Somewhere along the line my library practically did away with limits on audio materials. You can check out up to 50 (!!) CDs and books on tape. I was a bit floored. I used to get around the limits by picking out a few biographies or nonfiction works on CD for road trips. No more!
Yay!
Another thing that's changed over the past few years is that all the books on tape* are unabridged. (*Yes, I'll continue saying it that way even if I get them in CD format. Kind of like "album.")
Yay!
Wait. Yay?
Gotta say, I'm a bit self-conscious admitting this, but I prefer the abridged versions on tape. Cause, see, it takes a really long time to read a book out loud. (Aside--I just tried to look up how many hours the audio version of The World According to Garp was. I swear there's no easy way to find the answer to that sort of trivia.) Anyhoo, a 354 page book takes over 11 hours to listen to. No, that's not how long Garp is. Silly reader! Didn't you at least do a hover over the link to see?
Rambly Rambly.
My point. A longish weekend road trip (like say, to Georgia) is about 12 hours round trip. The first hour or so you want to listen to NPR. See how the convention is going, maybe do a little Mandalit del Barco name mimicking--that sort of thing. Same with the last hour. Then you need to factor in the "I really should pay attention" times. Traffic. Construction. Rain. Phone calls. Detours. And sometimes you just want music. So really, chances are good you won't finish a 12-hour audiobook on this sort of trip. The abridged versions, however, last only about 4-6 hours. You can get one of those done. Sometimes two.
But maybe a better argument is that I don't like every single book. So if you begin the 12 hour one and don't like it, then you have to switch to one of your backup books. Repeat that a couple of times, and again--you won't finish.
Of course the reason why I'm embarrassed about this is that abridgement is inherently bad, to literature purists. It tastes of censorship. And smells of bowdlerlization. Enough of my identity is tied up in the insecurity of not being smart enough that I get twinges about this. See? I used the world bowdlerize, fercrissake.
I know I'm overthinking a plate of beans. At least maybe that tendency of mine will help stave off dementia.
These are the books and CDs I checked out today (see blog post title).
I'd planned to blog my very fun Thursday evening watching the VH1 Classic's "Rock honors the Who" with Cristin, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Fabulously, Cristin did the evening much more justice than I ever could. And the photos! You've gotta step over to Cristin's blog to see the goodness of the pix she took.
Additional observations: • I introduced Cristin to McVicar, which had shots of Roger Daltrey's bare butt. I saw it at the Eastown theater* with my wonderful stepmother, who took a 10 year old girl to a midnight movie because she loved the Who. • The musicians' commentary on Squeeze Box, my standard karaoke song, has vindicated me. I get made fun of for liking the song. NUH UH, baby! Sting likes it! So does Joan Jett! And Billy Idol! HA! • I used to know all the lyrics of all the songs. That is no longer true. However, thanks to the magic of Google, I was able to sing along with everything anyway. • Cristin does a damned good job of keeping her house cat-dander free. I slept over (very responsible of me) on her couch, and didn't have even one moment of breathing problems.
*No longer a theater--I think it's a church now, which in GR makes all sorts of sense.
Went this a.m. to a Christmas parade. Disappointing was how many entries/floats/whatever were advertising. The freaking Chik-Fil-A cow was there. Along with insurance companies, mortgage brokers, realtors...when did that all happen?
The highlights as far as I'm concerned were the bands, the Jazzercise ladies, and the water company people, who gave me a free low-flow showerhead. Oh, but the real highlight is the the Christmas In December 2007 CD my pal Jerrypants gave me. They're always the best ever.
I just made some toffee for a cookie exchange I'm going to tomorrow. The recipe doesn't quite make enough for my needs, though, so tomorrow I'll be making something more. Maybe jam thumbprint cookies. We'll see.
Here's the toffee recipe:
1 cup butter 1 cup sugar Chocolate chips Chopped nuts
Basically melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly until it reaches 310ยบ F or hard crack. By that time it will be a deep rich brown. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Let cool just enough so the top is hardened a little and sprinkle the chocolate chips over it. They will melt. Spread the chocolate evenly and dump the nuts on. Let cool, and then crack it apart into bite-sized pieces.
This video I've embedded has made my day. I actually have no idea what Net Neutrality is about (google! where are you??), but this issue apparently brings together all the happy oddness of the internets I've ever known. Check out We Are the Web. Watch this first:
Tune in to WXDU tonight (10/28) to be terrorized by the most frightfully good mix of 50s and 60s monster rock this side of Transylvania! Put on your costume and pot up your radio dial to hear blood curdling songs about mummies, vampires, Hindus on Hondas and more! Its gonna be a graveyard smash!
