I went to the orthopedic surgeon today and he told me, after looking at the x-rays, that he thought I probably won't have to have a pin put in the shoulder or undergo any type of surgery. This makes me very happy. I got to replace my velcro immobilizer with a more traditional and functional arm sling. The good doc also said that in a couple weeks we'll check on the progress of the healing and then in about a month start some physical therapy. He did mention that there may be some permanent mobility issues with that arm, and while I now must give up my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA, I am glad that I can start driving and return to work next week.
Special thanks to all of you who left blog messages, phoned, emailed or simply sent thoughts and prayers my way.
On another note, I posted my first review on my new site. I have decided to try video blogging for this one - at least from time to time. I talk too long on it and played with effects to no visible advantage, but it was fun to try and do something a bit more off the cuff.
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
A new blog
I'm keeping this blog and recording bits and pieces from my life - no changes on this one. But I've decided to create a new blog. Inspired by Dodge and her commitment to reading and reviewing a certain number of books per year, I've decided to take one author and explore their work in a year's time. I've chosen Agatha Christie as my author for 2008, and while that may seem a bit low-brow to some, I don't care. It's no secret I'm a huge fan and I haven't read through all of her works yet.
If any of my readers are Christie fans or have a favorite novel of hers, feel free to read along and leave your comments along with my summaries and reviews. I also want to make this blog a bit of a study, where I look for common themes woven throughout her work.
Here's the blog.
If you find you like it, feel free to bookmark it, blogline it, or create a link from your site. Or at least visit it from time to time to tell me what a nerd I'm being.
If any of my readers are Christie fans or have a favorite novel of hers, feel free to read along and leave your comments along with my summaries and reviews. I also want to make this blog a bit of a study, where I look for common themes woven throughout her work.
Here's the blog.
If you find you like it, feel free to bookmark it, blogline it, or create a link from your site. Or at least visit it from time to time to tell me what a nerd I'm being.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The Night Birds
When I got up this morning and was looking at the "Pioneer Press" over breakfast, I was happy to see a picture of fellow MSU grad student Thomas Maltman along with a full article on his new book:
I was even happier when I saw he was going to be doing a reading at Common Good Bookstore up in St. Paul's Crocus Hill neighborhood. I'm generally up in St. Paul on Sundays so I decided to go support Tom and get a copy of his book. I saw Rick Robbins there from the MSU English department and got to chat a bit with Tom before his reading began.
"The Night Birds" is an historical novel focused around the Dakota conflict of 1862 in Minnesota. But as Tom described today at his reading, it's really about family secrets and silence. I can't say more about it because I have only read the first 7 pages so far. As Tom read portions of the first two chapters, I found myself getting quickly drawn into the story and his way of telling it through the eyes of his protagonist, Asa. I felt a huge sense of anticipation and wanted the story to further unfold.
This made me think about something, and I'm not sure if I read it somewhere before, or if it's my own idea. I tend to think it's the former, because the way it played in my head, it sounded almost like some quoted advice: "One should write novels and stories like mysteries, and mystery novels like dramas." Now that I type it out, I think maybe I adapted it from Hitchcock's advice to shoot love scenes like murders and murders like love scenes. Anyway, what I thought of worked with Tom's novel. He built up suspense and anticipation in the way one would writing a detective novel. I'm excited to read it, but have a couple other books to read before I get to it, the first being Nicole Lea Helget's (also an MSU fellow student) "The Summer of Ordinary Ways" which Kristin kindly loaned me.
I was even happier when I saw he was going to be doing a reading at Common Good Bookstore up in St. Paul's Crocus Hill neighborhood. I'm generally up in St. Paul on Sundays so I decided to go support Tom and get a copy of his book. I saw Rick Robbins there from the MSU English department and got to chat a bit with Tom before his reading began. "The Night Birds" is an historical novel focused around the Dakota conflict of 1862 in Minnesota. But as Tom described today at his reading, it's really about family secrets and silence. I can't say more about it because I have only read the first 7 pages so far. As Tom read portions of the first two chapters, I found myself getting quickly drawn into the story and his way of telling it through the eyes of his protagonist, Asa. I felt a huge sense of anticipation and wanted the story to further unfold.
