Music - enjoyed in 2011

This week I discovered that something happened to my "best reads of 2011" posts--one is posted, one is in draft, where are the others?

Also, for my fave music of 2011, but not released in 2011, I had intended to just trickle the songs out over the weeks. I prepped the posts, but didn't post them.

So I'm gonna set some of these mothers up to post over the next couple months! Sheesh. Shows how mindgoogly I've been.

"Come Pick Me Up" - Ryan Adams - Best song I discovered through a reality show this year--that is to say, one of my faves on American Idol. Best chorus lyrics evah.
I wish you would
Come pick me up
Take me out
Fuck me up
Steal my records
Screw all my friends
They're all full of shit


"Bloody" - Arrested Development - The precursors of conscious rap, I was a huge fan in the 90s. Their songwriting is too clumsy to keep up with the Kanyes and Eminems of today, but I love the boom boom boom of this 2010 outing.

   

Show Some Respect (to your fears)

I'm once again blogread! Phew. 

Yesterday Skye wrote about the three reactions to danger: Fight, flight or freeze. And then said something that reminded me of the book Mindsight: "And the primitive part of my brain is very strong."

I think she's so right.

One of the chapters in Mindsight is about helping a newly-teen girl who was developing OCD, though this part of his advice that I'm about to mention would be helpful to just about anyone.

He told her that part of the brain developed over millions of years to keep us safe. He calls the system "the checker" and it scans for danger, alerts us, then motivates us to act.

He had her begin meditating, and learning to discern when an alert was being sounded, and to differentiate the checker part of her brain from the feeling of terror. Then he advised her that, when she felt it kicking into action, to say:

I've seen on some blogs where the idea is promoted to bitch-slap negative voices in our heads. Like, if we have a negative self talk (you're a failure, you'll never do this, etc) -- to tell that bitch to sit down and shut up. I've never been crazy about this idea, cause the thing is... that's still you talking. Why would you give yourself a smack down? 

So I liked this next part where Siegel explains the thinking behind this bit of self dialogue:

Heh heh, I love that. This is a millions year old part of your brain, dedicated to the thing your body most wants--to survive. If you fight it, you'll lose. Just show some respect.

We all afraid of something here

Cause you ain't human without fear

   

Cataloging and Culling - Tales of a Book Hoarder

Pretty soon I'll have to decide which books to bring to Nanaimo with me.

...It's going to be like Sophie's Choice around here.

In the meantime I'm cataloging my books on goodreads, so at least I won't buy any duplicates while away. (I shouldn't buy ANY books but we all know...)

While cataloging I'm taking advantage to cull. Not in a harsh way--if I was culling for an actual move things would be different. But if we stay here, then the books can stay... there's room.

I'm putting things into goodreads, reading the reviews, seeing what I think. If it's a book I know I bought new and never tried, then I'll keep it. But if I couldn't get into it, or it was free / second hand, then I can be meaner.

For example I only thought Pamela was okay, so why am I holding onto Joseph Andrews? I read two Thackerays and enjoyed them, but do I want to read a third? If I would rather re-read all 1474 pages of Seth's A Suitable Boy (loved!) than take another stab at An Equal Music... then EQ should go. On the other hand, the praise for Middlemarch is so high, and I've now forgotten the mini series, I felt I should hold onto it.

I pulled 15 books out of about 65. Only about 10 of these 50 remaining books I've read and are keeping just for the moment. Most are unread. 37 were newly bought, though many from the bargain section and all with my 30 % discount, and sometimes more than that.

I'm working through the literary fiction books. The Mystery section has more second hand books... the SFF has more new books because you don't get lot of the really great SFF at book sales (often filled with the books of someone's parent who just died... or so I figure when I see an entire Lady Di collection on the bio table). The romance is mish mash. The plays and poetry almost all second hand.

Okay look it's 6 am go to bed.

(I'll be by soon to catch up on bloggy reads, but haven't really set up my computer yet. That's where my System resides for blog visiting. It's like a little neighborhood locked in my Chrome browser. )

CAT PHOTO...

Say goodnight to the peeples Minion! (Complete unconcern that Maugham's short stories didn't make the cut.)