Worth Thinking About - The Inferior Genre

It seems a comment I included in the post "A New Addition" has created a bit of a stir among my handful of readers. I must say, however, I have gotten quite a bit of amusement out of the ordeal and am still enjoying the literal jabs I have been taking from lovely A. I suppose my career as a book reviewer will never do.

The comment is as follows: "Lovers of mindless fiction beware: I very rarely read anything but non-fiction and have become somewhat of a snob towards the inferior genre."

I was merely attempting to warn those who enjoy fiction to the fact I don't read much of it, and if looking for the latest Nicholas Sparks review they would not likely find it in the pages of This Is The Life. In so doing I did indeed state my opinion of its "inferior" nature to that of nonfiction. (literal jab is hereby returned)

Nevertheless, there are always two sides to every book cover. I must admit I have enjoyed numerous fictitious tales and absolutely love several of them. I also realize the cultural value we as a society enjoy by having and reading fiction. It's a "great way to take you somewhere else," as A says. And I humbly admit that I agree.

I will now offer my reasoning for, while not negating my comments, my opinion towards - is he going to say it again - the inferior genre. I am not a person who can sit down and read a 400 page book relatively quickly, actually I'm quite slow at it as I go through phases of being in a reading mood and then slip into the mindless sit-around-and-do-nothing mood. (for more on that, see "See You On The Flip Side") Therefore, as I spend a great deal of time reading these books I also spend a great deal of time thinking about what they say. I hold that if I am going to spend a great deal of time thinking about something it may as well be something worth thinking about - as opposed to whether or not Judy, who was sleeping with Tommy, killed her husband Johnny, or was it Jenny who was Bill's mistress lover - I would rather rent a good movie to see that; it only takes up a couple of hours of my time at best and I still get the "great escape" A was referring to.

As further evidence of nonfiction's superiority over fiction I offer the following to support at least my own opinion: I also hold the best (and yes, of course, there are countless exceptions) fiction books are actually based on factual events (biographies, histories, etc...) or are stories that are representations/analogies of significant theories, ideas, and the sort. Take Machiavelli's The Prince for example. A 'fiction' based on factual events, it was one of the first published fictional works - nearly five hundred some odd years later it is still being sold on Amazon.com. Moreover, tales such as the great Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway are awesome analogies to life that can be applied to one's daily living. I would say that book, although not nearly 400 pages, would present things worth thinking about for extended periods of time - and I freely admit, being the nonfictional snob I am and having read it time and again, it is one of my favorites.

And lastly, as I continue my path out on the proverbial limb, I would even say simple fictional children's books like Winnie the Pooh and those like Jimmy Buffett's Tales From Margaritaville that are intended to teach real-world lessons can be applied to the improvement of one's thoughts on life, and therefore are among the best fictional works. Ol' Pooh Bear teaches us about the truths of growing up while Tully Mars teaches us about living once you do. I have no problem with this type of literature whatsoever and would agree reading it is not a waste of time, but on the contrary is worthwhile, if for nothing else the place it holds in our contemporary history.

From it's very beginning, a large majority of history's best fiction has been based off nonfictional ideas and events. And therefore it is my opinion that nonfiction, being the real deal, is superior in the first place. (This often extends to movies as well, just ask someone what their most recent favorite movie is and see if several don't say something like "Braveheart," "Saving Private Ryan," or "Seabiscuit.") Furthermore, good fiction not based on actual events usually teaches us something about life by relating the story to a lesson to be applied.

Thus I conclude my little commentary. Fiction is the inferior genre to nonfiction for the same reasons the game system and television set are inferior to a stick and a cardboard box in the back yard. There is less thought required by the reader, less provocations of good questions, and too much of it just causes pain ol' 'brain-deadedness.' In short, nonfiction holds a place on the higher pedestal - it teaches us something. And the best fiction, much of which can be in the same class as nonfiction for these reasons, does as well. I for one would like to think at the end of my days I didn't spend my idle time thinking about Judy, but instead about what history and the like taught me about my life.

Granted, I should possibly change my terminology from fiction to that of a reference to books about Judy and Bill and Tommy, but I won't because I'm just plain ornery. And besides, I'm enjoying the taunting of I-like-to-read-about-shopaholics-A.

Now isn't this all something worth thinking about? Pooh Bear is somewhere in the hundred-acre forest, sitting on a log and gently tapping his forehead -

..."Think, think, think, think, think."

See You On The Flip Side

I think they call it the graveyard shift because it damn near kills you.

I've been working the third shift this week to cover for a peer on vacation. It's slow, uneventful, and tiring. I get home between 5:30 and 6 am, cook something for breakfast, eat, and go to bed. Then I sleep all day long not to wake up until two o'clock in the afternoon so I can sit around the rest of the day. What's more, I have found the more free time I have to do whatever I want, the less I actually do.

Oh sure, I hear you, "Man, if I had all day to do whatever I wanted I'd get so much done." All I have to say is that lasts all of two days, then the hours catch up with you, and all you want to do is prepare your mind and body for another grueling match against the clock.

