A Sunny Seattle Morning

Every single day on my way to work, I am reminded of how glad I am to be in Seattle. To be working downtown, especially. There is a small bridge my bus goes over that has a fantastic view of the city skyline, be there rain or fog or sun. Once we get downtown, there are cafes open along every street--not all of them Starbucks--serving coffee or pastries or other goodies. Particularly on days like today, when it's sunny, the city is out in all its glory in the morning. It's true, the dreariness of the usual clouds are so very worth it when the sun comes out. Even in the cold, people have their collars turned up and scarves wound tight, but they're always smiling. It feels like such a happy place.

This morning, instead of going to work, all I want to do is go for a nice long walk in the chilly (but sunny) air, and then sit in a cafe with a pastry and a coffee and read, or perhaps write... I want to get lost in the moment and appreciate the world around me. This post is all I have time for, though, and it will have to do.

Deck the Hall Ball

I went to Deck the Hall Ball this year, alone. And I am so glad I did. It was the most incredible concert I've ever been to--I haven't been to many, but I don't expect to go to anything nearly as good anytime soon. I wanted to share a bit about what I thought of each band, and suggest a few good songs. I wished I could have done it via Twitter during the show, but any kind of phone service in a stadium full of people is impossible. The event was put on by my local radio station, 107.7 The End, which mostly plays alternative/indie rock/folk/whatever, so be forewarned if you don't like that kind of thing (but I have no idea why you wouldn't). The photos below, and more, can be found here.

The Lineup

The Joy Formidable, from Wales - I hadn't paid attention to this band much before the show, mostly I just enjoyed the single they played a lot on 107.7, Whirring. These guys were so incredibly energetic, and props to them for playing in a half-empty stadium. The show started at 3pm and went until 11pm, so people slowly trickled in, and they made the whole thing start with a bang. So much guitar, and an awesome female lead vocalist. I would suggest more songs by them but I haven't spent a lot of time with their album yet.

Of Monsters and Men, from Iceland - With two beautiful voices (and people) as lead vocals in this folk rock band, I couldn't help loving them. I first heard their single, Little Talks, at a club in Glasgow (of course it's not really something you'd expect in a club), and it was amazing to see it live. I suppose since they're mostly acoustic, it's no surprise they sound so much like the album. Another of theirs that they played a lot on 107.7 was Mountain Sound. A couple they played live that were just amazing were Dirty Paws and Six Weeks. And Lakehouse. I love the whole album.

GROUPLOVE, from Los Angeles, CA - I was a bit surprised by this band, I hadn't really cared for their music, and then heard them live and fully enjoyed it. Loud and passionate. You can just tell from their sound that they're from California, I can't really pin down why. Their big hits are Itchin' on a Photograph and Tongue Tied, but I actually like Colours (with the British spelling) a lot, and Slow is my favorite of theirs at the moment. There are others on their album that are good as well.

The Lumineers, from Denver, CO - Another folk band that just sounds gorgeous (and looks it). A bit quieter and more intimate than Of Monsters and Men. Their big, fun hits are Ho Hey and Stubborn Love. Flowers In Your Hair is beautiful, too. A lot of their other songs are slower and good to cozy up with on a slow Sunday morning. They were amazing live, really got the crowd involved in the music, clapping and singing along.

Passion Pit, from Cambridge, MA - These guys have been around for a while. Upbeat, a bit of an electronic vibe, different. They released a new album recently, which has taken some time to grow on me, but I really enjoyed their first album. They played quite a few hits from their older album, including Little Secrets and Moth's Wings, my two favorites. The single from the new album is Take A Walk, which I do like but has been overplayed a bit on 107.7. The show itself was great, and for some reason that night they all looked like they could have come straight from MIT, a bit geeky. In a good way.

AWOLNATION, from Los Angeles, CA - This band was by far the crowd pleaser of the night. You have perhaps heard Sail, their big single, and their next best is Kill Your Heroes. Both awesome. The lead singer even had us do the wave! During the singing of All I Need, he asked for everyone to get out their lighters and phones, and the sight was unbelievable in a venue as big as Key Arena. He said the view from the stage was incredible, and he'd never forget it. I'm not likely to, either. Their sound ranges from almost metal--there was definitely headbanging, from everyone in the band at times--to funky and upbeat, like in Guilty Filthy Soul. They're loud and passionate, like GROUPLOVE. Maybe that's what LA sounds like.

Metric, from Canada - This has been my favorite band for a long time, and is actually the only band I've seen at a show like this before. Surprisingly, I've discovered I'm not a huge fan of their live performances. I wish Emily Haines would engage the audience more. But their music is excellent. Great beat, great guitar, even keyboard at times. Instead of linking to their big singles that you might know, Breathing Underwater is the one 107.7 plays all the time that is very good, and Clone is my favorite off their new album. Check 'em out.

M83, from France - A bit of trivia: their name comes from the spiral galaxy Messier 83. Their sound is very synth-heavy, and largely instrumental. I wasn't sure what to expect from their live performance, but truthfully I thought it was the most amazing of them all that night. They brought an insane light show onto the stage with them, complementing the music so well. I had to stand up in my seat for a few of them, just to fully experience it. The two main vocalists have amazing voices, and they use a style called shoegaze, where their voices are indistinguishable from the sounds of the instruments. Their big songs, and my favorites, are Midnight City and Reunion. The latter is my favorite, but really, their whole album is worth a listen.

The Killers, from Las Vegas, NV - This was my favorite band a few years ago, and it was amazing to see them live. They were the headliners of the night, and their show was great, with a big video screen and a light show to rival M83's. If you know anything about popular music in the last 5-10 years, you've heard one of their songs, like Mr. Brightside. They played quite a few favorites from their old albums, which definitely pleased the crowd. I don't know if I like their newest album all that much, but the singles from it are Runaways and Miss Atomic Bomb. It's good music, just not a style that I'm in love with these days. Wikipedia describes them as "heartland rock" which sounds about right, especially about their newest album. But boy, do they know how to put on a hell of a show.

Seeing a big show like this by myself allowed me to really be absorbed in the music, and not wonder about whether the people I'm with are enjoying the show as much or as little as I am... I'd highly recommend doing it someday, if you never have. Hopefully I've got you hooked on a few new songs.

New Digs

After a long time in limbo, my new life is (almost) finally started. I've got a car, an apartment, and a job, I just have to wait a couple more days to start work. The far corner of my living room is filled with boxes of old stuff that I finally have time and room to go through. I'm starting to walk and drive around the neighborhood and not just get used to where everything is, but actually enjoy the location and get used to being here (and of course it helps that it's finally not raining). Went to the local theatre last night to see Lincoln, went to a used bookstore and a few coffee shops/cafes, and I have plans to visit my favorite Japanese restaurant in the city. And apart from these boxes in my living room, I'm all moved in and unpacked. I've even made a batch of cookies, which of course means I can say I'm officially settled.

