Membro: doogiewray

Blimey - Exams, two in a row: Yesterday, Evidence, Torts today. They're takin' their toll - i'm tired darlin' and coffee ain't workin' no more. Tha's alright though, not long more t' go now.

I see what you mean about Enders Shadow/Enders Game being cool to alternate - theoretically it could work in the early stages, jus' not near the end - could have a sort of combination at the end.. but that'd only work if they'd written it like that from the beginning.. and then we'd never know, suppose it'd just be Ender's game itself, ho! Anyhow, I shall write more later, bed's callin' out to me and I reckon I'm gonna obey.

publicado por redkit às 7:08 am (EST) em Oct 23, 2009

! Aiyaa, all that talk about time-zones was too confusing! All I've been able to work out is that I'm one day ahead of you, but 7 hours behind. Sort of. Or something to that effect. I don't suppose it really matters in the end though, 'good morning' and 'good night' are both lovely sentiments to receive! :) It would be odd if things had developed so as for the state of things to be wishing persons a mediocre morning, or an average afternoon... I suppose it just goes to show the optimism and hope that was once at least in the minds of our language creators, if not our fellow language users now!

I've been reading a lot of articles on Deconstruction (Derrida) at the moment, very interesting! Not sure if you're interested in ideas about language itself, but I find learning about it to be thoroughly enjoyable! I am yet to read any of the genius of Derrida himself, so i'll be off to the library come this Saturday when my first two exams are over. Bah, Tort Law and Evidence Law, the worst two right off the bat!

I liked Bean more than Ender as well - he was more brilliant really, and had that same darkness of soul that seems to pervade Ender's being by the completion of it all. Bean's just more adept at expressing it, he doesn't seem to mind if everyone can see that he's scowling on the inside despite the times of fun and joviality. Hm, I'm not entirely sure if that makes sense, but perhaps you know what I mean. As a character I felt that Bean was more real, although honestly it was probably just that he was more accessible.

publicado por redkit às 4:35 pm (EST) em Oct 18, 2009

Heh heh, Ender's Game is one of my favourite books of all time! I was just hopping on to add it to my library as a matter of fact! That's so funny that you recommended it to me!! I did feel quite an affinity with Ender as I was growing up, but as he got older he became so cynical and almost dead inside, I didn't want to be like that! I did read a few others in the series, but I honestly didn't like a lot of them. I liked Ender's Shadow, where it follows Bean growing up, but that was just because I liked Bean as a character - I did like the ideas of Peter and Valentine with Locke and Demosthenes, but when Peter started getting too powerful I lost interest. I felt like Valentine should have been stronger, she was too weak a character for me to feel connected to.

Ho, To Kill a Mockingbird AND If On a Winter's Night a Traveller? That's not two in one night darlin', if we add Ender's Game we've hit three! Madness it seems, who woulda' thought I'd find a literary kindred spirit half way across the world, (and several generations to boot!)

I haven't read Gravity's Rainbow yet, but I'll get there. I've got a huge stack of books by my bed at the moment, primarily composed of Chinese authors and classics that I haven't read yet but feel I ought to.

Gotta' make one minor correction though - it ain't mornin' here, no siree, it's just gone evenin' now. We're about 7 hours apart, so while you were headin' off to bed, I'll be damned if I weren't studyin' in the midst of afternoon rain, nice an' warm in a jersey at my Ma's place.

publicado por redkit às 1:21 am (EST) em Oct 17, 2009

Hi there! Did you enjoy The Woman in the Dunes? I really liked it :) As I was reading I felt like I had sand in my mouth. Excellent.

publicado por redkit às 12:09 am (EST) em Oct 16, 2009

Ah, thanks for the welcome note. And YES -- they are all really good books! I think I will be poking around and referring to your library in time to come.

You must look forward to October each year! This talk about locating one's mind reminds me of this quote from Salvador Dalí:

"There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad."

With regards to thinking about (in)sanity -- I could be presently influenced by 'The Bell Jar'. Am enjoying it very much so far. The only problem is that I'm quite a slow reader...I like to "absorb" the material, lol.

publicado por jesscscott às 9:13 am (EST) em Aug 7, 2009

We've read 9 books in common (not exactly a prolific number--though you're currently the highest on my "Members with your books" thingie) :P

publicado por jesscscott às 9:27 am (EST) em Aug 1, 2009

Hey doogiewray!

I will be glad to scan and send you those pages. I was rather excited to think that I actually could help someone out with an obscure book - especially after seeing some of the library searches and other things people were trying to do to help. I'll scan them as soon as I can.

