Detour

Well, isn't life such that you can be certain of what you will be doing and then, as it turns out, your certainty becomes questionable. As you all know, I left some time ago for Hampshire College in Massachusetts, to continue my education. At Hampshire I could find many of the things I was looking for, such as new lessons, experienced teachers, and an academic community of friends and colleagues, all of this set in a peaceful, New England countryside. However, this school lacked what I needed most. As classes began I felt at odds with the educational system and entered into a personal struggle. For the last two years I have studied independently and wrote of reflections, thoughts, and concepts, in time centering on education and social reform. I had underestimated how effective this period of study had been for myself and how it has really had no rival. From my work I had already formed convictions of how education best goes about and compulsion over how students are to perform their studies is a considerable one. In addition to the influence of coercion over education, the focuses of the classes continually brought me back to my studies and my writing. It increasingly felt as if I had left this work unfinished. Overall, I knew I would remain in opposition at Hampshire and that what I truly needed was to continue on as my own teacher and progress with my own ideas. I know that I can only achieve very little alone and that I must eventually cooperate with others, but for now I will keep to what has propelled me so far. And so, after all this, in order to go forward I had to go back. I have left Hampshire and returned to Virginia Beach once more.

My plan is to return to the library. I left Oceanfront Area Library in good standing and my recent Starbucks experience is a fine addition to my history. In time, I hope to advance to the library technician position and remain with that, or move further up, for some time. After accumulating enough experience I intend to look for offerings of the same job at libraries elsewhere and, under the right circumstances, move away. To be honest, I have had thoughts about living in Alaska for some time, the city of Anchorage being shown here. I find the idea of living in a place surrounded by great mountains and woods, distanced from the United States but not excluded from it, and which is never, ever humid to be very appealing. But it's just a thought. I can't know precisely what may come but I know that I will do what I am certain is best for myself and others. Despite the expectation of a straight path, detours do arise. Nevertheless, it is much harder to fail if you never give up. So, I'll keep going. I look forward to seeing you all at the next book club meeting. Until then, take care.

Michael

Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

I've already told some of you about this book but for those who I haven't talked to this is for you! I read most of this while up in New York on vacation and I felt it especially poignant since there were so many farm stands about. Pollan tells of four different meals that make it to the American plate and what processes happen in order for it to happen. Industrial, Big Organic, Local and Hunter/Gatherer. Lots of eye-opening information told with a charming style that highlights the stories of the people involved. Pollan also presents the different sides with a journalistic touch that keeps the discussion open when it would be easy to characterize a complex situation black or white. I've also read his Botany of Desire which talks about the relationship between humans and four different plants. Prepare to be amazed and intrigued!

Yeah Michael!

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

"Before she became ill, David's mother would often tell him that stories were alive. They weren't alive in the way that people were alive, or even dogs or cats. People were alive whether you chose to notice them or not, while dogs tended to make you notice them if they decided that you weren't paying them enough attention. Cats, meanwhile, were very good at pretending people didn't exist at all when it suited them, but that was another matter entirely.

Stories were different, though: they came alive in the telling. Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight beneath a blanket, they had no real existence in our world. They were like seeds in the beak of a bird, waiting to fall to earth, or the notes of a song laid out on a sheet, yearning for an instrument to bring their music into being. They lay dormant, hoping for the chance to emerge. Once someone started to read them, they could begin to change. They could take root in the imagination, and transform the reader. Stories wanted to be read, David's mother would whisper. They needed it. It was the reason they forced themselves from their world into ours. They wanted us to give them life."

This wonderful book is essentially a fairy tale for adults, and is a real book-lover's book! Enjoy!

Michael and Matthew go to Blacksburg!

Yes we went to Blacksburg a few weeks back and even though I uploaded the pictures some time back I haven't gotten around to sharing them. We went hiking on two different days as well as walked around the campus of Virginia Tech. There was a makeshift memorial that we also visited on our strolling through the university. You can click here to view all of the pictures or click on any individual picture. Enjoy!

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

I've been meaning to write a little post about this fantastic series. His Dark Materials is the name of the series which in order is The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. I'm sure reading all three of these books is great but might I suggest taking the audiobook route. A full cast brings this story alive as well as the author as narrator. You don't have to remember who is speaking because each of the main characters are voiced by different actors.

