Quiet

Quiet, by Susan Cain

I'm thinking that my summer of reading is over. I still have a couple books on my shelf that I had borrowed from the library during the summer, and maybe I'll try to read them during the year, but I'm not sure how successful I will be, but I will give it a go.
The most recent book that I read was Quiet, by Susan Cain. I'm not sure how I ended up borrowing this book. I had watched her TED talk, and I think this book popped up on my "recommended" list when I looked up Lean In online, and I find it interesting learning more about personality types...anyway, I borrowed it, and I'm sure glad that I did.
Simply put, this book is about introverts. I liked the book because I feel like I better understand myself. Reading a little bit more about my personality, and why I do what I do and why I like what I like and enjoy what I enjoy. To learn a little bit more about culture and culture clashes (first-generation problems!). I found the book reassuring.
Of course, we are all a mixture of personalities. We might lean towards one side of the spectrum than another. I had a moment when I was reading the book where I wondered it everyone reading this book would find part of themselves in it, just like reading the horoscope. On any given day (or day after), I can read the horoscope of any star sign and see myself and events that have happened in the day. So is this book naturally preaching to the choir because everyone will be able to see themselves in it? Or maybe there is a seriously extroverted person who will read this book and be completely surprised by what they read.
I was also thinking about the message of this book with my profession. I'm in a field where the pendulum is swinging many perceive that a cooperative, discussion- and inquiry-based approach is advocated for. While there are many benefits for this approach, how does this support the learning of introverted students? Personally, I advocate for a diverse and balanced approach to teaching. Our students are diverse. Our students learn and thrive in different contexts, and I want all students to have to opportunity to feel success and be successful. At the same time, I want all students to feel challenged and have an opportunity to develop areas of weakness or learn to make the most out of contexts that are not comfortable. Who knows what kind of context they will end up in and/or whether or not they will have the ability to alter their context to one in which they will thrive (because hopefully they will know more about themselves).
I had a eureka moment when I read about Free Trait Theory, or in general, the idea that you can display a completely different personality in different contexts. It helps me to make sense of my 'different personalities'. I have consistently gotten the feedback that I present myself in a certain kind of way. That impression is completely contradictory to the emotions that I'm feeling in those situations. I was always a little bit confused as to why that was the case, what caused it, how I am able to have the strength to give that impression, and how come I can't channel that person more often? I still don't really have the answer, but I liked reading about it.
Anyway, I really liked this book. It was very easy to read and a nice contribution to my current phase of self-discovery.

- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

La dolce vita

I write this from the floor of my balcony. This past week, I've realized that putting a blanket on its floor, bringing out a pillow, putting a good playlist on my itunes, some light reading, and snacks is awesome.
The weather's been fantastic this past week and why take the time to pack up your things and walk to the park when you can have a lovely picnic on your very own balcony? And then whenever you get tired of it, you doing have to walk home because you're already there.
Win-win situation if you ask me.
Sure, there are certain times of day that the sun hits the balcony and it gets too hot, but when there's shade it's pretty great because I get a nice breeze.
It's pretty fabulous.
So, I've been living it up here on my balcony for the past week. Making the most out of the final days of summer. I'm back to a more regular work routine starting tomorrow.
It's been a nice summer. I was able to slow down my pace and just 'be'. I feel well rested as I begin the year. And that's a good thing.

Phew!

I finally mustered up the courage to read my course evals from last year.
Folks, we take these things seriously. In a class filled with positive comments, even one negative comment can absolutely shatter an instructor's moral. It's terrifying to read these things. Absolutely terrifying. Those nasty comments stick, and no, I don't know who wrote them, so just knowing that someone out there thinks those things about me is crushing.
I came out of this round unscathed, but I'm still shaking. Opening that file takes courage.
Thank you to those students who took the time to give their thoughtful feedback, and even more thanks to those who are respectful in the process.

I love what I do...so much that sometimes it hurts. But it's worth it.

