Places to be/Things to do when at Tom's

• 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

Next Book: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolfe

Book Idea

    Name: The Roommate- A Memoir of how I kept my sanity

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

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.

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

• Lord Darlington-Steven's employer
• M. Dupont-Frenchman that was very important at the March 1923 conference
• Mr. Lewis- American douche bag

Notes

• 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.

Finished this morning (8/10) around 3am.