lotusbiosm | Entries tagged with books

I got to work on time (yay).
But mostly what made it good was the stuff afterwards.

I stopped by the library to get books. It turns out I have overdue books (I think i know where they are). Like 3 years overdue. The nice people at the library wiped them from my card and didn't charge me a fine! So then I got Helen of Troy by Margaret George, Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America by Karenna Gore Schiff, and American Heroines by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson. The library is on my way to/from the Metro, so it's easy for me to check out and return books. Also, I was inspired to stop by the library by this: Dewey Donation System, which picks a library every year that needs books and gets people to send those books. It's cool and it's got me all teary-eyed.

Also, I had thought that I lost my keycard for my building. When I came home today, I held my bag up to the keyreader to make it look like I was trying so that the guard would buzz me in, and the light changed without the guard. Turns out it was in my bag, stuck in with site brochures I'd put in there. I thought that was what had happened, but when I looked earlier, I couldn't find it. I am incredibly relieved at this.

Yesterday, I slept in, then I went off to campus. Picked up my loan refund check, got blood drawn, deposited my check, got some food (a bagel w/ cream cheese and a Mint Chocolate Chip Frappacino). Went to the bookstore, where I spent over $200 on books, all for one class (11 books). I also got Lemon-Lime lip gloss from Burt's Bees and a hole puncher. Then I headed off to Staples for school supplies, and got a notebook and pencils and some legal pads for my portfolio thingy. Then I went off to see Brokeback Mountain.
Which was exceptionally good. It's beautiful to look at (even with Jake and Heath aren't in the shot). The acting is great by everyone. I feel like it really captured the friendship element of their relationship as well as the romantic. And even though I knew it was coming, their first exploration of that side of their relationship is pretty unexpected. I admit to thinking when Jake Gyllenhaal's character meets Anne Hathaway's character "They'd make really beautiful babies together." And then thinking "yeah, and Jake and I would also make really beautiful babies. They'd have great blue eyes." But it's a great movie- well-written, well-directed, and well-acted. It's also heartwrenching, so take tissues and chocolate when you go.
Then I swung by Radio Shack to get a universal remote because the remote to my VCR is cracked out and will only perform certain functions. This would be fine, if one of them was to program my VCR, since really the whole reason I have a VCR is to be able to tape Gilmore Girls while I'm at choir. (Well, and to watch Disney movies)
Then back here. Where I punched holes in choir music and ate dinner and watched about half of the first season of Buffy on DVD because Firefly hasn't been on lately and I needed my Joss Whedon.

Today I made the very exciting discovery that I have a CD with over 1000 of my photos on it. Of course, there's a high level of duplication, but still, I didn't think I had them here. So I went a little crazy over at facebook and added a whole bunch of photos. And some people.
I also was very excited when I went hunting for my Berlin guidebook (to aid me in captioning some photos from Berlin) and found it, and realized I hadn't cataloged it yet. So I promptly did that.
And now I'm going to eat, because the only thing I've eaten all day has been crackers. (I went down to get food but there were people in the kitchen and I was in sweats and a tank top. And it was really the prospect of making my peanut butter on toast in front of people I wasn't happy about.)

So, Librarything now has a recommendations feature. It makes suggestions based on what you already own (amazon does this too). It's interesting. A great many books on mine I already own or I have already read, and I did enjoy, so that's a good sign.
( My LT suggestion list )

Crossposted to

librarything

A fun toy for all my bibliophile friends: LibraryThing It's a web application that lets you catalog all of the books you have, and then hooks you up with other people who have similar libraries and such. It's all the rage around LJ. Free membership includes 200 books, lifetime membership is only $10. My name there is lotusbiosm, same as it is everywhere. I had issues with the search function in the Add Books tool until I fiddled with my security settings (the defaults on the school's computer)- I don't know if I'd have to elsewhere. Now, if anybody knows of a good program that lets you sort CDs and movies as well... (Dad wants one that will tell him what song is on what CD)

Having wasted sufficient time doing this, I'm off to MSTD happy hour in a bit.

Current Mood: nerdy
Current Music: Way Over There, Miracles

So, with the remaining money on my Barnes and Noble gift card, I was thinking about buying myself a cookbook. What do you think:
The Joy of Cooking or The Betty Crocker Cookbook?

EDIT: Based on A) the votes here and B)the fact that my father will be bringing a (probably very old) copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook when the parents come to visit, I have ordered a copy of The Joy of Cooking from Barnes and Noble online, and it is being shipped to me.

My parents are coming to visit for the DC Bookfest, because that's the kind of nerdy family we are. Alledgedly, Neil Gaiman is going to be there, so if anyone would like me to get a book signed for them, you can send me one if you already have it, or if you like, request one you don't have as a Hanukkah/Winter Soltice/Christmas/New Year's gift.