This made me think about something, and I'm not sure if I read it somewhere before, or if it's my own idea. I tend to think it's the former, because the way it played in my head, it sounded almost like some quoted advice: "One should write novels and stories like mysteries, and mystery novels like dramas." Now that I type it out, I think maybe I adapted it from Hitchcock's advice to shoot love scenes like murders and murders like love scenes. Anyway, what I thought of worked with Tom's novel. He built up suspense and anticipation in the way one would writing a detective novel. I'm excited to read it, but have a couple other books to read before I get to it, the first being Nicole Lea Helget's (also an MSU fellow student) "The Summer of Ordinary Ways" which Kristin kindly loaned me.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
My Summer Reading List and an Offer to Play a Toilet This Weekend
Here's what I've read and am reading this summer:
1. A Year in the Merde
I just finished this one; it's laugh out loud funny about a Brit in France who keeps stepping in it so to speak.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Okay, here's where I have to admit that I've never read any of the H.P. books. I'm not sure why; usually it's the type of fantasy read I go for. Well, I have to work at a certain bookstore this weekend at the release party for Rowling's latest book. I figured if I'm going to help out, I should at least read one of the books so I can nerd out with the kids (Side note: I will be wearing my round Danish frames that evening, perhaps with a cigarette in my mouth and a robe and scarf so I can look like a balding, aging, disillusioned Harry - I know the kids will love that). One of my managers, whose name I'll change to "Crazy Lady" to protect her identity, told me that I will be on a microphone projecting my voice out of a toilet in the elevator. I haven't read or seen the film of the second Harry Potter book, but I am supposed to be the voice for Moaning Myrtle (With a name like that, I'm gonna have to go with a phone sex operator voice on this one - the families will love it).
I've read the first couple of chapters - so far so good (already better than the film). I am also going to try and get through the entire Harry Potter series at some point in the next few months (but I'm gonna read them between other books).
3. Never Let Me Go
I have only read about a chapter of this one, but it's getting good reviews and the premise sounds intriguing to me. I've read three other novels by Ishiguro - he's got this amazing way of conveying tragedy so gently and subtly, you hardly realize it until you're in the thick of it.
4. Sophie's World
I know very little about this book except people who've read it have told me it's a great read. It sounds fascinating to me.
5. Middlemarch
When I had lunch with Dr. Mink a few weeks ago and I let her know I'd never read a novel by George Eliot, she gasped audibly and suggested that this book was probably the best Victorian novel ever written. It looks large and dense and will be the perfect book to bring on the plane when I head overseas - wherever I end up.
1. A Year in the Merde
I just finished this one; it's laugh out loud funny about a Brit in France who keeps stepping in it so to speak.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Okay, here's where I have to admit that I've never read any of the H.P. books. I'm not sure why; usually it's the type of fantasy read I go for. Well, I have to work at a certain bookstore this weekend at the release party for Rowling's latest book. I figured if I'm going to help out, I should at least read one of the books so I can nerd out with the kids (Side note: I will be wearing my round Danish frames that evening, perhaps with a cigarette in my mouth and a robe and scarf so I can look like a balding, aging, disillusioned Harry - I know the kids will love that). One of my managers, whose name I'll change to "Crazy Lady" to protect her identity, told me that I will be on a microphone projecting my voice out of a toilet in the elevator. I haven't read or seen the film of the second Harry Potter book, but I am supposed to be the voice for Moaning Myrtle (With a name like that, I'm gonna have to go with a phone sex operator voice on this one - the families will love it).
I've read the first couple of chapters - so far so good (already better than the film). I am also going to try and get through the entire Harry Potter series at some point in the next few months (but I'm gonna read them between other books).
3. Never Let Me Go
I have only read about a chapter of this one, but it's getting good reviews and the premise sounds intriguing to me. I've read three other novels by Ishiguro - he's got this amazing way of conveying tragedy so gently and subtly, you hardly realize it until you're in the thick of it.
4. Sophie's World
I know very little about this book except people who've read it have told me it's a great read. It sounds fascinating to me.
5. Middlemarch
When I had lunch with Dr. Mink a few weeks ago and I let her know I'd never read a novel by George Eliot, she gasped audibly and suggested that this book was probably the best Victorian novel ever written. It looks large and dense and will be the perfect book to bring on the plane when I head overseas - wherever I end up.
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