I know, it’s not Halloween yet and I haven’t had my fill of candy corn and bite-sized Snickers. I just thought I’d get into the retail mood. 🙂
Does this annoy you as much as it annoys me? Just wondering.
“simplicate and add lightness”
Today I sat outside in the cool breeze and warm sun and drank a Dr. Pepper.
It was a tasty treat in the middle of the day — an indulgence since I’ve pretty much given up eating garbage. Whatever, I needed the break. I’ve done quite a bit at work in the past two days, and accomplished very little, so the break before yet another meeting was welcomed.
Among other things, we are moving toward social media at work. That makes me laugh a little. Okay, it makes me laugh a lot. I’m game; it’s gonna be a helluva experiment.
Anyway, I was checking my own social media stuff and ran across a status update by my cousin Ian, the rocket scientist. By the way, I love to say my cousin the rocket scientist. It makes the Trekkie side of me oh-so-joyful. But I digress….
The point is, Ian posted, “simplicate and add lightness.” Now, I know that has to do with design and making stuff go faster. It totally makes sense that he would use that well-known phrase, but the longer I looked at it, the more I admired its … simplicity… and lightness.
Isn’t that beautiful?
I’ve been trying to simplify for years. It’s a challenge, for sure. Clutter seems to be the natural order of the world today. The more I move to a paperless office, the more piles of crap that pop up. Clearly, I missed the memo on effective de-cluttering. I probably printed it and placed it in a pile somewhere.
Anyway. Simplicity and lightness. I like it. With apologies to Stout, I think his charge has greater application to slowing down. It certainly gave me pause.
it’s Banned Books Week!
I am giddy with joy. After all kinds of silly weeks and months through out the year, you know what I’m talking about, Smile Day, Hug a Panda Day, Drink your Favorite Beer Day (well, I won’t take issue with that one), and every other manner of silliness, Banned Books Week is something I can sink my teeth into. Or, maybe, curl up with. Forgive the prepositions.
Banned Books Week is something that appeals to me, not just as a student and teacher of literature, but as a rebel. Ever since Sister Dawn caught me with Abby Scott’s big sister’s super secret copy of M*A*S*H in my desk and made me take it home, anticipating, I’m sure, an explosion from my parents (I was in the sixth grade and there were some morally objectionable components to that book) I embraced my right (even though it really wasn’t) to read everything I could get my hands on. Even if Sister Dawn objected.
In fact, ESPECIALLY if Sister Dawn, or any other adult, objected. I know, scandalous. In the end, though, it made me pretty well-read. Here is my top 10 list of favorite [not effectively] banned books. What’s yours?
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
2. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain (that was censored and published posthumously!)
3. The entire Harry Potter adventure by J.K. Rowling
4. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
9. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
10. Earth’s Children series (Clan of the Cave Bear) by Jean. M. Auel
I suppose I could chime in about Captain Underpants, too. Funny books. Give ’em a try.