Must Have: Earbuds

 Philips Sport Buds @ Target
These earbuds are the best thing that has happened to my try-to-exercise-more lifestyle. Finally I have found an earbud that doesn't fall out when I move! Of course they aren't perfect, reading some of the reviews makes me wonder if maybe I just don't man-handle mine enough since people seem to be having problems with them falling apart. I have not had this problem, and they stay in my ear which is something that iPod/iPhone earbuds and Skull Candy earbuds have never done. Phillips Sports Buds come in a lot of different, fun color choices as well. They sadly do not have a mic built in or they'd be perfect, for the $19.99 they cost—which is still cheaper than the other two—and I don't have to constantly push them into my ear, and that makes my jog.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

This novel contains many philosophical insights amongst two couples; one a complex love story and the other a fleeting relationship. Mainly it counters Nietzsche's philosophy that the decisions we make in life have weight.  One quote in particular stood out right away:

"We can never know what to want, because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come."

Both of the main characters seem to have this dilemma in that they are tied together by some unknown and unexplainable love, but aren't sure what they really want other than to be together. Tomas even views this as a weight in his life. Towards the end of the novel Kundera also shares some interesting philosophical observations regarding shit (yep as in poo), and how it is perceived by people vs. animals and what the implications of that perception are.

The story mainly follows Tomas and Tereza with their love for each other that doesn't seem to make sense or have an obvious basis, but it's strong enough to carry them until the end of their lives. Tereza is somehow able to deal with the fact that Tomas takes numerous lovers throughout their years together and views herself as weak with the jealousy. While Tomas loves only his wife and perceives his womanizing as an exploration of the female. The book also follows Sabina, one of Tomas' main lovers, that he's had relations with since before Teresa entered his life. Sabina is a complex, artistic, and free spirit that opposes the communist influences of Russia through her art. Franz, a married professor in Geneva, falls for Sabina's lightness and allows it to influence his beliefs and view of how his life should be, but she doesn't like how he gives her light actions weight in their significance to him.

All of the characters in this novel are affected by the Russian take over of Prague and its aftermath. Tomas and Tereza move to Switzerland to escape for a while, but upon returning to Prague Tomas ends up losing his career. The only constant in their lives becomes their love and each others' presence.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being on Amazon.com

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Looking back on family life as we get older we start to think about corrections we could have made to accompany the inevitable mistakes one accumulates in a lifetime. The family in this book is chock-full of them. From the overbearing, obnoxious mother, to the complete scumbag, youngest brother. The main focus of this book is on the elderly parents entering the phase of life when their health (mental and physical) are beginning to deteriorate and how it effects all three of their adult children. We then learn about their respective childhoods and adult lives that are pretty much a mess, but they each put on a facade of success and happiness for their parents. This facade, we learn, parallels what Enid and Alfred have been doing for them. It all hits the fan at their last Christmas dinner together, where else, when they can't deny the decline of their father's mental health, and must face important life decisions. This book was a long read, but I actually prefer it to Franzen's other popular book, Freedom. It really made me think about how we treat our elderly population in this society versus how it's been done in the past. I'm pretty sure it's not healthy or right, how we seem to put them away and forget about them, because we don't want to have the burden i.e. think about our own inevitable decay and death. It is terribly sad to see someone's mental health decline, and raises many important issues and debates that we need to address as a whole. This book also caused me to think about family dynamics, and all the energy and time this family put into lying to each other. If you can't be honest with your family, how can you be honest with your friends?


The Corrections @ Amazon.com

Room by Emma Donoghue

This book is told through the eyes of Jack, a precocious 5-year-old boy. He's oddly smart for his age, because his mother has read him books and taught him mathematics. She's made sure he received plenty of nourishment and exercise to be a healthy child. The catch is, Jack has never been outside of the room, a room roughly the size of my studio apartment. He knows nothing of the outside world and has never interacted with anyone besides his mother. Through his eyes the room is almost a magical place, transformed by his mother into many different environments and full of creative activities. But as you read further you begin to realize that this is not the case. They are kept in this room by a man who kidnapped Jack's mother, and has been holding her against her will for seven years. Yes, do the math, but shhh Jack doesn't know, he's five. This book tackles many interesting issues about child development both psychological and physiological. Also, being loosely based on a true story makes you think about the people that have faced a similar imprisonment or are currently enduring one. This book will likewise hold you captive, you will not want to put it down.

Room @ Amazon.com

Direction

I'm not entirely sure which direction this blog will go, but that's part of the fun. I do know that I want it to be a little bit of everything, because that's what we are as people, a little bit of everything. We need to stay open-minded and continue to learn and balance our own lives as well as respect others as they learn and balance their lives.