Ten Days of Christmas

My Twelve Ten Days of Christmas

I'm home for Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:
    Snow to end my train journey!
On the second day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:
    A Christmas party,
        and snow to end my train journey!
On the third day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:
    Sunday at home,
         a Christmas party,
            and snow to end my train journey!
On the fourth day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:
    a day to sleep in,
        Sunday at home,
        a Christmas party,
            and snow to end my train journey!
On the fifth day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:
    Shopping with Jess!
        a day to sleep in,
        Sunday at home,
        a Christmas party,
            and snow to end my train journey!
On the sixth day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:
    lunch out with Kristin,
        Shopping with Jess!
        a day to sleep in,
        Sunday at home,
        a Christmas party,
            and snow to end my train journey!
On the seventh day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:

    Steph coming home,

        lunch out with Kristin,

        Shopping with Jess!

        a day to sleep in,

        Sunday at home,

        a Christmas party,

            and snow to end my train journey!

On the eighth day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:

    cookie decorating,

        Steph coming home,

        lunch out with Kristin,

        Shopping with Jess!

        a day to sleep in,

        Sunday at home,

        a Christmas party,

            and snow to end my train journey!

On the ninth day of Christmas, the holiday gave to me:

    Christmas cartoons,

        cookie decorating,

        Steph coming home,

        lunch out with Kristin,

        Shopping with Jess!

        a day to sleep in,

        Sunday at home,

        a Christmas party,

            and snow to end my train journey!

On the tenth day of Christmas, the holiday will give to me:

    Christmas celebrations,

        holiday cartoons,

        cookie decorating,

        Steph coming home,

        lunch out with Kristin,

        Shopping with Jess!

        a day to sleep in,

        Sunday at home,

        a Christmas party,

            and snow to end my train journey!

---

Side note: Mark Reads is finally doing Lord of the Rings! And Mark Watches is covering Buffy! Can't wait...

One Bad Apple

And the treasure hunt reviews continue!

One Bad Apple is the first in a mystery series. Meg Corey moves from Boston to an old colonial house in a small town (she thinks it's temporary, but we all know that's not going to happen) only to find her ex-boyfriend has made the same move (and the plumber's really nice). Next thing she knows, her ex is dead in her septic tank, and the detective in charge of the case thinks it was probably her, the plumber, or her and the plumber together.

A pretty basic mystery. Formulaic, but fun. I spent most of the book debating whether the murderer would be the character whose intro, even before the murder, set off alarm bells in my genre-savy head, or the character Meg gradually begins to suspect. Turns out it was both, so I'm happy.

Also, I know I've mentioned before that I don't like mysteries where the main character's accused, but for once it actually worked. The author (Sheila Connolly) follows Meg, not the detective, and the detective's investigation never goes far enough for her to be in real legal trouble. The accusation is just the incentive to investigate, nothing more.

Final conclusion: Enjoyable.

Still Here

I don't know why it is I seem to have less time with a two-day-a-week internship than I did before with a 30+ hour-a-week job, but maybe I just used to be insane.  Anyway, sorry I forgot to update. I've just finished cross-posting all my blog entries from my epub class, and hope to have a real post here soon.

Digital Archives

I have to say, this is a definite improvement on microfilm. It's amazing the amount of research this makes open to the general public - but still only to a point. Searches are free, but access to the actual pages requires paying a fee.

The fees really don't look too bad though. You can get a day pass or a week pass, or go through a "subscribing institution," which apparently means UK universities, some UK libraries, and miscellaneous places in other countries.

I love old newspapers. And this is one instance where I'm ready to celebrate digitization.

British Newspaper Archive

Netflix for books

A children's book publisher has come out with an app that sounds like a sort of instant Netflix for books - or perhaps like a cable channel. A paid library. Why would this catch on, when we have such a long-standing tradition of free libraries? Well... because it's convenient. And because it just might have a better selection.

Libraries are slow to adapt ebooks for many reasons. Publishers are fighting them. Budgets are limited. And after all, isn't community space part of the idea of a library? Some librarians may find it hard to reconcile this idea with large investment in ebooks. Certainly, my own library recently chose to invest in a bigger, more open open building, with more comfortable seating, rather than extending its collection. And frankly, I like the result.

But that brings us back to digital libraries. Is that the direction public libraries are headed? Academic libraries, probably, but not necessarily the public ones; it just doesn't fit the traditional use of a public library. Anyone should be able to come read - even without the money for a computer or ereader. And librarians should be eager to help reluctant readers, not cautious about loaning out expensive equipment. Plus the location itself is almost as important as the collection.

