My "unplugged" weekend

Being a County employee, I receive a very generous holiday schedule. Every year we are closed for the Easter weekend starting on Good Friday, returning to work on Monday. A 3-day weekend every year, not really a good time to get away, but nice nonetheless. I was talking to my hubby who half-jokingly said that I would be online most of the weekend, trolling Facebook, checking email, etc. I decided right then and there that I wanted this weekend to be different. I told him I was going to do an "unplugged" weekend - no computer. He laughed and said "Yeah, OK, no Facebook. Sure. Right." I explained that I truly meant no computer: no Facebook, no email, no card games, no nothing. I wouldn't even turn the thing on.

Needless to say, he was sceptical.

As was I.

Could I really do it? Could I spend a whole weekend doing things other than playing on the computer? I could do it, right? I mean, it's only been about a year and a half since we got the darn thing; we used to live a computer-at-home-free life and we did very well, thank you very much. But now that it's here, now that it's practically the first thing I do every morning, the last thing I do every night, the thing I check on at lunch, the thing that we run to when we've got any sort of question... Could I really do this?

I must admit I had my doubts.

I posted to all my friends on Facebook and Goodreads that I was taking the weekend off. That way, if anyone did notice my presence, they could call me out on my lack of fortitude. Plus it made sense to announce it to more people than just Jeff - more accountability. And the more I talked about it, the more I started looking forward to the prospect of a computer-free weekend. Just imagine all the things I could get done! Books read, cleaning done, walks taken, naps enjoyed, etc.

And how did I do? Did I cave in to my addiction? Did I sneak a peek? Did I last the whole three days or give in close to the end - or give in Friday morning?

I DID IT.

Yep, I totally did it. The only time the computer was booted up was when Jeff played a card game or two. Other than that, it spent the whole weekend asleep. The funny thing is I never missed it. Really! I figured I would, so it surprised me to no end that I was able to get up, start my normal routine, and just blissfully sit on the couch. I admit I did glance over at the machine, and I thought "here we go, I'm not gonna make it" - and then...nothing. I just looked at it. I wasn't even remotely tempted to walk over, turn it on, and login to anything. I just went back to what I'd been doing (which, admittedly, was watching TV!)

And all those things I was going to do? Well, that wasn't quite as successful. I did finish a book, and I'm half-way through another one. I did take some awesome naps. I skipped the walks due to sheer laziness. And yes, there was some cleaning done - but not nearly as much as I had been hoping to accomplish. Oh well, all the more reason to do this again!

One of my friends asked if "unplugged" would include the TV as well as the computer. I laughed and told her "no way!" but now I'm thinking that would be interesting, too. If I couldn't sit in front of the TV wasting time as well as the computer, what could I accomplish? Of course, the computer was sort of easy in a way; Jeff doesn't check email, doesn't have any sort of account on any social network, and doesn't play games for hours. TV is a whole other story! But maybe, just maybe, we could do it. Maybe we could start small with the TV - perhaps just a day off, rather than a whole weekend. Baby steps, if you will.

After all, I never thought I'd be able to resist the siren song of Facebook!

MEA CULPA!

I have just spent the last half hour slogging through my "spam" folder here on my blog. Over 350 posts to scroll through! And much to my chagrin, there were posts that were not spam, comments made by anonymous readers thanking me for my reviews.

I apologize to any and all that kept coming back to see their comments. I did not intend to ignore anyone; I simply didn't realize that many people were actually reading my blog! If you have ever commented in the past (and you weren't trying to send my readers to some porn website) you should now see your comment. You may have to go back quite a ways, as I had to OK some posts from as far back as 2010.

Again, mea culpa. From now on, I will be checking the spam folder on a much more regular basis, and I promise to get the legit comments posted ASAP. Thanks for reading - nice to know that you're out there!

"The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives" by Leonard Mlodinow

With the born storyteller's command of narrative and imaginative approach, Leonard Mlodinow vividly demonstrates how our lives are profoundly informed by chance and randomness and how everything from wine ratings and corporate success to school grades and political polls are less reliable than we believe. By showing us the true nature of chance and revealing the psychological illusions that cause us to misjudge the world around us, Mlodinow gives us the tools we need to make more informed decisions. From the classroom to the courtroom and from financial markets to supermarkets, Mlodinow's illuminating look at how chance and probability affect our daily lives will intrigue, awe, and inspire.

I'm back! And this is one of the many reasons I've been gone for almost a month - this book. This sucker took me over three weeks to finish (and probably more than that, as I do believe I started it before my last post). Why did it take so long to read? Let's start with the blurb, shall we?

Mlodinow does not have a "storyteller's command of narrative and imaginative approach." He's dull, bordering on coma-inducing. For some reason, I was under the impression that this book would be, at the very least, slightly humorous. I have no idea where I got such an impression, and believe me, I was dead wrong. In addition to being dull, this book does not give us "the tools we need to make more informed decisions" - not if everything is as random as the author claims. I mean, that seems to be his whole point: there's nothing you can do to change the outcome of a lot of things in your life due to the "randomness" of it all. So how on earth can you make a more "informed decision" if it doesn't really matter what decision you make?

