Category: Reading
December 3, 2019 / Journal

Blog Death Is Greatly Exaggerated

“RIP blogging we all tried real hard to make the internet good and then corporations and rich idiots destroyed everything a generation of writers tried to build”

And

“there’s almost no space for writing anymore that’s joyful or an attempt to be creative. hardly anyone is playing around with form or even just trying to entertain. so much of the joy has been sucked out of the internet unless its crowdsourced by platforms from ppl who aren’t paid”

Pffft!

Blogs and websites are still around. The good ones have been around for 20 years(!) and there are more, undiscovered websites as well.

Ignore posting your content to Facebook or Twitter or anything social. Fire up a blog aggregator like Feedly and they will help you find good websites regarding topics you are interested in.

There is nothing stopping us from writing to the web. Have fun with it. Be entertaining or be informative, push boundaries.

We choose the web we want. A lot of good people are creating good content out there. Don’t say that the blog is dead. Encourage them and I encourage others to contribute and make it better as well.
November 20, 2019 / Reading

Rewilding

Excerpt taken from a book coming out next month called Rewilding:

Before embarking on a hike through a forest, meadow, or other wild space, take a few moments to center yourself. Close your eyes. Take some slow, deep breaths. Allow your exhalation to be twice as long as your inhalation. Let go of anything rattling around in your head—whatever stress or worry you are transmitting. Tune into the sounds, sensations, and rhythms of the land around you. Stretch out with your feelings and sense the aliveness of the earth. Know that the beings that call this land home are paying close attention to what is happening here: They have to; their lives depend on it. Your presence will be felt and communicated far and wide. Notice the birds and the chipmunks—the little creatures we sometimes consider background noise. In a relaxed way, be curious, and with your eyes closed, observe what is happening around you. Take a few minutes to be with it all.
Then, open your eyes and look around. Simply observe everything while expressing your gratitude and respect for the land. Set a strong intention to stay present and connected to your breath, and create as little disturbance as possible. Let each footstep be an experience of soulful connection with the planet, each breath a rite of interbeing with the holy winds that blow.
December 27, 2018 / Reading

2019 Reading Goals

Now that I have completed my reading goal of fifty books this year, I am already making plans on next year’s goals. It won’t be fifty. It may be less than half that, I am not sure. The reasons are many but it boils down to appreciating what I am reading. I want to read intently and purposefully. Fifty books was too fast and unproductive. I picked up a few kernels of knowledge but forgot the rest. Well not this next year. This next year:

  • Read-It-Later I have some time off for a few weeks. Time to catch up on all those articles I’ve saved on Instapaper, Pocket, Feedly.
  • Digital magazines My local library provides no-cost access to hundreds of titles. Time to take full advantage of them.
  • Read my night stand stack I do not want to buy or borrow anymore books until I have exhausted my current supply. If someone gifts me a book, obviously that is different but I need to appreciate what I have first.
  • Mix it up with both fiction and non. I want to be both informed and entertained.
  • More physical less digital I’ve mentioned previously that I will be mentally dissecting these books. Mostly with books in hand, not on my devices.

If interested, you can follow me on Goodreads, a tool I will use to help manage my reading life.

December 7, 2018 / Reading

Distraction-Free Reading

When and how does anyone make the time? The simple answer is deliberately. There are plenty of mind-numbing, time-wasting activities out there but who wouldn’t want to get something out of it?

One helpful tip is that “Airplane Mode” on your device works just as well
on the ground. That’ll help you with distraction-free reading.

I can say I have accomplished another one of my groundhog resolutions in finishing over 50 books this year. Next year I may limit to something much less and even more deliberate. I also want to invest in more physical books instead of digital copies.

Because another goal for next year is practicing marginalia, the art of marking up one’s book with notes in the margins. I consider it a dialogue with the author and would invest myself back into the book as opposed to reading it and moving on to the next one, learning almost nothing.

This, I think, will make for the best, distraction free and deliberate way to enjoy books.

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September 15, 2018 / Reading

Physical vs Digital

Inspired by the time-tested practice of marginalia, the art of
note-taking inside of books, I wanted to explore note taking in digital
books.

In most apps like Amazon’s Kindle, I can highlight, notate and save until next time I open it up like below:

But there are limits. When you purchase a book it is not owned but
rather it is licensed. You are borrowing it until at some point either
the publisher pulls it or the digital store no longer supports it. They
cannot be transferred, and at some point the digital purchase will be
deleted.

Also, you cannot pass down your digital books or their annotations to the next generation.

I
used to have crates full of books but after moving them around the
country more than a few times, plus the introduction of digital books, I
gave away or sold most of them because of the inconvenience. Now, I am
regretful.

The next time I want a book for a quick read I’ll
purchase a digital license and be done with it or borrow from the
library. For long term books to keep I will be grabbing a physical copy
and look forward to scribbling my notes and commentary.

September 5, 2016 / Reading

Well-Read

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door…Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?” – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

So I’ve decided to chip away at my F#$k It list by tackling the easiest ones first. Small victories and all that. I haven’t found any book clubs nearby that didn’t include Oprah-reading women’s only groups but the search continues. I grabbed three classics including Fahrenheit 451, A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
October 19, 2011 / Journal

Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire

I’ve been selling/donating books and throwing out old magazines.

I’m saving space and money by going digital.

The Evo has a huge screen but I still have eye strain when reading from it.

My birthday is coming way too soon.

I want/need the new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet.