Playing catch-up

Gosh, it's a been a while, hasn't it? I do have a few excuses, but it's all procrastination, really (plus ca change). Between the last time I blogged and now I have:

• moved into my lovely new apartment (on a street reminiscent of either Sex and The City, or Sesame Street, depending on your point of view)
  
• discovered my favourite local haunts -South End Buttery; Turtle; Anita Kurl; Butcher Shop; Orinoco; Oishii (and don't even try to triangulate - my landlord has been woefully slow to put my name on the door; not even the pizza man can find me). Yes, I do live in a fabulous neighbourhood (and my 10,000 gay neighbours clearly agree).


• joined a big chorus - first concert at Symphony Hall on Sunday!


• started to meet some great people
  

I have also read a lot of books, moving to new cities where you don't know many people being what it is. Through sheer laziness however I haven't been blogging, so here goes a very brief summation of some of the books that I can remember (I'm sure there are more, but I have a horrendously bad memory for what I've read):

Highs:

''Complications'', Atul Gawande - a layman's guide to medical ethics which entirely changed my perspective on the role of doctors; simultaneously reassuring and deeply troubling.

''The God Delusion'', Richard Dawkins - Conclusion: yep, I'm an athiest. Thanks for reminding me why. (Note, I am more than aware of the holes in the argument, but they're my holes, and I'm happy with them)

''One Big Damn Puzzler'', John Harding - incursion of Westernisation on a remote Pacific Island; for some reason, this kind of stuff floats my boat (forgive the pun)

''Mountains Beyond Mountains'', Tracy Kidder - challenging account of the work of a young Harvard doctor with an unconventional approach to healthcare in the developing world, with a rather bizarre twist involving Roald Dahl.

Lows:

''Oh the Glory of It All'', Sean Wilsey - tedious, and even more so when I discovered it's a true account.

''Special Topics in Calmamity Physics'', Marisha Pessl - wanted to like it, sure I'm in the target audience, but strangely unaffecting.

''Absurdistan'', Gary Shteyngart - after 3 attempts at reading the first chapter, I gave up.

This time of year will forever be ''back to school'' time (will I ever stop saying 'school night'?), so here's a go at a fresh start. I shall buy a new pencil case and buy a set square in anticipation.