Violence!

Eye-catching title, eh? To be fair, I won't be spending a whole lot of time discussing violence today. I finished reading some works by Stendhal recently, and while I found 'Armance' to be quite the frustration, Stendhal's shorter works were something different. I enjoyed 'The abbess of Castro' and 'The Cenci', which were shorter stories full of violence and heartbreak. I also found I was mistaken concerning why I wanted to read Stendhal's works. He says little to nothing about class structure, and I was grateful for that. I found at times that he was a little abrupt with his endings at times, especially where 'Armance' was concerned. Just when I was starting to warm up to the story, it ends with a dull clap and you don't get much of an ending. 'The Cenci' gets a special nod for its amazing portrayal of a commanding mafioso (admit it, that's what he was!) dude who ruled his family and his community with an iron fist.
Ever since I first heard about 'Walden Two', I've been trying to get my mitts on some B.F. Skinner. A known fellow among the psychological community, I've also heard of his deadly 'Skinner Box'. A man of many mysteries, eh? I started into 'Reflections on behaviourism and society' yesterday, and it's going a little slow right now. On the other hand, I already have a quote I want to eventually add to my meagre collection. Kind of funny, as he mentions acedia, and I was just reading about that not long ago. Some sort of sign that I'm on the right path? I don't think I'll be able to find 'Walden Two', though I will look a little harder soon enough. For now, I'm going to get through this book and then take a nice break with Tennyson. I fear that this entry is pretty short, but I have to check on supper and other things.
BYE!

Nice times (at last)

Friday was frustrating, with chill winds and enough rain to be depressing. Some of my lunch regulars didn't help matters any, which decreased my mood even more. And then my ankle decided to rebel, which reduced me to a whimpering mass of librarian. That last one was more my fault than anything else, as I spent much of the morning and afternoon running after students to get their books back. Adolescents can be incredibly annoying, especially when they get demanding. Okay, I've spent much of this weekend harping inwardly about this, and Monday is just around the corner. At least this group of regulars will be on their way at the close of June (YAY!) Anyway, the weekend has lifted my spirits quite a bit, with good weather and no adolescents to drive me up the wall. My Dad's B-day is next week, so we treated him to dinner on Saturday. Next year will be a milestone birthday for both Mom and him, and I already have to wonder what Nat and I will get him. Of course, there's Nat's B-day still to come, but not until this summer.
Speaking of summer, the plan's afoot and Mom and I have gotten everything worked out for our upcoming trip to B.C. The flight's been booked, the hotel's been booked, and the rental car has been booked. It still does not feel real, though I suspect that it will the closer it gets to July. I probably will not do much in the way of posting anything during the trip itself, but rest assured there will be pictures and the like once I've returned. I should decide pretty soon as to the books I wish to bring with me. Speaking of books, I'm wading back into French matters with a study of Stendhal, followed by a half dozen of his shorter pieces. I cannot recall why I so very much wanted to read up on this guy, but I think it has something to do with the Bourgeoisie vs. the Proletariat (of which I was reading a lot about several months ago). I'm a Prole, as far as I know, and I do not think there's any way I could be a Bourgeois. Not in this day and age.
Anyway, I've come to the end of this entry. Thanks and have a great day.