I inherited both copies from my mother-in-law when we shut down her house and moved her to a retirement community. Being a serious book person, I had to keep both copies since one had her name in it and the other had HER mother's name in it - my husband's mother and grandmother.

I have not read Larry's Party yet. I originally checked into it for a 888 challenge category I was planning called Canadian Authors, but ended up not doing that category but still getting the book via BookMooch. I found a hardcover copy at the Thrift Store the other day for only $1, so am going to BookMooch the paperback copy and just keep the hardcover copy. I might put it in my 999 challenge for this year, though. It's always sounded interesting, but it's a matter of what I'm in the mood for when!

karenmarie

publicado por karenmarie às 12:52 pm (EST) em Jan 22, 2009

Hey doogiewray -

I just saw your year-old quest for pages 545 and 546 of the Winston Dictionary that have labyrinth on them. I have TWO copies of The Winston Dictionary College Edition 1946 edition (one was my Mother-in-Law's, and one was her mother's), and I wasn't confident that the pages would be the same, (and they still might not be) but page 545 does have the picture of the labyrinth on it in the upper right corner. Page 544 ends with a partial definition of labial ending with "having a..." and page 547 begins with ladle. Page 545 has the KL black semi-circle on it...

If this would work for you, I can scan these pages and e-mail them to you, or copy them and snail mail them to you.

Please advise.

karenmarie

publicado por karenmarie às 2:38 pm (EST) em Jan 17, 2009

I have the Elusive Willy also, great read huh?

best

e

publicado por biblioarchy às 11:31 am (EST) em Dec 14, 2008

i didn't intend to send private, but my machine wd. only send this way.

publicado por Porius às 2:25 pm (EST) em Dec 2, 2008

hello doogiewray
thanks and many thanks for your kind note. i'm encouraged to hear that I S-P is not of the delia bacon ilk. i have a special place in my heart for all of these heretics, even old bacon, herself. i always, or almost always take the approach of the great canadian novelist robertson davies: that one should show respect for all the toilers of the midnight oil. i make an attempt to remain clever enough to supress any cleverness, or at least i think i do. well, enough of that. i'm new to this library thing, and find it a perfect balm for my periodic insomnia.
we dont share many books, at least on our lists, but i did notice that fine collection of poems by ferlinghetti. me and a couple of book frinds from the old days love to get together for dinner and the chance to read aloud from such as ferlinghetti, yeats, keats, wordsworth, frost, william carlos williams, et al. these days i'm partial to the spoken word. i love to hear the best words in their best order spoken by the best speakers.
thanks again, pgt

publicado por Porius às 2:23 pm (EST) em Dec 2, 2008

how did you come by our elusive willy? only one other member has it. i bumped into itwith the help of my Library Angel. a stange book, but i love all the strange books about the Controversy. tho i still accept Shakespeare as the author.
happy thanks-giving
pgt

publicado por Porius às 2:39 pm (EST) em Nov 27, 2008

New Thomas Pynchon book on the way? Due in August 2009.

publicado por jglassow às 6:15 pm (EST) em Oct 8, 2008

Hey there Doogie,

I was just reading the thread and looking at the pictures re: the gathering you and clam and groo, et al, attended.

I used to have a copy of that very excellent book about sundials. The author used to work for an uncle of mine. If I recall correctly, it even mentions that in the introduction. The ironworks/foundry was in Wilton, Conn. until just a few years ago. My uncle died almost 20 years ago and one of his sons took over the business, and eventually moved it to Oxford.

The book was part of my large library of Astronomy-related books, a hobby I was quite passionate about. When it became obvious that, due to medical issues, I'd never be able to set up my telescope again without the probability of dropping it, I gave it away to a young man I knew through the Boy Scouts, who would use it for teaching often. All of my Astronomy books went with it. Had I known I was going to live ~this~ long, the sundial book is one that I would have probably held on to!

Mike
WholeHouseLibrary

publicado por WholeHouseLibrary às 2:42 am (EST) em Aug 25, 2008

Don't ever TRY to read all the posts in The Dragon... I gave up months ago. It's all about humor, relaxation and support if someone needs it. :o)

Clare

publicado por clamairy às 9:44 pm (EST) em Jul 12, 2008

I just saw your post in the Bike group; about riding a bike through Sweden. I know you mentioned this in your previous message to me; I just didn't think of it as something you'd very likely do as it's quite a ride to get here ;-)

Anyway. 2/3 of Sweden is quite hilly, and in the north-west it's mountains only - the roads go across them, and across the country, but going on a round trip is (almost) impossible - it's hiker's territory.

