Reading Material

I graduated from college this past May, and ever since I've been reading romantic novel after romantic novel. As fun as this is, recently I've noticed people around me talking about books that I haven't read, i.e. non-romantic novels, or about topics I'm not all that informed in. So I've decided I need to start reading something a bit deeper than what's been on my nightstand of late.

It's great to dream about reading topics of great depth and having enlightened conversations, but is it really practical. I've gone through this phase before. Whishing I was more informaed about culture, history and science I have stopped reading "fun" books and gone on long excursions through the non-fiction side of the library. This has never lasted very long (hence my 6 month hiatus in the real of romance). So how will it work this time.

I came up with a theory. It isn't based on any facts, but I'm going to test it out. 1 "heavy" book is intellectually equal to 3 "fun" books. I base this theory on the idea that 1 of the former category will take the same amount of time as 3 of the later. Also, 1 of the former will drain your brain, and body of energy that is equivalent to the amount of energy you regain from 3 of the later. So I am off to test my theory. I just read a series of fun books, and now have started my "heavy" book: The Closing of the Western Mind by Charles Freeman. I have even been taking notes on the book.

Hopefully my theory will prove true, and I will be able to read these heavy books while managing to keep my energy up, and not lose my desire to read. This will hopefully warm me up before I start Graduate School next year.

Pictures!

Here are five pictures that I like that are from this week. Enjoy!



This is of the tallest Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras, in North Carolina (and possibly all of the east coast, but I'm not positive about that). I didn't visit the light house during this past trip to NC, but I did go the time before that.



I believe this picture captures nature in her purest sense. It's beautiful yet violent. There a group of penguins seem desolet on the blueiceburg as the harsh sea crashes around them.



Archaeologists discovered the wall painting among the ruins of an 11,000-year-old house in northern Syria—making it the oldest wall painting ever discovered. French archaeologist and team leader Eric Coqueugniot stated that "There was a purpose in having the painting in what looked like a communal house, but we don't know it." This painting and Eric's statement shows the wonderful and frustrating aspects of archaeology.




Scientists explored a deep ocean basin in the Philippines in search of species isolated for millions of years found marine life believed to be previously undiscovered. This basin is believed to have been secluded from the rest of the ocean, both physically and biologically, and thus many of the species have evolved separately. Here are pictures of a Juvenile Box Fish and a Jelly Fish.

R2-D2

George Lucas has plans to create two new additions to his Star Wars empire. The first is a possible animated film. As much as I love Star Wars I really can't see how an animated film is supposed to add to the Star Wars franchise. The origional films were great because they pushed the barriers of the imagination and special effects. With animated films, such as Shrek and Beowolf, I am having difficulty seeing how George Lucas can push the animated envelope. Perhaps I am not giving George Lucas enough credit and am not being creative enough in my ponderings, but I do not see an animated film adding anything to what already is Star WArs.

The second addition is a TV series based off of the films. I do not know if the series will continue the story after the Fall of the Empire or be a side story, ment to add to the events that we already know. Lucas has stated that the series will not involve the Skywalker family. It would be interesting to see the events from another perspective, but It just feels wrong to have a Star Wars media production, I'm not including the various books on the subject here, with out Darth Vadar. Lucas has hinted that the show may follow the story line of the androids. As much as I would love to see a show centered on R2-D2 and C-3PO I hope that they would be able to keep the story lines interesting enough to compansated for the fact that one droid doesn't speak (although it has a wonderful variety of beeps) and the other lacks emotion (except for fear).

I hope that Geogre Lucas is going to make these two additions better then the last 3 movies. I feel that he may just be making these things because their almost garunteed to bring in money. While that's great for him, it stinks for all those Star Wars fans who have grown loving the origional films only to find them being darkend by new, comercial, additions.

