Penguin Girl

Three books were completed this past week, and a few more will soon join the “read” list. However, I keep adding to the “to read” list at a pace which makes me wonder if I’ll ever make progress.

(1) The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker. This was recommended to me by Melanie and I recommend it to you*.

(2) Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky. I feel best describing this as a mashup between The Social of Information and The Tipping Point to be read on an iPhone 3G. In all seriousnessm, it is a good overview of the current trends and how they came to be. It’s a quick and easy read, not bogged down by technical or insider jargon.

(3) The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. This was a LibriVox recording, I didn’t read them. Some readers (and stories) were good, some left something to be desired. I need to do more research into the history of these tales but they were a fun escape. :)

This weekend we went to a certain large store which sells home improvement things (the blue one) and we brought home wood to complete two projects. First was to fix my mattress. A combination of an Ikea bedframe and mattress support plus the way I sat down made the mattress push the supports off the frame and I often slept in a crater. I’ve been dealing with it for years, but finally said “enough”. Last night I slept better than I have in years (at home, I sleep quite well in hotels). I feel like a new woman.

The second project’s bit of wood was to upgrade my desk to version 3.0. The first iteration saw the installation of my shelf and many coats of purple paint. Version two found wall paint rolled out along with the addition of a small carpet and improved shelving. This new release adds a shelf under the main surface of the desk to put my laptop when I want to use the desktop surface for something else, such as writing. Version four I hope to arrive at soon which will include (hopefully) a comfortable “natural” light and a supportive desk chair.

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* The novel, The Mezzanine, is a heavily footnoted running commentary of an afternoon in the narrator’s head. I laughed and enjoyed, I didn’t want to finish the super thin volume.. The prose is real, the narrator, though male, made me think of myself and I am looking anew at the quotidian life surrounding me, from my shoelaces to the bag my purchases are placed in (I frequently think of popcorn). If you ever wondered how my journal sometimes reads, unfocus this work and up the stream of consciousness a few notches and you’ll have a pretty good idea.

As can be deduced from my flickr set, I am a stationary store owner’s best friend. I used to save a certain catalogue when I was younger. I delight in paper and pens and all those wonderful things (and have strong preferences as to what I do and do not like to use). I can spend hours walking around those sorts of stores. While not as fun and enjoyable, I will enjoy some time in a “big box” version. This love is perhaps most apparent in my journal collection, pictured at right. Please note this photo does not include all of my journals or diaries (journal := written thoughts to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness among other things; diary := calendar/planner). I pulled most of these out the other day as I was trying to figure out what to do about my want for a common book. I definitely have strong long-term preferences (one of the composition books dates back some fifteen years) and one type where I seem to keep making the mistake over and over again, but I digress.

Most of the early journals contain short writing snippets. “Sketches”, you may want to call them. Bits and pieces of writing that I may later develop more fully or not. It is about this loss of sketching for which I will break out of my normal writing routine here and climb up on a small soap box to try to figure some things out. If I bother you and you came solely for the books I read this past week, please scroll down to the bottom of this post, you’ll find what you are looking for there. If you come because I don’t rant, you must be aware that here you see (for the most part) only what I care to show and tell you. My journal gained some 16 pages this past week mostly regarding this topic, whereas I normally average four to five pages for the week.

I don’t have answers.

I have more questions.

I recall before the ease of publication and distribution which we experience today (which is not all bad) a time when I would sketch out what I planned to write and then slowly fill in details and often rework it multiple times until there was a picture that told, as best as I was able, the story I wished to tell. These sketches exercised a part of my brain and let me doodle with words as I often doodled with lines. Rarely would they be anything I wanted to really share right away, but they existed as part of a longer process of writing.

I’m having a really difficult time doing that today. I want to rush and get it out and do not often take time to just sit and doodle. I want to share something immediately. I want to publish and show all that I’ve been doing, because if I don’t do all of that immediately then I might be a failure. (I do know that in reality this is not true).

While drafting the sketch and the first draft of this post, it took all my energy and a cup of wonderful tea not to sprint to my laptop and quick write down and publish whatever came out.

Are you finding sketching and drafting more difficult these days? Or have I created an imaginary universe for myself driven by the need to publish frequently or perish? Is my imaginary need to produce copious amounts of everything from many books read, to different meals cooked, to items knitted faster and more efficiently than before unique?

I fear that I am not alone.

The past few weeks find me attempting to disconnect, step back, and refocus. This could be dangerous given the industry I am currently employed within, but time will tell where this leads. I hope in time I will see improved work product and renewed personal interest.

I’m not quite sure why I have such a burning desire to write this post and publish it. I don’t think I’m trying to find excuses for why certain recent events have landed one way or the other. I just feel a very strong need to write it. This post has burnt holes in my journal for months as I’ve thought about if I should write it or not.

What will the future bring? Hopefully more sketching before I set down to seriously work on the writing process. I hope it will be true for my posts here and for other writing (both obligatory and for pleasure). I will continue to read when and what I want to and try not to beat myself up if I don’t finish several books each week. I expect in time you will enjoy faster email replies; I try to schedule my email checking to every hour or two. I’m still consolidating and rearranging emails, in the meantime feel free to use any known email address. I try to check each account at least once a day. What else? I’m not sure. I just hope that things improve for all of us.

One day I’ll figure out this balance, until then, I’ll keep trying.

This past week I completed:
Carlyle’s House and Other Sketches by Virginia Woolf

Make five. A few books were finished this past week while even more were started. I don’t have much to say about any of the ones I finished but that I finished them indicates they are worth something. I’m slowly regaining my brain cells, eyes that want to focus on words, and the energy to do everything I need to. I can say that my commonplace book is filling up with quotes and quips and I’m saddened by the cost of books which come both with pre-numbered pages and lines that don’t make me wish to gouge my eye out with a dull needle. In time I’ll figure it out. For now, the standard composition book (9¾" × 7½") is working well for me and seems to be my journal size, shape, and format of default preference. *sigh* Now to find one with narrow rule that is the same size so I can finally make covers. (yes I’m aware of these. I kinda like the marble cover. I’ll look at the office supply store tomorrow and see.)

