On the Shelf: Review

This week I've finished a wonderful book, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. It was a sort of memoir, not quite an autobiography.So I'll split this into what I liked and didn't like about Me Talk Pretty One Day. 

What I liked:

There was a sense of humor in this book. It wasn't about finding yourself after tragedy or having extraneous circumstances affect your view on life; it was about a normal guy who did some stupid things because he wasn't a genius and he wasn't going to achieve much in his lifetime. I liked that he was a strange and exciting character, dealing with his problems because he was gay, he had a speech impediment, he did drugs, he disappointed his father, and he lived in France without a basic knowledge of the language. He did a lot of stupid things, his life a stream flowing over an endless amount of rough rocks of bad decisions that pointed skyward. He failed at everything, he excelled at nothing, and he was mediocre at even the basic acts needed to live a mediocre life. But he lived a thousand lives. In every chapter something new and exciting was happening. On one page he was a professor of writing and the next had him picking up people's processions as a mover. He was an office assistant and an abstract artist, an old American in France and a small boy in Raleigh. He had stories to tell, interesting people he's met, a life full of the places he'd been. It was interesting to live all those lives with him, even if he didn't appreciate the variety as much as I did. 

I also like the writing, simple and descriptive. It was never too much but I understood what Sedaris was trying to get across. The characters were painted with brilliant colors of words on the canvas of paper, and, no matter how sappy and metaphorical that sounds, it is true. They each were bursting with personality. 

What I didn't like: 

The chronological order of the book. It was skippy, a made up word that means there were parts missing. None of his stories really had a conclusion. They just ended and a new one took their place. The ending of the book wasn't even an ending. It was just about his dad eating rotten food. I'm sure there is probably some point, some sense, as to why Sedaris used this as his last story, but it was too abstract for me to understand. His stories were great but they jumped on the timeline and his life had changed so much between chapters that I could hardly understand how this was just one guy. Age was an issue too. I never really understood how old he was through this story. In the beginning he is 7 and in the end it sounds like he is 57. I don't know, I didn't understand, but I wish I at least knew who the man was before I read the chapter. I figured it out - whether he was young or not - while reading, but it was just another difficulty I had to get over. 

Overall:

Some books are fiction and some books are not, but this book almost seemed fiction when it wasn't. It was enjoyable even if it was about real life, which is quite the feat. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a little variety in what they read, because I have honestly never seen anything like this before.

Honorable Mention of the Week: Halloween Costume Makers

I want to give a shout out to all the creative people who make their own costumes. I have for the past 4 years and I know it's difficult to be creative and thrifty at the same time. The constant nagging of the part of your brain that's repeating 'how can you make it better? Is it the right color? Is a better product at Micheal's?' It's a difficult process that requires discipline and a full pocketbook. It takes time and sacrifice, but the results - the creative liberty - is worth every bucket of blood, sweat, and tears. So thank you, creative minds. And bravo for your work.

Blogs worth blogging about

I don't want to spoil the splendors of these two blogs with unfit words, so I will simply say they have provided outstanding subject manner and are worth looking in to for great book reviews.
 http://ihaveallthesoulsineed.blogspot.com/
 http://theoutspokensloucher.blogspot.com/

My Shelf got Longer

A Game of Thrones, Kafka on the Shore, Profiles in Courage, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. These books are my constant table companions through the day, helping me deal with mid-day boredom. They are of such a variety I can hardly comprehend the thought process I have behind reading them all. Each is stunning in its own right (So far), and if it weren't for the massive amount of time I spend building sets for the theater department I would probably have finished most of them by now. As I knock off each from my list I'll place a review here so you can see if I truly recommend it. 

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO: I remember the 80s.

 There comes a time where you get sick of the pop songs on the radio and the love songs on your Ipod. You get that cringe in your stomach that is comparable to the feeling you get when you watch someone eat mushrooms or broccoli (substitute with whatever food you personally are disgusted with.) It isn't a gag reflex, but it's enough to tell you "Hey man, you are just not feeling this song." or "Dude, this again?" 

