Again, I used the macro close up to show the dry underside of a eucalypt branch, which intrigued me.

I am the secret delight

The constant temptation

The sweetest of sin

Omnipresent, like a shadow

You can’t escape me

Even in back rooms

And dark alleys

I seduce you

In the shop window you have promptly identified the cover with the title you were looking for. Following this visual trail, you have forced your way through the shop past the thick barricade of Books You Haven't Read, which were frowning at you from the tables and shelves, trying to cow you. But you know you must never allow yourself to be awed, that among them there extend for acres and acres the Books You Needn't Read, the Books Made For Purposes Other Than Reading, Books Read Even Before You Open Them Since They Belong To The Category Of Books Read Before Being Written. And thus you pass the outer girdle of ramparts, but then you are attacked by the infantry of the Books That If You Had More Than One Lifetime You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered. With a rapid maneuver you bypass them and move into the phalanxes of the Books You Mean To Read But There Are Others You Must Read First, the Books Too Expensive Now And You'll Wait Till They're Remaindered, the Books Ditto When They Come Out In Paperback, Books You Can Borrow From Somebody, Books That Everybody's Read So It's As If You Had Read Them, Too. Eluding these assaults, you come up beneath the towers of the fortress, where other troops are holding out: the Books You've Been Planning To Read For Ages, the Books You've Been Hunting For Years Without Success, the Books Dealing With Something You're Working On At The Moment, the Books You Want To Own So They'll Be Handy Just In Case, the Books You Could Put Aside Maybe To Read This Summer, the Books You Need To Go With Other Books On Your Shelves, the Books That Fill You With Sudden, Inexplicable Curiosity, Not Easily Justified.

Now you have been able to reduce the countless embattled troops to an array that is, to be sure, very large but still calculable in a finite number; but this relative relief is then undermined by the ambush of the Books Read Long Ago Which It's Now Time to Reread and the Books You've Always Pretended To Have Read And Now It's Time To Sit Down And Really Read Them.

With a zigzag dash you shake them off and leap straight into the citadel of New Books Whose Author Or Subject Appeals To You. Even inside this stronghold you can make some breaches in the ranks of the defenders, dividing them into New Books By Authors Or On Subjects Not New (for you or in general) and New Books By Authors Or On Subjects Completely Unknown (at least to you), and defining the attraction they have for you on the basis of your desires and needs for the new and the not new (for the new you seek in the not new and for the not new you seek in the new).

All this simply means that, having rapidly glanced over the titles of the volumes displayed in the bookshop, you have turned toward a stack of If on a winter's night a traveler fresh off the press, you have grasped a copy, and you have carried it to the cashier so that your right to own it can be established.

You cast another bewildered look at the books around you (or, rather: it was the books that looked at you, with the bewildered gaze of dogs who, from their cages in the city pound, see a former companion go off on the leash of his master, come to rescue him), and out you went.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?:
Drank. Went out to a club. Got back at 3am. Danced with a boy. Stayed up until 4am. Gave blood.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Can’t remember last year’s New Year resolutions; probably something to do with better eating habits, being more patient and the like. It’s a work in progress. This year’s New Year’s resolutions are more of the same, although some of them are goals like giving blood again.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.

5. Which countries did you visit?
United States, Christmastime.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
My first kiss? More organization when it comes to essays?

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Jan 26^th – Australia Day, Miss K’s 18^th

Feb 22^nd – 27^th – O week

May 31^st – my 18^th!

November 4^th - Obama's victory.

And many more, whose dates weren’t so much memorable as what happened!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting 99.1 for the IB.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Probably the H3 I received for Creative Writing, I was really disappointed.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Caught a viral infection in second semester in a week when I had a lot of assignments due. No injury, fortunately.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Probably my new iPod nano that I bought at the end of the year (Little Red).

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Um, mine? I didn’t get drunk! Ha ha. Just kidding. I don’t really know.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one’s, really...

