Category Archives: books and learning

More writing ..again

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So, yet another piece of writing software becomes part of my choice to buy as part of Dad’s iTunes gift and yet I claim I want to de-clutter my life. But he did say to buy something very me; and rightly or wrongly, this feels very very me and something that is in fact very him too.

But writing does help and so I write. This bit perhaps to de-clutter my head if not my desk. I tried 750 words, but somehow that felt like competitive clutter, online clutter and another login and so I found myself stopping.

So Christmas is over and I’ve used the gift vouchers or am starting to. The iTunes voucher, Books for the Kindle, a dress some time ago, and my perfume by virtue of a gift voucher from my brother. The rest was food-y which was nice, although my stomach wasn’t really up to much this time unfortunately even on the day itself, in a pretty severe way.

So one of the books I choose was The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul. 24 pages in, he is a very funny and self-deprecating author. So the book is fun, but so far I am still sitting here in what I consider to be a mess. I can’t help wondering how much flexibility I should allow for limited mobility etc. Time will tell I guess

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But something I did like

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Was Meg Wolfe‘s The Minimalist Woman and the follow up The Minimalist Woman’s Guide to Having it All. Buying the latter especially in light of the whole minimalism philosophy and my own, did indeed feel a little counter intuitive! But both books were each useful.

I seem to be on a gentle quest of self-development. I dare not speak too loudly of it as experience has taught me that if I start striving after self-development, I crash and burn.

So mini steps (micro rolls) are working for me.

  • I’m getting a little better at boundaries. Long long way to go here, but I’m not turning myself inside out to fit other’s schedules or more likely lack of them.
  • I’ve bought yoghurt, nuts and protein drinks and am eating them as snacks. This increase in fibre and protein has had an impact, some of it a little inconvenient.
  • I’m using things up before I toss them.
  • So far I’d decided I’m going to use up my other perfumes before I replace my favourite one.
  • Despite the stack, I’m trying to read a book or two to the end before starting a new one.
  • every time I leave this room I try and toss a piece of rubbish.

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Just writing

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I’ve always wanted to be a writer. A good writer. Partly because I love words and the way they can move both writer and reader of all types. But partly if I’m honest ( the new me now) because when well done, it seems it can be portable.

I want to write because I want to hope that I’m half good at it. I want to write because I feel safer behind my words. But in the same breath I don’t think I’m that good at it. Or at best good enough to do the dream.

I don’t remember the small things of my life, my real life. I promise myself I will, but I don’t. I also don’t really remember the details of good enough stuff I read.

I’m listening to Geraldine Brookes giving the first of her four Boyer lectures. It is broadly speaking on the environment and having a sense of place. I usually get turned off by environmental activism as much of it seems to be anti people, anti relationship and anti balance and full of guilt mungering and but you must know generalizations

I like the way she put her acknowledgement of country neatly within the context of her lecture; where it made sense and resonated with the rest of the points she was making. I believe her. I join her in that sentiment wholeheartedly as opposed to watching it sit there like a sixth digit.

I now at the end of that lecture want to go and check that the wheelchair charger that keeps me disabled and handicapped from having any sort of real wilderness experience is off and run the handwashing load that is due as early as possible to make use the natural sunlight to dry things in air.

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Weekend and quasi-book review

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The ChildrenThe Children by Charlotte Wood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

Saturday was a nice start to the Labor Day long weekend. A lowish tech day, but I was pleased to discover that it wasn’t hard to be low-tech.

I read “The Children” by Australia author Charlotte Wood. I had read The Submerged Cathedral when it first came out a few years ago, and liked it and although the back cover indicated that “The Children” was going to be a sad read, I picked it up in a local bookshop after lamenting my lack of fiction reading and reading in general.Of paper books at any rate!

The premise of the book is roughly thus:adult children who; let’s just say have their differences, gather from the four corners in the small country town of their upbringing round the bedside  of ageing father who is suddenly in a coma and try to deal with stuff, including, of course family politics and a local stalker!

I read all 300 ish pages in the space of say 6 hours. I certainly didn’t read it non-stop but in two or three longish stints. It was part of my vaguely successful pre-birthday retreat thing. As it has since emerged I need whatever respite I was given.

It was a good read – insightful without being too profound so that I didn’t feel taught but more “included”. I laughed and sighed as if I was part of the family. The dying man was there but as a facilitator and the use of foreground and shadow settings made it all more ok

 

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Moments with Socrates — making choices

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My recent readings having included re-reading Socrates’ Apology (as reported we think by Plato).

A passage has struck me: — apologies for the gendered language

 

“You are mistaken, my friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to spend his time weighing up the prospects of life and death. He has only one thing to consider in performing any action; that is, whether he is acting rightly or wrongly, like a good man or a bad one” 27B-28C

 

 

 

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I haven’t forgotten

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Just had a busy few weeks with university exams and other workish or life-ish management.

And with reading Pride and Prejudice yet again. This time another spin-off. This time a good
series told from Darcy’s point of view by an American author, Pamela Aiden. Reviews to follow.

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four deviant behaviours in one day

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I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, on criminological/psychological/sociological issues. I find myself like I did when I first went to uni years ago suddenly wondering how deviant I am. It is apparently a well recognised phenomena, self diagnosis based on reading of the characteristics of deviant behaviour, or mental health issues.

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tuesday tiny: not a dark mark

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I’m back studying again for all sorts of reasons and yet none at all.

I’m doing it online, but through a proper university here. I’m excited.

 

Especially when I get a mark of 93% on my first online exam this year.

And I know what I’m going to do for the essays due in the next two weeks.

Feel good about it.

 

 

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On the selling of books

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I’ve been following It’s All Too Much
by Peter Walsh an Australian turned American declutter expert. After two read-throughs of the book, I’ve been slowly getting my head around throwing things out. I’m heartily sick of being unable to find things and this has actually been a good remedy, even if I haven’t found any of the exact things on my list. I’ve found 3 DVD’s i loved and was missing as well as two books that I had missed. No sign of the missing key or my winter wardrobe. But still.

It’s been a good practise to get into. Books I fear will be my Achilles heel. Although I have recently gone through my bookcase and have a garbage bag full of books that are not representative of me, or that I can’t bring myself to read again. I fear that I have a long way to go. I have listed 2 today on eBay, with more to come.

With a pile of books that I must get through reading, including two largely untouched library books I must get to, now is not the time to indulge in rereading or in what I call “re-try” reading. I was well behaved putting these books in the eBay pile, but as I looked through them to write up the listing., I had pangs of regret.

“maybe I should reread this one”
“I didn’t give this one a fair shot.”

“Did I get as much use out of this one as I could”

Oh if only I had infinite time time to read.

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