I Could Do That

I think this is a nicely done video. I wonder if they will create a video discussing how it's decided how much art is worth. I have been looking to purchase some art, but am unsure of my pricepoint. I'm also still in the stage where I don't think I've been exposed to enough art to know what I like to own. Sure, I know that there are certain artists' work that I like, but most of those pieces are not one that I will realistically be able to purchase. I haven't seen a piece recently that I've loved so much that I couldn't stop thinking about it. I do see nice things from time to time, but am never sure if I like it enough to purchase it.
I wonder if I'll ever get to the point of making the commitment and buying something?

Un sejour a Toronto

Just hanging out in the Billy Bishop Airport lounge (P.S. the pedestrian tunnel is quite lovely) and reflecting on the past two (and a bit) weeks here in Toronto.
I worry that each time I’m in Toronto, I only get the “best of” series because I am here for limited amounts of time and actively create my schedule for my visits. Anyway, suffice it to say, I had a lovely time in the city. There was a lot of smiles and laughter and I was mostly in very positive spirits, but I do admit that I did have some moments which ensured that I wasn’t on cloud nine the entire time. I’m learning that it’s okay to have a cry every so often and am trying not to be embarrassed about it. It’s better to let it out (and hopefully move on). But yes, for the first time in awhile, I felt very well-rested, content, and optimistic.
Toronto is fantastic. Here are some reasons why:

• International cuisine. I only scraped the surface by eating American, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Malaysian...and if it counts as a type of cuisine, brunch. Ha. I had intentions of having Caribbean and Vietnamese, but actually ran out of stomach space. In fact, the last three days I was in the city, I only ate one meal a day. After eating a lot, I tend to get into camel-mode and just stop being hungry. Standout food experiences from this trip include: Dandylion and Yasu Omakase Sushi Bar. I'll also mention Greg’s Ice Cream, because it's a classic and their Roasted Marshmallow ice cream is my favorite ice cream that I've ever had, and I can also say that I (waited in line and) ate Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake (tasted more like a cheescake-flavoured steamed egg thingy and was kind of meh). For some interesting flavours, I would recommend going to Kekou Gelato House. Finally, afternoon tea is always a wonderful experience too, and MoRoCo's isn't too bad. 

• Street festivals. I stumbled across Toronto International Buskerfest while wandering the city. While I'm not sure that Toronto can compete with Montreal in terms of its festival scene, I do think that the festivals in the city are becoming larger and they are trying to place them in locations that will become known as spaces for events. I know many people who scoff at Yonge-Dundas Square, but I quite like it and appreciate what it's trying to do/be. 

• (free) Outdoor movie screenings. I was happy to be able to take in part of TIFF in the Park 2015: TIFF 40 and watch one film while in the city. I have always been interested in seeing The Triplets of Belleville, because the soundtrack is so fantastic. The film itself is quite quirky and doesn't make my favourite movies list, but as I said, the music is phenomenal.

• Theatre. I'm a little surprised that when living in the city, I didn't attend shows. When traveling to New York and London, I would frequently attend shows, but never made it a priority in Toronto. On a whim (literally - I walked by the theatre, saw ticketholders entering, and decided to join them...it was just 10 minutes before curtains), I decided to see Newsies. Why not? The singing was great (I'm a sucker for good harmonies, and I was in an emotional space such that the right harmony or lyrics caused my to get teary-eyed) and the dancing was decent (I had very high expectations). It was a nice 2.5 hours and I feel fortunate to be able to have been able to take advantage of the situation that presented itself.

• People. Toronto peeps - you're the best of the best. 

It was great to walk around the city. I did lots of window shopping (disappointed that I wasn't able to find some things that I was hoping to find - but that always happens with me) and enjoyed being able to drive. I miss driving. And swimming is a wonderfully relaxing thing and is calming, refreshing, and therapeutic. I was lucky that part of my time in the city was so wonderfully warm and was fortunate to be able to spent time outside in the pool. 
Prior to booking this trip, I was worried that two weeks would be too long. I didn't think I would be comfortable being away from Montreal for that long. Now that it's over, it went by too quickly. While I was able to do a lot, there is still a lot that...well, there's always more. 
But, here I am, at the airport, waiting to head back to Montreal. Year 2. C'est parti!

Quebec French

In response to merci, it's bienvenue (not de rien).

And it's melon d'eau (not pasteque).

