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As is often the case, I spent the majority of the weekend in the kitchen or in front of the barbecue grill. Apart from the customary ribs and corn-on-the-cob, I also made up a giant batch of butterscotch syrup for a neighborhood waffle breakfast (Thanks for the recipe, Amy!) and an asparagus ribbon salad using a great recipe from the kitchn. The rest of my long weekend was spent with family, friends, and over 5,000 runners. Back in February, I was assigned to travel to South Korea for work. I was less than excited about the prospect of traveling during the middle of the semester, and knowing what I was up against as far as the assignment was concerned did nothing to diminish my misgivings, not to mention the fact that the only word of Korean I knew was “annyeong.” However, since I was the only one in my group who was able to travel at the time, I tried to make the best of it and enjoy the trip as much as possible.  Statue of Sejong in Gwanghwamun Square
First of all, the story is told from the perspective of a dog as he observes the joys and trials in the life of his owner, a mechanic and professional driver. For those who don’t like novels with talking animals, this isn’t of of those. The dog, Enzo, never actually speaks. In fact, he acknowledges that he will never be able to speak because of his canine handicap. To mark the first official day of summer on Tuesday, I made a blueberry-strawberry pie. Actually, I baked a blueberry-strawberry pie because I had fresh blueberries and strawberries on hand, but we’re going to stick with the solstice story for now. In either case, it turned out pretty well. Right, roommies?  Sorry for the mediocre photo - my camera is still in a moving box somewhere. Here are the extracurricular books that I’ve managed to read in the last 12 months: A Thread of Grace 6/10 – I don’t delve too much into historical fiction. Though well written, I felt that Russell was trying to orchestrate too many characters simultaneously and failed to produce a coherent plot. Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War 8/10 – Solid, well written piece on the fall of the Berlin Wall. As I was still in grade school when these events took place, it was refreshing to get a better (if one-sided) analysis of the events leading up to the fall of the USSR. Zeitoun 8/10 – Having been first exposed to Egger’s writing in What Is The What, I found this novel based on the events that followed Hurricane Katrina to be an excellent insight into some of the biases and theories that were present in New Orleans following the disaster. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope 8/10 – The inspiring true story ofa young man who builds a wind turbine to help his family and community. The Help 9/10 – Definitely the best book I read this year. A beautifully composed novel that illustrates the racial tensions in the South leading up to the civil rights movement while focusing on the compassion and strength of the average individual during this period. |
Devon Knowles I currently work in Bangkok, Thailand as an analyst for a US-based company. When I'm not crunching numbers or fighting traffic, I enjoy cycling, cooking, and even a little modern literature. My background is in computer science, which shows in my enthusiasm for Android development.
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© 2012 Devon Cutler Knowles |
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