So is there a place for a paid, digital library in the future? I think perhaps there is.

Fitting into the market

This recent post at Publisher's Weekly is all the more interesting for the comments it's collecting. We can debate the meaning and use of epublishing all we want, but it's starting to feel as if we will go in circles forever if we never look outside the publisher's viewpoint. Here, however, we have authors and readers debating the value of ebooks and their different business models. They're different perspectives, and ones we need to remember. Without them, epublishing debates can never be more than theory.

Readers are worried about not recognizing books they've read already. While this has always been a concern with reprints, how can publishers make ebooks more visually memorable?

Authors are debating the value of their own work. When and how did this happen? What value has publishing traditionally placed on an author's work, and how can this be preserved?

Personally, I find the idea of ebooks filling the same role as cheap mass market books a good idea. The same business model should be easily converted. We need to be wary of undervaluing an author's work - and for this reason, I think six or seven dollars is generally a valid price. But the commenter Norma Beisher has a valid point as well: if the ebook is more expensive than the already available mass market, something's gone wrong.

Quality Control

Epublishing has made self-publishing a lot easier. That's obvious. But what are the ramifications?

Many people talk about the new ease of self-publishing as an unqualified good thing. They talk of cutting out the middle man and being fair to authors. They don't want publishers telling them what's worth reading.

Even Amazon seems to be behind this view, despite recently becoming a publisher:

"The only really necessary people in the publishing process now are the writer and reader”

On the other side, there are the complaints that this change is an unqualified disaster. Books are dying, publishing's dying, and so on... but isn't the truth somewhere in the middle?

"Quality control" is an interesting phrase, and very accurate. The way to assurequality is to maintain control. But our values are quality and freedom.

This news story got me thinking. Yes, publishing of news is becoming more decentralized through blogs and social media. Yes, people tend to want news for free now. But do we really want to get rid of major news networks? Trade CNN and BBC for a loose collection of whichever blogs have caught our interest?

Book publishing has more in common with this dilemma than we might at first think. Yes, publishers are controlling. But they are also offering quality - or at least they should be.

How far is too far?

Consider this an addition to "What makes a book a book?" since I've been thinking along the same lines recently. When people start talking about "networked books" and text as "enhancement of cinema," I begin to wonder if they're even in the same business anymore. It's like MTV switching to reality shows and the history channel's obsession with alien documentaries. If the business model works for them, fine. But should they really still be calling themselves a music channel and a history channel?

Or Indigo's switchover to being a "lifestyle store for booklovers" rather than a bookstore. I see the economic logic - at least in the short term - but at what point does the identity stop stretching and start to disappear entirely?

As websites become more able to imitate books and books begin to imitate websites, what is the difference between them? Here's some of what I value in a book rather than a website:

1. I physically own it. It can't disappear, change, or become temporarily unavailable unless I am the one who loses, lends, or writes in it.

2. Reuse value. When I buy a book, my assumption is that I will open it more than once.

3. Wireless :-) That is, I don't need internet, electricity, or any kind of tech, just me and the book.

4. Relaxing. "Curl up with a good book" is a common phrase for a reason.

So now we have ebooks. Do I physically own them? Well... I have a copy of the file. Unless, of course, I decided to store it in the cloud. Reuse value? That's still there. Wireless? Well... getting more complicated, but this is perhaps balanced by the ability to carry 100 books instead of 1. Relaxing? Well, a good e-ink screen is still relaxing. So overall, I'm okay with ebooks.

Next step - networked and/or multimedia books. Can we physically own these, or will there be at least parts subject to the fast-paced changes of the internet? Reuse? Sure, that's still there. Wireless? Not really. Relaxing? Yeah, I think I'll go curl up with a good book... just me and 200 of my best friends... oh, don't mind the noise, it's got a soundtrack. And a video. And a link to an online database... is our internet working?

I know I probably sound like I'm whining. I'm not saying that some of these innovations don't have their uses. But they're not books anymore. Let Hollywood deal with text-enhanced cinema. And some social networking company can make a website for "networked books." Can't book publishing find a way to produce technology-enhanced text rather than losing its identity completely?

Overheard

"Seriously? You've got to stop and tie your shoe now?"
"So what?"
"What if there was a hoard of zombies coming down the street, would you stop and tie your shoe then?"

*****

That's right, everyone. Street safety 101: Don't stop to tie your shoes, or the zombies will get you.

