Clutter is something of an issue for us and books are part of the problem (but by no means all of it). Each of us had a few and together we had perhaps enough to fill six sets of shelves. This doesn’t sound like much but it takes up space.
We have done clean-outs before but it was only ever a small proportion of the collection. Yesterday we cleaned between four and five hundred books which probably amounts to somewhere between a third and a half of the total.
Some are interesting enough titles in good enough condition to sell and they’ll go gradually in on eBay. I just took the remaining three hundred to a local op shop who seemed pleased to get them. They might only sell each title for three or four dollars but that will add up.
In terms of what we kept it was only that which we think we’d really want to read again or classics that everyone (including us) should have. Before we started this seemed like these would be a greater proportion of the whole but it was amazing how many of ours books we could happily do without.
Lesson for the day - it’s better to have a quality library than an overly large one.
I recently claimed that a powers drill is the most useful modern appliance in our house and it’s true that they come in very handy when you own your own place and want to do this and that.
However I think the number one appliance in terms of time saved would have to be the washing machine. It’s terribly clever really. You put in dirty clothes and some powder and, a while later, you can take out heaps of clean albeit wet clothes. To achieve the same result any other way would take massive amounts of time.
The runner up is the microwave especially when Finn was a baby. It made warming formula, heating food for him and dinners for us all deadly easy and quick.
So my powerdrill comes in third but it’s still pretty damn handy. I think I might even like a cordless one for Christmas.
Lesson for the day - there are so many wonderful toys.
I saw something about really short stories and wondered just what you could do with only 50 or a hundred words. Fifty was too hard so her is what I managed in 100. It’s not art but I suspect you could probably do all sorts of things.
Proposition
Bellamy knew, in the way that you do, that she would say no. But he would ask anyway. The waiting for the fall was far worse than the minorly crushing blow of a misplaced crush or lust. “You’ve got to be in it to win it” his grandfather relentlessly said when faced with the smallest or largest setback.
As it happened when he did ask she did say no.
The next day at the gym he was staggered to notice that he had not noticed Mary before. He did his best friendly (but no overly so) smile in her direction.
Andy said today that Deadwood is quite Shakespearean and the idea really rang true for me. Sadly I am so utterly lacking in a knowledge of the Bard that I can’t make this case properly so I’ll link to other people who make similar points.
it’s almost like Shakespeare in terms of the complexity of the dialogue and the thoughts behind it - and that’s from his days as an English professor. - SkyOne
Increasingly the poetry of the language of Deadwood is Shakespearean. And, if comparing the Bard’s work one doesn’t have to stretch to draw parallels. - Thunder Tales
This is Shakespeare in the mud, a labor-intensive aural pleasure that is gilded with excessive violence, an unholy amount of swearing and a lawless machismo that will send the faint of heart or the politically correct reeling. - Tim Goodman
And for those who haven’t had the pleasure, just go to the shop.
Uno is a game of ironies. As sure as you change to blue because the person with one hand was playing yellow that one last card they have will turn out to be blue.
I know mathematically it’s probable but it feels like fate.
Lesson for the day - irony is slightly more than paper thin.
It was nice to be able to share Finn’s recent moobie but I was a bit frustrated by the quality of the video. So I looked around and worked out a way to make it a bit better and have just uploaded the better copy.
Lesson for the day - it’s nice when things can be a little bit pretty.
It was kind of sad how early people packed up and went home last night for the breakup drinks for my course. Eventually those few remaining moved from the function room to the pub proper or, more particuarly, the bit of it with packed crowds and thumping music.
Now I do get that this works for other people. The punishing sound makes them feel all alive and they have to get really close to folk physically to be heard.
But it doesn’t work for me so I went home.
Lesson for the day - being young is for the young at heart not the rapidly grouchy.
I blame movies. Well maybe not entirely movies but they don’t help any. Films have key scenes where you put your life on track and it’s all good. You shoot the bad guy, you make the speech, you kiss the girl. You need to be plucky but then it all takes care of itself.
Life is somewhat more labour intensive and it’s easy to just wonder where it is all going or if it will ever turn out right. At times like this it helps (me at least) to remember some Deborah Conway lyrics.
I’m just trying to keep afloat
I’m not looking for buried treasure
I’m not trying to change the world
I’m not looking for the answer
I didn’t have the wit to think of any of this while I was speaking to Shannon this morning but here it is for all three of my readers (hopefully including Shannon).
Lesson for the day - it’s easier to be profound with some thinking time and other people’s words.
Recent Bananas