Balsamic BellaVitano

I had intended to only get one type of cheese (the Tete a Papineau), but then, I stated to chat with the salesperson and asked her to give me a rundown of how the cheese in the shop were organized. I asked some very naive questions about how I might think about the different cheeses and what I might consider for the next time and then she asked the deadly question: "Do you want to try something else?" How could I say no? I mean, there were so many different cheeses available, so I wasn't really sure where to begin, so I just asked her what her favourite cheese was, and she said the Balsamic BellaVitano...from Wisconsin. I laughed out loud that it was an American cheese and she chuckled as well. I think it's also part of my silly romanticism of Europe, but I was thinking that I would want to eat my way through European cheeses. But of course Wisconsin would have some good cheeses too!

Here's the description on the label (which, was of course written in French although it's an American cheese): "Fromage a pate ferme affine au vinaigre balsamique gagnant de la 1er place au American cheese Society 2010. Fin 2e. debut 3e service. Vin: Rose de Provence." (Translation, by google)

The cheese (from the Sartori Company) reminded me of a cheddar. Made from pasteurized cow's milk, it's a little harder, and has that kind of "cheddar" taste (I've got to develop a better flavour vocabulary)...I don't know how to describe it...salty? Thick? There is a hint of balsamic vinegar (obviously), but with my crappy palate, it's super subtle to me. The description of the website is helpful and I like the recommendations of what it pairs well with. I mean, that didn't really help me, because I was only looking at it after I'd finished eating, but knowing which foods it would go well with was interesting to think about.

Anyway, another cheese that I enjoyed. I mean, it's great that I'm finding all of these cheeses that I like, but I guess when you are able to taste the cheeses before buying them, that helps. I mean, I usually try one or two cheeses before deciding what to buy, and I don't really think I've actually tried something that I thought was vile. Mind you, I'm probably (based on the salesperson's knowledgeable recommendation) trying cheeses that probably wouldn't be too offensive (to my limited cheese palate). It's been fun going through these different cheeses. I'm really holding back from moving into goat cheese territory, but it seems like there are so many cow's milk cheeses that  don't have to worry too much about it quite yet.

Tete a Papineau

So, I'm continuing to go through the selection of brie-like cheeses at my regular cheese shop. I think at some point, I'll need to move along to other types of cheeses and diversify, but for the meantime, I still start my conversation with whoever's helping me in the shops with something along the lines of, "I usually get something from this section, like a brie...what would you recommend that's similar?"

This time, the recommendation was Tete a Papineau. Another Quebec, pasteurized cow's milk cheese and coming from the Fromagerie Montebello. I wouldn't describe this cheese to be "spreadable" per se. It's softish, but not quite as soft as some of the other cheese that I've gotten. In terms of flavour, this cheese has NO flavour. Like, even eating the rind, I don't get that kind of bitter or funny taste that stays on the tongue. I get no hints of anything, no undertones...so if you like a strong cheese this one is not for you. I googled a little bit more about the cheese and found a description of its flavour as "Douceur, arome de creme fraiche, legerement herbace." (Translation, by google).

The description on the label from the shop reads: "Fromage artisanale a pate demi-ferme & croute lavee. Affinage de 35 a 60 jours. Finalist Fromages Fins Can. 2014. 2e service. Vin: Cahors, pinor noir." (Translation, courtesy of google)

Anyway, it was a light cheese that I enjoyed. Today's incredibly hot outside, and I'm sitting on my balcony (luckily, a big tree is blocking the sun right now), so it's very warm, but there's a nice breeze. And with a fresh baguette, tomatoes and fruit juice, eating this cheese is enjoyable.

Montreal Jazz Festival (June 26-July 5, 2015)

It's festival after festival in Montreal during the summer. One of the big ones that recent finished up was the Festival International de Jazz.
I managed to head down to Place des Arts to take in a couple (free) concerts. That's the awesome thing, Place des Arts is a wonderful set up and they erect massive stages and sound systems and provide opportunities for the public to experience the festivals without having to pay for the festivities. Retailers and concession stands, I'm sure benefit from the traffic.

Three concerts that I attended stood out to me:

Michael Kaeshammer (British Columbia, Canada) -  I guess I would describe this music as big band jazz? Music that you can dance to, that's for sure. It's just such feel-good music.

