Here, let me post another, since I have several in my archive...
Even better, methinks... I wonder where that is?
I have a confession to make... I have nothing interesting to mention tonight. Nothing at all. Nothing happened, save the usual regimen of work, church, and sleep, mixed with a little game playing and book reading. Granted, a dearth of interesting things to write about has never stopped me before. So I'll just start typing and see what happens...
I guess I'll start here... a new type of bull-fighting...
Kind of evens the odds a bit more, eh? (Pardon the oxymoron...)
Hey, Logan, this is sort of up your alley, as far as having a possible explanation as to what is happening. A few weeks ago, after the tsunami, I posted a video of the ground shifting in a park over there in Japan, on some reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. Here's another more intense video, apparently filmed a few weeks after, and the shifting seems to be worse. Any idea where this might lead?
Kinda freaky, to say the least... I'll be curious to hear your thoughts...
So, you'll never guess what I'm currently reading...
Back when I first got my iPad, I downloaded a few free classic books, and promptly forgot about them. Among them was Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I meant to delete the file unread, since I have way too many other titles clamouring for my attention, but instead, I inadvertently clicked it and it opened to chapter one, so I started reading.
I don't know if you're familiar with Oscar Wilde, but if you've never read anything of his, I highly recommend this book. His style is amazing! I can't think of another writer that is so fascinatingly, blatantly impressed with himself. His phrasing is incredible! I've highlighted a bunch of great lines so far. Here, lemme grab a couple... these are just from the first couple chapters...
"I am told that pork-packing is the most lucrative profession in America, after politics."
"I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones."
"The seat on her left was occupied by Mr. Erskine of Treadley, an old gentleman of considerable charm and culture, who had fallen, however, into bad habits of silence, having, as he explained once to Lady Agatha, said everything that he had to say before he was thirty."
"... she was so dreadfully dowdy that she reminded one of a badly bound hymn-book."
"To get back one's youth, one has merely to repeat one's follies."
"Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense..."
"... but he sat like one under a spell, smiles chasing each other over his lips..."
"She was a curious woman, whose dresses always looked as if they had been designed in a rage and put on in a tempest."
"Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed."
"Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals."
"As for conversation, there are only five women in London worth talking to, and two of these can't be admitted into decent society."
That's just a small sampling... page after page, paragraph after paragraph, it's like eating a non-stop dessert. Granted, those are lines pulled out of context, yet I still enjoy them thoroughly. Within their context, they are even better. I may actually do a book review when I'm finished! On a book from an author who died in 1900! The story itself is rather tepid at this point, but the dialog and phrasing is delightful.
I don't know much about the author. Apparently, he was quite a hedonist, and died young (46, I believe). He's either brilliant, or a world-class BS artist. I'm not quite smart enough to know which one just yet. I'll get back to you.
My dream house may have a rooftop pool... How "wilde" is that?
I don't know what to say... I'm pretty lethargic today. All things considered, I enjoy my manic moods a bit better. They produce better blog posts, at least... this one is kind of bland. My apologies.
Well, lemme regroup and hit it again soon. Hopefully, something in here piqued your interest a bit...
Dave the Goof
4 comments:
My generous girls gave me a Kindle for Mother's Day! I wish there was a magical way to transport my 1000's of books onto the Kindle rather than lugging them all to Arizona. I enjoy your book reviews, and when I can figure out how to successfully register it, I'd like to download the Martin book, "A Game of Thrones." I hope Kindle offers freebies, too.
Beth A.
Videos like that are crazy, man. Crazy. I had to learn a little about liquefaction in some of my classes, and it's crazy to think that the ground can vibrate so much to cause it.
Oscar Wilde... bleh.
Those are awesome quotes, out of context notwithstanding! You're right, his style is cool to read! I'll have to pick up a nice vintage copy if I see it at the library bookstore in the future :)
Thanks dave!
Beth: Kindles are terrific, I trust you'll enjoy yours. Yeah, I considered how great it would be if people could get a complimentary digital version of any book that they already owned in physical form, but I don't know how that could work. I'm sure people would abuse it by buying a physical book, getting the free digital version, then returning the physical book to the store for a refund, effectively getting books for free.
I hope you like A Game of Thrones... I think it's a terrific series. I hope your time in Arizona is beneficial.
Logan: Not sure what happened to your comment, but it disappeared (along with Abbie's comment). If I recall, you mentioned the liquification issue, and then said "bleh" about Oscar Wilde. Oddly enough, my trend continues... now that I mentioned how much I was enjoying Portrait of Dorian Gray, it has since fizzled. Looks like he used his best material in the first few chapters, then let the story get tedious. I don't know if I will push through and see if it improves again. It's looking as though Wilde is merely using the story as a platform to air his musings.
Abbie: Yeah, those quotes are fun, and there have been others, but as I said to Logan, they are becoming fewer and farther between. It's still worth reading, I think, if only for the first few chapters.
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