There aren't words

There really aren't words, but yet, here I am typing away. I just finished reading one of the greatest books ever written. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is beyond description. I started reading this book when it arrived from Amazon, October 12. I finished it this evening. I could have read it more quickly, and I certainly wanted to, but alas I was prevented from doing so by factors beyond my control. But that's neither here nor there.

This book has taken up a permanent residence in my mind and in my heart. I've been reading aloud my favorite parts to anyone who will listen--mostly my indulgent family, who've long since realized how crazy obsessive I am about books and such, and very kindly listen to their little rambler. There has been no shortage of these favorite moments. I laughed out loud several times as I read, enjoying the odd humor in such a grim setting. It works. It was so easy to picture every event in my head, sometimes even when I didn't want to. I won't say any more than that...

I never thought I would ever sympathize with Death as a character. I mean really, it's Death. Reading The Book Thief, I sympathized with Death. I wanted to console him, to thank him for his brutal honesty, and I did pity him for his eternal task. In fact, I think a little bit of Death died in this book. As a character, he sometimes tells information too soon for my taste, but for the purposes of the story, I understand why this was done. Another small thing about Death? He's a poet.

The entirety of The Book Thief is tragic, beautiful and poetic in its language and content. Zusak says so much with very few words, each word and phrase carefully chosen and constructed so as to give the most force. Case in point: instead of saying: "what Mama said," Zusak writes "the contents of Mama's voice" which tells me that not only is Mama's voice significant to the listener, but also that her words are so heavy and full of meaning that her voice carries the words and contains them. These words are not simply said, they are DELIVERED. This is just one instance of many supremely constructed phrases and asides within the novel. One must really take their time when reading so as to really understand and appreciate what is being said. This is mastery of craftsmanship and it deserves to be savored.

Finally, I want to offer the book my apology. I could not give it all that it deserves. I freely admit that this book made me cry often. They were not the ladylike tears that are beautiful in their sorrow, sliding gracefully down the face. Oh, no. These tears were big, sloppy, heavy tears and wracking sobs that shook me, making me close the book and push it away because I couldn't read any further. These tears were noisy. And yet, I had to come back, I had to finish. The book was like a drug--it demanded that my addiction be satisfied. I apologize though, because I couldn't give the book all the tears that it needed. I ran out of tears before I ran out of the need to cry.

So I sit here at my computer, red-eyed, head achy, and emotionally spent, offering my useless words to talk about a book that deserves more than I, or any one person (prove me wrong, please) could give it. Please, everyone, read this book. Take your time, love the characters, make the book a part of you.

p.s. I won't talk about the other characters in the novel, because I don't want to spoil them for you with my take on them. Besides, you need to meet them for yourself. I feel guilty enough talking about Death.

p.s.s. Even though there aren't words, I had to say something.

More books for the book list....more will follow....

1. Hood (umm, don't remember the author)
2. Scarlet (See above: same unremembered author)
3. Tuck (again, same unremembered author)
4. The Vampire Diaries (L.J. Smith)
5. The Outlaws of Sherwood (umm, don't remember this author either)

*** I'm on a Robin Hood kick... And oh, by the way, the third season of this fabulously under-appreciated show premieres this Saturday, September 12 at 9 pm on BBC America. Watch it people. Good stuff.

WE ARE ROBIN HOOD!!!!!!!!

Socially Unacceptable

I'm sitting here thinking about my self-formed question of the day...

Wouldn't it be fun to be socially unacceptable for an entire day? Or, to at least be a social misfit for an entire day--tell people what you really think, avoid all the things you should do (like write your intervention plan that is due Monday), curse with reckless abandon, etc.? Personally, I am intrigued.

So, here I sit, fingers banging away at the keyboard, intervention plan dormant on my jump drive. I am typing a lot, saying little. But hey, that's my prerogative, right? How long until Tuesday when my overstock order should get here? Wow, that was a stream of consciousness moment. Bizarre. And, how exciting...Daytona, take two, tonight! Woo!

You know, blogger's spell-check function is possibly on the fritz. For some reason, it thinks intervention, unacceptable and conscious were all spelled incorrectly. Granted, conscious was not the right word to use and has since been fixed, but still. Now, it doesn't even like the spelling of blogger, hello, conflict of interest much?

Okay, my moments of rebellion are coming to an end, and the pull to do the right thing is becoming stronger. I guess I'm off to go poke the sleeping beast and work on my paper again.

Drat.

Scatterbrained

Apparently, in my completely school-addled head, I have become quite scatterbrained and cannot remember where I have put things, what I have done or what I have said from one minute to the next. Scary thought, no? Well, one of my big things is making lists...I love to make lists (previous posts will attest to this if my own assessment [ugh I hate that word] is not enough). One of my favorite things to make a list of, and one of the lists I currently cannot find, is my reading list. My reading list is just that, a compilation of all the books that I want to read sometime in the next chunk of years. So, I'm going to try to recreate it from memory and stick it on good old Randy the blog so I have it in a specific place, with witnesses! So here goes:

1. Wicked (Maguire)
2. Jinxed (C.H. Clark)
3. Popped (C.H. Clark)
4. Vanity Fair (Thackeray)
5. Sweeney St. George Mysteries (S.S. Taylor)
6. Shadows on the....series (ugh, can't remember)
7. Camilla (Burney)
8. Cecilia (Burney)
9. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (K. Howe)
10. The Scenic Route (B. Kirshenbaum)
11. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (J. Austen and S. Grahame-Smith)
12. The Spellman Files (L. Lutz)
13. The Sign of Seven Trilogy (N. Roberts)
14......coming soon, more!

