Streams of Consciousness

Today, I'm looking at the website of the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov. There are six buttons at the top of the homepage. These buttons are portals into various features of the website: 1. American Memory: US History and Culture; "American Memory is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from over 100 historical collections." (http://memory.loc.gov) 2. Global Gateway: World Culture and Resources 3. America's Library: Log-On, Play Around, Learn Something 4. Thomas: Legislative Information; The Thomas WWW system was brough online in January 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The Thomas system includes Bill Text, Congressional Record Text, Bill Summary and Status, the Congressional Record index and certain historical documents such as the Constitution. 5. Exhibitions: Online Galleries 6. Wiseguide: It's fun to know history ...

The following is a list of books that I have read thus far in 2004: 1) The Aeneid by Vergil 2) All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque 3) All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren 4) Animal Farm by George Orwell 5) As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 6) As You Like It by William Shakespeare These books are the beginning of a list of 100 'great books' compiled by an editor for Barnes and Noble. I plan to read all 100 of them. Next on the list is The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. The following is a synopsis of As You Like It, my most recently completed book: As You Like It is a romantic comedy play written by William Shakespeare. A large part of the play is set in the Forest of Arden, seemingly in France. Rosalind, the protagonist, disguises herself as a boy, Ganymede, in the forest, and she talks Orlando, whom she has fallen in love with, to court her as if she were Rosalind. Confusion soon reigns, because Ganymede is in fact Rosalind, but Or...

Recently, I have been researching woodworking concepts and terminology. Of course, woodworking, like many other activities, is best learned through experience. However, I'm trying to get a basic understanding of its unique vocabulary and basic principles prior to actually beginning any projects. I'm interested in both small woodcarving projects and larger woodworking projects. I think that woodworking would be a rewarding hobby, possibly financially rewarding as well as spiritually rewarding, if I become good enough at it. I've learned thus far about different types of wood and its properties, joinery techniques and vocabulary, common woodworking tools, the lumber industry and some basic wood cuts. Wood Terminology : Hardwood: Hardwood refers to wood that is derived from mostly deciduous trees, specifically trees that reproduce by dropping a covered seed. It does not necessarily mean that the wood is actually harder than wood derived from a softwood tre...

I am currently reading "As I Lay Dying", a novel published in 1930, and written by William Faulkner. This the first Faulkner book that I remember ever reading. It is a challenging read. It is a unique style of writing, I believe in the stream of conciousness school. It is about a poor southern family. The plot centers around the death of Addie Bundren, matriarch of the family, and the manner in which the rest of the clan deals with her death. Addie's husband, Anse Bundren, had promised her that he would bury her in her hometown of Jefferson when she died. This is where the rest of Addie's family was buried. When Addie dies, toward the beginning of the novel, the family sets out to fulfill Anse's promise by travelling toward Jefferson. I am only two-thirds of the way through the book, so I am not yet sure how the trek will turn out. Currently, Anse and family, along with neighbor Vernon Tull, have encountered trouble at the river, which is flooded because...