Thursday 31 October 2013

The Book of Life vs A Tale of Living

It's been a while since I've read books that have come out quite recently, for some reason or another. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore was an exception to that, having been published just about a year or so ago. I finished reading it last night, quickest I've finished with a book in a while, and there was a curious lightness to the after-taste.


I don't recall reading particularly dark books of late, but somehow I kept imagining something worse was about to happen, betrayals, shocking ulterior motives or whatever :). Thankfully, nothing did. For a moment I thought that was a slight let-down. But then I figured, why not? Why not have a book that tells a story which is remarkable in the telling, but quite commonplace in the outcome. The journey had enough twists and turns to allow for an unspectacular ending.


I almost felt the book ended a good couple of chapters from the end, and the rest was merely some extra bits and pieces thrown in to keep you in the mood for a little bit longer :). I say that as a good thing, just so there is no misunderstanding!


The contrasts might have been a touch contrived, but they worked well! Dungeons and dragons amidst blue-skied San Francisco. A quiet, quick journey into dreams of immortality.

Feeling: let down by a long day
Listening to: Carly Rae Jepsen - Tug of war

Friday 25 October 2013

Inbetween seasons

It snowed! It actually snowed last Monday! Then the 'heat wave' started, by which I mean that things warmed up to almost double digits, but not quite :). It did rain a fair bit, leaving everything rather damp and uninviting. If there was any doubt at all that I'd seen all there was to see of fall, it was quite effectively decimated.


So I got back to reading a little bit. Heinlein had been waiting, and once I started, I was quite quickly immersed back into the strangeness of the 'lunatic' language. Have I mentioned this earlier? No, I don't think I've written about The Moon is a Harsh Mistress at all. When I first started reading it, that language was one thing that took me by surprise, utterly dismayed as I was with the lack of an ending to Blackout.


It took me a few pages to realize that the strangeness was indeed part of the character of Man, and by extension the book, as it runs through the narrative. And that's the other thing, why on earth would Manuel be abbreviated to Man? It wouldn't would it? Only on the moon :).


Having only read one other book by the same author, I suppose I shouldn't have expected too many similarities. Insufficient data for a pattern and all that. But the surprise was a pleasant one. Since then I've started reading something by the name of Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore. A rather unusual one. But I've only just started, so I shall reserve judgement.


With the evenings getting longer and longer and the outdoors seeming less and less inviting, I'm beginning to get the feeling I might actually get around to reading a bit more regularly. At least till the proper snow arrives.


The one other thing worth mentioning would be Luther! I can't believe they had only fourteen episodes in all three seasons combined, but damn! I have been an Idris Elba fan for some time, and that just made things even better :D.


Of the multitude of films I've been watching though, nothing quite stands out much above general blah entertainment. Although The Family was quite a lot of fun. And Don Jon had its moments. Really looking forward to  Ender's Game next week though! Since I heard of the project, I've been wondering how that book could have ever been translated to film, I can't wait to find out!

Currently: briefly sunny
Listening to: Poliça - Spilling lines

Monday 14 October 2013

Fall blazes


The temperature's hovering dangerously close to the zero mark these days. The weather sites predict that it'll fall to the wrong side before the week's over. It was particularly awesome then, that the weather decided to shake things up a little and present us with perfect blue skies and a particularly warm couple of afternoons over the weekend :).


We decided to go exploring a little, and turned out the leaves were turning into the flaming colours of fall!




The seasons change so quickly here, almost with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it rapidity, that I count myself quite fortunate to have not only caught a pretty nice display of the colours, but managed to enjoy it without freezing!




I must say, with the weather heading for winter fast, I'm looking forward to the snow. But seeing how proper snowboarding weather is still a long way away, it's going to be interesting to see how things work out in the mean time.



I keep telling myself the biking days are over for the year, but most mornings I continue to surprise myself by choosing the bike over the car while heading to work. I get the feeling that's not going to last for much longer :D.




I wonder if there'll be one more nice weekend so that there's one last hurrah for what has been an incredible summer of biking :).



Currently: snuggling by the heater
Listening to: Iggy Azalea - Change your life (feat T.I.)

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Scubablå

It's been raining a little lately. Especially at night. A thin sort of rain, more for ambience than anything else, it seems to me. Tiny drops trickling down the windscreen, only to be scattered off into the darkness by the slightly irregular arc of the automated wipers.

I suppose I have thought about this, but I can't really remember. It's as if I've wondered about this for so long, the thoughts have abbreviated themselves into abstractions. And that affords me the luxury of discovery without the burden of expectation.

My first car! Damn :).

Barely a week and I've run it over a hundred kilometres. Without even trying really, haven't had the time. I suppose it was always going to be easier logging miles on this one than on the bike :D.

I catch myself smiling in stray moments. Sweeping around a blind corner as the sun blinks from behind a not too distant hill. Streams of light down the highway in the dark. Quiet streets in the crisp, cold autumn afternoon sunshine.

I'm gonna have to get an extension on the insured miles :D.


Currently: looking forward to the first long drive
Listening to: Klangkarussel - Sonnentanz