There was a time when I enjoyed the third shift, and it wasn't so long ago. However, I believe now I was attempting to make the best out of the situation. But granted, there is a curve of getting accustomed to the hours and it gets a little better after a couple of weeks. Nonetheless, the daytime sit-around-all-day syndrome prevails even still.

I'll be glad when this week is over and I can get some real sleep.

Food, Drinks, Friends, and Golf

It was a good weekend, all in all.

Friday night a friend and I went to a local favorite for after-work-because-I-work-second-shift drinks. Not a bad crowd for a Friday night, and I enjoyed some delicious nachos.

Saturday a friend of mine, actually a great friend-a college roommate-and his wife came into town for another friend's soccer tournament. It was good to see ol' AC again and his wife and he seem to be doing wonderfully. AC has recently passed a big test and is now licensed to work in the real world - despite my best efforts at dissuading him from doing so (the real world part, not the test). The good news is that he and K are moving a lot closer to us than they were before, but still about 3 hours away. So, with them being in town we met up after they had dinner and went to a restaurant for drinks and to catch up. I ate as well.

Sunday I got a call from a work buddy at about 9:30 in the morning. He invited me to play golf with him, and I gladly accepted. With A out of town it was a great time to go, and we had plenty of time to get to the airport by 5:30 for her flight (which ended up being delayed anyway). I had a blast. The weather threatened all day long with intermittent blasts of sunshine followed by dark clouds, but not a single drop of rain fell on us. For not having swung a golf club in what has to be nearly a year, I was pleased with how well I performed. My swing was still there (at least on the front nine) and I was actually hitting the ball more straight than I ever have before. I wonder what in the world granted me such luck?

A and I came back to the apartment Sunday afternoon and we decided we wanted to eat at a local Thai restaurant, which is completely awesome. I always love that place, and it held up to my expectations last night.

So, now it is Monday afternoon and I am waiting for work to start tonight as I am covering the 3rd shift for another supervisor who is out on vacation this week. I don't even go in until around 9 pm, and won't get off until after 5 am. Blah! I suppose we have to do what we have to do when it comes to picking up a paycheck.

At any rate, it was a mundane weekend but it was relaxing - and I needed it. The week ahead shouldn't be too bad as the third shift is a great way to escape the political escapades of the job, and the week after next I'll be on vacation once again. I can't wait.

She Is A Bush Nominee, It Could Go Either Way

While reading the daily news feeds this morning I stumbled across a wonderful quote. The source of which is a recently confirmed judicial nominee to the federal appeals court, Janice Rogers Brown.

"If we can invoke no ultimate limits on the power of government, a democracy is inevitably transformed into a kleptocracy -- a license to steal, a warrant for oppression."

The manner in which she performs remains to be seen, but her history suggests she looks to objectivity and traditional right vs wrong tactics as opposed to precedents and legal norms for her judicial decisions - another homerun in my book.

Being a republocrat - or demopublican, I cant decide which - I find it refreshing to see such an important post filled by one not binded to norms. It tends to allow enlightened judgement, as opposed to biased, when deciding legal doctrine. On the other hand, she is a Bush nominee accompanied by the fact that she, like Bush, cites deep Christian faith as justification for many controversial decisions.

But in the end, is not the judicial branch the only effective check on that of the executive? Like I said, it could go either way.

Scratch That, Say "We Are Friends of The Environment & Africa"

I know I've been writing a bit much on my political musings lately, but here's one I have been quietly laughing aloud about this morning.

Once again, it is centered around the White House, but this time accompanied by a cheeky fellow from Britain.

The New York Times has masterfully published two articles today which provide the American public a sense of that ever so present, "What?" question we ask of our current state of politics. <>

The first of which is an article regarding a white house aide who altered some official research in order to make it more Bush friendly. Namely, a report on the effects of greenhouse gas and global warming was downplayed by this aide in order to make emissions sound less harmful than they in all actuality are. Personally this is an outrage, as I am a supporter of more strict environmental policies and attention. However, Bush's lack of regard for large scale environmental programs and improvement are frightening, especially when it is for the sake of more powerful industry.

Which leads us to the next article, also published by the New York Times, in which Prime Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair urges President Bush to provide more aide to Africa and global warming. I admire Tony Blair on one hand for his support of Bush despite being relentlessly opposed in his nation for it, but on the other hand I question why he is doing it. Those reasons may be obvious and they may not, but it can be said with near certainty he is getting something out of if either for himself or his country that we do not know about. But that's another story.

This story is one in which Mr. Blair is putting on a show of bushy defiance using the issues of Africa and global warming, which we've already shown is not at all on the White House's political forefront. Good one Mr. Blair, try to pick an issue that wasn't shot down the day before by those very people you are trying to convince to push it. It's amazing, really.

I guess I just find all of it a bit of a joke - It's nonsense. On the national stage Bush and his crew are pushing for more industry, and less of any type of restriction getting in the way, be it environmental or financial. But on the international scene he uses Tony Blair as his damsel in distress to save Africa and answer 'international' calls to curb global warming.

All Work & No Air

Why is it that every year the air conditioner in my apartment goes out and yet the property management team does nothing to prevent it?

It's now 85 degrees inside. The maintenance guys just came by and did something to the unit outside, then came up and gave me a piece of paper stating "Complete. Repaired."