So what's it about?

Well I don't want to give too much away. And you can always look it up online to read reviews. What I will say:

Part fantasy/part reality.

Animals throughout.

Rich symbology that works on many levels.

I felt a bit sad letting the characters go. Listening on my way to and from work I traveled with them for some weeks.

The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes

Just finished this last night and really enjoyed it! It's VERY much like The Da Vinci Code (which I thought was only okay) but with a different twist. The findings in the book have effects for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. Fun reading for the summer!

Blog changes

I enjoyed seeing everyone last night. The food and conversation were both yummy!

I changed a couple of items in the sidebar on the left. Besides the updated information to reflect our new book and meeting time I added a category so we can tell who picks the next book. Also I now have our labels (subject headings) listed on the left. As the posts keep coming this will give us another way to find old material. I especially recommend using the label "Recommended Reads" so that we all can easily refer back to books others have enjoyed. Labels can be added to a post at the bottom of the posting (writing) area. You can go back to and add labels to any of your older posts.

Let me know if there are any other changes you would like to see and I'll do my best to make it happen. As I recently reminded someone, this is our blog! Keep the lines of communication open!

Two more things:

This morning I was looking at Wikipedia's entry for The Handmaid's Tale. Interesting stuff.

If you'd like to read some of my other musings they can be found here. Feel free to comment if you are so inspired!

Enjoy the weekend and if you are so inclined the strawberries are ripe for picking in Pungo.

Picture from here.

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this book but it is making for an interesting read. Sam Harris takes on the role of the rational voice in addressing the predominant Christian base of our country. He makes some interesting points and certainly presents an unpopular view (attacking all of religious faith) which I find refreshing in this instance. Here's a snippet:

"Religion raises the stakes of human conflict much higher than tribalism, racism, or politics ever can, as it is the only form of in-group/out-group thinking that casts the differences between people in terms of eternal rewards and punishments. One of the enduring pathologies of human culture is the tendency to raise children to fear and demonize other human beings on the basis of religious faith."

Be true to yourself

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
- Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss

Muslim musings

Lately I've immersed myself in a great deal of Muslim-related reading and viewing. I've read "Because They Hate" by Brigitte Gabriel, and have just finished "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. (I was reading "The Handmaid's Tale" at the same time and the similarities gave me chills.) Very different reads even though both are autobiographical accounts of Muslim women. If you only have time for one, I'd recommend Ali's book. You may have heard of her. Remember the Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh, who was murdered on his way to work a few years ago? He and Ali had produced a movie together, "Submission-Part 1", portraying the abuse of Muslim women. When van Gogh was stabbed to death, the killer left a note on his chest (stabbed through with the murder weapon) that Ali was next. She has lived under constant armed guard ever since. Dramatic as her life has been, it's the message that comes through that I think the Westernized world needs to hear.

Both Ali and Gabriel, as well as some great PBS shows that I've watched on the same subject, all have given the same message. We do not understand, nor do we believe, the threat we are up against. Our culture, America in particular, has a "live and let live" attitude. I might not agree with you, but we can agree to disagree. Not so in the traditional, clan-based Muslim world, with it's "live and believe as I do, or die" mentality. I don't want to preach too much nor influence you with my ideas (good American that I am), but please think about this. Educate yourselves, do some reading, and have some serious dialogue. For a sobering look at what is aired and preached on Middle Eastern television (and remember, most of it is state run television) check out: www.memritv.org. (Sorry, my Mac doesn't seem to let me make links, italics, etc.!)

