That's it! I'm all done grad school. It doesn't quite seem real yet. I haven't yet felt a sense of loss at no longer having that status, but perhaps that is because being done is better than being in the fray. "I can't - too busy with school" doesn't apply any more, but I still feel there aren't enough hours. "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want." Garfield? Calvin? Not sure who said it, but it applies to me. I want to play my flute, and work on my stamp collection (mock if you will - it was fun when I was a kid and it's still fun), do puzzles, write on this blog, read more, enjoy TV without guilt, experiment with cooking, get back to the gym (went to a brutal spin class today - first time in two months!), write to my family more... so much to do! It's only been a few weeks, but I've started to get to my non-grad-student list.
And one of the things I wanted to get to was the Lord of the Rings. I last wrote when I was reading the Fellowship. I have gotten through the Two Towers, and also the Return of the King. I tried to read the appendices, but the first one was like reading that part of the Bible where so-and-so begot such-and-such - just a huge list of jumbled names, and I just couldn't. Plus, I didn't want the extra information to take away from what was an absolutely mesmerizing place - Middle Earth is wonderful. I would visit in a heartbeat - particularly Lothlorien. He really did create a whole world. When you read a book and not one detail is missing to make it real - when nothing takes your attention away from the story, because the background is flawless - that is truly magical writing. I enjoyed every sentence. Even the simplest detail was beautifully conveyed. Everyone should read LOTR.
I have seen the first movie, and of course, with the book so fresh in my mind, I was somewhat disappointed. I suppose I shouldn't have expected more - they couldn't possibly include all of the details that made the books as good as they were. But they left out a LOT. Like Tom Bombadil.
I've waited so long, so I look forward to the other two movies. But I can say with absolute certainty that the books are worth every moment you spend reading them. I waited far too long to tuck them under my belt.
Titles: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
Author: J. R. R. Tolkein
Pages: 1,664
Total books blogged: 4
Total pages: 1,874
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Word of the Week: Muskellunge
As I anticipate spending much time reading, and much time writing about reading, why not add a lighthearted weekly interlude? All of these books must have new words, or words I'm not overly familiar with. I shall try to explore these on a semi-regular basis.
This week's word: muskellunge. It is mentioned by Farley Mowat as he travels in back-country Ontario. It is a fish - the largest member of the pike family, specifically, and apparently hunted for sport by the Eaton family back when. You can call it a "muskie", if you like.
In other news, I am trading my late-night snack, which is an unhealthy habit that I have trying to break D of (but have somehow let myself slide), for a late-night tea. Tonight's is apple cinnamon, but I let it steep too long, and it is VERY cinnamon-y. Still tasty, but I will become a better tea-brewer as I become a regular blogger and a more frequent reader.
This week's word: muskellunge. It is mentioned by Farley Mowat as he travels in back-country Ontario. It is a fish - the largest member of the pike family, specifically, and apparently hunted for sport by the Eaton family back when. You can call it a "muskie", if you like.
In other news, I am trading my late-night snack, which is an unhealthy habit that I have trying to break D of (but have somehow let myself slide), for a late-night tea. Tonight's is apple cinnamon, but I let it steep too long, and it is VERY cinnamon-y. Still tasty, but I will become a better tea-brewer as I become a regular blogger and a more frequent reader.
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Currently Reading: Eastern Passage by Farley Mowat
I told someone that I was reading my first Farley Mowat book. They looked at me with jealousy and wondered how I had avoided such things in grade school. This led to a double-faceted reaction.
First - I wonder what I missed, not going to grade school here. I almost want to get a reading list from grades 9 through 12 at a local high school and read what I didn't read. I didn't even know who Mowat was until a few years ago. D has a Mowat book, which I still haven't read, but which he spoke of very highly.
Second - I wish I had read books as wonderful as Eastern Passage in high school! It's a book that touches at my knowledge of my country, of Europe, and of the North (which I have only passing familiarity with, but a lasting respect for). He captures you with the details that he adds, which are random and endearing. I look forward to reading more of him.
