Sometime during the Summer of 2006, a group of girls at Melissa's work suggested forming a book club. As I knew almost all of them and they knew of my joy of reading, I was the only male extended an invitation to join.
Just a few months prior to this, their work's headquarters announced a merger of the Dallas and Albuquerque offices would take place during 2007. Essentially, nobody would lose their jobs but they would have to transfer or take the severance package. As this is where we will be for a long, long time (and the buyout allowed Melissa to stay home for the rest of the year), that's what she chose.
Nonetheless, the ladies of the book club and their token male continued to meet. A few of the girls did move to New Mexico and while we continued to see each other at weddings, showers, and other social events the book club disbanded. Until this week.
I got an e-mail from one of the girls telling about a good book she just read. She e-mailed one of the other book club members and said she was sad she had nobody to talk to about the book. So, she sent a message to everybody who attended previously, suggested the book, and organized a time next week to meet and talk about the book.
The book is 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult. In light of recent anniversaries in Colorado and Virginia and one especially ignorant comment made by a certain presidential candidate, it is a timely book to read as it deals with a school massacre blamed on guns.
I've written before that many liberals ardently defend most of the Bill of Rights, conveniently forgetting the Second Amendment.
That being said, I did not grow up in a household with munitions. I think the first time I saw a firearm that was not loaded with a pellet or BB was at Boy Scout camp. Quite simply, guns intimidated me; I did not know how to use them and was scared of their misuse.
More specifically, I had, in my youth, as much recreational need of a rifle as I did a soccer ball. As such, I never learned how to master control of either.
All of that changed when I married into Melissa's family. Larry's father took him and his brothers hunting when they were children; in turn, Larry took his son hunting when he became old enough. Melissa and I have already discussed when and how I will introduce our child to this recreation.
Moreover, there is, for the first time, a rifle in my household. It's stored out of sight and is not maintained for defensive purposes; it is seasonally used for one thing, or its practice.
Be that as it may, back to the book. I don't intend on engaging a discussion about whether guns are good, bad, or indifferent. To each his own and I'm bitterly clinging to mine during this time of economic unrest.
Instead, I choose to focus attention on one conversation within the book. Of particular interest was this observation:
"A gun is a very, very dangerous thing, but what makes it so dangerous is that most people don't really understand how it works. And once you do, it's just a tool, like a hammer or a screwdriver, and it doesn't do anything unless you know how to pick it up and use it correctly."
I can't find anything there I disagree with. Having been on both sides of the coin, its accuracy makes sense to me. Looking back, I don't understand being scared of guns. But take out that word and insert "car", "chef's knife", or any just about any other object and the veracity remains the same; and I was never intimidated by any of those.
19 Minutes, with that backdrop, continually raises an interesting observation. There are quite a bit of people in our lives - family members, friends, or just casual acquaintances. Though we like to fool ourselves that we know quite a bit about the people we are closest to, rarely do we really know what they think, feel, or sense. In many ways, we are complete strangers to those we know and love the most. In this, it is very Norman Maclean.
In the end, I'm glad for this book club thing for one particular reason - it forces me to reach out and read fiction. I was in the middle of Ambrose's book about the transcontinental railroad and had to put it to the side for this. Not that I'm complaining.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
H=R/E
I am now reading a book that just introduced a completely tangential and seemingly inconsequential character, Lewis. What he said, however, has been at the center of much of my thinking the past several days.
By trade, Lewis is a psychologist who dabbles in economic theory. One of these theories seeks to calculate the mathematical formula for Happiness: Reality divided by Expectations.
The few times I've tested it, it makes quite a bit of sense and is accurate, albeit simplistically unrealistic.
For the three days since I read the passage that started this all, however, I've actually had a bit of difficulty finding at the same time absolute numbers for numerators and denominators.
Considering that I lost my cell phone (which skews Reality in that my world became much smaller), started a new job (which skews my ability to accurately gauge Expectations), and had a car die on the connecting ramp from the Toll Road to 635 during morning traffic (which makes equating predictors as to how much I will laugh or smile seem silly and ridiculous compared to predicting how or when I will call my wife and a tow truck, considering the first factor, and how I will get to work the following Monday, considering the second), I simply need more time to test this theory to its fullness.
What I've found, quite simply, is that Happiness has always been found when not over-thinking it, pursuing it, expecting it, or inviting it to stick around (which makes Lewis' theory the corollary to Occam's razor that entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity).
Whether that may be artificially increasing Reality while lowering Expectations, I'll leave that for the mathematicians to debate.
I've better things to do and I was never that good at math to begin with.
By trade, Lewis is a psychologist who dabbles in economic theory. One of these theories seeks to calculate the mathematical formula for Happiness: Reality divided by Expectations.
The few times I've tested it, it makes quite a bit of sense and is accurate, albeit simplistically unrealistic.
For the three days since I read the passage that started this all, however, I've actually had a bit of difficulty finding at the same time absolute numbers for numerators and denominators.
Considering that I lost my cell phone (which skews Reality in that my world became much smaller), started a new job (which skews my ability to accurately gauge Expectations), and had a car die on the connecting ramp from the Toll Road to 635 during morning traffic (which makes equating predictors as to how much I will laugh or smile seem silly and ridiculous compared to predicting how or when I will call my wife and a tow truck, considering the first factor, and how I will get to work the following Monday, considering the second), I simply need more time to test this theory to its fullness.
What I've found, quite simply, is that Happiness has always been found when not over-thinking it, pursuing it, expecting it, or inviting it to stick around (which makes Lewis' theory the corollary to Occam's razor that entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity).
Whether that may be artificially increasing Reality while lowering Expectations, I'll leave that for the mathematicians to debate.
I've better things to do and I was never that good at math to begin with.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Your Own Personal Jesus, or I was Born Secular
I typically do not enjoy discussing matters of great importance with people of similar opinions. It's just no fun. One side states perhaps a brilliantly formed argument full of passion and reason; the other side says, Oh yeah, I fully agree. Conversation over.Instead, I enjoy talking and listening to people who think the opposite of me. And I don't care if anyone's mind is changed as a result - I just want to know the reasoning for one's thinking and I enjoy a good debate.
With that in mind, I listened to Christopher Hitchens' god is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything several weeks ago.
Were I to have a dinner party, Hitchens would be at the top of my list. No matter who attended, he'd be sure to criticize and find fault with that person - including himself.
In political and social commentary, particularly, the worst arguments are borne of dishonesty in order to prove a seemingly correct point. And since Hitchens accuses his critics of this very thing, he takes caution not to engage them in the same way. Hitchens is also an equal-opportunist - he's as likely to criticize Mother Teresa as he is Mitt Romney or the Dalai Lama. That's why I like Hitchens - he's honest, intellectually and otherwise.
Regardless, some prima facie disagree with Hitchens because of his avowed atheism. Some can't wrap their minds around the concept that one can be moral and atheistic at the same time.
In the book, Hitchens poses many valid questions and makes several compelling arguments and astute observations - that over the course of history there have been more innocent people killed in the name of religion than over secular ideologies; the criminal complicity of organized religion and child abuse; the avarice and greed of churches and their administrators at the expense of its practitioners.
Since I don't do book reviews, I won't go into details other than to say that this is a book designed to make you think then argue back, not other way around.
There's already too much of that in the world.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Danse Macabre
- I'm sure everybody knows by now that President Bush's approval ratings are in the high 20's, low 30's. It's mentioned in just about every article I read.
I mentioned to Brian the other day my observation that Congress' approval rating isn't mentioned by the mainstream media; they're lower, by the way, in the low-to-mid 20's.
In a bizarre set of circumstances, I was proven to be wrong. I heard a reporter from MSNBC mention it the other morning. Thursday morning, in fact. At 4:30 a.m.
Nope, not hiding anything.
- The sermon we heard last Sunday was about parenting. The pastor mentioned that he never let video games in the house because he wanted to teach his children that life is valuable, a lesson he doesn't believe the games provide.