Note to Self:
After boarding an airplane, in future, ensure that you return your ID to your wallet, so that when you go to the bank and they ask you for it, you actually can locate it. And just because the Smithsonian is a federal organization doesn't mean your work ID counts as gov't issued ID.

For those of you who've finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I give you this spolierific link filled with all kinds of yummy theories.

To amuse you, a quick work story. Last Friday (the 22nd) I wore The Best Skirt Ever^tm to work. Because I am still apparently 6 at heart, I was twirling in it in the kitchen/copy room while I waited for my boss to hit "OK" on a print job that required manual feed (we were printing postcards). Larry, the uberboss of the organization, came in to witness this stunning display of my inner child's glee at having a skirt that twirls. His response? "Oooh, fancy." He's old enough to be my grandfather. I felt like such a dork. Of course, that didn't stop me from doing that over and over again all day, including once in the elevator. Whee!

Current Music: I'll Only Miss Her (When I Think of Her)- Harry Connick Jr.

So, with Harry Potter 6 coming out soon (July 16th!), my boss and I have taken to discussing Harry Potter often. I am sending out a request to my friends list, full of interesting and educated people. I feel certain that O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s have some sort of analagous counterpart in the English/British school system, but I, being a Yank, don't really understand said system. I see vague references to "A-Levels" and such, but I don't know what they are. Could any of you explain it to me? Pretty please?

OK, so, I just got directions to the local branch of the DC public library, which is like 5 blocks maximum from my house. And it being summer, I have time to read for fun. I read all of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Saturday, and I'm speeding along through Order of the Phoenix too. (I'm refreshing for when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out) I'm certain to get some books for my birthday, but as that isn't until July, I need something to tide me over until then. I got two books at Easter, but they're not really "sit down and read" books, so much as "throw in your bag to have in case you get stuck somewhere with nothing to do" books. Which is fine, but I want something I can sink my teeth into. Which is where you, dear readers, come in. Recommend me some books. Old classics, new favorites, long, short, romantic, comedic, tragic, whatever. Feel free to ask questions before making rec's, and my userinfo should give you some sense of what I like.

Current Mood: literate

Book Review: Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler.
Very Good. Well worth the $12 purchase price and the insance trouble I went to to get it. Assigned for my Exhibit Design class, it's 109 pages, not including the notes and etc. The notes, for what I've read of them, are as entertaining as the book. It consists basically of two essays on the same topic, The Museum of Jurassic Technology in LA. It's a great read, about wonder and museums and the line between reality and fiction. I think it took me more time to acquire it than to read it (which is good, as it's due Wed. night, and I don't have all day Wed. to read it as I'd thought I did, as I'll be at work). Ok, so basically, I wholehartedly recommend this book for those days when you want something engaging to read. Good for long car trips, bus rides, plane rides, etc.
Relevant publishing info:
Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder
Lawrence Weschler
Vintage, NY 1996
ISBN:0-679-76489-5
Enjoy
(Gabe, when we make our baseball journey, we need to make a detour to this place.)

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Ella Fitzgerald sings the Cole Porter Songbook

I hate to say it, but I think Hermione and Ron are gonna hook up.

-Avenue Q (The plan is to title my journals with song lyrics, which hopefully have something have to do w/ the subject, but we'll see)

Well, it's not Avenue Q. In fact, it's New Hampshire Ave. But I have place to live. Please pardon me while I do a happy dance of joy... *does happy dance of joy* Ok, done now.

So, the story so far...
When last we left our heroine, she and the romantic lead had enjoyed a fun but unsuccesful trip to the nation's capital and surroundings to search for housing. Following this adventure, she searched the depths of the internet, hoping to find an alternative to living in her car. Last weekend, she again made the journey, this time with her father, and again came up short. But during the week, she made a discovery on roomster.net that sounded good, and following a promising phone call, set out again. This time, her labors have been rewarded, and she is now the soon to be happy tenant in a room in a house two blocks north of a metro station, and one block from a grocery store. Huzzah.

Ok, so last weekend, I went to Cooperstown on Friday, to the Willie Nelson/Bob Dylan concert with the parents, which was eh. eredien was there, and we had fun, even if Boby Dylan was even more incomprehensible than ever and it was cold. Then, on Saturday, I went down to Cooperstown again and spent the day with the boy and his father visiting the Hall of Fame and all that jazz. It was most pleasant. The boy is definitely his father's son. I got a hug. It was nice. We didn't get to go to dinner together, but oh well. I had a really nice time, and his dad's cool. Then on Sunday my father and I drove down to DC, stayed in the city and looked for places. A couple listings that were in my price range seemed to be in sketchy neighborhoods, so we passed. And one place was tiny, but right on campus practically, but also about the same as my parents' house payment for an efficiency. Yeah, I'd like to eat, please. And the reason we went down, this place in VA, where the roommate had called me, was a) in VA, so I'd probably need my car b) the roommate had alreday made a verbal agreement with another woman and c) was disorganized and scatterbrained. So I went online, looked at roomster.net, found someplace that sounded good, and called the woman on Thursday. Sounded even better, called her on Friday and arranged a time to meet, left after work on Fri., stayed in a hotel on the way down, got into DC this morning, looked at it, took it, filled out some paperwork and wrote the check for the deposist and Dad and I drove home. The keys are in my pocket as we speak. I am happy and not stressed anymore. It's furnished, utilities (including internet and cable) are included, and near public transit. It is, in short, practically perfect. Hoping that it all works out well, but if it doesn't I'm only committed through Dec. (Yay for the not having to sign a 12 month lease). *sigh of happiness*

Now, I just need to find a way to see the boy one last time this summer....

