the luminous outset became the interminable middle

How can we be alive and not wonder about the stories we use to knit together this place we call the world?

--Douglas Coupland

Moreover, nowadays we say that the world has become multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, not because there are more of these societies and cultures than before, but because they are speaking ever louder, ever more independently and decisively demanding to be accepted and acknowledged, and to be given a place at the round table of nations.

Ryszard Kapuściński



//Maybe you're wondering what is For Prosperity and why do I keep on spamming the subscription list. For Prosperity is a specific tag I use for quotes that I really like from books I'm currently reading. Usually they aren't in such bursts but sometimes it happens; I am considering making all the ones back to back not show up on sub-lists so they don't look too spammy. In this case, The Other is due back today so I had to read most of it in the morning.//

The vanity of life is all we had, and there is no more vanity left in us. We are even ashamed of that we had; ashamed that we trusted the promises of life...

-------

The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.




I just finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. This is my third book of his and while it took me a while to get into, the ending did not disappoint. I may have shed tears for the last twenty pages. That puts me at 3/50 but I do want to mention that this book is kind of massive, coming out over 700 pages.

Obviously Grossman hit a renewing wind towards the second half of the book. More quotes:

Forgive me if I lecture you, but it's the last chance I'm going to get.

---

"Sometimes I wonder if man was really meant to discover magic," Fogg said expansively. "It doesn't really make sense. It's a little too perfect, don't you think? If there's a single lesson that lkife teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so. Words and thoughts don't change anything. Language and reality are kept strictly apart---reality is touch, unyielding stuff, and it doesn't care what you think or feel or say about it. Or it shouldn't. You deal with it, and you get on with your life...
"But somewhere in the heat of magic that boundary between word and thing ruptures. it cracks, and the one flows back into the other, and the two melt together and fuse. Language gets tangled up with the world it describes."
...
"Tell me this: Can a man who can cast a spell ever really grow up?"

...

"I think you're magicians because you're unhappy. A magician is strong because he feels pain...You have learned to break the world that has tried to break you."

'I got my heart's desire, he thought, and there my troubles began.'


Right now I'm more than half way done and I'm a little nervous because I've heard that the plot seems to run too long. This book isn't that exciting, but I am enjoying the take on magic so far and I'm interested to see if any fic for it comes out of Yuletide.

day 01 | a song
Help I'm Alive - Metric I downloaded this album a while ago but never got around to listening to it and then I was going through a playlist of songs I hadn't heard yet and fell upon this one. Love the simplicity of the lyrics and Emily Haines' delivery.

day 02 | a picture
( choosing this one was kind of difficult )

day 03 | a book/ebook/fanfic
( books make me rambly, ok )
day 04 | a site
Jezebel -- a decent sight for snappy commentary on issues, fashion, pop culture, etc. I really enjoy the Mad Men recaps.
Gizmodo -- Cool updates on upcoming tech. I like to window shop via computer, ok.
Monkeysee -- Love this blog's commentary on different pop culture stuff. Also served a nice piece of WTF to NBC with the Southland cancellation.
Alice and Kev -- really touching Sims3 story. It made me want to play the game more.
I Wrote this for you -- I kind of adore the writing and pictures of this blog. One of my favorite posts was actually the April Fools' one, but that's just me.
Online Fandom -- good discussion on different kinds of fandom. Sporadic posting though.

day 05 | a youtube clip


Why yes, I am a dork who loves some covers and random instruments that are played in dorm rooms.
day 06 | a quote
this one pulled me through a hard time:

I wish to live because life has within it that which is good, that which is beautiful and that which is love. Therefore, since I have known all of these things, I have found them to be reason enough and—I wish to live. Moreover, because this is so, I wish others to live for generations and generations and generations.

day 07 | whatever tickles your fancy