*****

Look out!

Reposting

My epub class has a blog!

Here's my first post there:

Once upon a time, books were often illustrated with watercolors, or colored pencil. Because of this, many illustrations were soft and detailed. As photos and brighter colors became easier to produce, new styles of illustration developed.

Right now, ereaders are either back-lit or black-and-white, and many illustrations are produced unthinkingly by copying the print version. Some publishers, however - especially publishers of kids' books - have started to design animated, interactive illustrations for back-lit ereaders. I doubt people will pay much attention to the static black-and-white pictures with these around, but there's a third option coming. For now, the complaint is that the color's too faint, and perhaps it really won't be released until the color's as bright as a computer screen. But I think that would be a shame. I'd like to see what artists and designers would come up with for pastel colors on a small screen. It could be an opportunity to be innovative, rather than trying and failing to recreate the illustrations we've been used to in print.

But design is just the obvious adjustment to make in a new form. Content is changing in more ways than that. Length is much more flexible. Editability, for better or for worse, has increased. Even basic grammar's been affected, whether it's just using the electronic format to back up an old rule, writing an addendum to a rule specifically to deal with electronic formats, or straight-out changing the rule because of electronic publishing.

How else might content change?

I'm not really crazy. I promise.

Me: You should really get some work done.

Me: Nah, I don't feel like it.

Me: Seriously – homework, cleaning, something.

Me: In a bit.

Me: A new blog even?

Me: I'll get to it.

...

3 hours later

...

Me: It's getting late.

Me: Mmm.

Me: You do realize you have a paper due tomorrow?*

Me: Yeah, I'll do that next.

...

Me: Hello?

...

Me: Remember that paper?

...

Me: Really, it's getting late and you've got a long day tomorrow. Just do the paper.

Me: Yeah, yeah.

...

Me: Just write the paper and go to bed!

Me: ...I think I'll watch Balto III, that sounds like a great idea.

Me: PAPER! BED!

And that is why the internet is evil. Because of course it is entirely to blame for my concentration problems and it will single-handedly destroy the world momentarily.
...Does the internet even have hands?

*Disclaimer: The paper in question was only a one-page, informal response paper, and it did, in fact, get written. Don't worry, Mom.

Slices of Life

...couldn't get into my office (don't ask!) so I...

...need your advice. Please cable ASAP...

...wanted to thank you for the chicken dinner...

...tell her NO!!!! We can't afford so many...

...so sorry to compromise, I promise it was with much swearing and raised voices...

...to my darling, overly-invoiced B––...

...no need to be so offensive...

...wife wants your chicken recipe...

...should have read your letter before I acted on it...

...a letter from a reader who seems to think he's related to you...

...the Dialogue with Ritalin correspondence...

...misinformed. We are not out of stock; in fact we've had trouble selling...

...I'm not chasing, this was just on top of a pile...

...that wonderful chicken...

...Emergency! Print run should be stopped...

...have no record of that...

...deadlines are not made to be broken...

...but what about Japan...

...know the mail is unreliable...

...find enclosed the picture I'd like...

...unsure who holds permission...

...just moved my office and not everything has reappeared yet...

...but we have never paid a reset fee...

...rename the chicken recipe in honor of your book...

Wedding Adventures Part 3:The Wedding!

I think this part is best told in pictures:

 More pictures from the party if you view whole post...

War Beneath the Waves

I miss my book reviews, even though I can't read all the bestsellers anymore, so here's a new section: Treasure Hunt. Books that I picked up at Borders' liquidation sales, or that I found cheap at used book stores. I've got quite a pile of these I've been meaning to go through anyway.

So first up is War Beneath the Waves, by Don Keith. It's a nonfiction book about a submarine crew in WWII, who suffered one of the worst depth-charge attacks anyone has ever survived – even though the top three officers were incapacitated early in the attack.

The story is interesting, the point – that such heroism deserves to be told and recognized – is appreciated, but somehow the editor in me is as fascinated as the historian. It's trying to figure out what went wrong.

I enjoyed this book. I really did. And any one section of it was an easy read, well-explained and plainly worded. The problem comes in the structure of the book as a whole. This was very obviously not written all in one go – or if it was, then the editor messed up badly. I could almost see it as a series of essays that were patched together, except that I don't know why anyone would write single essays on the events.

Terms and backgrounds are explained, re-explained, and re-explained again. Each time in slightly different wording, with a slightly different focus on the details. Each time as if the author thinks you've never heard it before. But the worst part, I think, is the timeline. This is not a linear story.

