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Authors and Books to be read Now

  • Paul Bowles: The Sheltering Sky
    Paul Bowles and his wife Jane were perhaps one of the of the most interesting couples of their generation. They were some of the first people who went back into North Africa after WWII. This book is set in Morrocco and is about a husband and wife's travel through Morocco with a friend in 1947. Jane wrote wonderful short stories and is worth checking out in her own right. Bowles was also a translator and worked with Mohammad Mrabet who told amazing folk stories and modern day tales of Morocco, check him out too! (*****)
  • Ikku Jippensha: Shank's Mare
    A great old novel, it was first published in serial form in 1802. It's about Kita and Yaji dumping their wives and traveling the stations of the Hokkaido Road. The road that connected the city of Edo with the city of Tokyo. These two friends love to play jokes on each other almost as much as they like others to pay for their meals and lodging. (*****)
  • Ryu Murakami: Coin Locker Babies
    Are you getting the idea that I like japanese literature? Cause your right. And no this is not a mistake. This man has the same name as Haruki. I love this author's books and his work in the movies, he is a director too. His book "Almost Transparent Blue" is my favorite. (*****)
  • Haruki Murakami: All of it
    It's not the title, its my sentiment about the author. I first saw his books in the late 80's. I have read each as they have come out and they only get better. At a dinner party someone once described his books as "crack." While I can't quite commit to that "The Wind Up Brid Chronicles" is truly amazing. (*****)
  • Balzac's Droll Stories: That would be Balzac
    Umm, yeah its really old, its also really nasty! I bought this book at Smith Family Bookstore in Eugene, Or. It was privately printed a long time ago in London but I am sure his short stories are easy to get. Also cool its a book that was made so long ago the pages are not pre-cut. I have to cut the pages open as I read. I read "Old Girot" last year and liked it but these stories are great! They are all about sex and I got used to the flowerly language used by Balzac pretty fast. I liked it so much I rented a documentary from netflix about Balzac. It was the worst thing ever! (*****)
  • Sommerset Maugham: Of Human Bondage
    Must be read, in fact all of Maugham's fiction and short stories should be read. Sometimes he is so witty and acerbic I laugh out loud and can't beleive I am reading something from the 30's. Christmas Holiday, Catalina and of course the Razor's Edge are great too. Just finished Cakes and Ale, really liked it a lot. Wonder if a movie was made of this to? Almost all of Maughm's novels and some of his short stories have been made into films from the 40's through the 60's. (*****)
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January 2008

January 24, 2008

At Work Today

While at work today in a local community college I had to take a rest room break. I went to the nearest ladies room and as I entered I heard a kind of scraping sound. I can't describe it very well but it was rhythmic and non threatening. Non threatening being the optimum word here. The college were I work is not necessarily dangerous but often there are cultural misunderstandings. Like one day when I entered the ladies room and this guy(foreign born student) walked right in behind me. I turned around and told him to get out. He starts yelling at me! "Your hair is too short for a woman's!" What a dick, huh?

Oh well this sound continues and I am now washing my hands at the sink and racking my brains about what that sound is. I really wanted to know, I was thinking air vent or pipes and then it hit me. Someone was unwinding the gigantic toilet paper roll and kept having to pull down a section of the paper and then wrap it up and then do it again and again and again...

Oh my! Then the I had to know who could be doing this? I am a naturally curious person and yes, it has gotten me into trouble. But it was very interesting and worthwhile trouble.

I could not wash my hands forever and as there are only 2 stalls I went out and waited.

An old old immigrant lady comes out with a big big bag. She looked well fed and healthy and quite happy. And why not? That was a LOT of free toilet paper!

Posted at 05:15 PM in Oakland Stories | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

January 22, 2008

Bacon

As you may or may not know I am a vegetarian. It was a sudden thing with me, not done for political reasons or to save animals whom I had been enjoying eating for years. It was a sudden epiphany that what I was doing was just plain wrong and I would have to start eating people if I was going to eat animals. Kinda gross but true.

The last and hardest thing for me to give up was bacon. The smell, the flavor and texture are pure heaven. But I gave it up and I am very happy because of it. I do not care if other people eat meat or not, just like I don't care what other people do as long as they leave me alone and let me be too.

A strange thing has been happening here in the house. One of our neighbors is eating bacon all the time. Not a couple times each week but 2-4 times each day. This has been going on for 2 months now. At random random times. Last night it was at 1230 am. Third time that day!

