chronicles of lethargy

Friday, January 7, 2011

Monday, January 3, 2011

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8235302/Facebook-generation-suffer-information-withdrawal-syndrome.html

this explains it all. i'm doomed to be a city dwelling technophile.

or should i say off with a pop and a fizzle.
i spent almost all of january 1st in bed or reclining in the living room! hooray!
in spite of my sluggish start, i have plans to make this year very productive for me.
i'm not going to promise to do anything i know i won't deliver on, so i'm going to be purposefully vague. this new year i will try to bring more clarity and maturity to my life. that is veiled for something very simple, but something i can't put on the internet!
also in 2011 i want to try to be more active, i.e. get my fat ass off the couch more.
maybe i will finally make it up to the Clositers this year? maybe no more wasted weekends this year? maybe i will finally find a way to keep myself occupied between the hours of 7pm-10pm.
despite popular belief i actually have things i'd like to do to "better myself".
let's see if i actually follow through.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

serpent and the rainbow

I just finished reading The Serpent and the Rainbow (which is by far my favorite read of 2010). It's the true story of the anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and Harvard graduate Wade Davis and his journey through the bowels of Haiti on the quest to find the truth behind the zombi poison myth. Seeking this brought him deeper into a foreign culture, which he would struggle to decode through science. As Wade delved deeper into the aspects leading to the creation of the mythology, he uncovered the truth about voodoun secret societies and their reach into the socio-political life of all Haitian citizenry.

There are some critics who contest how much of his findings are legitimate. Wade actually does go into specifics when discussing the properties of what he believes to be the make up of the fabled "zombi poison". Which we find is quite real when he meets Clairvius Narcisse, the most documented case of a real life Zombi. And that is only the beginning of his harrowing tale.

Wade's book, which reads like an eloquent travel log with footnotes, is like the adventures of an Indiana Jones archetype but instead of rivals, tombs and buried treasure he is dealing with Houngan's, plant and animal toxins. I highly recommend The Serpent and the Rainbow, but please beware that the book is NOTHING like the film of the same name.

check it out : http://www.amazon.com/Serpent-Rainbow-Scientists-Astonishing-Societies/dp/0684839296