Not quite in a habitual pattern yet, I expect it'll be another week or so before I am. Things still feel very new, and I keep thinking of little things I want to buy or find in boxes. I also hope to be making more friends in the area soon, particularly once I start work. Only then, I think, will I feel completely at home.

Meanwhile, I will thoroughly enjoy the little things, like being able to keep a clean house, not worry about my food getting stolen, cooking whenever I want--all of which I've had perpetual problems with in university accommodation for years. Not to mention all this free time! I figured I could spare a few minutes to write a blog post.

Dog Walking

Almost every morning now, I walk my dad's Sheltie, Sara. I've always been a morning person, and these walks help me get outside and enjoy the world when it's quiet. When I take the time to notice things around me--foggy roads, morning dew, squirrels, sun on rare occasions--it feels like they exist just for me. I've been enjoying seeing leaves on the trees turn red and fall to the ground over the course of a few weeks.

Since Sara is getting older, and doesn't get to spend a lot of time outside, whenever she stops to smell something I don't rush her (unless she's being ridiculous). It's been reminding me to enjoy the moment, whatever I'm doing. Especially these days when I'm looking for a job, when there's no telling how busy my day will or won't be, to keep from worrying I do things I enjoy, and live in the moment.

In the words of Sara, take a walk once in a while, and stop to smell the roses. And the grass, and the leaves, and the trees, and the garbage, and the fire hydrants...

Book Review #16: The Fault in Our Stars

Book 16: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

I finally got around to reading something of John Green's. I'd heard so many good things about his work, and this book in particular. I knew that even though it was about someone with cancer, it was going to be a meaningful, enjoyable read, not something simply depressing. I wasn't disappointed, and I'd say it exceeded my expectations.

Hazel is a 16-year-old with thyroid cancer. Her cancer is being kept at bay by a new miracle drug, but she doesn't know how long she has left. At her cancer support group one of the members decides to bring along a friend of his, Augustus Waters, who is in remission (the cancer is "gone" but it could always come back). They are instantly drawn to one another, and thus begins a spontaneous, beautiful relationship between the two of them, as he gives her someone to cherish other than her parents, and something to keep her from constantly thinking about her cancer.

John Green's writing is both witty and beautiful. He makes a fair number of philosophical remarks as well, which I really enjoy in a book. I couldn't help making highlight after highlight in my Kindle as I read. Here are a few of my favorites.

"The BiPAP essentially took control of my breathing away from me, which was intensely annoying, but the great thing about it was that it made all this noise, rumbling with each inhalation and whirring as I exhaled. I kept thinking that it sounded like a dragon breathing in time with me, like I had this pet dragon who was cuddled up next to me and cared enough about me to time his breaths to mine." 

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

"I want to have scrambled eggs for dinner without this ridiculous construction that a scrambled egg-inclusive meal is breakfast even when it occurs at dinnertime."

"Sometimes it seems the universe wants to be noticed."

Hazel felt very real to me, and that made it easy to relate to her. Her disease doesn't define her. And the message in the book is definitely for anyone, not just for someone with a terminal disease. Given all this, and the fact that I essentially read the whole thing in a day, I'm definitely going to be reading his other books.

Book Review #15: "...and then what happened?"

Book 15: Stories: All-New Tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio

It took me a long time to finish this book. I've read it bit by bit between other books, when I had nothing else I was reading. By no means was it bad--it was excellent, masterpiece after masterpiece. Some stories were creepy, some were heartwarming, some were strange, and some were all of the above. Even the introduction was amazing, which I quoted in my recent blog post about why I like to read.

I find it difficult to read short stories. Every one of them took me on that same emotional roller-coaster that a novel does. The initial tenativeness with which you'd approach a story you know nothing about. Then the ramping up of action, and the climax. Finally the end, that leaves you wanting to linger in the world of the story, you're not quite ready to leave. There's another story waiting to be read on the next page, but you can't bring yourself to start it. There's no way it could be as intriguing as the story you just finished, the one that left you thinking. And then, when you're ready, maybe minutes, hours, or days later, you start the next one, and the cycle repeats.

I have a feeling one day I'll come back and reread these stories. Short stories seem to be the type that you read over and over. You don't need as much patience to read them a second, third, fourth time like you do a novel. And I've left so much time between reading the stories in this book that I can't remember a lot of them. Just the feelings they left me with.

Of course, anything related to Neil Gaiman I'm more likely to reread. His story in this book, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains, is fantastic, in which the narrator--a small dangerous man--and a man named Calum MacInnes go in search of treasure in the Black Mountains. Other stories touch on themes as diverse as murder, the death of a loved one, a mysterious lake that's home to a race of humanoids, and a twist on the typical vampire story. There are well-known authors like Jodi Picoult, Diana Wynne Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, and Chuck Palahniuk, and many others I haven't heard of. They're not all fantasy, and some of them leave you wondering whether they could be real or not.

Short stories always leave me feeling slightly unsatisfied, as if I couldn't stay long enough in their different worlds, which is the main reason I couldn't give the book five stars. Some of the stories set my nerves on edge as well, and I'm not the type to enjoy that sort of thing. The fact that they did, however, that they affected my emotions, is a sign of a great story.

Book Review #14: The Doors to Elsewhere

Book 14: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor

I picked this book up recently at Waterstone's along with The Hundred-Year-Old Man on a whim. I was not disappointed by either choice. The cover of this book grabbed my interest immediately, and I remembered seeing a review of it on a blog that I follow, which made it look promising. Not to mention a favorite author of mine, Patrick Rothfuss, gave the review, "Wow. I wish I had written this book."

Karou has two lives. In one, she is an art student in Prague. In the other, she runs errands for a creature named Brimstone, who is the closest thing she has to a father. He is from a world he calls Elsewhere, and he will not divulge its secrets to Karou. All she has seen of this world is the shop beyond the doorways, which seems to exist everywhere and nowhere, where Brimstone and his helpers live and work. Hunters and murderers sell him teeth in exchange for wishes, and occasionally when he needs help with a delivery, he asks for help from Karou. All she has ever received in return are the smallest of wishes, which she's used--wrongly, perhaps--for superficial things like turning her hair blue and giving herself tattoos.

When the doors to Elsewhere start closing and Karou tries to find out why, with the help of a mysterious stranger she discovers truths about Elsewhere and Brimstone's work that she never would have dreamed of. She must decide where she belongs before the doors close forever.

I didn't know much more about the plot of this book than the above before I read it, which I'm grateful for. Part of the fun experience of this book was discovering things about Elsewhere along with Karou. She's very easy to relate to, and a very three-dimensional character. The fantastical world is as well, clearly well-thought-out and very well-written. Easy to read, and easy to get sucked in. It's an incredibly original story, something hard to find these days in the fantasy genre. As with all good books, I was hooked right away, and once I got past the halfway point I couldn't put it down. I've given it five stars on Goodreads.

