You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Off Topic Chat
>
Watcha Doin' - 2017.1 edition
Margo wrote: "Travis sivarT wrote: "I can say from experience the first time I ran into him I probably stared a bit as it was a shock. After that I knew about it so I just made eye contact. I'm sure it's hard go..."It's not always a bad thing when someone stares. I'm a naturally curious person and I find myself staring at people on occasions. But it's not because I find them disgusting or shocking or pity them or anything like that nor am I judging them in anyway - I'm just curious and interested generally. It's kind of hard to explain. I don't mean any offense and wouldn't want someone to be offended or upset by it. I am a massive people watcher generally. I do try to keep it low key if I do look but I know people with disabilities can be hyper aware of this kind of thing which doesn't help. To be fair, even people without disabilities can get a hang up about people looking at them and seemingly judging them. I find myself worrying about this on occasions when I'm out and about.
Perhaps the intention of the person staring is not necessarily bad, but more important is how it is perceived by the person stared at. I guess there are people who don't mind any type of staring, they just don't care about others, maybe people who have had a certain disability for a long time. For others it might be dependent on who's staring and in what way, and others might feel bad about anyone who stares at them.I agree though, that it can be hard not to. And not even disabilities, I think people often have the tendency to stare or give a second look to a person different from the norm. People covered in tattoos or with purple hair or an unusual outfit all receive stares. I do to! And like Sarah, not out of judgment, but interest or curiosity. I have heard though that people, especially with a disability, often prefer when you ask them what happened when you're curious instead of being stared at. Don't know if that's true though, I think I would perceive it as a breach of privacy when someone would ask me why I'm in a wheelchair or whatever. None of your business!
When I still had my dreadlocks I was apparently often stared at. I never noticed, I seem to be completely oblivious, but my mom told me a couple of times that many people looked at me when we were out together.
Very true Peggy. You worded things much better than I did.
Sarah wrote: "Good to see you and Lexx the other day IRL. I reckon more YLTO meet ups are called for. "I thought the reference to the narrow boat meant this, but I didn't want to ask. :) Glad to know you had a good time.
I completely missed that Rusalka had met with Sarah. That's super!
Haha, I missed it too even though I knew they planned to. Hope you had fun!
Sandra wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Good to see you and Lexx the other day IRL. I reckon more YLTO meet ups are called for. "I thought the reference to the narrow boat meant this, but I didn't want to ask. :) Glad to ..."
Me too, Sandra!
Have very many of the members here met others?
Ha ha! I wondered why no one had mentioned it. Yes Rusalka and Sarah were in the same place together in reality. It was all very exciting. We had a great time. We went out for nice food and drink, visited Avebury stone circle and the general area and had a boat trip too. Oh and a tim tam slam thrown in too for good measure which was awesome by the way. All good fun.Kimey, I've not met anyone else here in ylto. I have some GR friends who are actual friends in real life but I met them first so it doesn't really count.
Just got my thumb stuck in the door. :-( I have a very bruised thumb and is throbbing like mad. The only thing I could think to do was crack out the wine. That'll stop it hurting I'm sure. Bad timing as I'm supposed to move the boat tomorrow by myself ahead of us going back down the 29 locks on Saturday as we've got to have the boat in Bristol by the beginning of September. I hope it feels better in the morning.
Oh no, Sarah! The wine will most definitely help. And maybe a little ice on the thumb too. I hope it feels better before you have to move the boat tomorrow.
Ouch! I agree that wine is a great cure-all. Hehehe.I also have real life friends on GR's, but we met prior. Several of my real life book club members have accounts, but I'm the only addicted one.
So my thumb is still throbbing this morning. Swollen and bruised and so stiff I can't bend it. I thought it was going to write off my boat moving plans today but I went and asked a guy of a nearby boat to give me a hand getting the mooring pins out with the mallet and putting the gang plank on the roof for me. So once I was driving I was fine. I knew that at the other end would be good moorings which wouldn't need me to use my pins so I'd be ok. So I've just arrived at my destination. And we have phone signal and internet here thank god. The last place was awful for that although the scenery was amazingly lovely.
