. Pretty crazy great, right?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
We The Living
As I'm sure I have mentioned before, I am a fan of Ayn Rand's works. I find her writing fascinating and thought provoking; it strengthens my worldview to read hers and observe the contrast between them, and makes me consider where mine might be weak when I find myself agreeing with her, even in the slightest. In most of her works I appreciate her writing style so much, and she manages to capture my attention for hundreds of pages, which fly by almost without my notice.
I first read Atlas Shrugged as a challenge to myself in recognizing the worldview of an author. Looking back, I find it interesting that I used her masterpiece as the subject for my experiment. Really, I just picked something random that I had never read before. I'd have to say, though, that reading Atlas Shrugged has changed the way I see some things, based both on the book and my experiment. It was an eye opening experience and I am glad I read it. From there I went on to read Anthem and The Fountainhead. The latter I enjoyed. The former seemed more like a retelling of the legend of Prometheus. I believe it was after reading Anthem that I felt the need to do more research on the author, as she seemed obsessed with societies that were turning to ruin and her heroes were those who would make society better through innovation and change, but were not allowed to and ostracized for their attempt. It turns out that Ayn Rand comes from Soviet Russia, and that background plays quite the role in her belief system and her philosophies. A basic summary of her philosophy of Objectivism would be "the virtue of selfishness." Her writings are full of this ideal, and it is interesting to see how clearly her villains are the altruists and her heroes the selfish. I don't remember the exact setting for Anthem, but Altas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are set outside of Russia, so it took some reading to trace the thematic roots back to the USSR.
This summer I came across a copy of We The Living at a garage sale for 25 cents. It was one of hers I hadn't read before and a cheap book, so I picked it up. I brought it with me to Texas and read it on the airplane and in the car and just finished it today. We The Living is Ayn Rand's first book, and she claimed it was the closest thing to an autobiography she would ever write. It was interesting to see how different her writing style was in the earlier days. Her chapters were choppy and broken, and paragraphs seemed to end before they were finished. While this does add something to the feel of this particular story, I'm glad it isn't a style she carried on into her later works. I enjoyed most of the story, though some of her expository sections got a little long and needlessly detailed. I found myself skimming paragraphs every so often and there were only two or three I felt the need to go back and read to understand what followed. It took some time before I felt the story pick up speed, which was a problem I remember encountering with The Fountainhead as well. As with her later works, We The Living has a protagonist who was bent on engineering. I have yet to research what that connection to Ayn Rand is, but I'm sure there must be one. I don't know that she was an engineer, but perhaps she was. Or perhaps she had an unfulfilled dream to be one. Either way, this one was like the others in that respect.
Aside from her writing style, I felt like most of this story was similar in thought and tone to her later works, at least until the end. This one differed strikingly, though, in setting. We The Living is actually set in Russia, at the beginning of the Communistic era. It gives a lot of insight into the author, and perhaps would have been a good work to start with. I have a feeling, though, that I would not have continued reading her work if I had begun with her first. I would consider most of the stories I've read by Ayn Rand to be comedies. Not because they are necessarily humorous, but because they end in triumph, in reunion, or in a marriage of sorts (though never actual marriage, because I'm fairly certain Ms. Rand was vehemently against marriage, based on her life and works), We The Living, on the contrary, is a tragedy, clothes in the apparel of a comedy. It reads like a comedy until about the last 20 pages, when the whole story unravels and the stage is littered with bodies. I was really looking for a happy ending, but when I reached the end of the book what I was handed was a funeral dirge in a major key. Honestly, it just felt wrong. Instead of the promised hope, I was handed depression and told to take it with a smile, because the heroine's life had once held potential.
If you love Ayn Rand's work and you've read several of her others already, go ahead and read We The Living, but don't expect it to be satisfying. It is far too transparent and blunt to provide the layers of thought provoking material I had become accustomed to, though it did give me a clearer picture of the author and her background. If you've been looking to read something by Rand and think that starting at the beginning is the way to go, don't. Start with her best work (Atlas Shrugged) or her most well-known work (The Fountainhead), but don't start at the beginning or I fear you'll never work your way to what is actually worth reading. View this book as a stepping stone, a blip in history that helped make her the author she eventually became.