I think my biggest problem with this book was the math. Yes, math. After all, this book is really a history of probability theory and statistics, and that's part of what makes it boring. I will say the author did a very good job of presenting the histories of the various mathematicians and scientists and such, but that's not what I was hoping to read about when I first picked this up. I loathe math in pretty much all its forms, and I'll be the first to admit that I almost flunked Finite Math in my freshman year at college, all due to the section on probabilities. And guess what? There's even a quote in this book that says that's no big surprise! According to "a Harvard professor who specializes in probability and statistics, `Our brains are just not wired to do probability problems very well.'" Now you tell me! And given that quote, it amazes me that the author spent over 200 pages doing just that: giving me probability problem after probability problem.

No wonder I got so many headaches trying to read this.

Now, having said all that, I will admit that I kept going back to the book and yes, I did finish it. I don't know if I was really that interested, if I truly believed at some point that it would "click" with me (I wish it had), or if I was just being some sort of glutton for punishment. And I'm not entirely convinced that the author really believes that life is as random as he says it is. In the final chapter, he postulates that success is just as random as anything else, that Stephen King didn't sell nearly as well when he wrote under Richard Bachman, that the guy that came up with string theory only did so because he didn't give up on said theory. But while it's true that chance does often have a role in success (think of that old phrase "in the right place at the right time"), I also believe that it's necessary to have some talent - and that people who believe they have talent keep working to hone that talent and improve it. Successful people are not successful by chance alone; they work hard at being successful every day. And I'm not talking about "rich" people here; I'm sure you know people you consider "successful" that have achieved their success through hard work. I consider myself successful (and often wish I was rich!); I will admit that some of it has been "luck" (or chance, as the author would say) but the majority of my "success" is due to the fact that I have worked my a** off.

Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book on any level. If you like math, maybe it would be up your alley. If you like history, it might be interesting to read the biographies of all those historical math geeks. But if you're looking for something philosophical, I suggest picking up something by Malcolm Gladwell.

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, it's my birthday. And I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want to.... blah, blah, blah.

Mostly I would cry because I had to work today, never fun on one's birthday. Luckily I had some nice surprises from co-workers that made it much better. Sadly, I kept hearing the same complaints that I always here when I work the computer lab: "Your computers are soooooooooooo slow here" and "What do you mean you don't have Wi-Fi? I thought all libraries had Wi-Fi!"

Sigh.

In a perfect world, I would win the Powerball tonight (or would have won the Mega Millions last night). I would be able to quit work and become a lady of leisure. I would be able to donate money to my library system for things like better computers and Wi-Fi (do they name a computer lab after you if you donate big bucks, like hospital wings?) I would even try to secure enough funding to hire more employees and get some branches back to 6 or 7 days a week, especially with the price of gas going up, and up, and up. In a perfect world, I would be the most cherished benefactress ever.

But the world ain't perfect, and I ain't rich - just another year older. I'm hoping there will at least be cake in my near future. And more good books, of course!

Sunday morning news

There's not really much news to share with you, other than the fact that yes, I am still alive and I am still reading. Really! Life has just gotten in the way of this poor little blog again, as it seems to do so often. We had our Summer Reading planning sessions last week, and yours truly now needs to get all her "guests" lined up (if they're willing) and her other programs planned, including those for teens....and adults. Yes, my library will be doing the adult component of the Summer Reading 2012 program. Not that my adults need any help, but I'm supposed to plan something anyway.

The kids will "Dream Big, Read!", which I really do like. The teens will "Take Back the Night", which I am not liking; I think it sounds like I'm asking them to go run amok in the streets, become Occupy Your-City-Here types, etc. Plus the teen component starts with sixth graders, and I just don't see how they can "take back the night", not without someone willing to drive them around.

And finally, the adults. "Between the Covers" (or maybe it's "Under the Covers"... I can't remember). Would be totally awesome if everyone's mind didn't immediately dive into the gutter. Sigh.

So that's my life right now. I'll try to post a list of what I've been reading that I have not had a chance to review, just to give you ideas. Maybe one word reviews... "great", "meh", etc? That may be all I can do for the present time. Wish me luck!

"Asian Horror" by Andy Richards

I've been a fan of horror movies since I was a young kid. Yes, I was one of those weird kids who liked being scared. Except when I say scared, I really mean it. No "Goosebumps" kind of stuff for me - I went straight for the hardcore, pee-your-pants, can't-sleep-without-checking-under-the-bed stuff. I was a very quiet kid, kind of a loner, and horror brought me what I couldn't find in the "real" world - catharsis. If you knew me back then and then met me again today, you'd find yourself wondering what happened in the interim years. I'm a much more friendly, outgoing, happy person than I was decades ago.

But I still love being scared.

I've seen a few of the Asian horror movies discussed in this book. Well, I take that back; I've seen the Americanized versions of those movies. Yes, I'm talking about "The Ring" specifically, and "Dark Water", too. The only film mentioned in this wonderful little reference book that I have seen in its original version is "Audition", and I wouldn't have known about it without the fabulous people that brought us Bravo's Scariest Movie Moments. (Go find a copy of it with the subtitles and everything - it's a very disturbing, very powerful, very creepy film). I've also seen all the commercials for the multitude of American versions of other Asian horror movies, and I had noticed that they sort of all looked alike after a while. So I'm very happy to have picked up this book because it actually explained why they look alike (and no, it's not a copycat kind of thing).

