  I feel like a schmuck,  but I finally have to admit it:  I gave in on a book that I was reading. nbsp;  It sucks,  because I was inspired to read it and parts of it were interesting and enlightening,
 and I really wanted to get something meaningful out of it,  both for the sake of the purpose of the book and so that I could really cement my connection with the person who suggested it to me. nbsp;  & nbsp;  The only explanation that I can give is that it's just too much to deal with at this point.
nbsp;  That sounds ridiculous in a way given the topic of the book and what it could mean to me,  but sometimes even something is too much. nbsp;  And I know that the person who recommended it wasn't saying that it was guaranteed to work [ generically]
 or even that& nbsp; it was all that likely to work for me. nbsp;  But I just& nbsp;
so wanted & nbsp;  it to work,  and immediately . nbsp;  Prehaps that was my problem?
nbsp;  A marked lack of patience for letting the process occur naturally? nbsp;  & nbsp;  There were two unforgettable things&
nbsp; in the book ( OK,  two things that I got out of the 2 chapters that I did read) nbsp;  First,
 the concept of " swing" in rowing,  the athlete's idea of zone is referred to as " swing"  where you let the boat do what the boat does and just stay out of its way.
nbsp;  If you& nbsp; struggle and make a huge effort& nbsp; to make the boat go fast,
 you get in the boat's way and end up working at cross- purposes and you go slower and actually have to work harder to do it. nbsp;  But if you swing,  you're working with the boat,  with the current,
 with with with with.  and it happens because all of those elements want it to happen. nbsp;  How excellent would it be to achieve swing in one's own life?  & nbsp;
 And the other thing that I got out of that book? nbsp;  Lacerations and contusions. nbsp;  It was narcolepsy on paper! nbsp;
 I have made it through several years of advanced education in some subjects that are fucking dull without falling asleep while reading. nbsp;  How could I have read an entire year of Torts and stayed awake throughout,  but not managed to remain conscious through even a section,  much less a chapter,  of this book?
nbsp;  I can't fathom it. nbsp;  I literally did not read this book even once without falling asleep. nbsp;  I had it checked out from another library since May.
nbsp;  I renewed it so many times that I eventually couldn't do it anymore in my capacity as " patron" I had to do it at work from the admin.  side. nbsp;
 I waived two overdue fines. nbsp;  Overdues! nbsp;  ME! nbsp;
 And finally I just had to return it because it felt like it was taunting me. nbsp;  " Think you're so smart,  so on top of things,  prissy bitch?
nbsp;  Ha! nbsp;  You can't even read me! nbsp;  OK,
 it wasn't really that bad,  but the thing annoyed me so much that I had to make it go away. nbsp;  & nbsp;  I will read it.
nbsp;  Someday. nbsp;  I swear- I can't let a book get the last laugh.  &
nbsp;  So. nbsp;  My review of urlLink Getting Things Done:  The Art of Stress- Free Productivity &
nbsp; by urlLink David Allen & nbsp; is rather incomplete,  but pretty much heartfelt. nbsp;
 I hope to link back to this post someday with& nbsp; a second and final version of my review,  having read the whole thing.  & nbsp;
 I'll add this last paragraph as a sort of balm to my ego. nbsp;  I recently ( while planning the new blog template)  read three blogging books. nbsp;
 I didn't review them because I hadn't read every word of each one,  and I think that my reviews do imply that the target books have been read thoroughly. nbsp;  However,  I think it's worthwhile to share what I got out of them. nbsp;
 urlLink The weblog handbook :  practical advice on creating and maintaining your blog & nbsp; by urlLink Rebecca Blood provided a great deal of background information on the history of blogging,  the culture of bloggers,  and the etiquette and appropriateness of blog behavior.
nbsp;  urlLink We blog :  publishing online with Weblogs by urlLink Paul Bausch ,  urlLink Matthew Haughey ,  and& nbsp;
 urlLink Meg Hourihan & nbsp; is more practical and less textbook sociological,  offering a reasonable amount of HTML assistance intermingled with what could almost be termed a defense of the blog culture. nbsp;  Finally,
 urlLink Blogging :  genius strategies for instant Web content & nbsp; by urlLink Biz Stone brought it all together. nbsp;  It was exactly what I'd been looking for when I picked up the three books,
 and I wish I'd started with it rather than reading it last. nbsp;  Yes,  it included the history and meaning of blogging. nbsp;  And it was chock full of cautions against the nasty stuff that people do on their blogs without thinking about it first (
tons of which I've done and later regretted it- why doesn't anyone tell you that stuff before you start,  rather than when you're simply looking to change your template? nbsp;  But what makes this book invaluable is that it gives,  in the most idiot-
friendly manner,  absolutely complicated,  cool,  totally- customizable formatting advice that anyone could follow. nbsp;
 HTML and CSS. nbsp;  And an explanation of why each is valuable at different times,  in different ways,  for different people. nbsp;
 & nbsp;  So. nbsp;  If you want to learn more about why you're blogging,  or if you want to do it better,
 or if you already know a lot but want to know more,  Stone's book will help. nbsp;  And it's damned funny,  too. nbsp;
 Highly recommended. nbsp;  ( The others are at least a Recommend,  but if you buy Stone,  I'd just check the others out from your local library.