In video games, he taught, when the on-screen player suffers death, usually violent, the real-life player simply gets a new man, the end result being a diminished respect for the fragility of mortality. I thought, How unfortunate he couldn't teach his children reality versus fiction.
Because when I play Pac-Man and don't finish the first screen with the same man, I start all over again.
Does that mean my kid is going to grow up to be like Pac-Man Jones or Rae Carruth?
- Speaking of jocularity and life and death, I'm currently listening to Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. The book journals her excursions to various sites involving the assassinations of the three 19th century American presidents, provides background information regarding the assassins, and comments on the commonalities between the Indian wars and the War on Terror - an agreement to exterminate a race but display their pottery in our museums as evidence of that race's greatness.
In a lurid way, it's a really funny book. She brilliantly, but reverently, injects quite a bit of humor into the serious subject matter. For instance, revealing a crush on Booth but blaming him for never carrying cash (particularly 5 dollar bills), likening Guiteau's religious community to the teeny-bopper hit series, The O.C., and revealing Robert Todd Lincoln to be the ultimate political cooler due to his proximity to all three assassinations.
- Robert Horry seems to be suffering from revisionist's history. In case you didn't hear, he said that this year's Spurs would beat any team from the 80's. Any team.
It was quite timely as I watched Game 4 of the 1987 finals last weekend.
Let's consider this for a quick second, because that's all it would take. And I'll confine myself to just those two teams from that one year.
First, this year's Spurs didn't even win their regular season conference. Granted, the regular season doesn't mean much; just ask irk.
The Lakers went 65-17 that year; the Celtics went 59-23. The Spurs are already in third place at 58-24.
Here's some basic line ups I put together, with comments.
Magic v. Bowen - Simply put, Magic would eat him alive. Magic ate everybody alive. Put a 1 or 2 on him, Magic would post up. Put a 3, 4, or 5 on him, Magic would drive right past.
Cooper v. Ginobili - Would Ginobili get to double digits? Coop would D him up something fierce.
Scott v. Parker - This would be a great match-up. I'll give the upper hand to Parker though.
Worthy v. Finley - Two slow guys who don't slash much to the lane. Even match-up though Worthy was better in the open court but Finley plays better without the ball.
Abdul-Jabbar v. Duncan - In a rare moment of compassion, I won't even consider the possibilities.
Even if Oberto got the start and not Ginoboli (like what happened Thursday), I'd put Worthy on Oberto and Cooper on Finley. Either way, Lakers crush.
Now, the Celtics:
Bird v. Bowen - A fairly decent match-up with Bird getting the obvious nod. Though slow in the open court, Bird was very quick in a half-court game. Bowen would spend most of the night on the bench with more fouls than points and rebounds.
McHale v. Giniboli - Ginobili might get past McHale every once in a while. But he wouldn't get many shots over him.
Johnson v. Parker - I have nothing bad to say about Parker. He'd do well in this match-up.
Ainge v. Finley - a mismatch favoring Fin. Both work well off screens to get plenty of open shots, though.
Parish v. Duncan - Not as bad as an Abdul-Jabbar/Duncan match-up, but still ridiculous.
The 2007 Spurs do have a best bench of the three with Barry and Horry as their top reserves. The Lakers, with Green and Thompson, provided good defense but contributed little to the offensive. Same thing with the Celtics (Sichting and Kite).
Putting together a mythical championship series based on regular season standings and using the current 2-3-2 format, I'd give the Lakers a 4 games to 1 victory and the Celtics a 4:2.
I will say this however. In Game 4 alone, there were plenty of fights - Worthy v. Kite, McHale v. Scott. Both teams played tough, physical basketball but were professionals. They would not put up with the junk Bowen and Horry dish out today. And since this is my fictional match-up, we're not playing with the zero tolerance rule regarding altercations.
Reserves, feel free to leave the bench at any time.
I mentioned to Brian the other day my observation that Congress' approval rating isn't mentioned by the mainstream media; they're lower, by the way, in the low-to-mid 20's.
In a bizarre set of circumstances, I was proven to be wrong. I heard a reporter from MSNBC mention it the other morning. Thursday morning, in fact. At 4:30 a.m.
Nope, not hiding anything.
- The sermon we heard last Sunday was about parenting. The pastor mentioned that he never let video games in the house because he wanted to teach his children that life is valuable, a lesson he doesn't believe the games provide.
In video games, he taught, when the on-screen player suffers death, usually violent, the real-life player simply gets a new man, the end result being a diminished respect for the fragility of mortality. I thought, How unfortunate he couldn't teach his children reality versus fiction.
Because when I play Pac-Man and don't finish the first screen with the same man, I start all over again.
Does that mean my kid is going to grow up to be like Pac-Man Jones or Rae Carruth?
- Speaking of jocularity and life and death, I'm currently listening to Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. The book journals her excursions to various sites involving the assassinations of the three 19th century American presidents, provides background information regarding the assassins, and comments on the commonalities between the Indian wars and the War on Terror - an agreement to exterminate a race but display their pottery in our museums as evidence of that race's greatness.
In a lurid way, it's a really funny book. She brilliantly, but reverently, injects quite a bit of humor into the serious subject matter. For instance, revealing a crush on Booth but blaming him for never carrying cash (particularly 5 dollar bills), likening Guiteau's religious community to the teeny-bopper hit series, The O.C., and revealing Robert Todd Lincoln to be the ultimate political cooler due to his proximity to all three assassinations.
- Robert Horry seems to be suffering from revisionist's history. In case you didn't hear, he said that this year's Spurs would beat any team from the 80's. Any team.
It was quite timely as I watched Game 4 of the 1987 finals last weekend.
Let's consider this for a quick second, because that's all it would take. And I'll confine myself to just those two teams from that one year.
First, this year's Spurs didn't even win their regular season conference. Granted, the regular season doesn't mean much; just ask irk.
The Lakers went 65-17 that year; the Celtics went 59-23. The Spurs are already in third place at 58-24.
Here's some basic line ups I put together, with comments.
Magic v. Bowen - Simply put, Magic would eat him alive. Magic ate everybody alive. Put a 1 or 2 on him, Magic would post up. Put a 3, 4, or 5 on him, Magic would drive right past.
Cooper v. Ginobili - Would Ginobili get to double digits? Coop would D him up something fierce.
Scott v. Parker - This would be a great match-up. I'll give the upper hand to Parker though.
Worthy v. Finley - Two slow guys who don't slash much to the lane. Even match-up though Worthy was better in the open court but Finley plays better without the ball.
Abdul-Jabbar v. Duncan - In a rare moment of compassion, I won't even consider the possibilities.
Even if Oberto got the start and not Ginoboli (like what happened Thursday), I'd put Worthy on Oberto and Cooper on Finley. Either way, Lakers crush.
Now, the Celtics:
Bird v. Bowen - A fairly decent match-up with Bird getting the obvious nod. Though slow in the open court, Bird was very quick in a half-court game. Bowen would spend most of the night on the bench with more fouls than points and rebounds.
McHale v. Giniboli - Ginobili might get past McHale every once in a while. But he wouldn't get many shots over him.
Johnson v. Parker - I have nothing bad to say about Parker. He'd do well in this match-up.
Ainge v. Finley - a mismatch favoring Fin. Both work well off screens to get plenty of open shots, though.
Parish v. Duncan - Not as bad as an Abdul-Jabbar/Duncan match-up, but still ridiculous.
The 2007 Spurs do have a best bench of the three with Barry and Horry as their top reserves. The Lakers, with Green and Thompson, provided good defense but contributed little to the offensive. Same thing with the Celtics (Sichting and Kite).
Putting together a mythical championship series based on regular season standings and using the current 2-3-2 format, I'd give the Lakers a 4 games to 1 victory and the Celtics a 4:2.
I will say this however. In Game 4 alone, there were plenty of fights - Worthy v. Kite, McHale v. Scott. Both teams played tough, physical basketball but were professionals. They would not put up with the junk Bowen and Horry dish out today. And since this is my fictional match-up, we're not playing with the zero tolerance rule regarding altercations.
Reserves, feel free to leave the bench at any time.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Worms, Roxanne! I'm Afraid of Worms!
