Books are Nice.

Hey! Ho! It is a post from Joe!

Yeah, so falling down on the blog didn't do much to motivate the blogger in me. I wonder sometimes why I don't keep up with it the way I used to. But I write about that almost every transient post I make here now. So lets just say I was kidnapped. By monkeys who don't believe in the interweb. Case closed.

Lately I have found a way to weave pleasure reading into my daily habits, along with the many pounds of reading I do for professional type things. I just finished re-reading The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac, The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, and am in the midst of Naked, by David Sedaris. This triumvirate of awesomeness led me to the title of this post. To give everyone a taste, here are my favorite quotes. Some are picked for their serious contribution to my personal growth, others because, well. Here you go:

The Dharma Bums:
"Aw I don't wanta go to no such thing, I just wanta drink in alleys."

The Prophet:
"You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts; And when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime."

Naked:
"The Greeks will be here tomorrow afternoon, and we need to hide the booze."

Ah, the power of words without context. I promise, each of these is better with what surrounds it. Except maybe the first one. That one is great on its own.

If you haven't read these, pick one and give it a try. Dharma Bums and The Prophet are both very short, and Naked is turning out to be one of those books you want to put down and never read again while finding that you have lost the ability to let go of the cover in each hand, and so keep reading. All three have been, to beat the poor poor horse, a little life changing. These books are nice.

The monkeys are coming! I have to hide my iBook.

I hope everyone is well.
Peace,
Joe

Falling down on the Blog

Look! Look! Look!

It is my second post this year. This. Year. Yeesh. That is not a good blogging record.

Awhile ago I was thinking I'd do this super update / fresh start deal where I started blogging on my .Mac website (yet to be posted), but then I didn't. I think that Facebook has a good deal to do with this, as it is my main info page these days. But it does not have a blog function, so it must be something else. Hmmm.

It could be that my life is now too boring for words. But no, I think it is still the same as it has been, probably much more awesome then it ever has been, actually. So that leaves:

I have stopped noticing stuff besides my work and potentially sleep. That must be it. So now, here, at the dining room table, I will begin to notice things again, and tell you all about them. Here goes.

Right now, Toby (the cat) is looking at me like I smell peculiar. This is possible since I just got back from the gym. Now he is walking away: further suggestion that a shower should be in my near future.

Also, I am typing in the dark. I have a nasty habit of doing that. In fact, I do not turn the light on in my CMHA office very often, as it has a window. The window doesn't provide much light, but I prefer the small amount of real light to a large amount of fake light.

There is a bird out back that is whistling what sounds like "Freee Beeeeer." I am sure that is not what he is singing, but he is saying it so determinedly that I almost want to go out there and check.

Speaking of beer, Tonya and I were at the Whole Foods in Birmingham (ROCKS. SO. MUCH.) yesterday when we saw a beer that is both locally brewed and supports local humance societies. Awesome! But I don't know what it tastes like yet, because we didn't buy any. We both said, "sweet!" and then walked on to purchase 4lbs of chicken. We like chicken.

To further follow the beer thought: The other day Tonya and I were out with Shane and Michelle for Pizza. I aksed the nice waitress lady for a beer recommendation, and she pointed out a dark lager "from the makers of Budweiser" that was apparently a "step up from Guinness." I really wanted to stay and eat, so I did not scream, nor did I laugh. I drank the beer, and it was a step up from Guinness if by step up you mean weak approximation and by Guinness you mean crap. But I thanked her all the same, feeling sorry for her since she felt telling me that it was "from the makers of Budweiser" was a good thing.

Toby is back. He is biting at my toes and somewhat violently ramming his head into my elbow, which means it is probably time to give him dinner... time to go. Perhaps someone will read my second post of the year... who knows? After all, I have fallen down on the blog.

I hope everyone is well!
Peace,
Joe

Lazy Flies are Hovering Above

Hi.

This is a long overdue post, and I am choosing to do it after a day of technical academic writing.

You see today I finished my PhD prelim document. It is a behemoth that has haunted me for three years. Now, after minor revisions, all I will have left standing between me and three rediculous letters after my name is my actual dissertation. I am done with taking classes, and the next year will be filled with more writing and lots of teaching, just like my eventual real job. So hooray. I would be more energetic if my brain was not a nice grey and white puree right now.

There is so much I want to catch up on that I don't know where to begin. With that in mind, I think I'll be making a fresh blogging start soon. Hopefully there will be a link on T Loves Buddha to my new iWeb blog sometime in the next week or two. That blog will be directly connected to my redesigned website, which lies in wait on my Mac as I type.

I have to write more tonight, but first I am going to eat some Chinese food and stare at the book I am currently attempting to read for pleasure, The Dharma Bums. It is an awesome book, but every time I get to it I am in a semi-zombie state from making all the science words. But I really do love my job. I promise.

I hope everyone is well.
Peace,
Joe

You clip like several demure traffic cones.

Mr. Alligator doesn't make much sense this morning. But hey, it is Monday.
I am writing to apologize to my giganic (by gigantic, I mean family and a few friends) readership. This is the longest pause in posting I have had in a long time. I would like to say that it is because I have been weaving together a magical new website which is now ready to go, and that this is the grand reveal for said website, but I can't. I have been putting together a new site, but it is not ready and when I put it up I will not be calling it a "reveal."
Not much news here. This is finals week, but I have no finals and am giving no finals. So it is sort of just "finishing up a bunch of manuscripts week." A week from today Daddy and I pick up Nick from the 2nd phase of Ranger school. I can't wait. This last weekend Tonya and I chopped down and decorated the Christmas tree with Mama and Daddy in Anniston, and that was awesome. My parent's fireplace is fixed, so we had fire, beer, Mata's, and a fresh Christmas tree. Best way to charge up for the final week of the semester. Ever.
This weekend I will see Carl and Drew in the midst of end-of-semester celebrations... I haven't seen either in a while, so ROCK ON. I want to eat at Surin West to celebrate. Mmmmm. Thai food.

So that is all from the T-town for now. One of my new year resolutions is to put up the new website and begin really posting again. We will see.

I hope everyone is well!
Peace,
Joe