But if you avoid the mountains and the highways (designated 'E') the roads are mainly good for cycling, with wide verges. There are local, regional and nationwide maps describing the best routes. Some areas are very scenic. Lots of bed & breakfast places, camp sites, and every town has at least one hotel. May through September is the best time - else the risk of rain and sleet makes biking not so attractive - and July is the big vacation month here (we have a total 5 weeks /minimum/ of vacation, most people have at least three weeks in July).

Tell me if you make more definite plans, or if you want to know more - I'll be happy to tell!

publicado por Busifer às 5:16 am (EST) em Mar 2, 2008

Hi,
first; I had to go back to that post to check what you was talking about, and that way I discovered what was wrong with it - left over word from the way I phrased the post initially... - it should read "No shadow...", not "I shadow..." ;-)

I was forced to read the Moberg books as part of curriculum in school and I can't say I enjoyed them back then. Probably this would not be true if I tried them today but at the time (I was 14 yo) I read mainly SF and felt Moberg to be *duh*.

As for other books - Per Anders Fogelström have written about Stockholm and how the modern city was born - 'City of my dreams'. They're part of the canon, just like the Emigrant books, and I recommend them.
Also August Strindberg; he's very important in swedish lit even though people like me dismisses him for his misogynistic views. Hemsöborna (I think it's called By the open sea in translation but I don't know for sure).
As for Norway... Yes, for a short period we were the same country, or at least union. But culturally the differences are HUGE (I had the biggest culture shock of my life first time I went to northern Norway - the mindset is very different, as is the way they live...)

Where were they from, your mother's parents? I may be able to give more specific tips on books etc. based on that knowledge. Sweden back then was not a very homogeneous society, and reasons for emigrating differed from religious persecution to starvation to curiosity, mainly but not only depending on where you came from.

BTW - The prayer should read 'Gud välsigna maten, amen' - literally 'God bless the food, amen'. And the little thing with angels is originally from Germany but is a perennial hit here - lots of people thinks of it as 'swedish' ;-)

publicado por Busifer às 7:31 am (EST) em Feb 29, 2008

Hello, Douglas.

Your TBR pile just made me smile. My eastern CT childhood (only a few decades ago) included twice-a-week sauna. I miss those warm and steamy times.

Janet

publicado por sisaruus às 7:56 pm (EST) em Feb 10, 2008

Hi Doug
Here is the info about the book womb!
http://storms.typepad.com/booklust/2006/...
Cheers
Keziah
http://keziahhill.com

publicado por nautilus às 2:18 am (EST) em Nov 4, 2007

Hi Douglas,

Thanks for joining the Labyrinth group. I was intrigued that there was not already a group devoted to labyrinths and started it with the trepidation that no one at all would join! Then, within hours, there were two of us, so it was obviously meant to be.

Rather than blather on about me here, I answered your questions at the Labyrinth group "Introductions."

George

"For beings of intelligence and cognition to forsake their powers of perception and discernment in favor of blind faith is only a disguised form of bondage."
-- Joseph Marcello, "Life More Abundant"

"The correct prayer is never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude." --- Neale Donald Walsch, "Conversations with God"

"God is a Comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -- Voltaire

www.reverendgeorge.com

publicado por aeronaut às 9:58 am (EST) em Nov 3, 2007

Nice library. Which work did you find to be more difficult: Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow? Also, which edition of Ulysses would you recommend?

publicado por appeartodisappear às 2:13 pm (EST) em Jul 19, 2007

Douglas: Thanks so much for sending comforting thoughts about mug shot and for sharing your love of the poem "Fern Hill". I was so amazingly fortunate to have grown up where I did (rural northern Canada), living near uncles and grandmothers who owned farms (the old fashioned kind - with hay lofts and horses), where I was always made welcome and where I did indeed consider myself "famous among the barns" and a close confidant of chickens and milk cows.

publicado por tropics às 1:32 pm (EST) em Jul 7, 2007

You dawg!
:o)

publicado por clamairy às 6:27 am (EST) em Jun 14, 2007

Douglas,

I'm glad you enjoyed the Mr.Deity clips! I hope you watched them all. I think there are 10 now, with that Superbowl clip. I have one sibling who was constantly emailing novenas and prayer-chain emails, until I snapped. :o( I should just get a tattoo on my forehead that says "I don't believe what you believe." Maybe everyone would leave me alone.