I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, which is set to be released in about a month.

Homeward Bound

Earlier today I got a response from the last job in the UK I've been waiting to hear from, which was a "no." I didn't have enough specific knowledge/experience for the position. My student visa expires on the 1st of October, so this means that I have to leave Scotland. I've already started to make plans to, since they've taken so long to get back to me. I would have barely had time to apply for a work visa if they'd offered me a job.

Truthfully, I'm glad I don't have to make the choice between Aberdeen and the US. Lately I've been realizing how much I miss Seattle, and how the choice between staying near my friends in Scotland and going back home would be difficult. I probably would have chosen to go home, and then felt like I was giving up a good opportunity to stay. Now, I don't have a choice, and I can be content getting excited about going back to Seattle.

I will miss Scotland dearly. It's been an amazing experience. I've changed a lot (for the better), and met so many great people, including friends I know I'll have for life. I'm sure I'll be putting aside money to come back as soon as I can.

But it seems it's time for me to leave the people and the land behind. For now.

Book Review #13: A Swedish Forrest Gump

Book 13: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson

Allan Karlsson is about to turn one-hundred. His birthday party at the old folks home is all planned out for him, and the mayor and the press will be there. But he has had enough, and instead escapes through his window. This begins a crazy, Forrest Gump-esque adventure filled with both lighthearted and dark humor. The story switches between the present day and Allan's past, which is equally as unbelievable.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up at a local bookstore. It seemed fun, and there were quite a few raving reviews from all over Europe; when I bought it, it hadn't been released in the US yet (and now it has). I don't often read comedy, but the fact that it was a Swedish author made me think I might like it, since I enjoyed the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series so much (perhaps not a fair comparison since it's crime and not comedy, but in a way this book is crime as well...).

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the humor and the lighthearted quality of the whole story, despite the few horrible things that happen. It had me laughing out loud at least every few pages. The plot is also cleverly put together. Allan is a very unique, clever character himself, but if I tell you too much I'll ruin the story. This book certainly deserves all the praise it's received.

Book Review #12: Libriomancer

Book 12: Libriomancer, by Jim Hines

If there is one place I take book recommendations seriously from, it is my favorite authors. When I saw this was recommended by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, which I've written a review for), and then discovered it was considered "urban fantasy", a genre I haven't explored but have wanted to try, I figured it was worth a read.

Isaac Vainio is a libriomancer working in a bookshop. One day a group of vampires attacks the shop, and with the help of his friend Lena--a dryad--they barely escape alive. Until now, the vampires have been peaceful enough, so the two of them set out to discover why the Porters, the organization of libriomancers, are being targeted. On top of it all, Isaac has been in trouble for using his magic too recklessly, and is not allowed to use it anymore. That doesn't last very long...

The magic in this story is very original. A libriomancer is someone who can literally pull things out of books--but the things must fit through the pages. For example, you couldn't pull a full-sized person out of a book unless the book itself was wide enough (and this large book was widely distributed and read; there are many rules). You could say it's a bit like Inkheart, where things from books will appear in this world if the person reading it has the required magical ability, but it's not quite the same, and it leads to some unique, interesting problems.

It's also refreshing to have a book that contains vampires where that is not the central part of the story. It is not a "vampire book" in any way, there are plenty of other interesting creatures. And there is literary reference after literary reference, most of which I understood, since Isaac's favorite genres of books to use are Fantasy and Sci-Fi! The stories of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes even make an appearance.

This book was fun, different, and engaging. I'll likely be reading the sequel.

Book Reviews #10 & #11: A Steampunk "Doctor Who"

Book 10: The Chronological Man: The Monster In The Mist, by Andrew Mayne

This is a series of novellas set in the late 19th century about a man, Smith, who investigates strange phenomena where the police have failed. This is the first book in the series, where he meets a new assistant, April Malone. April takes a job as a secretary/assistant, and reads newspapers and magazines and books for research, and makes coffee and sets out pastries every day, for a man she never sees. Then one day, Smith appears, and the adventure begins. People keep going missing in Boston, and it's up to Smith and April to find out why. Smith felt very much to me like a steampunk Doctor, which made me enjoy the story even more.

Book 11: The Chronological Man: the Martian Emperor, by Andrew Mayne

In the second installment, a Martian makes an appearance in New York, and Smith and April must find out whether it's a hoax. I enjoyed the first book more than the second, perhaps because Smith was more of a mystery then or because I wanted more of a subplot between Smith and April, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I've always been intrigued by steampunk but have never tried reading any books in the genre, and I was not disappointed. Both of these short books are $0.99 on Amazon as e-books, so I would recommend giving them a try!

Twentysomething

In a few weeks, things are going to change yet again for me. When this has happened in the past, it has always been because of a move, or a change of school, or both. At those times, I could count on frequently being around certain people: classmates, family, and in university, flatmates. I was either at home with people or at school with people. Especially at university, you're very likely to get along with your classmates or your flatmates (though you could be unlucky), since you have something in common and are around each other so frequently. Being young contributes to that as well, as you are in an unfamiliar place and are still figuring your life out, and so is everyone around you.

You don't realize how important this is when you're at university. How protected and supported you are. You ride the wave of new ideas, people, and places and let it shape you. Then you graduate, hoping for the best of all those worlds, as you now know what you want (hopefully). But this needs so much more perseverance and patience than you first think.

This transition is far different from anything I've been through. It's not quite as scary as it was first coming to Scotland, as I have friends here now. But they all have different lives from me since I've graduated, and we have to make an effort to see each other. The difficult thing is that I can't seem to count on anything. People I work with aren't at the same stage of life as me. It's a different dynamic--you don't seem to become as close as you were to university friends. I've also gained a liking to living without flatmates. All of this adds up to needing to depend on myself so much more than I ever have before. And with a new job on the horizon it means starting all over again meeting new people.

I'm doing my best to remember it will get better with time. Many times in the past, I've picked myself up and moved on to a new life. But things now seem the most uncertain that they've ever been, and I feel more on my own than ever. It's part of life, I know.

Perhaps this just means things will be that much better when I find my way. To quote The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, "Everything will be all right in the end. If it's not all right, then it's not the end."

Book Review #9: From The Cemetery Of Forgotten Books...

Apologies for the lack of non-book-review posts, I'll write one eventually... I'm spending a lot of time reading on the train these days!

Book 9: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I wanted a change of pace from my usual epic fantasy genre, asked friends for recommendations, and found this masterpiece. It's the second five-star book I've read this year, and it well deserves it.

A father takes his young son to a place called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. When you are first taken there, you are allowed to choose and take a book, and it is said it will have a special meaning for you. This boy chooses a book called The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax, which starts him on a quest to find the rest of the books by Carax. This starts him on an unbelievable journey filled with murder, magic, dark secrets and doomed love. It's a story within a story within a story, brilliantly told.

