Now
Reading
Most Impactful Quote So Far
And, touching his hair with her lips, she thought, he will never be so happy again, but stopped herself, remembering how it angered her husband that she should say that. Still, it was true. They were happier now than they would ever be again. A tenpenny tea set made Cam happy for days. She heard them stamping and crowing on the floor above her head the moment they woke. They came bustling along the passage. Then the door sprang open and in they came, fresh as roses, staring, wide awake, as if this coming into the diningroom after breakfast, which they did every day of their lives, was a positive event to them, and so on, with one thing after another, all day long, until she went up to say good-night to them, and found them netted in their cots like birds among cherries and raspberries, still making up stories about some little bit of rubbish—something they had heard, something they had picked up in the garden. They had all their little treasures. . . . And so she went down and said to her husband, Why must they grow up and lose it all? Never will they be so happy again.
To The Lighthouse – Virgina Woolf
“But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!””
— Jack Kerouac, On The Road
Doing
- Writing two books at once: a time travel novel and an urban fantasy novel
- Daily meditations and Yoga Nidra on youtube
- Finally learning music theory on guitar
- Daily Morning walks and exercise
- Writing a novel (word count: 47k)
- Writing software (currently React JS)
- Using the Bedjet. It is life changing.
- Finally working on my Etsy store
- Finally working on my writing
2023 Book Club:
- Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell – Great book about how successful people get successful. It’s probably not what you think. A quick and easy read!
- Stillness is the Key – Ryan Holliday – A book about stoicism, philosophy, historical people during historical events and how they dealt with certain situations to the best outcome.
- The Novel Killer – Jonathan K. Webb – A short fiction book from a local fellow Austin, TX author.
- On The Road – Jack Kerouac – A classic novel about friends, life, cross country trips, and the intrinsic and painful line between chasing and letting go.
- Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut – A classic absurdist novel about the effects of war.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams – A classic science fiction comedy novel about the future.
- One Simple Mistake – Dandy Smith – This is a book I found in Amazon Prime from an indie author. It kept me reading until the end. For fans of domestic thrillers, it will have you turning pages.
2022 Book Club:
- On Writing – Stephen King – This is a gem for everyone struggling to write or trying to become an author. It teaches you, motivates you, and fires you up.
- King, Warrior, Magician, Lover – Robert Moore, Douglas Gillette – This is a great book for anyone trying to understand masculinity from a psychology stand point. An extremely interesting read which I know will leave you thinking: “I think I(or my father, brother, friend) am/is one of these archetypes.”
- The War of Art – Steven Pressfield – Motivation for anyone trying to make it as an artist. Very short read. You can re read these every month. It will take you a day.
- Turning Pro – Steven Pressfield – Another short one from Mr. Pressfield. Another gem. Direct, and to the point.
- Anthem – Ayn Rand – Ayn Rand’s first novel, I believe, about humans who are meant to just be workers and never question everything until the main character shows up. A lot of authors during this time were writing books like these. All of them with a slightly different approach. This one is not absurdist or comedic, it is more artistic and serious.
- Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl – Boy, if you think you have problems and your life is hard, read this book and get off your ass.
- The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday – In this book, Ryan illustrates how people deal with hardships and use them to their advantage.
- Ego is the Enemy – Ryan Holiday – Let go of your ego, be a student, be humble, believe that you can learn from everyone. We need each other. Read this.
- On the Shortness of Life – Seneca – It’s not that life is short, but that people waste most of it on meaningless tasks. A short read form one of history’s greatest philosophers.
- On a Life well Spent – Cicero – This is a beautiful book and edition my father got me. Even turning the pages make you feel like you are getting wiser. It is a short read full of thoughts and conversations between Cicero and other people. It illustrate show to grow old gracefully, retire, work on the land and nature. We are nothing but borrowed bodies.
- Improv Wisdom – Patricia Ryan Madson – Highly recommended book about improvising that you can use for your daily life. It goes beyond just “yes, and” and gives a lot of good tools.
- To The Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf – One of the most beautiful novels about life I have read. Exceptional. One of my favorite quotes of all time can be found in this book (read it here)
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamont – Each one of these writing guides and motivation books teach you a little something. It reiterates stuff you already know from a different angle. In this book, the author illustrates the other unglamorous side of being a published author. Life doesn’t really change for most of us. It is stressful. You still fail all the time. But it’s better to fail at something you love than hating your life and still failing.
- The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger – I read this book on airplanes, during sad moments, and at home. A classic and a must read. A coming of age story that I wish I had read when I was younger.
- The Sun Also Rises – Hemingway – When two people are desperately in love with one another but they can’t fulfill each others needs… the hurt… the beautiful hurt of love. What else can I say of Hemingway?
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