My words and thoughts of late have been incomplete. Still, I wanted to share my latest musings:
-- I hate mathematics but I love numbers. Give me raw numbers, especially of the political variety, a calculator and I'm good for hours upon hours.
Additionally, I've always had a knack for remembering dates and other statistical data. Just not birthdays.
A couple of months ago, I slept in rather late. Until 8:12. When I opened my unadjusted eyes, I saw a "1" in front of the 8. My first thoughts were of Andrew Jackson and the Lafitte brothers fighting a swamp-land war they didn't know had already been won.
It happened again last Friday night: Melissa rolled over and woke me up. At 4:44. It was a little more timely since I've been reading this.
-- Melissa's favorite show is Everyday Italian. About 80% of our DVR recording memory is reserved for this, and other, cooking shows. I'm not complaining since Giada and Bobby Flay have helped Melissa to learn that cooking is simple and fun. The only downside is that she now wants all their appliances to make our meals.
Christmas Eve, Melissa and I cooked a rather elaborate meal for her family. But the one thing we were really missing was a zester; our grater can be a make-shift zester, but it's not specifically suited for that purpose.
I had actually purchased one from Williams-Sonoma as a stocking stuffer. I gave thought about taking it out of her stocking a day earlier than intended. I left it hidden since I wanted her to be surprised Christmas morning.
Turns out the surprise was for me. She had also purchased a zester from Williams-Sonoma for my stocking stuffer and also wondered if she should take it out earlier than Santa intended.
Just one of the many memories from this Christmas. I'm sure there's an O.Henry-esque story in there somewhere.
-- A few weekends ago while Melissa went to the gym, I went to Half Price.
Typically, my trips to the fiction section are pro forma. This time instead, thanks to the book club, I slowed down and looked more thoroughly.
Anyway, I made my final stop in the T's. Ever since Presumed Innocent, Turow has issued a new book every three or four years. As he published a book last year, I was not expecting one for at least two more years. In retrospect, I'm not even sure why I looked for his book section; nevertheless, I'm glad I did. I quickly grabbed his latest work, Limitations.
His formula for character development is fabulous. A secondary character in one novel becomes the central figure in the next. As the series progresses, characters and plots are revisited to provide error-free continuity.
Every novel takes place in a fictional mid-western city, DuSable, modeled after Chicago. Turow even went so far and created a history of the city and provided a map in one of the books. This city and its residents have become real to me in a cry-for-help kind of way.
His books go beyond judicial temperament and legislative intent. He is able to make tangible the deeper questions that form the bedrock of our judicial system. He is able to clarify the murkier complexities that exist in the prosecutorial system.
Once again, I'm reminded of why Turow is my favorite writer; once gain, I am left wondering how Grisham has become the more popular author of this genre.
-- I hate mathematics but I love numbers. Give me raw numbers, especially of the political variety, a calculator and I'm good for hours upon hours.
Additionally, I've always had a knack for remembering dates and other statistical data. Just not birthdays.
A couple of months ago, I slept in rather late. Until 8:12. When I opened my unadjusted eyes, I saw a "1" in front of the 8. My first thoughts were of Andrew Jackson and the Lafitte brothers fighting a swamp-land war they didn't know had already been won.
It happened again last Friday night: Melissa rolled over and woke me up. At 4:44. It was a little more timely since I've been reading this.
-- Melissa's favorite show is Everyday Italian. About 80% of our DVR recording memory is reserved for this, and other, cooking shows. I'm not complaining since Giada and Bobby Flay have helped Melissa to learn that cooking is simple and fun. The only downside is that she now wants all their appliances to make our meals.
Christmas Eve, Melissa and I cooked a rather elaborate meal for her family. But the one thing we were really missing was a zester; our grater can be a make-shift zester, but it's not specifically suited for that purpose.
I had actually purchased one from Williams-Sonoma as a stocking stuffer. I gave thought about taking it out of her stocking a day earlier than intended. I left it hidden since I wanted her to be surprised Christmas morning.
Turns out the surprise was for me. She had also purchased a zester from Williams-Sonoma for my stocking stuffer and also wondered if she should take it out earlier than Santa intended.
Just one of the many memories from this Christmas. I'm sure there's an O.Henry-esque story in there somewhere.
-- A few weekends ago while Melissa went to the gym, I went to Half Price.
Typically, my trips to the fiction section are pro forma. This time instead, thanks to the book club, I slowed down and looked more thoroughly.
Anyway, I made my final stop in the T's. Ever since Presumed Innocent, Turow has issued a new book every three or four years. As he published a book last year, I was not expecting one for at least two more years. In retrospect, I'm not even sure why I looked for his book section; nevertheless, I'm glad I did. I quickly grabbed his latest work, Limitations.
His formula for character development is fabulous. A secondary character in one novel becomes the central figure in the next. As the series progresses, characters and plots are revisited to provide error-free continuity.
Every novel takes place in a fictional mid-western city, DuSable, modeled after Chicago. Turow even went so far and created a history of the city and provided a map in one of the books. This city and its residents have become real to me in a cry-for-help kind of way.
His books go beyond judicial temperament and legislative intent. He is able to make tangible the deeper questions that form the bedrock of our judicial system. He is able to clarify the murkier complexities that exist in the prosecutorial system.
Once again, I'm reminded of why Turow is my favorite writer; once gain, I am left wondering how Grisham has become the more popular author of this genre.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Books
1.) One book you have read more than once - I've read most of my books more than once. However, I'll choose my favorite book, The Godfather.
2.) One book you would want on a desert island - Something I could read over and over again while still discovering something new like Presumed Innocent.
3.) One book that made you laugh - I can't say I have a lot of humor in my collection. However, All Politics Is Local by Tip O'Neill has some amusing stories.
4.) One book that made you cry - I read Tuesdays With Morrie on our honeymoon while traveling between cities. Let me tell you this - don't cry in front of your bride; you lose all paternal authority. Forever.
5.) One book you wish you had written - Just about anything Turow has written. I love well written legal thrillers (and no, I wasn't thinking of Grisham).
6.) One book you wish had never been written - Triumph of Justice by Daniel Petrocelli. Wow, you were able to secure a meaningless verdict by proving 51% liability. Don't gloat, I'd be embarrassed.
7.) One book you are currently reading - Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Funny thing this came up. I received the following e-mail from Melissa's boss the other day:
"I was sad that you weren't here to listen to my mean jabs at you when the girls were talking about their book club, so I thought I'd email them to you.
You chose a book about a girl's experience at a prep school? That sounds awfully girlie. Are you going to bring your purse to the book club dinner? hee hee hee
(This wasn't nearly as fun as in-person when you give back as good as you get though.)"
8.) One book you have been meaning to read - Dude, how long have I had The Amber Room? I think you brought up last October. I'll get right on it.
9. One book that changed your life - And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts
2.) One book you would want on a desert island - Something I could read over and over again while still discovering something new like Presumed Innocent.
3.) One book that made you laugh - I can't say I have a lot of humor in my collection. However, All Politics Is Local by Tip O'Neill has some amusing stories.
4.) One book that made you cry - I read Tuesdays With Morrie on our honeymoon while traveling between cities. Let me tell you this - don't cry in front of your bride; you lose all paternal authority. Forever.
5.) One book you wish you had written - Just about anything Turow has written. I love well written legal thrillers (and no, I wasn't thinking of Grisham).
6.) One book you wish had never been written - Triumph of Justice by Daniel Petrocelli. Wow, you were able to secure a meaningless verdict by proving 51% liability. Don't gloat, I'd be embarrassed.
7.) One book you are currently reading - Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Funny thing this came up. I received the following e-mail from Melissa's boss the other day:
"I was sad that you weren't here to listen to my mean jabs at you when the girls were talking about their book club, so I thought I'd email them to you.
You chose a book about a girl's experience at a prep school? That sounds awfully girlie. Are you going to bring your purse to the book club dinner? hee hee hee
(This wasn't nearly as fun as in-person when you give back as good as you get though.)"
