You Can Ring My Bell

New Year's tidings to our GBC group and to the others of you who check in from time to time.  I hope as you reflect back on the year, you remember fondly at least one good book, a glass of reading water enjoyed with friends, and that one thing that you did that scared you to death.  I hope you recall smiles and new journeys and pause to consider how fortunate that we all really are.

[I also hope that if you happen to be sick, you have a bell.]

May 2013 be bright, full of warm love, tender moments, lots of laughter, a few new challenges, [the Oxford comma,] and the resounding belief that anything is possible.

Happy New Year, friends. xo

Hark, Joy, Wishing you...

Despite the craziness that is the week before Christmas, I had a few moments of genuine bliss:

• surprising a few (former) neighbors by returning to town to join a party
• hugging everyone at the event more than once (tightly)
• singing perhaps a bit off key (loudly)
• having a photo made with my favorite doppelganger of all time and still having someone confuse us when she entered the room
• walking the streets just any way we wanted (but not loose)
• "performing" for Joy Williams at one of the restaurants, though I only know that via someone else.  (I'm the worst to identify all the songwriters and singers here)
• talking about life and having someone ask me aloud the hard question I've been asking myself for a year (I still don't know the answer and this wasn't exactly bliss but it was probably good for me)
• helping the youngest member of the GBC find a chair for a gingerbread snack
• exchanging presents (books of course!) with GBC P@1ge at 5:45 a.m. when both of us were still half asleep 

Hugs to all and Merry Christmas greetings!  I plan to take a bit of a writing break during the season but I'll be back at least once more before the calendar turns the page.  Wishing you safe journeys, peaceful moments, and lots of smiles along the way.  If you're lucky, perhaps you'll get mobbed by a group of accordion-accompanied rogue carolers who fancy reading water and singing.

Kind-red Spirits

It's the kind of stormy morning when you want to sleep in but instead get up for a bit of yoga, present wrapping and a cafe con leche.

It's the kind of afternoon where you take a few hours off and make a road trip to sing and drink reading water with your friends.

It's the day of the week where you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Hope your day is a good one.

The Seen Scene

I've already admitted I'm behind in reading, however it seems I'm not doing too terribly bad with my movie watching (over the course of 2012).  With a bit of a break coming up, I'm certain there is time to view a more.

Here's one of many (many) articles and lists to be published on the Top films of the year, courtesy of the New York Times:  25 Favorites From a Year When 10 Aren’t Enough by A.O. Scott.

How many have you seen?

A Play on Words

If you're a like me, you're behind on your reading because you are:

1. trying to finish up work projects before year end
2. knitting like mad to finish a few gifts
3. still working on Christmas cards
4. trying to create a Christmas shopping list that is procurable from Amazon Prime
5. all of the above

For you over-achiever, successful planner, relaxed types, just a reminder that the next GBC book is  The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams.  Happy rainy day reading!

Yin Yang

A late lunch led to a late dinner which meant a drive to fill the time gap until the restaurant opened.  The drive led to an overlook and a few peaceful moments as the sun set and the moon rose.  Happy Friday.

Monte Sano State Park
November 2012

Oh Rumi, Don't Take Your Love to Town

This morning's inspiration from Rumi in the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets edited by Peter Washington.  It's not complete as I rather favor the beginning more than the ending.

If You Don't Have*
        - Rumi

if you don't have
enough madness in you
go and rehabilitate yourself

if you've lost a hundred times
the chess game of this life
be prepared to lose one more

if you're the wounded string
of a harp on this stage
play once more then resonate no more

if you're that exhausted bird
fighting a falcon for too long
make a comeback and be strong

you've carved a wooden horse
riding and calling it real
fooling yourself in life

though only a wooden horse
ride it again my friend
and gallop to the next post

* The last two stanzas are a bit more dire so they've been omitted.

Can I Ask you a Question?

The concept of understanding someone's thoughts and motivations by the execution of a survey has been on my mind of late.  A portion of this pondering began with this NYT article "Columbia's Gang Scholar Lives on the Edge" highlighting Sudhir Venkatesh's work (and a bit of controversy).  Venkatesh's early experience included work on a research project whose leader had the request to survey those who were poor to find out how they felt about being poor. (Fairly sure Richard Dawson would have had only one answer on the board.)  He abandoned paper and instead talked with people, shadowing, learning.  These day to day interactions later emerged into books.

This morning, while reading through a NYT list of the top 10 best books of 2012 (already!?), I discovered Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. Boo spent three years reporting in Annawadi, just outside Mumbai, capturing the stories of men, women and children.  Her book is described as "narrative nonfiction."

Walking the proverbial mile, watching, and listening.  I think it's better than a survey.

Lazy Sunday Morning

Coffee and CBS Sunday morning.
Espresso Book Machines and Bruno Mars.
Downton Abbey and The Hobbit.

Content.

I hope you are too.

The author was running, remembering and recuperating yesterday and apologizes for the schedule miss.

Secondhand Love

I've already shared with you that occasionally my books contain the odd boarding pass.  It seems I'm not alone in the habit.  "The Secret Contents of Secondhand Books" by Wayne Gooderham published in The Guardian highlights items discovered in the Skoob Books' warehouse of one million volumes.  (I think we'd lose some members of the GBC for weeks in there if there were reading water.)  My favorites include the tickets and a few postcards (both items personally collected as well).  The last find is unusual anywhere else outside of New Orleans.

In a semi-related note in my rabbit hole journey reading about second hand books, there's also this blog of book dedications.  Though perhaps not technically a dedication, this one had great ap-peal.

On the Fringe of an Irish Blessing

Happy Tuesday which feels a teeny bit like Monday which could be due to the fact I still haven't finished my coffee and I can't breathe.  (These are unrelated.)

To this end, I'll be brief today and wish you happy reading and may your meetings be shorter than yesterday.  

Hello Tiger

Inside my Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a boarding pass to Seattle dated January 26, 2004.  I had an exit row seat.  This memory was situated at Part Two:  The Pacific Ocean.

My copy of the novel sits on the shelf beside A History of Pi by Petr Beckman.

Tonight I saw the film inspired by Martel's book and was surprised to find passages which were exact quotes from the copy I re-visited this evening.  I enjoyed the cinematography, grew sad but hopeful with the journey and anticipated the eventual question, "which story do you prefer?"

I can recite π to 15 significant digits.

I believe bananas can float.