Thursday, November 27, 2008

Things I am Thankful For

Friends who care about me, and who don't want me to be alone today even though I have the plague and am most likely contagious.

Fred Meyer for being open until 4pm so I can get more kleenex and some sinus decongestant.

The long shelf life of Nyquil.

The leaves on the tree outside my window (even though they are gone now) because they hide my apartment windows from the street and provide me with a small amount of privacy.

Netflix for having movies I can watch on my computer now that I am barricaded from the outside world like a shut in.

Happy memories of Thanksgivings past spent with friends and their families.

And finally, I am thankful for having survived some of the worst long and lonely Thanksgivings between parents' houses spent wishing for a repair to come fix my broken family. They make today seem pale in comparison.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Wordstock: Happening This Weekend

Hey there all you book lovers! Wordstock is happening this weekend, so if you have some spare time you should swing by. I'll be volunteering on Sunday as a stage assistant, and I can't wait!

If you've never heard of Wordstock, let me just tell you it's the finest collection of events centered around books, writing, and authors this side of the Mississippi, as far as I know.

Happening at the Oregon Convention Center, for more information check out:

http://www.wordstockfestival.com

I'll write more about my experience later, so check back!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Read It, Love It


I finished reading Tony Vigorito's Just a Couple of Days about a week ago. It's taken me that long to really digest all of the things it made me contemplate. The overall theme is one that I think is especially timely: when you strip away society and the modes of definition, we are all the same.


Using a slightly frightening tale of bio-warfare gone terribly wrong, Vigorito demonstrates what life would become without the use of words. Instead of being a post-apocalyptic nightmare, it twists and delivers a smack to the human race that is desperately needed. Without words to communicate, humans evolve to a level of understanding and unity that we otherwise would not be able to achieve.


Is it plausible? Probably not, but it drives one to think that maybe something of this nature happening would drive us as a species to accept the fact that we are not so different from one another. The main thing separating us is lack of understanding. If you could clearly communicate your message to everyone else on the planet without having to worry about language or tone or misunderstanding, think of the things that could be accomplished.


The prose flows forth in a beautiful symphony of description and narrative, and there is a lot of irony contained in this story. Overall a great read with short scenes making it great for bedtime reading (you can quickly end a chapter as soon as you start to feel sleepy). A must read if you like fantastical what-ifs.