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Jan. 1st, 2005 06:19 pmHad a lovely walk today...was 60 degrees in Brooklyn. Didn't walk all the way to the promenade, was too tired. Still worn out from the flu bug that hit me at the beginning of the week. Good news? I think it's almost out of my system now. The long holiday weekend helped. As did taking Thursday off. No more sniffles. No more heavy coughing. Just a slight hoarseness and weariness or laggy feeling. Was most definitely the flu though. And I bet I got it from my workplace. Heh. My workplace. Never thought I'd be using those words. Mustn't take it for granted. Took me too frigging long to get one.
Anywho...back to my lovely walk which landed me in two of my favorite places:
1. the independent book store in my neighborhood (yes we have a Barnes and Noble just four blocks away from it, but I feel the need to keep the indie alive, because B&N is evil). I bought: A. The Annotated Brothers Grimm, edited by Maria Tatar. Lovely book. Been lusting after it for a while now. Completely illustrated. I see it as an investment to give Cedar some day.Here's a little of what the book jacket says about it: " Perhaps most noteworthy is Tartar's decision to include tales that were excised from later editions, including a few bawdy stories that were removed after the Frimms realized that children relished these tales as much as adults did. In restoring the tales, Tatar is able to - in the tradition of Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment" - examine what has kept the Grimms' fairy tales alive in our imagination and our culture; their ability to speak to our anxities and fears, our desires and our passions, and our unconquerable belief in happy endings."
B. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.
(Haven't read Prachett before, but this book captured my interest it's about a con-artist cat who helps a bunch of rats deal with an evil menance, incorporating the tale of the pied piper.)
C. A Series of Unfortunate Events :BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket,
which I thought I'd try out for my little niece. Also it had come highly recommended from one of the folks on my friends list.
(I already have the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel book, and I keep attempting to read the thing - it is sitting on my night stand. I can't seem to get past the second chapter. Not sure if this is a mood thing? Could be. It is a "dry" book and right now, I seem to be in the mood for "wet" books. By wet, I mean emotional. Possibly because I spend all day reading contracts and unemotional dry works, and need a break from it? I like her wit, but the dry style is putting me to sleep. Like I said - it's probably because I spend my days analyzing contractual language and business language which is oddly enough very similar in style. I don't think I could read Jane Austen or Proust right now, if my life depended on it.)
2. stop two was at the local comic store - where I hunted for Fables, and Superman:Red Son - but with no sucess. (They asked if it was still in print, I said, I knew it was in print, since friends of mine were reading it. On second thought, that's not exactly proof it's in print - since they're in England.)
Did pick up Tales of the Vampires which is surprisingly good. And it is the graphic novel not the individual issues - in case of confusion. Read the first two tales and was quite impressed. I'll give the writers credit, they've managed to make these vampires more than charactures of evil, they are complex and the evil? Not so clear. Or definite. They've neither romanticized these monsters nor demonified them - they've shone them for what they are, complex.
Also Astonishing X-Men issue 7, which I found to be odd. Not sure where the writer is going with this. IT was confusing in places. Not as good as the first six. But that may just be me. Did enjoy it though. I like comics, they blend both my favorite mediums - art and writing. I think if I could have found a way to write and illustrate comics, I'd have been briefly in heaven.
But alas, my drawing isn't quite up to snuff.
Lovely day ended with me coming home, calling family to wish them a happy new years. All seems well. Am a little concerned about my father - he has a growth between his lung and his chest cavity that needs to come out. It's probably nothing (knocks on wood), but am a little concerned.
Last night - heh, I watched Garden State (god was that an amazingly good movie, really cheered me up for some reason, highly recommend! Made me laugh, smile and be happy. Very reassuring movie. Not at all what I expected. Also enjoyed the deleted scenes, especially the audition. Want the soundtrack!)
Also (in very small timid little voice...lower case tiny letters)saw: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (fears obsessed monty python addicts quoting all the dialogue in bad english accents, stay back! Back! Out! No Monty Quoting!!!)
