The perfect view for
a weary traveler still
looking for escape Continue reading “Bookshelf”
#WeekendCoffeeShare–In Which I Make $7.00
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I did absolutely nothing of interest this week besides receiving seven measly dollars in return for a bagful of old CDs and books that I brought in to sell at Half Priced Books. When I first went up to the counter to receive my bid, I thought the employee said $37, which I was going to be rather surprised and gleeful about. Alas, though, when I looked at the receipt, that $7 couldn’t be mistaken for anything else–as it gazed up at me with what I swear was a smirk.
I must admit, I wasn’t expecting much from this load given most of the books dated from the early 2000’s–and given that the majority of the world doesn’t even listen to CDs anymore. I mean, even the ever so popular iPod is out of date these days with the emergence of music streaming. Even still, I was optimistically hoping for at least an even $10. Oh, woe is me! Though, I suppose, life will go on…
If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have spent the majority of this week searching and applying for jobs in the D.C. area.
I am saving my money in order to move to Washington D.C. and, as a result, have really been limiting my expenditures of Continue reading “#WeekendCoffeeShare–In Which I Make $7.00”
The Friday Fifty-Six: Contemplations on Hate
On an April morning, when the first snowmelt brought grassy scents from the mountains, the Luftwaffe sent wave after wave of Stuka dive-bombers to raid Belgrade. Armies from four hostile nations poured across the border. It took less than two weeks for the Yugoslav army to surrender. Even before that, Germany had declared Sarajevo part of a new state. “This is now the Ustashe and Independent State of Croatia,” the Nazi-appointed leader had declared. “It must be cleansed of Serbs and Jews. There is no room for any of them here. Not a stone upon stone will remain of what once belonged to them.”
People of the Book is a historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks that concerns itself with an imagined history of the the Sarajevo Haggadah, a well-known and very prized illuminated Continue reading “The Friday Fifty-Six: Contemplations on Hate”
When You Spend Most of Your Pay Check on Books…
Okay, so I wouldn’t say most of my pay check…I just like to exaggerate here.
Anywho…
I usually don’t venture into Barnes & Noble without a gift card. Such a trip would be dangerous and books are so expensive these days. I just can’t afford to be spending all of my money on books you know, as much as I’d like to!
Well, it just so happened that I had a few such gift cards in my wallet for what seemed like quite a while, so, on my day off on Tuesday, IÂ decided to make my way into the labyrinth with the intention of only buying a book or two…
Not. So.
…and I have a book problem.
Needless to say, I spent way more than the money I had on my gift cards (turns out one of them only had $2.00 left on it…whoops!) and I regret nothing. It’s that buy two get one free deal that really got me this time. I just couldn’t resist!
That said, don’t let me into that store for the rest of the summer. I have to save some money, after all…and I can’t bring all these books to Thailand, you know! I have a few months to do A LOT of reading, but there’s a lot more books piled up that I somehow managed to acquire this summer before this Barnes and Noble visit of mine.
Well, I guess there are worse problems I could have…after all, there’s nothing ever wrong with reading a good book.
Quotes! Quotes! and More Quotes!
Back in the day (as in, the early to mid-2000’s), I was a big fan of the book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (pseudonym for American author, Daniel Handler). I remember eagerly awaiting the release of each new book in the series, going to buy them (with my own allowance money, might I add, something I was very proud of) as soon as they were available.
The books were eccentric, but that’s why I liked them. They weren’t like every single other book out there on the market and to my young, pre-teen self, that was refreshing.
So, I read these books around a decade ago and I remember the gist of the plot (three orphaned siblings are schlepped around from one exceptionally strange foster home with some sort of evil villain to the next), but that’s about it. As I was searching through my Pinterest Board the other day, I came to realize that Continue reading “Quotes! Quotes! and More Quotes!”
Paperback
Do not let its spine,
battered, deceive you. Its words
hold strength in numbers. Continue reading “Paperback”
Friday Fifty-Six: A Dose of Currer Bell
Today’s Friday Fifty-Six is brought to you by the Penguin Drop Caps Edition of Jane Eyre, a.k.a. my second and very prized copy of this beautiful piece of classic literature.
Jane Eyre happens to be my favorite book and, for that reason, I thought it was only fitting to include it in an early edition of my contribution to the Friday Fifty-Six.
I cannot even begin to describe how important this book is to me, why I love Jane, the character, oh so much; how, since I read it for the first time at twelve years of age, this book continues to speak to me more and more with every read.
I cannot begin to describe any of that in one short post, so I leave you with this short excerpt instead, from page fifty-six of the Penguin Drop Caps Edition of Jane Eyre:
As yet I had spoken to no one, nor did anybody seem to take notice of me; I stood lonely enough, but that feeling of isolation I was accustomed; it did not oppress me much. I leant against a pillar of the veranda, drew my gray mantle close about me, and, trying to forget the cold which nipped me without, and the unsatisfied hunger which gnawed me within, delivered myself up to the employment of watching and thinking.
And, sometimes, the employment of watching and thinking is simply the very best there is.
The Friday 56 link up is hosted by Freda’s Voice.
#WeekendCoffeeShare–So About that Head Lice and Other Stories
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that oh, hey, I had a head lice scare earlier this week! What? Head lice, which is much more common among children and here I am at 22 being told I had lice…AND I NEVER SPEND TIME WITH CHILDREN! A dermatologist told me this lovely news on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, before heading to work, my mom and I stopped at this lice specialist (they highly recommended Mom come too because we live together. Dad shaves his head, so no worries there) only for them to tell me there that the dermatologist was sorely confused. I actually don’t have lice. Of course, this is after I paid a good sum of money for a lice treatment product and had to endure my mother freaking out the whole of Tuesday night because of my supposed lice infestation. Well, I made it through childhood without head lice and now, it seems, I’ve made it one step further in adulthood. I don’t have lice. Huzzah! Makes for a good story, though, right?
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that work is fabulous. My body is adjusting to the long hours on my feet so I don’t hurt as much as I used to when I get home. My coworkers are all great, which is an added plus. Basically, I get to make coffee and other delicious drinks all day. I also bake cookies (another task on my work list) when needed. This is my job, people, and I love it! Well, there’s the cleaning up and around the espresso bar, too, which I don’t mind, because I’ve always found Continue reading “#WeekendCoffeeShare–So About that Head Lice and Other Stories”
The Friday Fifty-Six: Inaugural Post
I was just over at Part Time Monster reading Diana’s Friday Fifty Six and I thought, THIS IS THE BEST IDEA EVER! I MUST JOIN!
USPS Delivers…!
I don’t get snail mail often, and when I do you can bet your boots the United States Postal Service has delivered me goodies from either…
a) Some graduate school trying to woo me into their program (Thanks GRE)
b) The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum sending complimentary stationary and calendars while kindly asking for money (I guess I signed up for their mailing list when I visited last July?)
c) My credit union sending the usual things credit unions send to their members
d) The usual college information from my university…though now, that will inevitably become the alumni association probably most likely [obnoxiously] asking for money and sending information about alumni events
Today though? Today was a happy mail day that just happened to fill my heart with joy. I came back from my first day of work (which wasn’t so bad, though I Continue reading “USPS Delivers…!”
It's a Britta Bottle! 