Ginkgoa (France, pictured above) - I would describe this band as having an electro-swing flavour. As soon as they started playing, I immediate thought of this playlist on Songza. The band was awesome, playing music that you couldn't help but move to. And the lead singer couldn't help but move either. A fun touch was that she tap dancer through one of her songs.

Adam Cohen (pictured, left) - So this is Leonard Cohen's son. I imagine that's a tough gig and maybe I shouldn't have chosen that as the opening to introduce this musician, but to me, it's also a good descriptor of the sound of his voice and style of his music.

It was absolutely incredible how many people attended the festival. There were tons of concepts that you had to buy tickets for, and I'm sure those were well attended too. I just couldn't believe how many people were packed into Place des Arts. For Adam Cohen's concert it was a seriously big deal of a concert. A huge production. Lots of lights, lots of big screens so that people not in front of the stage could still see the performance and of course an awesome sound system so that you could hear the concert from all around. I was so impressed with the show and will the turnout.
There were concerts happening all the time, and of course staggered a bit so that performers weren't competing between the stages. The soundchecks might have overlapped a bit, but that's it. And in between the big(ger) shows were smaller concerts and street performers. In fact, you can the vaudeville street performers pictured here standing in the background (in suits) of Ginkgoa's performance. They were enjoying and respecting fellow artists' performances. And it was impressive how quickly the festival crew was able to clear an area to let the performers set up and to set up the sound system.

I can't wait to continue to explore and experience more festivals in the city.

Twelfth Night (or What You Will)

I had mentioned in a previous post that I would need to check out Repercussion Theatre's Shakespeare production in the park...and I did!
This year, the company put on Twelfth Night (or What You Will). I was recently chatting with a friend about the experience but had forgotten the name of the play. My description was, "You know, that one where a girl dresses up a a guy, and someone falls in love with her/him, but then someone else falls in love with some else, and there's a mix up and some other stuff." Pretty vague and unfortunately encompassing of a couple of Shakespeare's plays!
Anyway, the play was lovely. There were a couple songs in the play and I enjoyed the musical interludes. The last song that was sung to end the play and into the final bows sounded very familiar. Not like, it's a famous song, familiar, but like I'd heard it in another Shakespeare in the Park production. And since I think I've only really seen the Canadian Stage Company's productions in High Park, I'm narrowing it down to something that they did. So, is there a common song for Shakespeare?
As per usual, I packed a picnic dinner for this outing. It was fun. I'm really getting into this whole cheese and baguette thing. The cheese with ferns was purchased for this particular event.
Repercussion Theatre does things a little differently from the Canadian Stage Company. Instead of residing in one venue, the production moves around different parks around Montreal each night. Thus, you are able to select a night of a location that is convenient to you, or visit different parks in the city. It also means that the set and the whole she-bang needs to be easy to set up and rather portable. The set was simple, but effective. I went to the July 3rd show which was at a really large park. It was kinda cool because the entire evening there were people just walking by (because people in Montreal really love wandering and their green space...at least when the weather is nice) and stumbling across the production. There were also teams playing soccer on the fields in the background. And of course lots of people picnicking.
The company is touring until July 26th, so there's still time to catch a show! You can either find a patch of grass to sit on, bring a lawn chair (people here seem to not just bring those collapsible camping chairs, but straight up folding chairs) or even pay $5 to rent a chair (and get a seat right up front). The show is by donation (collected by cast members during intermission - I guess they don't have to bubble themselves throughout the entire show...mixing and mingling with the public doesn't throw them off).

Quebec City

I've been to Quebec City a couple times this year. Unfortunately, neither time was during Carnival, so I'll have to go back again at some point.
Something funny, is that prior to moving to la belle province, I would call Quebec City, "Quebec City". But people here refer to it as "Quebec". Is that what folks in New York refer to New York City as.
For the first little while, I was always confused when people talked about Quebec because it didn't seem like they were referring to the entire province, but then I finally clued into what they were talking about.
I don't know how much of Quebec City I've had the chance the chance to city. Both times I was there, I was staying quite close to downtown. I had a chance to walk around the downtown area and go to the old city and it is quite quaint, but not too large, and I kind of got my fill of the city within an afternoon. I'm sure there's more to see, but it would probably require some sort of transportation more than my feet. I'd like to visit the ice hotel.

