this book was swelligans

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Once I finished Harry Potter, I had to find something to fill the void.

The day after I finished book 7, I wandered down to our library to find something else to read while I was still on a reading kick. I was still feeling fiction.

I'd never read Hemingway, and he seems like kind of a big deal, and this book wasn't too imposing looking. So I picked it up for a go. During lunch, I read the first half. I was going to save the second half for the next day, but at the end of the day I bolted downstairs, checked it out and finished it as soon as I got home.

That guy has got talent. Only one thing happens in the entire book, and you just had to know how the one thing turned out.

retraction.

I was gutted when Cedric died in book four.

I am no longer sad he died. Naturally, I decided to watch movie four, now that I was done with book four. Did you know that the guy from Twilight plays Cedric? That's right, Edward is Cedric.

It's really hard to feel sorry about a vampire dying.

the obsession is heightening.

Last night, I had a couple things I was sad about. I mulled them over instead of sleeping.

I compiled a short mental list to examine later. But something had escaped the list. I could tell because I could still feel the unnamed trouble still pulling on my mind.

Oh, I remembered. Cedric was dead.

That's right! I have discovered Harry Potter. That night I had just finished up Harry Potter book 4. Harry and I sat on the couch for three hours Sunday afternoon and our session culminated with Harry and poor Cedric Diggory suddenly flung into Voldemort's path and Cedric is killed. It was so shocking. He was such a nice kid. He loved Quidditch. This was the final thing weighing on my mind.

I am having so much fun being caught up in this, I don't even care how ridiculous it is to be so caught up in this. I'm so glad I didn't discover the series until now, after the series is completed. I have all seven books at my fingertips and can tear through them as quickly as my emotions will allow.

the one where I join fifth grade readers.

I just started reading Harry Potter book 1.

Collect yourself and keep reading. For various reasons, I've never read Harry Potter up until now. And I'm a reader. My little brother, who shares my taste in lit, has re-enumerated various times that I'm seriously missing out. And I trust him.

So I'm getting around to it. Just thought I'd share.

And yes I know Dumbledore dies. But I've only seen a few movies so don't go telling me anything else that happens past like book three.

the first (and only) full poem I ever memorized

I met a traveler from an antique land

who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

tell that it's sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

"Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley

what I'm getting.

"Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more serenely shall we think of our fellowship and pray and hope for it."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together

I like it. I also have to admit I am partial to the author's handle. What a sweet name, Dietrich.

Would you?

Imagine someone offered to let you live in the locale of your choice and would pay all your expenses for a year so you could write.

All you have to do is turn out some sort of book or literary work at the conclusion of the year.

Would you do it?

What would you write about?

balance

I think I work too much. No, I think I don't work strategicially enough. I think I work too hard in some areas and not enough in others. Woe to this messed up world!

Well I am nearly over my cold, thank heavens, and hoping to get back into, as they say, an more even keel.

Yesterday was my all day on campus day. I work at my second job (which is on campus) and I also have classes. Looong day.

This is my current frustration. I am a student still, finishing up my last semester, Lord willing. I don't feel like a student, though. I don't concentrate on it all, no more than I have to. My mind is elsewhere- work, graduating, post-graduation plans. It doesn't help that I'm not inspired in any of my classes this semester either.

Sometimes, I go to classes and I can't believe that I get to sit and listen to a certain instructor it's so interesting. My roommmate is currently in a class that I took a few years ago, a class that has turned out to be my favorite class in undergrad. When she asked to see my notes from when I was in it, I got nostalgic. I remember how great and exciting it was to learn all the stuff that I took notes on. It made me sad that I'm not excited about anything I'm learning now.

As a side note to that generalization, I am really enjoying my weekly yoga class, and I am also learning some new aspects of powerpoint and word in my computer class.

So Wednesdays are a day I do largely by myself. As I was trudging around from class to class, from tutoring to tutoring, I found myself searching for something to mull over. Usually, my fodder is interesting concepts or theories I'm learning. I was coming up blank, and I was boring myself.

At my next available break, I made my way to our library. I had to find something interesting to start thinking about. I left with four books:

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell
On the Language of 1984 about Orwell's famous work
Ulysses by James Joyce
and a fourth written on George Orwell's work

I am hoping to start Shooting an Elephant today. I think Orwell had some great ideas, but I haven't been devoted much time to understanding his ideas, beyond reading his famous book, 1984.

Hopefully, I will be happily mentally occupied soon.

"Animal Farm" and the rest

These are the newest books on my to-read list:

Animal Farm

Heart of Darkness

As I Lay Dying

Atlas Shrugged

Ulysses

Probably stuff I should have read already, but hey, it’s a busy world.