What's On My Bookshelf?
Imagine you found yourself alone in a stranger's house, and you want to know about the people who live there. What would you look at?
My wife, Serena, would look at the pictures. She always notices the pictures. My son and daughter would look for toys, or substitutes. Myself, I would look at the available reading material. One can learn a lot about people by what they read. Here is what you would learn about me, if you were to peruse the books in our family room.
First, you will notice that we are not the tidiest people. Scattered on the floor are children’s books, The Poky Little Puppy, Good Night Moon, and others. There are children here, which is my excuse for the sloppiness. I am the dad of Charlie and Ainsley; both share their parent's enjoyment of books. Neither has learned to pick up. As long as the kids continue to exhibit an interest in reading however, we are willing to tolerate a few books lying around.
Neater, but not quite tidy, are two stacks of books occupying opposite ends of the couch. At one end of the couch, you will find a neat stack of books with titles suggesting matters of romance, child rearing, and education. The romance novel gives away the owner of this stack. It belongs to Serena, who is, a teacher, a dedicated mom, and a fabulous wife.
At the other end of the couch is my stack of books. On top, for pure pleasure there is a copy of, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby, a hilarious book about a soccer fanatic. This is a fitting book for me because I am a huge soccer fan. I am a sports fan in general, but Soccer holds the top spot since I started playing when I was six and stopped at 35. I have since filled the void by coaching, participating as a Director of a local youth club, and by becoming an even more rabid fan.
Next in line, is a book entitled, A Short History of Nearly Everything. A work of pop science, it combines several of my interests. I have always loved ideas for their own sake, and their influence on events in history. I spent my undergraduate years tailoring my studies to the “intellectual history” niche of historiography. Science fascinates me. As with my interest in intellectual history, I am fascinated with how the progression of science affects society. This book scratches all those intellectual itches.
The third book is, The Bootstrapper's Bible. I manage a small mortgage company that my father started in 1991. Accounting, marketing, technology, and personnel all compete for space on my schedule. Sometimes it is the best job in the world. Other times it is misery. It is always a lesson. That is best part.
The final book is untitled. It is my notebook. Flipping, through the pages we find: to do lists, lists of goals, grocery lists. We also find, memories and the remnants of story ideas. I live a simple but evolving life. Inside my notebook, plans for the future compete for space with admonishments to, “Fix the disposal.” Many of the plans will never see the light of day. Sometime they do. For instance, inside, there is a resolutions-list containing the line, “Join Toastmasters. Learn to speak.”
Taken all together, I think, these books paint an accurate picture of me. I am: a father, a husband, a reader, a sports fan, perhaps a bit of a geek, a professional, and a learner. It is not a complete picture. I know. I, myself, am still watching, and waiting, for much of the rest to fill-in.
My wife, Serena, would look at the pictures. She always notices the pictures. My son and daughter would look for toys, or substitutes. Myself, I would look at the available reading material. One can learn a lot about people by what they read. Here is what you would learn about me, if you were to peruse the books in our family room.
First, you will notice that we are not the tidiest people. Scattered on the floor are children’s books, The Poky Little Puppy, Good Night Moon, and others. There are children here, which is my excuse for the sloppiness. I am the dad of Charlie and Ainsley; both share their parent's enjoyment of books. Neither has learned to pick up. As long as the kids continue to exhibit an interest in reading however, we are willing to tolerate a few books lying around.
Neater, but not quite tidy, are two stacks of books occupying opposite ends of the couch. At one end of the couch, you will find a neat stack of books with titles suggesting matters of romance, child rearing, and education. The romance novel gives away the owner of this stack. It belongs to Serena, who is, a teacher, a dedicated mom, and a fabulous wife.
At the other end of the couch is my stack of books. On top, for pure pleasure there is a copy of, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby, a hilarious book about a soccer fanatic. This is a fitting book for me because I am a huge soccer fan. I am a sports fan in general, but Soccer holds the top spot since I started playing when I was six and stopped at 35. I have since filled the void by coaching, participating as a Director of a local youth club, and by becoming an even more rabid fan.
Next in line, is a book entitled, A Short History of Nearly Everything. A work of pop science, it combines several of my interests. I have always loved ideas for their own sake, and their influence on events in history. I spent my undergraduate years tailoring my studies to the “intellectual history” niche of historiography. Science fascinates me. As with my interest in intellectual history, I am fascinated with how the progression of science affects society. This book scratches all those intellectual itches.
The third book is, The Bootstrapper's Bible. I manage a small mortgage company that my father started in 1991. Accounting, marketing, technology, and personnel all compete for space on my schedule. Sometimes it is the best job in the world. Other times it is misery. It is always a lesson. That is best part.
The final book is untitled. It is my notebook. Flipping, through the pages we find: to do lists, lists of goals, grocery lists. We also find, memories and the remnants of story ideas. I live a simple but evolving life. Inside my notebook, plans for the future compete for space with admonishments to, “Fix the disposal.” Many of the plans will never see the light of day. Sometime they do. For instance, inside, there is a resolutions-list containing the line, “Join Toastmasters. Learn to speak.”
Taken all together, I think, these books paint an accurate picture of me. I am: a father, a husband, a reader, a sports fan, perhaps a bit of a geek, a professional, and a learner. It is not a complete picture. I know. I, myself, am still watching, and waiting, for much of the rest to fill-in.
~2005
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