Reading list for April
I’m a natural multitasker, especially when it comes to reading. For the past month I’ve been alternating between the following three novels: Read on »
“But in science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.”
Sir Francis Darwin (1848-1925)
The Great Gizmo, Design by Choice, Reyner Banham, September 1965
Magic Ink – A collection of essays on software, design, interface, theory, technology, usability, (and those words variously arranged) written by Bret Victor
“The primary office of a newspaper is the gathering of news … comment is free, but facts are sacred.”
Charles Prestwich Scott (1846-1912)
“Man is a creature who lives not upon bread alone but principally by catchwords.”
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
Part two of my city travel series just went up at the Gaucho blog, and you can read it here. I cover such topics as cheap flights and choosing a good hostel and the volcano in Iceland that nearly stranded me in Barcelona. There is also one very astute observation concerning the Catalonian culture which you may find of interest, and that is: … click to find out.
On the shelf in March
Still playing catch-up. These are the books whose pages I thumbed through in March:
- A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway – A non-fictional memoir covering the time Hemingway spent writing in Paris. His insight into the lives of his writer friends, like Scott Fitzgerald and Ezra Pound, and his reflections on his writing work overshadow even the magnificent descriptions of that always-beautiful city, Paris.
The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway – No matter how many times I put it away, I find this book in my hands time and time again. I’ve read every story and each time I open it I still learn something new- The Del Ray Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Sixteen Original Works edited by Ellen Datlow – This appears to be the only volume of this particular collection. I have skimmed through most of the works, and fully read about half of them. The powerful Sonny Liston Takes the Fall, a footnote on that heavyweight fighter that fell to Cassius Clay, and the thrill-seeking main character in Ardent Clouds both stand out in my mind. Also, The Elephant Ironclads by Jason Stoddard was entertaining, but the ending was disappointing. According to the description on Google Books, there are a few solid stories left, and I’m saving them for a rainy day.
What have you been reading?
I’m officially a cog in the blogging machine. I’ve been recruited to write for the nifty, thrifty Gaucho savings blog. Costa, a man of many talents, is the new content editor and he brought me in. You can read My First Lesson in Frugality. I also have a series running called The City Sojourner. Part one covers the weekend I spent stomping about Paris on the cheap. Well, more like trying to be cheap and failing. We live and we learn.
The disappearing act is over
… at least for the day. Consistency over time has never been my strong point. I do things better in bursts. I’m back now, but not even I can say how long this round will last. It wouldn’t be magic if I told you when and to where I was going to disappear, now would it?
Besides, I’ve been working hard at the restaurant and I saw traveling in my future. Work brought me money and being homebound gave me itchy feet. Abra cadabra, I made the magic happen. I haunted Paris for a weekend. I flew to Barcelona and spent four debaucherous days on the beach. If that’s not life I’ve never seen it. And now you can see it, too. I’m sorry this photo is small. I’ve got a lot more. Maybe I’ll dust off the flickr account to share the rest with you.
There were complications, of course. Aren’t there always? A volcano erupted in Iceland and belched an ash cloud south to dissipate across Europe and my sister and I were damn near stranded in Barcelona. Thousands of flights were canceled and billions of dollars lost before the smog wandered across the Atlantic to plague more travelers in America.
Not only was our first flight canceled, but the rescheduled flight was, too. Determining the direction and dissipation of ash clouds must not be an exact science. We ended up driving back to Germany, but no matter how odious the drive was (I assure you, it was. I hate long drives), it was still better than getting stuck. I know, boo-hoo, stranded in Barcelona. But know this: it doesn’t matter how good the food, how cheap the wine, or how sunny the beaches (all true), getting stranded anywhere is a disastrous prospect, to both bank accounts and blood pressure.