one weekend. one book.

Home Land by Sam Lipsyte
Very much reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk's writing, specifically Invisible Monsters. Main characters from both books were very set on the non-pursuit of what "normal society" views as indicators of success. The main character/narrator (Lewis, or "Teabag") is writing updates to his alumni newsletter, filling his fellow students in on why he failed to thrive in life, in the interest of pure honesty, as his former fellow students lead successful lives as rock stars, athletes, etc.
It was a little difficult for me to follow all of the characters. It seemed like there was a 'shout out' to every member of this graduating class, and a few others. And they all seemed to speak with the same voice, so it was difficult to keep them all straight.
The book builds up to a climax that wasn't very climactic (although maybe that's a lesson and not a writing style), then has nowhere to go and just drops off (not entirely unexpected).
The author puts a lyrical and humorous spin on the failures of life. You never root for the under-dog, or even relate to him, really, but revel in his success as a failure.
So, this review kinda whomps, but then my writing generally whomps. But the book was enjoyable, so check it out.

"I'm like most of the men in my family, I thought now, or think I thought then, mopping up egg yolk with toast crust, which I've read is a sign of bad breeding. We'll chance anything to destroy ourselves, but we're chickenshits when it comes to happiness."

"Maybe I was my mother's son, living in the fog of tomorrows, shutting my eyes for the retinal burn of snapshots never snapped. Why couldn't Gwendolyn just settle for me? Don't we all settle, Valley Cats? Haven't you all settled, weighed the trade-offs, shaved down your desires for what was there, what worked, what wasn't actively bent on your destruction? Resigned yourselves to the ear hair, the nipple hair, the watery farts, the fat behind the knees? The shoes in the doorway, the dishes in the sink? Isn't that what love is all about? Don't the experts tell us so? Don't the people on the street concur? Don't we all settle, barter our fevers for a partner, a mutual fondler, a talking animal companion? Catamounts, why couldn't she settle for me?"

music & a book

Iron & Wine: Around the Well (2-cd set) - I recently bought this cd, after not purchasing a cd in quite a while. With music's portability these days, I think the general attitude towards cd's is "ugh, they are so outdated and they take up so much space etc," but I still kind of love my cd's. There's something so satisfyingly tangible in looking at my music collection, being able to pick up a cd, flip through its booklet, see the artwork the artists selected to correspond to the music, and remember where and why I bought this particular album. I've amassed quite the mp3 collection over the years, and for many of those tracks, I couldn't tell you where I downloaded them or why. But each cd I have, I can tell you where I bought it, what other cd's I bought at the same time, and what song got me interested in the band and that particular album. In light of how well my memory works sometimes, that's an especially grand feat.
But on to the music at hand... This cd set has been in my player since I bought it. I listen to it almost every night as I fall asleep (I've always been a big fan of Iron & Wine for falling-asleep music). I actually try *not* to listen to it otherwise, as I don't want to become tired of it (no pun intended), and I so love it. I particularly enjoy "Waitin' For A Superman" (Flaming Lips cover), Sam Beam almost creates a heavier feeling in the song than the Flaming Lips did.

Outwitting Cats by Wendy Christensen - I felt like such a dork buying this book, but I picked it up because we were having a litter box non-usage problem with one of the cats. It has been so so SO useful in that problem (it seems to hopefully, cross your fingers, be solved already), but I've found myself using the information in preparing my cat for her move to the new house. Most cat 'problems' are cats creating their own solutions to problems their owners have created for them, unknowingly. Silly cat owners. Anyway, hopefully the transition will go smoothly, as I've tried to foresee problems (scratching on furniture, shedding everywhere etc), and hopefully eliminate them before they start.

it's my blog i can review what i want

cell phone service: I try to take it easy on the four-letter words, but after dealing with my cell phone carrier as much as I have recently, they've kinda been flying out of my mouth at an obscene rate. With the recent big deal about a credit card bill of rights, I think it's totally reasonable that there should be a cell service bill of rights. It would include:
- Customer should be able to easily find out how much a change in plan will cost, exactly. Quoted price should include any fees (from the government or the provider), taxes, options, etc. Customer should never be quoted a price then be completely surprised to find their bill significantly higher than quoted price. Customer should never get a "usually" or a "probably" or a "in the range of."
- Cell phones should be one price and one price only (sale price or discounted price is allowed, as long as terms of discount/sale are clearly stated). Price should be the same from store to store, on the internet, and on the phone. Additional fees and taxes should be easily obtainable.
- Bullshit fees are bullshit. Provider cannot charge fees for changing phones (on top of price of phone), for changing plans (on top of price of plan), or any other baloney.
- Provider should have an option for 'authorized user' or some such tag for any user on any plan. I have a family plan, but I am not the main number on the account; that doesn't mean I'm a twelve year old with a cell phone. I should be able to make decisions and changes to my plan, especially if I am not making changes to other plans on the account. And I should be able to be treated like an adult when I am on the phone with your customer service department. Refusing to tell me when my plan started, when it ends, when I'm available for an upgrade, or anything useful at all does not make me inclined to recommend your service to others.

bagel-fuls: I don't usually eat 'convenience foods' but Bagel-fuls seemed like a healthy option. I should have known better, since convenience foods posing as healthy are always a let down, whether in taste or nutrition. I chose the brown sugar cinnamon bagel with cinnamon cream cheese. There is a safety warning on the back of the package, use your hands, not your teeth, to open the wrapper. Seemed a little odd, until I tried to open the wrapper, and totally understood why someone would resort to using their teeth. At first bite, the bagel was chewy and bland, and the cream cheese was... crumbly (I assume from being frozen then thawed, possibly repeatedly), but tolerable. There wasn't an overwhelmingly cinnamony taste, to the bagel or the creamcheese, but there was a slightly sweet flavor, but mostly it was just kinda... meh. The bagel and the cream cheese kinda blended together, flavor and texture-wise, and by about half-way through, I couldn't eat anymore. It was just too *bleh,* it felt mechanical to continue eating this textureless, flavorless, nutrition-less pre-packaged 'food product.'