The Invisible Man by HG Wells

Okay finished the second half of my HG Wells e-book containing The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. This half of course being The Invisible Man. Now in reading this directly after reading The Time Machine, I just assumed that this was a biography of yours truly, Keith Adams. I was shocked to find out that I was, in fact, not the protagonist of the story. The story is actually about a scientist who finds a way to make himself transparent. Well lets look at the tale of the tape between Wells's Griffin and the Modern-Day Invisible Man Keith Adams:

Origin:

Griffin: After much research and experimentation Griffin finds a way to dye himself in such a way that makes him completely transparent.

Adams: No one really knows. People just seem to see right through him.

Invisibility's Effect on Subject:

Griffin: Griffin realizes a few drawbacks soon after he becomes invisible. Firstly, for him to be truly invisible he cannot wear clothing. Secondly, He has to be careful about eating because until the food becomes digested it can be seen.

Adams: I would say that his invisibility has ripped Keith Adams's heart out, but that's not true lets face it the heart truly has nothing to do with feelings. The heart is an organ which pumps blood to the rest of our bodies. Whenever the first poets gave credit to the heart they could have easily gave that to the lungs or liver. Sure "I love you from the bottom of my lungs" doesn't have the same ring to it but the heart has had millenia to condition us to that. But I digress, it has had no effect on Keith's heart. It has, however, ripped canyons into Keith Adams's very soul.

Reactions to the Effects of Invisibility

Griffin: Whether its has to do with being having his naked body at the mercy of the weather and elements (I mean imagine having to walk around with no shoes. Eventually you'd get over modesty. I don't know a guy in the world who wouldn't be irritable having to walk around naked in the cold knowing what we know about the effects of cold), having to walk around hungry, (Really that'd be such a drag to be sneaking up on something trying to get into some hijinks when all the sudden somebody yells, "Holy crap! There's an partially digested Arby's Classic Roast Beef with curly fries just floating in midair.) or if it had to do with the chemicals he put into himself to make himself invisible, Griffin becomes enraged and develops into a homicidal maniac.

Adams: So far, it may be too early to tell about how Keith finally reacts to invisibility. I'm proud to say that Keith is still his affable, gregarious, caring, etc. self. I don't see anything in his character that would led me to believe that he'll be a homicidal maniac.

Advantage:

So when you break it down head-to-head the advantage in the Battle of Invisible Men, the winner is Keith Adams. If for no other reason than the fact that Keith Adams is not a homicidal maniac.

wOOt! Chalk that up thats one more win for Keith. Bringing his total to...well one.

Okay next up is Foe by JM Coetzee (initials much?) as chosen by A.?. King.

Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the quantum leap accelerator and vanished........

I just finished reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. It took no time at all. It was around 100 pages long/short. The unnamed time traveler travels into the future and find that the human race has evolved into two races.

It made me think, "What if I had a time machine?" Would I go into the future? Would I change the past? I don't think I'd like to know whats in the future. So the past. Often when I'm having a bad day at work I think that I wish I'd never worked at Wal-Mart. So if I had the opportunity do I go back to the Fall of 1997 and stop myself from going to work. I mean, hey, I could have unloaded trucks at UPS or something. Then I realize all the people that I would never have met if I hadn't worked at Wal-Mart and I simply could not trade that for the hopes of being in a better place in life. I think the one thing I'd use it for would be to go back to June 26, 2007 and tell myself, "Go for it, Keith. Just this one time go for it!"

Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy. She'll beat you if she's able.

Just finished The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble as chosen by my cousin Brody. Sadly it has nothing to do with poker or some other assorted card game. It's a story about a 18th century Korean Crown Princess and how a British doctor becomes strangely drawn to her story. The book is essentially divided into two books the first being the memoirs of the Crown Princess and the second being the story of the British doctor experiencing the places where the Crown Princess lived. I wasn't a fan of the "love story" that transpired between Dr. Halliwell and celebrity speaker Jan von Jost, especially since they were both married to other people. One thing that jumped out at me was the narration of the second part of the book. It was creepily voyeuristic.

Next on the docket should be Foe by JM Coetzee as chosen by Amanda King. However since I won't be able to make a trip to the bookstore for at least a few days, I'll go with The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Its rather short so I should be able to take care of it pretty quickly.

Some things they are a-changin'

Okay I've made a few changes the above progress has changed from counting down to actually showing my progress. For instance, as of right now I've read 35 of the 1001 for a 3.4%.

Secondly the list of read books was getting to large and unwieldy (that's what she said) so now I've changed that to a list of the nations of the authors. What can I say? I'm a history/geography nerd.