Coulommiers Fougerus

On recommendation, I tried a different cheese shop. The shop is small, with a small selection, but a very nice boutique. Apparently they have cheeses that are more rare in the city, and the service was wonderful but I did have to buy my cheese blind because I wasn't offered a chance to taste anything.

Anyway, going with my continued quest to go through the bries, I asked what was available in that family. I was presented with two options, one made with unpasteurized milk and the other, pasteurized. As someone who was enceinte would be probably be eating the cheese, I went with the pasteurized cheese, the Coulommiers Fougerus.

This creamy cheese from France has a rind (still getting used to it) and is covered with ferns (so apparently, there's a hint of fern flavouring the cheese - can't taste it at all). This cheese shop doesn't provide any details about the cheese on the label, so I can't give more specifics about the cheese other than what I can find online. What freaks me out a bit is that through my online reading, this cheese is made from unpasteurized milk. Uh oh. 

The cheese is easy to spread on a baguette and doesn't have a strong flavour, but it does have a bit of an aftertaste. Like that bitter-ish flavour or that rind-y flavour or something. Or maybe it's a little sour. Or mushroomy. It's a decent cheese. I don't LOVE it, but I enjoyed eating it.

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture, by Jeffrey Zaslow and Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture is a book based on a talk given by Randy Pausch in Carnegie Mellon's Last Lecture series in 2007 (embedded at the end of this post). You may know of it as it went viral.
At the time, I had seen the video, and followed Randy's blog until he passed away in 2008.
Randy had pancreatic cancer.
Randy was also a tenured professor in computer science, a family man, and a lover of life.
His talk was entitled Really Achieving Your Dreams.
I had enjoyed his lecture and found it TED-talk-esque.
I wasn't really sure what this book would be above and beyond what his talk discussed. The book is quite slim (and a quick read...if you tried, you could probably finish it in an hour or two). I enjoyed the book like I did his talk, but it wasn't quite as rich, expansive and compelling as I had hoped. Randy did remind me of some important life lessons and qualities to live by/for, but the story was rather brief. "Chapters" of the book were a couple pages at most, some even just a couple paragraphs. Perhaps it was because the message was so simple that it didn't need to be belabored. Why take pages and pages to say something that can be said in one? I guess what I was hoping a little bit more for was a lengthier narrative to provide background to his message. To read more about his stories, his life, his experiences. I just wanted more.
Still, I did enjoy this book. Reading it now seemed appropriate. Randy wrote about being an academic. Randy wrote about making the most out of life. Randy wrote about dreams. Randy also wrote about achieving your dreams.
This year has been a strange one for me. It's been a little bit bumpier than I would have liked, and I'm not sure when things will smooth out. But I am alive and thriving. And this book reminded me to make the most out of life, to continue to do awesome things and be positive.



- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Rang des Iles Meule

I think I'm starting to run out of cheeses to try in that "brie" section. What am I going to do when I try all of the cheese in that section? Which section would I go to next? Surely not goat cheeses. Blech!

Rang des Iles Meule is another cheese made from lat pasteurise de vache. As written on the label: Fromage fermier a pate molle et croute mixte. Fait de lait 100% suisse brune. Affinage de 30 jours. 1er service. Vin: Cotes du Rhone blanc. (Translated by google).

The cheese was made in Saint-Gedeon in Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec) at the Fomagerie Medard. As the description says, it's made by milk from a certain kind of cow (Suisse brune). I don't pick up any particular hints of whatever flavour (but maybe my palate is not refined enough to do so), so the only description I have for it is: creamy. There's no particular aftertaste or anything either. It's another one of those cheeses that I spread onto bread and it's like I'm eating butter. So if that's the type of cheese that you like, this would be a good one!

Cheddar Applewood Fume

Switching it up a bit, I got a cheddar cheese from the market. Most of the cheddars that I tried tasted very similar, but this one (obviously) had a smokey taste to it (which I liked), so I decided to go with this one instead.

This cheddar is from the east coast, Prince Edward Island...the Cows Creamery in Charlottetown to be exact.

