Bored and restless am I. It's time to move on from this "wendelin" business. I'm fixing up a new place to get properly restarted with blogging (already have a few posts cooking up in the drafts folder).
Just a little while longer, my dearies.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Back With A Meme
Hola, internets! I've missed you. *muah*
You know where I've been and what I've been doing, viz, home and entertaining/feeding/cleaning my little guy practically 24/7. I say practically, because even though I've had lots of help (mom and mil and of course, the new daddy), the kid demands to be fed for half an hour every two hours, and believe me that gets annoying.
But he's really an angel otherwise. :)
On with the blog! What have we for you today? Why, it's an Unusual Books meme.
List 10 books you have on your bookshelf that you think nobody else on your friends list has on theirs.
I'm tagging everyone who's still reading this blog. Get to it!
1. My Little Book of Poems, by Kathy Mailer (An old, old pocket-sized book of nursery rhymes, most I've never heard of.)
2. FM 21-76: The U.S. Army Survival Manual (Got it at a used book sale for $0.25. Have yet to crack its covers.)
3. The Elementary Particle, by Michael Houellebecq (Weird novel I found barely readable but Saurabh liked.)
4. Tripping to Somewhere, by Kris Reisz (Straight from the author, autographed and all.)
5. The Compromise, by Sergei Dovlatov (Was part of an anniversary present for Saurabh - a book of short stories by a famous Russian writer. Verdict: Eugh.)
6. The Patty Perfect Guide (An etiquette book for the "working girl" published in the 1920s. Hilarious in its unabashed sexism: "The busy executive has no time to notice your manicure or your new hairdo. The Patty Perfect secretary is always professional, and isn't disappointed when he doesn't.")
7. 21 Great Stories, edited by Abraham H. Lass and Norma L. Tasman (I had to throw this in here. It's possibly the best collection of short stories I've ever read, and I read those a lot. Many of the stories in this book make my top 10 list of favourite works.)
8. An Illustrated History of the Third Reich, by John Bradley (Switzerland 2003 - my host in St Gallen gave me this book.)
9. Kolyma Tales, by Varlam Shalamov (Another book of great short stories, and as close to literature, officially speaking, as I've ever really been able to appreciate.)
10. Haunted Encounters: Stories of Departed Pets, edited by Bidouna (The one book I'd be willing to actually bet money that nobody else I know owns. My first published story appeared in this book.)
You know where I've been and what I've been doing, viz, home and entertaining/feeding/cleaning my little guy practically 24/7. I say practically, because even though I've had lots of help (mom and mil and of course, the new daddy), the kid demands to be fed for half an hour every two hours, and believe me that gets annoying.
But he's really an angel otherwise. :)
On with the blog! What have we for you today? Why, it's an Unusual Books meme.
List 10 books you have on your bookshelf that you think nobody else on your friends list has on theirs.
I'm tagging everyone who's still reading this blog. Get to it!
1. My Little Book of Poems, by Kathy Mailer (An old, old pocket-sized book of nursery rhymes, most I've never heard of.)
2. FM 21-76: The U.S. Army Survival Manual (Got it at a used book sale for $0.25. Have yet to crack its covers.)
3. The Elementary Particle, by Michael Houellebecq (Weird novel I found barely readable but Saurabh liked.)
4. Tripping to Somewhere, by Kris Reisz (Straight from the author, autographed and all.)
5. The Compromise, by Sergei Dovlatov (Was part of an anniversary present for Saurabh - a book of short stories by a famous Russian writer. Verdict: Eugh.)
6. The Patty Perfect Guide (An etiquette book for the "working girl" published in the 1920s. Hilarious in its unabashed sexism: "The busy executive has no time to notice your manicure or your new hairdo. The Patty Perfect secretary is always professional, and isn't disappointed when he doesn't.")
7. 21 Great Stories, edited by Abraham H. Lass and Norma L. Tasman (I had to throw this in here. It's possibly the best collection of short stories I've ever read, and I read those a lot. Many of the stories in this book make my top 10 list of favourite works.)
8. An Illustrated History of the Third Reich, by John Bradley (Switzerland 2003 - my host in St Gallen gave me this book.)
9. Kolyma Tales, by Varlam Shalamov (Another book of great short stories, and as close to literature, officially speaking, as I've ever really been able to appreciate.)
10. Haunted Encounters: Stories of Departed Pets, edited by Bidouna (The one book I'd be willing to actually bet money that nobody else I know owns. My first published story appeared in this book.)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
It's official (I put it on Orkut!) - this blog is libertarian no longer. I don't have time to go into the lengthy whys and wherefores so here's the short version:
1. Giant corporations are out to get me.
2. The government is ALSO out to get me.
3. Therefore I choose the evil I have at least nominal control over to run my essential services.
That is all.
