Sunday Times
Mood:  energetic
Topic: books

I cast aside the Online Shopping discount coupons from the Sunday Paper. I knelt amidst the coupons for Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and other ones I'd clipped for Shopping Online, scattered on the floor. I had found what I was looking for, the books section. Not only do I enjoy reading books, though, but I also enjoy reading about books. However, newspapers all around the country are downsizing staff, article length, and the number of printed pages. Good for trees, bad for the publishing industry.

I'm only a dozen or so pages from the end of Lady Chatterley's Lover (which I regret will be over so soon) and more than half-way done with The World According to Garp by John Irving. I still haven't finished the Murakami book, since I put it down over a month ago. Maybe when summer camp is over. The next on my list is Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Of course, now I must read more by both Irving and Lawrence. It seems my reading life is just beginning, since the to-read list just keeps growing! Not to mention all that I need to write too!

Not much else is happening. I'm actually about to try to nap now. Ishmael is napping. Rahim is napping. I may as well take advantage of this opportunity.

Maybe the Best
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: books
Tired of memes yet? This one is hilarious. Just keep reading! Made by Topic Drift.

What is your full name?
Baba Ganush's mom

What is your date of birth?
The Summer of Love

What four cities have you lived in?
Los Angeles, El Dorado, Gotham, Skid Row

What four TV shows do you love?
I only watch Fox News, 24 hours a day

What four credit cards do you currently use?
CitiScrew, Discardyourmoney, American Indebt, and MasterSlavewage

What are four credit account numbers assigned you, and when (month/year) do they expire?
1234567890, they never expire

Do you have four credit card pin numbers, and if so, what are they?
1234
1111
2222
ABQF

What does your mother's maiden name look like if you type it four times in a row?
If I write in cursive, it looks like a noodle trying to hump a hotdog

What are the first four digits of your social security number?
The same as my birthday! What a coincidence!

What are the last four digits of your social security number?
My lucky lotto numbers!

What number did you leave out of your nine-digit social security number? (That's your lucky number!)
Oh, that's the age I lost my first tooth!

What are the first four lines of your mailing address?
1600 Pennyslvannia Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

What are your four favorite banks?
WaMu, TrustMeWithYourMoney, FeesInstitution, Enron Credit Union

What are your four favorite bean dishes?
Crispy Fried Tofu and beans
Wet beans
Hot beans
Cool beans

What four people do you wish to tag with this meme?
George W. Bush (he owes me)
Bill Gates
that guy I sent some money to in Nigeria
the guy down the street with the mini Cooper

Routine
Mood:  rushed
Topic: books
Next week, I'm going to really leave work on time. This way I'll be able to exercise - ride my bike around the neighborhood, walk the dogs, or go on the treadmill at the gym. Swimming, too. I plan to definitely go swimming. How else will I make progress on my summer reading?

Old Dog, New Words
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: The World According to Garp by John Irving (audiobook)
Topic: books

I was waiting to get my tires fixed again* yesterday for two hours. On the other hand, I got to read about 40 pages in Lady Chatterley's Lover. Here are some words that I wrote down to look up later.

perspicuous - clearly expressed, intelligle, distinct

soporific - something that causes sleep

insouciant - free from concern, worry, anxiety; nonchalant

imperious - urgent, pressing, overbearing

Sexy Back
Topic: books

I've been reading (and loving) Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence. I can see why it was considered por.nographic in its day. I wonder how Lawrence was so able to write so well from a woman's perspective. I see there's a recent movie version, but I'm hesitant to see it. I'll wait at least until I finish reading the book. I'm usually disappointed by the movie version of books anyway...

Here's one of my favorite passages, echoing not only the post-war era from which Modernism was born, but perhaps fitting for today's age as well.

All the great words, it seemed to Connie, were cancelled for her generation: love, joy, happiness, home, mother, father, husband, all these great dynamic words were half dead now, and dying from day to day. Home was a place you lived in, love was a thing you didn't fool yourself about, joy was a word you applied to a good Charleston, happiness was a term of hypocrisy used to bluff other people, a father was an individual who enjoyed his own existence, a husband was a man you lived with and kept going in spirits. As for sex, the last of the great words, it was just a cocktail term for an excitement that bucked you up for a while, then left you more raggy than ever. Frayed! It was as if the very material you were made of was cheap stuff, and was fraying out to nothing.

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Of course, I love Lawrence and will probably read a few other novels of his this summer.