Friday, July 21, 2006
Audiobooks & the People Who Love Them
Presently I am studying for the bar exam. It isn't as interesting as it sounds. Although writing pages on commercial paper (checks) suretyship (cosigners) and equity (thats not fair) is my idea of a fun Friday night, everyone needs a change after two months.
Enter Audible.com.
At the beginning I made a good faith effort to choose "academic" books on tape. (Yes, my brain is mush. Thank you IBABY and Law School, actual print is now too complicated for me.) Thus, foreign language downloads, New Yorker stories and biographies fill my audible library. I even have some Proust (native French), Lubac and Janet Smith.
Boy that was ambitious, and I can say that I found those all very edifying.
I learned that I do not have the ability to concentrate on bar while listening to interesting ideas.
Enter the audible "Harlequin" section.
It started off very innocently. At first, I bought a science fiction novel which slurpy and I destroyed in its written form (childhood obsession - and alanna is not as good spoken). But that led me to a science fiction/womens novel about a vampire - which happened to be published by harlequin. That was three weeks ago. Now, I am addicted to the smut. My audible library is packed with classics such as "Some like it Haute," "Match me if you can," "Debutante Divorce" and "The Sex Quotient."
Stephanie Merril, Patricia Burns: please don't kill me.
Have I relegated myself to the shameful corner of the bookstore marked by the bulging groins portrayed on every cover? Will I ever be able to show my face in the non fiction shelves again?
To be continued...
Enter Audible.com.
At the beginning I made a good faith effort to choose "academic" books on tape. (Yes, my brain is mush. Thank you IBABY and Law School, actual print is now too complicated for me.) Thus, foreign language downloads, New Yorker stories and biographies fill my audible library. I even have some Proust (native French), Lubac and Janet Smith.
Boy that was ambitious, and I can say that I found those all very edifying.
I learned that I do not have the ability to concentrate on bar while listening to interesting ideas.
Enter the audible "Harlequin" section.
It started off very innocently. At first, I bought a science fiction novel which slurpy and I destroyed in its written form (childhood obsession - and alanna is not as good spoken). But that led me to a science fiction/womens novel about a vampire - which happened to be published by harlequin. That was three weeks ago. Now, I am addicted to the smut. My audible library is packed with classics such as "Some like it Haute," "Match me if you can," "Debutante Divorce" and "The Sex Quotient."
Stephanie Merril, Patricia Burns: please don't kill me.
Have I relegated myself to the shameful corner of the bookstore marked by the bulging groins portrayed on every cover? Will I ever be able to show my face in the non fiction shelves again?
To be continued...
E 11:30 PM
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Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Keeping Oneself Apprised of Global Events
It's exceedingly important. A lot of non-Americans I have spoken with are extremely critical of us Americans for having our collective head in our ass regarding anything that goes on outside our borders (she went on to say that she is suprised when people know the results of their local elections, but always knows that she can get an update on the latest Idol winner from any American she asks - be it a student, government official or homeless person). I think that is a little harsh, coming from a member of the Uraguayan upper class (think Beverly Hills but with more armed guards and bullet proof limos), but whatever. Her and her hubby have moved on to Croatia, hopefully to a more socially conscious community.
That's beside the point - because Americans really have no excuse for not knowing more about the rest of the world. At least two thirds of us (with basic cable and/or streaming capacity) don't. We are a very lucky nation in that we can do two things at once: 1) keep abreast in current affairs; and 2) (okay not actually doing) Anderson Cooper.
And that brings me to the point of this post. Anderson Cooper. Actually there is nothing else to say. I am currently a wellspring of knowledge concerning all things reported by CNN in the Lebanese-Israeli conflict due to my ENORMOUS crush on him. Seriously. There is something just very attractive about a man in the middle of armed combat who somehow manages to remain perfectly coiffed. (Please do not think that I do not realize the implications of that ability, especially when combined with chronic bachelorhood, residence in NYC and ownership of a welsh springer spaniel).
Maybe some soul searching would tell me that my emotions do not resemble a normal crush so much as they do fairly intense jealousy. Yes, he is a Vanderbilt, and yes he went to Yale, and yes he is famous ... but none of this is really the point. The REAL point is that it is cosmically unfair that some are allowed and PAID to roam the world and others look out on a fairly bland life in a very boring red state in the center of a very placid society (not saying that we don't all make choices, and that I am not in an enviable position).
But, despite my current blogginess I am not really in the mood for soulsearching. No. I am in the mood for commercial paper.
That's beside the point - because Americans really have no excuse for not knowing more about the rest of the world. At least two thirds of us (with basic cable and/or streaming capacity) don't. We are a very lucky nation in that we can do two things at once: 1) keep abreast in current affairs; and 2) (okay not actually doing) Anderson Cooper.
