My Dream Library

I got into an email conversation with Departe about books versus e-readers the other day. She is against clutter and prefers an e-reader. I love holding a book in my hands and try to keep the clutter in check by buying only those books I know I want to keep. The physical book’s presence helps me relax and concentrate and, even if I’ve never used an e-reader to have the proof, I think it would prevent me from reaching that blessed state of mind.

A coworker who’s in charge of our scholarly press has bought one and said that in about three minutes he forgot he was not reading an actual book. That’s one thing that makes me reconsider it.

The other is an old fantasy of mine: living in a house large enough to be able to hold all the literature classics. I have this image in my head of high ceilings, large windows, long white walls lined with dark wood bookshelves, and rows after rows of old editions of the classics. Oh, and the house has to have an orchard, by the way. Interestingly enough, when we got together with a couple of friends over the weekend, one of them turned out to have the exact same dream. Steve started making fun of my orchard, Margie wasn’t particularly convinced it makes sense, but Chuck, her boyfriend, was right there with me. Great minds…

This is why the e-reader emerges as the best practical way to turn at least the dream of owning the classics into a reality, so I’m almost sure that I’ll get one some time.

And, just as I was writing this, Steve comes to show me how cool the Kindle app for the iPad is. He has an iPad, I have a MacBook. I’m afraid that if I get an iPad, too, I’ll never do anything else other than play with it. But now I’ve downloaded the Kindle app on my Mac and there’s no escape. I *have* to download the free books I want. And I’ll no longer have an excuse for not having read something I was supposed to read in college, where I majored in English.

With that, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m going in download mode.

Lazy

I’d like to come up with a better explanation for why I’m not posting more regularly but, really, the truth is, I’m just not in the mood for it. The good news is that I have a lot of drafts so I haven’t run out of things to say. The less-than-good news is that, you got it, I have a bout of laziness. I can’t even say I’m struggling with it .

In other good news, though, we’re moving to a bigger apartment soon, so I’m hoping to get very inspired once we have more space and I can insulate myself from the TV. I already have these wild dreams of me studying, reading, and writing for hours…

Password Your Way to the Future

No, this is not about some secret time machine.

Have you ever scratched your head when trying to come up with a hard-to-guess-by-others but easy-to-remember-by-you password? Has the system you needed to log into tell you that you can’t choose a dictionary word? I know what you’re feeling.

Next question: Have you also heard of how, if you keep repeating what you desire, it will force it to become reality?

Well, I thought I’d give it a try and create a winning combination. I think about what I really want (say, a really big salary) and turn that into my password: rlybgslry2011.

There. Take your wishes and run with them

Wish List

More photography

More cooking

More museums

Reading my magazines

More systematic learning (as in, I have to draw up a schedule for it or it doesn’t happen)

Organize my work and stay on top of it

More staying in touch with friends

Decorate the new place

Happy New Year!

Careful What You Wish for

Remember how I was crying out for help because The New Yorker was taking my life over and how, if my friends loved me, they SHOULD NOT (repeat: should not) give me a gift subscription to The Economist, too? I thought I was being funny, especially since the latter is quite expensive, so I didn’t give it much thought after that.

Well, a friend gave me a gift subscription to The Economist that he didn’t even have to pay for! (or so he says)

Dude, from now on I’ll have to 1. schedule every waking minute of my life and 2. be careful what I even don’t wish for

To the friend who gave me the subscription, though, I want him to know that I am indeed very grateful. He’s helped me with lots of important things and I can only wish I can return the favor someday. I just thought this was too hilarious not to share.

So I think I’ve progressed from “ask and thou shalt receive” to “think and thou shalt receive.”

My Wish Was Granted

Remember my Moon post from a while ago? Remember how I was saying, “I thought, hm, if the moon was so beautifully presented to me on my balcony, maybe other things I really want will come true, too . They’re right whey they say, ‘ask and thou shalt receive,’ I’m telling you”?

Well, my friends, my dearest wish, which I thought was as impossible as getting the moon, was gracefully granted to me when I expected it the least. I get to stay in the States, keep the job I love, keep the life that was otherwise perfect for me. The icing on the cake is that now I have someone to share it with, too. And no, he has nothing to do with how my wish was fulfilled. My wish came true in the exact way I wanted it to, which was the most elegant possible. And yes, it came true when I started to be at peace with the thought of not getting it.

Ask and thou shalt receive.

This Is How I Feel

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