I suppose it's the ultimate skew of the true meaning of Christmas; buying a gift for yourself. Ah well, I'm still thrilled with my new Kindle 3G [3rd generation]. (-: It came today, right on schedule for the overnight delivery. Should I have paid an extra $20 for overnight delivery? Well, probably not. But I got a $30 break by signing up for the Amazon Visa card, so it averages out to a $10 savings still!
I already read Beauty and the Beast. Did you know Beauty had two sisters and three brothers? If I wrote the story I would have left out the brothers, because they played a very insignificant role and were barely in the story. Maybe it's my theatre background that causes me to shy away from unimportant characters; sometimes the only thing worse than not being cast is being cast for a needless role. However, much of the story was similar to the Disney re-make and I enjoyed it just as much. Right now I'm working on "The Lilac Fairy Book", which is apparently part of a collection of twelve fairy tales that someone collected. No actual fairies so far, but that's okay.
I'm going through and downloading all of the free books I'd found and added. Something like 38 of them, from classic novels to philosophy and even a new book that happened to be free. I'm excited at how easy I imagine it will be to get lots of reading done, if I can just pick it up for a few minutes at a time so easily. Of course, it's also great for long periods of reading, like I hope to get in next week while I'm out of state.
One nice thing about the Kindle is that you can add mp3s. Granted there isn't much of an mp3 player; you can pause or skip songs and that's it. It doesn't even tell you what song you're on. However, it's still kind of a nice addition.
What is one book you've always wanted to read but never gotten around to?
Saturday, November 27
One {messed} up seduction...
This planet is pretty much broken beyond all repair
But one thing is working if you're standing there
Perfect for you, I could be perfect for you
But one thing is working if you're standing there
Perfect for you, I could be perfect for you
Wednesday, November 24
Money, money, money...
... it must be funny, in a rich man's world.
I was planning on substitute teaching this spring as my major form of income until I can get a real career after graduation. However, it supposedly takes about 10-12 weeks to process my application, which I haven't quite finished yet. That puts me at the beginning of Feb! I can live without income until then, but I would rather be adding to my savings not just taking out of it. So, I will definitely be searching for a job between now and then.
What are some of the in-between jobs you have had in your lifetime?
I was planning on substitute teaching this spring as my major form of income until I can get a real career after graduation. However, it supposedly takes about 10-12 weeks to process my application, which I haven't quite finished yet. That puts me at the beginning of Feb! I can live without income until then, but I would rather be adding to my savings not just taking out of it. So, I will definitely be searching for a job between now and then.
What are some of the in-between jobs you have had in your lifetime?
Kindle, Kindling, Kindlicious
I will soon be ordering a Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi (Third edition; latest model) and I am so excited. The thought of having so many books with me all the time just waiting for me to have a few seconds to look through their pages... ah, I can't wait. I already have a "stack" of free e-books waiting to be downloaded. Philosophy, novels, poetry, fairy tales, classics. There are so many free books, and of course many others for low costs. The Kindle can even play music; I can't wait to listen to the Jekyll and Hyde soundtrack while reading the novel!
The third generation Kindle uses Pearl e-ink, which has much better contrast than the original technology. More contrast means even less eye strain on an already gentle screen. The e-ink screen means the text can be viewed from any angle and under direct sunlight, just like a book page. Also like a book page, it requires a reading lamp under low-light conditions. I, for one, would much rather read something that is similar to a book and have to use a lamp than be looking at some variation of a computer screen. We get enough computer screens in our everyday lives; I can't wait to be able to give myself a break yet keep the convenience of technology.
Between wi-fi and the 3G network, I will be able to use my Kindle's limited internet capabilities to do simple tasks anywhere at any time. It will not replace a laptop; I already have one of those! But when I need to know the showtimes for a movie, want to read the online newspaper for the day, or just have to know who that actor is in the movie I saw, this little beauty will come in handy. I've already experimented a little bit with my mom's Kindle and I think I will really be able to use this feature.
Does anyone else out there have an e-reader? Comment with your thoughts on e-readers, Kindle vs. Nook, Black Friday deals, or anything else on the topic!
