A Day in The Life

I have not taken many pictures this year. School really takes up a lot of my time. I have decided to do a photo challenge. One picture an hour (or so) all day. I will only do it in my waking hours, I will not wake up to do it in the middle of the night.

I have no plans tomorrow, and my daughter will not be home for most of the day, so she probably won't be in any of them. In order to make this easy, I will use the same camera for all the pictures, and it will be my P&S one, not my Canon. I will post these on flicker, I don't want to muck up my blogger with all of them, there could be 12 or more. However, I may post some of the more interesting ones, I haven't decided yet.

Here is the exersise:   Click it up a Notch

Books

I am currently in the middle of my summer session.  I'm on the last James Joyce book Ulysses. I was told it was difficult, but it is very difficult, and I'm not enjoying it. There is supposed to be a story there, but I cannot follow the thread.  However, this hasn't stopped my reading of other books.

I just finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.  Not at the top of the list of favorites.  The story seemed to drag until the end.  Not sure this type of thriller/suspense is his thing.  I understand this is the first part of a trilogy.  Not sure where this would go from here.  But the prolific Mr. King will keep writing stories for us to enjoy or not.  All we need to do is sit back and wait.

I am currently reading  Everything I Never Told You
by Celeste Ng. 

The Fault in Our Stars

I didn't cry. I cry at everything, but this book didn't make me cry. Perhaps because it was predictable and I knew the twist was coming. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining, well written, quick read. Is it simplistic? Yes. It is a YA novel. Is it cheesy? At times. I still enjoyed it. I read a wide range of books, but I’m not a book snob. If I like a book, I will admit to it.

The movie has not debuted yet, and I’m not sure how much of this book will make it in to the film, but I think it is a good idea to read the book first if you can, or afterwards. 

I enjoyed the character of Augustus Waters. I felt he was a kid who lived on his own terms and had a unique way of thinking. Hazel was your typical “teenager” young lady who was not overly annoying.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

Spring Semester Finished

I haven't gotten my grades yet, I am hoping I passed everything.  This term was rough and I am beat.  I start summer sessions on June 3.

I will be studying James Joyce and on that reading list is:

The Dubliners

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Ulysses

I started reading the Dubliners and I had to go on line to look stuff up.  I have read two stories from there in the past, but this time I am reading very critically, looking for Themes and gnomons and all that lovely stuff.

I've been trying to do some of my own reading but it is not working out well.  I do manage to get some books read, but I am unable ego finish many of them now a days.  I was hoping to catch up during the summer but with the reading of Ulysses, I can't see me reading anything else for the last six weeks of my summer term.

I have also decided that I am going for my MA in English Literature.  Of course I have to be accepted but that is the direction my life is headed.  I'm hoping I can stay awake.

I am still learning my French...that is also slow going. My brain needs a rest.

My Experiment

I have decided I am going to learn French.  I have started a blog to monitor my progress.


Mon Voyage en Francais

Quantum Creativity: Think Quantum, Be Creative by Amit Goswami

When I came across this title, I was interested, because not only am I creative, I am also a fan of quantum physics and consciousness. The first half of this book attempts to explain quantum thinking in a way that the masses can understand; however, I think anyone who reads this book needs a very basic knowledge of the workings of quantum physics. It is not as basic as Dr. Goswami perceives it to be. I was able to follow most of the first half of the book because I have an interest in the topic and have read about it previously. I enjoyed the 2nd half of the book as it was less technical and spoke of creativity. I appreciated the parables Dr. Goswamishared to make the points he was making come alive. This is where the ‘lay person’ aspect of this book comes in. Once you get through all the technical stuff, this is where the book shines.

Not only does Dr. Goswami go into how quantum creativity works, he talks about how our creativity suffers. It is helpful to see what we are doing to block the flow. It is easier to know where to go when we know where we have been.

This is a three star read for me. The book was informative although it is not knew information for me. It is well written and good for those who want to learn more about this topic. Dr. Goswami is knowledgeable in this field and his work is important for our time.

*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

NaPoWriMo - Day 2

An Open Letter to New York Tourists

By Liz Kelso

Yes the big building is pretty

Yes the homeless man is dirty

Don’t stop to read your map in the center of Times Square

Don’t look at us natives as if we are aliens from the dark skies

We walk fast

We talk fast

We rush on by

We will push you and not apologize

We will mumble profanities – audibly

Roll our eyes

Suck our teeth

No we don’t wait for the light when we cross the street

Don’t copy, you can’t, you’ll die

We can walk and text – our antennae are working

Don’t copy, you can’t, you’ll die

Unless of course

You’re from Tokyo or Hong Kong

Or some other similarly insane city

That has perfected the art of the zig zag and the bee line

If you are from Wichita or Kickapoo

Where the pace is a little slower

And the streets a less chaotic

Don’t annoy us natives

By taking a picture of the neon billboards

When we are trying to enter the subway station

The world thinks we natives are rude, unkind and nasty

We’re not

We’re just perpetually in a hurry to our graves

And your meandering and expressions of awe

Are breaking our stride.