Happy 2012

The first day of a new year.  I think, perhaps, I am too hard on myself.  This past year I made a goal for myself but failed it.  I am upset because I never really set goals too high (for the sake of avoidance of failure).  The goal was to read at least three books a month.  While achieving this goal month to month, as December came and went I realized this goal would not be achieved entirely. I managed to squeak one book in for December, but ran out of time, book in hand as the year changed (as well as the month).  On average, the goal was achieve.  I successfully read 41 books in 2011.

Zach (my boyfriend as you will come to know more about him) is great.  He found me that one book (fairly short) when I confessed to him the origins of my souring December mood.  He also makes light of the whole 'goal failing' thing.  Claiming that I am being too hard on myself: that I had a valid reason for not completing my goal, which is that I was working 40+ hours a week and was too tired on any time off to read.  The book he found for me to read was fitting: The Underachiever's Manifesto.  The book that I was trying to ferociously finish in time, also very fitting, was The Time Machine.  I have to admit, that is pretty funny.

Something that I wish to take away from this experience, is not that I am a failure at my own goals, but instead to recognize my successes when I put my mind to it.  So what if I was off 2 books for December, I was still up to 41 books for the year!  Even when I was in university studying English Literature I did not read 41 books.  So, two things: success is relative, and that I tried.  Whether or not I tried my best?  That I do not know.  It is hard to say what it means for a leisure's goal to be broken.  It does not effect my well being, nor does it effect others: grades are not dropping, rent and bills are paid for, etc..

Time to start setting up some new goals:
1) Slow down: take more time and care with the here and now (but do not stop altogether)
2) Save my money (ING's savings schedule and working will help for that)
3) Reading is still important on my list but this time I will be focusing on quality over quantity.  I have a copy of War and Peace and Moby Dick that I want to read over this next year (and hopefully some other books... if I can squeeze them in)
4) Write daily: whether it be in my journal/commonplace book or on any blogs and be it poetry or prose, just write.

I started this year's poetry already. Here it goes:

Happy New Year 2012

The clock flickered a bit
and the new zeros were glaring,
proudly lifting the new year up
for the 52 week fall that we have left.

The kiss that transplaced this temporal transfer
was just as fleeting as any other
but symbolically holds the same great weight
as good ol' January 01:
let's make some goals
that we may never keep.
At least we don't know what 2012 will be.
In good faith: happy new year.

Mission to Mars (first candy bar in space)

“Roger that. Stand by; I am stepping out now” I said into my fish-bowl of a helmet.  My voice has no echo like I imagined it would have out here.  All I hear is the faint static of mission control.  Sure they could have fixed the audio to be crisp and clean, but I requested the static.  I hate silence.  Nothing makes me feel more godlessly alone than silence.  Silence means no breathing, and no breathing equals no life.  Sorry folks, but I will keep my static, thank you. 

I made some other requests too of course.  First manned flight to the red planet is going to have a few perks over the past ‘trips’.  I am the first guy in years to crack Earth’s orbit, damn right I will have some strange requests.  Most of my suggestions got a smirk but little commentary, they were fine with the porn, but what gave me the hardest flack was my demand for Mars bars for every week of travel.  This is a 6 month in 6 month out trip.  I doubt NASA was going to approve this one.  I didn’t care though.  I knew it would just take a bit of press and one letter to Mars Inc., and I would get my 52 candy bars.  Come on, Mars bars to Mars the planet; I was offering them the best publicity stunt they could ask for.  

“One small step for man, haha, okay I am joking.  That was a huge leap for me; don’t know what ol’ Neil was talking about.  So, the planet, it’s red alright.  Nothing out here, folks.  Wish I could talk to some aliens for ya”.  I was told to give a running dialogue of my first steps.  Some NASA guys were telling me I should have a big speech.  I was even harassed by a publicist that I needed something profound for the history books.  He was trying to give me a few suggestions, but you would not believe the balls of this guy.  What was one?  Oh, like “There are some mighty big foot prints to fill on the Moon, so I’ll make my prints here instead” geez, no ring to it at all.  Now tell me who on Earth would remember a line like that.  On Earth.  Right.  I am very far from Earth right now.  All I have is some Mars bars, and static in my ears.