I've hit that stage and now I'm skipping merrily through my Ipod's 80's and 90's pages (and some oddballs out of both categories). Do you remember the rhythmic chorus of 'Come on Eileen'? - and on that note, do you know the lyrics because I don't- Do you remember the exotic beat of 'Africa' by Toto? What about the groove in 'Footloose'? So I made a quiz. If you can answer anything see the answer by highlighting the white space next to it.

Lyrics: Name the song and artist

1.) There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do          Africa by Toto

2.) You might think I'm crazy, all I want is you.                         You Might Think by The Cars

3.) Nothing ever lasts forever, Everyone wants to rule the world   Everyone wants to rule the world by Tears for Fears

4.) Please, Louise,Pull me up from my knees                                Footloose by Kenny Loggins

5.) All the voices in your head calling , Gloria                                  Gloria by Laura Branigan

BONUS 6.) Dabei war'n da am Horizont nur 99 Luftballons            99 Luftballons by Nena

The Good years: Do you know what year these famous songs came out?

1.) It's Raining Men by the Weather girls                                                1982

2.) Maniac by Michael Sembello                                                            1983

3.) Karma Chameleon by Culture Club                                                   1983

4.) Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners                                      1982

5.) Mambo #5 by Lou Vega                                                                   1999

6.) I Try by Macy Grey                                                                          1999

7.) Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days                         2000

8.) Kiss me by Sixpence none the Richer                                                 1997

9.) Tubthumping ( I get knocked down) by Chumbawamba              1997

10.) I Believe I can Fly by R. Kelly                                                         1996

How well did you do? Leave your score in the comments! 

On the Shelf

READING: A new addition to my reading diet is the Pulitzer Prize winner Profiles in Courage. Written by John F. Kennedy, if gives examples of great feats of courage by past elected officials. It is suppose to be insightful and inspiring, the two most cliche (but impressive) I-words in the dictionary.  I'm hesitant to jump on the 'this is so great you gotta read it' train; the last time I jumped on was Twilight. Either way I'll read it anyhow, just so I can be a little more reality literate.
My other read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is going well. I've gotten through part 1 and am starting on the actual fun, part 2. I've got a lot of reading time tomorrow so I'll continue on that adventure soon.
OTHER: The most useful thing I ever learned has got to be Physics. It sounds hard, it looks hard, it is hard, but it is the most useful thing I have ever used. I've taken down trees and lifted things twice my weight using the basic knowledge Physics taught me. It is literally everywhere and now I feel like Neo in the Matrix, able to do impossible things because I can see the numbers that make everything possible.
Honorable Mention of the Week: TED Talks
My last post was about a TED Talk and since then I've engaged myself into a higher level of understanding. Each talk is interesting and informative. I've learned everything from how my body posture affects perception  to the levitation powers of superconductors. I guess I'm in a knowledge mood, but despite my quest for intelligence I know these talks appeal to more than just the genius in me. Try it out.

What I'm Loving: TED Talks Improv

Among the many hilarious and unique internet videos we stumble upon while surfing the Internet lies a treasure many people have already discovered. Improv Everywhere isn't new, but it is timeless. I found a TED talk where the creator of the group Charlie Todd explained what they did and why they did it. It started off (fittingly) with the start of the group. It was just him and six friends with no pants on the subway. From there the ideas and the group grew into a mob of people who participated in making life just a little bit more spontaneous. You can watch the TED Talk here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity.html

It's inspiring in a funny way. The main question Charlie Todd asks us why don't we do more things like this rather than why do we do things like this. I agree with his message and I find the topic engaging, not being bland or science based like most other TED Talk segments. It's worth a look at, if only for the video of 'the  annual no pants subway ride.'

On the... DS?