N. Carolinians: listen locally at 88.7 FM. Out of staters: freak out over the internet at wxdu.org!
Who's Got the Cuckoo? 8:30-9:30 PM WXDU 88.7 FM Durham, NC wxdu.org
Spookily, *********
I'm sick. Pounding head, stuffy nose, alternately cold and hot (but no measurable fever), plugged ears, sore throat, achy...wanting nothing but to sleep. I put off a trip to Greensboro to meet Joyce and Laurie, which, BOO, because it's high time we met, dangnabit.
I'm supposed to make a yellow birthday cake with whipped cream icing for a coworker who avoids all cake except that kind. I just called my boss at home, though, and begged out. Whew. Saved by the bell.
But I had to share this with you. I remembered this song for some reason, and well, I had to figure it out. Nobody else here Chez Nemoid seems to remember. Do you?
By the by, I have no idea why it's set to anime. Anime means, um, nothing to me.
7:30 a.m. Go to Jean's Berry Patch and pick, like, $10-15 of strawberries 9:00 a.m. Wash and process berries. Freeze many. Make jam. Buy rhubarb. Make pie. Not necessarily in that order.
Friday, May 4th, 2007 8:30 a.m. work 6:00 p.m. stop work 8:00 p.m. Rod Stewart concert, if my boss picks my name in the drawing and gives me two free tickets. I have one person who thinks they can go with me, but let me know if YOU want to go, in case that falls through!
Saturday, May 5th, 2007 7:00 a.m. Report to Mason Farm Biological Reserve to participate in the Spring Bird count 2007 with well-renowned local birders and friends. 11:00 a.m. Scoot home and shower. 12:30 p.m. Arrive at work (So far I will have driven ~50-60 miles) 5:00 p.m. Go to Maria's house with tent, sleeping bag, binoculars, change of clothes for hiking and etc. Party. Party. Party. Sleep over in tent.
Sunday May 6th, 2007 7:00 a.m. Bird with Maria, her partner David and some others. I can't remember who all she said.
I think I'm supposed to do other stuff on Sunday too, but I don't remember what!
I always thought Tori Amos was black, for some reason. I have no idea why or what that means. I wonder how many other musicians that I think are black aren't. Or vice-versa. Or whatever other race/ethnicity.
Oh, I realized the other day the reason why I blog. Primarily it's because I have nobody to tell the little ins and outs of daily life.
My face does. Under my nose, I've got a nice sore lump that promises to be a gorgeous cysty zit. My hair knows, too! Its fancy sleekness begged me for a fast-food haircut last week and I acquiesced. Now it's uneven and choppy in an unintentional way. At least it's still greasy in the morning, because I'd be lost if I didn't have something ordinary to expect.
It's really not all dread though. I've got a healthy amount of excitement flowing through me. I have plans (don't I always have plans!) to make this life transition healthy like I did when I went home to visit my parents. I've been concerned about my body's functionality recently, due to less movement in general and the weight having crept, nay, sprinted up on me over the last couple of years.
The routine should do me well too. I have managed to spend the last bit of time very unmotivated. It might just be that the more you have to do and the less time you have to get it done, the more you actually accomplish. I hope so. So tomorrow I'll report to Capitol City at 10 a.m., having walked for 30 minutes already. I've got a slew of lunches in the freezer from my cooking jag last week, and a trip to Trader Joe's yesterday has replenished the non-freezer items. They're healthful lunches, too!
****** (Before I say anything else, I want everyone around to know that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like the following band, even though I'll be a little snarky here.)
For once in my life, I have found my own music. Listening to the few songs on the band's myspace page; I made a few observations. I like it because I can understand the lyrics. It's peppy sounding. That means it's pop, yeah? And then by extension it's clearly indie pop. Which doesn't surprise me, because ever since a friend introduced me to both the term and the genre while I was in college, I've liked that sound.
Anyway, the album begins with a song called When I Wake, and ends with one called When I Sleep. Brilliant, observant me listened to the songs side by side before looking at the track listing and thought, MY GOD this is a repetitive sounding band! My other observation was that they kind of reminded me of a boy band (God, I bet they'd hate that comparison!!)
Watch this and tell me I'm not right about the boy band comparison!
Conclusion: I love The Changes, and they're going to hate me because of this so-called review. Darren, Dave, Rob and Jonny? Please don't hate me! If you come to my area, I promise I'll go see you. Right now the closest I can tell you are coming is about 2.5 hours southwest from where I live. And then you'll be going about 3 hours from me, but on the OTHER side of the state. You're very cute, too.
