Wipe Out

It's pretty pathetic that I didn't update this blog at all in November. It was a good month. I turned 24 and had a nice Thanksgiving.

I also have a great translation opportunity. I'm translating the unpublished manuscript "Diverses Choses" by Paul Gauguin. Gauguin was a prominent 19th century French painter.

The weather has gotten colder, with lows in the 20s at night. Because of this I've set up a box with two fleece blankets and a small cat bed for Piper and her black kitten, Wipe Out. Nate named the kitten Wipe Out because every time we come up the stairs it gets spooked and runs so fast down the stairs that it falls down the last two steps thus "wiping out." I think it's a sweet kitten, just scared. It's gotten more used to me as I've been feeding it regularly, but I think it's just going to take some time for the cat to get comfortable around people.

I will make a better effort at updating this blog. However, I have another blog specifically for the translation project. Come visit it at www.mollyherod.wordpress.com

Oops

What's wrong with this picture?

Who has the time?

I understand that we're in the age of technology. There's so many ways to communicate: blogs, emails, twitter, text message, etc.,etc.,etc...

What I'm wondering is...who has the time to do all of these things? Occasionally I'll log onto twitter and see that one person has updated 25 times in 2 hours (seriously). Um. How do they have so much time? Are they not working? Do they not go to school?

Even emails. I get emails all day long. Various people sending me pointless emails. Do people have nothing better to do?

Don't get me started on blogs. Blogs should really only be updated as needed. I really don't need a day-by-day account of your life.

Please. Please. Somebody tell me how it is possible to have so much time on your hands that all you do is constantly communicate?

Take a break.

Look twice

Read all about it!

Literacy is one of the most important things in the world. So many people take it for granted that they can pick up a book, magazine or newspaper and read whatever is in it. There's so many great books, articles, websites, magazines and journals that it's so discouraging when I read a blog about someone reading mindless things. Yes, I guess that a novel titled "Shopaholic" could be inspiring, but I doubt it. Why on earth are people wasting their time reading these books? When I see someone reading a book like this I always think about how they're throwing away their privilege to read.


Do I think that everyone should be reading Shakespeare and Emerson? No, of course not. But I do think that everyone should be reading material that challenges them, not just books that make them feel good. Even challenging material can be comforting.

The Last of her Kind

I recently read a great book. It's called The Last of her Kind by Sigrid Nunez. The story revolves around two girls that went to college together during the 1960s and how this experience shaped their lives. Other major topics in the book are race relations and the class system in America. I don't want to give too much away. This book is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I highly recommend it.

How high is too high?