A post full of awesome segues.
Good weekend - it really lifted my spirits from what was a crappy week last week. Friday I took the day off and did some clothes shopping. I don't remember the last time I shopped for clothes - feels like years ago. I spent a bundle, relatively speaking, but I thought I needed to treat myself after a lousy week.
Also to treat myself, I saw the movie Little Miss Sunshine. Very funny. For the most part, it was good intelligent humour. I think people built it up for me a little too much, though. I did think it was good, but I thought there would be something more to it.
While at the theatre, one of the previews shown was for the movie version of Augusten Burroughs's Running with Scissors. I liked the book, but didn't love it. I do, however, see how it could potentially be a hilarious movie, maybe even better than the book. Each time I read part of the book, it left me wanting to take a shower, but I suppose that was part of its charm.
On the subject of books, I just finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Absolutely excellent; one of the best books I've read in quite a while. The story and characters drew me in so entirely, and I loved the way the plot played out. I very highly recommend it.
As for other stories, here's a personal one you'll like: Today I went to the Strand to buy a new (well, used) book. I had wanted to read it for some time, and had actually planned to save myself a few dollars and head to the public library to get it. However, all the copies are out and I figured by the time they get them in and my turn comes up in the queue for the book on hold for me, I could've read it already. So I searched the Strand site and they had two copies.
At lunch I popped by the store and found the copies. The only thing was - there was a hardcover for $12, and a paperback for $7. I examined them both. The hardcover was in slightly better condition than the paperback, but they were both pretty good. I could save myself five bucks on the paperback, and I've never been one for material goods anyway. After all, it *is* just a book, and it's the words that are the most important thing, right? But the hardcover *is* in slightly better condition. And I don't have many books, so why not just get the hardcover. So I put the paperback down and walk to the stairs to go upstairs to pay for it. But then I'm halfway up the stairs and look at the book in my hand and think: Hey, 5 bucks is 5 bucks. That's a sandwich for lunch, or a beer at the bar. I go back to the shelf and pick up the paperback. But geez, there's a slight fold in the back cover, and that might annoy me after a while. But there's a chance the book's going to get damaged somewhat in my bag if I'm hauling it around anyway. But the hardcover is just nicer, sooo okay, I make my decision., but down the paperback again, pay and leave, before I change my mind again. The punchline here is in the title of the book. The irony is obvious: A Paradox Of Choice: Why More is Less, by Barry Schwartz.
I already know all about the book, and feel like I've already read it, given the amount of references to it and excerpts of it that I've already seen, but I still want to read it. I'm also aware that at it's heart, it's not going to tell me anything I don't already know. However, (in case it isn't obvious from the above story) I especially have a difficult time with decisions, whether it involves my job, my relationships, or even what book I buy. Hopefully I'll learn something, though, and maybe it'll enlighten me a little about my own issues with regards to life and day-to-day choices.
I've been loving this trend in collective socio-psychology books like these that have been released recently: Gladwell's Blink and The Tipping Point, Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness, Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds, and Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics, to name a few. Suggestions are welcome, if you feel you can contribute to my libray.
And speaking of contributions (yeah, that segue was reaching a bit), currently I'm typing while listening to a sweet new radio that I received from my buddy Ted, who had his apartment-warming on Saturday. This was the first time, I must say, that I actually left a housewarming with a gift. I came by early in the day and helped him set up for the shindig, which went pretty well. It was the usual suspects, for the most part, and good times all around.
Anyway(No segue here. I'm worn out), I've switched radio stations from FUV to NPR's live broadcast of the Concert for Peace at Merkin Hall. I so lack culture: Yo-Yo Ma is playing cello, and he's really the only artist who's name I recognise. Anyway, that's as close a reference to 9/11 as I'll make for today. I would much rather look ahead with hope and dreams than dwell on the nightmares I experienced years ago, both real and otherwise.
The music is excellent, by the way. Thanks for the tunes, Ted.
Also to treat myself, I saw the movie Little Miss Sunshine. Very funny. For the most part, it was good intelligent humour. I think people built it up for me a little too much, though. I did think it was good, but I thought there would be something more to it.