I've found a purpose for this blog, though I may be slow to get started. As I gear up towards my defense in August (just applied for graduation today!), I will not have much time to read. But I've decided to write about writing - I will finally read the books in my home, many of which I have owned for years and years without once opening them. I will start in the top-left corner of the first bookcase, and end in the bottom-right corner of the fourth one. I will only skip books that I have already read.
I'm excited to share this with the internet - I know no one knows about this blog yet, but I'm also not sure if, at this stage, I want anyone who knows me to know of my project. This could go for years, depending on how many books I buy while I read the ones I already have - I have a weakness for purchasing books, particularly old, leather-bound or cloth-bound books. I miss the Vic College Booksale in Toronto dearly. Perhaps it is best that there are many provinces, and flight weight restrictions, between me and that particular annual sale. Many fruits of many perusals of that sale's offerings will be a part of this project.
First - I wonder what I missed, not going to grade school here. I almost want to get a reading list from grades 9 through 12 at a local high school and read what I didn't read. I didn't even know who Mowat was until a few years ago. D has a Mowat book, which I still haven't read, but which he spoke of very highly.
Second - I wish I had read books as wonderful as Eastern Passage in high school! It's a book that touches at my knowledge of my country, of Europe, and of the North (which I have only passing familiarity with, but a lasting respect for). He captures you with the details that he adds, which are random and endearing. I look forward to reading more of him.
I've found a purpose for this blog, though I may be slow to get started. As I gear up towards my defense in August (just applied for graduation today!), I will not have much time to read. But I've decided to write about writing - I will finally read the books in my home, many of which I have owned for years and years without once opening them. I will start in the top-left corner of the first bookcase, and end in the bottom-right corner of the fourth one. I will only skip books that I have already read.
I'm excited to share this with the internet - I know no one knows about this blog yet, but I'm also not sure if, at this stage, I want anyone who knows me to know of my project. This could go for years, depending on how many books I buy while I read the ones I already have - I have a weakness for purchasing books, particularly old, leather-bound or cloth-bound books. I miss the Vic College Booksale in Toronto dearly. Perhaps it is best that there are many provinces, and flight weight restrictions, between me and that particular annual sale. Many fruits of many perusals of that sale's offerings will be a part of this project.
Friday, 8 June 2012
Busy
I think it is the thing I anticipated the least going into grad school, and I think it is the thing that, in the end, has had the most profound effect on me. I feel that I never have enough hours in a day to do all of the things a normal person does. Although everyone claims to be 'slammed' as an undergrad, it doesn't come close to the burden of guilt grad students heap upon themselves when they spend time on anything but their schooling.
I currently work full-time. I have only my evenings and weekends to work on my thesis, do RA work for SW, go to the gym three times a week, do dishes, cook all of my lunches and dinners, clean my house, and do laundry. Approximately one week per month, I have the joy of G and J being here and try to do nothing that takes away from that time with the kids. This busy schedule leaves me tired, and the little time I do get when the boys aren't here I mostly spend staring at the TV. I don't even read much, apart from my lunch breaks at work. I finally finished the Fellowship of the Ring today. It took me nearly 4 months.
The thing I regret most is that I rarely correspond with my family and friends. When I first moved out here, I was sending a letter every two months or so to family and friends. I think I've sent two in the last year. It almost feels like work, even though when I do finally sit down and do it I enjoy it immensely. I feel, morbidly perhaps, that if anyone I cared about were to perish tomorrow, I would have profound regrets regarding my behaviour in the last four years. D and I do our best to make time for each other, and we always put the kids first when they are here. But outside of that, I need to make a conscious effort to not lose people that I care about due to lack of contact on my part. I am a bad friend, and for that I am profoundly sad at times, such as now.
I will be done school soon. Perhaps August, perhaps September. But I will be done soon. And I can't wait to have the freedom of enjoying my free time. Of having free time. I will be a better friend, daughter, granddaughter, aunt, sister, and stepmom when I am no longer a student. I look forward to it with relish.
