31 October 2011

i just want to talk about the book!

So I experienced my first book group the week before last.  I was so excited to be in the room with 8 other women who had read the same book as me.  Most of the time I don't even know 1 person who has read the same book as me. :)

This month's book for the group was Room by Emma Donoghue, which I'd been wanting to read since it came out but hadn't had the chance.  I was not disappointed as it was an amazing book.  I finished it in one long sitting and was so excited to talk about it.

Not to spoil the book (if you read the book back you'll get an idea of it), but it deals with a disturbing subject in an amazingly joyful way since it's told from a 5-year-old point of view.  But instead of talking about the book, this group of women kept going off on these weird tangents (random assortment including kids not getting picked up from marching band practice, children getting run over in China, and talking to teenage boys about statutory rape laws...) that had nothing to do with the book.

I was trapped on a couch for over 90 minutes, and the book was talked about for probably a grand total of 12 of those minutes!  So frustrating, but I hope that next month's book will be talked about instead of the tangents galore of this one.

23 October 2011

hey smokers...

So I have a problem with some of you smokers out there.  I know you have an addiction, and I'll give a minor pass to those of you over forty who smoke because you probably started before you had any idea that it might kill you one day.  But for those of you who are under forty and grew up with surgeon general warnings and ad campaigns:  I think you're fucking idiots if you smoke.  I grew up with smokers; both my dad and stepdad smoked all the time (and cracking a window in a car doesn't do much for the small child sitting next to you by the way).  My father smoked up until the day before he passed away from throat cancer, so I can understand it's hard for you to quit (again I'm only speaking to the over-forty crowd here, for the others see the fucking idiot note above).

But smokers now you're beginning to piss me off.  Do you know what really attracts cigarette smoke?  Paper.  And paper is the basis for books, which are items that I like to borrow from the library.  What's not fun in borrowing certain books is that I get that smell of ash permeating the air when I'm trying to read and a lingering smell on my hands afterwards.  I refuse to purchase used books that are from smokers' homes, but unfortunately that can't happen with library books since usually I'm checking them out because I'm too broke to buy.  Now I've always wondered why some smokers smell like smoke and others don't; I think it must be some sort of body chemistry that I may never understand.  But no matter what smokers' stuff always smells like smoke, and it reeks.

So for those of you who smoke but also have a love of borrowed literature:  please quit smoking around the library books.  Or you know just quit smoking; that works too.

14 October 2011

my vegan story, part 1

Every vegan has a story; except for those born vegan, no one actually wakes up one day and decides to become vegan for no reason.  As with a lot of my life, my story starts with a book:  PopCo by Scarlett Thomas.  I read a good review of it in the LA Times Sunday Book Review and checked it out at the library; I don't think I even knew there were vegetarians and vegans in it.


Along with all sorts of fun stuff like codes and pirates and anti-capitalism, the main character meets a guy who explains why he became vegan.  In the scene he's explaining that he saw some study where pigs can play video games and right then decided if they can play video games he's not going to eat them (it's much better in the book, trust me).

Well it's not as though I up and quit right then, but it got me thinking.  And when I start thinking I like to do research (I especially liked to do research at my job because back then I was a receptionist with a lot of time on my hands).  So off to the internets I went...

09 October 2011

it's only change

Hey there!  I'm attempting an actual goal of posting with this blog (vs. having fewer than 10 posts in a year on a previous blog).  My loves are quilts and books, but I think I'll start with disassembling my name in order to introduce myself better.  So tomorrow's post:  my vegan story...