While at the theatre, one of the previews shown was for the movie version of Augusten Burroughs's Running with Scissors. I liked the book, but didn't love it. I do, however, see how it could potentially be a hilarious movie, maybe even better than the book. Each time I read part of the book, it left me wanting to take a shower, but I suppose that was part of its charm.
On the subject of books, I just finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Absolutely excellent; one of the best books I've read in quite a while. The story and characters drew me in so entirely, and I loved the way the plot played out. I very highly recommend it.
As for other stories, here's a personal one you'll like: Today I went to the Strand to buy a new (well, used) book. I had wanted to read it for some time, and had actually planned to save myself a few dollars and head to the public library to get it. However, all the copies are out and I figured by the time they get them in and my turn comes up in the queue for the book on hold for me, I could've read it already. So I searched the Strand site and they had two copies.
At lunch I popped by the store and found the copies. The only thing was - there was a hardcover for $12, and a paperback for $7. I examined them both. The hardcover was in slightly better condition than the paperback, but they were both pretty good. I could save myself five bucks on the paperback, and I've never been one for material goods anyway. After all, it *is* just a book, and it's the words that are the most important thing, right? But the hardcover *is* in slightly better condition. And I don't have many books, so why not just get the hardcover. So I put the paperback down and walk to the stairs to go upstairs to pay for it. But then I'm halfway up the stairs and look at the book in my hand and think: Hey, 5 bucks is 5 bucks. That's a sandwich for lunch, or a beer at the bar. I go back to the shelf and pick up the paperback. But geez, there's a slight fold in the back cover, and that might annoy me after a while. But there's a chance the book's going to get damaged somewhat in my bag if I'm hauling it around anyway. But the hardcover is just nicer, sooo okay, I make my decision., but down the paperback again, pay and leave, before I change my mind again. The punchline here is in the title of the book. The irony is obvious: A Paradox Of Choice: Why More is Less, by Barry Schwartz.
I already know all about the book, and feel like I've already read it, given the amount of references to it and excerpts of it that I've already seen, but I still want to read it. I'm also aware that at it's heart, it's not going to tell me anything I don't already know. However, (in case it isn't obvious from the above story) I especially have a difficult time with decisions, whether it involves my job, my relationships, or even what book I buy. Hopefully I'll learn something, though, and maybe it'll enlighten me a little about my own issues with regards to life and day-to-day choices.
I've been loving this trend in collective socio-psychology books like these that have been released recently: Gladwell's Blink and The Tipping Point, Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness, Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds, and Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics, to name a few. Suggestions are welcome, if you feel you can contribute to my libray.
And speaking of contributions (yeah, that segue was reaching a bit), currently I'm typing while listening to a sweet new radio that I received from my buddy Ted, who had his apartment-warming on Saturday. This was the first time, I must say, that I actually left a housewarming with a gift. I came by early in the day and helped him set up for the shindig, which went pretty well. It was the usual suspects, for the most part, and good times all around.
Anyway(No segue here. I'm worn out), I've switched radio stations from FUV to NPR's live broadcast of the Concert for Peace at Merkin Hall. I so lack culture: Yo-Yo Ma is playing cello, and he's really the only artist who's name I recognise. Anyway, that's as close a reference to 9/11 as I'll make for today. I would much rather look ahead with hope and dreams than dwell on the nightmares I experienced years ago, both real and otherwise.
The music is excellent, by the way. Thanks for the tunes, Ted.
Labels: books and film, daily grind
posted by Skylight at 9:14 PM
2 Comments:
OK, I was about to tease you and say, "I think I detect a mild case of OCD," but then I got to the part about the book's title and just laughed. That is quite hilarious.
I just finished Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson, which is all about how video games, MTV, Survivor and iPods are making us much better at systematic reasoning.
An interesting read (although, as you say, fundamentally probably not going to teach you anything you don't already know), but not quite as good as, say, Freakonomics. So, I'd just library it (or borrow my copy.)
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