Monday, December 29, 2008

Books I've Read This Year

I've been really bad with blogging at the end of this year. I'll blame it on trying to get a good grade on my master's degree class...yeah, that's it.

Here are most of the books that I've read this year:
Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
Crystal Rain by Tobias S. Buckell
Nimitz Class by Patrick Robinson (a real stinker)
Duma Key by Stephen King
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
Forever War by Joe Hadelman
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear
Little Borther by Cory Doctorow
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
Superpower: A Novel by David J. Schwartz
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
Forever Peace by Joe Hadelman
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
Space Propulsion Analysis and Design, by R.W. Humble, et. al.
Space Mission Analysis and Design edited by James Wertz

The last two are sort of cheating because I had to read them for class and I didn't read them from cover to cover, but I did read a majority of them. I'm also anticipating that I'll finish Agent to the Stars by the end of the year. There may have been a couple that I missed, but I think that is a pretty good representation of what I read.

Alright! I'm averaging more than 1 book a month. Let's see if I can bring it up to 2 books a month next year. Of course, that will mean keeping better records.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Honest Scrap

Julia tagged whoever reads her blog with the "Honest Scrap Award".

So, what does this award mean? It means – “leftovers, fragments, discarded material, and many times truth and honesty is discarded material, considered fragments and left over.” We tell it like it is and let the scraps fall where they may.

The honorees are to:
a) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
b) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

1. I truly believe that I'm a moderate on most issues, but I know deep down inside that my viewpoints have got to be radical to other people, although I don't think that I would ever admit this to someone in person.

2. I can't stand most forms of remote communication. My least favorites, in order, are: (1) text messaging, (2) instant messaging, (3) talking on cell phones, and (4) talking on regular phones. However, I don't mind e-mail or blogs...don't ask me why, I'm just weird.

3. I like rap music, but I don't like it when the "n" word is prevalent in the lyrics. I don't mind a bunch of swearing, it's just the "n" word. I think it has to do with me accepting the fact that eventually my kids will be swearing (even if they don't do it in front of me) but I will never accept them using that word...ever.

4. The only thing that really keep me awake at night is if I start thinking about things that I've done in the past which I'm ashamed/embarrassed of. If I start thinking about one of these things it will typically take 2 or 3 hours before I can fall asleep.

5. For a period of 6 years beginning when I started in college, I made myself become an extrovert in order to make more friends. I'm back to being an introvert and am very happy for it.

6. While I'm very proud of my Puerto Rican heritage, I often wonder if I would have had the same opportunities in my life if my skin was darker or if I spoke with an accent.

7. If an e-mail says to forward the e-mail to everyone I know, I will never forward the e-mail. I consider it another form of spam and the e-mail will stop with me.

8. I have the worst memory with people's names and/or social situations. I wouldn't be able to remember who I met a couple of minutes ago, what I did last week, or what I said a year ago. Unless we really know each other very well, I will have a hard time remembering you if it's been a couple of years. I've been caught in many awkward situations because I didn't remember the name of someone who I should know.

9. I started playing rugby mostly to spite my mother who didn't let me play any contact sports while I was growing up. What a let down when all she did was say "oh really?" when I told her that I was playing rugby. On the up side, that was were I met my wife.

10. I can't read. OK, not really. But I think my own writing is atrocious. I feel sorry for all (2) of you who read this blog.

Per #7, I will not forward this to anyone. If you (a) actually read this blog, (b) have a blog of your own, (c) haven't already done this, and (d) actually want to do it, then tag, you are it.