The smell is great, I can't deny that when I smell it. Even at 1230 am the smell of bacon cooking last night woke me up and made my mouth water. So far I have successfully talked myself out of having bacon 2-4 times each day for the last 2 months. It has not been easy.

The after smell of bacon is not good at all. Our apartment is at the top of the house so the smell of cold bacon fat permeates my home for 2-4 times each day. I think it would be easier if it were summer and I could keep my windows open all the time. As it is now I just have to ignore it.

I feel like I am experiencing some kind of food karma.

(Oh my lord, he is cooking it right now)

But it is winter and cold and raining and I am grumpy. I would never ask a neighbor not to cook something. I wouldn't even know how to start a conversation like that! I have lived in places where the smells of cooking where much much worse and disturbing. I just hope he switches to a new, less olfactory pleasing meat, very very soon.

Posted at 12:28 PM in The Street | | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

January 07, 2008

Happy New Year!

Img2371

I hope you all have been having a great new year and enjoying all the rain. We lost power on Friday for the whole day, luckily it went back on at around 8pm. It was not so bad because our heater has a battery back up. Yay landlord! Not something I would have even known about.

Oh, the picture! So Oaklandish! Can you make it out if you squint real hard? No? Well I can't really either but let me tell you what it is. The Wife and I were out in the rain doing errands the week before Xmas. We are at a stoplight and all of a sudden I am pretty sure I am having some kind of-as the kids say-"flashback."

You see there is a blue van in front of me and suddenly the license plate is melting! I know it can't do that! It is made of metal after all! Oh my god maybe I should let the Wife drive! But the Wife is seeing it too! She asks me if i think that license plate in front of us is made of paper?

Oh yes of course it is paper! Someone has photo copied a license plate and taped it to their license plate holder! Oh my, I need a minute to stop laughing so hard. So Oakland-so funny-side hurts-gasp-laughing so hard!

Posted at 07:41 PM in Oakland Stories | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

PlayStation 3

  • The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
    This is the reason I no longer blog. Sadly my dark elf is now ruling the kingdom because he has finished all the quests that didn't bug(it is a buggy game) on me. This game is so huge that even people with no social life will feel over committed. I kinda hope they don't make a new one, if they do I will have to break it gently to The Wife.

Play Station 2 Games that I Love!

  • The Sims 2-Castaway
    Picture this-beaches, warm tropical water, lots of food and drinkable water, your own hut and fire pit , beautiful sunsets and you are all alone! It is like someone crawled into my head and made the perfect game just for me! Eventually my Sim will make his way back to civilization(he is good at making catamaran's) but it will be sometime before he is so inclined. Its a big game and there are 3 islands to explore and many monkies(no joking) to make friends with and chat. I like it much more than the other Sim games because you do not need to work to earn cash or have Sim babies(usually Sim CPS comes over and picks mine up). Instead of buying things for you house now you make things for your hut!
  • Dynasty Warriors 1-5
    A fun fun war game that allows you to unite midevil China. Once I was with my Mom in chinatown here in Oakland. We walked into one of the shops. There were all kinds of statues and there was Guan Du, the god of War. My favorite character from this series! No, I didn't buy one but it cracked me up.
  • Okami
    You are a white wolf who happens to be the japanese sun god amaterasu. This game is made to look like it is animated on rice paper. It has an ukiyo-e style(which i love) and to save the world you have to use caligraphy to draw it back. You can draw a tree or flowers where ever you want and beautiful pine trees or cherry trees spring up. It was challenging and unique. 5 stars for sure!

Categories

Favorite Posts

Friends of the Monkey

Prius owners who don't get it.

  • On Broadway yesterday
    The Wife and I had an errand heavy day yesterday. We drove all over town and as we were coming up Broadway we noticed a man in a Prius running each and every red light. Broadway is all traffic lights, every block. He was not speeding, just approaching a red light, stopping and then proceeding when safe. Wow I knew you got to use the HOV lane and all but damn!
  • old prius lesbian
    Okay so I am driving down 40th St. and in front of me is a brand new fancy Prius. Apparently this lady was only interested in one aspect of saving the earth. As we drove she threw out the wrapping of her fast food lunch one at a time. A cellophane wrapper to new cigarettes(I didn't know you could smoke in a Prius, I thought it would take evasive action!) Then throw out the lighter.

notes for future posts

  • Posts to look forward too.
    the wake, hooker's i have known, one more hooker story, Van-o-rama, the BMW, leaf blower of yore, rheindeer man, 5 wig lady, bicycle cowboy