• What I read in 2014

    December 30, 2014 / No Comments

    Over on io9 the have an article about the “rule of 50”, to help you know when to give up on a book when you’re just not into it. I very seldom give up on a book because I usually only start books that I know I’m going to like. That being said, it was a pretty pathetic year for my reading. In reality, I’m constantly reading good stuff online, but I have such a hard time finding the time to sit down with a book. I only read 17 books this year, but I’m almost done with two others, so I’m going to call it 19. Still pretty pathetic, but better than none I guess.

    Here is what I read this year:

    • Inside Scientology – Janet Reitman
    • Hatching Twitter – Nick Bilton
    • On the Road – Jack Kerouac
    • Without Their Permission – Alexis Ohanian
    • Gulp – Mary Roach
    • An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth – Chris Hadfield
    • The Honest Truth About Dishonesty – Dan Ariely
    • For One More Day – Mitch Albom
    • Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies – Chris Kluwe
    • The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
    • Unorthodox – Deborah Feldman
    • My Story – Elizabeth Smart
    • What if? – Randall Munroe
    • The Martian – Andy Weir
    • Finding Me – Michelle Knight
    • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Caitlin Doughty
    • The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer
    • No Place to Hide – Glenn Greenwald
    • Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

    I enjoyed all of them. Hopefully next year will be less hectic and I will be able to read more.

    Read More

  • It’s been a year since we talked

    December 16, 2014 / No Comments

    One year ago today I talked to my mom for the last time. She called me to tell me that she was going in to have her aortic disection fixed, and it was no big deal. She didn’t want me to tell anybody, because she didn’t want them to worry.

    That was her last phone call.

    Little did I know how serious the surgery was. If I had know she dropped ill at work and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, I would have been there in a heartbeat. If I knew that was the case I would have seen her one more time before her passing, but I would have done the same thing. I’m just like my mom in that way. I like to be alone, and I don’t like to bother people.

    She came out of surgery just fine, but I never bothered to call her because I knew she wouldn’t wanted to be bothered.

    Four days later we were planning her funeral.

    I was never a Christmas fan to begin with, now they are even worse for me. My mom lived for Christmas. Every Christmas song is now a sad song to me. I have to fight tears going anywhere this time of year.

    We are celebrating Christmas this year the day after the year anniversary of her passing. It’s going to be hard, but I have a feeling Christmas is always going to be hard for me. We are having the same meal with the same dishes. We are keeping as many traditions as we can.

    That’s what Mom would have wanted.

    Read More