A Confederacy of Dunces

I am reading the best book of the year. Granted, it is only day #23 of the new year, but seriously, this is the best book. I guess I'd call it a tragicomedy. I laugh out loud while reading, which is mildly embarassing when you're out in public. (People stare.) The main character's name sets the whole tone of the book: Ignatius J. Reilly. He wears a green felted hat with ear flaps every day and uses it to block out things he doesn't want to hear. Ear flaps up: he's willing to listen. Ear flaps down: he's tuning you out. So funny.

The author's story is interesting too. He wrote the book in the mid-sixties, then committed suicide shortly afterwards. His mother found the manuscript among his things, read it, and immediately sent it to a publisher. With it, she sent a letter, saying that although she was his mother, she thought it was a wonderful book. The publisher rejected it, saying that he doesn't take unsolicited manuscripts. But the mother was persistent, she sent it back and asked him to read a little of it anyway. So he was like, fine!, I'll read a bit! And he read it, the whole thing, then read it again, and again. He said it was the best thing he'd read in a very long time. And what a shame, he said, that we are deprived of this author's body of work due to his suicide. The author's name is John Kennedy Toole.

I am only on chapter four, not far enough, usually, to make a sound judgment on a book. This book, however, is excellent from the very first page. You'll laugh and simultaneously cry for this man Ignatius of the Ear Flaps.

New Career?

I have finally found my (third?) calling in life. Selling books on the internet. The Professor's dad did this for a while when we were in high school. He is a very smart man. Too bad eBay stole his idea and ran with it. (I mean, I can't prove that eBay stole his idea. It's just that I never knew Half.com existed when The Prof's dad was doing his thing. In my world, that makes eBay an idea thief. So there.)

No really, Hubby and I have been selling our unwanted books on Half.com. We have made $75 in sales in ten days. That's $7.50 a day in free money. (Even though we haven't actually gotten any of that money yet. But we will! We will!!) Apparently, others find our books cool!

It makes me want to quit my job and read all the time, then sell the nearly pristine books for less... than... what I... paid...

Crap. This is no career.

Tagged! Five Things...

So, I've been tagged by Krista. (I'd give you the link, but there's a crazy person out there that wants to find her website and destroy her love life. Seriously, it IS that dramatic!) My assignment: tell the world five things you didn't know about me.

1. Red wine makes me have to pee. Immediately. I could have just gone to the bathroom, then take a sip of red wine, and Bam! it's back to the bathroom. What is that? An allergy? And what does it say about me that this is the first thing that comes to mind to tell the world?

2. I own exactly four pairs of white socks, two crew-length and two ankle socks. I "run" in them. The italics are important here, because running goes in and out of my life like my boyfriends did in high school. I prefer my socks to have a little personality -- argyles, stripes, polka dots, and the cartoony ones I wear to work (penguins, snowmen, Hello Kitty, etc. I work with kids). Argyles are my favorite. Always a classic.

3. My dad and I have the same feet. I mean, we don't share a pair or anything, our feet look identical. Mine are smaller, of course (thank goodness). I discovered this a few years ago when Dad and I were sitting next to each other on the couch at my parents' house. Our feet were right next to each other and there was no denying. I have Dad-feet genes. We also share strawberry birthmarks; mine is on my back and Dad's is on his neck.

4. I love Coke Classic in a can. It's the best thing ever. It is completely worth the 240 empty, worthless calories. (Better than four teaspoons of Nerds, Brown!)

5. I love M.A.S.H. I think it's an incredibly witty show. It's easy to see why it lasted 100 years on whatever network it was originally on. Actually, maybe I just love Alan Alda. Maybe that's it. Maybe I have a pretend crush on Captain Pierce. Better him than Klinger, I guess.

Whew. Done. That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I think I'm more of an open book than I realized. I was trying to think of things that people really, truly don't know about me. Should I keep more of me to myself? Nah. I'm good.

Longest Book Ever

Yeah, so I just finished The Rainbow last week. It took me FOR. EVER. I just couldn't keep myself reading.

And I was sooooo disappointed with the ending. I felt like I was being hit upside the head with a symbolism two-by-four.

So, don't read it. Or at least save it for when every other book has burned up. Or if you're extremely bored.