I’m Back! · 15 October 2007
What a great trip it’s been. I’m now slightly less crazed than before I left. Never underestimate the power of a good vacation to make you feel like you can do the impossible.
Even though one of my stated purposes of this blog is to help concentrate on the important things in life, and not the nit-picky everyday “chores” we have to do, I was dangerously close to stressing out a bit about stuff that shouldn’t bother me prior to leaving. On vacation, I dropped it all.
I had coffee and pastries for breakfast, I “forgot” I wasn’t a morning person and woke up early to walk the streets of London, Venice, Florence, and Rome while most of the tourists were still in bed. I saw amazing art, architecture, and landscapes, and had an awesome time catching up with my sister and two friends we grew up with. Every day since I’ve been back, I remember a little something from the trip and smile, so my vacation buzz is still running strong.
I took 272 pictures, quite a feat for someone who is rather horrible at documenting events. Many of them have been uploaded to my Flickr account, and I’ll probably put up more next month, as I’ve just about maxed out the upload space Flickr will give me for the month.
And, of course, I had plenty of time to read during the plane and train trips. Even though I got a bit of ribbing from my travel companions about my first choices as being inappropriate “fluff” vacation material, I finished:
Reading "Lolita" in Tehran - As suggested by a dinner adventure shortly before I left, I’ll talk about this book in the much-hyped forthcoming pizza post.
City of Pearl
Invisible Monsters -
By the author of Fight Club , the work dealt with the same underlying themes using different characters and life circumstances. The main character, a former model living under the name Daisy St. Patience, is recovering from an accident that has left her face grossly disfigured. The story is narrated by Daisy in a series of non-linear vignettes and memories spanning her childhood to the present day. By using the main character’s recognition that her life has only been a performance for the camera, Palahniuk decided to present many of the scenes by having the Daisy narrate who each character is playing to, and what emotions the photographer in their head is commanding they show the lens.
I really liked how Palahniuk used a minimalistic writing style to make it seem as if all the action was fresh, even the memories. This is the first book I’ve read by Palahniuk, though I’ve seen the movie Fight Club, so it’s quite possible that all his works feature the gusty, over-exposed first-person narrative that he uses in Invisible Monsters, but it was new to me. Unfortunately, his material wasn’t as fresh as his style, and at times I felt like I was reading Fight Club re-hashed. Invisiable Monsters was worth the read, but after scanning his other titles and seeing that they deal with similar themes I don’t know that I’ll pick up more by Palahnuik in the near future.
I Just Want My Pants Back - A fun, chick-lit-esque book told from the perspective of a twenty-something, pot-smoking, hard-drinking, girl-loving, lost Jewish man in New York City. This one received the thumbs up as appropriate vacation material by the group. Fun and believable, and deemed “fluffy enough”.
Party Girl - I picked this one up from the lending library in one of the hotels. It was there; I was there. It was set in London; I was staying in London. There was nothing horrible or wonderful about the book and at the end, it was pretty predictable. If the bookstores hadn’t been closed, I’d have gone and bought something else but I kept on to the end because it was neat to hear the characters talk about a neighborhood and then walk to the same neighborhood the next day.
Going Postal -
One of the latest in the Discworld series. Going Postal’s main character is Moist von Lipwig, a man who believes in hope and angels, and has therefore been appointed by Lord Ventinari as Ankh-Morpork’s newest Postmaster. Moist is a scammer by trade and tackles the job as only a scammer would. I always enjoy Pratchett, and this book was no exception. Plenty of puns, plenty of Ventinari, and interesting commentary about words, messages, and our expectations for modern communication made Going Postal one of my favorite Discworld novels yet.
I’ll slowly be making my rounds of all the blogs that I normally read, catching up on what you all have been up to in the last month, and getting back into the swing of the RIP Challenge. It was nice to get away and experience new things, but it’s also good to be home.
-
Share this article
Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Add and View Comments
Chris · 15 October 2007, 19:15
What a great trip! And a great platform 9 3/4 pic :) You managed to put a smile on my face today and that’s much appreciated. It sounds like you got some great reading in as well. I own like all of Palahniuk’s books and I’ve never read any of them! Isn’t that strange? I’m hoping I like them…Good to have you back!
Dark Orpheus · 15 October 2007, 22:22
Hee. The pix made me smile the moment I saw it. I resolve to take one for myself one day.
Welcome back into the fray. :)
Nymeth · 15 October 2007, 23:25
Welcome back! And wonderful picture :D I posted one just like that the other week…I had to take it the very day I got to London :P
It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Sometimes a vacation can really change your perspective on things (well, for a while anyway).
I’ve never read any Palahniuk, but you made me curious. And I’m glad you enjoyed “Going Postal”. The new Discworld novel, “Making Money”, has Moist as the main character too… I wonder if this will be a new sub-series.
Kim · 16 October 2007, 06:56
Thanks all for the warm welcomes back!
Chris – I always chuckle at myself when I start collecting authors without having read them. I’ve got a few that I keep swearing I’ll read but somehow get passed over for other acquisitions. Then, a week later I’ll buy another book by them, because I remember how much I was anticipating reading the one I already have. I think it’s book hoarding logic!
Dark Orpheus – As Nymeth posted, taking the picture was a great experience. There was a partially red-headed family of five taking pictures when we arrived at the platform and the kids were ecstatic. When we offered to take a picture of the whole family, the parents’ faces lit up. You could tell that they were wanting to be involved but putting the kids first and that they were thrilled they got to participate in a bit of the magic.
Nymeth – I saw you posted the same picture after I posted :)
Did you get a chance to go to the British National Library yet? They have a room full of manuscripts that’s open to the public and there is a TON of interesting stuff there, including literature, history, religion, science, etc. They also have audio of some of the more recent authors, such as Yeats and Woolf.
I hadn’t read the blurb for Making Money, but I wondered if it might be about Moist after the setup by Ventinari at the end of <i>Going Postal</i>. Perhaps it is a new series :D
Jackson · 16 October 2007, 20:31
What a good lookin’ girl! ;-)
Welcome back, Kim!
Stephanie · 17 October 2007, 11:25
Great Pic!! One of these days I hope to have mine taken in the very same spot!!
I love Chuck Pahlaniuk!! He’s such a unique writer!
Mansi · 18 October 2007, 14:53
Oooh..I love that pic!! I’m such a huuuuge HP fan I can’t tell u!!
I wanted to invite you to the AFAM-Peach event I’m hosting on my blog this month, and what perfect timing!! You are back…so pls send in something over for the event…canned peaches allowed too…rules on my blog!
Commenting is closed for this article.