Things are Nooking up

So I’m thirty now.

I guess being worried about turning thirty is less of a guy thing; either that or I am somehow immune to an otherwise universal damngiving regarding this particular milestone.

It may be a materialistic and shallow way to look at it, but it helps to have received some rather awesome birthday loot.

After many many years of searching, I now own a pair of rollerblades – and can even use them without causing bodily injury to myself or others.

Even better, though…

Yeah, baby. I have a nook.

I’ve been carrying three or four hundred books around on my cellphone, but the screen size on that is somewhat limiting. This, on the other hand, is much more like a regular paperback in terms of page size and device weight. Unsurprising, really.

It’s pretty awesome. No backlight, but aside from that, I’m very happy with it.

EDIT on 2/26: Have a clip-on LED for it now, along with a case and a car charger.

Those of you who have me friended on Goodreads may well have noticed that my total number of books read so far this year has been quite massive. This snazzy little doohickey is why.

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Laodicean musings

Well, perhaps musings re: “Laodicean”, since neither meaning of the word applies to me.

I have to congratulate 13-year-old Kavya Shivashankar for winning this, especially with an obscure word that I didn’t know the meaning of until I was into my 20s.

The word in question makes me wonder, though, about the inclusion of such a very religion-specific word in a secular contest of this kind – and whether the bee also contains words which are derived from religions other than Christianity.

While “Laodicean” has to some degree been appropriated for use in describing a certain political sentiment (or lack thereof), it is more easily found in the book of Revelations than anywhere else – excepting perhaps a work of Thomas Hardy which still uses it in its religious context.

Can anyone – pardon the pun – enlighten me as to my wonderings above?

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A vampire?! Let me check my notes…

This was a relatively recent bookstore find:

While it may be a handy-dandy resource when researching Eastern European folklore, or perhaps offer some insights into the deeper meanings of Twilight or Buffy… this title seems a little misleading.

Here is my revised Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vampires:

If you see one coming toward you, run like hell. You can look him up if you survive, but since you will have survived it was most likely just a goth.

In the spirit of offering advice to “Complete Idiots”, I would also like to share a recent grocery store find:

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In Memoriam: Robert Jordan

At the wake the mourners gathered,
kings and philosophers, poets and artists
and the greatest of them raised his glass to the dear departed.

He called for a jester to play a song,
but no music but sour could sound.
He called for a meal and wine and ale
but all tasted of nothing.

He turned then to a wise man for sage advice
and the wise man looked upon the deceased.
“The heavens themselves must have needed a merry tale
for they have gathered unto themselves the greatest of storytellers.”

He would say nothing more.

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