yo.

I was born tomorrow
today I live
yesterday killed me.



I flipped open a book and there this was. It's quite depressing, but isn't it delightfully written? Yeppity. It almost compelled me to read the rest of the book, but I decided against it. Too many things to do, such as buy a chocolate cake for my chocolate-craving family members, like myself (I'm at meijer). That's it for today, I just felt the need to share this li'l snippet. Ciao.

That old personality test.

I am a Mastermind. Obviously.

My personality test compliments me, and I'm satisfied. Apparently, I am categorized as an INTJ, which breaks down into:

moderately expressed introvert (what a conundrum)
moderately expressed intuitive personality
moderately expressed thinking personality
slightly expressed judging personality.

Huh. Why can't I ever be fully expressed? I think I'd rather be one thing or another, but not only moderately or slightly something. It's like I can't make up my mind or something. That's ridiculous. That last one especially doesn't sit right with me. I mean, slightly expressed judging personality? I judge. A lot. I judge people a lot, I mean. I know we're not supposed to and everything, but I do anyway. It's an unconscious habit--but hey, at least I admit it. I suppose the first one doesn't make much sense either, but I guess it applies to me. I'm not the kind of person to yell out in class, or openly display my judge-y-ness, so I'll let that one slide.

That was my little schmlerp for the day.
Hasta Manana.

The Here and Now

Currently, I'm reading:
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

And I've regretfully finished:
Read My Lips by Teri Brown

This week: 277 pages

SENTENCES THIS WEEK:
There's only one, and it has nothing to do with etymology or reading. But it was hilarious, and I sincerely hope you didn't just have to be there, to think it's funny. I'll paint a scenario. Here goes:

It actually happened 7th period today. We were all sitting in math class, and the teacher starts pointing to people and asking if anyone knows their names, on account of how we are supposed to be learning eachothers' names. The teacher jokes around and asks, "who's that ugly kid sitting back there?" Nobody knew his name of course, and said nothing. Then all of a sudden the kid sitting next to him goes (in a slow, sure voice, as if he actually knows what he's talking about)

"HIS NAME'S EASY TO REMEMBER CAUSE 'U-G-L-Y' HAS FOUR LETTERS AND 'R-O-B-B-I-E HAS SIX."

I busted out laughing. People these days, I wonder about them.

Anyway, that's my sentence of the week.
Hasta Luego.

Splendid.

My choice is much better this time around. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris is refreshingly funny. I decided that it'd be alright if I posted on this book, even though I'm only 40 pages in, on account of how I already read 238 pages of a disappointing book this week (read lower post first to understand).

This book reminds me of the movie Office Space, if any one's seen it. Wonderful movie. This novel, set in the land of cubicles in an office in Downtown Chicago, revolves around the lives of several employees, in the midst of a round of lay-offs. All of the employees' lives take a nose-dive as they wait for the impending lay-off that threatens their meager existences as office clerks and secretaries and other non-important office jobs.

What strikes me the most about this book, is that the author never reveals who exactly is narrating, or who is the main character. Throughout the book, at least the 40 pages that I've read, the only reference to himself or herself are things like: We loved free bagels in the morning, we believed, we thought, we got kicked out, he blamed us, you get the point? I believe its called the omniscient point of view. Because the book does go into detail of what each co-worker feels when threatened with the sack. It's interesting, because I've been told that it's rare for a book to be in omniscient POV. I suppose that's what makes me like this book-- it has a snappy, sarcastic, comical voice, or should I say voices, to it. Here are some of the many passages that I've enjoyed so far. In 40 pages or less.


Hank Neary was an avid reader. He arrived early in his brown corduroy coat with a book taken from the library, copied all its pages on the Xerox machine, and sat at his desk reading what looked to passersby like the honest pages of business. He'd make it through a three-hundred-page novel every two or three days.

Layoffs were upon us. They had been rumored for months, but now it was official. If you were lucky, you could sue. If you were black, aged, female, Catholic, Jewish ,gay, obese, or physically handicapped, at least you had grounds.

Others of us didn't like music at all, some preferred talk radio, and there was a large contingent that kept their radios tuned to the oldies station. After everyone went home for the night, after we all fell asleep and the city dimmed, oldies continued to play inside the abandoned office. Picture it-- only a parallelogram of light in the door way. A happy tune by the Drifters issuing in the dark at two, three o'clock in the morning, when elsewhere murders were taking place, drug deals, unspeakable assaults.

I enjoy the words that Ferris wrote, especially his sarcasm and irony. He talks of these office co-workers as though they are sneaky, lazy, disobedient, but good-hearted people who only hope to keep their job without really working for it. Humanity at its best of course.

I was a bad person and snuck a peek at the last few words of the book, and it has me intrigued. It ends with:

But for the moment, it was nice just to sit there together. We were the only two left. Just the two of us, you and me.