Do you think you broke your thumb, Sarah? I'm glad to hear you were able to get moved, but I'm sorry that your still hurting. I'm headed to South Carolina to see my husband in a few hours. I'm really not looking forward to the drive. Normally it doesn't bother me too much, but I've been in a bit of a funk lately and the 8+ hour drive one way seems a little daunting. I was planning on skipping this weekend, but when my husband, who has also been in a funk lately, said he really needed us to be together, I couldn't say no. I wish flights weren't so expensive, but I can't afford to fly there and back as often as I go.
No I don't think so. I could bend it last night although it hurt. Today it's just stiff and swollen and the nail is black. I think that's all it is. I probably could bend it still if I tried hard enough but that will involve a lot of swearing if I do that.It's a shame that the drive is so long and there is no other way to get there that is reasonably priced. But once you're there I'm sure you will feel better. Getting together sounds like what is needed for both of you. Have you got an audiobook sorted for the drive?
I've got the audio I have already been listening to, but I think I'm going to put it on hold and find something light and funny. Time always passes faster with laughter.
Peggy wrote: "Perhaps the intention of the person staring is not necessarily bad, but more important is how it is perceived by the person stared at. I guess there are people who don't mind any type of staring, t..."As a disabled old fart, Peggy, I can honestly say that I prefer to be asked what happened rather than be stared at. Kids are so sweet and do take the direct approach. And then they get this studious look in their eyes, and then nod their head.
Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Peggy wrote: "Perhaps the intention of the person staring is not necessarily bad, but more important is how it is perceived by the person stared at. I guess there are people who don't mind any type..."I agree Anne. Kids are great. They will come up and ask while there parents squirm! I understand why adults may not be so comfortable though I'm happier when they do ask.
Margo wrote: "Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Peggy wrote: "Perhaps the intention of the person staring is not necessarily bad, but more important is how it is perceived by the person stared at. I guess there are people..."Ditto, Margo :)
KimeyDiann wrote: "I'm headed to South Carolina to see my husband in a few hours. I'm re..."Oops, I see you already answered that.
Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Lisa, I tried to read Ready Player One and I gave up after 25+ pages. I may give it a try again if I'm desperate to read something after I have read ALL of my books on my TBR shelf."If you can, try listening to it. Wil Wheaton does a fabulous job narrating. He's part of the reason I gave the book 4 stars.
Looks like I was echoing a lot of others.
Great news, Margo! What a relief to your family.
Hello from Dublin!I completely agree that more YLTO meet ups are in order. Sarah and I had a great time, although Lexx pointed out the other day we didn't really talk books at all! I've met up with friends from online groups before (gaming groups) but the first YLTO one for me.
Glad your Uncle is okay Margo, although sounds like there is a bit of recovery to do. look after your thumb Sarah (and sorry about all the locks!).
I just saw the other threads and Grats on the house Janice!
We have one last night here in Ireland then off to Zurich tomorrow.
Nice to hear from you again, Rusalka. I'm glad you and Sarah enjoyed your meet up. I hope you had a nice time in Dublin and Ireland.
Good to hear from you Rusalka. You're right. Just a few brief mentions of books and that's it. I guess that's what GR is for ;-)Made it down the locks at the weekend. We did it in record time. My parents came up and my Dad helped us plus there were loads of volunteer lock keepers on which sped things up. My thumb is getting better. I can bend it again thankfully although it's still got a lump on it. No idea if I'll lose the nail or not - I guess I'll find out.
My laptop is playing up again. Seems to keep freezing when I watch films/series. I spent all morning defragging it and updating drivers where necessary. Fingers crossed that's all sorted. We'll watch the next episode of Game of Thrones to watch tonight so I guess we'll see if that has done the job. I know I said a few months back I thought it was on it's way out. I think I need to start saving up for one just in case.
Rusalka wrote: "We have one last night here in Ireland then off to Zurich tomorrow."I was close to you in Australia, but never made it to Canberra :) But if you want to continue with the YLTO meet-ups, I live in Zurich. How long will you be staying?
It's a pity that the next few days it's going to rain when the whole summer has been so warm and sunny...
Good to hear from you Rusalka! And thanks. I've started packing. The non-essentials get moved next weekend.
