November 28th 2008
I’m enjoying using GoodReads to keep track of books and thought I’d try out their tool to blog a review I just wrote…
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
rating: 1 of 5 stars
Bleh. This book was somewhat satisfying light chick lit until the end when it tried to be serious and meaningful. The knitting elements were somewhat interesting but overall I thought this book was a waste of time.
April 15th 2007
So where have I been? Doing research on two very different topics: library science and inner ear surgery. I just completed hell week, also known as Comprehensive Exams. Four research papers on current issues in library and information science and technology, each coming in around 6 pages long (that was the limit — as one classmate put it, when did it get harder to write shorter papers than longer ones?). I think Comps are outdated and have become pointless, especially with the way our degree is obtained these days but that’s a whole ‘nother story.
But they’re done now so all I have left between me and my degree is my final project for my flash class which is FUN, unlike writing research papers. And honestly, comps probably wouldn’t have been so hellish if I hadn’t been battling Meniere’s symptoms all week. And I mean big time symptoms. Vertigo nearly every day. Mild compared to what I’ve experienced in the past but enough to keep me in bed and unable to tolerate light or sound most of the day. Massive fatigue. Terrible fullness in my ear causing headaches, neckaches, shoulderaches, and on one occasion, a migraine. I made it to work one day and I had to leave early. My boss is so understanding and sympathetic and I know that this past week was probably particularly bad because of the stress of comps. But enough is enough.
I’ll be curious to see how this next, relatively low-stress week goes for me health wise. But the last few weeks have pushed me on to the next step: Gentamicin injections. Yup, I’m ready for it and now that I’ve done plenty of research on it and especially read up on recent studies, I’m very encouraged about the chance to have total control of vertigo. The downside? 7-10 days of vertigo as a reaction to the treatment, although it is actually a good sign because it means the poison is getting in there and killing the little damaged hair cells and my brain is reacting and learning to depend more on my good ear for balance. That’s the best un-medicalese definition I can give but if you want to know more about Gent treatments for Meniere’s Disease, I really like this doctor’s website: http://dizziness-and-balance.com/treatment/ttg.html
The sweater. Decision was to stay with 160 stitches and go down a needle size and measure more often. But that got put on the back burner because yesterday was my little sister’s birthday and she picked out the laptop messenger bag from Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation for me to make for her. She picked out her colors and I’ve been working on it here and there when I’ve had down time or been unable to do anything else. Health and comps prevented me from getting it done on time but it’s nearly there, just some finishing touches needed and then the felting. I’ve never done felting before and it’s a bit frightening but I’m sure I’ll survive. I just hope the bag does too. I’ll take pictures soon and post, hopefully pre and post felting. The sweater will be picked up again soon.
Oh, by the way, my first gentamicin injection will be the 23rd, a week from tomorrow. I’m taking the week off work in anticipation of the vertigo. I’m stocking up on audiobooks and knitting projects for when I’m too ill to do anything else. I’m starting to listen to the Harry Potter books. I’ve made a habit of re-reading the previous ones before a new one comes out. This time I decided I’ll listen to the first six before I read the seventh one which will be out in a few months. Good books I’ve read (or listened to) recently but am too lazy, tired, and sick to blog about:
The Emperor’s Children, by Claire Messud
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Lucky, by Susan Patron
Two thumbs up for all of them but I’ll blog about them later. It’s nice to have a bit of time to blog. Sorry to my audio fans, I haven’t been able to record with the time constraints and super-sensitive ear but hopefully I’ll get a chapter or two done this week. Now that comps are in the past, it seems like I finally have time to do things I want to do. If only I felt well enough to do them all. Hence the Gentamicin injections. Wish me luck.
January 1st 2007
Book review of:
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists: A Novel
by Gideon Defoe
This is the third in Defoe’s highly entertaining “Pirates! In an Adventure with …” series, the first two adventures being with Scientists and Ahab. These books tell of the Pirate Captain and his crew (the albino pirate, the pirate who used to be a mailman, the pirate with scurvy, etc.) as they go on unlikely adventures. It’s hard to explain what is just so funny about these books, you sort of just have to read them. They are completely asynchronous, happening supposedly in the past but with frequent references to current cultural elements and events. One particularly funny example is when the Pirate Captain and Karl Marx discuss their “What’s Hot and What’s Not” lists.
To give you an idea of the books, go to the author’s website and read an excerpt from one of the books. Also, here is one of my favorite passages from the most recent book. The setting is that some of the pirates have been listening to Dr. Marx and believe they are being unfairly oppressed. They go to the Pirate Captain with their demands:
“The pirate with a monobrow began to recite his list. ‘One: an end to the use of derogatory phrases such as “you scurvy landlubbers” when ordering us about. Because when you think about it, it doesn’t even make much sense, seeing as how landlubbers don’t tend to get scurvy. Two: more of a say on what we eat at feasts. Perhaps we could be a little more adventurous with our choice of meats? Three: when you read us a bedtime story, we were hoping it could be something other than your unpublished novel? Oh yes, and four: a more equal distribution of cereal from mini variety packs.’”
Did I mention that they are obsessed with ham? Need I say more? Enjoy.
December 4th 2006
Chicken with Plums
by Marjane Satrapi
I’m a fan of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novels, but they are so dark at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I like dark, but I need something to balance the darkness and that is lacking especially in her most recent work. I found her autobiographical works, Persepolis and Persepolis 2 to be fascinating but somewhat dense reading. Then Embroideries, based on stories Satrapi has heard from women in her family about various sexual encounters was a wonderful work, both funny and dark at times. Chicken with Plums is all dark and depressing. It is a wonderfully twisted love story, but I found myself wondering what the lesson was. Or maybe I missed the point and there isn’t a lesson, maybe it’s just a story. But I found even the story difficult because the main character (based on the author’s great-uncle) was mostly unlikable, making it was difficult for me to feel any sympathy for him. As always, Satrapi’s black and white artwork is beautiful in its style and simplicity. Here’s hoping her next work is a bit more like Embroideries.
December 4th 2006
In the Belly of the Bloodhound
by L.A. Meyer
Jacky Faber, that is. I absolutely love these books; this being the fourth and most recent in the series. Jacky was an orphan living on the streets of London until she decided to pretend to be a boy and get a place on a ship. Jacky is a sailor at heart, and a bit of a pirate too, which of course makes for great fun. In the first book she falls in love with Jamie, another of the ship’s boys, and her identity as a girl is eventually revealed. But that doesn’t stop her from continuing her swashbuckling adventures, or getting into trouble due to her “free and easy ways” in the following books. These books have a real element of history and tragedy to them along with the fun and shenanigans. Jacky has had a difficult life and things don’t always turn out wrapped up all nice and pretty at the end. I absolutely devoured this book and now I’m depressed I’ll have to wait a couple years probably for the next one.
