So far this “year” – I’ve managed to do pretty much nothing. Well, that’s not true. I’ve done stuff. It’s just not really “useful” stuff. The funk has rolled over to the new year.
In no particular order: The things I’ve done so far in 2010 (I’m going with “twenty-ten” by the way, as opposed to “two-thousand ten” or “two-thousand and ten”)
- Watched Firefly in its’ entirety.
- Mopped my trailer. It now smells bleach-y.
- Completed getting Harvey Birdman.
- Finished & submitted awards.
- Obsessively searched for a VW Bus.
- Stressed about work that is outside of my control.
- Queued up 13 days (download time) of television shows and movies: MST3K, Venture Bros, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Black Dynamite.
So, nothing really. I mean I know I’m only two days into the year – but so far, it’s looking to be about as crappy as last year for a while. Until April(ish) at least, unless I get extended – at which point I have no idea what I’ll do. Throw a shit fit I imagine.
I got a package from my folks yesterday (Hi folks!) with real live, bound books in it. look me in the eye, SuperFreakonomics, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar, and Last Words. Started on “look me in the eye today” and I’m already sucked in.
I don’t know what the hell it is about written words in a row that I find so magical. I guess it’s just reading a sentence and seeing the imagery in my head as I go, or how it makes me feel reading a paragraph about something that I relate to, or touches me, or interests me in some way that I absolutely love. I’m always kinda weirded out when someone says they don’t read, or “don’t like books.”
How do you not like a book? I mean, it’s a book. It’s something that’s so important they made an entire structure to house them and let you take them out and enjoy, then bring back so someone ELSE can enjoy them in a totally different way, just by reading the same words. That’s fucking magic, man.
I’m thinking about buying an e-book reader when I get home – and I’m hoping that someone creates a viable alternative to the Kindle. The whole “physical keyboard on a book” thing turns me off so much – but I want their library. I heard Barnes & Noble have something good going, plus “brick and mortar” stores to back it up and provide stupid fast downloads in-house (hurr durr, it’s called nook. Thanks, el Google.) Might be worth a look into.
RAH, Allen Steele, and Doctorow (Among so many, many others) have been right for years – printed books will always be a thing of beauty, but digital is the way to go. So much knowledge on what is really just the evolution of a clay table with cuneiform etched into it with a bamboo shoot or reed or whatever.
Well, rant in an odd direction over. Here’s to twenty-ten. Can’t wait to throw back some beers with my friends this year, see my wife, and go camping. I’ve got a year of living right to catch up on.
You have probably noticed that all my links go to wikipedia. I’m using that as opposed to links to commercial sites when making references to books, products, and authors for a couple of reasons. Wikipedia provides links to the “official” sites of the referenced item, and it’s probably the easiest way to get a mostly somewhat possibly accurate description of something(one) in a quick synopsis.
Plus I can edit it any article at will to say BALLS! in big bold letters at the top if I wanted to. I’m not saying that I do, I just want to keep my options open.
i’m going with “oh ten” as to how to pronounce this year.
i really like what you have to say about books, and have had similar reactions to people saying they “don’t read”.
i’ve never heard of those that you mentioned, i hope you let us in the plotline in the next post.
if you ever do edit an article to say, BALLS! at the top, i hope you’ll post a link here. i’ve been reading wikipedia for years now and still haven’t managed to find one single “angela crosby is hott” or “lick my penis” in any of the postings.
sad.
Met you through my friend Mychael. If you ever get to Chicago you are welcome here. I have 5 affectionate cats.
Hey Slack-ass, my 2010 has been fairly productive so far. I worked on 1/1 and hunted 1/2 and 1/3. And I didn’t kill a deer but luckily it was super-cold. I defeated the cold with long underwear under sweat pants under jeans under Carhartt bibs, two pairs of wool socks, Under-Armor shirt under cotton thermal shirt under sweat shirt under Carhartt coat, 2 caps and 2 pairs of gloves. It was very stylish and Joan Rivers gave me an award for best dressed person ever in history. Though my mobility was similar to Randy in A Christmas Story. Speaking of that movie, I bought my son a Red Ryder bb gun with a gift card I got for Christmas, he’s 2 and awesome and now armed.
I also applied to join your team at work, so we’ll see what happens with that.
Books are still great. I’m currently about half way through the last book of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. It’s the best series I have ever read. At home I just finished The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw and am getting ready to start Flags of Our Fathers.
Stay safe.
Throughout all of history, we pronounce years the same.
Ninteen-seventy-six
Eighteen-twelve
etc.
Why on earth would twenty-ten be any different?
http://www.twentynot2000.com/
I agree, Twenty-Ten is the only reasonable pronounciation. And I also agree that books are the best. Well, the best until they figure out a more user-friendly version of Kindle. But the important thing here is that the written word is the word. I think you’ll like Superfreakonomics. It’s not quite as good as the first book, but the chapter on prostitution is awesome. Especially the bit on MONKEY PROSTUTION!!! Ditto on this season of Philadelphia. As a Phillies phan, I loved the World Series Defense episode. Green Man v. Philly Phanatic is a battle for the ages!