I am, Sarah. I went shopping on Saturday and bought a new couch, loveseat, recliner, mattress, headboard and foundation base for the bed. They threw in for free, a $400 picture of a stylized grand piano which I fell in love with the moment I saw it. It's going to take a while for all the components to come in because I special ordered all the fabrics on the living room furniture. I'll have my current couch and loveseat which will go downstairs for a "hangout" area, and my current bed will go into the guest room. I'll be able to make-do with the old stuff while I wait for the new.I have area rugs that I want to order but I need to get in and see what size I need so will order them on the weekend. They could take 2 weeks to be delivered.
For the guest bedroom, I'm going to keep furniture to a minimum. Instead of a dresser, I'm going to get a console table with a shelf. A guest can put a suitcase on top. On the shelf, I'll have baskets with fresh towels and books. But that's not urgent so I'll keep looking for something that really appeals to me.
I have a list of things like bedding, table mats, decorations, etc. but will hold off until I'm in the house. I don't want to buy it now, bring it here, and then have to move it to the new house. I'll wait until I can take new purchases directly to the house.
Four days....
That's so exciting, Janice. I hope you have fun decorating.
So exciting, Janice. I'm happy for you!
I seem to be in a weird phase. It's not really a book slump, but I seem to keep starting books and not sticking with them. They are good books that I'm interested in and I want to finish them, but something new catches my attention and I read the first few chapters of that book instead. I just can't seem to focus on any one book. So, now I have a list of books that I'm reading or just need to finish. Anyone else ever go through something like that? I'm assuming it will pass, maybe when I have less going on and less on my mind?
Glad to see you so enthusiastic, Janice. Enjoy!
Kristie, a month or so ago I had a few DNF in a row. I didn' dislike any of the books. I actually kept them in my TBR for later. It was as if I just couldn't concentrate enough. I am also 3 books behind schedule, although my goal is 50 books instead of 60. (I don't really care but the challenge works as a termometer of how much "me" time I am allowing myself to have).I decided to read a historical fiction, because it is a genre that is very comforting to me, and I pick The Kitchen House because it was highly rated among my GR friends. It worked perfectly.
One of the reason for putting the unfinished books again in my TBR was I felt very pressured to have to finish them, and that made things worse.
It's so strange, Sandra. I enjoy all the beginnings, but then just start something new. I just started a buddy read today, so I'm hoping that will motivate me to finish this book. I did feel a bit bad starting yet another book, but hopefully this will do the trick and then I can go back and finish some of the others. Also, the last couple of books I've finished I really crept through.
I know what you mean about starting a book, reading a bit, getting distracted by another one (or two or three) and not really finishing any of them, so they end up back in the pile. That usually happens to me when I see a challenge or buddy read or Toppler I want to participate in. I end up trying to become involved in all of them at the same time. Sometimes it's just reading all the various threads and reading what members think of this or that book. I check it out and before you know it I've borrowed it and sabotaged the books I've already started. I've had to become selective. I can't take part in every challenge, Toppler or buddy read. I just don't read fast enough. Instead I add all the great suggestions to my tbr for "someday". No guilt, but a very large tbr.
I think that's a lot of it, Roz. I'm also a slow reader and trying to participate in too much. Plus, all of the books look so good! My grandson has been visiting, so I haven't really had much time for reading and I think I'm just torn which book to go with, as well as which task to accomplish. I'm thinking once he goes home this may partially alleviate itself. Maybe I'm just torn in too many directions right now to settle on anything.
I've felt like that with three books I recently read. I was eager to move on to the next book and they weren't quick reads. Sometimes a change in genres can be the saving grace. I started a mystery thriller today and I'm fully engaged in it.
Janice - what an exciting time for you - moving into a new place and getting new stuff to go along with it too. Hope the move goes off great. Rusalka/Sarah - caught the tale end of the thread referencing you both meeting - that must have been interesting and hopefully fun :-) Kristie - I'm experiencing the opposite of you reading-wise - I'm on a total roll and I'm having to keep up with all the great books that are showing up :-)
Kristie, I've felt that way about a couple books I read for the yearly challenge and one for the Seasonal Reading Challenge, too. But I turned on the text to speech on my Kindle on those, and it got me through the remainder of the books. Ironically, all three were historical novels. And that female voice on the Kindle text to speech needs to go! Awful!!