My only regret is not being able to read it in Spanish. The language is already so beautiful in English--I frequently highlighted passages on the Kindle. One in particular that I liked, from the point of view of the boy, Daniel, about the Cemetery of Forgotten Books:

"After a while it occurred to me that between the covers of each of those books lay a boundless universe waiting to be discovered, while beyond those walls, in the outside world, people allowed life to pass by in afternoons of football and radio soaps, content to do little more than gaze at their navels."

There were many more passages even more eloquent and poignant. If there is one book you read this year, this should be it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Book Review #8: Winter Is Still Coming

Book 8: A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin

I wrote a review for the first book in the series a couple of months ago. It's now been a couple of weeks since I read the second, and I'm eager to post a review of the book I finished today (look for it in the near future). So here goes--and don't worry about spoilers!

This book is definitely a continuation of the story in A Game of Thrones, rather than a standalone novel. The kingdom is in turmoil, and while the people fight among themselves, it is becoming all too clear that winter is coming, and dark things threaten to cross the Wall, in the north.

I found it less enthralling than the first book. I didn't find the beginning as gripping, and I didn't feel as continuously hooked. But I really wanted to know what happened, so I read it all the same. I do care for (most of) the characters a great deal, which kept me interested. The evil-minded are just as evil as ever, the good-minded just as good, and the ones that walk the line between try to keep their balance. There's danger, intrigue, suspense... Oh man, is there a lot of suspense!

I'm about halfway through the second season of the show on HBO, and my continuous shouting of, "What's going on? It didn't happen that way in the book!" at my monitor must be proof that I'm hooked on the story. The show, I've found, diverges from the book quite a bit more than the first season. Most of the things they've left out make sense though, and the things they added feel a bit like bonus content. It's probably not as interesting to watch them when I know what's going to happen, but when they differ from the book so often, it makes it interesting again. If frustrating.

I highly recommend this series, whether you like fantasy or not. It's all about the characters, with a tiny bit of magic thrown in to keep us geeks interested. I'm definitely going to keep reading the series, though I'm planning on taking a break from epic fantasy, for a short while at least.

Book Review #7: What Is It To Be Known?

Book 7: The Summer of No Regrets, by Katherine Grace Bond

The title and cover may scream "YA romance", and it is that, but it is in no way typical of the genre. Parts of Brigitta's life reminded me of mine, and not just because the story is set in the Pacific Northwest. Her parents own a center for gatherings and frequently host groups of people practicing Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Native American Spirituality, even things a bit more out there. She feels frequently embarrassed by her parents. She has a blog, and a best friend who loves celebrity gossip. And one day, she meets a guy who looks like someone famous--but she doesn't know if he's really Trent Yves. She finds out he lives nearby, and then there's a cougar attack, and... well, I won't spoil it.

I found it very enjoyable. I laughed, I cried, and I got through it quickly. If you're looking for a fun summer read, go for it, but expect the unexpected. It goes deeper than a lot of books in this genre, touching on issues of religion, family, and life in general. I may feel like I've outgrown YA fiction somewhat, but I didn't notice it, reading this book. Maybe you never really outgrow it. If you've never read YA, or never read a romance, I would recommend it as well.

I may be slightly biased, as the author has been a writing mentor of mine for a long time, and I feel she's a lot of the reason I'm still going strong with my novel. But as I am a writer, I can't really help myself scrutinizing books that I read, and I still think this was really well done.

Why I Read

Fiction, in particular. I thought I'd write another post in the same vein as my last one. I have a number of friends who don't read fiction, or don't read at all. I'll explain my own interest in the genre, and maybe it will inspire someone to start. 

Some people say the only reason people read fiction is escapism. Life is hard, and the only way to enjoy it sometimes is to live in a different one. This may be true at times for me, but it is by no means the main reason I read fiction. This morning I read the introduction to a short story anthology, Stories: All-New Tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. Gaiman has hit the nail on the head for me. He says:

"When I was a child ... I wanted stories, and I wanted them always, and I wanted the experience that only fiction could give me: I wanted to be inside them. Television and cinema were all very well, but these stories happened to other people. The stories I found in books happened inside my head. I was, in some way, there. It's the magic of fiction: you take the words and you build them into worlds."

He then explains that for him, the joy of fiction comes down to four words:

"...and then what happened?"

In the introduction, Gaiman also says:

"G. K. Chesterton compared fantastic fiction to going on holiday--that the importance of your holiday is the moment you return, and you see the place you live with fresh eyes."

It is not about escaping this world. It is about coming back to it.

For me, it is about the beauty of the imagination, and being able to see my own life, my problems and blessings, in a new light. Sometimes a story can remind you how lucky you are that your life is the way it is. Sometimes it can help you understand something you couldn't before. It's less about learning something practical and more about learning something about yourself, something philosophical. Sometimes it can inspire you to do something. Quite often, good fiction makes me want to write.

And at times, fiction helps you not take life quite so seriously. We all need a bit of that sometimes.

"There is something waiting for you. So turn the page."

Why I Write

Yet again, I felt like I've been patted on the head and told, "How cute, you write!" It's inescapable as a writer. When it happens, I'm more bothered than I probably should be, and so I'd like to explain my thoughts on the matter. Perhaps it'll help clear my head.

Let me first say that when you have a friend that writes, encourage them. It does not matter how good they are, or what they write. The simple fact is that if they continue writing--and reading--they'll get better. If they persevere enough, they may even go somewhere with it. I believe it is a noble hobby, a way to bring something of your own to the world, whether to brighten someone's day or benefit society as a whole.

It is not a simple thing. Writing is hard work, no matter what it is. And the publishing industry is brutal (except self-publishing is getting easier with things like ebooks). It's no wonder there are so many people who dream of it, one day, but never do it, or don't end up trying hard enough. Writers should be respected for this perseverance.

That is not to say that no one writes for the sole reason to be famous. This is not something I agree with, but sadly, it does happen, and some people get away with it. Their writing is not particularly amazing, but they get the marketing part down and are lucky enough to succeed, and the rest of us are left grumbling and writing angry blog posts.

There is of course some part of me that would love to be famous for my writing, but I know it is not something I can count on. It is insanely difficult to not only be published, but also well-known. This is why I do my best to let that dream go and instead write for the experience. After the fun of playing with words and putting them in an order you think is pleasing, when a friend or mentor reads your work and tells you you're getting better, it's an incredible feeling. It doesn't matter that only one person has read it. It doesn't matter if no one else in the world knows you like to write. The feeling of doing something right is incredible. It's on par with the feeling of fixing a coding bug.

