Beached Seals and Books

[bowtrunckle]

I'm back from The North!  It was great for the first week.  Then it snowed.  A lot.  For days.  After that working outside all day ceased being pleasant and enjoyable.

But we saw wildlife: rutting moose, cariboo, and a grizzly bear (from the safety of the helicopter ... recall I didn't have my bear banger *giggles immaturely at the name*).  We found wolf tracks the size of my hand stamped over our boot marks from the day before.  We also had an owl following us around for four days.  It would perch on the topmost branch of the spruce trees above us and just SIT there and hoot at us.  One day, one of the guys hit the tree to scare it away but it looked down at all of us in a very annoyed fashion as the tree swayed back and forth.  The native men we had on our crew informed us that it was extremely unlucky to have an owl hanging about (apparently if it "calls your name" that means you're going to die soon).  After that I wasn't so keen to see the owl, especially because we were working with explosives.  Oo.  Luckily there was no "death".  At least not yet; native legends don't have concrete time frames for what constitues dying "soon". ;)

There were government biologists working in the creeks, studying the bull trout (a threatened species).  They were great, but I couldn't stop laughing everytime we saw them (gosh, how rude am I?).  They were snorkling in the creeks and were outfitted in full-body dry suits, flippers, gloves, masks etc. and carrying around nets and cameras and their tagging devices.  Now that's not too funny, but considering we're in the middle of the mountains being helicoptered in and the creeks were about a foot deep, it was amusing.  Seeing them lying face-down like beached seals, literally pulling themselves up the creek through the rocks and gravel with their arms had me sputtergiggling quietly into my hand more times than not.  Even they thought it was pretty ridiculous.  See what happens when you work for the Canadian government! ;)

So I'm at home now cooking up a storm, doing laundry, and lurking on the computer--pretty much procrastinating shamlessly because I'm supposed to have something written for a local writer's group I'm a part of by Tuesday.  I'm hopeless.  But after I run to the grocery store and erm ... make dessert, I SWEAR I will write something.  It will be original and not fanfiction.  And it will probably be horrendous.  *headdesk*

On a last (fannish) note,  hugemind's and my cinematography community,  spnematography, is up and running.  There are four days remaining until SPN S3 starts.  Not that I'm counting the hours/minutes/seconds or anything. ;)  kjpzak, you'll be delighted to know that while at Barnes and Noble yesterday, I happened upon a book of essays about "Firefly" (yes, published meta).  Do you know what I did?  I read it.  Then that night I made my husband watch episode 1 (actually he wanted to watch "the boys" but I steered him toward 'Firefly" *gasp*).  Being that you swear BSG is a million times better than "Firefly", are you sure you want me to get hooked on it?  Downward spiral, my friend, downward spiral, and I might just take you with me (unless, of course, you're already there). *evil grin*

Here's a fun meme from sigune that demonstrates the degree of my illiteracy, how I can't seem to focus enough to finish a book, and the extent of my "to read" list. BTW, does it annoy anyone else that most of these titles are erroneously capitalized (or not capitalized)?  Maybe it's just me and my freakish, anal tendancies...

These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing's users (as of today). Bold what you have read, italicise what you started but couldn't finish, and strike through what you couldn't stand. * what you've read more than once. Underline what is on your to-read list.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and punishment
Catch-22
One hundred years of solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel*
The name of the rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and prejudice
Jane Eyre
A tale of two cities
The brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and peace
Vanity fair
The time traveler's wife*
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The kite runner (I'm reading this now)
Mrs. Dalloway
Great expectations
American gods
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius
Atlas shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex (I'm reading this now)
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury tales
The historian: a novel
A portrait of the artist as a young man
Love in the time of cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault's pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein*
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A clockwork orange
Anansi boys
The once and future king
The grapes of wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel*
1984
Angels & demons
The inferno
The satanic verses
Sense and sensibility
The picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One flew over the cuckoo's nest
To the lighthouse
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver's Travels
Les misérables
The corrections
The amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time*
Dune
The prince
The sound and the fury
Angela's ashes : a memoir
The god of small things
A people's history of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A confederacy of dunces
A short history of nearly everything
Dubliners
The unbearable lightness of being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The scarlet letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves:
The mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel*
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud atlas
The confusion
Lolita (I'm reading this now)
Persuasion
Northanger abbey
The catcher in the rye
On the road
The hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity's rainbow
The Hobbit
In cold blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The three musketeers

Comments

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Illiteracy? Mwuahaha! As you can tell from my own list, I don't seem to be exactly "literate" either, and I'm a student of literature! But then I'm a Victorianist and so busy catching up with pre-1900 books that the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are very much - um - closed books to me *g*.