14. Where did most of your money go?
I’m not entirely sure! Parties, clubs, (even though I don’t drink all that much), clothes, balls, gelato, movies, good times...

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Like Sara, the prospect of going on exchange. However, unlike Sara, it didn’t eventuate for me. So, I got really, really, really excited about the Searching for the American Dream trip I’m taking next year. It’s going to be fabulous and I can’t wait! Boston, NY, DC; here I come!

16. What songs will always remind you of 2008?
Stronger, Kayne West – party song and favourite. Plus, it was played when I dancer with The Boy.

I Kissed a Girl, Katy Perry – party song

Grace Kelly – our fresher dance!
Shake it, Metro Station – all round fun dance song

I Got It From My Mama, Will.i.am – played in Gossip Girl and at Boost!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i) happier or sadder?
Happier. I love the college I’m in, the friends I’ve made, the classes I took, the parties I went to, and the year I’ve had.

ii) thinner or fatter?
I dislike the word fatter. Let’s just say that since I went to the States, I put on about 3 kilos. American meals are so damn big! Plus, you know, I live in college, which probably didn’t help my cause.

iii) richer or poorer?
About the same. Sure and I got a job, but I, er, spent most of that money around Christmas time. Presents, and all that.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Take a chance.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinating. Especially during exam time!

20. How will you be spending the holidays?
Since these are the holidays...I went to America for about a month over Christmas, which was amazing, and will probably spend the next month just relaxing at home, and of course getting up to all sorts of shenanigans when Sara comes to stay!

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Same as Sara: No. Been smitten for a prolonged period of time? Yes. Twice, actually.

23. How many one night stands?
None whatsoever.

24. What were your favorite TV programs?
Gossip Girl, The Gruen Transfer, The Hollowmen, House, Dexter, Skins, Supernatural. 2008 was the year I discovered TV shows (even if the writers did all go on strike.)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Um, no one that I can think of. I still hate most of the same people I did last year. ;-) No new hates.

26. What was the best book you read?
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole, followed by The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Rihanna? Distubia was one of my favourite songs this year. And songs from Gossip Girl – Will.i.am, Gym Class Heroes, The Virgins, Death Cab for Cutie.

28. What did you want and get?
40 in the IB. Acceptance at Melbourne University and my college.

29. What did you want and not get?
Ha. See #6: my first kiss.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Dark Knight. Ironman. WALL-E.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 18 – woot! – and I celebrated 3 times over. On my actual birthday I went out to a fabulous restaurant and then to the casino; the night before I went out for gelato with my friends from college and then watched a movie; and on the Tuesday before I had lunch with friends from school. It was all wonderful.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A kiss? What can I say, this year was hugely satisfying for me, going out with my college friends was so much fun and I really wouldn’t change anything, there’s not much I regret.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Girly casual, slightly preppy. Some stylish dresses when I went out. 

34. What kept you sane?
My friends, definitely.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ha ha. Ed Westwick, from Gossip Girl.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The US Presidential election. And climate change, especially the emissions targets announced by Australia.

37. Who did you miss?
Friends from school who I don’t see often or at all, even if they’re at the same uni or in Melbourne. I especially miss the people who moved away, to England, back home, to Sydney.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Oh come on! I can’t pick one. All my friends in college are wonderful people who I would nominate. Plus I made some great friends with people from uni.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It really isn’t the end of the world. Keep perspective and have fun.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Can we climb this mountain?

I don’t know

Higher now than ever before

I know we can make if we take it slow

 When You Were Young, The Killers

 x
JAG

ITTLE tree

little silent Christmas tree

you are so little

you are more like a flower

who found you in the green forest

and were you very sorry to come away?

see i will comfort you

because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark

and hug you safe and tight

just as your mother would,

only don't be afraid

look the spangles

that sleep all the year in a dark box

dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,

the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms

and i'll give them all to you to hold

every finger shall have its ring

and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you're quite dressed

you'll stand in the window for everyone to see

and how they'll stare!

oh but you'll be very proud

and my little sister and i will take hands

and looking up at our beautiful tree

we'll dance and sing

"Noel Noel"

Now, you may have noticed that the global economy isn’t exactly doing well. There’s war. Starvation. All sorts of bad, scary things going on.

