At the Sign of the Golden Pineapple

At the Sign of the Golden Pineapple, by Marion Chesney

I picked up this book a few years ago simply because it had the word "pineapple" in the title. I suppose judging a book by it's title is only slightly better than judging one by it's cover.

It is a story about a woman, Henrietta Bascombe, who decides that she is not content with simply being married off in life - she wants to be RICH and she also doesn't mind working to get there. However, the society of the day (I'm thinking 1800's) is not exactly supportive of this choice. Miss Bascombe opens a confectioners shop in the heart of London and it is no secret that she is better at what she does than all of the men in the trade. However, she must face lots of people in town who want her out of business - and will stop at nothing until it happens!

This book is a story of women's rights and romance (strangely enough). It was a rather quick read - but also very enjoyable. It has it's moments of sincerity, humor, seriousness, and wit.

It was also a great book to read after using up all my brain cells reading Ishmael.

#26 - Go to another Lo Cash Cowboys show.

Hey, I did this! Another completed item. I already wrote about it over on the ol' eljay:

http://tenthz.livejournal.com/976246.html

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn (Recommended by Jacquin)

This book was really an awesome read. The message of this book is basically that we are doing it all wrong - and have been for what our culture considers "the beginning of time". Throughout many parts of this book I found myself thinking "wow, yeah... but so what? how can we change?" And that was even addressed at the end of the book.

One thing that surprised me was that at no time did this book make me cry. There are a few emotional parts in it and I didn't even bat an eye! This is completely out of character for me - I mean, I cry at cotton commercials for goodness sake! I think one of the reasons I didn't cry is because this book is heavily intellectual. I found myself not being able to read this before bed just because my brain could not properly process the information. This book makes you THINK (omg, ohones).

There are 2 books that are semi-sequels to this novel, and I'm definitely going to be adding them to my reading list. Daniel Quinn's writing style is unique in that he is able to portray mundane aspects of life one minute, and then explain complex concepts the next. I'm not sure if these two different things flow well when he writes them, but it definitely begins to show some serious juxtaposition - thus illustrating the entire point of the book.

I feel like delving into the plot at all is just a complete spoiler, so go read it for yourself!

#99 - On every grocery trip, buy 1 thing to donate to a good cause

This one was going really well, but has gone downhill. I need to step it up. I think I'm negative 2-3 items since I started.

The point of this one is really to be conscious of the things I buy for myself that many do not have the ability to buy. Fortunately I do have many ways and places to donate the items that I purchase. In fact, I still have some items in my car that need to be dropped off at the humane society.

#82 - Set up my futon/daybed.

This one was "buy a futon mattress", but I decided that was a bit too narrow of a goal. On Saturday, my mom and I comparison shopped like crazy and finally bought a futon mattress. I got it at Lemoyne Sleeper - they were very nice and helpful there, plus they had what I really liked for a good price. SCORE! It ended up being just over $200 with tax, etc.

I purchased a futon cover online on Sunday. It's burgundy and it was less than $35 including shipping. SCORE! It was seriously ON SALE. Very nice. Hopefully it will fit properly and everything.

The last things I need to do to complete this item are:
- Get appropriate bedding
- Get pillows and covers (fancy and sleeping)

I'm hoping this idea works, but since the futon frame does not have arms, I'm going to try to make the pillows be arms. We shall see how that works. They might just end up in one big pile. :-P

#66 - Organize the cables for my entertainment unit.

I did this on Sunday night. I was preparing to set up my new TV, so all cables got pulled, prodded, untwisted, and otherwise tidied up. Unfortunately, the TV didn't work (bah!) so I'm still waiting on that to get started on my VHS -> DVD projects.

#9 - Organize my half.com stuff and KEEP IT THAT WAY.

Well, I organized my half.com/amazon marketplace stuff a few weeks ago... and it has been staying organized, so I am going to mark this one as complete. If it becomes out-of-hand again, this shall become uncomplete and I'll have to start over. But I think I have a pretty good system in place right now.

#2 - Make my lunch the night before work every day for a week

Finished! I made myself lunch everyday this week - except for Friday, but we had a lunch meeting (as usual, lately). Still, it counts! DONE.

#2 - Make my lunch the night before work every day for a week.

Last night, I made my lunch for today. Nothing crazy: just a PB sandwich, a bag of pretzels, an apple and a container of yogurt. But it is the start of creating a new good habit. Now, to keep up the good work. Tonight, I'll be putting leftovers into a container and putting that in my lunch box. It's good to have a plan.

#3 - Get a file cabinet and move my files from my parent's house

I have all my files in my apartment.

I have a filing cabinet in my apartment.

HOWEVER! The files are not yet in the filing cabinet, so this is not completed yet. It is however, officially "in progress", so that's something.