Here's what the label said: Fromage a pate ferme fume au bois de pommier (8hrs). Affinage de 2 ans. Gagnant fromage aromatique. "Grand prix des fromages Canadiens". Vin: Chardonnay boise, biere anglaise. (Translated via google)

I mean, what is there to say about this cheese? It's a cheddar, and tastes like cheddar. It also tastes smokey. And apple-ish. And tasty.

Lean In

Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg

Fun fact about me: I don't really do well in bookstores. Like, I'm not good at just going in, wandering around, picking up whatever book looks interesting and just start reading it. So, I don't really venture into bookstores to browse like I might go into other types of shops.
Once, though, I was with someone else who does like to go into bookstores, so what else could I do? I wandered around, just looking at different covers and admiring the pictures on the fronts of books...until I felt like I had done as much as I could do before actually picking up a book. I forced myself to grab one and start reading (because what else could I do to take up more time?) and Lean In was the book that I happened to pick up.
I had time to read about the first chapter of the book and I loved it. But then, it was time to leave the shop and I put the book down. I was kind of annoyed actually that I couldn't finish the book. I'm not good at stopping things partway through. Anyway, I think that was at least 3 years ago that I was in that bookstore.
So, continuing on in my summer of reading, I thought I'd seek out this book again and continue to read it. Also, I had a good hunch that this book would be available at my library at work.
I really liked this book. It discusses so many things that are so relevant in my life. It gave me a perspective about some of the workings of contexts that I am a part of (and better familiarizing myself with) and even some insights into myself. I encourages me to "lean in" and be a little bit bolder than my natural inclination. It makes me think a little bit more carefully about interactions and human behaviour. It reassured me to know that so many things that I've been experiencing, thinking about, and puzzling over are not rare occurences.
Similar to Malcolm Gladwell's books, Sandberg clearly put a lot of thought into her book and did her homework. Not only does she pepper her writing with personal anecdotes and experiences, she also links her ideas to research to really drive home her points.
Reading this book felt like I was watching a really long TED talk. I was inspired, able to make lots of connections and wonder how I'm going to apply all of the thoughts that are going through my head into my life.

Anyway, I'm glad that I was able to finish reading this book. I'm happy that I've been able to get through a couple books already this summer and that I've been able to slow my pace down. Today, when I went for a walk to get some errands done, I walked slower. Maybe even at a typical person's pace. I mean, people weren't passing me, nor was I passing others. I just took my time and I think it's been good for my soul to take my time.

- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell

Inspired by Outliers, I decided to read another one of Malcolm Gladwell's books. I don't know if it's reader's fatigue or something, but I didn't find this book as interesting. The style of the book was very similar, but the content didn't seem quite as compelling.
In The Tipping Point, the author described different traits/components/characteristics/contributors to making an event/person reach a point of taking them over some sort of threshold. For example, describing three types of critical "players": Connectors, mavens, and salesmen. He also describes what he calls, "The stickiness factor" and "The power of context". Gladwell uses different examples and case studies to illustrate his points.
I often wonder what the process is for authors writing books. I guess it would depend on the topic and the style of the author, but until a couple years ago, I never considered that an author would need to do research for his/her book (except for non-fiction, which I assumed would obviously need knowledge of a particular topic). I also had a similar revelation about filmmakers. To come up with a finished product must take a lot of background work and with the types of books that Gladwell writes, I wonder how many people are supporting the process. Would he be researching all of the ideas himself, or would there be an academic/researcher (or someone like a research assistant?) who would help provide evidence of his claims. His books have footnotes/endnotes where he's referencing other people's work so I wonder how he goes back and forth between the narrative text and his references. Would it be very similar to the process that I take when I write, I wonder?
Anyway, I thought this book was just as accessible for a hesitant reader as Outliers was, but not quite as juicy. I would still recommend it because it does give further insight into life and interactions and who doesn't want to try to better understand how the world works?

- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Outliers

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

So, I received this book as a gift in December 2008. And I finally read it. I had started reading it quite some time ago, but for some reason, I never got around to finishing it. I'm so happy that I finally got back to it. It's a great book. Kudos to the person who gave it to me, he guessed that I would be interested in the topics described in the book, and he was right.
Not only did I like the topic, but it was an easy read (check off one of my requirements for my summer reading list). There were short chapters (critical for me as I've been reading in short snippets of time...on the bus, to kick start my day, to end my days, waiting for people to show up for coffee/lunch/brunch/whatever...and also because I'm not good at remembering what's going on in the book, so stopping partway through a chapter really confuses me the next time I pick it up).
This is the first book that I've read by Gladwell. I tend not to be an overly critical reader (especially if the writing is well crafted). I think maybe I should be a little bit more critical...or maybe it depends on the subject matter. I have read things that I think are completely ridiculous. Anyway, my point is, I was happy to follow Gladwell's arguments. I guess I could google what others think of his writing (there must be critics out there), but I don't feel like it's a priority.
As the title suggests, this book is about outliers. The things that make people/things get to that place that makes them extraordinary. Gladwell provides lots of examples of this, talking about being in the right time and place, culture, context, and basically, just explaining how things work. As some who likes to analyse and figure out how things work, I found the book very interesting. I learned a little bit more about luck. I learned a little bit about timing. I learned a little bit more about small things making a difference.
I was thinking about my life as I read this book. About what in my life has contributed to who I am today. I mean, the easy answer is that everything contributes, I to try to get a better sense of how they contributed. I read this book with a lot of interest and wonder. And was happy that it was an easy read.
I've recently been thinking about writing a book. It's something that people in my profession often do. I was at a conference a little while ago, getting inspired and thinking about different things that I'd like to investigate further. I came up with some ideas for a book. But the connection to this book is that I think if I write something, I'll definitely want it to be very accessible. An easy read, and something that people can connect with. Like, a "human interest" kind of story. We'll see if that book ever gets written.

- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Watermelon

Watermelon, by Marian Keyes

Total chick lit. Mindless, frivolous, the easiest read. I have to say though, I didn't like how it ended up. I mean, it went in the right direction, but I needed an extra chapter or something to continue the fluff. Fluff is fun and good and there needed to be more to complete the story. For chick lit, it's got to be the perfect storybook ending, right? Sure, this book has some little twists here and there, but when it comes to the resolution, I want them to go all out and lay it on thick.
So if you need a synopsis, here it is (it's basically the same story as every other chick lit). Girl somehow gets shafted by her man. She goes a little nutty and is serious crisis mode. Then she meets some other guy...rebound of sorts. And then the original guy comes back into the picture. But what happens in the end? You'll have to read it to find out! Ha! Oh, and they're British of course. Why is that? Either it's taking place in Manhattan and everyone is so chic and fabulous, or their in the UK where you read the book and imagine everyone speaking with glorious accents.

- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

(Summer) reading

I recently started to read. It'd be great if I can get into a routine of reading regularly (alliteration FTW!).
I will typically have a more relaxed schedule over the spring and summer months. Still, I have tried to maintain a good schedule. I tend to wake up around 8-8.30am (yes, I know, most people are about to start their work day at that time, but for me this is quite a feat to regularly wake up at this hour - I'm often working evenings with my position so my schedule shifts a bit). And slowly ease into the day. Sometimes this entails reading a little bit in bed. And even eating breakfast! I think that these are all very good things to have as part of my routine because during the year, I did neither. I've typically been arriving into work around 10.30am.
Anyway, the point is, I've been reading. I've been wanting to read something light to match my summer schedule. I don't own too many books that I haven't read, especially ones that don't have heavy topics. I did have one chick lit book on my shelf and thought that it was a perfect place to start. And then I went back to a book that I had started reading awhile ago and but for some reason, never got around to finishing. I'm on my third book now, and have a couple more that I picked up from my work library that will hopefully work out. I'll happily take suggestions if people have them. Mindless books were kind of my target reading for the summer, but my work library doesn't seem to have them (or at least the titles and authors that I knew of). But that's ok - the titles that I've got on my lineup should be relatively easy reading still, of personal interest, and will encourage some synapses to fire.
It would be great if I could get through a couple books over these next couple of months.
The nice weather will help me in my quest. I type this as I sit on my balcony, taking a break from my current book. It's a beautiful day outside and reading and my general routine this past little while has helped me to slow down my pace a bit (needed). It's been good for my mental health too, I think.