Do Two Things Count as a "Hodgepodge?"

I guess I can't confidently say I know what the hell a hodgepodge is. This post might qualify as such.

First:
I've never considered myself a reader. I don't read, like in the Love Connection sense when stupid bitches in six-second clips rattle off vote-grabbing hobbies like scuba-diving, cats, and reading. Just shut up. I've got something you can snorkle. And cats aren't hobbies--kitties, however, are. No, your hobbies are proportionately big hair and shoulder pads.

Anway, like I said: I don't read. This goes against all writerly logic since the equation goes: We, as writers, should read more than or equal to how much we write. The amount of materials-read catches up pretty quick to materials-written during a semester without workshop. Distance closes the more our professors call us out. Since that blessed challenge, I've strapped one on and learned to read all over again--yes, read in that Aussie Hairsprayed-bangs Love Connection sort of way.

Since then, I hammered out Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, About a Boy, The Lovely Bones, and Vernon God Little. Just for Terry's class. I'm not bragging--especially since all twenty-ish of us did the same thing. I don't know about them, but I never thought I'd do it. Not all of it. If they thought I'd do it, what in our history together made them think I'd be capable of doing that? (I love vague Owen Wilson quotes.)

I was all page-turning-too-fast-to-fergodsakes through Fuller.

I "read" Hornby last year. I read it this year.

I did 175 of Sebold in one day. The time spent traveling home from Iowa in a van listening to RT's jazz band helped, but it didn't require me to finish the last hondo once I got home and slipped into Nathan's unmentionables.

I "read" Veron fucken God fucken Little--as Vern might say--last year. I read it this year. 200 pages to-fucken-night. Just now, since 9pm. Boo yah, bitches. OK, so it's 3:45am now, having taken me 6-ish hours for two-hondo. My current MSN display name: "I May Read Slow, But I Read 200 Pages."


Next:
When Patrick was here this weekend he brought me treats in the form of disc'd mp3s--which is much better for me than lousy audio discs. My ROM dates back to ROMe and barely works anymore. It's nice to drag-n-drop-load into iTunes. What? A CD burner in my machine? Ha. Why would a guy with 71gig have a CD burner? It's not that I'm selfish; it's that I'm so stuck in 2000.

Assume these are immediate additions to the never-ending-recommended-list (never-ending because I just may never finish it).

The Treats:
*Interpol - Antics (My fave of the litter.)
*System of a Downed - Hypnotize and Mezmerize (I could be wrong, but I don't think Hypnotize is even released yet. Pat?)
*Arcade Fire - Funeral (Haven't gotten around to this one yet. Interpol has been that impressive.)
*Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (Haven't gotten around to it yet either.)
*Casanatra - Primo Impacto advance (Unreal Mpls. RAUGHK! Can't wait for the full release.)
*Kayne West - Late Registration (Git down, Girl. Go'on 'head git down. Git down, girl. Go'on 'head git down.)
*Radiohead - Me and This Army (Radiohead classics mashed up with emcees--all remixed by DJ Panzah Zandahz).
*Ugly Duckling - Bang for the Buck (Haven't gotten to it yet.)
*Nujabes (Fat John) - Samurai Champloo Soundtrack (If you haven't seen Samurai Champloo yet, I guess you hate yourself and the Japanese.)

Mace...out.