King Solomon's Mines

Just finished King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. It was a nice adventure story. The only thing I didn't like about it was early in the story there was a scene where the protagonists slaughter a herd of elephants. That didn't sit well with me. I'm just saying.



This story has been made into several movies. I suppose the most famous or rather the one I remember the most is the Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone version from the 1980s. It's interesting that none of the movies seem to go by the book at all. For instance, there was only one female character in the book and they it wouldn't have been Sharon Stone.




Next on the schedule should be The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble. However, he book is in the process of being shipped, and it's not scheduled to be in until Monday. Hopefully it'll be in tomorrow or Saturday but if its not I'll have to go to Keith Adams Contingency Plan 7C, which is pick an e-book to read which will be The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

Adams conquers ignorance!

Well, I have officially finished Ignorance by Milan Kundera. In my opinion a more apt title would have been Nostalgia as that's basically what the story dealt with. It was the story of two Czech emigres who had a momentary meeting before emigrating. They meet 20 years later as they return after the fall of Communism. Kundera's description of nostalgia is interesting as when I think of nostalgia, I think of warm, fuzzy memories that make me feel good. The word nostalgia is formed by the Greek words nostos, for return and algos, for suffering. There was one passage that really sums up a lot of my personal discontent:

"I imagine the feelings of two people meeting again after many years. In the past they spent some time together, and therefore they think they are linked by the same experience, the same recollections. The same recollections? That's where the misunderstanding starts: they don't have the same recollections; each of them retains two or three small scenes from the past, but each has his own; their recollections are not similar; they don't intersect; and even in terms of quantity they are not comparable: one person remembers the other more than he is remembered; first because memory capacity varies among individuals (an explanation that each of them would at least find acceptable), but also (and this is more painful to admit) because they don't hold the same importance for each other. When Irena saw Josef at the airport, she remembered every detail of their long-ago adventure; Josef remembered nothing. From the very first moment their encounter was based on an unjust and revolting inequality."

It absolutely tears me apart that at the end of the day, I'm so utterly forgettable. My ego simply cannot grasp the concept that I'm just not terribly important to people.

So on to the next selection, which will be King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. When I saw this title I automatically thought of Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny Devito. Later I remembered that those movies were Jewel of the Nile and Romancing the Stone and Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone were in King Solomon's Mines which I don't remember as well.

Finally!

BARITONE
Oh friends, not these tones!
Let us raise our voices in more
pleasing and more joyful sounds!

ODE TO JOY (Friedrich Schiller)

BARITONE, QUARTET, AND CHORUS
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

May he who has had the fortune
To gain a true friend
And he who has won a noble wife
Join in our jubilation!

Yes, even if he calls but one soul
His own in all the world.
But he who has failed in this
Must steal away alone and in tears.

All the world's creatures
Draw joy from nature's breast;
Both the good and the evil
Follow her rose-strewn path.

She gave us kisses and wine
And a friend loyal unto death;
She gave lust for life to the lowliest,
And the Cherub stands before God.

TENOR SOLO AND CHORUS
Joyously, as his suns speed
Through Heaven's glorious order,
Hasten, Brothers, on your way,
Exulting as a knight in victory.

CHORUS

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, daughter of Elysium
Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of Gods!,
Daughter of Elysium,
Joy, beatiful spark of Gods!.


I have finally finished The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. WOOT! I'm going to go a little different on my analysis of this than what most folks do. I'm going to look at the justice system of the story. I was surprised at how the 19th century Russian court system worked. In the initial inquiry the prosecutor told Dmitri that he did not have to answer any of his questions. The courtroom scenes weren't that different from our courts.

Another thing I noticed was the judgment of the ladies. This is something I've railed against for years. He stated that the ladies believed that Dmitri was in fact guilty but they hoped he would be acquitted. Now isn't that typical women go after the "bad boys" knowing full well what they are about and then have the unmitigated gall to be shocked when they turn out to be what they knew they were.

Also there was line in the book which I would have to think inspired Spiderman or maybe it was just a coincidence. I can't find it now but its basically "With great power comes great responsibility."

Onward and upward, next on the docket is Ignorance by Milan Kundera as chosen by Sarah Shelton (Keith momentarily faints). The future agenda is as follows:

1) The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble chosen by Brody
2) Foe by JM Coetzee chosen by Amanda K.
3)Atonement by Ia McEwan chosen by Justin
4) King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard chosen by Dana on virtue of her having 82.3% of the comments on this blog
5) The Book of Evidence by John Banville chosen by Matthew

*note: King Solomon's Mines may leap to the front seeing as how I own the e-book version.