At first it seems to be following the man who will take command of the sub when no one else is available – Charlie Rush. But it keeps jumping. The main storyline meets someone important or interesting, and suddenly it's jumped back and is telling you their history. He gets assigned to a base or ship, and you get its history. These are all fascinating tangents – but they start to overlap after a while, and worse, you lose track of when you are in relation to the (supposed) main event of the book. The actual depth-charge attack consists of about four chapters, the central one only ten pages long – in a book with fourteen chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue.

It would probably make a great movie.

*************************************

Crystal Ball

A New Year

I'll continue talking about the wedding later, but while I've been pulling that together, life's been happening. Isn't it funny how that goes?

So I've had my first two classes for the semester - ePub overview, and copyediting. I'm excited for both. In the very first class for ePub, he already went over all the basics of HTML and had us make practice pages. And he actually made us stop and think about what each line meant, so I no longer think of the opening few lines as "the gibberish that makes it work that I copy-and-paste onto each page." In the process of learning this, I also realized that I essentially used the hard way when I made the farm's page. If you look at that page and select "view source," you'll see I'm using "XHTML 1.0 Strict" as opposed to "HTML 4.01 Transitional" which is what we used in class. The key difference is the strict vs. transitional - if I left out one end tag on the farm's page, it would screw up the whole thing; if you leave out an end tag in transitional but it can figure out what you meant, it'll do what you meant.

Wow, that sounds cool when I say it like that. And science-fictiony. It's technology that acts on what you think, not what you tell it. Sort of.  :-)

Oh, and I wore my China shirt to the first day of copyediting. "The waves swept overt the coast II typography cocktail."




Ever wondered if this could be true?

Wedding Adventures Part 2: Setting Up

So I'd made it to the farm after all, and we had three days till the wedding. By the time I got there, the mess left behind by Irene had already been picked up, and Ty had mowed. There were still signs to do, however, and some cleaning and planning.
There was also a farm to run still - and a hurricane to respond to, just to keep things interesting. The cooler had a neighbor's fruit in it, because he'd lost power, and Ty, Z, and I all spent some time sorting apples into half-peck bags (way smaller than the farm normally uses, but there was a carton of them in storage) so that they could be sent on to their dojo, which had become an emergency supply depot.

We weren't sure when the tent was coming, so we didn't actually take everything there until late, but Uncle George managed to fill the back of his truck with food, clothes, flashlights, and soap, and it did get there eventually.

As more people began showing up, the work got faster.
This sign:

took me hours, though honestly it shouldn't have.

Then, with more people working, washing 12 dozen glasses took less time than the sign - and with still more people, doing this:

was even quicker.

Finally, the tent was up, the places were set, the signs were ready, Tug's doggy cam was on, and everyone was dressed (this last point being quite the accomplishment, with 20 or so people playing musical bathrooms).

to be continued...

Eeevinrude!

Update on Unbroken

Unbroken was one of the Bestsellers I reviewed that I really liked - so I think the continued attention is well-deserved.

Wedding Adventures Part 1: Getting There

I checked on my train Tuesday night, and according to the website, it was going to be leaving on time. So I was up late, packing and planning, and getting everything ready to go.
When I got up in the morning, I collected my stuff and dragged it all with me to Emerson to pick up my September T pass, then back to Copley for the walk to the train station. I finally get there... and my train's been cancelled. Apparently the tracks are still underwater (they didn't know this the night before?) and so trains still can't get to Albany. No alternate transport was offered.
The solution? Rent a car and drive! (Thank you Mom!)

I ended up with a little Fiat I decided to call Evinrude after the dragonfly in The Rescuers. It was a cute car - I have a picture I'll share when I get home again and can upload it - but he had such a tiny engine! But my brave little Evinrude and I made it over the mountains - barely - and met up with Uncle Tom in Albany.

About those mountains though... we were being passed by cars pulling giant boats bigger than Evinrude. And another time, trying to get around a truck going about 20mph, I had the gas pedal flat on the floor and realized I wasn't actually gaining any speed. Still, I got here, and that's what counts.


Meanwhile, Uncle Dave's playing hide-and-seek with a typhoon trying to get here in time; Dad's train was also cancelled; Matt and Jess will be leaving directly from work and driving all night; and Jess (the other one) will be driving straight through from Pittsburgh after classes, and picking up Steph from Rochester on the way.

Good News!

We're not being evicted.