8.) One book you have been meaning to read - Dude, how long have I had The Amber Room? I think you brought up last October. I'll get right on it.
9. One book that changed your life - And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
pre·ten·tious - adj. - Pronunciation Key (pri-ten-shus)
Cleaning out the desk over the weekend, I came across an unredeemed gift certificate from audible.com for a couple of free books. I've had this thing for almost a year.
I've never been a big fan of books in audio format; I'm a visual learner. I like to grasp something tangible, smell either the newness or the mustiness of the pages as I flip them.
When I was in college, I checked out a few books-on-tape every once in a while from the public library. Their selection was miserably inadequate so I always seemed to be in possession of Richard Nixon's Six Crises. Seeing that today is August 9th, I found it an unamusing but timely coincidence worthy of telling.
Anyway, I redeemed the gift certificate over the weekend. That was not the issue. Determining which books I should get from the thousands of choices I had seemed daunting, almost intimidating. So, I made a top 10 and then whittled down from there. Essentially, I erased the titles of books I desire to own some day. Of the remaining, I sampled for a few minutes to see if I was further intrigued or if listening would be a chore. I then made my choices.
I ended up with two books - The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand and Howard Hughes: The Definitive Biography of The First American Billionaire by Richard Hack. Oh yeah, neither am I big fan of fiction.
I'm listening to Rand's book first. I've only read one of her works before - Anthem. Even though I read it multiple years ago, rarely does a week go by that I don't re-learn a lesson from it. Essentially, the moral of the book is that the self is the most important unit in society. Losing one's identity for the common good (either through force or sacrifice) will ultimately cause that society to cease to function in an orderly manner.
I chose the The Virtue of Selfishness because for the past several weeks, I've been perfectly content focusing on my own personal interests and not letting outside interests adversely influence mine. I was interested in why I've spent so much time lately in introspection and stubbornly refusing external influences and thoughts to permeate my own. It's a mild but temporary case of indifference.
In context, Rand doesn't mean selfish in that hoarding, amoral, and inconsiderate manner in which it's usually thought.
It's a different perspective - a more rational and organized approach to daily life. It seeks to isolate contradiction and whimsy; it seeks to create a hierarchy of conscious virtues and then to mold one's actions according to what is valued the highest; it's through this that non-religious morality is attained.
To a great extent, I think most people already do this - make value judgments and then act according to those values for our own self interest. Most of the time.
I can't say I agree with her philosophy completely - it virtually eliminates the idea of sacrifice, which I believe is essential for religious morality. Also, I don't agree government should divorce itself from its own economic structure and interests.
At times, Rand comes off as cruel and intentionally mean-spirited. It takes a while to figure out she's not - she's just so married to the idea of self-identity and self-preservation that she takes the ideas of liberty and freedom to a near extreme.
Now, I really do hate theory. The quickest way to bore me is to start talking political theory or philosophy; it's generally worthless. I prefer to see the utility instead of the abstract.
Which leaves me in a quandary. I'm watching the Yankees game right now. Cano was on second and advanced to third when Bernie hit a ground ball to the left side. A "Sacrifice". However, it was in his self-interest to advance the runner on the bases. So, it's a misnomer.
I wonder how Rand would score it.
I've never been a big fan of books in audio format; I'm a visual learner. I like to grasp something tangible, smell either the newness or the mustiness of the pages as I flip them.
When I was in college, I checked out a few books-on-tape every once in a while from the public library. Their selection was miserably inadequate so I always seemed to be in possession of Richard Nixon's Six Crises. Seeing that today is August 9th, I found it an unamusing but timely coincidence worthy of telling.
Anyway, I redeemed the gift certificate over the weekend. That was not the issue. Determining which books I should get from the thousands of choices I had seemed daunting, almost intimidating. So, I made a top 10 and then whittled down from there. Essentially, I erased the titles of books I desire to own some day. Of the remaining, I sampled for a few minutes to see if I was further intrigued or if listening would be a chore. I then made my choices.
I ended up with two books - The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand and Howard Hughes: The Definitive Biography of The First American Billionaire by Richard Hack. Oh yeah, neither am I big fan of fiction.
I'm listening to Rand's book first. I've only read one of her works before - Anthem. Even though I read it multiple years ago, rarely does a week go by that I don't re-learn a lesson from it. Essentially, the moral of the book is that the self is the most important unit in society. Losing one's identity for the common good (either through force or sacrifice) will ultimately cause that society to cease to function in an orderly manner.
I chose the The Virtue of Selfishness because for the past several weeks, I've been perfectly content focusing on my own personal interests and not letting outside interests adversely influence mine. I was interested in why I've spent so much time lately in introspection and stubbornly refusing external influences and thoughts to permeate my own. It's a mild but temporary case of indifference.
In context, Rand doesn't mean selfish in that hoarding, amoral, and inconsiderate manner in which it's usually thought.
It's a different perspective - a more rational and organized approach to daily life. It seeks to isolate contradiction and whimsy; it seeks to create a hierarchy of conscious virtues and then to mold one's actions according to what is valued the highest; it's through this that non-religious morality is attained.
To a great extent, I think most people already do this - make value judgments and then act according to those values for our own self interest. Most of the time.
I can't say I agree with her philosophy completely - it virtually eliminates the idea of sacrifice, which I believe is essential for religious morality. Also, I don't agree government should divorce itself from its own economic structure and interests.
At times, Rand comes off as cruel and intentionally mean-spirited. It takes a while to figure out she's not - she's just so married to the idea of self-identity and self-preservation that she takes the ideas of liberty and freedom to a near extreme.
Now, I really do hate theory. The quickest way to bore me is to start talking political theory or philosophy; it's generally worthless. I prefer to see the utility instead of the abstract.
Which leaves me in a quandary. I'm watching the Yankees game right now. Cano was on second and advanced to third when Bernie hit a ground ball to the left side. A "Sacrifice". However, it was in his self-interest to advance the runner on the bases. So, it's a misnomer.
I wonder how Rand would score it.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Need To Figure Out Hyperlinks
When I first started this record, I made a promise to someday share the titles of my book collection. Calling it "My Library" sounds too precocious and has a hint of public availability. And lest you be confused, there is none. But, if you're blood and I like you, maybe you can borrow something sometime.
I first started this project sometime last year - inputting titles and authors in an Excel spread sheet. I've actually seen software that will store the information in a more organized manner - detailing dates, publishers, bookcover art, etc. - using the Dewey Decimal sytem. I'd like that much detail, but frankly, that much organization kinda scares me.
I thought that putting this data on disc would somehow promote longevity and instant recollection in the case the house burned down or say, Logan chewed her way through a book or two, not that it ever happened. But recent events have re-convinced me that discs are not indistructible and tend to lose information if placed in water or fire for long periods of time.
But, if i'm ever without shelter, food or clothing, at least I've got a list of what I used to own as logn as I have an Internet connection.
I tried the hyperlink the Excel file, but the re-format is rather confusing and difficult to read. So, until I figure out how to do it, all you get is titles.
1984
1001 Ways to be Romantic
1968 in America: Music, Politics, Chaos, Counterculture, and the Shaping of A Generation
1999: Victory Without War
A Beautiful Mind: The Lifetime of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
A Bright and Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
A Call for Revolution
A Certain Democrat: Senator Henry M. Jackson
A Charge to Keep
A Christmas Carol
A Clockwork Orange
A Concise History of Portugal
A Golfer's Life
A History of Scotland
A History of the American People
A History of the Jews
A History of the Supreme Court
A History of Warfare
A March to Madness: A View From the Floor in the Atlantic Coast Conference
A Matter of Honor: One Cop's Lifelong Pursuit of John Gotti and the Mob
A Passion for Golf
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
A Room With a View, Howard's End, Maurice
A Season Inside: One Year in College Basketball
A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers
A Wee Nip at the 19th Hole
A Year in the Life of the Supreme Court
About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior
Adams v. Texas
Advice and Consent: Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork and the Intriguing History of the Supreme Court's Nomination Battles
Advise and Consent: A Novel of Washington Politics
Alexander Hamilton
All Politics is Local: And Other Rules of the Game
All the King's Men
All the President's Men
All Too Human
America: What Went Wrong?