Usually around this time of week I post an On the Shelf where I proceed to regale you with tales of plots, characters, and cliches. This week I'm mixing it up a bit. (And it has nothing to do with the fact I haven't finished my book yet.) This week I have ON THE DS!
I'll start off with Borderlands. Most people are sighing right now saying 'been there, done that, got the tee-shirt and the sequel.' I haven't had the pleasure of playing the game until recently. It was an interesting experience, combining the personalization and will of a RPG with the action and game-play of a First-person shooter. I was, of course, the Siren. The opening of this game, like many Xbox Games, is sprinkled with a hardy humor that is exemplified by scenes in which something terribly wrong or immoral happens but you can't help but laugh anyway. (ie. The dog alien gets hit by a bus.) From then on, you are stuck on the desert planet Pandora. It is desolate, overflowing with sand and destruction. The art-style of the game is unique, being both grotesquely realistic and sketchily cartoon at the same time, bringing together maturity and quasi-realism to the landscape and the creatures who populate it. I haven't played enough to comment on the plot (feel free to do so yourself if you have played, just remember NO SPOILERS) but I'm content enough with the current game-play to recommend it to someone else. A mature someone else, but someone else non the less. It looks like a decent game, good enough to have a sell-able sequel at least.
Next is Pokemon. Yes, for those in the USA who are nerds just like me you realize that yesterday was the official release of the American version of Black 2 and White 2. While there are a lot of haters out there who refuse to try it because it isn't the original Kanto game, I have no such bias. I love all the Pokemon generations (not equally, Hoenn is my fav.) and when Nintendo announced this new game, I was stoked (cool dude term meaning excited). I decided to go in with no prior knowledge, meaning I couldn't use Serebii.net to help me. So far at the third gym I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy it. No, it isn't any different in typical game-play and no, it isn't an action RPG all of a sudden, but I enjoyed travelling around Unova again. It had a nostalgia with characters from the original Black and White, but it also revamped with new gym leaders, new outfits, new plot points, and new routes. Most of all they brought back some of the previous generation Pokemon and I love my Growlithe to death. Of course I haven't played long enough to worry about Team Plasma all that much and my rival (you get to name him this time!) is sorta bland as a character, but I've enjoyed the crisp graphics and the upbeat music. I think it was absolutely brilliant to change the gym leaders final Pokemon music to the epic end music, reminiscent of Pokemon Advance Battle where the music would change when Ash or May pulled of a huge turn around. All in all, it's worth a chance, even if you do have a soft spot for the original 151.
IN OTHER NEWS: Do you like my Background?
I do. If you want to spice up your background for free, visit Jellypages and pick one out for yourself. It's fast, easy, and they have hundreds of choices from Anime to Nature. But try and be mature, they do have everything. Also visit cooltext.com to get the cool banners I used. Pretty neat way to spice up your blog.
Honorable Mention of the Week: TomSka
There are a lot of things I love about Britain: Tea, Sherlock, Doctor Who, BBC, Buses, Harry Potter, London eye, Parliament, The Queen, Their use of the word Bloody. But another thing I like about Britain is this guy. He makes the funniest and most well made Youtube videos I've seen on...well, Youtube. They're hilarious, bringing me to tears every time I watch. I think he owes me a spleen of two. He's brought you classics like, Deleted, Musical Suicide, Baby with a gun, Chaos Relay, Salon shootout, Ledge-man and the Assassin, and Mine Turtle. He also brought you this:

When that clever plan goes wrong...

There is this feeling, a very lovely feeling, where you make up a plan and it is executed to perfection. You feel proud, you feel smug, and you feel that you successfully predicted the human reaction to a stimulus. In other words, you feel brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
I know because I've had several plans, pranks, and lies go perfectly. I benefited greatly from these accomplishments even if the benefit wasn't obvious. So I know a little something about plans.
Sometimes they fail.
It's one of the most depressing feelings in the world, when well made plans fail to follow through. Disappointment, anger, frustration, and sadness permeate your mood after the failure. Your mind goes into circles of how? where? why? and you can't really stop it till you forget or you solve the issues.
Today a plan of mine failed. Not an important plan, or a clever one, but the principle of the thing still jabs my mind with a sharp, pointy, prehistoric stick. I lost because I didn't charge my computer. What a lame way to lose. I can't believe that the best laid plans, the ones that you work so long and hard on, are defeated by the most mundane actions. (Or in my case, the lack of one.)
Is that the moral of this story? That it's the small details that get ya? It might be. I'm not the kind of person who should be teaching you morals, though. Really, I'm not.