It's been a minute since I last posted a random life update. Today is the day though. Here are a few mundane things that I've been up to the past month or so. Let's have a looksee.
I'll begin with a few books that I've read starting with a novella called "A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven L. Peck. This was recommended to me by my wife. It was a quick read but an incredibly impactful one. This book is actually one that will stay with me for a very long time, maybe even the rest of my life I think. It got me thinking about a lot of different things in a way that hasn't happened since, probably I was a child or teenager.
I don't want to give too much away, especially because the book is so short, but the premise is that hell is tailored for each individual and that it's not permanent but will end, eventually, once you complete your task. The books protagonists hell is based on the Library of Babel, a book by Jorge Luis Borges. Basically the protagonist gets sent to a Library that contains every book that could possibly be written, ever, and the man has to find one particular book in the library. You really have to stop and think about that for a long while to truly grasp the concept and even then its difficult. Basically think about every possible letter combination that could possibly exist... To put it in perspective it takes the man over 100 years to find a book that contains a single phrase that isn't just gibberish, letters smashed together on the pages. Then it takes him another 1000 years to find a book that contains a full sentence. Countless books of gibberish. Now imagine an actual book that you've read before. What if that book had a mistake in it? What if that book was written from a different person's perspective, or how about every humans perspective on the planet. How about that book was writtn from the perspective of a worm, or an ant...
Every...single...possibility...
It's a hard concept to even grasp. How could you survive a task like that? What would you do? What are the rules of this hell world?
The book is actually very accessible and entertaining, all the while being very thought provoking. It expresses some deep philisophical themes such as time, eternity, humanity and much more. This is the most impactful book that I've read in over a decade by far and would highly recommend it to anyone, especially because of how short it is.
If you do read it, then you must tell me your thoughts on it.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I enjoyed the movie and have been meaning to read the book since I first watched it over 20 years ago now. The book was short and an easy read and very similar to the film, with only a few minor deviations. I found it entertaining and was happy that I was able to read it quickly in just one week. The author has a very distinct style of writing and his other books are similar in that regard. It was good if you like anarchist themes and of course the great twist at the end if you are unfamiliar with the story - I'm sure most people know it by now.
Moving on from books now. My wife baked a cake for her nephew and did an amazing job with the decorations. It was really impressive and fun. What do you think?
Spring has sprung and the daffodils and tulips are out in full force. Our hostas are just starting to break ground as well.
I saw my mom recently and learned that she has gone nuts with the bird feeders in her back yard.
I counted 14 individual feeders including 5 plates of seed tied down to the deck banister. She fills them up twice per day!
She gets a lot of different birds and says that its entertaining. Yeah, I'm sure it is. But it's also a little insane don't you think! Everyone needs a hobby though I suppose.
The power went out for a night on a very windy day. I had to have a freezing cold shower that night. Thats one of the pitfalls of a tankless water heater, there is no residual hot water held in a tank.
In my last update I mentioned that we bought a vintage mid century modern modular wall unit.
Well we finally decorated it with books, plants and vintage ornaments.
Bonus points if anyone can guess the significance of this dinky car. Hint it's from a book and film. Let me know in the comments if you know.
We bought a new indoor plant for my wifes vase.
She got a fun new hairstyle.
I always like to include a food picture or two in these posts so here is a keto cheese cake that my mom made. It had a pecan crust which was different but very good.
My wife made spaghetti and meatballs one night also. It was also quite good. I usually cook supper for us so I always appreciate it when my wife cooks.