On Cheating The Fiddler
“Then we will have tonight!” we said.
“Tomorrow — may we not be dead?”
The morrow touched our eyes, and found
Us walking firm above the ground,
Our pulses quick, our blood alight.
Tomorrow’s gone — we’ll have tonight!

I had considered “Enough Rope” as the title of this very site in honour of Dorothy. A sober point that it’s very easy to throw out your baby with all that bathwater. The freedom and wherewithal to shrug off the nine to five and be independent for a living really is just enough rope to hang yourself, isn’t it? Note: should anyone ever wish to give me a treasured gift, I’d eternally swoon over an Enough Rope first edition. Just saying. Ultimately, it came across as a bit too sobering of a title for what should be a fairly sunny genre of writing. So I opted for nonsense instead.

If you ever have the opportunity to acquire a copy of The Portable Dorothy Parker I highly recommend seizing it. As I got down to the very last handful of items in my apartment to toss, I came across my copy. As one of the only books left on my shelf I was torn over what to do with it. My old back says there’s no way I’m toting it around in my backpack, but my bloody heart says that it surely must come with. At the time of this writing it rests tentatively on the “pack me” pile. We’ll see. I leave you with some of Dorothy’s shorter and more famous quotes. Good day.

“Drink and dance and laugh and lie, Love, the reeling midnight through, For tomorrow we shall die! (But, alas, we never do)”

“I don’t care what anybody says about me as long as it isn’t true.”

“Lips that taste of tears, they say are the best for kissing.”

“I shall stay the way I am because I do not give a damn.”

“I wish I could drink like a lady / I can take one or two at the most / Three and I’m under the table / Four and I’m under the host”

Finally, my very favourite, “You can drag a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.”

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Dorothy Parker, My Unlikely Inspiration is a post from: Rerunaround

The main benefit I get from seeing my books on a shelf is triggered memories. I have a hard time remembering what I’ve read in the past. Or more importantly, what ideas I gained from reading a particular book. Periodically seeing them on a shelf triggers my memory of why that book was interesting and keeps the idea alive in my little mind. I suppose, “out of sight, out of mind” is the cliche that applies in this case. While traveling I’m also keen to ditch heavy books once I’ve read them so I can free up bag space for the essentials. Such as pastries. Shelfari is perfect for letting me get rid of the physical books without losing the memory of what I read.

There’s also all the expected social sharing tools in Shelfari. Such as ratings, reviews, discussion groups, friends, recommendations, and so on. A lot of community features that once you get used to them really add value to the enjoyment of reading. There seems to be a group of folks discussing just about every author and genre that exist.

If you are a Shelfari member, or you decide to sign up, definitely add me to your friends list so we can stalk each others questionable literacy.

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// shawn

photo credit here

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Appease Your Book Collecting Urges With Shelfari is a post from: Rerunaround