The ending of The Elegance of the Hedgehog was absolutely breathtaking. I would recommend it to any and every person who appreciates good prose and philosophy. I would write a full review of it here, but I truly believe that this is a book that you need to experience for yourself. I will however admit, whenever I set it down, I felt anxious and excited to read more (which hasn't happened since I picked up Running With Scissors and read it from cover to cover).

Current Novel - A natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman.

the elegance of the hedgehog

Yesterday I made a trip to borders in search of a good book. I decided to make of a somewhat blind purchase of "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" just because I love anything french (its original written language), and I love hedgehogs (even though the plot has nothing to do with the animal). Considering I had no idea what the book entailed, I really feel as though my decision was fate. The book's two narrators compile an eloquent anthology of essays that discuss their personal philosophies about beauty, time and the meaning of life. I haven't yet finished the book, but I can already tell it will be one of my all time favorites. I highly recommend it to everyone (although the writing is a little dense).

"Can one be so gifted and yet so impervious to the presense of things? It seems one can. Some people are incapable of perceiving in the object of their contemplation the very thing that gives it its intrinsic life and breath, and they spend their entire lives conversing about mankind as if they were robots, and about things as though they have no soul and must be reduced to what can be said about them - all at the whim of their own subjective inspiration." - Muriel Barbery

GRADUATION

old friends came to visit!

One last photo with my favorite tree in davis.
brunch with my parents and aunt sue!

In the gown - UC Davis 2010 GRADUATE:
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." — Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

Current Playlist:

1. "Burning" - Whitest Boy Alive

2. "The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore" - James Morrison

3. "This Too Shall Pass" (Passion Pit Remix) - OK Go

4. "Wake up" - Arcade Fire

5. "Tidal Wave" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

6. "Night Train" - Amos Lee

7. "Wonderful World" - Amos Lee

8. "Feel it in my Bones" - Tiesto ft. Tegan and Sara

9. "Go Do" - Jonsi

10. "Like a G6" - Far East Movement Ft. The Cataracs

11. "New Day" - Kate Havnevik

12. "So Much More" - Marc Robillard

13. "The Rabbit - Miike Snow

14. "The Sun Smells too Loud" - Mogwai

15. "Ghosts and Stuff" - Deadmau5

16. "We Own the Sky" - M83

17. "Worse it Gets" (RAC remix) - Penguin Prison

18. "Listen to the Math" (Remix by the Good Life) - Tokyo Police Club

sonoma memorial day

Attending my very last class tomorrow, taking my very last final in eight days, and graduating in ten....it's a bittersweet feeling.

Some words of motivation from my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut:

"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."
— Kurt Vonnegut (A Man Without a Country)

"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone."
— Kurt Vonnegut (Timequake)

Lastly, a quote from the graduation speech Kurt Vonnegut gave at Clowes Hall, Indianapolis, April 27, 2007:

"Times change! I asked Mark a while back what life was all about, since I didnt have a clue. He said, "Dad, we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is." Whatever it is.

Not bad. That one could be a keeper. And How should we behave during this apocalypse? We should be unususually kind to one another, certainly. But we should also stop being so serious. Jokes help a lot. And get a dog, if you don't already have one.

I myself just got a dog, and it's a new crossbreed. It's half French poodle and half Chinese Shih Tzu. It's a shit-poo. And I thank you for your attention, and I'm out of here."