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, so many books and too little time--I know the feeling well. Unfortunately, I can't balance my lack of well-readness (erm ... that's a word? *head desk*) of more contemporary literature with literature from another era OR genre unless you count scientific papers (believe me, scientists on the whole can't find their way to the end of a compound sentence).

I give you huge credit for studying Victorian literature. I read Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" recently. There were sentences that were half a page long. By the time I got to the end of the sentence I'd forgotten what the beginning said. *face palm* One of these days I'll catch on.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

You want to watch out with that... You know, by my example, what reading Victorian literature does to you: it makes you believe that half a page is quite the normal length for a sentence, and before you know it, you start writing like that yourself! ;P

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

LOL! Oh no, what's my exuse, then? ;)

[hugemind.livejournal.com]

Hee, beached seals!

Ugh, the classics like War and Peace make me go mostly 'meh'; scifi is more my genre. But at least I've read some books on the list: 1984, Angels&Demons, The Satanic Verses (for a freakin' school assignment) and The Catcher in the Rye, so I'm not completely illiterate. ;) Currently I'm reading American Gods and loving the heck out of it! Kripke mentioned Neil Gaiman as one of his inspirations, and the book really reminds me of SPN at times. (After I finish this, I'll start Nevermore.)

BTW, do you have a link to the original list?

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I've not read a lot of scifi besides Ursula Le Guin when I was a teenager, but I read "The Dispossessed" a couple years ago. I dropped "1984" because I got busy, but I enjoyed what I read of it ("War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery" and another line I can't remember about ignorance" ... Oo). I'll have to give Dan Brown another try. My husband likes him, but I can't seem to get past any of his first chapters (even "The Da Vinci Code"). There's something about his protagonist that rubs me the wrong way.

Neil Gaiman! Stardust! "American Gods" sounds really interesting. Any book with a modern incarnation of Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, is worth picking up. On your recommendation I will add it to my to-read list.

After I finish this, I'll start Nevermore.

You'll speed through it in probably 4 hours. It's quick, it's easy, it's light. There were some parts that seemed a bit dangly to me. The author made some mistakes and added some interesting insights/character interpretations. Let me know what you thought of it when you're finished.

BTW, do you have a link to the original list?

Sorry, I don't. I swiped it from sigune who gacked it from someone else. But you can just copy and paste this one into your LJ, highlight the whole thing and remove the italics and such. I didn't mark the list up too much, you know. ;)

[hugemind.livejournal.com]

I'd love to read more, but there's never enough time. *sigh*

Hmm, Dan Brown. I've read the four books and enjoyed them in a way I usually enjoy an action movie. The plots are interesting enough to keep reading, although the basic element are pretty much the same in all of them. I don't even remember anything about the characters which should be telling enough. ;)

Heh, the reason I bought "American Gods" was because the blurb in the back cover said, "--a far bigger storm is coming.--" But I intend to read more Gaiman after this one.

What, you didn't geek out and search the list from the bottomless pit that is the internet?! Ah, Google to the rescue! ;) I'm too lazy to do the meme, but I was just wondering what the story behind the list was. *finds the site and wanders around aimlessly*

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

I don't even remember anything about the characters which should be telling enough.

Hee. What I remember from "Angels and Demons" was that he was a smart and successful college professor, "ruggedly handsome" with salt and pepper hair and a swimmer's body (he swam everyday). His voice "which was as smooth as dark chocolate" (or something like that) made most of his female students "melt". And the fact that he anticipated and dodged a mysterious bullet in the opening pages showed his keen skills of observation and his awesome athleticism.

At this point, I turned to my husband and said, "Is this the same character that Tom Hanks played in 'The Da Vinci Code' or is this a robot (or ... hehe ... a mandroid)?"

I was just wondering what the story behind the list was

Ah, you are such the scientist! *adores* I actually did google "LibraryThing 106 books" but found nothing. Then I gave up because I was hungry (it's a relevant excuse, ask Dean). ;)

[hugemind.livejournal.com]

His voice "which was as smooth as dark chocolate" (or something like that) made most of his female students "melt".

John Winchester disguised as a college professor? Hmm, I haven't even seen the movie version of The Da Vinci Code... But mandroids FTW!

I actually did google "LibraryThing 106 books" but found nothing.

Hee, a fellow geek! Try "librarything unread" and you get the list. *admits being a geek* Hey, I totally believe you, it's not nice to feel hungry (but I could ask Dean just because, dude, Dean *g*). Actually, I should probably get a snack myself right about now. ;)

[kjpzak.livejournal.com]

Welcome Home! And phew! After reading your emails on Firefly I started wondering if you'd enjoyed them or just humored me. :) I'm glad to see you enjoyed them enough to torture your husband with them. They are mindless fun if nothing else.