American Psycho
An American Night
An Honorable Defeat: The Last Days of the Confederate Government
An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963
Anasazi America
Anatomy of A Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture
And A Hard Rain Fell
And The Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
Anna Karenina
Antonio Lobo Antunes
Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
Assuming the Risk: The Mavericks, The Lawyers, and Whistle-Blowers Who Beat Big Tobacco
Balance of Power
Balance of Power
Barry Lyndon
Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America
Battles Won and Lost
Best Evidence: Disguise and Deception in the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie
Beyond Peace
Beyond the Brink with Indiana
Billy Bathgate
Bin Laden
Bleeding Orange
Blow
Bob Knight: His Own Man
Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir
Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison
Breaking Eighty
Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars
Candide
Canterbury Tales
Cases in Constitutional Law, Eighth Edition
Casino
Catherine the Great: Life and Legend
Christine
Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples
Chutzpah
Clarence Darrow for the Defense
Coming of Age in Mississippi
Confessions of An English Opium Eater
Conflict and Compromise: How Congress Makes the Law
Conflicts and Consensus in Early American History
Constitutional Choices
Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy
Contract With America
Contrary to Popular Opinion: America's Most Controversial Lawyer and Bestselling Auuthor
Cosmopolitan Greetings
Crime In America
Dances With Trout
Danse Macabre
Darkness at Noon
Das Kapital
Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor
Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam
Death of A Politician
Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America
Debt of Honor
Different Seasons
Dimissed With Prejudice
Diplomacy
Disney War
Documents of American History
Donnie Brasco
Driving The Green: The Making of A Golf Course
Empire
Evil Among Us: The Texas Mormon Missionary Murders
Executive Orders
Expert Views in Improving the Quality of Legal Research Education
Fag Hag
Finding the Walls of Troy: Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann at Hisarlik
Five History Plays
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Forever's Team: One Extraordinary Team's Journey Through the Triumphs and Tragedies of College Basketball- And Life
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Experience
Fred Couples
Freedom and the Court, Sixth Edition
Frida Kahlo
Fun And Games: On Sport and Other Amusements
Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine
Gin: The Much-Lamented Death of Madam Geneva
Glamorama
Global Gun Grab
Golf
Golf in the Kingdom
Golf Shorts
Golf Trivia
Golf's Best Short Stories
Golf's Greatest Championship: The 1960 U.S. Open
Government Racket
Great Golf Stories
Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime of Golf
Hastings
Heartbreak Hill: The Anatomy of A Ryder Cup
Henry VIII
History of Rome Vol. I
History of the Peloponesian War
Hoffa
I Am Charlotte Simmons
If: Questions for the Game of Life
Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus
In Depth: Essayists for our Time
In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I
In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action
In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat and Renewal
In the Name of the Law: Confessions of a Trial Lawyer
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Island
It Happened on Washington Square
It's A Wonderful Life Trivia Book
Ivanhoe
Jackie Robinson: A Biography
Jake
Jazz
JFK and Vietnam: Deception, Intrigue, and the Struggle for Power
JFK: The Documented Screenplay
Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life
Joseph Smith
Just Revenge, a Novel
Justice Lies in the District: The U.S. Distict Court, Southern District of Texas 1902-1960
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw
Kissinger
Knight: My Story
Landmarks in the Western Heritage
Law of Torts
Leaders
Letters to A Young Lawyer
Liberal Racism
Life and Death
Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address
Life in the Third Reich
Literary Las Vegas: The Best Writing About America's Most Fabulous City
Local Government in China under the Ch'ing
Looking Forward: An Autobiography
Lost Hollywood
Lyndon B. Johnson: Master of the Senate
Lyndon B. Johnson: Means of Ascent
MacBeth
Mad As Hell: How Sports Got Away From the Fans - and How we Got it Back
Mafia Kingfish: Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment
Making the Corps
Marching In Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush
Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando
Masters of the Links: Essays on the Art of Golf and Course Design
Matters of Principle: An Insider's Account of America's Rejection of Robert Bork's Nomination to the Supreme Court
Me and My Little Brain
Men of Zeal: A Candid Inside Story of the Iran-Contra Hearings
Money Culture
Money Talks: Corporate PACS and Political Influence
More Adventures of the Great Brain
Mozart: A Life
Mr. Capone: The Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone
Murder at the Watergate
Murder in Brentwood
Murder in Greenwich: Who Killed Martha Moxley
Murder in Spokane: Catching A Serial Killer
Murder in the House
Murder in the Supreme Court
Neo Conservatism: An Autiobiography of an Idea
Night
Nightmare on Wall Street: Salomon Brothers and the Corruption of the Marketplace
Ninth Justice: The Fight for Bork
Nixon: An Oral History of His Presidency
Nixon: Off the Record
Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962 Vol. I
Nixon: The Man Behind the Mask
Nixon: The Rise of An American Politician
No One Gets Out Alive
Notes From the Underground/ The Gambler
Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith
October Sky
Of Long Memory: Mississippi and the Murder of Medgar Evers
Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changes Los Angeles and the LAPD
On the Trail of the Assassins: My Investigation and Prosecution of the Murder of President Kennedy
One L
One Step Ahead: The Legal Aspects of Business Growth
O'Neill and the Democratic Century
Outside Readings in American Government 2nd Edition
Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs
Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63
Passionate Marriage
Patton: Ordeal and Triumph
Paul Revere's Ride
Perfect Murder Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder
Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case
Personal Fouls: The Broken Promises and Shattered Dreams of Big Money Basketball at Jim Valvano's North Carolina State
Personal Injuries
Pickup Artists: Street Basketball in America
Playing for Knight: My Six Seasons With Coach Knight
Playing the Field: Why Sports Teams Move and Cities Fight to Keep Them
Pleading Guilty
Points of Rebellion
Political Thought of the 16th Century
Politics Without Democracy (1815-1985)
Portrait of an Election: the 1980 Presidential Campaign
President Nixon: Alone in the White House
Presidential Lies: The Illustrated History of White House Golf
Presumed Innocent
Principle Centered Leadership
Ranting Again
Real Peace/ No More Vietmans
Reasonable Doubt: An Investigation into the Murder of John F. Kennedy
Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case
Reflections of a Public Man
Repealing the War Power Resolution
Reversal of Fortune: Inside the Von Bulow Case
Reversible Errors
Ripley Under Water
Ripley Underground
Ripley's Game
RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon
Robert Frost's Poetry
Robert's Rules of Order
Rome and the Enemy: Imperial Strategy in the Principate
Ronald Reagan: How and Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft
Salem's Lot
Sam and the Speaker's Chair
School Prayer: The Court, the Congress, and the First Amendment
Season of Glory: The Amazing Saga of the 1961 New York Yankees
Secrets of the Tomb; Skull and Bones, The Ivy League and The Hidden Paths of Power
Seize the Moment: America's Challenge in a One-Superpower World
Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes 1939-1943
Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquddick Cover-Up
Seve: Ryder Cup Hero
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate
Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
Shout: The Beatles in Their Generation
Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age
Sinatra: The Song is You, A Singer's Art
Six Crises
Skeleton Crew
Sky of Stone
Social Contract
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Soulmates
Spin
Sports in America
Sports Wit
Standing Firm
Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History
Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas
Summer of '49
Swoosh: An Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There
Synchronicity: An Acasual Connecting Principle
Take Time for Paradise: Americans and Their Games