Not to mention the thrill of playing God. You decide what people look and speak like, where they go, who they meet, what happens to them (in fiction writing, anyway). This sort of thing takes practice, like exercising an "imagination" muscle. I believe everyone has the possibility, but not everyone has the time, interest, or self-confidence to do it.

Particularly if you see a writer in person, know that it took courage for them, at some point in their lives, to even admit to themselves that they like to write, and that they're good enough--or they can be good enough one day--to be read.

Nothing can be created without first being dreamed, and these dreams are precious things. I believe a good life is one in which someone follows their dreams, and their happiness. This does involve being realistic, which is why I did not get a degree in creative writing; I knew that I didn't want to depend on writing for income, and I had another love, logic and computers, which helped the realistic end of things (of course I also don't believe you need a degree in writing to be good at it). But my hobby and other love is writing, and nothing will ever change that.

First Impressions

The first week at work, and first full week at my new flat, has been great. I can tell I'm going to be spoiled living here, I won't want anything less when I find a new place at the end of the summer. I had a flatwarming party last night, mostly with friends from university, which was excellent. Good food, good drink, good banter. Not to mention good cookies. I'm probably a bit too proud of them, I should stop mentioning them...

Despite the longer commute than I expected, work has been good and I can tell will continue to be even more enjoyable. After a couple of days being my quiet self, I finally had lunch with my team, met some people from other teams, and was invited out to a couple of different weekly outings. They're all great people. There are even a few guys on an exchange from Japan in our team! I may not have a lot of time to be social in the evenings when I get home, but at least I can be social at work.

The work itself is a bit slow, but it is only the first week, and I'm still learning all the new technologies. I think by tomorrow though, I'll be able to start working on something more concrete. I'll have to skip the details (which may be uninteresting to a lot of you anyway), but suffice to say, the end products the company produces are pretty impressive!

On the long commute I've gotten a lot of reading done, so look out for another book review in the next few days (I hope). And very soon, I'll be showing my parents around Scotland, and finally graduating!

Post-University

My post-university life--new flat, new job, new friends--has started to take shape (though I won't officially "graduate" until the end of June). I moved out of university accommodation yesterday, and have spent today finishing unpacking and taking full advantage of my very own kitchen. I bought sesame bagels yesterday on a whim, and for lunch today had one toasted with cheese, pepperoni, and salami. I also went shopping for baking tools like measuring spoons and mixing bowls, and finally made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies, for the first time in at least a year. I've mentioned these same cookies before in my blog. The recipe is from a spiral-bound book given to me when I was little called Cookie Capers. I make the "Chocolate Chip Valentine" recipe, but instead of using a heart-shaped pan, I make individual cookies. I should probably branch out and try some other recipes in the book, but this one is so tasty and I bake so infrequently, it's the only one I bother with. Maybe that will change, now that I have all this time to myself in the evenings and on weekends. And of course a lovely kitchen!

One more leisurely day tomorrow, and then I start work on Monday. I'm more excited than nervous! I have a friend who has the same commute as me and started work last week. He says the commute is fine so far, a good way to wake up in the morning and wind down in the evening. Other than that, I don't know how similar our work situations will be, since my job is only an internship. My hope is that it will be enjoyable enough that I wake up in the morning and look forward to working, and that I'll meet many new potential friends, and start creating more of a social circle for myself in the area. Only time will tell!

Also, my classmates and I have finally received our degree classifications. In the British system, this is essentially a GPA. Mine is a 2:1, or an upper second class degree. This is what most companies ask for from computing science graduates, and anything more is essentially bragging rights. It could be considered a B average, but honestly, it is much more difficult to get a B in Britain than it is in America. I'm very relieved at how well I did, since I was only on the edge of this average at the end of last year. Only the few people at the very top of the class get the degree classification higher than a 2:1, which is a 1:1, or a "first." Now I just have to wait for my grades for the individual classes to be released, which have only been delayed because of a technical problem that's lasted for days. My classmates and I are all quite annoyed. But at least I know I did well overall--I can start my new job with confidence that I'm qualified!

Holidays

Summer has come to Glasgow. Surprisingly, it's not just a day, but a week of blazing sun. I've been out to the park frequently, and so has everyone else. The place is packed like a beach, with people tanning, reading, kicking around footballs (soccer balls), getting ice cream from a van that must be making a fortune, and playing music whether the people around them enjoy it or not. I've enjoyed it, but since I got a bit of a burn a couple of days ago I've been avoiding direct sunlight. Today it's finally cloudy, but it's still quite warm. I wonder if we'll get much more heat like this over the next few months.

Now that I don't feel compelled to go outside and hang out with friends, I've started to think about what projects I might take on. I have a book that needs editing, several books that need reading, and Project Euler problems to continue. After two years of hard work at university, it seems I can't be satisfied playing video games and watching TV for very long. I've only been finished with exams for a week now, and I'm wanting to work on something.

I move flats in two weeks, and start work a few days later. I'm looking forward to it, but it's a bit scary thinking that from then on, I won't ever be off work except for one month a year, and if I'm ever unemployed. At least I'll have weekends and evenings to myself, guilt-free.

Book Review #6: Winter Is Coming

Book 6: A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin

I have to admit, the main reason I was drawn to this author was the title of the most recent one in the series, A Dance with Dragons. I love anything that has to do with dragons. So I looked up the first book, read some reviews, asked some friends--and was surprised at the amount of encouragement they had for me to read it.

I was gripped from the start. The prologue was exciting, haunting, and a hint that this book wasn't just kings and courts and castles--there was magic, too. Just enough to be intriguing, not so much that I've seen it all before. It was clear this book also wasn't going to just be another "chosen one goes on a quest to find magic item X and destroy/use it for good/evil, and in the process learns of their own magic powers." No, I haven't read anything quite like this.

There are quite a few characters, but I didn't find it as confusing as I've seen some reviews suggest. Many of them I've grown close to, even ones I didn't like at first. Martin is very good at making every character three-dimensional, and this is aided by having chapters written from many different characters' heads. This sort of thing has to be done carefully for it to be good, but I think he's done a fantastic job. I get annoyed when the reader is put in one character's head, then thrown into another, then another in the same scene, but Martin's avoided that. The reader can fully understand events from many different characters' perspectives.

It is truly a story of epic proportions. This book alone is about 800 pages, and there are 5 books published, with at least 2 more planned. But don't be dismayed. There were times when I was reading this that I would sit back and think of all the story to come, and be glad there was so much of it. Hopefully I won't tire of it... for now, I just want more!

I've watched the first season of the HBO series as well, and I think it's very well done. There are scenes left out--there always are, when a book goes to the screen--but I'm amazed that they've fit so much in 10 episodes. However, I would suggest reading the book first, like I did! It's so much more exciting when you don't know what's going to happen.

I've started the second book and will likely post a review on it as well, when I finish. My last exam is this Thursday, and then I'll have all the time in the world to read. In fact, that will be me, completely done with university. I still can't believe it.