The third generation Kindle uses Pearl e-ink, which has much better contrast than the original technology. More contrast means even less eye strain on an already gentle screen. The e-ink screen means the text can be viewed from any angle and under direct sunlight, just like a book page. Also like a book page, it requires a reading lamp under low-light conditions. I, for one, would much rather read something that is similar to a book and have to use a lamp than be looking at some variation of a computer screen. We get enough computer screens in our everyday lives; I can't wait to be able to give myself a break yet keep the convenience of technology.
Between wi-fi and the 3G network, I will be able to use my Kindle's limited internet capabilities to do simple tasks anywhere at any time. It will not replace a laptop; I already have one of those! But when I need to know the showtimes for a movie, want to read the online newspaper for the day, or just have to know who that actor is in the movie I saw, this little beauty will come in handy. I've already experimented a little bit with my mom's Kindle and I think I will really be able to use this feature.
Does anyone else out there have an e-reader? Comment with your thoughts on e-readers, Kindle vs. Nook, Black Friday deals, or anything else on the topic!
Empowerment, delusions, and hot wax.
It's an odd feeling, those moments when you feel as if you are in control of your life. Perhaps you just ran a mile in record time, or you landed that job you wanted so badly, or you lined up a date with the cutest co-worker in the building. Perhaps, if you're a nerd like me, you just downloaded a few mp3 albums from Amazon using Pymazon instead of the Amazon mp3 Downloader. ...I know, thrilling, right?
Something about accomplishing a goal that we've had to really work at makes us feel invincible, I suppose. There was an obstacle in our way, we thought about giving up, but instead we pushed forward and really overcame. It's empowering. Surely if we can conquer that mountain, there is nothing that can stand in our way!
I don't know about the rest of the world, but for me that feeling of invincibility is a little bit dangerous. I may be excelling in my career or personal relationships, but that does not mean all other areas of my life are going well. Yes, I can hack a system into letting me do things my own way. NO, I cannot spend money indiscriminately and magically come out ahead. Yes, I solved a conflict between two second graders at work. NO, I cannot fix my family and everything that is broken. Do you see? When I feel powerful in one area, I can make the mistake of thinking I am just as capable in all aspects of my life. And the hard truth is, I'm just not that good. I have weaknesses, just as many as I have strengths, and I need to be real with myself about that. Ideally, I need to find ways to look my faults in the eye and find a way to improve on them. Unfortunately, it's much easier to coast by on a "success high" and ignore those miserable little parts of my life until they rear up and bite me.
Here's to being human. Here's to incredible success, heartbreaking failure, and all the muddy times inbetween. Let your triumphs put enough wind under your wings to help you soar over the turbulence, but don't fly so close to the sun that your insufficient waxed wings melt away and leave you tumbling back to where you started. Somehow we must learn to find a realistic view of ourselves but in the most positive light that we can muster, focusing on our strengths to get us through and not letting our weaknesses drag us down.
Something about accomplishing a goal that we've had to really work at makes us feel invincible, I suppose. There was an obstacle in our way, we thought about giving up, but instead we pushed forward and really overcame. It's empowering. Surely if we can conquer that mountain, there is nothing that can stand in our way!
I don't know about the rest of the world, but for me that feeling of invincibility is a little bit dangerous. I may be excelling in my career or personal relationships, but that does not mean all other areas of my life are going well. Yes, I can hack a system into letting me do things my own way. NO, I cannot spend money indiscriminately and magically come out ahead. Yes, I solved a conflict between two second graders at work. NO, I cannot fix my family and everything that is broken. Do you see? When I feel powerful in one area, I can make the mistake of thinking I am just as capable in all aspects of my life. And the hard truth is, I'm just not that good. I have weaknesses, just as many as I have strengths, and I need to be real with myself about that. Ideally, I need to find ways to look my faults in the eye and find a way to improve on them. Unfortunately, it's much easier to coast by on a "success high" and ignore those miserable little parts of my life until they rear up and bite me.
Here's to being human. Here's to incredible success, heartbreaking failure, and all the muddy times inbetween. Let your triumphs put enough wind under your wings to help you soar over the turbulence, but don't fly so close to the sun that your insufficient waxed wings melt away and leave you tumbling back to where you started. Somehow we must learn to find a realistic view of ourselves but in the most positive light that we can muster, focusing on our strengths to get us through and not letting our weaknesses drag us down.
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