wiscompton's guide to life

26 January 12

It was like arriving at a concert just as the orchestra had finished, and all that was hanging in the air was the final chords, fading into nothingness.

— Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey, p.287

7 January 12

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Smiles (Taken with Instagram at 750 Riverside Drive)

4 January 12

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Such a display of death—how could it be considered a victory?

— James Dashner, The Maze Runner, p.348

31 December 11

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Skyward (Taken with Instagram at One World Trade Center Freedom Tower)

17 December 11

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The Tree (Taken with Instagram at Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree)

10 December 11

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Saturday in The Park (Taken with Instagram at Central Park - The Ramble)

3 December 11

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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Fun Fact of the Day: Terius Youngdell Nash (aka The-Dream) co-wrote Miriah Carey’s “Touch My Body”, Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine”, Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”, and the entirety of Electrik Red’s album How to Be a Lady: Volume 1.

In his free time, he also managed to release three albums of his own, with “Yamaha” being a standout track on Love King. The song is quite possibly the most perfect fusion of 2000s R&B and 1980s Pop I’ve ever heard, but the album itself crams just about every cliché in the current R&B and Top 40 charts into its 12 tracks. This should come as no surprise after seeing his impressive resumé and realizing he’s had a hand in some of the more significant hits of the past several years, but it does feel a bit like hearing the man behind the curtain say, ”Pay no attention to that curtain.”

1 December 11

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I looked down at the city. Its extravagance felt wasteful, like gushing oil or some other precious thing Bennie was hoarding for himself, using it up so no one else could get any. I thought: If I had a view like this to look down on every day, I would have the energy and inspiration to conquer the world. The trouble is, when you most need such a view, no one gives it to you.

— Jennifer Egan, A Visit From The Goon Squad, p.103

16 November 11

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We live in a world saturated with information. We have virtually unlimited amounts of data at our fingertips at all times, and we’re well versed in the arguments about the dangers of not knowing enough and not doing our homework. But what I have sensed is an enormous frustration with the unexpected costs of knowing too much, being inundated with information. We have come to confuse information with understanding.

— Malcolm Gladwell, Blink, p.264

5 November 11

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A Year In New York

(via TDW)

(h/t Jess Andolina)

2011 Reading Challenge