A Full Education

A lot has been happening. I'm taking my final exams, I've had 6 and have 3 left. Two this Friday, and the last one the following Thursday. I had 9 exams in the spring last year as well, but somehow this year it feels even more dragged out. When I was about halfway through them, I never wanted to see an exam again... but I've been dealing with that feeling by doing equal amounts of studying and playing Skyrim. It's only a few more, and then, I'll never take a university exam again. I'm graduating in June.

Sometimes, I think about the idea that I'm coming to an end of a full university education. Yes, I don't have anything beyond a Bachelor's degree, but in my subject, what I've gathered is that you only go further if you're interested in academia. A Bachelor's degree is a full education. I've been taught everything that my university believes is important for me to know, to be able to work proficiently in the field of Computing Science.

This struck me particularly when I was browsing free online classes with video lectures on Coursera--really worth checking out, tons to choose from and run by Stanford, Berkeley, Princeton, and more. All of their Computing Science classes I've either already taken the equivalent of, or I was given the option to take it and I decided I wasn't interested. (Apart from a class on compilers, which I attempted to start a couple weeks ago and realized exam time was a bad time, if I wanted any time to goof off when I wasn't studying.) There is actually very little more that a university can teach me about my degree, apart from cutting-edge research. It's a thought I can't quite grasp yet.

And the future is looking even brighter than just graduation. I've got a promising internship lined up for the summer in Edinburgh. I'm very much looking forward to my first foray into adult working life: an interesting job, having my evenings and weekends all to myself without guilt, and of course, a paycheck.

Now, if I could just get through these last three exams a bit more quickly...

Building A PC: Part 2

As some of you may know, I've already put the computer together that I mentioned in Part 1 and it's running smoothly. I'm finally getting around to telling you how. I didn't take quite as many pictures as would be ideal if I want non-techie people to understand, but I will try to make up for this with explanations.

After unwrapping it all (which, I admit, felt like Christmas), the first step was to put the processor and its fan on the motherboard, as you can see pictured (click the pictures to see them larger!). Make sure to place the motherboard on the anti-static bag it came in, and to ground yourself by touching metal somewhere. Don't be afraid of being shocked, it is a very small possibility, but it pays to be safe. The fan on the left in the picture is secured on top of the processor, which is in turn set into the motherboard by many, many small delicate pins. Explanation of how this all works should be in your processor manual. It's important to be careful at this stage, including with the fan. If the fan is not secured properly, the processor can easily overheat, which can lead to all kinds of nasty things--though thankfully, computers are built to shut down immediately if this ever happens.

As you can see in the first picture as well, the RAM is connected. The black sticks above the fan are snapped into matching-colored slots (this is important if you want both sticks to be recognized). If I want to add more RAM in the future, I could add it to the other two slots. The only thing left to plug into the motherboard other than wires is my graphics card, which will be installed after the motherboard is put into the case.

Now, let's turn to the case. It's a really nice one in my opinion, with holes to help organize cables so they don't get too messy, and slide-lock compartments for the optical drives (DVD drive and such). The cables you see in this picture come this way. The ones on the far left and right are for the front and back fans, and the ones in the middle are for the power button, reset button, front USB slots, and everything else on the front of the case. These in particular will all be plugged into the motherboard.

First, however, the power supply must be attached to the case. It slides into the space in the bottom left corner of the case, with all the cables pointing inside, as shown in the picture to the right. Since this case allows you to nicely arrange cables, all of these can be pushed through a hole in the back (from this perpsective) of the case, and pulled back through to the front where needed. At first I didn't do this, and realized later it would be much neater, and so rearranged it all. Don't tase me, I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

All of these cables may be daunting, but trust me, with just a few observations, it's easy to find the right slot for them. Now, the back panel for the motherboard is set in place, and the motherboard itself is screwed into the case. It can only fit one way. My motherboard has six screws. At this point it's a good idea to take a look at your motherboard manual, because it will explain how to attach the screws, and where all of the cables must be attached. On the picture to the left, you can see I haven't put the power cables through the back yet, but all the better to see them I suppose.

The following steps can really be done in any order, whatever is easiest. I have attached only one cable in the above picture, the power cable for the motherboard. Following this, I attached the graphics card, which I put into a PCIe slot (I chose the dark blue one, the second slot from the top in the above picture). It slots in there, and then is screwed onto the back panel on the left, after unscrewing two of the pre-attached panels there. Following this, the puzzle of attaching cables commences.

On the right is a picture of all of the cables connected (after I rearranged the wires neatly--yes, this is neat), but I will list the steps I went through. As you can see, the huge graphics card is attached in the middle. After this, I plugged in all of the power cables. These cables are very difficult to break, and some you have to be forceful with to plug in! Don't be afraid to do so. Not all of them will be used, depending on your choice of components, but most of them will be. Any plugs that are the same shape are put on the same cable, which makes it easier. There are connectors for the two fans on my case, two other plugs that connect to the motherboard (one is for the USB slots in the back), and the DVD drive and the hard drive (which I will explain separately). The ones that connect to the motherboard will be explained in its manual, and they have different shapes, so don't fear that you'll get them mixed up.

The hard drive is attached, in my case in any of the bottom left slots, and it gets its own power cable and also a cable called a SATA connector. Your motherboard should come with these cables. They are what the data flows through, from the motherboard to the hard drive, so in turn, that is where the cable connects. On my motherboard the SATA plugs are on the bottom right. My motherboard comes with two different types of SATA ports--3Gb/s and 6Gb/s. I plugged the hard drive into the 6Gb/s port. The DVD drive is inserted into one of the slots at the top right, and my case is very nice in that I can simply slide it in and lock it in place (as you can see I did on the very top slot). It also gets a power cable, the same type of plug as the hard drive, and a SATA cable. I plugged it into a 3Gb/s port.

Finally, the cables for connecting the case's front panel should be attached. The skinny multicolored cables can be the trickiest, but they should be explained in the motherboard manual. Make sure to plug them in the right direction. Apart from those, there is a SATA connector for the front panel (which I plugged into a 6Gb/s port) and a USB connector for the front panel.

Assuming everything is plugged in securely, you should now be ready to plug in the power! After putting the case cover on, the monitor, keyboard, speakers, and main power plug should be plugged into the back of the case. You can also plug in your Ethernet (internet) cable if you plan to use one. These should be straightforward, since again, they have very distinct shapes and colors for each plug. After positioning everything as you want it, now for the moment of truth... turn it on!

At first, nothing showed on my monitor, and there was a brief scare that something was faulty, but I turned it off, re-checked all my cables were secure inside the case, turned it on again, and it worked. After making sure the screen shows something about installing an operating system (your computer was pieced together successfully!), you want to either put the CD/DVD or USB stick containing your preferred operating system into the computer and restart it. From there, it's all software installation, which is another beast of its own, and I won't cover it here. Make sure you understand partitioning your hard drive, but don't worry, it's a simple thing easily looked up online.