Taking the Stand: The Testimony of Lt. Col Oliver North
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Teaching Democracy: A Professor's Journal
Terrible Honesty: Mongrol Manhattan in the 1920's
Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution
The Abuse Excuse and Other Cop-Outs, Sob Stories, and Evasions of Responsibility
The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788-1800
The Age of Innocence
The Alchymist's Journal
The Art of War
The Bachman Books
The Bad Popes
The Best Defense: The Courtroom Confrontations of America's Most Outpsoken Lawyer of Last Resort
The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding
The Black Death
The Bone Collector
The Bonfire of the Vanities
The Bonzai Handbook for Writers
The Book of Political Lists
The Book of Questions
The Boy Who Followed Ripley
The Boys of Summer
The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court
The Brothers Karamazov
The Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Negro Calvary in the West
The Bully Pulpit and the Reagan Presidency
The Burden of Proof
The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty
The Caine Mutiny
The Case for Israel
The Center Holds: The Power Struggle Inside the Rehnquist Court
The Children of Henry VIII
The Choice
The Civil War and Reconstruction
The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
The Coalwood Way
The Complete Novels
The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
The Complete Works of William Blake
The Confessions
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Confirmation Mess: Cleaning Up the Federal Appointment Process
The Conscience of a Conservative
The Course of Empire: Outlines of the Chief Political Changes in History
The Court Years: The Autobiography of William O. Douglas 1939-1975
The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Kruschev 1960-1963
The Dance of Legislation
The Dead Zone
The Death and Life of Malcolm X
The Disney Touch: How a Daring Management Team Revived An Entertainment Empire
The Dylan Companion
The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark
The Ends of Power
The Enlightenment: The Science of Freedom
The Era of Reconstruction 1965-1877
The Eternal Summer: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Hogan- Golf's Golden Year
The Final Act: The Roads to Waterloo
The First Coming: Tiger Woods
The Forty Acre Follies: An Opinionated History of the University of Texas
The Four Witnesses: Why the Gospels Present Strikingly Different Versions of Jesus
The Garrison Case: A Study in the Abuse of Power
The Genesis of Justice: Ten Stories of Biblical Injustice that Led to the Ten Commandments and Modern Law
The Godfather
The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Trilogy
The Great Brain
The Great Brain At the Academy
The Great Brain Does It Again
The Great Brain Reforms
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985
The Great Fire of London: In That Apopalyptic Year 1666
The Great Pyramid: Its Secrets and Mysteries Revealed
The Great Triumvirate: Webster, Clay, and Calhoun
The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House
The Hunt for Red October
The Iliad and the Odyssey
The Imperial Congress: Crisis in the Seperation of Powers
The Impossible Art of Golf
The Informers
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy
The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime
The Kennedy Men: 1901 - 1963
The Last Mafioso: "Jimmy the Weasel" Frattiano
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams
The Last Thing He Wanted
The Law of Our Fathers
The Majors
The Making of the President 1960
The Manchurian Candidate
The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia
The Mediterranan and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II, Vol. I
The Mediterranan and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II, Vol. II
The Merriman-Webster Crossword Puzzle Dictionary
The Mortal Presidency: Illnes and Anguish in the White House
The Nature of the Judicial Process
The New Merrimam-Webster Dictionary
The New Middle East
The Nightingale's Song
The Only Living Witness: A True Account of Homicidal Insanity
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
The Oxford History of Medieval Europe
The Park and the People: A History of Central Park
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914
The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum South
The Plague
The Pocket Word Finder Thesaurus
The Politics of Money: The Fed Under Alan Greenspan
The Portable Beat Reader
The Possessed
The Power Exchange: A Novel of Texas Secession
The Power Game: How Washington Works
The Power House
The Price of Power
The Race for Rome
The Rant Zone
The Rants
The Real War
The Reapportionment Revolution
The Red Headed Outfielder and Other Baseball Stories
The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece
The Rights of Man
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Road Less Traveled
The Shining
The Sicilian
The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection
The Soul of Golf
The Spirit of Saint Andrews
The Stand
The Starr Report
The Stranger
The Sum of All Fears
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law
The Texas Revolutionary Experience: A Political and Social History 1835-1836
The Third World War
The Trial of Henry Kissinger
The Two Party South
The Ultimate Pro Basketball Quiz Book
The Unconsoled
The United States at War 1941-1945
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World
The Waste Lands
The Witches of Eastwick
Thinner
Time Present, Time Past: A Memoir
To the Linksland
Too Much Money is Not Enough: Big Money and Political Power in Texas
Trading With the Enemy: An Expose of The Nazi-American Money Plot 1933-1949
Triangle: The Fire That Changed America
Tudor England
U-Boat Killer
Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia
Upper West Side: A History and Guide
Valvano: They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract, and Then They Declared Me Dead
Verdicts Out of Court
Wanted! The Search for Nazis in America
Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon
Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold War
We the People: The Story of the United States Capitol
What is Your "Mad About You" IQ?
What My Dog Has Taught Me About Life
What Went Wrong? The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East
Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City
Wilderness
Words That Made American History Vol. II
Years of Trial and Hope Vol. II
Young Men and Fire: A True Story of the Mann Gulch Fire
I first started this project sometime last year - inputting titles and authors in an Excel spread sheet. I've actually seen software that will store the information in a more organized manner - detailing dates, publishers, bookcover art, etc. - using the Dewey Decimal sytem. I'd like that much detail, but frankly, that much organization kinda scares me.
I thought that putting this data on disc would somehow promote longevity and instant recollection in the case the house burned down or say, Logan chewed her way through a book or two, not that it ever happened. But recent events have re-convinced me that discs are not indistructible and tend to lose information if placed in water or fire for long periods of time.
But, if i'm ever without shelter, food or clothing, at least I've got a list of what I used to own as logn as I have an Internet connection.
I tried the hyperlink the Excel file, but the re-format is rather confusing and difficult to read. So, until I figure out how to do it, all you get is titles.
1984
1001 Ways to be Romantic
1968 in America: Music, Politics, Chaos, Counterculture, and the Shaping of A Generation
1999: Victory Without War
A Beautiful Mind: The Lifetime of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
A Bright and Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
A Call for Revolution
A Certain Democrat: Senator Henry M. Jackson
A Charge to Keep
A Christmas Carol
A Clockwork Orange
A Concise History of Portugal
A Golfer's Life
A History of Scotland
A History of the American People
A History of the Jews
A History of the Supreme Court
A History of Warfare
A March to Madness: A View From the Floor in the Atlantic Coast Conference
A Matter of Honor: One Cop's Lifelong Pursuit of John Gotti and the Mob
A Passion for Golf
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
A Room With a View, Howard's End, Maurice
A Season Inside: One Year in College Basketball
A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers
A Wee Nip at the 19th Hole
A Year in the Life of the Supreme Court
About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior
Adams v. Texas
Advice and Consent: Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork and the Intriguing History of the Supreme Court's Nomination Battles
Advise and Consent: A Novel of Washington Politics
Alexander Hamilton
All Politics is Local: And Other Rules of the Game
All the King's Men
All the President's Men
All Too Human
America: What Went Wrong?
