March 12- Books and a catch-up

A few things before we get to the meat of today's post...

1) I forgot to mention fries as a Lent sacrifice. It's my go-to side order at just about every meal out I have. Avoiding them would more than likely be beneficial to me. That's a tricky one, I don't mind saying. Just some gooooood shit. They will be missed.

2) Quick note about California: while I haven't told many stories (partly because there's not much to tell; it was a low-key, slow-paced trip that helped in my well-being and where I'm at in my life right now, and partly because it's always a bit of a bore hearing other peoples' stories about their trips out of town unless it's pee-your-pants funny OR involves some random act of sexual misbehavior OR involves a celebrity somehow. Since none of that happened, there's really not much to tell. Sorry to burst any bubbles. Tell ya what: Chicago will be grounds for some outlandish stuff.), there is one that I'd like to share because it may have been a subtly surreal moment in my life for reasons I can't explain...

So my last day there we headed to Universal Studios for the afternoon. The sun was shining, low-70s, just a gorgeous day (perfect for a ballgame. THAT is the benchmark for good weather: how well you could pull off a game of baseball). We take the elevator down from the parking garage, and step out into a narrow strip of light on our way to the main square just as I hear the opening chords to "Beautiful Day". It's playing on a giant video screen out in front of the Hard Rock and I am loving it. There's something about the song that gets to me- maybe that's why it's my favorite- and as I watched the video and basked in the sunshine, this...warmth just rushed over me. It was as though I had turned a real corner in life. Made my day, really...

3) I've taken a brief break from my listening to tunes. At the end of the month, I will have listened to 31 all-new albums. In addition, I will be providing a halfway there post on Sunday or Monday about what I've listened to thus far. I have been working at acquiring a lot of new music to give me ideas for something to listen to, that way I can map out the rest of my month on that front. Relax. It'll happen.

4) I had a couple of questions about my non-shaving goal. Allow me to address them: One, I am just keeping the 'stache and soul patch. What some people may call a "beard" (read: patches) can be shaved whenever and WILL be shaved tonight or tomorrow. The 'stache stays. Two, I will not shave it for a job interview, if in fact I get one by the end of the month. Three, it has not yet been admired by anyone of the fairer sex. Women as a whole must not have gotten the memo...so spread the word. Thank you.


Alright, so let's get into what it is that I wanted to address today: books.

Yes, yes, books. Now before you go ahead and head elsewhere, consider that I haven't had time to enjoy a book for pleasure in about three years. Now, I know I read the 7th Harry Potter book the day it came out, but that was more like a race against time so that some asshat wouldn't blow the ending. I don't consider that true enjoyment. The Twilight series (yupp, I read it. Amazing how well teenagers will pay attention when you can relate shit to a popular book series...) was a race against time, as well, as I had to finish the first three books before the end of my first placement. Breaking Dawn was also devoured during student teaching and therefore cannot be considered as a book that I got to really enjoy. Suffice it to say I've hit the ground running since December. Below is a list of books that I've read so far this year. In addition, I've posted a list of books that I've started through the years but have been unable to get through them due to this "school" thing. Anyone who cared to recommend books can leave a comment or get in touch with me with their recommendations. The reading train won't be slowing up any time soon...

1) Resilience by Alonzo Mourning: Autobiography about my favorite basketball player. Zo's book is more of a motivational tool than anything else, seeing as how he's had a lot of roadblocks in his career. Sadly, he retired just before I got to see him play live in Miami. In the meantime, this was a fairly straightforward book that gives you a better glimpse of his Georgetown days than much of his career, other than his off-court activities (kidney failure, et. al.). That said, it was pretty cool to read some of the bits of advice from a man who's experienced the highs and lows of life and that he had some advice to shell out for the well-being of everyone else was pretty refreshing in today's world of professional sports. I'd recommend it.

2) Loser by Jerry Spinelli: Spinelli, the writer of Maniac Magee (a favorite of my adolescence), writes a very quick read geared toward much younger readers. That said, it was a feel-good story about a kid who- despite having a slow step and ridicule from the outside world- loves his life. I meant to write "lives his life", but the message is one and the same. A very quick read, even if it's a little juvenile.

