oh dear!!!

Please somebody explain to me what happened to My Name is Earl? It used to be so sweet, so perfect, that it transcended all TV. Then it took a break, came back, and now . . . ? None of the actors seem to be enjoying themselves. All of zee magic is gone.

and I'm not the only one. le sigh.

Gritting of the teeth, and then . . . *bliss*

Okay, so not only am I still recovering from being horribly sick, but I'm also recovering from a bone bruise on my heel (if you're female and over 28, never go for a run on the street/sidewalk without shoes), meaning I'm pretty much bed- and desk-bound for the mo. Tres frustrating, and to top it all off, the neighborhood kids have been having relay races outside, up and down my street, like all freaking day. I'm not angry with them - I want to go run with them!!! It's rare when they all come together like this. Oh and somewhere out with them is a really cute little puppy bouncing around, making me even more miserable.

So I thought I'd work on my Opening Statement (omg I typed Oral Argument first, banish the thought!!), seeing as how I have to recite it from memory on Wednesday. So I plop down in my chair, plug in the ol iTunes, and set it to play Random from only the A's (no idea why).

Total freaking magic!!! Like, seriously!!! You know how that happens sometimes, when random things somehow are just perfect? To be fair, I interfered a touch, keeping it on certain artists for a bit longer than others, but omg it was pure beauty, the transitions, the everything. So I'm posting it here. Wish I had one of those Flash playlist thingies but oh well. It's short, but gorgeous (like a certain kitteh I know):

Afro Celt Sound System – The Road to Exile, Mama Ararira (both from Hotel Rwanda soundtrack)
America – Ventura Highway, Horse with No Name, Sandman, Lonely People, I Need You
Anne-Sophie Mutter – Track 6, the background of which sounds deliciously like Camille Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila: Op. 47 Bacchanale, one of the first true soundtrack-esque pieces (a whole story in a song: beginning, rising action, climax, resolution, etc), and an unfailing delight to listen to, time after time after time.
Annie Lennox – Don’t Let It Bring You Down
Anthrax – Black Lodge
Apoptygma Berzerk – Headhunter Remix (orig Front 242), Sweet Remix (orig Switchblade Symphony)
Arctic Monkeys – From the Ritz to the Rubble
Assemblage 23 – Disappoint (Funker Vogt Remix)

"give em a wee listen!"

May I recommend . . .

Because I'm determined to read almost entirely for pleasure this semester, I've gone through quite a few books already.

You know how I recommended the prequel book Dark Angels by Karleen Koen? I still count it as one of my favorite latest reads (I still have dreams set in its landscapes). But its "sequel", confusingly written a few years before Dark Angels, entitled Through a Glass Darkly? Meh. And that's pretty close to an Ugh, if I'm honest. Ms Koen apparently learns how to write better with each book. So don't bother! Seriously.

I highly recommend the coffee-table book Faces of Africa. Absolutely stunning imagery - some I can't get out of my head, ever. From the Amazon comments: "The book is a stunning display of the many facets of African tribal life and customs" - and it's not your ordinary Nat Geo treatment, either.

Same with Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary - another beautiful coffee-table whose trick is to photograph fish, birds, insects, etc against entirely white, or black, seamless backgrounds, the effect of which is nothing short of spectacular. I could look at those photos all day. Simply look at the cover.

If you're even remotely interested in the world beyond our five senses, and a bit tired of all the old Discovery channel re-runs, I suggest reading Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World. Every sentence in this book contains something interesting, and it will truly change your perception of the plant world - not necessarily because there is anything philosophically "new" in the book, but because it gets you looking at human-plant-insect relationships and interplay in a whole new light. I think I dog-eared just about every page (a horrible habit, but what can I do). His writing style is very lush, as well; ocassionally it bordered on cloying, but for the most part it was perfect.

And if you want to completely submerse yourself in Thai culture - the social graces, the landscape, way of doing business, eating, drinking, or even simply asking questions - then you should definitely read John Burdette's 2 mysteries Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo. They're both very tight murder mysteries set in Krung Thep (the Thai name for Bangkok), narrated almost entirely in the present tense by a Thai cop who doesn't readily give away his secrets. The process of getting to know him is as exotically - and frighteningly - delicious as coming to understand the culture, something that I never thought I'd be given the opportunity to do (outside of traveling there).

If you haven't noticed, I really love immersive texts (Dark Angels completely set me in its era; Faces of Africa set me in, well, tribal Africa; etc etc). After reading them, I always come away with my perceptions infinitely changed; I love seeing things with new eyes. The more I do it in my head, the easier it is for me to do in my life. And that has helped me immeasurably, I think, in being happy. May it do the same for you!