Why were we worried, you might ask.
Well, the real estate agency has a poor sense of direction and posted the "must be out by midnight Wednesday" signs at the wrong apartment.
That's all.



It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

Can't Stop Grinning

So all day today, part of me was going: thisissocoolohmygodohmygodthisisawesome!
And another part of me was going: help!ohmygodI'mdoingthiswrongohmygod!
And yet another part was thinking: Be professional. This is like a job. Ohmygodrealjob!


What were all these parts reacting to? Today was my first day at Da Capo!

I am now officially an editorial intern. And guess how I started my day? Rejection letters! That's right, my reign of terror has started already, as my morning was mostly dedicated to clearing the mailbox. That's basically a slush pile with a couple author letters and odd requests mixed in. There were a couple submissions that at least earned personalized rejection letters instead of form letters. After writing them and getting them approved, I signed and mailed them.

Also dealt with today were some mailings for consideration for a prize, a reader's report on a foreign title Da Capo was being offered US rights for, several arguments with the printer (generally solved by pulling the plug), and bouncing a rights request over to the correct department.

I'm going back tomorrow – the internship's for Mondays & Tuesdays. Did I mention how excited I am about this?

Pictures

What most of the ground looked like:

 

 Some of the worst damage I saw:

The final conclusion in Tuesday's paper:

PS - I'm scraping my new phone for my old one. They may have made improvements in the major-but-only-used monthly features, but they also felt the need to screw up every single minor-but-used-daily feature. The thing's a piece of junk!

...Okay, to be honest, most of it would have been workable, once I adjusted the settings, but does anybody else see the flaw in the plan "the way to unlock it is to hold any button"? I would be constantly calling people & dialing the internet every time I got on the T! Therefore, piece of junk.

Irene

We survived the storm. Actually, it had pretty much fizzled out by the time it hit Boston - I think they were still calling it a tropical storm, but basically it rained. And there were occasional gusts of wind. Yes, there were a lot of twigs and leaves on the ground, as well as the occasional bigger branch (and, a block away, a pair of young trees) but no more damage than winter storms cause - and quite possibly less.

It was fun hopscotching my way to church though. And where the trees had split, a man was delivering one of them to his girlfriend as "a flower to show how much he loved her." She, of course, was sitting on the step telling him not to drop it on those of us walking by. It was cute.

I'll post a few pictures tomorrow, but right now I don't have the time to get them off my phone.

NYC faired worse

All you need to survive a hurricane

I was at the store today, and noticed this awesome sign:

I'd like to point out that there were no other references to Irene in the store. So further down the coast, they're boarding up windows, canceling trains and planes, and declaring states of emergency. Us brilliant residents of Boston, on the other hand, are stocking up on ice trays.

Signs of Recovery

...because the economy is turning around, or so I've been told. Let's see:

Moment of Whimsy

Have you ever thought about the fact that, at the beginning of the rain, walking under a tree will keep you dry, but after the rain walking under a tree will get you soaked?

It's as if there's a magical time delay somewhere up there in the layers of leaves. Perhaps if I were to build myself a treehouse, and live there, I could be like Peter Pan and never grow up.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Well, this may be an odd time to review this, but here's what happened:

1. I read it and loved it, but it wasn't out yet and wouldn't be for months. (I had an ARC)

2. It came out, but I was super busy dealing with the end of the semester.

3. It was out and I had time, but I was in Rochester and the book was in Boston.

So now, finally, finally, I shall tell you what I think.

And what I think is I love it! This is a kid's book, yes, yet it deals with some serious issues.
It's funny, it's entertaining, it's responsible, and it hits exactly the right balance.

The simplest summary is this: A boy named Rafe narrates his sixth grade year. He is telling the story after the year is over, but he insists on telling it as it happened. His friend Leonardo illustrates.
Rafe has to deal with a lot - problems at home, a bully at school, and the consequences of his own reactions to these things. I'm not sure how much more to say without spoiling it; I went into it knowing nothing more than that a boy named Rafe wanted to tell his secrets, and I loved it. Even the author's name was being kept back at the time (James Patterson, believe it or not).

I think I have probably overused the phrase "loved it" in this review, but the point I'm trying to make is that this is not just a book I liked. This is a book I'm excited about.

What a Difference a Month Makes

I've been back in Rochester for the last month - so my apologies to any readers who aren't family, if they exist. I figured there was no point in updating when most of my audience was right there next to me. Or in China, with poor access to Google.

