Friday, November 30, 2007

Personal Environment: What's so Funny About Order, Organization & Cleaning?

I really wish I had super anti-clutter powers. I've never thought of myself as a neat freak, but I really do like a clean house. Or at least clean counter tops and floors.

Oh, and I'd pay a few bucks a day if I didn't have to tend to the litter box anymore... but that's a whole other problem all together.

From Digg:
I believe that we are a product of our environment. The physical environment in which we spend our time affects how we think and feel. I know the environments in which I feel especially creative and relaxed. Personally, they give me the most effective amount of a creative energy boost. Clutter in my environment negatively affect my performance.

read more | digg story

Monday, November 19, 2007

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time

This is a book I've known about since childhood, but never got around to reading. Turns out there are a lot of books I should have read as a kid, but was far too busy watching TV and later playing video games. Even now I don't read as much as I'd like... kids and a wife will do that.

As I am still tangled up in a George Martin book that, though entertaining, is very long and taking forever... I was looking for something short. This book fit the search criteria perfectly. I also appreciated the swiftness of the plot, and the fantastical elements without too much over explaining.

It is a nice good vs. evil/freedom vs. conformity type of tale. Leaves your brain with something to chew on without being preachy. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

A Confederacy of Dunces

I picked up this book after hearing it mentioned in a podcast. Which podcast I cannot recall. It was saying that many big name comedians have longed for years to make a film version of this book. Supposedly the screen version is cursed and the thing will never happen.

Sounds fine to me. This book won a Pulitzer for the author posthumously, so I figured there must be something good about it. The entire book is nonsense, and not in the funny way. There are no redeeming characters and the lead protagonist is a disgusting monster. The silliness loses its funniness quickly and you're left with a tedious tale of not so bright people making a mess out of lives already in shambles.

Skip this one, and read Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series if you want truly funny silliness.