emily in 2009
ok, here goes ;). this is by far the most extensive set of new years resolutions i've made...let's see what happens!
1. sign completely out of email/IM/google reader for my first hour of work.
2. learn more about carbon emissions to inform a new, yet-to-be-defined resolution on the most effective way for me to limit my own impact. this one is basically a holder for a "reduce my carbon footprint" resolution until i have a more specific plan.
3. eat less meat. i've been waffling because i allow myself to consider it anti-social, when really i know how to do it without compromising that and just haven't been. also, be willing to talk about this resolution, which i totally avoid.
4. read 12 fiction books. i've been letting fiction reading slip too long in favor of news and nonfiction.
5. go backpacking once. jen's and jerry's move to CA should help out with this...
6. make a trip north of san francisco.
7. cook the perfect tomato sauce.
hopefully writing these down will keep me honest... here's to a productive, healthy 2009...
1. sign completely out of email/IM/google reader for my first hour of work.
2. learn more about carbon emissions to inform a new, yet-to-be-defined resolution on the most effective way for me to limit my own impact. this one is basically a holder for a "reduce my carbon footprint" resolution until i have a more specific plan.
3. eat less meat. i've been waffling because i allow myself to consider it anti-social, when really i know how to do it without compromising that and just haven't been. also, be willing to talk about this resolution, which i totally avoid.
4. read 12 fiction books. i've been letting fiction reading slip too long in favor of news and nonfiction.
5. go backpacking once. jen's and jerry's move to CA should help out with this...
6. make a trip north of san francisco.
7. cook the perfect tomato sauce.
hopefully writing these down will keep me honest... here's to a productive, healthy 2009...
posted by Emily at 4:03 AM
7 Comments:
hi Emily!
nice resolutions!
can we recommend and vote on the 12 fiction books you have to read?!
yeh I like your number 2, and number 3 will be a good start for your carbon reduction too!
good luck!
Taraxx
I like the sound of those ...
You need a strong olive oil for the perfect tomato sauce!
Eating less meat is a good one too, and something that I should try to do better at as well.
Aha! I feel a script coming on - ping_moxley_at_nine-am.csh ;-)
I can also help with #4, even with provision of hard copies. Slightly worried you will attempt to combine 5 and 6 and never return from the woods. Probably it'll be fine. Happy New Year!
Do you want recommendations for the fiction books? Admittedly most of my recommendations will be big chunky sci.fi. novels, which might not be what you want.
Top tip for reading more: find more places to read. On the bus (during your carbon reducing commute :-), on the toilet, in the bath, whilst waiting for the bus, etc. etc.
yeah, recommend some fiction! if a book gets 3 votes i promise i'll read it. right now topping the list is everything is illuminated (i loved extremely loud and incredibly close). never been into scifi, but one of my roommates will respect me a million times more if i give one a try sometime. phil when can i sign for my library card?
ahhh strong olive oil. i will keep that in mind and let you know what i come up with. it will be a work in progress.
I vote for Everything Is Illuminated. It is premium book. The only sci fi I can help with is by Margaret Attwood or Douglas Adams - but this is a good place to start I think. Library is open this weekend just as soon as I get the hell out of Long Beach.
I wouldn't classify Margaret Attwood as sci-fi, but Orx and Crake and Handmaidens Tail are both good. For Douglas Adams, I'd recommend Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency above the Hitchhikers stuff - I always feel the first two Hitchhikers books suffers from being adaptations from a joke-driven radio show, the fourth is a 'I don't want to write any more of these, so I'll just do a love story set on Earth' and the last one is a 'I really don't want to write these any more, I will get us out of this completly'.
But I would really recommend
The Algebraist - Iain M. Banks
Complicity - Iain Banks.
Iain Banks writes two types of books; sci-fi (which he has an M in his name for) and modern day, 'real world' novels. Complicity, the latter, has a cool concept behind it in its use of 2nd and 3rd person. The Algebraist is a sci-fi space opera which is also a 'ripping yarn', and fun to read. My wife, who doesn't love sci-fi like I do, thinks it's an awsome book. Iain Banks has a real ability just to make me smile with his use of words.
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
This is early Neal Stephenson, when editors where still able to tell him to cut down the book from a doorstep (see anything he wrote after Cryptonomicon as a lack of editorship), and also a fun cyberpunk read. Cryptonomicon is a good historical geek novel about the development of cryptography in WW2, but the shear size of the book can be daunting.
Two other suggestions, which I'd rate above Neal Stephenson:
American Gods by Neil Gamian.
Not what I'd call sci-fi, more fantasy. But very very cool.
History of the World in 10.5 Chapters by Julian Barnes.
Post a Comment
<< Home