Mike > Recent Status Updates

I've gotten to the barricades!

So far it's a charming introduction to chess complete with jokes to help retain the information. :-)

Jean Valjean's back in a suspenseful scene with Tenardier! I LOVE it!

I love the story of Jean Valjean & Cosette, but most of the novel has become side stories of side characters that don't further the plot.

"That which was the great criticism of socialism 50 years ago—that it would lead to uniformity, bureaucratization, centralization, and a soulless materialism—is a reality of today's capitalism."

I agree. Whether you are a cog in the wheel of a giant corporation, or a communistic government program, you still lose your autonomy to the administrators who call the shots.

Listening to an audiobook version read by Christopher Hitchens on YouTube while I cook :-)

The first essay beautifully explains how obedience to a person, institution, or power is submission, whereas obedience to reason is not submission but affirmation which leads to liberation.

The second essay explains how prophets are people who practice what they preach, like Jesus, but priests are people who use the prophet as a symbol for personal gain while not living the teachings.

This book is HUGE! I'm thoroughly enjoying it but man! Some of the tangent thoughts and background stories wax on for hours. But the character development of Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, Cosette, and the Thénardiers is some of the strongest character development I've ever experienced. Victor Hugo is a master at developing characters with all the diverse characteristics of real people.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I was raised in a fundamentalist culture, and obedience to tradition vs obedience to autonomy/preventing unnecessary pain was a struggle the first 24 years of my life. Here, Fromm explains my own conclusions on the ethics of obedience, more articulately then I could explain myself.

Plot twist! It's a different genre than I'd thought! Should have seen it coming given its Dan Wells. Now I'm curious to experience the resolution.

The Battle of Waterloo sequence was quite long and informative but the description of the Thénardier was AMAZING!

Fantine made me weep. I don't often cry when reading fiction, but Victor Hugo made me weep and wish I could jump into the pages, and show her that a real Christian would give her a hug, let her cry on his shoulders, buy her new clothes, a good meal, and reconnected with her daughter. This is masterful storytelling.

I checked out Les Míserables, unabridged, translated by Charles E Wilbour, read by Fredrick Davidson, as an audiobook from the Sac County Library.

It's well over 60 hours long. So far I've thoroughly enjoyed the first 3+ hours.

Got at least 1/3rd of the book in driving to and from Union City for work today.

I am moving this novel!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Coldfire trilogy in middle school and am currently audio booking it to review it.

So far middle school Mike did not let me down! I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Just took the CSET Prt 2. In the multiple choice section, 8 out of 39 of the questions were about material not covered in this study guide.

The Sections on World History and Geography offered roughly 100 pages of one liner facts which helped me pass the CSET Prt 1.

I'm currently reviewing the section on US History, which offers a plethora of one liner facts as well. I've learned several things I did not learn in my history classes, which makes the studying become more fascinating.

I'm reading, re-reading, and making note cards off this bad boy. Currently I'm reviewing the United States history section.

Charming. A fascinating look into Franklin's early life, which also has offered numerous laugh out loud moments. I'm digging it.

Atlas Shrugged, much like The Bible, is one of those books greatly revered, mostly by people who have never read it. I wanted an informed opinion so I'm giving it try.

So far it's underwhelming. For someone so self righteous in her logic she's already straw manned both of the antagonists in the two short philosophical debates, which invalidates her side of the argument.