15 years ago... #1

October 16, 1995 — evening


I’ve been thinking. Mainly, the many emotions I have within me. I adore many things. Music that touches my heart, for one. One of my favorite artists is Elton John. Born in England, this singer is wonderful. I read his bio a while back. There are a few singers in this world that have a certain sort of power. I adore this power. It is the power to captivate me, to ensorcel me in the power of the song. These singers are Elton John, Meat Loaf, Jann Arden, Carly Simon, Seal, Jennifer Warnes, Celine Dion, Julie Masse, Mae Moore, and finally, Annie Lennox. There are also different groups, and here they are, Crash Test Dummies, The Proclaimers, Bare Naked Ladies, Air Supply, Pet Shop Boys, and last but not least, Supertramp. These singers and groups all fill me with a power I’ve never felt before. Many may think my choices are weird. That I should like what others like. Personally, I think Green Day sucks like crazy! Classical music is cool too. That power is so strong when I listen to the stirring music of classics like Bach and many others. New Age, Instrumental, and Jazz, however, these fill me with the power! Whenever I head New Age, I feel at peace and I feel in touch with the higher powers. How very awesome! Enough with music. My first love has always been reading. Even when I was 2, my parents would take me to the mall, where I would read the many signs there.

Studies on insanity

Since I finished reading 'Visits to Bedlam', I've done some further investigation into insanity, and I came across 'George III and the mad-business' by Ida Macalpine and Richard Hunter. The knowledge that George III was insane has been floating around for some time, but I recently learned that he might've suffered from Porphyria, which might've been the cause of his episodes. However, this book is not just an account of George's struggles with his illness - it is also a very interesting window on the world of medicine and treatment of illnesses during the 1700's. Already I have learned that most doctors, especially the wealthy and well-connected ones, considered mental illness beneath their image to treat. Of course, the microscope had yet to be invented, so doctors knew next to nothing about the deeper workings of the human body and less than that about the human brain.
So far, there are two well-respected doctors quarrelling over George III like dogs scrambling over a juicy bone. And the politicos are, naturally, getting involved. Maybe it's just my nowadays sensibilities, but George III is not getting a whole lot of help from these types. Especially since there is no way they can understand what has caused his episodes. Anyway, that's what I'm reading about these days. BYE.

10 years ago... #1

October 13, 2000 evening

Breezy, but not too bad. I have not written in three days, so I felt like tonight was as good a time as any. This might not be a long entry, but maybe it should be a long one. I am listening to Adiemus as I write, hoping for calm. It’s Friday the 13th, and the moon is full. Strange times ahead? It started reading two books that should really impress me. Well, one is for a course, and it looks a little dry and sounds too simple to be true. The other book is an alternate view of space. This latter book really sounds impressive. Apparently, the earth as we know it is doomed. We can’t change it, so we are running out of time. We only have a few billion years left. Does that really sound that disastrous? Not really, but I still have a lot to read. More to come. SYS!

Busy

Since my last post, I've gotten a lot of reading done, some gaming done, and I've joined another online community. I just finished reading Hardy's "The Woodlanders". I didn't really like it, but I wanted a happier ending for the main character, and that wasn't in the cards. With that, I'm going to take a break from Hardy for a little while. I think I just have "Far from the Madding crowd" to read and then I'm completely done with Hardy. For some strange reason, I kept expecting a fox-hunting scene to pop up. This is Hardy, not Trollope, so nothing of the sort happened. Makes me wonder if I'm missing reading about the likes of Phineas and the Palliser clan. The constant focus on the hunt ticked me off something fierce, as I recall. Maybe I just need to curl up with a couple of Dickens' tomes. "A tale of two cities" or "Barnaby Rudge", maybe. No fox-hunting and while those books don't really end happily, I do finish them in a more pleasant mood.
Work continues to be a good ride. I joined the budget committee to see how work projects get determined and where the money goes. The library is actually a higher priority than I expected (with a leaky roof, it would have to be a pretty high priority). I couldn't stay for the entire meeting, since I had to open the library to the students, but it was a neat experience. Cannot say I am not getting involved and being proactive. Now, if only those damn books would come in so I can start the book club! A couple of parents were interested in organizing a book fair. I've not had the best of experiences with book fairs, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I was pretty much on my own when it came to running them. The parent volunteers were NOT forthcoming, sad to say. I sent an e-mail to the interested parents but have not heard back. Maybe that's as far as it will go. Ca me fait egal, really.
Back on the reading front, I'm going to start "The stories we live by" for the 2nd or 3rd time. I want to see if I've changed my opinion on the concept since I last read it. I'm pretty set in my ways by now, so probably I haven't. That's about all. BYE.

A few words

I've been feeling pretty inward lately. Maybe I need to get rid of my Twitter account and a couple of other online deals. I'm never there, so why have them? I'll keep this blog, though. Not that anyone's really watching. Okay, self-pity moment is over. So is this entry. BYE.