The Archives

Things Worth Remembering

The three habits that lead to success are: Patience, Application, and Vision.

Take care: The person who will tell others' faults to you - will tell yours to others.

It is always better to be underestimated.

There are three things that are better than riches: Health, Freedom, and Honor.

Think swiftly, speak softly, act wisely.

"The world is neither Scottish, English, nor Irish, neither French, Dutch, nor Chinese, but human, and each nation is only the partial development of a universal humanity." - James Grant on founding the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, 1862

All from: The Book of Celtic Wisdom

I don't sleep well, anymore.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: “You look tired.”
Anakin Skywalker: “I don’t sleep well, anymore.”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones


It’s probably because his mom didn’t read “Goodnight, Forest Moon” to him as a child.

Noah Dziobecki adapted my son’s long-ago favorite bedtime book, Goodnight Moon, to the Star Wars universe for a friend’s son’s birthday. Kindly though, he’s made his version available for download with assembly instructions for the rest of us – for free. The Force is with us all.

Hat-tip to Eileen Cook for sending this along.

As you wish.

Darth Vader:    ”He will come to me?”
The Emperor:  ”I have foreseen it. His compassion for you will be his undoing. He will come to you and then you will bring him before me.”
Darth Vader:    ”As you wish.”
      Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

 

Padawan Learner made a specific request for our trip out west. He wants to listen to the entire Percy Jackson series while we’re traveling; we are bowing to his wishes.  Truth be told, we’re happy to oblige. I’m looking forward to hearing the series since I never got around to reading the books the first time around (from the library), and I’ve heard such good things about it. Those audiobook files are huge though! We’ve had to delete a bunch of things from the main computer just to get them all on. Yes, it is indeed time to get a new hard-drive (or auxillary drive) installed.

While I wasn’t thinking about this when we decided to do it, I’m glad we got the 32 gig iTouch for PL’s birthday. It’s the only one big enough to hold the entire Percy Jackson series, a few movies, and our assorted music collection (with room to spare). And on a life skills note, PL is learning the fine art of downloading audiobooks as I type. It’s good to have a laptop.

His death was a necessary loss.

General Grievous: “But the loss of Count Dooku?”
Darth Sidious:         “His death was a necessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice, one far younger and more powerful.”

Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

Any Harry Potter Fans in Your House?

If your family, like ours, have been waiting with baited breath for the latest Harry Potter movie (which was excellent, just so you know), one of the local library systems, KDL, has found a couple of books you may want to consider while we all wait for the two installments of the final book. For the record, I knew it was coming but I still was surprisingly sad at the end of #6.

Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli, founder of the Leaky Cauldron website, is truly a fascinating look at the HP fandom, including the founding of her website and how Harry Potter has changed her life. (OK, this seems a little far-fetched for me, but hey – who am I to judge?) It includes meeting J.K. Rowling and the creation of the “premier” Wizard Rock website.

Harry Potter Should Have Died: Controversial Views from the #1 Fan Site by Emerson Spartz & Ben Schoen of Mugglenet.com fame is a collection of essays debating different viewpoints on certain controversial issues (as well as some fun ones). As Beth from KDL says, “This book just goes to show that not every thing was answered in the final book.”

Pass on what you have learned, Luke.

“Pass on what you have learned, Luke.” – Yoda, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

I’ve been reading Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America by Jay Parini and I’m finding it to be quite an interesting look at both our nation’s history and the role that reading has played in our national consciousness. Dad Windu has also picked it up and is in ever-present danger of over-taking my bookmark. At this point, I’m planning to require highly recommend that Padawan Learner read this book along with the books it references.

Wait, Master. There is something I must know.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are leaving the Jedi temple when Obi-Wan notices the hologram center]
Obi-Wan:  ”Wait, Master. There is something I must know.”
Yoda:       “If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find.”
Obi-Wan:  ”I must know the truth, Master.”
           Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

 
Meg over at Get In, Hang On found a fun book meme. Since I’m feeling lazy experiencing a burst of low creativity today, I’m going to complete it too. Let me know if you decide to fillit out as well.

Book Confessions Meme

1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down?
I’m a bookmark pusher. I’ll even go through the house and un-fold the page corners of other people’s books and insert a bookmark.

2. Do you lend your books?
Yes, if I trust the person. There are a few people I will not lend books too ever again because of the condition they come back in or become the books never come back (even with my name written inside).

3. You find an interesting passage: you write in your book or NO WRITING IN BOOKS!
I’m OK with writing in my own books, but it has to be a pretty significant thing for me to note it permanently.

4. Dust jackets – leave it on or take it off.
I hate dust jackets. I store books in them but cannot read a book with a dustjacket on (unless it’s glued in like the library does).

5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book?
I prefer to read hardcovers from the library over paperbacks of my own. I generally have at least one audio book going at all times in the car.

6. Do you shelve your books by subject, author, or size and color of the book spines?
Shelved by subject only. We have two bookshelves: one fiction and one non-fiction. Fiction is sorted by Dad Windu’s books (fantasy crap) on the top shelves and my 18th, 19th & early 20th Century classics on the bottom shelves. The non-fiction bookshelf is sorted roughly by topical area: science, history, foreign language materials, English language materials, geography, shelf, how-to, art. There is no mixing if I can help it.

7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later?
Library, library, library whenever possible. I rarely buy fiction.

8. Do you put your name on your books – scribble your name in the cover, fancy bookplate, or stamp?
Simple pencil for my name on books being loaned out – on the inside cover.

9. Most of the books you own are rare and out of print books or recent publications?
Published within the last 20 years for the most part. I have a few published in the 1950s.

10. Page edges – deckled or straight?
I loath deckled pages. I find them incredibly annoying. And yes, I know how ridiculous it is to care this much.

11. How many books do you read at one time?
I generally have 2-4 going at a time.

12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book? 
No, but I give my MIL grief (teasingly) at aleast twice a year about the fact that she has done this.