Snow Crash

Whaaaat a crazy book. I've been telling people (basically anyone who will listen) that this is probably the most fun I've had reading a novel. Hiro Protagonist is a pizza delivery man for the Mafia but that's only a side-gig for him. His real job is a hacker/stringer for the futuristic equivalent of the CIA. He delves around the internet - known as the Metaverse - as a katana-carrying vigilante...scouring the internet for obscure information. One day, he comes across a virus that's destroying not only the metaverse counterparts of his friends, but their physical, animate psyches as well. In other words, their brains "crash" and they fall into irreversible comas. Hiro sets off to discover the root of this virus and is surprised to be immersed in history dating back to the Sumerian ages. His "partner," a spunky 15-year-old, skateboarding courier (her name is Y.T. - short for Yours Truly) aids and abets Hiro in his quest to topple the magnates responsible for this virus.

I loved this book. I've read NS's Quicksilver series as well as Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash is by far, his best work. It's truly remarkable to me that he wrote this novel in 1992. His vision of the near-future and of the various workings of the internet is spookily on-target. In particular, I loved the idea of cities being divided into "franchulates" or areas cordoned off and run by large corporations. The way things are going right now, that could very well be our reality within the next century.

NS's concept of religion being a sort of verbal virus is an extremely controversial thought. I'm personally surprised this book hasn't been banned, but perhaps they are in certain religious schools. It's a fascinating idea as well as a revelatory one. Clearly, it's not true but it sure helps to explain religious fanaticism and zeal.
"This Snow Crash thing - is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?"
"What's the difference?"

All in all, a fantastic read and I recommend that everyone read this book.

The right set of headphones

The right set really makes a world of difference when you're listening to your current favorite song. I have the iPod earphones, which for earphones, are pretty remarkable. However, I was sitting here dicking around on the computer and I decided to pull out my old headphones (that I usually only wear in the winter cuz my ears get ridiculously hot) and I was literally knocked sideways. The difference in sound is breathtaking. You can hear every little tiny nuance to a song and the echoes from the voices. It's spine-tingling....especially with the right song. And these headphones are...what's the term... noise-reducing so it's like in my own little heavenly bubble of music. You should see the ridiculous smile on my face.

Miscellaneous

I'm not quite sure what this post will be about. I just felt like writing. But I don't feel like writing fiction. I've started a novel (one that I really hope to finish but knowing me, that chance is pretty slim....) Anyway, it's about a homeless girl. Why? I have no idea. I walked into work one morning and sat down and thought, hey why don't I write a novel about a homeless girl. I'm about four chapters in and it's going surprisingly smoothly. However, I can't write every day. I can only write when I get weird flashes of inspiration and then I'll write for about 4 hours. It's like I enter this vortex and to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite heroines, Jo March, I know that "genius is burning." If I were to try to tackle the novel now, I know for a fact I'd write like shit. Mindless inanities that I'd just have to go back and delete later.

On to another subject. My parent's 30th anniversary was on the 15th. I surprised them with a nice dinner at the Ritz in Laguna. I feel bad that neither of their daughters could be there to celebrate with them but honestly, all I do when I'm home is make the poor woman cook for me. Anyway, Loraine is setting up another (extremely belated) surprise gift for them. I got our family friends to write out my parent's names in chinese and big sis is going to work that into a frame for them. Should be very nice.

Mad Men. WHAT a show...it's like popcorn, I can't get enough of its salty, buttery goodness (?) Don Draper is the sexiest enigma. Fringe. Meh. It's good, I'll continue to watch it but it's definitely a dumbed-down Lost. It also tries too hard to be x-files-ish but the goofy soundtrack takes away from it and the dialogue is nowhere near as riveting. Walter Bishop is a fantastic character, though.

Been listening to a lot of electronica. No, not that crazy techno/trance shit but stuff like Hot Chip, Aphex Twin, Milosh, Styrofoam, Fischerspooner. Great stuff to walk around the city to.



Last but not least, Marcos, Suz and I met Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords!!

Wonderful

"I'm jealous of anyone who makes a lightbulb flash on in your head."
"How wonderful. That's love."

~UE

Cuz it helps to laugh