- go to borders by bus (if not closed)
- with car-clear storage locker
- with car-Maido
- character development books-Narberth
- big blue marble bookstore
- train-magic gardens
- movies
- the spiral bookcase-main
Monday, August 22, 2011
Places to be/Things to do when at Tom's
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
To Do List:
- Go to the DMV, get new license.
- Study japanese vocab
- Study japanese grammar
- Get passport
- Study statistics
Email Roy(Smith emailed me)Email business office- Finish Wizard and Glass
- Pack for school
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Project: Dryer Balls for Tom's Mom
I started this project the other night. I'm following the instructions from one of the many online tutorials there are for these things. I liked this one in particular the best. They had the cutest product.
Since my amazon ordered wool yarn did not turn out to be all that much, I started using acrylic yarn that I had on hand to make a center to wrap the wool yarn around. I currently do not know if this will affect my outcome, but fingers crossed. I have not continued working on the project because I wanted to take pictures of the centers first, but I currently do not know where my camera is.
Still haven't found my camera, but I was too lazy to take pictures anyways. I wrapped the yarn balls with the wool yarn and them covered them in the wool roving. I then put them in a stocking, tying off each segment, and put them in a hot wash and then the dryer. They needed a second going, but overall turned out OK. I had to try to salvage one of them...but I think i succeeded.
Still haven't found my camera, but I was too lazy to take pictures anyways. I wrapped the yarn balls with the wool yarn and them covered them in the wool roving. I then put them in a stocking, tying off each segment, and put them in a hot wash and then the dryer. They needed a second going, but overall turned out OK. I had to try to salvage one of them...but I think i succeeded.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Next Book: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
I decided to read this book because in a month or two I'm going to be required to read it. It's for my Brit lit class this fall. This way I can maybe take some notes to refer to later on for a quiz or paper. So far the first couple pages haven't been too painful.
I like the prose the author uses. Currently the main character is annoying me a bit. He could easy solve his problems by just asking his employer what he's thinking about. Instead, he thinks about it for days before doing anything. I also noticed that he's got a bit of a nationalist streak. He first mentions how great Britain is so great, and truly deserves to be called great. And later, he goes on to say how "Continentals" could never make good butlers because, "they are as a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of. Continentals-and by and large the Celts, as you will no doubt agree-are as a rule unable to control themselves in moments of strong emotion, and are thus unable to maintain a professional demeanor other than in the least challenging of situations."
His writing seems to lack someone. I won't know something is happening until I'm explicitly told about it. He seems to leave out filler. Important event that has taken place: conference of 1923 and Steven's father's death. The death happened on the last night of the conference. Steven's believes these events to be the turning point in his professional career. By not getting overwhelmed by his father's illness and then death, he showed his dignity and his greatness. I guess the behavior is fitting for the time and environment. Apparently, the crowd would not have understood the need for the butler to go be with his dying father. So i guess his behavior is justified. This day and age...I think you're employer would understanding you dropping everything to go be with your dying father. But I guess his restraint and calm demeanor is indeed a commendable trait. Not so many others could control themselves so.
Characters
I like the prose the author uses. Currently the main character is annoying me a bit. He could easy solve his problems by just asking his employer what he's thinking about. Instead, he thinks about it for days before doing anything. I also noticed that he's got a bit of a nationalist streak. He first mentions how great Britain is so great, and truly deserves to be called great. And later, he goes on to say how "Continentals" could never make good butlers because, "they are as a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of. Continentals-and by and large the Celts, as you will no doubt agree-are as a rule unable to control themselves in moments of strong emotion, and are thus unable to maintain a professional demeanor other than in the least challenging of situations."
His writing seems to lack someone. I won't know something is happening until I'm explicitly told about it. He seems to leave out filler. Important event that has taken place: conference of 1923 and Steven's father's death. The death happened on the last night of the conference. Steven's believes these events to be the turning point in his professional career. By not getting overwhelmed by his father's illness and then death, he showed his dignity and his greatness. I guess the behavior is fitting for the time and environment. Apparently, the crowd would not have understood the need for the butler to go be with his dying father. So i guess his behavior is justified. This day and age...I think you're employer would understanding you dropping everything to go be with your dying father. But I guess his restraint and calm demeanor is indeed a commendable trait. Not so many others could control themselves so.
Characters
- Lord Darlington-Steven's employer
- M. Dupont-Frenchman that was very important at the March 1923 conference
- Mr. Lewis- American douche bag
- Mr. Lewis was badmouthing all the Englishmen and Germans that said stuff about French people. He was trying to undermine their efforts to convince M. Dupont about the Versailles Treaty (how it should be changed because it was hurting the Germans). The whole time you're thinking Dupont's speech at the dinner on the last night was going to be so bad...but it turns out he was on the right side. He then tells everyone that Lewis is a dick. Mr. Lewis speaks after that...says they are all naive and shouldn't meddle in these types of affairs.
- On his trip, his radiator starts running out of water. When getting help from a guy at a manor, the guy asks him about his work. When he finds out he works at Darlington Hall, he asks if he worked for Lord Darlington. Stevens lies....
- Stevens is not funny. He doesn't seem to have any natural ability at making jokes. So he always comes off as weird and awkward. Maybe it was breed out of him, because making jokes is sometimes considered uncouth.
- Lord Darlington said some bad stuff about Jews and fired two Jewish workers. A year later he said it was a mistake, but...I wonder what was going through his head.