Funny movie. Would have been funnier - if I hadn't already heard the jokes ten million times, even though only seen movie once. Methinks too many men between the ages of 17-50 have seen this flick and it should be hidden from them for twenty years, before the jokes become cliche. Just a suggestion. Was quite amusing last night though...heh. The knights that say ne. hee. Then went to bed early. So well today. Ta Da.
Anywho...back to my lovely walk which landed me in two of my favorite places:
1. the independent book store in my neighborhood (yes we have a Barnes and Noble just four blocks away from it, but I feel the need to keep the indie alive, because B&N is evil). I bought: A. The Annotated Brothers Grimm, edited by Maria Tatar. Lovely book. Been lusting after it for a while now. Completely illustrated. I see it as an investment to give Cedar some day.Here's a little of what the book jacket says about it: " Perhaps most noteworthy is Tartar's decision to include tales that were excised from later editions, including a few bawdy stories that were removed after the Frimms realized that children relished these tales as much as adults did. In restoring the tales, Tatar is able to - in the tradition of Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment" - examine what has kept the Grimms' fairy tales alive in our imagination and our culture; their ability to speak to our anxities and fears, our desires and our passions, and our unconquerable belief in happy endings."
B. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.
(Haven't read Prachett before, but this book captured my interest it's about a con-artist cat who helps a bunch of rats deal with an evil menance, incorporating the tale of the pied piper.)
C. A Series of Unfortunate Events :BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket,
which I thought I'd try out for my little niece. Also it had come highly recommended from one of the folks on my friends list.
(I already have the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel book, and I keep attempting to read the thing - it is sitting on my night stand. I can't seem to get past the second chapter. Not sure if this is a mood thing? Could be. It is a "dry" book and right now, I seem to be in the mood for "wet" books. By wet, I mean emotional. Possibly because I spend all day reading contracts and unemotional dry works, and need a break from it? I like her wit, but the dry style is putting me to sleep. Like I said - it's probably because I spend my days analyzing contractual language and business language which is oddly enough very similar in style. I don't think I could read Jane Austen or Proust right now, if my life depended on it.)
2. stop two was at the local comic store - where I hunted for Fables, and Superman:Red Son - but with no sucess. (They asked if it was still in print, I said, I knew it was in print, since friends of mine were reading it. On second thought, that's not exactly proof it's in print - since they're in England.)
Did pick up Tales of the Vampires which is surprisingly good. And it is the graphic novel not the individual issues - in case of confusion. Read the first two tales and was quite impressed. I'll give the writers credit, they've managed to make these vampires more than charactures of evil, they are complex and the evil? Not so clear. Or definite. They've neither romanticized these monsters nor demonified them - they've shone them for what they are, complex.
Also Astonishing X-Men issue 7, which I found to be odd. Not sure where the writer is going with this. IT was confusing in places. Not as good as the first six. But that may just be me. Did enjoy it though. I like comics, they blend both my favorite mediums - art and writing. I think if I could have found a way to write and illustrate comics, I'd have been briefly in heaven.
But alas, my drawing isn't quite up to snuff.
Lovely day ended with me coming home, calling family to wish them a happy new years. All seems well. Am a little concerned about my father - he has a growth between his lung and his chest cavity that needs to come out. It's probably nothing (knocks on wood), but am a little concerned.
Last night - heh, I watched Garden State (god was that an amazingly good movie, really cheered me up for some reason, highly recommend! Made me laugh, smile and be happy. Very reassuring movie. Not at all what I expected. Also enjoyed the deleted scenes, especially the audition. Want the soundtrack!)
Also (in very small timid little voice...lower case tiny letters)saw: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (fears obsessed monty python addicts quoting all the dialogue in bad english accents, stay back! Back! Out! No Monty Quoting!!!)
Funny movie. Would have been funnier - if I hadn't already heard the jokes ten million times, even though only seen movie once. Methinks too many men between the ages of 17-50 have seen this flick and it should be hidden from them for twenty years, before the jokes become cliche. Just a suggestion. Was quite amusing last night though...heh. The knights that say ne. hee. Then went to bed early. So well today. Ta Da.
