Well, my reads...my reads...

I suppose this is my last blog neccessary for English class... I would just like to say that I went to a really awesome store - Present Moment - and realized that they have all of the books I would ever want to read. For the most part... So, basically, I have been reading The Things They Carried for school, and was once again stuck in the cycle of reading what I have to and not prioritizing fun-reading. Needless to say, I haven't gotten very much farther in my fun-reading book. I will now relate my own life to the book In The Shadow of the Buddha. I've begun going to meditation every weekend at the Minnezota Zen Meditation Center. It's really only been a couple of times so far, but I don't plan on quitting! Although it has only been a couple of times, I can totally see the benefits I could receive from it if I continue for some time. Matteo Pistono, the author of my book, also meditated! Haha - I laugh because that's mostly what the book is about... But he really inspired me to actually get on it and go to a meditation center and just DO it! I tend to aspire to do things and then rarely get around to doing them on a regular basis. Such as yoga. Anyway, I am very glad that I read some of this book, and look forward to a time when I don't have play rehearsal until 6 and am not too exhausted to read. Back to the books at Present Moment - it seems that they have a lot of books similar to the one I read, and I just cannot wait to get my hands on some! Saying that sounds a bit silly to me, because I don't often priortize reading. But I would love to read more books similar to this one. There are books about Siddhartha - the human name for Buddha, and books about yoga and meditation and Buddhism and Taoism...Anyway, thank you for reading, maybe I will have some posts in the future!

More from Buddha!

It's about time for another post, and this time I actually have read since my last post and have things to say! I was glad to get some reading time over break, but am cramped again... I continued reading In the Shadow of the Buddha over break. I'm still not too far in the book, but am loving it so far. The writer, Matteo Pistono, uses wonderful imagery and I can just imagine what transformative events he has gone through in order to write this book. Matteo traveled to Tibet, Nepal, and India when he was in his twenties. He stayed with a family in Nepal, and was invited to a Buddhist ceremony one morning, where he saw a boddhisattva tradition. He inquired more about this "boddhisattva", and learned that it meant "compassionate warrior". He seeked to learn more information about boddhisattvas, as well as learn about Buddhism. Eventually, he ended up making the boddhisattva vow to dedicate his life to helping others and himself throught meditation and other related things. When he began to visit Tibet, he would listen to stories of the elders. They would tell him terrible stories of how China took over and people were treated with cruelty. They were sentenced for things they were not guilty for, and tortured there. After gaining the Tibetan's trust, they would give Matteo letters and things to bring back to America so that he could spread the word of this torture. Many of the things were illegal for him to be carrying, but he went on to do the right thing. Matteo tells his story wonderfully, and what I have said is just an itty bitty taste of all of his adventures. I continue to be inspired by his words, and the words of his meditation leaders such as Sogal Rinpoche, Terton Sogyal, Khenpo, and the lovely Dalai Lama. I was even inspired to go to the Zen Meditation center nearby my house, which I had previously been interested in. I really enjoy this book and can't wait to finish!

Well then...

 To be honest, I haven't really read much for fun recently. I did read The Catcher in the Rye for school, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I wish I had time to at least read my comics, but I believe I will do some of that over the break! I am excited to read Poison Ivy, and some more X-Men - some of my favorites that I have been saving away until I am free to read them.
I think I will make this blog post about Lord of the Rings, because I was reminded of my obsession earlier today. I have yet to read the books, and I fear that it is a commitment I will have to make. Perhaps I will wait until the summer, and then I can read all of them without being concerned about other work. I really love the movies, and I know I'll love every second of the books, just because I like everything even slightly reminiscent of the LOTR series. Even though I haven't read the books, I'll give a short summary of what's to come in my future reading of them!
Basically...Frodo Baggins is a hobbit living in the Shire, (Oh! The title of my blog!) a region of the fantastical world of Middle Earth. His uncle, Bilbo Baggins, decided to leave him and the rest of the hobbits somewhat unexpectedly. He leaves Frodo a little gift...the one ring that rules over all the other rings. When one puts on the ring, you become invisible to everyone except for Sauron and the ringwraiths that are trying to steal the ring to make Sauron all powerful and in control of the ring once again. Gandalf the Grey, the wise and helpful wizard, sends Frodo, his best friend, Samwise Gamgee and a fellowship which is later to be determined, on a quest to destroy the ring once and for all in the lava of Mount Doom. Throughout the journey they struggle past the Orc creatures, Gollum - the creature who once was in posession of the ring, and many other things.
This trilogy is perhaps my favorite thing...ever...in the world.
So excited to read!

Books...oh books.

Greetings earthlings!
So, I have been contemplating what to make this blog post about tonight...I have mostly been reading for school recently. I am hoping that it's alright to write about a book that I haven't begun reading yet, but am excited about! I first need to complete reading my other books, and then will begin this wonder of a story! I actually recieved this book for free at a book store, so that immediately intrigued me, as I like free things and this seemed like a real prize! The novel is autobiographical. It is a non-fiction story, at least, and contains some information about the journey of a Buddhist man. The book is titled In the Shadow of the Buddha, and explores the travels of a Buddhist American, Matteo Pistono, in Tibet, a country that has been in conflict for quite some time now. I am sure that this man's Buddhist views affect his experience greatly in Tibet. I am really looking forward to getting an in-depth understanding of what an American experiences in contemporary Tibet, and how he was affected by the conflict and how he tried to help free Tibet. This is a topic I am very interested in! I will be sure to blog about it once I've set aside priority fun-reading time!

Blog numero dos

I have not had much time to advance in Watchmen recently, since I have been reading Lakota Woman for school. However, I would like to speak about another book I began reading a while ago. The book is called Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. The book is informational, and speaks about Zen practice. I am very interested in the topic of Zen, and found that we had this book lying around one day. The book may not be for everyone, seeing as it does delve a little bit into Buddhism, and uses quite complex lingo at times. Zen practice is more complicated as it sounds. Seeing as being "zen" is closely related to being at peace, it seems like such a simple concept. When digging into Buddhist meditation, a whole level of complexity is revealed. Meditating itself requires some thought, but there is thought involved in order to acheive a mind void of any thought. This book is very interesting, even though it may seem like it is talking in circles at times. It just takes a while to grasp the whole concept of zen meditation. Anyway, the book is very enjoyable, and well written despite it's slight confusion. The author is very well versed in what he is teaching to the reader. No information has been falsified for entertainment. The book is purely informative, but a good read if you are interested in exploring meditation further.

Books, of course! What else?

Alright, this is my first post for English class! I've recently been reading the graphic novel "Watchmen", which was reccommended to me by a friend. I am actually borrowing the book! I've been busy recently, so have not gotten as far as I thought I would be by now, but am really enjoying it! I really like comics, and this graphic novel is like a beautiful comic that never ends! Perfect! The plot keeps rolling, and every page turn is like a new adventure. It can be quite difficult to put down at times! The graphics are amazing, in addition to the wonderful language usage. Each image has a meaning behind it, like a movie with great cinematography. It captures the reader, just as a movie would it's audience. I will continue to read this book, and would reccommend it to anyone with an eye for comics or a heart for superheroes!!!