I currently work full-time. I have only my evenings and weekends to work on my thesis, do RA work for SW, go to the gym three times a week, do dishes, cook all of my lunches and dinners, clean my house, and do laundry. Approximately one week per month, I have the joy of G and J being here and try to do nothing that takes away from that time with the kids. This busy schedule leaves me tired, and the little time I do get when the boys aren't here I mostly spend staring at the TV. I don't even read much, apart from my lunch breaks at work. I finally finished the Fellowship of the Ring today. It took me nearly 4 months.
The thing I regret most is that I rarely correspond with my family and friends. When I first moved out here, I was sending a letter every two months or so to family and friends. I think I've sent two in the last year. It almost feels like work, even though when I do finally sit down and do it I enjoy it immensely. I feel, morbidly perhaps, that if anyone I cared about were to perish tomorrow, I would have profound regrets regarding my behaviour in the last four years. D and I do our best to make time for each other, and we always put the kids first when they are here. But outside of that, I need to make a conscious effort to not lose people that I care about due to lack of contact on my part. I am a bad friend, and for that I am profoundly sad at times, such as now.
I will be done school soon. Perhaps August, perhaps September. But I will be done soon. And I can't wait to have the freedom of enjoying my free time. Of having free time. I will be a better friend, daughter, granddaughter, aunt, sister, and stepmom when I am no longer a student. I look forward to it with relish.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Currently reading: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
I am 27 years old, and am finally reading the Lord of the Rings. I have fond memories of my father reading the Hobbit to me when we lived in India, when I was 10 or so, but I never followed up with the trilogy itself. When they became movies, I swore I would not watch them until I read the books. That was many years ago. Despite the subtle prompting by D (he purchased me the first book on a whim at the bookstore one day), I still did not start reading until very recently, but I did keep my promise to myself: I have not seen the movies yet.
I should probably preempt this by saying I don't like sci fi or fantasy in most cases. There are exceptions - my friend H told me to read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and it was a transportation to another world. And I've found that in almost all cases and for all things that I think I don't like, there are exceptions. Even eggplant. So I went into the Lord of the Rings knowing it was a literary classic and that I would likely find it wonderful, if not my usual cup of tea.
I am currently in the dark and terrifying underground realm of Moria, and I wish I had more time to read. I read on my lunch break, on my coffee break. With my graduate studies taking up so much of my time, I have acquired a vast library of books that I have not read. D also has many books that I have not read. I think this blog will be many things, but one thing it will let me do is reflect on my literary travels though my library, as I will, hopefully, be wrapping up my grad studies soon and can devote more time to the life I've been missing out on while I've been busy becoming a Master.
I am 27 years old, and am finally reading the Lord of the Rings. I have fond memories of my father reading the Hobbit to me when we lived in India, when I was 10 or so, but I never followed up with the trilogy itself. When they became movies, I swore I would not watch them until I read the books. That was many years ago. Despite the subtle prompting by D (he purchased me the first book on a whim at the bookstore one day), I still did not start reading until very recently, but I did keep my promise to myself: I have not seen the movies yet.
I should probably preempt this by saying I don't like sci fi or fantasy in most cases. There are exceptions - my friend H told me to read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and it was a transportation to another world. And I've found that in almost all cases and for all things that I think I don't like, there are exceptions. Even eggplant. So I went into the Lord of the Rings knowing it was a literary classic and that I would likely find it wonderful, if not my usual cup of tea.
I am currently in the dark and terrifying underground realm of Moria, and I wish I had more time to read. I read on my lunch break, on my coffee break. With my graduate studies taking up so much of my time, I have acquired a vast library of books that I have not read. D also has many books that I have not read. I think this blog will be many things, but one thing it will let me do is reflect on my literary travels though my library, as I will, hopefully, be wrapping up my grad studies soon and can devote more time to the life I've been missing out on while I've been busy becoming a Master.
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