PS: And Ron Paul? I'll give up my right to choose abortion the day you vote to make it compulsory for people to donate their body parts (extra kidney, eye, liver, bone marrow, etc) to biological children in need. Bastard. Calls himself a libertarian, honestly!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Yet Another Reading Meme
Lehmunade's tag is my command.
Book that changed your life – Um. Literally speaking, something by Ayn Rand, I suppose. I can no longer remember which book or essay of hers I read first, but here's a link to one short essay I think should be required reading for every human being. Even if one does tend to outgrow Rand, her writing's moral foundations and clarity of thought are lasting gifts to her readers. Which is why I'll never be ashamed of having once been a crazy, rabid Objectivist. :)
Book you’ve read more than once – I'm an obsessive re-reader; there is almost no book I've really liked that I haven't read ten times. So the first five Harry Potters, all the Jeeves books, just about any Bill Bryson you care to name, Stephen King's "Rose Madder" and "Different Seasons".. you name it, I've reread it. I think the one exception to the rule is Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections". You'll see why.
Book you would take to a deserted island – An empty one. With a pencil and an eraser. DOH! :D
Book that made you laugh – Wodehouse's Jeeves books. Unparalleled.
Book that made youcry want to kill yourself – Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections". Was there ever a book so masterfully written, a book I loved so much, that also made me want to slit my wrists and DIE, because OMG the world is such a shitty, shitty place? Aargh. Wonderful book. Read it. Just... hide your knives and take some anti-depressants after.
Book you wish you had written – Oh boy. Jealousy is an occupational hazard of (aspiring) writers, so this list is endless. I'll limit myself here to naming just the top three: Daphne Du Maurier's novel "Rebecca"; Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"; and Mark Twain's short story "What Stumped the Bluejays". Though that last story? Just wishful thinking on my part. Nobody but Twain could possibly have written that one. I recommend it strongly. It's beyond amazing.
Book(s) you wish had never been written – Dominic Lapierre's "City of Joy". Good heavens. You'll look forever if you want to find a worse piece of white supremacist disease-porn.
Book(s) you’re currently reading – Uh, too many? "Introduction to Poetry" (Kennedy; very good); "A Prayer for Owen Meany" (Irving; excellent, but for some reason I am reading this SO SLOWLY); "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Twain; rereading); "India After Gandhi" (Guha; paaathetic book, have more or less given up); "Building Better Plots" (Kernan; decent stuff).
Book you’ve been meaning to read – Anything by Tolstoy is on this list - "Anna Karenina", "War and Peace".
Book you have been meaning to finish - Like I said, Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a great read but I've been dragging my feet (eyes?) on that one for two months now. Also Dostoevsky - same issue, I really *liked* the first few chapters of "Crime and Punishment", but for some reason couldn't finish the book. Sigh.
I'm tagging the usual suspects: Juice, Sayesha, TWM (if he's reading this), Venkat over at RibbonFarm, Saurabh and Sushil (WAKE UP DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE).
Book that changed your life – Um. Literally speaking, something by Ayn Rand, I suppose. I can no longer remember which book or essay of hers I read first, but here's a link to one short essay I think should be required reading for every human being. Even if one does tend to outgrow Rand, her writing's moral foundations and clarity of thought are lasting gifts to her readers. Which is why I'll never be ashamed of having once been a crazy, rabid Objectivist. :)
Book you’ve read more than once – I'm an obsessive re-reader; there is almost no book I've really liked that I haven't read ten times. So the first five Harry Potters, all the Jeeves books, just about any Bill Bryson you care to name, Stephen King's "Rose Madder" and "Different Seasons".. you name it, I've reread it. I think the one exception to the rule is Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections". You'll see why.
Book you would take to a deserted island – An empty one. With a pencil and an eraser. DOH! :D
Book that made you laugh – Wodehouse's Jeeves books. Unparalleled.
Book that made you
Book you wish you had written – Oh boy. Jealousy is an occupational hazard of (aspiring) writers, so this list is endless. I'll limit myself here to naming just the top three: Daphne Du Maurier's novel "Rebecca"; Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"; and Mark Twain's short story "What Stumped the Bluejays". Though that last story? Just wishful thinking on my part. Nobody but Twain could possibly have written that one. I recommend it strongly. It's beyond amazing.
Book(s) you wish had never been written – Dominic Lapierre's "City of Joy". Good heavens. You'll look forever if you want to find a worse piece of white supremacist disease-porn.
Book(s) you’re currently reading – Uh, too many? "Introduction to Poetry" (Kennedy; very good); "A Prayer for Owen Meany" (Irving; excellent, but for some reason I am reading this SO SLOWLY); "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Twain; rereading); "India After Gandhi" (Guha; paaathetic book, have more or less given up); "Building Better Plots" (Kernan; decent stuff).
Book you’ve been meaning to read – Anything by Tolstoy is on this list - "Anna Karenina", "War and Peace".
