Valet Reader

I’ve been sick, and it’s not been fun. After two weeks I think I am finally starting to feel like myself again. I thought I would get some reading done while I was stuck at home but every time I sat down on the couch or in my chair I somehow just fell asleep. I guess that’s not very surprising. I have to say the book I’m reading right now is pretty fascinating but still, I’m not getting very far (after all it’s a staggering 1162 pages). That said, my list has not shrunk at all and has only grown by a few books in the past weeks. Oh well.

Andromeda Klein – Frank Portman
Maps and Legends – Michael Chabon
Cities in Civilization – Peter Hall
Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience – Yi Fu Tuan
Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception… – Yi Fu Tuan
State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America – Matt Weildand, et al.
The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution… – Thomas Campanella
Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein
The Geography of Nowhere – James Kunstler
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Six Suspects – Vikas Swarup
Ghost Soldiers – Hampton Sides
Nobody Move – Denis Johnson
The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand
Tattoo Machine – Jeff Johnson
Uglies – Scott Westerfield
American Hotel Stories – Francisca Matteola
Little Bee – Chris Cleave
Enders Shadow – Orson Scott Card
Forever War – Dexter Filkins
The Sower – Kemble Scott
The Time Machine Did It – John Swartzwelder
A Thread of Grace – Mary Doria Russell
Lost City of Z – David Grann
Zeitoun – Dave Eggers
The Wild Things – Dave Eggers
Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace
This Wicked World – Richard Lange
Couch – Benjamin Parzybok

As it is, I am supposed to be walking out my door right now in route to Canada. Penticton, B.C. to be more precise. Alas, I will not be doing so. Something has come up which is, at the moment, preventing me from traveling. You have no idea how disappointed I am. I was supposed to be there tagging along with my brother as he competes in his third Ironman Competition. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me. I’ve never actually seen him compete so I was looking forward to it that much more. The race itself, for my brother, should last somewhere between 10-12 hours (hopefully on the lower end of that spectrum given all the hard work he puts into his training). Surprised? Well… swimming 2.4 miles, then cycling 112 miles and then completing a full marathon or 26.2 miles, takes a little bit of time, understandably. Now, instead of being there I will be forced to cheer for him as I track him on the internet. Needless to say I am very bummed and frustrated. Sorry dude.