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Books and many other things.
Thu, Dec. 4th, 2003 10:43 pmThe boy and I just found a wonderful little restaurant hidden a little off downtown Mountain View. It's a Japanese ramen place, very hole-in-the-wall. Linoleum floors, two u-shaped counters and one or two very small tables. Two bookshelves stuffed with old manga. Random Japanese beer ads scattered around, with a sort of pictoral menu on the wall. Tv is bolted to the ceiling and plays those absolutely insane Japanese game shows. I love it! It's little and kind of uncleanly looking, like the tables have accumulated just a little too much grease. The Japanese TV station is jabbering on, there's manga, and it feels like Japan. I really want to make this a type of regular restaurant. This is one of the parts I love about settling down somewhere -- I've got my little cafe in Books Inc right next door, where the girl at the register probably thinks I'm insane because I always order the same thing and count out exact change because I've ordered it so often. Before, when it was warmer, there was the other cafe by the library where I would sit outside, or Posh Bagel. There's the little gelato store. It's nice to have little regular places to go to.
Currently, reading-wise, my non-fiction streak continues.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell felt a little glib to me in its explanations of certain trends, although I take a certain inherent satisfaction in watching these trends progress. ( more )
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things, by Barry Glassner, was a bit more interesting and a bit more of a real psychological/sociological study, as opposed to The Tipping Point, which sounded like (and ended up in) my section on books on How to Market. Unfortunately, Fear was written in 1999, which was very readily apparent when the author almost jibes at people being scared of terrorist attacks or air travel. ( more )
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman (and Ralph Leighton) and Tuva or Bust! by Ralph Leighton -- My most enjoyable read as of late. Feynman is just so funny and so strange that it's almost impossible to not breeze through the first book. ( more )
The boy and I also had an interesting conversation last night in which he rambled on about how he doesn't think math (calculus type) isn't used enough for practical applications when it'd solve so many things. This led me to come up with my theory on why the humanities/arts are so important, despite everyone decrying them as bull or something you can just make up. Because I think that's the point. When I do close readings, I never think I am coming up with the only explanation. I think I am coming up with an interesting explanation, but I'm also pretty sure I can believe in two explanations or more of text at the same time. And that's what I think literature helps with -- we all go through life never quite knowing what actually is going on. We have to extrapolate by doing close readings of people's words or body language or actions, and we come up with various explanations. But we know these are never fixed. Plus, the meta bit on POV -- what's more important? The intent of the author? The experiences of the reader? In life, both -- giant arguments come up where I misinterpret someone's words, or they strike in just the wrong way thanks to my experiences in a way that someone may not have intended. And yet, it doesn't negate the harm. Nor does my interpretation mean that that is exactly what was in their brain. And reading is in a sense an ongoing argument -- how much makes sense? Which pieces fit? I thought this was rather interesting, but the boy fell asleep =(.
Currently, reading-wise, my non-fiction streak continues.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell felt a little glib to me in its explanations of certain trends, although I take a certain inherent satisfaction in watching these trends progress. ( more )
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things, by Barry Glassner, was a bit more interesting and a bit more of a real psychological/sociological study, as opposed to The Tipping Point, which sounded like (and ended up in) my section on books on How to Market. Unfortunately, Fear was written in 1999, which was very readily apparent when the author almost jibes at people being scared of terrorist attacks or air travel. ( more )
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman (and Ralph Leighton) and Tuva or Bust! by Ralph Leighton -- My most enjoyable read as of late. Feynman is just so funny and so strange that it's almost impossible to not breeze through the first book. ( more )
The boy and I also had an interesting conversation last night in which he rambled on about how he doesn't think math (calculus type) isn't used enough for practical applications when it'd solve so many things. This led me to come up with my theory on why the humanities/arts are so important, despite everyone decrying them as bull or something you can just make up. Because I think that's the point. When I do close readings, I never think I am coming up with the only explanation. I think I am coming up with an interesting explanation, but I'm also pretty sure I can believe in two explanations or more of text at the same time. And that's what I think literature helps with -- we all go through life never quite knowing what actually is going on. We have to extrapolate by doing close readings of people's words or body language or actions, and we come up with various explanations. But we know these are never fixed. Plus, the meta bit on POV -- what's more important? The intent of the author? The experiences of the reader? In life, both -- giant arguments come up where I misinterpret someone's words, or they strike in just the wrong way thanks to my experiences in a way that someone may not have intended. And yet, it doesn't negate the harm. Nor does my interpretation mean that that is exactly what was in their brain. And reading is in a sense an ongoing argument -- how much makes sense? Which pieces fit? I thought this was rather interesting, but the boy fell asleep =(.