[booklog 2005]

[iridium]

75. Milosz's ABC's, Czezlaw Milosz. "The ABC book is a Polish genre, a literary form loosely composed of short, alphabetically arranged entries." i would have gotten more out of this, i think, if i'd read more of his other writing and if i knew more history. sometimes dry, but sometimes lyric, sharp, eloquent, and i learned many things i didn't know and wouldn't otherwise have learned.

76. Making Stuff & Doing Things: A Collection of DIY Guides to Doing Just About Everything, Kyle Bravo, with contributions from a whole bunch of other people. begins with "How to change the world in just four easy steps: 1. Get off your ass. 2. Write, talk, listen, participate, read, volunteer, take in new ideas and spread your own. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 many times. 4. Give another person these instructions." all kinds of neat stories and guides and thoughts and things to do, with the disclaimer at the front that "this book is not guaranteed to be factual, scientifically valid, healthy, or safe," but it does include sections on self-education, producing books, zines, and movies, how to play guitar and juggle, arts & crafts from bookbinding to cord-making, making/fixing clothing, "creative troublemaking", outdoor survival, gardening, food & drink (including soymilk, solar boxes, and dandelion wine), travel, health & body, pets, recycling/reusing/repairing, how to build a shack and other home-ec projects *grin*, (very) basic electrical, and how to take care of cars & bikes. very cool, and definitely a bunch of it i want to poke at sometime soon. dandelion wine! when's dandelion season?

77. The Darkest Hour: Death Row Stories and Interviews, Nanon Williams. rough, powerful stories. a little better idea of what you deal with, and a more conscious admiration for it, pook.

Comments

dandelions

[roozle.livejournal.com]

If you are going to eat the greens, early spring. I don't know about making dandelion wine though, what part of the plant do you need? (Take my dandelions ... please!)

I'm amused by those "four easy steps". But I think #3 is cheating, sort of like wishing for an infinite number of wishes when the genie shows up.

Re: dandelions

[iridium.livejournal.com]

If you are going to eat the greens, early spring. I don't know about making dandelion wine though, what part of the plant do you need? (Take my dandelions ... please!)

if i remember right, it calls for "two quarts of tightly packed dandelions (flowers & small leaves only). so presumably it's whenever dandelions are flowering.

But I think #3 is cheating, sort of like wishing for an infinite number of wishes when the genie shows up.

:) ...well, yeah.
that section does have a couple more detailed entries on being active/conscious/changing the world/etc, at least...

Re: dandelions

[roozle.livejournal.com]

I meant to ask you ... I sent email to you directly at your livejournal email address, as you suggested, but I am not sure if you got that mail. Let me know, even if you don't have time to write an answer?

Re: dandelions

[iridium.livejournal.com]

*sheepish*
i did, and while i've been making a valiant effort to get through my inbox this week, i haven't managed to write you back yet. possibly because i owe you an actual story rather than just rambling about day-to-day things. :) anyhow, yes, and hopefully i'll have time this weekend.