Rest and Relaxation

This past weekend I went to the North Carolina beach. My Godparents have a beach house there. It was a calm weekend. I hadn’t seen my Godparents in a little over 2 years and I hadn’t seen their Godson, who also visited for the weekend, in 4 years. We reminisced and rested in beach chairs our on the deck. I got to play with their two dogs, Primo and Moosey, and their cat, Baby (which made me miss my Trampies even more).

Although the weekend was calm, full of reading and watching movies, it was far from relaxing. I’ve never been more aware of the fact that you can do nothing all day, but still feel utterly exhausted by evening. I don’t think I’ve gotten more sleep than I did this weekend in months, yet on Monday morning I was far more exhausted than I would have been if I had played Frisbee or partied all weekend. It’s strange how the body works.

5-0

Dallas goes into this weekend with a great and heavy record. There is a lot of glory that comes with starting the season 5-0, but there is also a lot of pressure. On top of the typical pressures to maintain an undefeated score this week Dallas is also facing the pressure of the Patriots, who are also 5-0. Most American will tune into this afternoon game on Sunday (I unfortunately will be on a train and unable to get anywhere near a tv screen.)

TO, a man who is all talk, all media, and always in the spotlight, has taken a new approach to this weeks game. Instead of doing interviews and catering to the media he is staying away from reporters. Leaving them with only a note:

"Due to the magnitude of this week's game and high volume of questions for the Original 81 about the other 81. I will be taking all questions immediately following Sunday's game.”

Although this note is filled with the cockiness we have all grown to love and expect from TO, it is uncharacteristic. I appreciate the note, and can only hope that since TO isn’t talking about how great he is, he will show us on Sunday.

Home sweet..Mall??

To live in a mall. That’s the dream of every 15 year old girl. A few artists started to live that dream in secret in 2003. Unfortunately their mall housing was swiftly taken away when they walked into their humble abode recently to find Mall security.

These guys must be excellent pranksters.

They were able to live in a room since 2003 unnoticed by shoppers and security alike. They constructed a 750 sq. foot apartment our of red brick and attached a relatively non-descript maintenance door to the front. Inside they had electricity (fit with a Playstation 2) and all the amenities, except for running water. The water was easy enough to live with out, especially since they were attached to a mall filled with public restrooms.

Congrats guys, you have come up with one of the most inexpensive and creative ways to avoid paying rent.

Car vs Home

“A Harvard School of Public Health report issued last year said secondhand smoke in cars can be up to 10 times more of a health risk than secondhand smoke in a home.”

Although this study’s findings may be obvious they are important. Think of all those people who were told to smoke outside instead of in the house so the smoke wouldn’t be trapped in the house. Now imagine that in a car. Of course it’s worse, it’s a smaller space, thus your breathing it in a more condensed form for a longer period of time.

No, it does not help to have your cigarette poking out the window. As a non-smoker who has many friends who smoke and thus have been subject to riding in a car with them, I can attest that it is still pungent.

But I digress. The point is that studies like these have recently become a fad. Due to their popularity more information is flooding the general public. This has been putting pressure on the government, and thus, creating legislature. Recently the Governator signed a bill that bans smoking in cars while anyone under 18 is present. California is the third state to pass a bill that bans smoking in cars around children. The first two were Arkansas and Louisiana.

I have to cheer these states on in there efforts. There may not be any clear and complete evidence linking smoking or secondhand smoke to the world’s worst illnesses (or at least not that I know of), but no one can deny that smoking isn’t exactly a healthy choice. As more and more diseases are spreading to areas of the world they have never been in, (Take a look at a recent article in Times magazine, “The Changing Face of Breast Cancer,” and you’ll see how one disease is expanding its reach.) it is important to try to reduce the amount of dangerous chemicals and forces being introduced to today’s youth.

I’m not saying that we need to ban all things that can be seen as harmful. After all what’s the fun of living without a little risk. But risk should be something that we choose to do and should not be chosen for us by others. So again I say, this new legislation against secondhand smoke is a responsible choice by California and other states. At least until we learn more about why diseases like breast cancer are spreading faster and farther than ever.