To Kindle or Not to Kindle..

My friend, Walker, recently passed a Kindle commentary by Pierre Tristam along to me as I had told her I was taking my brother's Kindle for a test drive.

I loved the article and, in essence, agreed with him... the Kindle is a good supplement, but it won't replace my desire to have the physical book. I was talking to another friend about it last night and he, being somewhat of a purest and a skeptic, was opposed in principle to the Kindle. But, as I explained, I read so many books that I don't keep or, frankly, don't want to keep, why shouldn't the Kindle be a good solution? If I come across a book on the Kindle that speaks to me like any number of other books have in the past, I'll have no problem buying a hard copy and adding it to my collection. But for all those murder mysteries, spy novels, the occasional guilty pleasure of a romance novel, the random funny books I find and the multitude of fantasy novels the Kindle may prove very worthwhile.

Tristam write, "Most of all, books' physical existence reassures me." He's right. There is something about seeing those books on the shelf, knowing I can pull one down, feel it's weight in my hands, finger through the pages looking for a particular passage or quote, that somehow ensures me that all is okay with the world, even in times that often seem dire.

But boy, finding a book I'm interested in and being able to download it in seconds and be reading it in minutes... well, that's something, too!

Laziness is a Virtue

It is my humble (perhaps not so) opinion that being lazy is, in fact, a virtue. Why is it that people think we should always be productive? Always doing something. Accomplishing something. Achieving something. Blah. I say, be lazy. Lounge. Recline. Nap in the middle of the day if you like.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm on a little vacation. It is easy to be lazy when you have rented a little cottage amid tall redwoods. A place where you can stumble out of bed at your leisure and immediately curl up on the couch with a book until you feel productive enough to get breakfast together -- at, oh, around about 11 a.m.

Pan to just around one o'clock when you decide it might be worthwhile to take a drive somewhere, like out to Occidental to peruse the little shops. Then another leisurely drive out to the ocean via Coleman Valley road. Maybe a stop in Bodega to check out the historical location of the school house from The Birds. Then maybe a late (4:00) lunch at a tasty, tho' decidedly over-priced, restaurant on Tomales Bay. Ah, fresh oysters. Wine. Fresh cut french fries. Grilled sardines. Yum.

Pan back to the cottage for another evening of doing absolutely nothing -- not even games. Just sitting on the porch or couch reading, occasionally chatting, but mainly just being quiet. The only real noises the crackling of the fire, the occasional snorts of the pug or the periodic Michael-chuckle.

I say, laziness is a good thing and done far to infrequently. Revel in it when the opportunity arises!

Fire Fire Burning Bright

Ah, the joy of a smoldering fire. Here we are up in the Russian River area in our little weekend cottage getaway. Michael shows off his fire-making prowess as we settle down for the evening.



We had a really nice drive up to Healdsburg where we walked around the square a little and then had dinner outdoors (restaurant patio). Weather is warm, tho' the night is cool enough for the fire. There were many children playing on the grass next to our table. It made Edwin and I cranky. Kids, who needs 'em!

The cottage, built in 1938, is terrible cute and quaint. Perfect for the 3 of us and The Gobi.

Tomorrow perhaps some wine tasting and a drive across the valley and the hills to Calistoga.

Birdie

Oooohhhhh Lobster

Yum

I'm Not Admitting Anything...

... http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/833751/how_i_overcame_world_of_warcraft_addiction.html?cat=19

Do Re Mi Joymaker

It's been a while since I wrote anything, so how appropriate to come back with a great item to share. Many of you may already have seen this video on You Tube, but I first came across it in an email from my Dutch Uncle and had at least one other friend ask me if I had seen it (thanks, Walker), which lead me back to Uncle Jim's email.

I can't explain why I react as I do when watching this. All I can say is it fills me with a weird and profound kind of joy and hope. I cry each time I watch it, which makes no sense. In a way, it reminds me of a quote from Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, where he writes,

"Sometimes it takes hold of me--not fear, not desire, but an inner unfathomable turmoil that threatens to break the confines of my breast and choke me." (*)

Though for Werther this quote describes a darker feeling of turmoil, watching this little production makes me think of the turmoil not as something sad, but as the joy I'm suddenly filled with and as it breaks free of my breast, the choking is me trying to get my breath back after being overwhelmed with the pure joy of seeing all these people dancing to Do Re Mi. I suppose that is the beauty of art that it can suddenly inspire in you such a depth of feeling.

I hope you all get as much pleasure from watching this as I did, and continue to do.



(*) From the Signet Classic translation by Catherine Hutter, 1962, p107.