Goodness gracious, this makes me want to read more. Even though I have the feeling that Ferris will never reveal the main character . . . oh well. What I don't know, won't hurt me.

Uh oh, Spaghettios.

I caved in at the last possible moment, and chose a terrible book. In my defence, it was in the "grown-up" section of the Aboite library, so naturally, I thought it would be a mature choice. It's called Read My Lips by Teri Brown. The librarian obviously made a mistake by putting it in the adult fiction section, because it's written just like Twilight. Even the little side note near the bottom of the front cover that says "She's got an eye for gossip" makes me cringe. I am a terrible person. Take a look.

The only thing that stands out about this book, is the fact that the main character is deaf and extremely self conscious of the hearing aids she has to wear 24/7, especially at school. After moving to a new high school, she is faced with the inevitable decision of which clique to join and how to get boys to notice her. Uh, yeah.

Along the way, she meets a devastatingly handsome young punk who happens to be adopted by her Aunt and Uncle, and lives close by. No incestuous relationship implied, although I did think that fact was slightly awkward as I read the book. Deaf girl and punk kid fall in love and blah blah blah they live happily forever after as a non-incest-committing couple, but of course, only after vanquishing the evil popular clique of their high school. You know the type, the barbie blond model thin girls with their hot pink lipstick and sadistic nature--that for some odd reason, all authors of "teenie-bopperish" books think exist. I've no idea where they came from. I mean, I see overly-tanned girls with bleached hair in the halls sometimes, cough, but nothing too barbie-ish. I'm serious though, I've really never met an evil barbie. Shallow, yes, but not evil.

So anyway, they vanquish the evil barbies and declare their love for one another. Fin. The last words of the book read like this:

(Deaf girl's POV) :

I tried to protest, but he dropped my hand and put his finger against my lips. "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. Serena..... I love you." My heart soared as I read his lips (cos she's deaf yo) I heard him loud and clear.

That was it. I gagged. Harsh, I know, but it was pretty bad. All 238 pages of it. I don't know why I kept reading it. Perhaps I was under the impression that would get better as I went on. Alas, no.

I suppose, to make up for my lack in judgement of choosing this book, I should choose another. And so I have. I hope it makes up for the lack of quotes and excess of negative opinions I have in this post. Farewell.

First Time Blogger

Post Numero Uno. My supposed entry post into the world of blogging has officially made its appearance. I've never blogged before and I have absolutely no idea what I should talk about, so I just picked the first thing that came to mind. Here goes:

Today, I came across a man by the name of Friedrich Nietzsche. He's been dead for a hundred and eleven years. By word of Wikipedia, Nietzsche was a German philosopher, poet, and composer, whose "influence remains substantial within and beyond philosophy, notably in existentialism, nihilism, and post modernism." His words are unbelievable. Unbelievably insightful, that is. Nietzsche says things in ways that I've always known were true, but never really acknowledged them as he did. As I read his thoughts, I am astounded by how striking they are. He's simply so creatively insightful, it's ridiculous. Nietzsche pretty much hits everything he addresses, right smack dab on the nail. Here are some of his quotes that I love:

-"One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive."

I suppose Nietzsche means that the struggles and hardships we go through as humans are what makes us alive. Those who live forever in memory and in history books probably sacrificed their livelihood, their friends and family, or at least a sordid amount of time (hence the several deaths), which is what they are remembered for. Maybe he means that to only die the final death means that you had never lived at all? Maybe.

-"He who has a why to live, can bear almost any how."

At first I didn't understand. But then I said it out loud. Those who have a reason have a will. Clever.

-"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."

I feel that if I comment on this one, I'm publicly admitting my lack of faith.... but I think he's spot on. If I had to walk through an insane asylum, and see people talking to their dead wives, crying out at invisible monsters, speaking incoherently, or just plain old screaming for no reason.... I'd start to wonder if perhaps God just doesn't want anything to do with them anymore, or if it's only the sun that shines up there.

-"What is it, is man one of God's blunders or is God one of man's?"

Interesting. Insightful. But I can't for the life of me, answer that question.

-"Woman was God's second mistake."

Nietzsche is implying that man was God's first mistake. Huh. Perhaps humanity is a mistake in itself. I mean, we are the most violent creatures to inhabit the earth. We've killed our own, tortured our own, imprisoned our own, and wiped out thousands of species of animals and plant alike. And we cut down trees! What could possibly be worse than that? 

-"In heaven all the interesting people are missing."

I suppose Hitler's a pretty interesting guy. I imagine the angels were astonished when he didn't walk through those pearly gates. But I must confess-- I need to read Mein Kampf, because I would love to get into his head. I see Nietzsche's point.

*******These were the tip of the iceberg. He was a genius. It's a damn shame he went insane.