Tag: books

Crankypantsing

Not So Bored

Shelly

I’ve been reading a book on Richard Proenneke, on the advice of someone in one of the dog groups. To say that it’s not great literature is an understatement, but it’s a lovely story. It’s based on Proenneke’s journals and is told in diary format, which I obviously find compelling, despite the bad writing. I’m about half-way through it, and it occurred to me that I could just about be a hermit. It’s not that there aren’t people I like, and that I wouldn’t miss having a support system, but I think I would be pretty content with my own company.

And then, yesterday, a friend and I were talking about being irritated by people (she’s a departmental secretary, which is a thankless job). The cube farm was making me a little angsty, so I told her I’m ready to move to a deserted island. Oh, but seriously. She reckoned that I’d get bored, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve never been bored a day in my life.

She complains a lot about being bored, though, and I have to admit to not being terribly sympathetic. I just don’t understand the concept. I’ve suggested that, if she doesn’t like being bored, then maybe she should cultivate a hobby or twelve. She’s considered and rejected every hobby I can think of, though. Maybe she secretly enjoys being bored? In any event, it can’t be that tortuous, since she prefers it to doing just about anything.

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The Big Tidy-Up by Norah Smaridge

Shelly

If you have any interest in kids’ books, or if you know any kids, go directly to your favorite book seller and pre-order a copy of The Big Tidy-Up RIGHT THIS MINUTE. I had a copy when I was a little, and it was one of my most favoritest books EVAR. It’s been out of print for years and years (last time I looked, original editions in good condition were going for about US$300), but it will be re-released this spring. I’m so excited that I’m literally bouncing up and down in my seat.

O frabjous day!

The Big Tidy-Up (A Golden Classic) by Norah Smaridge, Les Gray

Jennifer knew, as well as you
That everything has its place,
But she just didn’t care a whit, a bit
So her room was a real disgrace!

Source: The Big Tidy-Up (A Golden Classic): Norah Smaridge, Les Gray: 9780375848216: Amazon.com: Books

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Library Thing

Shelly

I’ve been kind of meh about Library Thing since the beginning, partly, I think, because who the hell wants to go home and do more cataloging?! Anyway, one of the assignments for our Fake Blogging/Web 2.0 course is to create a Library Thing account. So I did.

The free account only allows you to add 200 books, which I think is kind of hilarious and adorable. I mostly added art history, art, and classics, along with a few books from the miscellaneous stack, but if I want to add anything else, I’m going to have to upgrade to a pay account. It’s only $25 for a lifetime membership, so it’s not like it’s expensive, but it’s not in the budget right now.

Pets, Photography

Shelfie with Boneless Cat

Shelly

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I had to look carefully to tell whether or not Pandora was still breathing. I’ve never seen such a limp cat. Her tongue was even sticking out a bit.

One nice thing about her being old and deaf is that she doesn’t hear the camera shutter. If I’m careful not to make any vibrations when I get up, I can sneak up on her pretty easily. Getting pictures of her sprawled out, sleeping, was nearly impossible when she was younger.

Crankypantsing

Excuse Me, Can I Park My Giant, Wooden Horse Here?

Shelly

Have you ever been totally and completely boggled at the holes in others’ education? Yesterday, a coworker was searching for an AWOL book that a patron had requested be rush cataloged. The book? The Iliad. My coworker, armed with a printout of the catalog record, began to describe the book to me.

Coworker: It’s 600 pages.
Me: Yes, I know. I’ve read it about umpty times.
Coworker: Oh. Um.
Me: It’s good.
Coworker: It says it’s poetry. [Inconceivable that someone would read 600 pages of poetry!]
Me: It’s an epic poem. [Hmmm. Does she know what “epic” means?]
Coworker: [Looking at the bib record.] What’s the Trojan War?
Me: [Gobsmacked] I don’t think I can help you.

How?! How does that happen?! How can someone never have heard of the Trojan war, Homer, or The Iliad?

Marginalia
Kalypso, from The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Richard Lattimore, 1991.

My copy of The Iliad is even more marked up than The Odyssey.

And, speaking of the Trojan war and people who appear to be completely ignorant of even the most famous parts of the story (via Got Medieval):

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Much Reading (No Spoilers)

Shelly

I didn’t end up starting the new Harry Potter book until nearly 11pm last night. I stayed up until about 3am, reading. There’s just not a good place to pause and put it down, but I finally had to go to sleep. I was able to finish it this evening. Hoo-boy. It was much better than I’d anticipated. Much. I think Joseph Campbell would have approved. It was also much more intense than the other books, though I was expecting that.

The plot point that I was most worried might be mangled was the Snape story. I don’t know why that one was important to me, but it was a relief to get to the end and to know that I was right, dammit. I was also concerned about what might happen with Dumbledore. I think I would have felt cheated if the Dumbledore story had gone wrong, but it didn’t.

The writing itself seemed a little better, too. It may be that I was too engrossed in the story to be critical, so we’ll see, on re-reading, if the same sorts of things distract me in this book as in some of the other books.

Crankypantsing

Update

Shelly

I have returned from hunting and gathering, and I have acquired the new Harry Potter book. In doing so, I managed to break a nail. Shopping is hard work. Y’all remember that the next time you are tempted to pick on Paris Hilton.

Now, do I try to finish re-reading the 5th and 6th books, or do I just dive into the new one?

Also, there is more Hoovering going on upstairs. How much vacuuming does a 700 square foot apartment require? A lot, apparently.