Caching in (4/9)

I finished the book, "The Social Animal," by David Brooks a few days ago, and enjoyed it immensely. The basic premise of the novel is a fictitious storyline following two characters and their lives throughout their careers. These two (Harold and Erica, respectively) are tracked from the womb onward. Interspersed in their stories though, are provided examples of the psychology and motives behind the decisions and feelings they witness.

If that description sounds confusing, you aren't alone. But trust me, it's worth the $14 (amazon), and is relatively simple to comprehend, despite the complex studies cited within. Giving anything else away would be spoiler-ish, and the book is better read knowing less.

The one concept that really piqued my interest was the themes of the "It's a Wonderful Life," VS the book "On the Road." In essence, a cookie cutter family, house and happiness contrasted with the unknown and adventuresome life of one. Is it a black and white concept that we can only live one of those two options? I'd like to think both could be ascertainable, but it would be hard to strike a good balance.

Other tidbits:

-Did my first Geo-Cache yesterday in a giant park next to my house. With the use of my droid app, it made it pretty fun. Could be the cure for the modern boredom. The best part is there are always new Caches to be found. Or you can make your own. If you've never heard of it, look it up. All you need is a GPS of any kind.

-Pens and Pirates both go the distance for their wins last night. But wins are wins. Especially when you are the Pirates striving for .500 and the Pens for home ice. Big wins.

-Eager to rip into David Foster Wallace's newest posthumous publishing of "The Pale King." The guy could write like no other, and it's a shame he cut his life so short.

-Thank you to everyone reading the blog, it's really cool to hear so many people are interested in the seemingly mundane going-ons and musings of my life.

Johnny lived a good life, you'll hear them say

Today's song of the day is brought to you by the artist 'City and Colour,' and is titled Body in a Box. For those interested - the entire album is available on amazon.com for only 3 bucks. Definitely worth a listen. Also, super easy to play on the guitar, but I broke two of my favorite pics strumming along to it for about an hour...



-For continued listening check out the song 'Sleeping Sickness'. If it sounds familiar, that is because CBC made an NHL playoff montage from it during the Pen's Stanley cup run in '09. Be warned -- if you are a fan of these types of videos this can become addicting.




-Finished the book 'Better than Sex, Confessions of a Political Junkie,' and I'll post a full review tomorrow. Suffice to say, it made me yearn for the 90's even though I was still putting my shirts on backwards and learning to tie my shoes during the span in which it was written. Still, I like my generation thankyaverymuch Tom Brokaw.

-Next book up on the docket to read is entitled, 'The Social Animal,' and should be an interesting change from my bookshelf. Rather than try and explain it, just read the synopsis on amazon.

-Big playoff preview vs. Tampa Bay tonight for the Pens. For some reason they don't worry me at all as a team. They just don't have all the pieces together to compete, and don't match up well against the penguins. Especially if Crosby decides to come back for the first round. If they make it out of the first round unscathed, Matt Cooke will be a welcome asset to the PK which has been less than stellar as of late in his absence.

-Buy the ticket, take the ride.