Reading aloud...

for September 29, 2011: 1. What do you think of reading aloud/being read to? Does it bring back memories of your childhood? Your children’s childhood?
2. Does this affect the way you feel about audio books?
3. Do you now have times when you read aloud or are read to?

1. I love being read to. Very much so - particularly by a good reader. Yes, it brings back memories of my childhood, where some of my happiest times were being read to by my mother - but that isn't particularly the point; I don't love it because of the good memories, I love it because of the pleasure I get in it, which is the same now as then.

I might add that having a decent book is necessary. Having someone read a book to me that I wouldn't want to read at also wouldn't be a joy.

2. I like audio books, of course... Especially when they have a good reader. But the joy of audio books is their convenience, being able to listen while in a car, or while doing housework, or while exercising. All things being equal, I prefer reading print to listening to works.

So who is a good reader? I've been listening lately to Ray Dotrice reading A Dance With Dragons, and I think he is terrible. I like Sam West, Stephen Fry, Nigel Planer... I prefer male readers to female.

3. I have managed to make some times where I read to people. I haven't done it at all in the last year or so. I'd like to. I wonder if I should approach some people with this as a proposal?

Sunday...

A weird day, in which there were some good things, some, bad, and I never really did manage to get the energy that I wanted to - but still got quite a bit done. I couldn't quite get myself into gear, though. Everything took longer than I wanted, and my brain was sluggish.

Still. Good stuff:

• Good (though brief) online chats with ceruleancat, baronjanus, and binkbink.
  
  
• Got the laundry done. Got it put away. Yes, all of it, and the bed made again, too, with the clean sheets. Less good: the cloth on the laundry cart is tearing. Note to self: mend it.
  
  
• Watched a TV show in French, about a small town in Gaspésie called Metis-sur-Mer. A beautiful place, though I suspect it's never warm there.
  
  
• This started with a bad thing: I discovered bugs in my kitchen cupboard. Gad, I hate bugs. They belong in horror movies, not real life. These were tiny, tiny little things, which is better than the big kind, but still. They have no right to be in my cupboard. So I pulled out all the stuff, and discovered that some grain had spilled out of a package, so no wonder they moved into the free restaurant. I cleaned up the packages, washed the shelves, rearranged the things on the shelves, put the grains into jars and cannisters, and since I was there in the kitchen, scrubbed the floor, too.
  
  
• I've had a problem for years: no radio in the kitchen. I really like to listen to the radio while I cook or wash dishes, particularly to CBC. But there's no space in my tiny kitchen for a radio. I was going to go to Canadian Tire or Future Shop for something, but didn't feel like facing the trip by bus, so I dug out an old radio/cassette player that I haven't used in years, and set it up on the back of stove. It's perfect! As long as I'm careful not to knock it off.
  
  
• Walked on the treadmill. Did stretches - not a full yoga practice, but something.
  
  
• Set up my HDMI cable. Happy with my technology.
  
  
• Had supper at Yang Sheng with maaseru. We ordered a huge bowl of corn soup and it defeated us (nice lefotovers, though). Turns out I had egg fu yung for both breakfast and supper. More or less by accident, but luckily I like egg fu yung.
  
  
• Made Apaplexy covers for the next issue.
  
  
• Got the news that Paul Dewar is running for the NDP leadership. Cool. He's my MP and I think he's terrific.
  

Scandinavia and the World...

Remember how I was complaining that I can't find many webcomics which I like?

I've found one I love, mentioned on the Bujold mailing list today: Scandinavia and the World. I particularly crack up when Canada is featured, as it sometime is.

What fun.