E-Postcard from Scotland

Hello fellow book clubbers, I write to you from across the Atlantic and, technically, from the future. I have now been more than a week in Edinburgh, Scotland.
It was a rough start as I did not anticipate that a 7-hour flight, crammed between people and plastic could be so hellishly uncomfortable. And then, as it turned out my hostel doesn't allow people to lodge until after 2 pm so as not to disturb those that are, presumably, still asleep, though I only wanted to join them. But that was merely the beginning. In a week's time I feel I have done enough for two vacations. I have entered two castles, one of which required me to take a bus out of the city, and will hopefully add two more to my collection today. I have visited numerous museums, of fine art, history of the country, the city, and the people, even one concerned only with the most notable Scottish writers, Burns, Scott, and Stevenson. I have strolled up, down, and across the streets and alleys (or gates and closes) of the oldest and slightly newer areas of the city, sitting in the pristine parks and reading over some Scottish cuisine (haggis is actually good, I can report). I have climbed the miniature mountain nestled in a corner of the city, encountered some true Scottish sheep (much louder in person), and spent a day at the Edinburgh Zoo. And I still have more to do.
Another aspect that I did not have the proper foresight to predict is how lonely it can be, isolating yourself from the entire social sphere that you know and moving to where no one at all knows you, let alone to a place where half the people are not fluent in your language or are already part of a well-established social group. I think in the future I will not travel alone. However, especially for this initial trip, there is a manner of experience that can only be had in solitude. I have found that it may very well be because I am a solitary traveler that I have encountered true moments of serenity and an unrivaled recognition of the wonder about me. I hope that the rest of my time here will suit me in this way. I am more than glad to have made it here.
By our next meeting I will have plenty to show you, as I am stocking up quite a gallery of pictures. Until then, I hope all of you take care of yourselves and happy reading.

Michael

The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac

Some time back I read On the Road and remember enjoying it although its not like your typical novel. There is no clear cut story-line just episodes that more or less follow a linear pattern. The consistency is that the narrator is the same throughout. And this is the case for The Dharma Bums which gets more into the world of Buddhism. If you want to enter the world of the Beats than this is a fun read.

Bonus quote:

"I felt great compassion for the trees because we were the same thing; I petted the dogs who didn't argue with me ever. All dogs love God. They're wiser than their masters. I told that to the dogs, too, they listened to me perking up their ears and licking my face. They didn't care one way or the other as long as I was there. St. Raymond of the Dogs is who I was that year, if no one or nothing else."

A little something...

Rooted

She stands next to him holding lightly to a pinch of jacket. His face blank, glazed over. She moves her hand to his jacket pocket to find the warmth of his balled fist. The knotted knuckles unravel and welcome her touch as a slight smile alights on his face. She leans into him, wavering met by steadiness. He retreats to a different day, memory skipping through time's vast waters and finding a gray island of recollection.

Blue eyelashes.

They brush on his face--butterfly kisses--and complement honeyed breath, soft cheek-to-cheek caresses. Tracing a circle in his hair his mother retreats and twirls in her dotted summer dress.

"Hey baby boy, it's time to wake up." She draws out the words, a continuation of her physical touch.

His eyes find her flowing shape and the knowingness of love floods through him. She pushes aside the curtains allowing rays of sunlight to fall on the bed, the sheets, his face. He arches his body upward stretching to the end of the bed feeling the coldness in the untouched places of the night. He remembers the significance of this day: his brother is coming home from traveling in Other Countries.
Mother leaves the room and he languidly slides his feet to the ground.

His eyes involuntarily close and he is back beside her cupping the soft hand in his jacket pocket and looking out onto a field of maroon and burnt orange. Points of candlelight sparkle in the growing dusk and someone starts to sing Amazing Grace. They lean into each other and support saltwater flowing from their eyes.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

I think I was telling you all about this delightful young adult book I read recently called Stargirl. Well I just heard that the author, Jerry Spinelli, is about to publish a sequel to the book. So now is your chance to read the first and get well acquainted with this memorable character. She plays the ukulele, remembers everyone's birthday (and sings to them!), and travels with a pet rat. The ultimate nonconformist. For those with a spare hour or two you are in for a fun ride!

Thoughts and Prayers

What a world we seem to live in these days. Of all the things I had to worry about when I was 18 years old and sitting in a college classroom, being gunned down certainly was not one of them. My thoughts and prayers go out to those unfortunate young people in the prime of their lives, their friends and families, the staff at Virginia Tech who will have much to deal with in the aftermath, and the many responders to this crisis, 911 dispatchers, police, medical personnel and others, all who have had to deal with what must be overwhelming emotion at this senseless tragedy.

Welcome!

Hello fellow book lovers! This is the place for you to share whatever you like whenever you would like. The bonus is if you've never posted to a blog before you will now have something else to add to the resume! Please don't feel limited to posting about books, we want to see pictures of your vegetable garden, hear about the cool movie you saw, comment on something that irks you or inspires you. My hope is that our book club experience can be a little fuller in our time away from the group. Enjoy!