Author: Geoff W

Reading my way through life.
Updates

June Recap 2015

Geoff W

2015 06-26 First DanceI. Am. Exhausted.

In case you didn’t know, June was an incredibly busy month from being an international jet setter to participating in the marriage of two of my good friends, to one of the busiest times of the year at work, I have good reason to be.

First, I’ll start you off with a photo of Caroline and Nick’s first dance. It’s probably what they were most worried about, but it was excellent! We all had an amazing time and it’s hard to believe they’re FINALLY married. YAY! Here is a shot of the water as the sun went down. This was the view of all the guests during the ceremony:

2015 06-26 Gloucester PanoramaNow on to the bookish. Don’t worry, I will talk about Spain, but you’re only going to get a VERY brief preview (AKA a lot of panoramas at the VERY end of this very long post).

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CRWMPodcast

CRWM #06: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Geoff W

CRWM06My friend Emily joined me to talk about Maya Angelou’s most famous work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. And I’m not sure how I did it, but even with my two weeks in Spain and being part of a wedding this past weekend, I managed to get this edited and online for June! I’m mostly glad that I was able to incorporate my “real” transitions and sound effects this time!

This was a very interesting book to talk about, especially with the current climate surrounding race relations, police brutality and institutionalized racism. We were very upfront about the fact that we were two white kids hanging out in a nicer “suburb” of Boston and that we’d each grown up in specific neighborhoods.

Download it here: CRWM #06 (Right click and “save as.”) Or, better yet, subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher!

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Random

We Survived Spain

Geoff W

2015 06-20 Shipping Back to BostonIn case you were wondering, we survived Spain. The photo is from right after we landed in Boston last Saturday evening. You know you’re jealous of that tan, we spent the last day in Spain at Sitges, a resort type town on the coast.It was a wonderful trip and I have so much to write about, but things are still very busy.

If I would’ve planned ahead I would’ve just posted through to the end of June, AKA NOT try to conquer the behemoth that is Don Quixote (I’m roughly 33% into it), but I didn’t. Instead you get this lovely update. I do think I will break Don Quixote into three posts, one each on Part 1 and Part 2, and then a separate one about Madrid and Don Quixote!

This afternoon I head up to Gloucester for a wedding. If you remember ALL the way back in Sept 2013, I posted these photos from when we decorated their apartment while they were off getting engaged,

Well it’s finally here. I’m honored to be a part of the wedding and I can’t wait for tomorrow! I’ll, hopefully, be back to regular postings next week. I do have an entire podcast to edit by Wednesday, so fingers crossed!

Books, The Classics Club

Book 358: The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka

Geoff W

This isn’t the first Kafka I’ve read. I read Amerika way back in 2011 and my opinion is pretty much the same: the man is a bit weird but he writes well.

I can, with utter confidence, say I have no idea what in the hell I just read. I mean, I know exactly what the words said and can tell you the story pretty much verbatim, but as to the meaning behind it, I haven’t got a clue. (Don’t worry, I’m going to look it up in a minute and see if it in anyway makes sense to me.)

I honestly thought it was some sort about sickness and loss of health, but no one seems to agree on that. There was a lot of talk about dependence and the family needing to learn how to care for themselves and that his metamorphosis resulted in the family being more productive and less lazy. Honestly, I don’t really know.

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Books

Book 357: Eleven Minutes – Paulo Coelho

Geoff W

Again, I’m not sure when I picked up this and The Witch of Portobello, but I’m assuming sometime back in 2011 as I mention them in a post as far back as my May 2012 update. I once again ask why I don’t read more of his and why I put it off for so long between reading his works. He said something in the forward, that struck me,

“Some books make us dream, others bring us face to face with reality, but what matters most to the author is the honesty with which a book is written.”

Having now read six of Coelho’s many published works it is easy to see he truly lives by this. His stories make you dream and bring you face-to-face with reality, and every one of them have an honesty that is hard to find in so many authors’ works. I have yet to read a book written by him that didn’t touch me in some way whether it was on a spiritual or inspirational level or on a cognitive level.

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