Book you have been meaning to finish - Like I said, Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a great read but I've been dragging my feet (eyes?) on that one for two months now. Also Dostoevsky - same issue, I really *liked* the first few chapters of "Crime and Punishment", but for some reason couldn't finish the book. Sigh.
I'm tagging the usual suspects: Juice, Sayesha, TWM (if he's reading this), Venkat over at RibbonFarm, Saurabh and Sushil (WAKE UP DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE).
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Life Update
If you knew what was happening in my life (viz: nothing), you would not wonder why I haven't been blogging. Unless, of course, you want to hear all about the facinating intricacies of transcribing tax forms into code...?
Just to prove it to you, here are a few unfinished drafts of posts over the past three weeks:
---Friday was Ice Cream Day at work: pity Wendelin doesn't like ice cream, eh? Usually too sweet, always too cold. Brr. But I went to the 16th floor conference room anyways with the rest of the work bunch and found myself staring at a GIGANTIC container of trifle - all chocolate and jam and whipped cream. I succumbed to the temptation, but it didn't taste nearly as good as it looked... but chocolate is chocolate, so this was worth it. Could I be more pointless?
---I haven't exercised in five weeks! Pounds, where is thy meltage? Death, where is thy sting? Woe!
---Freakin' Alberto Gonzales QUIT!! LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA. But this probably means there isn't going to be any investigation any more, dammit. I want this blasted presidency over already - like the media seems to be pretending it is. This week's Economist reminds us: there's still seventeen months, left. Bugger. But still... there is this surreal atmosphere of everybody knows they're bullshitting us, you know? It can only be a good thing. Someday we're going to wake up and find ourselves back in Kansas, and maybe if that day comes within the next seventeen months, we'll even impeach the president? Nah, that's Oz-talk. But there is some cause for celebration at dear old Alberto's sacking. Ding dong, ladies and gentlemen, the wicked witch is dead. Thank you.
---I got a free mug and sticky magnets today at work. Bwah.
---A Prayer for Owen Meany turned out to be a great read, not at all boring, very vivid characters, and Irving has a splendid turn of phrase I could really, really learn from. Then why is it that I can't finish the damn book? This is freakin' insane, I LIKE it!
... and so on: posts, I am sure you'll agree, are best left to unpublished obscurity.
But today something wonderful happened: my stalker showed up again! Hee hee hee! His latest comment on a long forgotten post about loafers on Orkut is worth a look. Excerpt:
*
Just to prove it to you, here are a few unfinished drafts of posts over the past three weeks:
---Friday was Ice Cream Day at work: pity Wendelin doesn't like ice cream, eh? Usually too sweet, always too cold. Brr. But I went to the 16th floor conference room anyways with the rest of the work bunch and found myself staring at a GIGANTIC container of trifle - all chocolate and jam and whipped cream. I succumbed to the temptation, but it didn't taste nearly as good as it looked... but chocolate is chocolate, so this was worth it. Could I be more pointless?
---I haven't exercised in five weeks! Pounds, where is thy meltage? Death, where is thy sting? Woe!
---Freakin' Alberto Gonzales QUIT!! LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA. But this probably means there isn't going to be any investigation any more, dammit. I want this blasted presidency over already - like the media seems to be pretending it is. This week's Economist reminds us: there's still seventeen months, left. Bugger. But still... there is this surreal atmosphere of everybody knows they're bullshitting us, you know? It can only be a good thing. Someday we're going to wake up and find ourselves back in Kansas, and maybe if that day comes within the next seventeen months, we'll even impeach the president? Nah, that's Oz-talk. But there is some cause for celebration at dear old Alberto's sacking. Ding dong, ladies and gentlemen, the wicked witch is dead. Thank you.
---I got a free mug and sticky magnets today at work. Bwah.
---A Prayer for Owen Meany turned out to be a great read, not at all boring, very vivid characters, and Irving has a splendid turn of phrase I could really, really learn from. Then why is it that I can't finish the damn book? This is freakin' insane, I LIKE it!
... and so on: posts, I am sure you'll agree, are best left to unpublished obscurity.
But today something wonderful happened: my stalker showed up again! Hee hee hee! His latest comment on a long forgotten post about loafers on Orkut is worth a look. Excerpt:
...u seem to be diggin your own grave..with your "oh so great" english...ur arrogant attitude towards people...what have u really learnt from all your education..?
Hilarious as this comment is, my cripplingly low writing self esteem has simply latched onto his inadvertent compliment ("oh so great" english, he calls it! *wibble*), and thus was my day made by Narayandas Murali Krishna. Will wonders never cease?
*
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As I type up last Friday's blog inviting questions for the weekly "Ask Me Anything Day", Saurabh looks over my shoulder. Click...
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Yes, there have been no updates lately, but that is because - well - With a view towards relaxation and general surfing, I trolled LJ for fu...
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. I have yet again managed to rip my schedule to shreds and shamelessly shy away from work. I need to do something about it... and what bet...