Nice weather we're finally having, huh? :o)

Clare

publicado por clamairy às 12:07 pm (EST) em May 5, 2007

Hi Douglas,

Thank you for introducing me to Wendell Berry. His poetry is beautiful, and in his essay 'Thoughts in the presence of fear' I found his thoughts echoed my, as yet unformed, notions - especially his ideas about local economy.

Cheers from oz,

Alana.

publicado por camelspit às 7:23 pm (EST) em Mar 22, 2007

Hi Douglas. I am DESPERATELY searching for a James Kavanaugh poem about which the last line is "be a boy, be a girl". The poem talks about ... when did tastebuds cease to tremble? etc. Is it in the book you have "Tears and Laughter of a Mans Soul"? I have been trying to find this poem for 2 months now to use in a presentation I am giving on Feb 11 - getting down to the wire and very discouraged!!
Please email me at maverick08@earthlink.net and let me know .... Thanks!!

publicado por Maverick08 às 6:30 pm (EST) em Feb 1, 2007

Hi Douglas,
Yes, Taiwan. I've been here for nearly 10 years now and love the place. I'm sure it's changed immensly since the 70s. Seems to be in a constant state of flux... What I love about Librarything is the opportunity to talk about books. I'm lucky to have some great friends here in Taiwan who are also book mad, and we get together on a monthly basis to drink ourselves senseless and discuss what we're reading. It's nice to be able to extend that through librarything. Great!

Regarding, Gaddis, I began with Carpernter's Gothic, which, as it is shorter, is perhaps easier to deal with. However, I see from your library that you are also a fan of the Really Long Book. I've just posted a review of Carpenter's Gothic on The Lectern.
http://thelectern.blogspot.com/2007/01/c.... There is no plot spoiler!

I agree that War and Peace is excellent. I (re)read it last year in fact and haver read Anna Karenina at least three times, I think. Have you read Tolstoy's shroter fiction? The Cossacks is also brilliant.
I've also already read most of Dickens and Dostoevsky, but my idea this year was to read them both back to back to see what light they shed on each other. I have such a soft spot for the great 19Century novels...

By the way, isn't it easier to play the pennywhistle with your mouth?
Take care.
Murr

publicado por tomcatMurr às 10:59 pm (EST) em Jan 27, 2007

Hi
Thanks for your remarks on my blog the Lectern. I've been neglecting a bit recently due to too many other things going on, but your interetest has stimulated me to keep adding more!
Saint Iris, is actually Iris Murdoch. Some writers are so great that I canonise them myself Saint Iris, Saint Oscar, Saint William etc :)

The Pynchon quote you put up recently is very prescient. I find it quite interesting that really great writers share this quality of being prescient.
I haven't read V. yet, but it's in my library, along with Mason&Dixon and GR and COL49. I know great pleasures await me there, but I don't want to rush into them. By the way, what are your thoughts on Gaddis?

Best wishes,
Murr

publicado por tomcatMurr às 12:24 am (EST) em Jan 25, 2007

No need to apologise for the earlier lengthy reply. You`re probably not suited to `terse`. Was interested to see you have been a number of antonyms - I thought that was some sort of Amazonian marsupial, but in light of your comments, probably not !

Best

Nick

publicado por nickhoonaloon às 2:44 pm (EST) em Nov 21, 2006

Me again, don`t bother to answer that - I`ve just found your listing again and see it`s from Gravity`s Rainbow.

Thanks again anyway.

N

publicado por nickhoonaloon às 11:57 am (EST) em Nov 20, 2006

Well you are a good lad for replying ast such length, it is good of you to take the trouble. I take your point that starting with the easy stuff is not always as good as starting with the best stuff.

At present (my wife and I are self-employed), I`m too tired most of the time to sttempt anything too challenging - I`ve been re-reading The World And Africa by W E B Du Bois, which isn`t even too difficult a book, but don`t seem to be making progress. I think I`ll wait till life`s a little less demanding and then try V.

Just as an afterthought - which book did your quote come from ?

Best,

Nick

publicado por nickhoonaloon às 11:53 am (EST) em Nov 20, 2006

Hi,

Sorry to bother you, but I was very struck with the Pynchon quote you provided earlier today.

I know nothing about him - are there any titles of his you`d recommend for Pynchon novices ?

