On Books & My Most Beautiful Women

It seems to me that most people read only for school, and the reading ceases when they graduate out of lack of interest. I guess that I don't judge such people for that. They don't get any pleasure out of it, and it's not a priority for them. I wish they would read, but I think that's just a projection of my own values. No doubt they're out doing things they can't live without, and which I have a hard time doing and do not consider a priority.

It's my understanding that reading has never really been an activity of the majority of humanity. There was a time when books were the main media for entertainment and education, but many, if not most people were too poorly educated to take advantage. I understand that if there was any book a common person did own and read, it was the Bible. Today, due to organized education, more people are literate and able to read than ever, but books and other reading materials must compete with tv, movies, recorded music, and the so-called "New Media". Books don't have a monopoly on the enlightenment of mankind, and I guess we're not any the worse off for that.

When I'm out in public, particularly when I'm on the subway, I like people-watching. I like to see people reading something- anything, really. It's fine for people to listen to ipods, but that mainly reminds me of my ipod that got ripped off. What I like most is to see someone with a book. It tends to give me a very high opinion about people about whom I don't know anything else. Needless to say, I read quite a bit by any standards. I never used to really keep track, but I now wish I always did. I use Shelfari for the purpose of tracking what I have read, and what I intend to read. Like with my netflix queue and dvr, I can't let the list get too long, or it becomes oppressive. It should always be something that brings pleasure and edification, and should not become a list of chores to complete.

Currently I'm reading Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. I read about it in the newspaper. It's part of a years-long sci-fi movement known as cyberpunk. It's interesting stuff, but it's as long as Moby Dick, a book which I had significantly less trouble getting through. Consequently, this is the second time I've checked Anathem out. Currently the Los Angeles Public Library lets you keep a book for two weeks at a time, and only lets you renew if no one has put a hold on it. The max is 6 weeks. Next month it will go back to three weeks, but I'm not sure if the rest will stay the same, or if they will adjust those parts to compensate. Anyway, it'll be better.

I'm happy to report that actual people have now read my blog, some of whom may return to read it again in future. As a result, I feel compelled to address a particular issue in one of my next posts: my personal list of most desirable female celebrities. I'll just say now that readers should not expect this to be a superficial list of hot women. The qualities I'll be looking at include a relatively broad definition of beauty as well as personality and intelligence. I may actually make two lists, to acommodate women in the public eye today as well as an all-time list of women from the past. I'm not certain how many women the list will include, but each list should include no less than 10.

Obviously I haven't said anything about a list of male celebrities. I don't feel terribly qualified to devise such a list, but if any readers, male or female, wish to submit their own lists of 10, I would be happy to compile them into a general list of the most commonly mentioned. I have no particular timetable for my own lists, but regarding this hypothetical list of men, I'll just decide that as I see just how much interest there is from my nascent base of readers.

That's all for now, but I'll surely have something to say about the party being held here at my apartment tonight. I may have the energy to write something when the party breaks up in the early hours of the morning, but surely I'll have something sometime tomorrow after I've rested at the latest.