And that brings me to the point of this post. Anderson Cooper. Actually there is nothing else to say. I am currently a wellspring of knowledge concerning all things reported by CNN in the Lebanese-Israeli conflict due to my ENORMOUS crush on him. Seriously. There is something just very attractive about a man in the middle of armed combat who somehow manages to remain perfectly coiffed. (Please do not think that I do not realize the implications of that ability, especially when combined with chronic bachelorhood, residence in NYC and ownership of a welsh springer spaniel).
Maybe some soul searching would tell me that my emotions do not resemble a normal crush so much as they do fairly intense jealousy. Yes, he is a Vanderbilt, and yes he went to Yale, and yes he is famous ... but none of this is really the point. The REAL point is that it is cosmically unfair that some are allowed and PAID to roam the world and others look out on a fairly bland life in a very boring red state in the center of a very placid society (not saying that we don't all make choices, and that I am not in an enviable position).
But, despite my current blogginess I am not really in the mood for soulsearching. No. I am in the mood for commercial paper.
E 12:42 PM
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Friday, July 14, 2006
If only I wasn't lying on my myspace profile..
Vanuatu happiest place on Earth
Wednesday 12 July 2006,4:50 Makka Time,1:50 GMT
Island nations scored above average in the index
The tiny nation of Vanuatu has topped a new index that measures quality of life against environmental impact, with industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, faring badly.
Vanuatu is part of a vast sprawling Pacific archipelago described as "the happy isles of Oceania" by author Paul Theroux.
The UK-based New Economics Foundation (NEF) aimed to measure the environmental efficiency of global progress with its "Happy Planet Index" report, which it said painted a different order of world wealth but showed all countries could do better.
"The Happy Planet Index strips the view of the economy back to its absolute basics: What we put in (resources), and what comes out (human lives of different length and happiness)," the NEF said.
The Group of Eight (G8) leading industrialised nations which is meeting on July 15-17, failed to make the top 50.
Host Russia came in at 172 in the 178-nation survey, with the United States at 150 and Britain at number 108.
Consumption poor guide
The NEF, an independent group that did the index jointly with UK-based green campaign group Friends of the Earth, said the report showed high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being.
"The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policy makers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world," said Andrew Simms, the NEF's policy director.
NEF said central America was the region with the highest average score, combining good life expectancy of 70 years with an ecological footprint below its fair share, while island nations scored above average and Switzerland came top in Europe.
Out of the Asian nations, Vietnam came highest at number 12 and Singapore was ranked lowest at 131. African countries made up seven of the bottom 10, with Zimbabwe coming last.
Wednesday 12 July 2006,4:50 Makka Time,1:50 GMT
Island nations scored above average in the index
The tiny nation of Vanuatu has topped a new index that measures quality of life against environmental impact, with industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, faring badly.
Vanuatu is part of a vast sprawling Pacific archipelago described as "the happy isles of Oceania" by author Paul Theroux.
The UK-based New Economics Foundation (NEF) aimed to measure the environmental efficiency of global progress with its "Happy Planet Index" report, which it said painted a different order of world wealth but showed all countries could do better.
"The Happy Planet Index strips the view of the economy back to its absolute basics: What we put in (resources), and what comes out (human lives of different length and happiness)," the NEF said.
The Group of Eight (G8) leading industrialised nations which is meeting on July 15-17, failed to make the top 50.
Host Russia came in at 172 in the 178-nation survey, with the United States at 150 and Britain at number 108.
Consumption poor guide
The NEF, an independent group that did the index jointly with UK-based green campaign group Friends of the Earth, said the report showed high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being.
"The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policy makers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world," said Andrew Simms, the NEF's policy director.
NEF said central America was the region with the highest average score, combining good life expectancy of 70 years with an ecological footprint below its fair share, while island nations scored above average and Switzerland came top in Europe.
Out of the Asian nations, Vietnam came highest at number 12 and Singapore was ranked lowest at 131. African countries made up seven of the bottom 10, with Zimbabwe coming last.
E 10:42 PM
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Thursday, July 13, 2006
Taste the pain
Last night was my best friend's birthday. Got her the tasting menu at the local "haute" restaurant. "Tasting" was a misleading description, unless it referred to the phenomenon of tasting the food over the course of the next 24 hour period. It was a ten course feast which included a full glass of wine with each course. Suffice it to say that today my stomach is is the locus of an insurgency. In fact, the janjaweed have nothing on the effect of the seared steak and avocado consome on my stomach. Throw in a coldstone cake and you have quite the party. "Tasting" also implied to me (foolish girl) that it would NOT result in a rape of my checking account. Wrong again. "Tastes" are really quite expensive - akin to what I could have paid for that Theory suit I have been ogling. Sigh - things I should know BEFORE I consume the ten course masterpiece.
E 3:42 PM
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