1. The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative by Vivian Gornick
2. The Coming Convergence: Surprising Ways Diverse Technologies Interact to Shape Our World and Change by Stanley Schmidt
3. The Complete Guide to Quilting Techniques by Pauline Brown
4. Dealing with Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book One by Patricia Wrede
5. A Primer on Organizational Behavior by James L. Bowditch

My goals for the next few months are relatively simple: read, write, clean, knit, spin, crochet, sew, and catch up on client work so we’re all happy and I have money to do things I want to do both now and in the future.

For many years I kept a notebook of quotes (from people or book passages) I enjoyed or thought important. Over time I dropped the practice and recently contemplated on how I missed it.

With the explosive growth of the internet, for many years I didn’t see the point in retaining my own “local copy” or writing it (or practically anything) “by hand”. I am slowly collecting quotes the way I used to, but that little notebook doesn’t allow for ease of sharing with the world (and why I really want to do this I’m not sure). Several months ago I created a tumblr account, but really didn’t know how or if I would choose to use it (If you haven’t yet figured out I’m burnt out on several ends).

I’ve decided that for the next two months it will be my public quote feed producer. The site is at penguingirl.tumblr.com and there is an RSS feed as well.

I’m not totally sure how this will play out, but I presume that a quote will appear at least once a week, perhaps more frequently, perhaps not. I plan to integrate the content of that site/feed into this site somewhere. As always, time will tell.

I only completed six books in the past two weeks. They are:

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
Species Imperative Trilogy: Survival, Migration, Regeneration by Julie E Czerneda
Little House on Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride
Playing God by Sarah Zetter

It happens that in total they encompass over 1,680 pages (give or take a few and the fact that I can’t count today). Each book was interesting. I’m trying to break out of my normal reading habits and find authors I’ve not read before. Three of the four authors came by way Ravelry threads that looked interesting. Little House on Rocky Ridge was recommended highly by both LC and Devorah thank you both! I’m going to try to read the rest of the series, but slowly. One book a week, tops. ;)

I’d love to try to write 500 words on each one. Instead I’ve chosen “one” to try to focus on.

I want to give a few more words to Ms Czerneda’s Species Imperative trilogy, considering I was smart and brought the first two books home together but was stupid and didn’t immediately bring the third. I was very close to buying it at the bookstore one night just so I could finish the story. Why did I like it so? Perhaps because it centers around someone I understand. Someone I could *be* (or at least wish I were). Mac. Ms “I study salmon”. Ms I’ll do it myself. Ms smart female scientist who had moved up in the world.

Ms Czerneda’s three book tale of this biologist named “Mac” and her unexpected trip away from her beloved salmon to save the Worlds was a very delightful read. In fact, I devoured it, as mentioned above. The world she created was one I could see. One I could be a part of. One I could feel, so rich and vibrant are the details she paints. A world that had me shuddering at scurry, here, in real space.

I think this interview explains a lot, Ms Czerneda is Canadian. Of course she’s perfect! (in my next life I’ll be Canadian, all the ones I know ROCK).

Please check out this wonderful author if you haven’t already. I’m searching for more of her work to consume and the time with which to do so.

I’ve teamed up with a group of wonderful people in the Word Nerd Co-op put together by Beverly. Isn’t she awesome? I have no idea what this will bring for me, but I hope something positive.

The allergic reaction Friday evening put a large damper on my weekend reading plans. The large amount of editing (and writing) I need to do between now and Wednesday will put a larger block to completing books this coming week.

Prelude to Space by Arthur C. Clarke
Hardback: 209 pages
© 1954, 1970 (first published 1951 according to wikipedia)
Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. New York
Reading Clarke’s first published novel was my attempt to honour a prolific author and skilled engineer. It’s amazing to me to read a work of this topic that still felt timely and “right” written prior to the launch of sputnik. I know I am relatively young, but reading this reminded me exactly how much the world has changed in the past few decades. I’m not sure what else to write about this other than I enjoyed stepping back and pretending that I was my mother in high school and reading this as science fiction and not truth. Sputnik launched while mum was in high school though she was in college when Armstrong and Aldrin set foot on the moon. Oh and she’s 29 today too! ;) Before life changed the direction I’ve taken, I wanted to be involved in astronautics and hopefully be part of the space program and travel either to the moon or Mars (I’m not picky). These days I’m pretty ignorant of much of the program and the details but still take refuge in lost dreams.

The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley
Paperback: 464 pages
© 2004
William Morrow Cookbooks
I had a 25 percent discount to a certain book store and the purchase of this over The Flexitarian Kitchen came out to pure cost. Since the majority of what I cook /is/ actually Vegetarian this seemed like a good pick. As a winning factor was that there are some suggested menus included. I’m still poor at mixing things up beyond a main dish and salad. It’s a little silly to be reading a book full of kitniyot this close to pesach, but I do find it inspiring and hope it will provide inspiration as I use up what I can and in the weeks and months after passover.

Not that you could tell from this site, but several people have recently complimented me on my writing and my ideas (as related to writing). This is a very odd feeling as I’ve spent the past decade relearning how to write after a few very disastrous English & Writing courses in both High School and University. I totally relate (though on a drastically smaller scale) to the fear Stephanie feels when a book comes out. That I fail to improve the content here hasn’t helped. We will see what time (and editing) bring. Perhaps this idea will assist in bringing something to fruition sooner rather than later.