Ramble on...
I haven't felt like writing much since I'm forced to write something every week in my English class. There's nothing like obligation to kill your enjoyment of something. My English class is entirely online except for the orientation, midterm and final. It's odd, I really hate my English teacher in the online world but it's hard to hate her in person. She's the nicest, most smiley good-natured little lady in real life but she is a very particular grader. It seems like she expects you to read her mind and write what she woud write. And we're doing rhetorical analysis so we can have differing opinions, right? Nope.
I'm really working on trying to be more concise when I write. I always remember my essays being shorter than most people’s and less full of fluff but when you're only allowed about 650 words for an essay you really have to cut down on the drivel. Apparently I write more fluff than I thought. I’ve learned that especially on those 200 word paragraphs I’m assigned every week. Oh, how I struggle with those. And for what? A meagre one point each. But what can I say? I like a bit of flow and flowery speech. It doesn't always have to be cut down to the bones, does it? Apparently for good communication, it does. And clear, concise communication is not one of my strong suits. I'm sure anyone who has ever heard me try to explain anything knows how much I ramble and how long it takes me to get to the point.
I love words. The right words in the right place at the right time can be magic. Words can convey so much meaning. They carry connotations, tone, they describe, share information, make you feel things. But it is so hard to find the right words sometimes. I really envy writers who somehow find the perfect way to describe something. It’s like, “Yes! That’s what I’ve always known to be true and wanted to say but lacked the words!” Don’t even get me started on trying to write good poetry. This is probably why I prefer to reading to writing.
Speaking of reading, I’ve decided that I need to read more non-fiction and shall we say, more serious fiction. Not just fantasy or fun stuff, So here are a few books I’ve decided to read after I finish the one I’m on.
1. Lolita
2. One hundred Years of Solitude
3. Steppenwolf
4. House of Leaves
5. Eats, Shoots & Leaves (A book on punctuation, which I desperately need to read and possibly memorize.)
6. Siddhartha
Okay so most of that is still fiction. But I said more serious fiction!
I’ve recently gotten a Goodreads account (Goodreads.com) and have been busy obsessively adding all of the books I can think of that I have ever read, want to read, or am currently reading. I have 881 books listed right now, 411 Read, 469 To Read, and 1 Currently Reading (Sometimes I read more than one at a time!) I like that you can add books to multiple “shelves.” This feeds my obsession with listing and cataloguing everything I own (especially my books). I only wish I could organize my actual books in as many ways but, unfortunately, I only have one copy of each book and it can only be in one place at a time. :P For me, Goodreads is the most wonderful waste of time I could imagine. I get to browse through books, look through my shelves, review, rate, read other people’s reviews, join book clubs, discuss books, search through and add favourite quotes or authors. Ah, the list is endless.
Speaking of Lolita:
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.
Is that not the best beginning to a novel, ever?
I really wanted to talk about E-books and E-book readers. I’ve read some discussions lately and the general consensus seems to be that printed books will eventually become a thing of the past. That people will gradually switch to E-books and forget all about the actual experience of reading a book; the smell of old printed pages, a nice cozy chair near a fireplace surrounded by bookshelves full of books, the actual turning of pages and holding different sized books in your hand, searching through second-hand bookstores. They seem to think that nostalgia for printed books will slowly fade away as younger generations grow up accustomed to E-readers.
I disagree, though. Real books may become less common but I don’t think they will ever fade away entirely. Sure, an E-book reader might be convenient for traveling. You can carry a whole library in your pocket, in the car, or on an airplane, but I don’t think they can replace a good solid book. There’s something to be said for low-tech ideas that have stood the test of time. You can’t really take an E-book reader camping. You can lose it, which causes you to lose your entire library if you don’t have a backup. You can break it, it can run out of batteries and need to be charged, it can need upgrades. They just aren’t the same. It’s also nice to get something tangible for your money. You can buy a bookcase for your Kindle but it’s extremely unimpressive. It’s nice to actually see your books; to look at the size, the thickness, the cover artwork. Obsessed much? Yes. My books are my friends. :P
In other news, I’ve given up on learning French for now. It’s hard to find time for it. When I actually have homework I have to be doing that and when I don’t have homework I don’t want to waste my time doing something that feels like self-inflicted homework. Plus I don’t have a desk and it’s a pain to do it on the laptop. So I may try again later when I have a steady space and more time for it.
I haven’t taken any new pictures in a long time. I’ve sort of lost inspiration or something. Plus, every time I look at really good photos I feel like I’ll never be able to take anything near as good and it discourages me. I think it will be easier once it gets more into Spring and Summer but I’m tired of taking pictures of flowers. I feel like I need to move on to the next step but I don’t have anything to shoot. I may end up reading some photography books though to try to work up some motivation and get ideas for new things. I need to get out and play with my new lens! I’ll be ready the next time we go on vacation though!