Now BSG...the more the merrier I say. There's a moment in the first season that is the most incredibly acted scene I've ever seen and not a word is said. It's a look that passes between Mary McDonnel and Edward James Olmos that makes you go, "There, that's why this is hailed as the best written show on television." When you start watching, I'll tell you where it is. Or maybe I'll just let you find it on your own because I know with your eye for detail, you will.

I have an idea for group tomorrow that might get me kicked out since it's about as far below literary as Captain Underpants. It's totally not what I expected to be writing but it's the first idea I've had that has gone past the first three sentences in my head so I'm running with it.

As far as that list goes...do I dare embarrass myself...

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

I started wondering if you'd enjoyed them or just humored me. They are mindless fun if nothing else.

No, it was entertaining. Thanks for lending the DVDs to me. They certainly helped at night when I was sick in bed, needing a distraction from the next day's impending snow storm. :)

Or maybe I'll just let you find it on your own because I know with your eye for detail, you will.

Oh, great. Pressure. *snort* Knowing me, it'll fly right under my radar because I'll be fixating on something else, paying attention to who knows what. Sometimes my mind is selectively obsessive. ;) It'll be good that a veteran like yourself will be around to point out those oh so important "awesome" moments.

I have an idea for group tomorrow that might get me kicked out since it's about as far below literary as Captain Underpants.

That's GREAT!! Hey, I understand your frustration--any idea is a good idea, seriously. Enthusiam is the beacon to follow when stuck in the dark depths of "no idea" land (where I'm still wandering around and bumping into things). And if you're kicked out (which you won't be), I'll certainly be kicked out, too. Then we can start our own writer's group or else just have a good excuse to get together and drink more coffee. ;) See, aren't I Ms. Positive today?

I just reread Gardner's first two chapters and took notes. I have to say the second time around (and perhaps the threat that if I don't pay attention I really will get kicked out of the group), what he says makes more sense. However, he does take a very long time to get to his points:

1. There are no universal rules for fiction writing; the writer must develop through practice and education (reading reading reading) what works for them. *head desk*

2. Write what you know and like best. Pick a genre. *flail*

3. For any genre, a write must establish and maintain the fictional dream by making it vivid (tons of authentic detail) and continuous. *doh*

Dude, maybe I should turn in my LJ entry to the group. ;)

As far as that list goes...do I dare embarrass myself...

YES, embarass yourself. I did. :)

This is really long. I think it means that we need to step out of the virtual world and go for coffee.

"Beached Seals, Books and ....er..... anal tendencies?"

[(Anonymous)]

snow
106 books divided in categories of readership
and...
anal tendencies?

LOL. I knew you had a myriad of ideas, profound and/or... er...otherwise. To add to your many talents, you are also barking mad. Just the lady after my own heart.

Re: "Beached Seals, Books and ....er..... anal tendencies?"

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the club! Lourdes, you crack me up. But I do agree with you: snow is insane (or "barking mad" as you say).

snow is not insane!

[dianne-37.livejournal.com]

I lurve snow! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snowwww!! Oh and *looks confused* I thought it was perfectly normal to have a sentence be a half a page long! That's so me! That's why I pity you when you get my work but you're so nice for editing for me. Seriously I would like nothing more than to be snowed in at home for a week with my family. Bring back 1977, one of our worst winters during my lifetime. I loved it!! But then again, I was ten and didn't have to drive.
I've read anything by Charles Dickens, the LOTR series, To Kill a Mocking Bird (my fav) and lots of others, but I had to admit that looking back, when I was young, the Hardy Boys ruled! Hee, but that only shows I have a good imagination because I could superimpose Shaun Cassidy into the geeky book boy instead of the silly drawings of the 1950's flat headed drawings in the books.
It's nice catching up up lj. Now back to laundry which I'm doing in between catching up.

Re: snow is not insane!

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

I've turned into a big of a wimp since moving to the west coast. Sub-zero temperatures have me wimpering and clutching my down comforter. But I'm not a huge winter sports person to begin with so I'm perfectly OK with staying inside and warm while A climbs moutains with his skiies.

I don't mind beta'ing for you! BTW, I've checked my hard drive and the only copy of your original is the very first draft with my comments. I'll have to search around in the disater that is my inbox because I think you might've sent it to me when your computer was dying a slow and painful death. I'll let you know what I find. I can send it onto Katy for you, too. :)

Whenever I think of Charles Dickens I think of you. And, heh, I read my fair share of junky teen books--I had the whole "Sweet Valley High" series to date. I would use all my allowance money to buy them (including the dimes, nickles, and pennies).

Good luck with laundry!