Reading inventory to date for 2004

So after having read not long ago on various people's posts on my Friends list about how apparently Americans are reading less and less these days (not very encouraging news for a girl who wants to be a writer, is it?), I got curious as to exactly how many books I've managed to read so far this year. Therefore, without further ado, I present my reading list for this year to date!

( Anna's 2004 Reading List )

New books read: 14
Old books re-read: 7
Books begun but not finished yet: 6 (old and new)

So, 21 total books read all the way through! Go me!

This just in

I just got the following piece of email from the Human Rights Campaign regarding the vote happening in the Senate on the FMA. They're urging people to call in; those of us against the FMA are still outnumbered by 2 to 1 in the feedback Senators are getting from their constituents. And apparently, the Republicans are about to try to vote on something called "cloture" on this amendment, which means that it would limit debate and pre-empt any attempts at filibustering. HRC reports that they are expected to vote on cloture tomorrow and urges people to call 1-202-225-3121 to express opposition to the FMA.

( The body of the email they sent me... )

MSN has a story about the issue up on their site, for the interested. (Thanks to firni, from whose post elsewhere I swiped the link!)

Today's German exercise

Let's see if I can make it to the end of this paragraph about Gandalf, shall we? Slowly but surely, I'll put a dent in this thing yet by the end of the year. ;) Sort of like trying to write my own novel. This is oddly similarly paced!

Reading my way through this paragraph, I see a whole bunch of usages of what kriski calls the Konjunctiv. In fact, this has been scattered all over the initial pages of this book--just because these sorts of constructions are all over Tolkien, so the translator gets to inherit them.

But. Hrmm. I just hit a wall trying to parse stuff, so I think it's time to stop!

( So, Gandalf's a really cool wizard, then! But is he as cool in German? )

15 minutes shy of the deadline...

... I am reminded by flashfire that today was the birthday of Harrison Ford, who turned 62 today. I'd completely forgotten this! But hey, I have recently re-watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, which despite Mr. Ford having been trumped by that Aussie bloke in my brain remains my most favorite movie of all time, and I can't really top that as a means of celebrating Mr. Ford's natal anniversary. ;)

It amuses me, however, that he shares a birthday with ysabel--to whom I gave Great Big Sea CDs!