Where's the Rain?

I wish more rain would come so I could stop taking pictures of dried up mushrooms and start up my mycology series again. If you haven't done it before, I highly suggest going out and trying to find, take pictures of, and maybe even identify some mushrooms (whatever you do, don't try to eat any...no, seriously). Here is an awesome beginner guide to mushroom identifying (David Arora is a madman and is awesome), and here is a book I'm about to dive into that sound pretty interesting.

Birdlife

Sometimes this is all you need to be happy. I love my thrashed Sibley and I picked up these nikon compact binos a little bit ago; they work great! On a side note, I'm currently reading Audubon's Elephant by Duff Hart-Davis. A fantastic story and quick read with some good pictures to go along with it. It is definitely giving me a whole new respect for Audubon...someone who I already hold as a role-model in my life.

In the Library

I forgot how many books I still have at home.

Off Into the Wilderness

I went for a hike this morning at the crack of dawn (around 5:40). It was quite frigid. I brought along my current book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Most people read this when there in middle school and don't really appreciate it at all; it is kind of sad. Sure it is a really short read at about 100 pages, but the story itself is really well written and wonderfully powerful. I thought it deserved a reread and I was quite right.

On another note, I've kind of been on a Steinbeck binge. I finished up Travels With Charley before Of Mice and Men and now I'm about to read Cannery Row next, unless of course my book comes in the mail (The SCUM Manifesto). Yea, I've read six books so far.

More People Need to Read

So, this summer I have decided to give up television. I have already compiled a somewhat rough reading list.:

-Bike Snob Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling (by BSNYC)

-The Origin of Species (by Charles Darwin)

-Dinosaur Tales (by Ray Bradbury)

-Thus Spoke Zurathustra (by Nietzche)

-Jonathan Livingston Seagull (by Richard Bach)

-Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (by Robert Pirsig)

-Walden (by Thoreau)

- True Food (by Bond, Breyer, and Gordon)

-The Zen of Fish (by Trevor Corson)

-Musashi (by Eli Yoshikawa)

-Ella Minnow Pea (by Mark Dunn)

-John Muir: Magnificent Tramp (by Rod Miller)

-Travels With Charley (by John Steinbeck)

-and various works by Jack London

I know that it is quite the list...but it is a goal, so lets see how far I can get on it. Also, if you have any book recommendations, feel free to share them.

Natural History

I enjoy reading about it.

To the Lighthouse

Currently reading To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. It's very difficult. Stupid stream of consciousness brit lit...But it's not too terrible, it can be kind of fun to discuss.

Philosophy

So I had a miniature epiphany in philosophy discussion today when we were talking about russell's paradox and a girl brought up the question "What is the point of this?" The teacher continued to try and B.S. his way through some answer with critical thinking and whatnot, but then it dawned on me...What I'm learning in philosophy now will probably never affect my life again, and if it does, it will be in some ridiculously infinitesimal way.

So why bother? I don't know. I've lost all interest in the class, but I will continue to try and get a good grade in it regardless.

There's a lot of knowledge out there. Some of which is completely useless to the individual, but I suppose it all depends on who you are. I've decided that philosophy falls into the completely useless category for me.