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It’s been a busy week.

So far, I’ve gotten official notification that I’ve passed the qualifier (thanks for the comments!) and I’ve turned 26. That may not seem like a lot, but it sure feels like it.

I spent so much time studying for the qualifier, that it feels weird to not be pushing towards something. I mean, obviously, I have to do research, and maintain a lab, and any number of things.

So, in a way, I feel a bit lost. It’s almost like the sheer magnitude of what’s left is too much to comprehend. Either that, or I’m just interminably lazy.

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Stanek hit me with the stick

You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

If I was a book, and I wanted to not get burned to a crisp, I’d probably be Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

God. Really, it’s too many to count. If I were to list a few, I’d say Colene from the Mode series by Piers Anthony, Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings, and Jane from Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.

The last book you bought:

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. Becky introduced me to Sarah Vowell, and now I’m hopelessly addicted. Sometimes, I crave history. But, sometimes, I need it with a big dose of humor.

The last book you read:

Mistress of the Empire by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts.

I needed something light to read when I got tired of studying, so I alternated between the Empire saga and The Myth Series by Robert Asprin. They’re both pretty light fantasy (though, the Myth series gets kind-of preachy near the end).

What are you currently reading?

Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace by Lawrence Lessig. I read one of his other books, The Future of Ideas a few months ago, and really liked it. Both books are about the growth of the internet and its effects on law and copyright.

Getting Things Done by David Allen. I’ve been looking for ways to be more productive. While, I don’t expect GTD to be some sort of silver bullet, I’m hoping that it will help me get a proper workflow going, and get rid of all those stacks of junk mail lying around my place.

Five Books to Take to a Desert Island:

  1. I’d take a history book. I started reading A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn a while ago, but it was too depressing to finish. I’d like a better grasp of world history, though, and can’t think of another book (or books).
  2. The Bible. I haven’t read it, and if I was on a desert isle, I think I’d get it finished.
  3. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I can’t quite explain the impact this book had on me: Martel’s imagery if India is powerful and provoking
  4. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams. Adams has a funny way of making you love what he’s making you laugh at. In Last Chance to See, he does it with the planet Earth.
  5. the Norton Anthology of American Literature. Because, well, it’d give me a chance to catch up on a lot of great American Literature I’m always wanting to read.

Pick three people to pass the stick on to:

  1. Simmoril.
  2. Dawn.
  3. Duncan. Well, maybe when he gets back from Japan.