Speaking of the apartment, it was interesting watching them tow away the cars of people who hadn't moved them from a particular section being paved today. I wonder what kind of arguments that will create? It took them all of an hour (at most) to pave the section. They had a big truck with a sprayer attached to a tank, much like a water hose with a sprinkler head on it only instead of spraying water it sprayed blacktop. As I'm sitting on the balcony watching, I couldn't help but notice it took them four people to do a two man job. They had one guy driving the truck, two guys holding the hose, and one guy walking around spraying the parking lot. Four people! (Not to mention the foreman who was probably sitting in the 'other' truck) I guess we'll call that a low unemployment rate.

Add the two maintenance guys it took 10 minutes to fix my air conditioner and we've got political ambitions to run for mayor.

News of Note

It doesn't look as if New York is going to land the Olympics for 2012. New York couldn't put aside their neighborhood spats today and voted down a proposed West Side stadium that would play host to the games. Despite the incessant optimistic political rhetoric spouted out by NYC officials, as well as ones from Madrid and Moscow, the summary report released to the IOC yesterday praised Paris and London for their "achievable budget" and "very high quality" reports, while it cast doubts on the possiblity of games in the Big Apple. It looks, at this point, as if Paris will be lighting the torch in 2012, however, as there is some doubt cast by the IOC towards London's transportation infrastructure.

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The 9/11 commission, which has not met in over a year when its final report on 9/11 was released, is gearing up for another round of tough questions. Chairman Thomas Kean was quoted saying "We are going to ask a lot of questions," and "There are a lot of our recommendations that have not been implemented." While some say this may be a political move by a commission littered with those seeking to retain public exposure, others say it is a check on the White House's ability to implement desperately needed improvement in the arena of national security.

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Howard Dean was quoted on ABC programming stating republicans could stand in line to vote because a "lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives." Not surprisingly, Dean is finding members of his own democratic party criticizing these comments, especially since he was most likely referring to a democratic program called welfare. What a moronic statement.

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Did I hear Condoleeza Rice say something about Venezuela? Surely it wasn't about "backing democracy" and supporting "democracy where it is threatened." It's quite odd, every nation with oil just can't seem to get this democracy thing down pat. We should probably protect their democracy and support them, and their oil too. Maybe we could throw in a little bit of liberty while we're at it.

The Fruity Fly

Now I know the issue of sexuality and whether or not it is by choice or it is genetic is an extremely controversial issue, but it seems as if scientists have made a telling discovery not easily disputable.

A group of scientists, studying the mating habits of fruit flies, have supplanted a particular male gene known for its control of sexual rituals and whatnot, into a female specimen. To their amazement, the fly acted as a male fly, and began the male sexual ritual towards another female fruit fly. It's quite astonishing I admit, and has gone a long way to make me think about what exactly determines a being's, be it fly's or human's, sexuality. In this particular case it looks as if, for this fruit fly at least, a gene determined it's sexuality. It's one of those "HHmmmmmm" questions.

The best part will be the political fallout. What will Jerry Fallwell and Rush Limbaugh say to dispute this finding? I'm not sure, but I am sure that it will be quite to my amusement. Aside from the political right, what is the left going to say? Will Hillary Clinton come out and say.."I knew it!!" How will state governments, from Texas to California, react, if at all?

It will be great - get your camcorders ready!

Here's a link about the findings...

Fruit Flies

A New Addition

I've been changing up my blog lately, and I am happy with the new changes. Most noticeable of which, the title, I changed because I felt it was just too boring and didn't accurately describe anything, much less what I choose to write.

More excitingly, I've also created a second blog: This is the Life Book Review and have added a neat little link to the right which will take you to it. In it I attempt to summarize what I've read and my opinion of it. Lovers of mindless fiction beware: I very rarely read anything but non-fiction and have become somewhat of a snob towards the inferior genre. I particularly enjoy reading and studying 18th century Colonial America and the American Revolution, and government in general. What can I say, I am quite the geek.

All self-deprecation aside, I hope the readers of this blog (all 1 of you at present) will enjoy my book review. At the very least, I have found pleasure in setting it up thus far, and I look forward to providing it future entries.

The Load Of The Day

There were lots of loads in the news yesterday, some of which I will find worthwhile to mention and exploit! First let me make one claim. I am by no means a supporter of partisan politcs, and in fact I take special precaution to so avoid becoming a blinded-by-party citizen of my country. That said, enjoy the loads of the day and take comfort in knowing they are exploited with the utmost employment of objectivity.

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The first one is from an excerpt of Mr. Bush's opinion of the progress in Iraq:

"I'm pleased with the progress." "I'm pleased that in less than a year's time there's a democratically elected government in Iraq, there are thousands of Iraqi soldiers trained and better equipped to fight for their own country, that our strategy is clear and we will work to get them ready to fight, and when they're ready, we'll come home."

Are you kidding me?

Second Load (happens to be from Mr. President as well):

"I believe we have an obligation to remind the Chinese that any hopeful society is one in which there's more than just economic freedom."

I need not detail the irony of this statement given our current state of international affairs.