Anyway, now that I'm back in Boston, it's time to inventory the changes:

1. Super-annoyingly-rowdy sports bar across the street... is gone. Wow. It's so much quieter around here now.

2. Two other stores I regularly passed but never entered have closed.

3. The band next door (have I really not mentioned them before? They only knew 2 songs, and practiced all the time. Although to give credit where credit's due, their drummer knew more songs, so his solo practices were great.) has not been heard from in a while. They may have moved out.

4. There are a lot of loud parties next door. They may have moved in.

5. The cheap Chinese place right next to Emerson wasn't open when I went. PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T PERMANENT.

6. Kelly's doesn't sell smoothies anymore. I plan on pouting about this for quite a while, as they were really good and my main reason for eating there.

7. The B line's trains have been shortened again. If someone could please explain the logic of adding cars to the college line in the spring, and then taking them away again once the college students start to return, I will be most impressed.

Also, I'd just like to comment that it rained so hard, it didn't just turn the streets into rivers, it turned them into rivers with rapids.

Also, this.

The Black Swan

First, an admission: I have not finished this book. In fact, I have read only a little over two thirds of it. However, I'm not sure that's as much of a problem as it would be for other books - which brings me to my first comment.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (or NNT, as he refers to himself) is explaining a single concept, over and over, from many angles. The book itself could easily be divided into many short essays, each a page or two long. I admit it is certainly possible that the last third of the book contains something completely new - indeed, if I did not admit this, I would have failed to grasp the basic concept he is trying to explain - but I will dare make a prediction anyway, and say that most likely, the last third would only continue to circle and flesh out the main concept.
I'm not sure if this is a bad thing or not. It is very repetitive - and yet stays interesting. I'm not desperate to finish it, but I could have if I had more time. Which I don't; I'll be returning it to the library in the morning.
Basically, this book is a guy on a soapbox. And it works.

The concept itself is an interesting one - basically, that we can't predict the future as well as we think we can, and so instead of planning for specific contingencies, we should plan to be flexible. And pay more attention to the comparative worst and best outcomes, not how likely we think either of them to be.

A few thoughts on this:
1. Well duh! Look, scientists have figured out what writers of fiction knew all along!
          Okay, so that may not be entirely fair. But there were several points made that reminded me of literature. Terry Pratchett's yetis, for example, or Vonnegut's Tralfalmadorian zoo.

2. Hmm. Noticing some connections to Numb3rs. Jury's still out on whether or not Charlie understands this concept, but a conversation from the very first episode does seem to encapsulate it:
         Charlie: "Larry. Something went wrong. And I don't know what. And now it's like I can't even think."
          Larry: "Well, let me guess. You tried to solve a problem involving human behavior, and it blew up in your face."
         Charlie: "Yeah, pretty much."
         Larry: "Okay, well - Charles, you are a mathematician, and you're always looking for the elegant solution. Human behavior is rarely, if ever, elegant!"

3. Hey! Somebody didn't like his history teacher. Honestly, while I see his point in applying this concept to the study of history, I'm left feeling more offended than anything else. His criticisms of historians are harsh, and stem mainly from an over-simplification of the field. People who really love history and study it in depth are the last ones to think the way he accuses them of thinking.
          But that could just be me. History major here, feeling very defensive.

Night Life

Living nocturnally is actually quite fun. I get up, I run errands - and I often see the sunset while out and about. The best views I've had of sunsets here in Boston were all, believe it or not, from the T.

Then the world calms down, leaving room for me in it. Plus it's a lot cooler out. I can read, work on puzzles, clean, cook... even do some basic grocery shopping, although the meat section closes around 7 or 8 and CVS closes at midnight. I may eventually do some writing, although I don't feel I have a story to tell at the moment. I guess it's not that I'm not writing (I have this blog, and a notebook I've decided to call a kaleidoscope journal, for lack of a better description), I'm just not currently writing fiction.

Meanwhile, I'm also reading a lot. I've really started to enjoy certain reviewers of books/movies/tv shows, and I've also got an ever-changing stack of books (again, mainly nonfiction - who am I and what have I done with Michele?) from the library.

I've also been playing around with photoshop, which is actually a lot of fun, and (on a less artistic note) I'm working my way through the Lego Harry Potter game on my ipod. Which is actually more fun than I expected.

I can go for a walk and see the stars and/or the sunrise. And instead of drunks swearing, I can listen to birds singing.

I've got a ticket to Serenity for midnight Saturday night, and I lector Sunday evening. Then it will be time to start planning/packing for the trip to Rochester!

