Sometimes I like to go back to my 'reading notes' posts (must get better at using tags more consistently . . . ) and like to see which books I actually finished, which still sit only partially read or have been abandoned and what reading plans seem to have fallen by the wayside. But I digress (I was only looking for a picture to loot from a former post to use here).
I am once again having problems connecting with the internet at home. My internet service provider (which shall remain nameless) seems to think that all the world's troubles will be solved by sending out a new modem. Why do they ignore their customer's concerns and opinions? I now have my original modem (which I think is working just fine) along with two new modems (when the first one arrived and didn't solve the problem they said it must be defective and sent another new one). I have less than a month now to return those extra modems before being charged for them. See, I had this problem last fall and the issue was not with my modem (they had me buy a new one back then, too . . . ), rather there was a problem with one of those transformer boxes that sits outside in the neighborhood (I think the cables or infrastructure in my part of town is old and shoddy). I suspect the problem is the same (but hey, why listen to the customer?) and they simply don't want to have to send a technician out to my house to fix the problem right away. So, two new modems and multiple phone calls and many, many, many hours of lost internet connections later, they are finally sending out a technician to help diagnose/fix the problem. My internet connection has been sporadic at best, but this weekend was nonexistent. I have (needless to say) been extremely frustrated.
So, there was no short story post this weekend and now my posting schedule this week will be uncertain depending on whether I can connect to the internet. I have been dipping into a collection of fairy tales edited by Angela Carter for the Angela Carter Reading Week. The introduction alone is worth its own post (which is what I had planned for yesterday). So, fingers crossed I can share my fairy tale reading with you soon.
I finished Mary Stewart's Wildfire at Midnight yesterday. When I heard she passed away I immediately reached for one of her books. She's always so reliably good, and I hope to write about the book later this week, too.
It's not a bad thing to turn off the computer now and again (I'm all for it really), but I want it to be on my own terms and according to my own schedule (scary how much I rely these days on being able to connect to the internet--and not just for blogging purposes). I have been watching more movies since I often can't get online. My library has almost the entire set of Criterion Collection films and I really should make better use of the collection. Of late I have watched Following (really brilliant, I thought), Shallow Grave (very noir, but so unbearably suspenseful I couldn't finish it--I had seen it before actually and knew what was coming . . .), Foreign Correspondent (Hitchcock is pretty much my favorite director and I would love to watch all his films in the order he made them--maybe another little summer project?) which also happens to be set in part in Amsterdam, and Sunday Bloody Sunday (also brilliant--love Glenda Jackson and must look up more of her films).
I also spent time with my Reading the Netherlands books over the weekend--not sure if it is timing or just good books, but I am thoroughly enjoying this project!
As always many thanks for all the comments and as soon as I am back online I will reply to them and hopefully get caught up on emails, too.
Hope to be back soon, and until then, happy reading everyone.