American Psycho
An American Night
An Honorable Defeat: The Last Days of the Confederate Government
An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963
Anasazi America
Anatomy of A Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture
And A Hard Rain Fell
And The Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
Anna Karenina
Antonio Lobo Antunes
Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
Assuming the Risk: The Mavericks, The Lawyers, and Whistle-Blowers Who Beat Big Tobacco
Balance of Power
Balance of Power
Barry Lyndon
Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America
Battles Won and Lost
Best Evidence: Disguise and Deception in the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie
Beyond Peace
Beyond the Brink with Indiana
Billy Bathgate
Bin Laden
Bleeding Orange
Blow
Bob Knight: His Own Man
Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir
Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison
Breaking Eighty
Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars
Candide
Canterbury Tales
Cases in Constitutional Law, Eighth Edition
Casino
Catherine the Great: Life and Legend
Christine
Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples
Chutzpah
Clarence Darrow for the Defense
Coming of Age in Mississippi
Confessions of An English Opium Eater
Conflict and Compromise: How Congress Makes the Law
Conflicts and Consensus in Early American History
Constitutional Choices
Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy
Contract With America
Contrary to Popular Opinion: America's Most Controversial Lawyer and Bestselling Auuthor
Cosmopolitan Greetings
Crime In America
Dances With Trout
Danse Macabre
Darkness at Noon
Das Kapital
Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor
Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam
Death of A Politician
Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America
Debt of Honor
Different Seasons
Dimissed With Prejudice
Diplomacy
Disney War
Documents of American History
Donnie Brasco
Driving The Green: The Making of A Golf Course
Empire
Evil Among Us: The Texas Mormon Missionary Murders
Executive Orders
Expert Views in Improving the Quality of Legal Research Education
Fag Hag
Finding the Walls of Troy: Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann at Hisarlik
Five History Plays
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Forever's Team: One Extraordinary Team's Journey Through the Triumphs and Tragedies of College Basketball- And Life
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Experience
Fred Couples
Freedom and the Court, Sixth Edition
Frida Kahlo
Fun And Games: On Sport and Other Amusements
Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine
Gin: The Much-Lamented Death of Madam Geneva
Glamorama
Global Gun Grab
Golf
Golf in the Kingdom
Golf Shorts
Golf Trivia
Golf's Best Short Stories
Golf's Greatest Championship: The 1960 U.S. Open
Government Racket
Great Golf Stories
Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime of Golf
Hastings
Heartbreak Hill: The Anatomy of A Ryder Cup
Henry VIII
History of Rome Vol. I
History of the Peloponesian War
Hoffa
I Am Charlotte Simmons
If: Questions for the Game of Life
Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus
In Depth: Essayists for our Time
In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I
In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action
In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat and Renewal
In the Name of the Law: Confessions of a Trial Lawyer
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Island
It Happened on Washington Square
It's A Wonderful Life Trivia Book
Ivanhoe
Jackie Robinson: A Biography
Jake
Jazz
JFK and Vietnam: Deception, Intrigue, and the Struggle for Power
JFK: The Documented Screenplay
Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life
Joseph Smith
Just Revenge, a Novel
Justice Lies in the District: The U.S. Distict Court, Southern District of Texas 1902-1960
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw
Kissinger
Knight: My Story
Landmarks in the Western Heritage
Law of Torts
Leaders
Letters to A Young Lawyer
Liberal Racism
Life and Death
Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address
Life in the Third Reich
Literary Las Vegas: The Best Writing About America's Most Fabulous City
Local Government in China under the Ch'ing
Looking Forward: An Autobiography
Lost Hollywood
Lyndon B. Johnson: Master of the Senate
Lyndon B. Johnson: Means of Ascent
MacBeth
Mad As Hell: How Sports Got Away From the Fans - and How we Got it Back
Mafia Kingfish: Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment
Making the Corps
Marching In Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush
Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando
Masters of the Links: Essays on the Art of Golf and Course Design
Matters of Principle: An Insider's Account of America's Rejection of Robert Bork's Nomination to the Supreme Court
Me and My Little Brain
Men of Zeal: A Candid Inside Story of the Iran-Contra Hearings
Money Culture
Money Talks: Corporate PACS and Political Influence
More Adventures of the Great Brain
Mozart: A Life
Mr. Capone: The Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone
Murder at the Watergate
Murder in Brentwood
Murder in Greenwich: Who Killed Martha Moxley
Murder in Spokane: Catching A Serial Killer
Murder in the House
Murder in the Supreme Court
Neo Conservatism: An Autiobiography of an Idea
Night
Nightmare on Wall Street: Salomon Brothers and the Corruption of the Marketplace
Ninth Justice: The Fight for Bork
Nixon: An Oral History of His Presidency
Nixon: Off the Record
Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962 Vol. I
Nixon: The Man Behind the Mask
Nixon: The Rise of An American Politician
No One Gets Out Alive
Notes From the Underground/ The Gambler
Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith
October Sky
Of Long Memory: Mississippi and the Murder of Medgar Evers
Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changes Los Angeles and the LAPD
On the Trail of the Assassins: My Investigation and Prosecution of the Murder of President Kennedy
One L
One Step Ahead: The Legal Aspects of Business Growth
O'Neill and the Democratic Century
Outside Readings in American Government 2nd Edition
Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs
Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63
Passionate Marriage
Patton: Ordeal and Triumph
Paul Revere's Ride
Perfect Murder Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder
Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case
Personal Fouls: The Broken Promises and Shattered Dreams of Big Money Basketball at Jim Valvano's North Carolina State
Personal Injuries
Pickup Artists: Street Basketball in America
Playing for Knight: My Six Seasons With Coach Knight
Playing the Field: Why Sports Teams Move and Cities Fight to Keep Them
Pleading Guilty
Points of Rebellion
Political Thought of the 16th Century
Politics Without Democracy (1815-1985)
Portrait of an Election: the 1980 Presidential Campaign
President Nixon: Alone in the White House
Presidential Lies: The Illustrated History of White House Golf
Presumed Innocent
Principle Centered Leadership
Ranting Again
Real Peace/ No More Vietmans
Reasonable Doubt: An Investigation into the Murder of John F. Kennedy
Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case
Reflections of a Public Man
Repealing the War Power Resolution
Reversal of Fortune: Inside the Von Bulow Case
Reversible Errors
Ripley Under Water
Ripley Underground
Ripley's Game
RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon
Robert Frost's Poetry
Robert's Rules of Order
Rome and the Enemy: Imperial Strategy in the Principate
Ronald Reagan: How and Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft
Salem's Lot
Sam and the Speaker's Chair
School Prayer: The Court, the Congress, and the First Amendment
Season of Glory: The Amazing Saga of the 1961 New York Yankees
Secrets of the Tomb; Skull and Bones, The Ivy League and The Hidden Paths of Power
Seize the Moment: America's Challenge in a One-Superpower World
Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes 1939-1943
Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquddick Cover-Up
Seve: Ryder Cup Hero
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate
Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
Shout: The Beatles in Their Generation
Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age
Sinatra: The Song is You, A Singer's Art
Six Crises
Skeleton Crew
Sky of Stone
Social Contract
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Soulmates
Spin
Sports in America
Sports Wit
Standing Firm
Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History
Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas
Summer of '49
Swoosh: An Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There
Synchronicity: An Acasual Connecting Principle
Take Time for Paradise: Americans and Their Games
Taking the Stand: The Testimony of Lt. Col Oliver North
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Teaching Democracy: A Professor's Journal
Terrible Honesty: Mongrol Manhattan in the 1920's
Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution
The Abuse Excuse and Other Cop-Outs, Sob Stories, and Evasions of Responsibility
The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788-1800
The Age of Innocence
The Alchymist's Journal
The Art of War
The Bachman Books
The Bad Popes
The Best Defense: The Courtroom Confrontations of America's Most Outpsoken Lawyer of Last Resort
The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding
The Black Death
The Bone Collector
The Bonfire of the Vanities
The Bonzai Handbook for Writers
The Book of Political Lists
The Book of Questions
The Boy Who Followed Ripley
The Boys of Summer
The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court
The Brothers Karamazov
The Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Negro Calvary in the West
The Bully Pulpit and the Reagan Presidency
The Burden of Proof
The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty
The Caine Mutiny
The Case for Israel
The Center Holds: The Power Struggle Inside the Rehnquist Court
The Children of Henry VIII
The Choice
The Civil War and Reconstruction
The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
The Coalwood Way
The Complete Novels
The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
The Complete Works of William Blake
The Confessions
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Confirmation Mess: Cleaning Up the Federal Appointment Process
The Conscience of a Conservative
The Course of Empire: Outlines of the Chief Political Changes in History
The Court Years: The Autobiography of William O. Douglas 1939-1975
The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Kruschev 1960-1963
The Dance of Legislation
The Dead Zone
The Death and Life of Malcolm X
