Weekend Philosophy Purchases

Take me to brunch and I'll order a small salad. Take me to fifth avenue and I'll be content to browse. But take me to Barnes and Noble and prepare for all hell to break loose. And Barnes and Noble is where I somehow ended up twice this weekend...so as you can probably figure, my book hoarding side came out to play. The first time was after seeing the Great Gatsby with my friend (awesome movie btw, I need to read the book so bad now) and being the awkward nerdy fashionista hipsters we are, we ended up spending an hour and a half in the isles of the book store, gushing over the classics and comparing cover designs (that's the publisher's daughter coming out in me). 

My dog is camera shy ;) On my first trip I bought The Prince and Other Writings by Machiavelli. It's part of the Barnes and Noble classics line, which they sell for six dollars; it seems to be a pretty good deal to me, considering the quality is pretty nice. And I like cheap books better than pristine hardcovers; I'm a compulsive hiliter/stickynoter, and I decided to stick with cheapies after a frenzy of hiliting in my first-edition signed Mark Helprin book(ok it deserved it though, I honestly hate that guy's writing) I like the cover design too. They keep it simple but tasteful, and I have a weakness for sage green.

My second trip to Barnes and Noble was just a couple hours ago, when i was driving back from the Cape and Islands sailing tournament (I got a sunburn meh). I managed to lure my mother in with the promise of starbucks, then trapped her in the philosophy section.

(excuse the awkwardly placed pictures of my dog)

Anyways, she caved into buying me this adorable edition called Philosophy; A Graphic Guide to The History of Thinking by Dave Robinson and Judy Groves. It's basically a graphic novel of the history of philosophy, but it presents all the ideas and philosophers in a witty and matter-of-fact way, using speech bubbles to highlight (hi-lite?) main ideas. I wanted just a general guide for reference, which I didn't get with Thirty Second Philosophies  by Barry Loewer. 

The Essential Nietzche WHY IS HIS NAME SO HARD TO SPELL i less bought and more found on my shelf, but i'm excited to read it. I guess I've always been a philosophical person, and it probably just came off as childish curiosity before (Daddy, what if we're all in a dream of someone else?), but since I got into highschool I've defined my interest more, and am trying to read as much as I can on philosophy and religion. My school is definitely very supportive of philosophical thought; it's all about learning how to think, and in junior and senior year there's a mandatory philosophy class. I'll come back with book reviews in due time!

P.S. Something to be explored further in an independent post, but I really hate e-books and amazon. It annoys me to death when my mom says that "We can order that on Amazon for less." Yes, Barnes and Noble may be a giant corporation, but Borders' closing scared me, and I want to support this store as much as I can, because it encourages reading by being placed in spots like malls, where normal people might wander in and buy something. If Barnes and Noble were to close, I think that people, especially my age, would probably read a lot less, since they would be a lot less likely to seek out independent book stores or used book shops. 

Playlist For a Snowy Day

After many fortnights of freezing temperatures but only half-hearted snowy slush, finally, FINALLY, a blizzard has struck my town. Hail the precipitation gods, for they have answered my prayers. My school declared a half-day, but everyone's response to that was pretty much:

So, from what I hear, only like 3% of the student body actually attended. I was part of the 97% who had better things to do. Like get up at one in the afternoon. And eat cheesy eggs. And wear legwarmers.
...and blog.

Anyways, I've been having a pretty darn cozy day, and I've been playing music pretty much continually. I put together a playlist for any one else out there who's sheltering from the cold.

1.) Same Love by Macklemore

My friend introduced this song to me a few days ago at lunch, and I seriously have to try not to cry every time I hear it. I usually hate the idea of listening to songs because of their lyrics, because I always think of all the Taylor Swift fans that are like, Ermahgerd y'all, Taytay totally, like, GETS me, ya know?!?! But this song just has such a good message; it's just so touching and says everything that I would want to say. I'm also really touched by the fact that it's by Macklemore; I wouldn't think the same guy that did Thrift Shop would do this, but that just goes to show how much of a stereotype there is in music. Just listen to the lyrics.

2.) Your Song by Ellie Goulding

I just love the simplicity of this song, the piano, and Ellie's voice. I love the lyrics, too. They seem so natural to me, like someone would really talk. My favorite line is If I was a sculptor, but then again, no. Or a girl who makes potions at a travelling show. This song just makes me feel warm and soothed.

3.) Shiki No Uta by Nujabes

Yes, I realize that I've put this song on my blog three times now, but I honestly listen to it so much I feel like I'm justified in posting it so much. It's such a great song, R.I.P. Jun Seba.

4.) Dirty Laundry by Bitter Sweet

To be honest I was going to put this really good song from an anime on here, but then I realized that people I know might stumble upon my blog and that I wanted to keep a little bit of my dignity, so I used this instead. I still love it. It's so...sleek, sexy, jazzy, I don't know, it has a mood. It's moody! There we go.

5.) Cats On Mars by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts ft. Gabriela Robin

Oh my gosh this song. I literally start giggling for no reason every time I hear this. It makes me feel like a four-year-old again. Just give this song a try. It grows on you like crazy. And the title is just so perfect. It honestly feels like I'm on a planet where everything is made of play-doh and there are cartoon cats everywhere. AKA the best feeling in the world. This song just makes me so happy.