As a Boston resident, an obligatory side note:

Yeah. Take that... (who were we playing again?) !

An Observation

This old movie poster that I came across

reminds me strongly of a book I got in elementary school:

...but as far as I can tell the plots have nothing in common. And, really, I'm not sure the image even makes sense for the movie, seeing as it's set in a city. It's certainly a memorable image, though - hence my recognizing it immediately even though I haven't read the book in a decade. Yikes, I can actually say that about a book. You're right, Mom, I'm getting old.

Summer Plans

For not having classes or a job, I've sure been busy. Grandma's birthday picnic was a lot of fun. Then I went home for a week to see everyone - and that was great too. Now I'm back in Boston, catching up on laundry, bills, grocery shopping, and sleep. Plus I'm trying to better organize my room (you'd never believe it, at the moment, because inevitably, being half way through means it looks worse than when I started) and I'm looking into stuff to do around Boston.

I also found a new parish that I really like... now I'll be bouncing back and forth between there and St. Columbkille's.

And I plan on spending a lot of time at the library. I may be disappointed by their fiction selection, but the nonfiction's impressive! So I'll be satisfying random curiosity.


Also, Cool stuff.

Wow

I've adjusted my sleep schedule to the rather odd 4am - noon in order to enjoy the quiet around here in the early morning.

I got up early today, however, to watch the shuttle launch:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1945.html

Pretty impressive. That was Endeavour's last launch, and NASA's second last. Apparently they're going to switch to renting seats on commercial shuttles. Just think about that for a second. Going to the Space Station has become such a normal thing that NASA doesn't feel the need to own private shuttles to get there - there are commercial ones.


 Also cool: Operation Crossbow

Time to Breathe

So... yeah, I've been ignoring this blog for a while. Sorry. Of course, Mom and Dad came to visit, so they didn't need the blog...

I'm done at Borders. It's empty. Closed. Signs torn down and everything. When we passed it last week, there were a bunch of guys in suits having some sort of meeting in there... I wonder what will take over the space?

I'm also almost done with school - just one more week. All my major projects and papers are done. I just love this feeling: for once, I don't have dozens of things due, overdue, or almost due all hanging over my head. What's more, Mom & Dad took me grocery shopping and helped me get my laundry done when they visited for Easter (thanks guys!), so none of that needs to be done immediately either.

I cleaned off my desk today. I know it looked like piles and piles of random junk, but believe it or not, that was my "inbox," which was overflowing. So cleaning my desk off meant completing dozens of minor (and not-so-minor) things that I'd let slide. I vacuumed too, and washed the stove and the microwave. And the dishes. Really, I've been quite productive considering how late I got up.

About that: I got up very late today. I've been sleeping 10-12 hours straight each night... hopefully this means I'll soon be caught up on all the sleep I missed this past month, and can go back to 8-hour nights.

 

Walden Pond

Awesome Day

1. I got an internship.

2. It was about 60 degrees out - ie perfect.

3. My new shoes came.

4. I got an internship.

5. I finally got a response from one of the magazines I contacted about my final paper.

6. My printer passed its last test - it worked perfectly, with no hassle & no wait, after having been left on all night. Epson: 3 HP: 0 (or should I give them a point for being pretty?)

7. I got an internship.

8. My group's magazine project presentation went really well, and the class let out early.

9. My new issue of Ploughshares came in the mail.

10. Did I mention the internship?


Also: I got off the T, thought, "It smells like rain," and two seconds later it was raining. Which... is less awesome, but at least proves I'm awesome.
 :-D

What Makes a Translation

My book editing class attended the "Writer as Translator: Translator as Writer" panel today.
Some thoughts gathered there:

1. A translator is like a musician, and the original author is the composer.
          Or, in other words, they're both artists. What's more, ten different musicians could play the same piece in ten different ways, but it's still the same song. It's kind of cool to think about. I have 3 or 4 different versions of the song "Gypsy David" (one of which I barely recognized). What if I wanted 3 or 4 translations of Dante? Or Beowulf? Or, for that matter, Harry Potter in Spanish? Actually, what about just the fact that I do have two versions of Harry Potter - Spanish and English?
         Just look at the Bible (Isaiah 11:9):

לא-ירצו ולא-ישחיתו בכל-הר קדשי כי-מלאה הארץ דעה את-יהוה כמים לים מכסים
"They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."
"Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD."
"No one will harm or destroy on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is filled with water."
"They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."
         ....and that's just one verse.