The Disney Touch: How a Daring Management Team Revived An Entertainment Empire
The Dylan Companion
The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark
The Ends of Power
The Enlightenment: The Science of Freedom
The Era of Reconstruction 1965-1877
The Eternal Summer: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Hogan- Golf's Golden Year
The Final Act: The Roads to Waterloo
The First Coming: Tiger Woods
The Forty Acre Follies: An Opinionated History of the University of Texas
The Four Witnesses: Why the Gospels Present Strikingly Different Versions of Jesus
The Garrison Case: A Study in the Abuse of Power
The Genesis of Justice: Ten Stories of Biblical Injustice that Led to the Ten Commandments and Modern Law
The Godfather
The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Trilogy
The Great Brain
The Great Brain At the Academy
The Great Brain Does It Again
The Great Brain Reforms
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985
The Great Fire of London: In That Apopalyptic Year 1666
The Great Pyramid: Its Secrets and Mysteries Revealed
The Great Triumvirate: Webster, Clay, and Calhoun
The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House
The Hunt for Red October
The Iliad and the Odyssey
The Imperial Congress: Crisis in the Seperation of Powers
The Impossible Art of Golf
The Informers
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy
The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime
The Kennedy Men: 1901 - 1963
The Last Mafioso: "Jimmy the Weasel" Frattiano
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams
The Last Thing He Wanted
The Law of Our Fathers
The Majors
The Making of the President 1960
The Manchurian Candidate
The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia
The Mediterranan and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II, Vol. I
The Mediterranan and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II, Vol. II
The Merriman-Webster Crossword Puzzle Dictionary
The Mortal Presidency: Illnes and Anguish in the White House
The Nature of the Judicial Process
The New Merrimam-Webster Dictionary
The New Middle East
The Nightingale's Song
The Only Living Witness: A True Account of Homicidal Insanity
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
The Oxford History of Medieval Europe
The Park and the People: A History of Central Park
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914
The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum South
The Plague
The Pocket Word Finder Thesaurus
The Politics of Money: The Fed Under Alan Greenspan
The Portable Beat Reader
The Possessed
The Power Exchange: A Novel of Texas Secession
The Power Game: How Washington Works
The Power House
The Price of Power
The Race for Rome
The Rant Zone
The Rants
The Real War
The Reapportionment Revolution
The Red Headed Outfielder and Other Baseball Stories
The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece
The Rights of Man
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Road Less Traveled
The Shining
The Sicilian
The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection
The Soul of Golf
The Spirit of Saint Andrews
The Stand
The Starr Report
The Stranger
The Sum of All Fears
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law
The Texas Revolutionary Experience: A Political and Social History 1835-1836
The Third World War
The Trial of Henry Kissinger
The Two Party South
The Ultimate Pro Basketball Quiz Book
The Unconsoled
The United States at War 1941-1945
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World
The Waste Lands
The Witches of Eastwick
Thinner
Time Present, Time Past: A Memoir
To the Linksland
Too Much Money is Not Enough: Big Money and Political Power in Texas
Trading With the Enemy: An Expose of The Nazi-American Money Plot 1933-1949
Triangle: The Fire That Changed America
Tudor England
U-Boat Killer
Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia
Upper West Side: A History and Guide
Valvano: They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract, and Then They Declared Me Dead
Verdicts Out of Court
Wanted! The Search for Nazis in America
Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon
Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold War
We the People: The Story of the United States Capitol
What is Your "Mad About You" IQ?
What My Dog Has Taught Me About Life
What Went Wrong? The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East
Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City
Wilderness
Words That Made American History Vol. II
Years of Trial and Hope Vol. II
Young Men and Fire: A True Story of the Mann Gulch Fire
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Books
This week has been a mixture of the busy but non-eventful.
But probably not for the hundreds of people who have made their way to our agency for temporary housing. We are one of the housing agencies who was contacted by city officials to help the Gulf Coast evacuees find housing in our great state.
I'm keeping my powder dry since I'll have a great blog entry tomorrow evening. Which reminds me of a joke - How do you keep a (Aggie, Moron, Fill in Your Own Derogatory Term) in suspense? Tune in tomorrow.
The only thing I really have to comment on today is (wait for it) books and music. Who would've imagined.
I told you about the music Chris brought up for me to transfer over to my computer. There is a function on iTunes that let's you know how many songs have been downloaded and what the total playtime is. With just the music I have now, I could press play, come back 4 1/2 days later, and not one song would have been repeated. Moreover, I could drive from my house to Colorado and back, and not hear the same Sinatra song twice. Pretty cool, huh?
And I still have another 85 cd's to go.
On Monday, we also made our monthly jaunt to the bookstore. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to go book shopping. We ended up spending $50 - at Half Price Books. Fifty bucks at that store can get you a ton. As we were walking in the door, Melissa asked if I had set a limit for myself. I told her yeah, I would stop when my back started to hurt from lifting all the books I wanted to buy.
To show how varied (read, undisciplined) my tastes are: a book about the Anasazi Indians from the Four Corner's area (When I was but a lad, we went on a family trip to Mesa Verde. I was absolutely amazed that such a great civilization flourished then just disappeared. The Anasazi were a different tribe, but their story is the same); a book about the 1666 fire that destroyed London; a book about the history of gin (I read a review about this book a couple of years ago and it sounded interesting; it's more a socioeconomic analysis of the the spirit - how it was was consumed by the hoi polloi of London. Now, it is associated with a pretentious, elitest, snob who insists it be shaken, not stirred.) Then a companion book about Bob Dylan and a reference book about jazz songs - the who, what, when, and where's of it all.
It's hard to imagine the loss of life and property that the Gulf Coast residents are experiencing. As a lover of all things historical, it's difficult to imagine the loss of books, documents, and other historical items. If I were a flood victim and just told that my dog, family, and other loved ones were safe and secure, but I lost my book collection, I'd still be utterly inconsolable. I'd be one grown man crying like a little girl.
I need up update my list. I started one a couple of months ago and promised to share it. I've gotta be nearing 500 (not counting Melissa's).
Some people gasp when I mention I have that many; personally, I think it's a pretty good start. I read a article in the paper last week that mentioned people who have home libraries with volumes numbering about 15,000. Talk about impressive.
But probably not for the hundreds of people who have made their way to our agency for temporary housing. We are one of the housing agencies who was contacted by city officials to help the Gulf Coast evacuees find housing in our great state.
I'm keeping my powder dry since I'll have a great blog entry tomorrow evening. Which reminds me of a joke - How do you keep a (Aggie, Moron, Fill in Your Own Derogatory Term) in suspense? Tune in tomorrow.
The only thing I really have to comment on today is (wait for it) books and music. Who would've imagined.
I told you about the music Chris brought up for me to transfer over to my computer. There is a function on iTunes that let's you know how many songs have been downloaded and what the total playtime is. With just the music I have now, I could press play, come back 4 1/2 days later, and not one song would have been repeated. Moreover, I could drive from my house to Colorado and back, and not hear the same Sinatra song twice. Pretty cool, huh?
And I still have another 85 cd's to go.
On Monday, we also made our monthly jaunt to the bookstore. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to go book shopping. We ended up spending $50 - at Half Price Books. Fifty bucks at that store can get you a ton. As we were walking in the door, Melissa asked if I had set a limit for myself. I told her yeah, I would stop when my back started to hurt from lifting all the books I wanted to buy.
To show how varied (read, undisciplined) my tastes are: a book about the Anasazi Indians from the Four Corner's area (When I was but a lad, we went on a family trip to Mesa Verde. I was absolutely amazed that such a great civilization flourished then just disappeared. The Anasazi were a different tribe, but their story is the same); a book about the 1666 fire that destroyed London; a book about the history of gin (I read a review about this book a couple of years ago and it sounded interesting; it's more a socioeconomic analysis of the the spirit - how it was was consumed by the hoi polloi of London. Now, it is associated with a pretentious, elitest, snob who insists it be shaken, not stirred.) Then a companion book about Bob Dylan and a reference book about jazz songs - the who, what, when, and where's of it all.
It's hard to imagine the loss of life and property that the Gulf Coast residents are experiencing. As a lover of all things historical, it's difficult to imagine the loss of books, documents, and other historical items. If I were a flood victim and just told that my dog, family, and other loved ones were safe and secure, but I lost my book collection, I'd still be utterly inconsolable. I'd be one grown man crying like a little girl.
I need up update my list. I started one a couple of months ago and promised to share it. I've gotta be nearing 500 (not counting Melissa's).
Some people gasp when I mention I have that many; personally, I think it's a pretty good start. I read a article in the paper last week that mentioned people who have home libraries with volumes numbering about 15,000. Talk about impressive.
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