And, the finished product! There's usually a mess of cables at the back, and some people tidy these up with cable ties, but I didn't bother. The box at the bottom is my speaker subwoofer (I forgot how fun they are...). My mouse is USB-powered and wireless, and my keyboard is also USB-powered, but wired. My motherboard did come with a connector for old-style keyboards and mice, which is a nice thing to have, in case your keyboard breaks or you have to (or want to?) use an old one.

This wonderful machine can smoothly play any game out there at full graphics (or at least any one that I've installed, including Skyrim on "Ultra" graphics), but is also a very nice, comfortable space to work. I've installed dual-boot Windows 7 and ArchLinux (if you want to know why I chose ArchLinux, that is a discussion for another time), but the system allows me to separate work and play pretty effectively, since I haven't really installed games on ArchLinux (apart from Sauerbraten...). All in all, I am very happy with my choice of components, and will hopefully enjoy this beast of a machine for years to come.

Book Review #5: Of Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters

Book 5: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by Douglas Adams

Another crazy adventure with Arthur Dent. Zaphod Beeblebrox is looking for the ruler of the Universe, on a mission that he only recently remembered. At one point they end up at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, a very imaginative place, where people can go to see what happens at the End and enjoy a good supper at the same time. The plot seemed slightly contrived and just a bit confusing, but there were certainly funny parts, and is a good choice if you're just looking for laughs, not seriousness.

I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first, though that could have been because it took me a few times to get through the first one and the jokes were old by then. I especially like the ending scene, but I won't spoil it.

I've tried to get through the third book, to no avail. It's not holding my attention and I'm more in the mood for epic fantasy. Don't know if I'll continue this series, but if I do, I'll post my reviews here.

Building A PC: Part 1

I have recently decided to build a new computer. I have reasons for why I'm doing it before my exams are over, as well as reasons for why I'm building it myself, but I'd rather talk about the latter. I am aiming to write these posts about my new computer not only for tech-savvy readers, but for anyone who is interested. So I apologize if you know some of this already. This blog was partly inspired by Coding Horror's popular series of posts. Take a look at them if you want more pictures of pretty PC parts.

Building has many benefits over pre-built, if you're up to the task. If you learn about parts, you can choose exactly what you want--and then modify them when you change your mind, or when the technology for a particular part gets better. This way you don't have to buy a whole new computer when you want a new part, and you know exactly where it goes and whether it plays nice with your other parts. It can also be cheaper, but only if you're careful.

I did my best to be careful. I wanted a gaming PC that could play today's games at the highest graphics settings, as well as being a bit future-proof so that I won't have to rebuild for at least a few years. Problem was, I had to buy everything from the keyboard to the motherboard. All that I had already was a gaming laptop, which I couldn't take parts from.

To find parts, I had to do research. This is essential, and probably the most difficult part of building a computer. I was lucky, since I have lots of friends in computing science to bounce ideas off of, but most of my decisions were based on reading reviews, benchmarks (performance tests), and searching sites for the best prices. I wanted to make good choices, so I spent some time doing this. I ended up buying my parts online from Dabs and eBuyer, two major electronics retailers in the UK.

Here are my final specs, which I know many of you will skip the rest of this post to see:

Processor	£170	Intel Core i5-2500K
Motherboard	£95	Asus P8Z68-V LX
Graphics Card	£160	XFX Radeon HD6870 2GB
Memory	£45	Patriot 8GB Viper Xtreme DDR3 1866MHz
Case	£65	Coolermaster HAF 912 Plus Case
Power Supply	£37	Coolermaster GX 650W
Hard Drive	£83	Seagate 1TB Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s 7200RPM
DVD-RW Drive	£15	LiteOn iHAS124 24x
Speakers	£18	Logitech S220 2.1 Speakers
Keyboard	£11	Logitech K200 Media Keyboard
Monitor	£142	Samsung S24A300H 24" HDMI Monitor (and cable)
Power Strip	£8	Belkin 6-Socket SurgeStrip 3m Cable

The total was just under £850. Note that the motherboard, processor, and memory came in a £300 bundle; I estimated what each separate part cost within the bundle. The same goes for the case and power supply, they came in a roughly £100 bundle.

The day the last part came--the monitor and its HDMI cable--I got to work. Part 2 will cover the steps I took to put it all together.

Freedom

On Friday, my class and I turned in our dissertations. It was such a relief. Since exams don't start for about a month, it's as if I went from having no time for anything but work to having no idea what to do with myself. I have a few small projects in mind though, including writing a bunch of blog posts that I've been beind on. I have another book review and at least one post I want to make about the new computer I put together. Look for them soon!

I might also buy A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin, finally, for kindle... now that I have some time to get absorbed in books.

Milestones

As of last night, I have completed all of my coursework. Another step closer to being finished with my degree. There are still two weeks of lectures left, and three weeks to finish my dissertation. For that, I have at least 30 more pages to go, plus a presentation to prepare. It's a lot easier to bear without extra work on top of that.

I'm so ready to have time to do whatever I want: read, play video games, assemble a new computer, cross-stitch... so ready, in fact, that I will probably make time to do some of these things during my exam-study-break. While still studying plenty, of course. I'll have to plan my time wisely, with nine exams to prepare for.

I'm also considering participating in Blog Every Day April (BEDA) this year. It will be easier since I won't be going to classes, but I will be studying. We'll see if I can manage it.

Book Review #4: Don't Panic

Book 4: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Many of us have heard bits and pieces of the story, but perhaps not the whole thing. Arthur Dent is a man living in England whose house is about to be torn down to build a highway. While he is busy worrying about it, his friend Ford Prefect -- who is actually an alien -- tries to convince him that the end of the world is coming. Shortly thereafter, a spaceship shows up to demolish the Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass. After the planet's untimely demise, Arthur becomes a hitchhiker, like Ford. They travel space together, having adventures and evading danger.

The book is short, with a lot packed in. Everything about it is funny. Before things ever get too serious, the narrator makes a comment to make it lighthearted again. The first time I tried to read it, I got about halfway through and then was distracted reading other things. This time, I was convinced by my friends to give it another try, and so re-read it from start to finish. It's definitely enjoyable, and lightweight enough that I can get bits read here and there while still having a very busy university life. Soon, I want to read a more involved book, but right now I just don't have the time. This is not the only book in the trilogy, either, and I plan to read all five. Yes, five books in a trilogy. A taste of the author's writing style. I've been told that if you like Monty Python, you'll enjoy it. Personally, I enjoyed it more than Monty Python.

Stay tuned for reviews of the rest of the books. And remember to bring your towel.