Curses! I can't remember any more of the blasted books that I want to read! A pox upon whatever is making me forget where I stuck those handwritten lists (because there is more than one of them, since I keep losing them)! Bleep bleep bleepity bleep. Now this really makes me feel like an idiot, because I went to all the trouble to start this and now I'm stuck. Dang. This just blows. Will try to add more as I remember them or find new ones......

I found more!!!! More are coming!

** I have since read Mansions of the Dead (S.S. Taylor) and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (see above for authors). Both books are highly recommended!!!!!!

Currently reading: The Last Precinct (Patricia Cornwell), several school books, and will soon begin reading The Dandelion Killer (don't remember this author either).

Update

Most of the last post was written in anger. Please disregard. I am still trying to be a better listener, and I do still think unsolicited advice is overrated. However, if someone asks me what I think, and truly wants to know what I think. I'm going to tell them.
What I wrote before was in response to a conversation held earlier in the day in which every opinion I was asked to give was shot down, disregarded, etc. That type of situation never really produces positive feelings, hence the posting.
I guess the rule of thumb I should abide by is to think and reflect (my professors will love to hear that, the "r" word is quite the buzzword) before I post what I think.
Anyway, I just wanted to clear the air in case anyone read that and took it in the wrong way.

On a lighter note, I think it is really ironic how probability keeps sneaking back into my stupid math classes. As you all know, probability and I have a colorful hate/hate relationship. I think it is evil and it seeks every opportunity to kick me while I'm down. It reared its ugly head again this morning in class, much to my chagrin. I will beat this, I will!!! Now, if I run into similar and congruent triangles again, there will be screaming and hair pulling (self-inflicted) involved. That stupid part of math frustrates me to no end.

Yeah, I know I said that that would be on a lighter note and it does sound pretty "down." However, read it in my rather cynical, sarcastic voice, and it will be more true to its intended form.

Now then, I've got to absquatulate (run off in a hurry, [yay wordsmith's word of the day]). Will talk/post again soon.

Just some things on my mind

One thing that has been prominently on my mind is that I am incredibly sick to death of school! I am sick of showing up every day! I have been in school for the better part of 18 or 19 years. Do you know how seriously not fun that is? ICK! Bored now.

Another thing, I saw this great quote earlier in one of my school books (how ironic, considering that first paragraph, huh?) about unsolicited advice. I've been trying to be a better listener lately, and it's really difficult when the person is asking for advice, not to give it. I guess it's become a little easier now that I've realized that a lot of the times when people ask for advice or your opinion, that they really don't want to hear it. That's something that really irritates me. Don't ask me if you don't want to know what I think. I guess I know what I'm giving up for Lent.

On a scary note, I am about halfway through my first semester of graduate school and am re-thinking my career plans. I'm seriously considering entrepreneurship (dang, that's a long word!), which in the present state of affairs is a pretty stupid thing to do. However, given my present situation, I'm really not looking forward to what I've chosen to do with my life. I always come to these "decisions" at the most inopportune times, and this is no exception. I have all these ideas for opening my own businesses and I would enjoy them quite thoroughly, I think. However, I know absolutely NOTHING about business. Not the best combination.
We'll see how things go, I suppose.

Hey, go to your local store on Tuesday and pick up the new album "Easy Does It" by Jake Owen. You won't be sorry.

How do we like the new scheme??? I love this new template. I found it at the Aqua Poppy Designs website (for which there is a convenient button over on the sidebar, and apparently there is one at the top of the page too).
Off to watch Trackside At Daytona now.....perhaps there will be more posting later.

Ta for now!

Semi-caught up...

Okay, where to start.....?
1. I'm so relieved and glad that Elliott Sadler still has HIS ride.
2. I LOVE electricity. Thank you LG&E and all the other wonderful volunteers who've been repairing power lines around the city and state. You guys rock!
3. I do however, quite enjoy the snow.
4. Congratulations to Big & Rich...you managed to make a hole in the Nashville scene, approximately the size of a pinhead.
5. Consolation prizes to Big & Rich...your pin hole was filled in and the whole of the country music industry insulated their walls with about 14 miles of uranium and concrete, better known as Disney label artists, people whose souls (I'm speculating here) are owned by Disney, and reject pop artists whose careers have fizzled and are all of a sudden "pure" country.
6. Does anyone have some hand sanitizer? I feel polluted after mentioning the horrible people in #s 4 and 5.
7. You are not to be identified as a band if only a few of you are recognized as band members. If this is the case, you are a vocal group. And where in the heck is the merit and/or validation in that? (This means you, Brooks and Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Sugarland, etc. You all are NOT bands.) Bands involve recognizing all the musicians.
8. Woo hoo for artists' real bands (the ones who tour with them) playing on the albums! No "studio only" musicians, please.
9. Woo Hoo for the Randy Rogers Band on The Late Show with David Letterman! The first night there has been quality music in a long time.
10. Thank you for the new channel AFN. A music channel that plays only videos. Imagine. What a novel concept.
11. I want XM radio back! Un-merge with Sirius satellite radio.
12. I can't wait for Saturday night, it's the Bud Shootout at Daytona (or at least that's what it used to be called) and the start of Speedweeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13. Yay to canceled classes!
14. Boo to studying. I'm tired of studying.
15. Yay to finding a good biscuit recipe! I love to make biscuits.

Coming soon....My rant about psychology.

A question... Does anyone read this, or am I wasting my precious time? This is important stuff. ha.

Go buy a CD. I recommend Naive (Micky and the Motorcars), Trouble in Mind (Hayes Carll), Bulletproof (Reckless Kelly), Living Hard (Gary Allan) Randy Rogers Band (Randy Rogers Band) and/or in not too much longer....Jake Owen's new CD, and Carolina (Eric Church) or any other CDs by these artists or the others listed oh so conveniently on the "Fresh to Death" link list. That's what it is there for folks.