3-6) Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer: While I flew through these during the fall, I think it warrants mention that the four books are engaging and a very easy read, if the four books were unreasonably thick. The stories- which chronicle the relationship between a mortal high school senior and a vampire...and a werewolf- and the consequences of forging those relationships in the broader scope of the supernatural world (think Jets/Sharks-meets-Monster Theater-meets-Teen Wolf (not really...though it is worth mentioning that Teen Wolf is, in my opinion, one of the most dated movies of the 80s)). Personally, it's a little overdramatic for my liking (and I'm a sucker for cheesy and romantic), with the main character talking about being a soulmate with a vampire (who...get this...LACKS a soul) within the first 48 hours of seeing this guy--- Okay, okay, okay...I was once a teenager. I get the falling hard for someone. Been there, done that. Soul mates and an eternity together with a stranger to me is fucking senseless. I'll stop judging now--- is preposterous. That said, there were a few other points that I really took from this about the warped perception of what the perfect guy does, namely the fact that until the last book in the series, the attitude that Edward takes with Bella is one of a condescending jerkoff. There's a PG way to say that, I'm sure, but that's what I gathered.

By the way, I just took stock in my life: without a job and commenting on the love story of the Twilight series while sitting in my pajamas. If YOU have stock in my life, it's not a terrible idea to sell.

Anyway, give it a read. At least it will help you in your attempts to relate to teenage students...at least the sappy ones who could not give less of a shit about some good classic literature.

7) Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy: A book that I highly recommend...in small doses. Levy's exposee on the new wave of "feminists" is very interesting in that it tries to get at the heart of what this mentality of "one of the guys" is all about; whether or not this counts as feminism as it is defined; and, if it is, how effective it is. It's a very scholarly text, which was a change from the aforementioned books. However, I found myself nodding in agreement constantly while Levy picked apart this idea of using sex as cultural currency. I am not sure- as Levy speculates- whether the women who choose to embrace sex and raunch as a way to get ahead in a male-dominated society are succeeding because they're getting ahead in larger and larger droves OR whether they are still being exploited for such behavior and are making enough progress. It's an interesting debate and something that I would teach if I were an English teacher (and had the opportunity to do so...maybe in a college classroom?). Overall, I think it's an important book to read for both men and women, particularly young men and women who are starting to come into their own...it'll give you a sense of perspective.

8) Blink by Malcolm Gladwell: A series of case studies introducing the concept that our first two seconds of seeing someone and what it says about us. Gladwell uses these case studies to present the benefits and drawbacks of such immediate decision-making, this "in the blink of an eye" judgement that we unconsciously make. When is it a benefit? When is it a detrement? It's a good book, and I'd certainly recommend it, if only for the opportunity to learn about it, since it may not sway your beliefs.

9) Hitman: My real life in the cartoon world of professional wrestling by Bret Hart: Growing up I was a WWF fan, and the Hitman was my favorite wrestler. He wasn't the biggest, fastest, strongest...he was the best. This is an incredibly detailed account of his decades in the pro wrestling business. Hart kept an audio journal for the majority of his career as a pro and uses that to write a steady (and straight shocking) account of the way of the business. What drew me to the book, other than the author, was that it was touted as an honest account of what goes on. I've taken an interest in the growing list of wrestlers/abusers who passed on at such a young age...Hart covers it. He pulls no punches on his own shortcomings (adultery, drug and sterioud abuse among them), which was bittersweet for me. At times it was like I was 10 again, only now I found out that Hart wasn't pristine. I liken it to a kid finding out about A-Rod...just nuts. On the other hand, he was honest about what he did that would be considered a fuck-up. I respect that. Also, at times, this is a tragic story about the demise of what I gather and have read to be a well-respected and prominent family in the sport/business.

That said, I don't recall reading a more intense and more insightful account of the actual goings-on outside of the ring. Consider that anything an athlete does now on the playing field/court/ring has been taped. It's the stuff away from that that we long to hear about and this book is full of it. Anyone who has observed wrestling or was even a casual fan should at least give this book a good long look.

10) Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman: An incredibly well-written and admittedly out there series of short pieces on different, esoteric and random pieces of pop culture history and how it correlates to the current condition of American society. This is a perfect storm of things that I thoroughly enjoy, and so I endorse this as much as possible. Now...there IS some intricate and specific information that Klosterman writes about. If you are not privy to that information before you read, it's just not the same. While some things (Saved by the Bell, anyone?) are discussed on an intellectually-stimulating-yet-absurd level that many can relate to, there is one particular chapter about the legacy of Billy Joel, for example, that draws on specific tracks and albums, and if you haven't heard them, it's hard to stay with Klosterman as he twists and turns his way down the rabbit hole to get to the core of human condition in today's world (That said, there's a section that features a series of questions that Klosterman says he asks before he can tell if he loves someone. If you shake your head and chuckle, you're not alone).

So that's it. That's my list. Now have at it!


Books I'm in the middle of (and in some cases have been for ages):
Fraternity Gang Rape
Chronicles of Narnia
Nobody Likes You
Chuck Klosterman IV
U2ByU2
Founding Brothers
What Ifs of American History
Lardner on Baseball