Roz - I am pretty much where you are this year. I used to kill myself to try to keep up and read books for everything. If I think I might like it, a book goes into my TBR. Kristie - I haven't gotten where you are for a while now, but that could change (I had seven books all started at one time this year). I am enjoying ONE book right now. It seems s-l-o-w, but I feel ok. I have a lot of books on my real life shelf waiting to be read, but they can wait for me to get to them. I am waiting for one library book. Not biting my nails... yet.
I can feel your enthusiasm Janice. Exciting times.I got a little over enthusiastic Kristie recently and starting a number of non fiction books in addition to my existing fiction books. Then my enthusiasm and time disappeared and I ended up with 9 books "currently reading". It started to stress me out so I moved some of them over to my "started come back later" shelf which makes me feel a bit better.
Sounds very exciting Janice!! I've never had the problem you describe Kristie, but I do have my weird reading periods too. Or perhaps I do have them, but I just slog my way through anyway and end up with maybe a lower rating than I would have given otherwise.
Glad I'm not the only one that goes through these weird book phases! I have one audio going now and I just started a buddy read, so I'm hoping those will help me stick with a couple of books before starting any others. I may have to go back and try to finish a few before moving on to anything else though.
Decorating a new house is so much fun! It's the packing up everything from the old house that I hate. I've been in a weird reading mood lately too. I've been listening to audiobooks on my comute still, but nothing has held my interest too well. I listened to Roses of May, the sequel to The Butterfly Garden, and it held my interest much better than anything else. Then I listened to a smutty werewolf shifter romance that I thought would be good mindless fun, but it barely held my attention.
The book I'm physically reading, Let Me Go, I have been working on for almost a month. I've went days at a time without picking it up at all. And it is a great book that when I do read it, keeps me absolutely riveted, so I don't understand why I haven't been reading it very much. It could be because it keeps me awake at night and since I'm a bedtime reader, I don't want it to intrude on my beauty rest. lol. I've been playing some new word game I have on my kindle at bedtime instead and it relaxes me perfectly for sleep. Plus I've gotten wrapped up in a show on Netflix so I've been watching TV quite a bit lately whereas I would normally be reading.
It's been so quiet here!I'm working from home today because we ordered two cupboards and they were supposed to be delivered today. Just got an email saying that delivery has been cancelled, because the delivering company (which is different from the company where we ordered) noticed that our order was damaged.
I'm glad they pay attention and noticed it before they delivered it to us, but still, annoying when it happens.
I also don't feel very motivated to work anymore. Because it's so close to my new job I can't start any new things, and I have two things that I should work on but can't because I'm waiting for other people to do something first. I already cleaned out my desk and closet at work, and I try to find little things to do but mostly I'm a lot online ;-) It's a bit frustrating to have to wait on others, as now I have a lot of time to finish stuff, but I will end up having to do it when I have started my new job.
That's great that they aren't shipping the damaged cupboards. Transitioning can certainly be frustrating. You're caught between the two. That's how I feel right now, too. I take possession of the house tomorrow but I won't be completely moved in until the end of the month.
It's amazing how heavy 6 bottles of booze is. I figured if I cleaned out my liquor cabinet, I could put packed boxes in front of it. I have a tote bag from one of the liquor stores that will hold 6 bottles. I was surprised at how heavy it was once I slotted 6 bottles into it.
The problem is that the bottles are too full, Janice. ;)
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Proof: The Science of Booze (other topics)The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (other topics)
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (other topics)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (other topics)
The Little Prince (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Michael J. Sullivan (other topics)Joe Hill (other topics)
Kazuo Ishiguro (other topics)
Kazuo Ishiguro (other topics)
Kazuo Ishiguro (other topics)
More...
been through the UK which involved London with friend catch ups, boat riding on a certain narrow boat we know in Wiltshire, wedding in Yorkshire, and m..."
@Rusalka - hope you have a great time over here. Not the best week weather-wise but who comes to Ireland for the weather??