2. Writers are translators. They translate reality.
         Well, cool. And here I am, translating my memory of a seminar into a blog post.

3. Conversations are translation.
        Just think about it. If you ask someone how their day went, and they look at the floor an mumble "Good, I guess," you ask what's wrong. If you ask someone how their day went, and they look you in the eye with a big smile and say "Good!" you smile back and want to hear all about the fun they had. So what does "good" mean?




"You always should do what you cannot do" - Willis Barnstone

In case it needs to be said...

Bestseller reviews discontinued due to lack of access to bestsellers due to my Borders closing.



Publishing's Darwin Award

Spring Break

Job Hunt Redux

So I've looked at my budget again, and I think I'm actually okay until I have to pay my final semester's tuition... and I could accept a bigger loan, which would get me a lot closer... but really I suppose I'm going to need another job. So back to the job search I go.

I've talked to the manager at Emerson's B&N, and sent her my resume. I've also asked at church, and plan on making the rounds of the neighborhood again to see if anything I can walk to is hiring. B&N in the mall doesn't seem to be, but it wouldn't hurt to go ask anyway.

Also: internships! The guest speaker at my next editing class works for a company that just might have them! More on that later...


Silver Lining

Decision Points

This is a really, really good book.  Bush looks at major decisions he made before and during his years as president, and he analyzes them.  What was their significance?  Why did he choose the way he did?  Was he right or wrong?  What could he have done instead?  The analysis is actually really good, and while I don't know whether or not a political scientist would like the book, the historian in me loved it.

Especially the bit where I was reading about his hopes for Egypt about two days after Mubarak was forced out.  I was impressed.

Luxury Is...

indoor, private laundry

a fridge of one's own

a view of the horizon

a boss who respects people



One down, three to go.  I'm moving up in the world.

Bit Damp for Owl

I thought, when I looked out the window this morning, that there was no reason for the snow day we're having today.  It wasn't snowing... it wasn't even really raining much. Then I went to pay the rent, just around the corner.

I have just successfully completed that expedition, and lived to tell the tale. I must say, it's a good thing classes are canceled today. I don't think I could make it there without an amphibious vehicle of some sort, like maybe one of these.

We have several feet of snow, melting really fast, but there's nowhere that's not paved and the drains are clogged with ice.  Where there's still snow, some of it's rock-solid and some just looks like it while actually being liquid.  Then there's the parts that are a little of both, so that you sink through sharp edges. I am so staying inside the rest of the day. Groceries can wait.

Checking In

I'm being very productive right now, so I thought I'd continue my streak and update here.


Some discoveries I've made:

I am still good at Twister.  But not as good as Claire.

I can survive being the only manager in the store when things go wrong (Thanks to Meredith for support).

Working in a bookstore is dangerous to my checkbook.  You'd think I'd have figured this out already.

Five-minute rolls from the bakery are an awesome solution to the fast fast food/real food dilemma.

This semester is going to be an incredible amount of work - but so much fun. If I can keep up.

I am Sadistic. No Really.

Copyediting is way too much fun.  BRING IT ON.  I will tear it to shreds.

Mwahahaha!




Ahem.

You didn't see that.

Back to Classes

So now I'm a supervisor and in 3 classes - copyediting, magazine overview, and book editing.  Book reviews are suspended for now because book lending has been suspended at Borders until we finish a rather extensive and thorough inventory check.

Being a supervisor is cool, I guess.  At least I'm not tied in one spot any more - I can walk around and talk to the customers.

My first copyediting class is tomorrow - we'll see how that goes.

Magazine overview is interesting.  Magazines aren't really for me, but I think it will be fun.  I plan on focusing my papers on kids' literary magazines.

Book editing is going to be work - but it's going to be so much fun!  And I'm now receiving the New York Times daily, to be read for class.

Hunger Games

So it's been a while now since I read the book, but I never got around to reviewing it before.

I think The Hunger Games was a pretty good book, and I'd like to read more.  I think it was good as a whole, and also that there is plenty of depth to the construction of the world and characters to pay off in the following books.

There were occasions when I felt the plot avoided difficulties in slightly cop-out ways, but perhaps that is necessary for it to get where it's going and yet still be acceptable as targeted at teens.  I wish I could get more specific, but doing so would involve major spoilers and I did enjoy this book enough not to want to spoil it for anyone.

So, final summary:  it's good, I want to read the others, and I would recommend it, but I'm not in love with it.

Blizzards are pretty.

 ...And home at last.