I first read Atlas Shrugged as a challenge to myself in recognizing the worldview of an author. Looking back, I find it interesting that I used her masterpiece as the subject for my experiment. Really, I just picked something random that I had never read before. I'd have to say, though, that reading Atlas Shrugged has changed the way I see some things, based both on the book and my experiment. It was an eye opening experience and I am glad I read it. From there I went on to read Anthem and The Fountainhead. The latter I enjoyed. The former seemed more like a retelling of the legend of Prometheus. I believe it was after reading Anthem that I felt the need to do more research on the author, as she seemed obsessed with societies that were turning to ruin and her heroes were those who would make society better through innovation and change, but were not allowed to and ostracized for their attempt. It turns out that Ayn Rand comes from Soviet Russia, and that background plays quite the role in her belief system and her philosophies. A basic summary of her philosophy of Objectivism would be "the virtue of selfishness." Her writings are full of this ideal, and it is interesting to see how clearly her villains are the altruists and her heroes the selfish. I don't remember the exact setting for Anthem, but Altas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are set outside of Russia, so it took some reading to trace the thematic roots back to the USSR.
This summer I came across a copy of We The Living at a garage sale for 25 cents. It was one of hers I hadn't read before and a cheap book, so I picked it up. I brought it with me to Texas and read it on the airplane and in the car and just finished it today. We The Living is Ayn Rand's first book, and she claimed it was the closest thing to an autobiography she would ever write. It was interesting to see how different her writing style was in the earlier days. Her chapters were choppy and broken, and paragraphs seemed to end before they were finished. While this does add something to the feel of this particular story, I'm glad it isn't a style she carried on into her later works. I enjoyed most of the story, though some of her expository sections got a little long and needlessly detailed. I found myself skimming paragraphs every so often and there were only two or three I felt the need to go back and read to understand what followed. It took some time before I felt the story pick up speed, which was a problem I remember encountering with The Fountainhead as well. As with her later works, We The Living has a protagonist who was bent on engineering. I have yet to research what that connection to Ayn Rand is, but I'm sure there must be one. I don't know that she was an engineer, but perhaps she was. Or perhaps she had an unfulfilled dream to be one. Either way, this one was like the others in that respect.
Aside from her writing style, I felt like most of this story was similar in thought and tone to her later works, at least until the end. This one differed strikingly, though, in setting. We The Living is actually set in Russia, at the beginning of the Communistic era. It gives a lot of insight into the author, and perhaps would have been a good work to start with. I have a feeling, though, that I would not have continued reading her work if I had begun with her first. I would consider most of the stories I've read by Ayn Rand to be comedies. Not because they are necessarily humorous, but because they end in triumph, in reunion, or in a marriage of sorts (though never actual marriage, because I'm fairly certain Ms. Rand was vehemently against marriage, based on her life and works), We The Living, on the contrary, is a tragedy, clothes in the apparel of a comedy. It reads like a comedy until about the last 20 pages, when the whole story unravels and the stage is littered with bodies. I was really looking for a happy ending, but when I reached the end of the book what I was handed was a funeral dirge in a major key. Honestly, it just felt wrong. Instead of the promised hope, I was handed depression and told to take it with a smile, because the heroine's life had once held potential.
If you love Ayn Rand's work and you've read several of her others already, go ahead and read We The Living, but don't expect it to be satisfying. It is far too transparent and blunt to provide the layers of thought provoking material I had become accustomed to, though it did give me a clearer picture of the author and her background. If you've been looking to read something by Rand and think that starting at the beginning is the way to go, don't. Start with her best work (Atlas Shrugged) or her most well-known work (The Fountainhead), but don't start at the beginning or I fear you'll never work your way to what is actually worth reading. View this book as a stepping stone, a blip in history that helped make her the author she eventually became.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Story Telling
I've been writing lately. It's been years since I've written (6, I think, as the last things I remember writing were just after we moved here) and I have to say that I'm loving it. I am a story teller at heart (which sort of explains my need for 8 different blogs) and the written word fascinates me. So I'm enjoying writing.
Right now I have Leif reading the first couple chapters of my writing project, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. It turns out that when I write, what comes out is that which is nearest and dearest to my heart, which is, consequently, where I am most vulnerable. But when I handed him the printed pages to read over and critique, I gave him permission to give it his all and be brutal about what would make it better.
He's always been better at the form than I have, which sort of stinks since I'm the one with the degree in English. Hrmph.
So here I sit, making my own changes, thinking of areas I'd like to expand, places more details would be helpful, etc. Mostly I'm sitting here waiting, though, because I know he's on the last page.
Right now I have Leif reading the first couple chapters of my writing project, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. It turns out that when I write, what comes out is that which is nearest and dearest to my heart, which is, consequently, where I am most vulnerable. But when I handed him the printed pages to read over and critique, I gave him permission to give it his all and be brutal about what would make it better.
He's always been better at the form than I have, which sort of stinks since I'm the one with the degree in English. Hrmph.
So here I sit, making my own changes, thinking of areas I'd like to expand, places more details would be helpful, etc. Mostly I'm sitting here waiting, though, because I know he's on the last page.
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