Blog #7? I'm losing count...

9:20 am. On a Tuesday morning. What a glorious time to write a blog post. I love late starts.

Now onto my reading. This week has been insanely busy, and I haven't had much time to read 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'. But I will fill you in on what has happened in the few pages that I have made it through. Basically, there are a bunch or little stories and letters written to the main character, Oskar. The reader is able to infer from clues given who the letters are from. For example, in one letter the writer talks about wanting to be a sculpter. You know that Oskar's grandfather was a sculpter, so you know who wrote the letter. I find this an interesting, unique style of writing. One the one side, it really engages the reader because they have to think and figure out who wrote the letter and what is going on. But I don't like this technique. This is probably because of how I read. I like to read before I fall asleep, I've done that every night since I was in first or second grade. As of late, however, I've been so tired before I go to sleep that I either don't read at all, or I only read a page or so. With this style of writing that really makes you think, I generally put the book down before I even finish a page. Not because the book isn't good, but because I need to think. I need to figure who wrote the letter, remember what the connection is to Oskar, and understand what is happening. So I put the book down with the intention of picking it up when I'm less tired. I've gotten through maybe ten pages this week. I think I need a new strategy. I promised myself that I would finish this book, something I couldn't manage to do with 'Everything is Illuminated'. So, I will finish it. It just might take me a while...

Blog #6: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I was in a little bookstore in New York City this weekend and found the book "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" on the shelf. This is a book that I've been meaning to read for ...ever. I tried to read "Everything is Illuminated" by the same author, but never got past the first chapter. So I wasn't sure that I really wanted to read "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," but there it sat on the shelf, a hardcover book for only $7.98. It was fate. I bought the book and started reading it on my flight home the next day. Despite dosing off multiple times, I got 120 pages into the book. I was enthralled. I've heard mixed reviews from those who have read this book, but I absolutely love it. The story takes place in New York City (where I got the book!), and the main character is a 10-year old boy whose dad died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. But there is more to the story, some phone messages from his father from right before he died as well as a mysterious key that the boy, Oskar, is trying to find a lock to open with. Oskar is a very unique and smart boy, and I find it fascinating to see the way he thinks. I'm honestly on the edge of my seat. I need to know what happens next, how this mystery is solved. Anyways, I should get back to reading to find out what happens next.

What Steger says...

I read an article on Sunday in the Star Tribune written by Will Steger, on page 4 of the opinion section. And if I do say so myself, it was a gem. I would even go so far as to say that it made my day. Steger brought up the issue of energy in his article, "It's a poor time to exploit oil shale." He makes the brilliant point that the only reason that using oil shale is even being considered is because of the high price of fuel. It takes a large about of oil to make oil out of oil shale. Because of high gas prices, using oil shale is becoming more economically feasible. Hopefully that makes sense, but if not I would highly recommend reading the article because it puts relatively complicated matters involving the environment and the e

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conomy into simple and understandable terms. Steger's reasoning for not using oil shale, besides what I already stated about how it doesn't make sense economically, has to do with the protection of our environment. Science has proven that global warming is caused by fossil-fuels. Were we to use oil shale, it would be turned into oil in a power-plant that burns fossil-fuels. Then, when the oil is used, it too will destroy our ozone layer. We need to focus on our environment. I know that gas prices are high, but oil shale is not the answer, as Steger has proven. And neither is drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, but maybe I'll get to that issue later. For now, lets stick to oil shale. Steger has shown that it is not a good plan, and yet Norm Coleman's plan calls for the use of oil shale in oil production. Steger urges voters to oppose Coleman's plan, as this is our small window of time to be able to stop harming our environment, before global warming has progressed too far for us to do much. So while I may be biased, Will Steger is a role model of mine, I think that Steger brought up excellent points in his article, and I urge everyone to take the issue of oil shale seriously. And seriously, read the article. It's amazing.

Blog#4: Giving in

Obviously, I read another short story from the same David Sedaris book for this post. This story, titled "Solution to Saturday's Puzzle" (pages 124-134), is about Sedaris' unfortunate situation on an airplane. When he sneezed, his cough drop fell out of his mouth and landed on the lap of the woman sitting next to him. Awkward, right? But it gets worse. He had earlier had a fight with this woman. The woman next to him asked him to change seats so that she and her husband could sit next to each other. While this seems like a perfectly reasonable request, Sedaris declined. Why? Because the woman's husband was sitting in what Sedaris dubbed 'The Bulkhead", also known as the front row. Sedaris assured her that had it been her child wanting to change seats, he would have obliged. But not for a grown man. However, this explanation was not good enough. The woman was really mad. So that brings us back to this awkward situation. There isn't much of an ending to this story, only that the woman called him a name.
Yet this story brings to mind a common issue. Do you give in or stand your ground? There are the people who can't say no. Those who would switch seats on an airplane with someone who had the bad luck of ending up next to the man who reeked of alcohol and spent the 8-hour flight sobbing uncontrollably. And then there are the David Sedarises of the world, those who won't change seats with the man in the front row who simply wants to sit next to his wife, for a 45 minute flight. These people are debatably bring unreasonable. But if you paid for or requested the seat you are in, why would you want to change? This is where a balance must come. Be reasonable, think about yourself and others when making decisions, and don't be afraid to say no. And keep in mind, if you don't give the other person what they want,you will accidentally drop a cough drop onto their lap and be in an unfortunate predicament. That's karma.