Book Review #3: A Cozy Cat Crime Novel

This next book I read slowly over the course of January, while my classes began and I got back into "university mode." I received it as a gift from my godmother for Christmas. She's a cat lover, a quilter, a crossword puzzler, and a great snail-mail pen pal in this age of technology. I don't get many books as gifts when I don't know they're coming; I always enjoy it.

Book 3: Cat Coming Home, by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

This is exactly the sort of book that's fun to read around Christmas. It's a fairly standard crime novel, not too gory or violent, with a fantastical twist--the cat "detectives" can talk. Corny as that may sound and unrealistic as it is, it was a fun read. I've never read any cat-solves-the-crime sorts of books, though I know many exist, and I'm glad I finally did. Good for when you don't want something too involved or deep, but still interesting enough to sink your teeth into.

It's by no means a literary masterpiece, but it did keep me interested enough to read to the end. I probably won't seek out more of this kind of book on my own (particularly because there are so many more books I've been meaning to read), but if I come across one by chance, I might give it a try.

Book Review #2: If You Like Suspense...

I've been keeping up with my 25 book goal for the year fairly well, but I seem to be getting behind with the reviews. I finished this book just over a month ago, right after the holiday break. If you're interested, I wrote a review of the previous book in the series as well.

Book 2: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Yet again, Larsson proves he can write a great suspense thriller. It follows the separate investigations of the police, government, and secretive journalists, as well as the criminals behind the overarching plotline of the whole series. This book's first 100 or so pages weren't anywhere as slow as the first or second books'; however, it doesn't have the same climactic action scenes as the first two books, which to some may be undesirable. However, given all the danger, sneaking around, and dramatic irony, together with the fact that I wanted the bastards behind the whole crime put away so badly, it kept me hooked until the end. It only took me about a week to read this book's 600 pages.

This entire series has been excellent. If all you've heard about it is the rape scene in the first book and that's keeping you away, you are sorely missing out. There is so much to the story, the heroes and heroines are clever and likable (Lisbeth is so badass), and once you're in, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat. I wish I could look forward to more books, but Larsson isn't with us anymore. I'll just have to keep on the lookout for more good books in the crime/drama/thriller genre. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

The Gut-Feeling Coin Toss

You've likely heard of the coin-tossing technique to help you make a decision. Pick one side of a coin to mean yes, you'll do it, you'll go through with the decision, and the other to mean no. Flip it. If the outcome makes you feel uneasy, or unhappy, it probably means you should do the opposite. The process helps you decipher your gut feeling on the matter.

I feel like I've done this, on a bigger scale. I decided yes, I want to go to the US after graduation, absolutely. I want to get a job there and possibly stay indefinitely. Then, Microsoft got back to me and told me nicely that no, there are no positions available for my skills. I had been hoping too much to get the job, completely ignoring that new grads would have a tough time getting into such a huge, long-established company. I wasn't sure anymore that this was what I wanted. I started to understand that gut feeling.

The next day I went to a presentation at my uni by a small software company based in Glasgow. They make 3D imaging software for engineers in the oil and gas industry, to understand the shape, density, etc. of oil reservoirs underground. Despite my reservations about working in that field, it opened my eyes to other possibilities. They came across as a friendly, well-organized company that were doing well and would be a great start for a young Computing Science graduate. In a small company, I would have more influence in decisions and my job wouldn't be rigidly defined; I could work on a number of things that I'd have the skills for.

Ultimately, I realized I might not be ready to leave the UK. I've made friends here, and am still making more and strengthening the ones I have. I've moved around a lot my whole life and am getting tired of starting over again. I'll likely have to do it eventually, but if I can keep it at bay, I will. I also have a boyfriend here who would have a very hard time getting a work visa in the US, since he'd essentially need to be at the very top of his class, have a PhD, or marry me. He--and I--aren't prepared for any of those things.

I've also spent a good year and a half here and still haven't managed to travel much. If I stayed, I could do all the traveling that work would allow--and that would definitely be more than employers in the US offer. The rest of the UK, Ireland, and Europe are a cheap flight or train ride away, and I'm still young and able to travel and see the world.

All of this has been rattling around my head lately, and I think I've finally made a decision. Job market allowing, I'll go with the other side of the coin.

Looking Forward

The first three weeks of the term have passed. The first assignments have been handed out, and I've made fairly substantial progress on my yearlong project. I'm back into the swing of things. Still, when I stop thinking of all the work I have to do, I find myself wondering what the future holds for me. The idea of graduating is scary, but things are looking bright.

I mentioned a couple posts ago about applying to Microsoft. About a week after I made that post, I got an email from them inviting me for a phone (Skype) interview the following week! I had the interview two days ago. I think it went well, I answered most of the questions as completely as I could, only stumbling with a couple of them. I'll hear back in the next 2-3 weeks, and then hopefully be offered a second, more technical interview--in person! I don't know if this means they'll fly me all the way to Redmond or just somewhere in Europe. It sounds intense, though... something like 2-3 solid hours of coding, plus maybe meeting people who I might end up working with.

All of this is cementing the idea in my head that I will have a well-paying job shortly after I graduate. I'll get to worry about all those adult things like renting an apartment, buying a car, paying taxes, and paying off my student loans... I'm actually very ready for it. Some of my classmates aren't ready to graduate and go out into the big world, but I definitely am. Alas, four more months of university and hard work. It'll probably go by faster than I think.

Book Review #1: A Fantasy Epic

I just finished my second book of the year. A good start, since I'll be quite busy in the next few months. I figured it's time to write a bit about the first book, which I finished over the holidays. Also, since it's a new year, I'm starting the numbering over for my book reviews. This year's goal is 25 again... let's see if I can do it this time!

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Book 1: The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss

I thought I had written a review of the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles, called The Name of the Wind, but it turns out I read it a year and a half ago, in June 2010. Thank you, Goodreads, for helping me keep track...

For those of you who don't know the series, it's a fantasy fiction tale about a young man named Kvothe and how he became a legend in his own world. It starts with his family, a group of travelling troupers, being killed by a myserious evil. The recurring goal in Kvothe's life is to track down this evil, but he meets people along the way, goes to university and learns about magic and other subjects, and has various adventures. The story is essentially about his life, growing up. I enjoyed the first book quite a lot, and read it quickly despite its size.

I did enjoy the second book, but I often got tired of the slow pace. Kvothe would spend months at one place, and months at another. Each place seemed like a completely different story, so different that they almost need to be separate books. Occasionally it dragged on, with nothing much happening. Maybe it's because this book is meant to be in the middle of the series without a serious beginning or end, not meant to just be picked up and read without reading The Name of the Wind. However, I think it could be seriously trimmed down, and it would make for a better book.

That said, I'll probably end up reading the third and final book when it comes out. The characters are enjoyable, and I care enough about them that I want to know what happens. Just be forewarned: the books are incredibly long. Not for the faint of heart!