Findings

I went to a thrift store with my cousin to hunt for some cheap books. I’ve acquired:

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre by Walter Kaufmann

Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain

&

Carrie by Stephen King

I haven’t actually read too much into existentialism, so I hope this book I picked up can serve as an introduction. Reading into postmodernism lead me to Nietzsche, who is also mentioned in the existentialist cannon. One thing just leads to another—literature is a never-ending game of connect the dots. Sometimes you think you’re drawing the meaning of life, and then other times it’s just a lizard or something.

I’ve just received the .pdf file of the new issue of Instigatorzine! I’m very excited to get the print copy. A couple of pieces of art were done for my story and it’s just the way I imagined the scenes while writing. Also, they let it run for four pages!

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Dolan’s Cadillac

I’ve just finished reading Dolan’s Cadillac, by Steven King. I bought a copy of his short story collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes at a thrift shop last week, and have been debating whether or not I wanted to read through it. This first story, Dolan’s Cadillac, is a well-written revenge story which takes place mostly in the head of this third-grade teacher, and partly on a stretch of highway on the way to Las Vegas. I like the way in which King personifies the voice of the man’s wife, after she’s killed. In the end, it’s almost as if she becomes a malicious entity in his life—just like Dolan.

At some point next week I will be visiting a larger thrift store in Rhode Island, and I hope to make some better finds in terms of books. In all honesty I shouldn’t be putting the money into more books, because the list I need for next semester is going to run me into the ground as it is. I’m glad that my courses will be exploring more in regards to the literary canon, but I can also kiss my free time goodbye.

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Boomerang Kids

The ending for Brother Odd fell into place nicely. I believe Koontz did the first two books justice.  I’m also considering reading into his Frankenstein series. I’m sure I’ll come across some of them when I do the thrift store book-hunt with my cousin on Friday. It feels good to be revisiting pop-horror in terms of what I’m reading.

By tomorrow I should know if I got this volunteer editing gig or not. I hope so, because the résumé I have right now is not very appealing. If I can hold it, it’ll be only two articles a week so I would still have some time to manage something else on the side.

During my visit to the transfer station this morning, I was listening to Michael Graham on Boston’s 96.9. I don’t always agree with a lot of what’s said on this station, but I think the more we listen to other’s opinions, the more secure we can be with our own. Graham is known for his more conservative views, but I’m sure what he was discussing today was more of an observation than anything. He mentioned this idea of a new generation of “Boomerang Kids.” The way it was described is kids that graduate college and return home to live with their parents. The scenario that was read was a girl in her early twenties whom returned to live with her parents after studying art design. I’m really afraid that the path I’m walking is going to bring me right there. Sometimes I get really self-loathing when my professor makes cracks about people living in their parent’s basement. I suppose I have a little flexibility right now, because I guess like student loans, you can culturally defer independence while you’re in school. I really need to do more than just hope; I need to take more action with the course of my life.

I’m thinking of investing some writing into http://www.madwrite.com. It’s a SEO website that pays you per every $4 that your articles bring in. Worth a try?

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Book Hunting

When my professor told me she had been searching used book shops for Ellison for almost ten years, I didn’t consider that he might still be this hard to find.  The internet is wonderful with locating books, but I’m trying to find a cheap paperback that won’t run me like $10 in shipping. “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” is probably my favorite short story, and I am determined to find an anthology with it. Since I’m on a cyberpunk/sci-fi binge, I’ve also been looking for Neuromancer, but my book hunting hasn’t been too successful.

Even if you’re not finding pearls in the sand, used book shopping is incredibly therapeutic. At our Salvation Army today, I picked up Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey House, Manette Ansay’s Midnight Champagne, and a book about the craft of fiction writing by Percy Lubbock.

I’ve also started reading George Martin’s A Game of Thrones. When I talk to people about the fantasy genre, this is typically a book they recommend. I’m only 100 pages in, but it’s been a pretty good read. There’s a quote in the beginning I really liked by Bran’s (One of the main characters) father. He said, “A ruler who hides behind paid executioners soon forgets what death is.” Not trying to throw controversy around, but I think this idea is timeless.

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Warming the House

I find something romantic about lighting a fire. Not in the pyromaniac sense, but the idea of keeping the family warm at night. I haven’t studied anthropology, but I would argue that fire-making has been one of the most important cultural skills. About a year ago, I attended a sweat lodge at one of my professor’s houses. She and her husband have been practicing shamanism for years, and they have a lot of land in central Vermont. They call it Spirit Hollow, and they offer their shamanic services for healing and whatnot. Beautiful isn’t a term that can describe the land itself. The hollow was vibrant and alive. The lodge took place beside a running stream, which I later found out led to a magnificent waterfall. A big, older man was waiting by a patch of coals, which we later used to heat the rocks. He was the fire-bearer. In tradition, he’s the most important participant in the lodge. While the rest of us weren’t allowed to walk between the tent we built and the path to the fire, he had freedom to cross whichever path he chose. Needless to say, I only lasted two rounds in the sweat lodge before I ran out gasping for air. Funny, but it was an experience. Unlike moths and other animals, we aren’t only drawn to fire, we have the ability to create it. Thanks to Prometheus, of course.

Today I’ve made the life changing decision to start collecting coffee mugs. There was an odd sense of satisfaction from purchasing this old Japanese mug at a thrift store today. It won’t be a detriment to my wallet. I love shopping at thrift stores.

I started reading Skip Press’ book on publishing. It’s not too long, and it had some info that Chuck Sambuchino’s manuscript and formatting book lacked. The text was more personal and explains a little bit more of how to make the editor or publisher feel special.

Curious Kristie is on her way to Holland right now. We’ve been texting as she passed through security at both airports, but right now she’s making that journey across the pond. It’s going to be quite an adventure for her.

Lately I’ve been missing random increments of money from my bank account.

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