Oh, one good thing that came out of the weekend last time- bought The Well of Lost Plots. Is good. Thursday Next is of the good. And I finished it already. Back to Mansfield Park.

Oh, and I have an "audition" for Kaplan to teach test-prep, on the 30th. So mayhaps things are looking up. Ever feel like the universe is interfering in order to arrange things a certain way?

Current Mood: jubilant
Current Music: Baseball Tonight (ESPN)

No, not to me. But I have an idea: They rate movies, and tv, and video and computer games. But not books. So my idea is that publishers should get together and create a code that lets readers know what they're getting. Not to keep kids from buying explicit stuff, or to restrict library access, but just so you know, before you recommend a book to a friend, or pick it up yourself or for your kids. So that you don't pick up a book on the grounds that the plot sounds good and get slammed with unexpected gratuitous sex. Or conversely, so that if you're looking for something raunchy (I know there are people who are) you get it, and not something else. The SFBC warns about explicit language in the books it sells, b/c SF readers have such varied tastes, and some are more into that than others. I don't think it would be that hard. Just a thought.

Current Mood: chipper

Today at work I found out that Lauren, who I already liked and is cool, likes the Thursday Next series as well, and is, like me, waiting for The Well of Lost Plots to come out in paperback, and resisting the temptation to buy the hardcover and find out what happens to Thursday. If you haven't read them, you should go now and find somplace or person who has them and read The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. They are very funny. Blurb says they are like Harry Potter meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Monty Python. It's true. And they're about a world where Shakespeare is as popular as American Idol is in this. And there's time travel. What's not to love?

Also, on the time travel front, I'm currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm only about 30 pages in, but it's wonderful. Highly recommended. Here's a quote, that I love b/c I know that feeling: "Here all of nature was catured, labeled, arranged according to a logic that seemed as timeless as if ordered by God, perhaps a God who had mislaid the original paperwork on the Creation, and had requested the Field Museum staff to help Him out and keep track of it all." Yep, that's my future job, helping God keep track of the universe. :)

Also, if you like time travel novels, I heartily recommend Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Actually, I recommend anything by her. To Say Nothing of the Dog is my favorite book. My copy is decidely well loved. If you live nearby, and want to borrow her novels or her short story collections, give me a call.

Current Mood: chipper

And I'm taking The Valley of Horses with me, which is the second book in the Clan of the Cave Bear series, and hard to put down. But first, if you have a livejournal and would like to be one of my friends, I could use more friends...

So, been a while since my last update. I have a tendancy to plan entries in my head, and then not actually type them. I am currently going through much debate about whether to link to my journal in my AIM profile, as I'm not sure if I want people I see every day to read it, but then it feels silly if other people aren't reading it, though my good friends already have the link. Anywhoo
Last weekend was good. My parents came for Valentine's Day and brought a filing system, my bookshelf, halfmoons, and a new book (Jasper Fforde's Lost in a Good Book, sequel to The Eyre Affair, both of which I heartily recommend). Saturday night I went to see The Vagina Monologues, which was most excellent and made me feel empowered. Then on Sunday we (Kate and I) watched Iron Jawed Angels on HBO, about Alice Paul and other women who got us the Suffrage Amendment so I can vote now (thanks ladies). It was a weekend of female empowerment for me.
Then I was unproductive and read my new book and had PMS of the sleepy and uninterested variety. But I am better now. Accomplished a few things later in the week, (after finishing said book), and I am working on other things to accomplish. I completely redid my website, which is nifty, and I applied to graduate, also nifty (though slightly scary). I think other things happened last week, Like the 8:30 am meeting with my advisor, which went well. Time is moving too fast for the scant amount of progress being made on my thesis, but I think all will end well.
This past weekend was slightly less wonderful, though good, as I went shopping, saw a dance concert and a collection of scenes from Oscar Wilde, caught up on some neglected class reading, and watched Sex and the City (tres excellent). I also played my first game of racquetball on Friday, for an hour with Kate, part of said hour was spent with me laughing hysterically on the floor, which is good. I also registered for a job fair thingy in Philly at the end of my spring break, which is also good.
Now I am working on preparing a presentation for tomorrow night and catching up on reading for tomorrow's Sociology of Families exam (though I'm not overly worried about it).
I should go be productive now.