Best,

Nick

publicado por nickhoonaloon às 7:01 pm (EST) em Nov 19, 2006

Hi Douglas,
Thanks for joining the UU Readers group, and for introducing yourself. Your congregation sounds like the kind of place I hope mine becomes. We're about five years old, and hovering at 50 members. No building, no minister, just hoping to get there!
Best,
--David Dodd
PS You mention the Dead in your post in talking about the music. I'm a Deadhead myself (and our choir leader de facto...). I've started a topic in the Jazz and Pop Music group about the band--seriousgrace is also a member and co-conspirator. Come on over if you're interested!

publicado por ddodd às 9:00 am (EST) em Oct 31, 2006

Douglas: thx for the invite. I've been busy with Yahoo Answers for the last month, trying to get to Level 4 and then this lady asked about George Orwell and I pointed her to Librarything and then thought I'd open my account.

I work in Indonesia, so can't join your readings in Connecticut. Sounds like a bit of a marathon.

Was watching original Mutiny on the Bounty with Charles Laughton, which reminded me a bit of Peck's Ahab. Both excellent performances and one of Gable's better roles as Christian.

Rgds, Hell

publicado por hellbent às 7:00 am (EST) em Aug 29, 2006

Hello Douglas
Sorry to be so late replying: I have been away for three months. Yes I would like to join your Wallace Stevens group. What's involved? Something as simple as naming favourite Wallace poems (with reasons), or more complex discussions?
Philip McCoy

publicado por mcoy às 9:22 pm (EST) em Aug 28, 2006

thanks for the invite, doogie. care for some banana pancakes?
rsanders

publicado por rsanders às 12:22 am (EST) em Aug 18, 2006

I enjoyed yr enthusiastic comment about my library as described ... i wouldn't call it a poem ... my poems (?) are less accessible ... as a rule ...

& i'll tempt yr envy by saying that my summer cleanup has got those six floor piles back onto shelves ... & i've no idea how that happened ... sort of a loaves & fishes kind of thing

publicado por brtom às 10:58 pm (EST) em Aug 12, 2006

Thanks for the invite to the Pynchon group. I am very much interested ;)

publicado por Melmoth às 8:24 pm (EST) em Aug 4, 2006

Oh, Douglas. One other thing I almost forgot. I love the quotation from Calvino. I'll be stealing that one. :)

publicado por gad às 2:36 pm (EST) em Aug 1, 2006

Douglas --

Thanks for the invitation to the Pynchon group. I'm excited to join, but I suspect my activity will be limited. My love for Pynchon is derived mostly from CL49 and some short stories. I've tried GR once or twice, but haven't found myself ready for it on either occasion. It's been a few years, and I hope to give it another shot in the near future, but the demands of teaching tend to limit the chunks of time available for a work like GR.

At any rate, I appreciate the invitation, and I look forward to learning from others whose enthusiasm for and exposure to Pynchon are in greater balance than my own. : )

gad

publicado por gad às 2:32 pm (EST) em Aug 1, 2006

Thanks for the invite, Douglas. I confess that Stevens is on my "to read" pile, so I'll wait a bit before joining the group. However, the Pynchon groups looks tempting . . .

Robert

publicado por DoctorRobert às 11:58 am (EST) em Jul 30, 2006

Thanks for the invite to the Pynchon group. I actually joined mere seconds before seeing your message. Cheers!

publicado por donutage às 2:19 pm (EST) em Jul 29, 2006

Hey, so that 'what books are being added' page works now, when I tried it when he first mentioned it, it would work for a little bit then crash the browser?

thanks,

bt

publicado por bluetyson às 8:27 pm (EST) em Apr 29, 2006

so I can look at them easily, and see what fits in with where with my other books, and for a research project I am working on, and so they will be catalogued when I have downloaded 'em.

publicado por bluetyson às 8:07 pm (EST) em Apr 29, 2006

Hi Ho - you can run but you can't hide :)
Just kidding with you. Wanted to recommend a really good book that I thought you night enjoy - "The Double" by Jose Saramago.

publicado por lfomom às 2:47 pm (EST) em Apr 5, 2006

Ha! And just when I thought I'd be the only user from Norwich for a long, long time... :) Yes, I believe that you indeed should try Wilson's & Shea's Illuminatus trilogy, Stephenson's Zodiac, and Chesterton's Orthodoxy. (Any of Stephenson's books, really, but Zodiac is bite-sized and has a biology/activism angle you might appreciate.)

publicado por szarka às 12:02 pm (EST) em Feb 27, 2006

Hi Douglas,

Thanks so much for the kind words on my library. It's still very much a work in progress (have at least 1000 more books to catalogue and am constantly acquiring more!) so I'm certain we'll soon be showing even more volumes in common.

I enjoyed perusing your collection. Even picked up some ideas for future trips to the bookstore. Happy reading!

Marie Therese

publicado por marietherese às 2:38 pm (EST) em Feb 16, 2006