Richards does an excellent job of giving the background and history of Asian ghost stories, ones that have been told for centuries, long before they became cinematic goldmines. For example, have you noticed that there seem to be a lot of creepy-looking girls with long black hair in these movies? Ones that are usually already dead, and thus ghosts, or ones that you're not sure if they're alive or dead? Especially ones that look at you through that long hair with only one eye visible? Welcome to the Asian prototype for the unquiet spirit, also know as yurei. They typically wear a white gown or another white outfit of some sort, and this is because in the original literature, they appeared in their burial kimonos. Their hair is down because that was how they were buried; while alive, women's hair was almost always worn up. And of course they are seeking revenge, having died violently by murder or suicide, and that revenge is not always restricted to the one(s) who wronged them.

In the same tradition, notice the extremely creepy cats in these movies. Those are bakeneko (literally 'cat demon'); these creatures are capable of possessing people and come into being when a cat licks the blood of its murdered owner. Finally, ever feel like you're drowning in a sea of watery images in these films? Yep, another classic trope - the well. Water and wells play a huge role in Asian literature as well as Asian horror movies, with water usually signifying a gateway to the underworld. Thus you get the girl trapped in the well in "The Ring", and pretty much the entire movie "Dark Water".

If you're interested in horror films and especially in tracing influences, cross-overs, and the like, then I would highly recommend this slim reference guide. Richards has a nice, easy style, and the book is arranged in chronological order, with older, classic Japanese movies explained first (such as "Godzilla"). Next up are the modern films, such as "The Ring". Then we move on to other Asian countries and some of the films they've produced, gems from Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Finally, Richards wraps it up with a very aptly named chapter, "East Goes West: Lost in Translation?", an interesting discussion of how we take these Asian classics and alter them to fit our American tastes. No, it's not just dumping the subtitles that matters; you must also find a "name" to star in the American version, plus you have to ramp up the action while toning down the violence. No, you did not read that wrong - Asian horror in its original form is very, very violent, and includes all sorts of imagery that we Americans just don't seem comfortable with (and yes, I'm talking about sex here. We like our sex to be hot, even romantic at times, but we don't want it to be super-kinky, nor do we want it to be blended with torture).

Even better news is that this is an entry in a series of books about cinematic genres/directors/etc released by Kamera Books. The back of this book has a short blurb about the publisher, and their tag line is "Essential reading for anyone interested in film and popular culture." I noticed they have entries on horror films, spaghetti westerns, and even David Lynch! I'm hoping that our library system will have a few of these, as I'm anxious to try another one. I'll let you know if you should look for the whole series, and hopefully soon!

"At Least in the City, Someone Would Hear Me Scream" by Wade Rouse

We all dream it. Wade Rouse actually did it. Finally fed up with the frenzy of city life and a job he hates, Wade Rouse decided to make either the bravest decision of his life or the worst mistake since his botched Ogilvie home perm: to leave culture, cable, and consumerism behind and strike out, a la Thoreau, for rural America - a place with fewer people than in his former spinning class. There, Wade battles blizzards, bloodthirsty critters, and nosy neighbors with night-vision goggles, and discovers some things he always dreamed of but never imagined he'd find - happiness and a home.

If you've ever had dreams of a simpler life, this book is for you. Not so much as a "how-to" guide, but rather as a bit of a cautionary tale: there is a wonderful life out there in the country, but you've got to get thru the culture-shock first. Rouse has given us his version of going "Green Acres", warts and all. And I have never laughed so much in my whole life.

I knew we were off to a fabulous start the first chapter out. Rouse walks out in the night to put some garbage in the trash can, only to be attacked by a raccoon (which he will later name, and even grow fond of, in a weird Stockholm Syndrome kind of way). He's got this thing clawing his head, attached like a live Daniel Boone cap, and he's trying everything he can think of to remove the unwanted critter, including breath spray and lip balm. Eventually he's successful - but not before peeing his "skinny jeans". Love it!

Rouse is no stranger to the country life, having grown up in the Ozarks (a very awkward place for a young gay man). Perhaps some of the most touching scenes are his memories of him and his grandmother sitting on her porch swing, looking out over the countryside, and of course, talking about Thoreau, his grandmother's favorite writer. In fact, the author refers to his new Michigan home as "Wade's Walden", although his journey is quite a bit bumpier than Thoreau's. After all, Thoreau never had to go through latte withdrawal.

This is a wonderfully funny and touching story of a man who has had enough of living the life he thought he should live, and taking the steps to find the life that will truly make him happy. Having done something similar myself (but with much less drama), I completely understood his angst; there were several times when I, too, thought "Oh my god, what am I doing here?" In the end, you just have to trust that things will turn out the way they're meant to, even when things seem to be going wrong all around you.

Definitely recommended, especially if you're in need of a good laugh (or 200 or more).