“Bring it in now Dave, you know what the fans want to hear”.  That was my cue.  I arranged it for my Mars bars that when I stepped down and was comfortable I would open a Mars bar and say, ‘believe me, mission control, I’d love to hop and go, but first I need to relax my hungry with a snack that is out of this world, your world that it.  This candy bar is right at home with me.  I want a Mars Bar’ and then noisily open it and enjoy it over the air waves, in my suit of course.  What a load of balls, but hey, it got me Mars bars for every week without paying a dime.  

With that, I start, “Believe me, mission control,” as I start unwrapping the candy bar, “I would love to hop and go…”

The suit radio goes silent. 

“Dave?”

Silence.

“Dave, do you read me?  It says here that your suit’s propulsion is offline.  Dave?  All your emergency lights are going red.  Dave!”

Summer Rant

It is way too hot outside!  Ontario seems to be having a heat wave so I am trying to stay cool and pale (not sun burnt), but it is hard to do.  I bought a third fan for blowing the hot air out the one window and the other two bordering my bed.  Most of my meals are in smoothy form of various flavours/fruits/calories and either made by me, Orange Julius, Tim Hortons or/and Booster Juice (all that are offered in my neighbourhood).

My boyfriend then mentioned to me that this happens every year.  And, I know what you are thinking, yes, I know summer happens every year.  But that got me thinking about it.  What can I remember of last summer?  Ah yes, avoiding all the rooms of my apartment that did not have an air conditioner.  I living in my office last summer and moved the futon in there with me.  The year before that?  Ah yes, the year of cold showers and the year before that was me melting nudish in front of a fan in Toronto vowing to fly north for every summer after that (which I later forgot and broke that promise). 

Learning from this, I know I will forget the woes of this summer as I have all these past summers and I will probably be just as whiny/bitchy/moany/complainy next year.

I hope everyone is staying cool this summer!  I'm off to find the beach!  Cheers!

Summer Reading

As far as Canadian authors go, Douglas Coupland is a recognizable name.  Recently one of his books was made into a television series, which is itself an achievement (even though from what I hear it is not being picked up for a further season).  His well known titles seem to be JPod, Microserf, and Generation X and his newest one The Gum Thief.

Currently signed out from my library, I have Microserf, The Gum Thief, and Hey Nostradamus!.  And I have recently read through Generation X, Generation A, Eleanor Rigby, and JPod.

My literary critic on his writing style would be to say he is very 'current', or post-modern, in his writing style.  This style is enjoyable to read, but I find he is getting repetitive.  Generation X has 3 main characters told from the point of view of one of them and their main past time is telling stories to each other of which the reader partakes in listening with the other characters.  Generation A is 5 characters that tell stories to each other, but the narrative voice is shared amongst all 5 of them, switching as the chapters change.  Microserf and JPod have a similar comparison where the former is a single point of view and the later share (more so) the narrative voice of the overall text.

Fun reading factor, I enjoyed reading the more visual artsy elements that JPod offered (reminding me of bpNichol from the Four Horsemen) and the Hive-mindedness of the Generation A crew.  From this, if I had to say 'if you are only going to read one Coupland novel it should be ______" I think I would go with Generation A.... That is, from what I have read so far.  I have high hopes for Hey Nostradamus! and even higher hopes for his newest The Gum Thief.


It was also recommended to me to read All Families are Psychotic and I think I may enjoy Girlfriend in a Coma which I hear is his most depressing text (which perks my interest a bit).

If you have any questions about a more in depth analysis of any of Coupland's novels I would be glad to hear them, and I will get back to you once I get through a few more summer books.

Cheers and stay cool - read in the shade! :)

Greetings and Development

I do not know about you, but on a rainy day I like to cozy up under blankets with a good book (and possibly a hot chocolate as well). 

Rainy Day Library is a rainy day media smorgasbord: it has commentary on books and board games from stormy days that knock out the electrical power and has opinions about music, movies and television shows from when it is just plain soggy outside. 

My first thoughts to the word "library" is books, and so I will be focusing primarily on that media form.  I will gladly attempt requests for feedback on any rainy day materials that you wish to see here.

So here is my Greetings: Hello! Pleasant readings, and read on;