I think I’ll have a really good schedule next semester. I’ve got a tentative idea of which classes/times/professors I’ll be taking but I don’t get to register until March 23rd. There aren’t as many options during the Summer so I’m hoping what I want will still be available. If it works out how I’d like I’ll only have class Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Two classes on Tues./Thurs. From 10-12 and 12-2 and one on Wednesday from 4-7pm. If I take four classes like I was going to I’ll have a 2 hour gap in between classes no matter which day I choose, so I’ll stick with three classes this time. It will also give me a nice easy Summer I hope. : )
And here I will leave you with a little example of how much Canada loves hockey.
http://www.patspapers.com/blog/item/what_if_everybody_flushed_at_once_Edmonton_water_gold_medal_hockey_game/
I'm really working on trying to be more concise when I write. I always remember my essays being shorter than most people’s and less full of fluff but when you're only allowed about 650 words for an essay you really have to cut down on the drivel. Apparently I write more fluff than I thought. I’ve learned that especially on those 200 word paragraphs I’m assigned every week. Oh, how I struggle with those. And for what? A meagre one point each. But what can I say? I like a bit of flow and flowery speech. It doesn't always have to be cut down to the bones, does it? Apparently for good communication, it does. And clear, concise communication is not one of my strong suits. I'm sure anyone who has ever heard me try to explain anything knows how much I ramble and how long it takes me to get to the point.
I love words. The right words in the right place at the right time can be magic. Words can convey so much meaning. They carry connotations, tone, they describe, share information, make you feel things. But it is so hard to find the right words sometimes. I really envy writers who somehow find the perfect way to describe something. It’s like, “Yes! That’s what I’ve always known to be true and wanted to say but lacked the words!” Don’t even get me started on trying to write good poetry. This is probably why I prefer to reading to writing.
Speaking of reading, I’ve decided that I need to read more non-fiction and shall we say, more serious fiction. Not just fantasy or fun stuff, So here are a few books I’ve decided to read after I finish the one I’m on.
1. Lolita
2. One hundred Years of Solitude
3. Steppenwolf
4. House of Leaves
5. Eats, Shoots & Leaves (A book on punctuation, which I desperately need to read and possibly memorize.)
6. Siddhartha
Okay so most of that is still fiction. But I said more serious fiction!
I’ve recently gotten a Goodreads account (Goodreads.com) and have been busy obsessively adding all of the books I can think of that I have ever read, want to read, or am currently reading. I have 881 books listed right now, 411 Read, 469 To Read, and 1 Currently Reading (Sometimes I read more than one at a time!) I like that you can add books to multiple “shelves.” This feeds my obsession with listing and cataloguing everything I own (especially my books). I only wish I could organize my actual books in as many ways but, unfortunately, I only have one copy of each book and it can only be in one place at a time. :P For me, Goodreads is the most wonderful waste of time I could imagine. I get to browse through books, look through my shelves, review, rate, read other people’s reviews, join book clubs, discuss books, search through and add favourite quotes or authors. Ah, the list is endless.
Speaking of Lolita:
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.
Is that not the best beginning to a novel, ever?
I really wanted to talk about E-books and E-book readers. I’ve read some discussions lately and the general consensus seems to be that printed books will eventually become a thing of the past. That people will gradually switch to E-books and forget all about the actual experience of reading a book; the smell of old printed pages, a nice cozy chair near a fireplace surrounded by bookshelves full of books, the actual turning of pages and holding different sized books in your hand, searching through second-hand bookstores. They seem to think that nostalgia for printed books will slowly fade away as younger generations grow up accustomed to E-readers.
I disagree, though. Real books may become less common but I don’t think they will ever fade away entirely. Sure, an E-book reader might be convenient for traveling. You can carry a whole library in your pocket, in the car, or on an airplane, but I don’t think they can replace a good solid book. There’s something to be said for low-tech ideas that have stood the test of time. You can’t really take an E-book reader camping. You can lose it, which causes you to lose your entire library if you don’t have a backup. You can break it, it can run out of batteries and need to be charged, it can need upgrades. They just aren’t the same. It’s also nice to get something tangible for your money. You can buy a bookcase for your Kindle but it’s extremely unimpressive. It’s nice to actually see your books; to look at the size, the thickness, the cover artwork. Obsessed much? Yes. My books are my friends. :P
In other news, I’ve given up on learning French for now. It’s hard to find time for it. When I actually have homework I have to be doing that and when I don’t have homework I don’t want to waste my time doing something that feels like self-inflicted homework. Plus I don’t have a desk and it’s a pain to do it on the laptop. So I may try again later when I have a steady space and more time for it.
I haven’t taken any new pictures in a long time. I’ve sort of lost inspiration or something. Plus, every time I look at really good photos I feel like I’ll never be able to take anything near as good and it discourages me. I think it will be easier once it gets more into Spring and Summer but I’m tired of taking pictures of flowers. I feel like I need to move on to the next step but I don’t have anything to shoot. I may end up reading some photography books though to try to work up some motivation and get ideas for new things. I need to get out and play with my new lens! I’ll be ready the next time we go on vacation though!
I think I’ll have a really good schedule next semester. I’ve got a tentative idea of which classes/times/professors I’ll be taking but I don’t get to register until March 23rd. There aren’t as many options during the Summer so I’m hoping what I want will still be available. If it works out how I’d like I’ll only have class Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Two classes on Tues./Thurs. From 10-12 and 12-2 and one on Wednesday from 4-7pm. If I take four classes like I was going to I’ll have a 2 hour gap in between classes no matter which day I choose, so I’ll stick with three classes this time. It will also give me a nice easy Summer I hope. : )
And here I will leave you with a little example of how much Canada loves hockey.
http://www.patspapers.com/blog/item/what_if_everybody_flushed_at_once_Edmonton_water_gold_medal_hockey_game/