So–just for today–how about sharing 7 things that you’re thankful for?

This can be about books, sure–authors you appreciate, books you love, an ode to your public library–but also, how about other things, too? Because in times like these, with bills piling up and disaster seemingly lurking around every corner, it’s more important than ever to stop and take stock of the things we’re grateful for. Family. Friends. Good health (I hope). Coffee and tea. Turkey. Sunshine. Wagging tails. Curling up with a good book.

So, how about it? Spread a little positive thinking and tell the world what there is to be thankful for.

1. The very fact that I'm alive, and about as healthy as I can be
2. That my family are alive, well and together
3. That I have friends who love me enough to care about me, and have always been there for me
4. That I have not only a house, but a home.
5. That I am attending the university of my choice, doing a course I love, and living in housing that feels like a second home
6. That I have food, clothing and clean drinking water; 3 meals a day and a bed at night
7. That my parents earn enough money to give me all of these things, a comfortable lifestyle and the ability to travel

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Carried over from my Spring Reading List

Someday this pain will be useful to you, Peter Cameron

The Amazing Adventuers of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

On the Road, Jack Kerouac

Of Human Bondage, W. Somerset Maugham

The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl

Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray

I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith

Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemingway

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut

The Student Chronicles, Alice Garner

I found this great blog called Booking Through Thursday which posts weekly memes on (you guessed it!) Thursdays. Hopefully this will inspire me to post more!

Last week’s question:

Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?

I am definitely someone who expects to keep my books in pristine condition even after I’ve read. I used to be a bit of a serial dog-earer, but have seen the error of my ways. I never bend or break the spine if I can help it, and it breaks my heart when other people do it to my books. I hate it when covers or corners curl. You could say I’m a bit of a book pedant(ess). I’ve been lending some of my books to my brother recently so he can read them for school, and had to strictly instruct him not, under any circumstances, to dog ear, write in, leave lying face down and open (sin of all sins!) or get wet. He has a history of doing this. It is perhaps the utmost tragedy for a book to become wrinkly and soggy. It is a permanent and ugly stain. I’ve been known to cover some of my books in contact in order to maintain the beauty and condition of the book.

This doesn’t directly address the question, but it does have to do with conditioning – writing in books. I did it without thought most of the way through my schooling years – except for when I did it in pencil, with the intention of erasing it (as I fortunately has the foresight to do in one of my favourite books of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird, which I studied in year 10.) Now, however, I keep all pens, pencils and marking devices (ie highlighters) away from my precious pages. Defacement! How dare you! It was remarkably useful during high school though. I believe I inherited this belief (of not marking books) from my father, who is equally fussy about how you treat his books. My brother, not so much. He just doesn’t have the same respect for them.


x
JAG

[Blvrd Montmarte, Pissarro]

To a Passer-By

The street about me roared with a deafening sound.
Tall, slender, in heavy mourning, majestic grief,
A woman passed, with a glittering hand
Raising, swinging the hem and flounces of her skirt;

Agile and graceful, her leg was like a statue's.
Tense as in a delirium, I drank
From her eyes, pale sky where tempests germinate,
The sweetness that enthralls and the pleasure that kills.

A lightning flash... then night! Fleeting beauty
By whose glance I was suddenly reborn,
Will I see you no more before eternity?

Elsewhere, far, far from here! too late! never perhaps!
For I know not where you fled, you know not where I go,
O you whom I would have loved, O you who knew it!

— William Aggeler, The Flowers of Evil (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1954)

x
JAG