- I knew Miss Keenton loved Stevens. It was very obvious to everyone but him.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Next Book: Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt
I love Patton Oswalt. He is hands down my favorite stand-up comedian. I have seen him live once and can't wait to see him again. I got his book a couple months ago, when I realized it had finally come out. So far it definitely feels very Patton. I'm having trouble with the song lyrics that he has interspersed throughout the beginning of the book. He is relating how these specific lyrics seemed to go so well with a book that he was reading; it produced in him a kind of epiphany. But I just have problems with lyrics in books. Stephen King likes to do it a lot, and I have problems with him as well. I think the problem just comes from the fact that I think it is really necessary to hear the song to feel the same connection they want you to feel. So I guess I should just stop and look up a song every other page. That will probably cure it...but is probably too much effort for me to put in.
So I just finished the book. Hands down favorite chapter was the D&D one, and the epic poem right after it. I've never played D&D, but I have played a couple tabletop RPG's so I could easily relate. " The Song of Ulvaak" was a truly epic and entertaining poem. The other part of the book I really enjoyed a lot was the greeting card chapter, "Chamomile Kittens". Truly disturbing and enlightening all at the same time. The graduation card was probably my favorite. Excerpt: "Titled I Have Spent Eight Years Learning from the Lives of People who Truly Broke Free from the Structures of Higher Education and Actually Made Their Lives What They Wanted While I Have Failed to Follow Their Example, Will Continue to Fail, and Will Die Unmourned, Confused, and Fat...". I almost forgot to mention the books namesake, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland. I love the title, and I love his thoughts in the chapter. Though...it's still unclear to me which I am.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. But I had a few problems with it. In general, it seemed disconnected from it's self. The chapters do not have to be read in any particular order, nor would I necessarily say that people need to read the whole book. I think that many of the section could have benefited from at least a little brief explanation as to what was going on. Punch-Up Notes is one section I think that could have been helped by this. It was obvious that it was a script that he had written, that was being reviewed by someone named Scott. But, it was unclear as whether I was supposed to find it amusing that Patton wrote this script in the first place, or that Scott was taking the correcting of the ridiculous shit seriously. It almost seemed like Patton could have written the script as a joke just to see what people would say. I enjoyed the random comic in the middle, fitting for Patton. But...I don't think Patton is an artist, so I have to assume he didn't draw it. Wines for the Glass was also another confusing one. Thought it was funny, but found it hard to see the line between whether or not some of the wines were real (because wine people describe shit in weird ways) or whether or not all of them were jokes and just represented a speckling of douche bags. And the Old Hobo Songs section. I would have said purely a joke a few weeks ago, but I now know that hobos do have some weird codes. So "my ass is full of soup" doesn't surprise me that it means something completely different.
I really love Patton and it did give a good feeling of how he became the man that he is today. The schizophrenic uncle and the grandmother who explained birthday gifts...I can see it adding up. I just wish there was a bit more of his life throw out there for me to read.
Also, I'm so happy to know that Patton loves Stephen King. Stephen is my favorite author, and I love when other people I love love what I love (what the fuck sentence...do you make since?). It's really sad when a hero of yours hates something or someone you truly love. It can leave a bit of a lost feeling.
So I just finished the book. Hands down favorite chapter was the D&D one, and the epic poem right after it. I've never played D&D, but I have played a couple tabletop RPG's so I could easily relate. " The Song of Ulvaak" was a truly epic and entertaining poem. The other part of the book I really enjoyed a lot was the greeting card chapter, "Chamomile Kittens". Truly disturbing and enlightening all at the same time. The graduation card was probably my favorite. Excerpt: "Titled I Have Spent Eight Years Learning from the Lives of People who Truly Broke Free from the Structures of Higher Education and Actually Made Their Lives What They Wanted While I Have Failed to Follow Their Example, Will Continue to Fail, and Will Die Unmourned, Confused, and Fat...". I almost forgot to mention the books namesake, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland. I love the title, and I love his thoughts in the chapter. Though...it's still unclear to me which I am.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. But I had a few problems with it. In general, it seemed disconnected from it's self. The chapters do not have to be read in any particular order, nor would I necessarily say that people need to read the whole book. I think that many of the section could have benefited from at least a little brief explanation as to what was going on. Punch-Up Notes is one section I think that could have been helped by this. It was obvious that it was a script that he had written, that was being reviewed by someone named Scott. But, it was unclear as whether I was supposed to find it amusing that Patton wrote this script in the first place, or that Scott was taking the correcting of the ridiculous shit seriously. It almost seemed like Patton could have written the script as a joke just to see what people would say. I enjoyed the random comic in the middle, fitting for Patton. But...I don't think Patton is an artist, so I have to assume he didn't draw it. Wines for the Glass was also another confusing one. Thought it was funny, but found it hard to see the line between whether or not some of the wines were real (because wine people describe shit in weird ways) or whether or not all of them were jokes and just represented a speckling of douche bags. And the Old Hobo Songs section. I would have said purely a joke a few weeks ago, but I now know that hobos do have some weird codes. So "my ass is full of soup" doesn't surprise me that it means something completely different.
I really love Patton and it did give a good feeling of how he became the man that he is today. The schizophrenic uncle and the grandmother who explained birthday gifts...I can see it adding up. I just wish there was a bit more of his life throw out there for me to read.
Also, I'm so happy to know that Patton loves Stephen King. Stephen is my favorite author, and I love when other people I love love what I love (what the fuck sentence...do you make since?). It's really sad when a hero of yours hates something or someone you truly love. It can leave a bit of a lost feeling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)