Well, it looks like I have a few readers. I hope I can keep you interested.

Today is auspicious. A wonderful day. Make each day as awesome as you can. Each day added to the next, together make life. If each day is awesome then life will be awesome. Easy peasy. Reviewing my 2014 Aspirations and Commitments today, looks like many are on track. Writing has been good. It helps me remember and gives me goals to shoot for. Without writing I’d forget what goals I had and would not know if I was on course or not.

It has been one year since I challenged myself to read 52 books in 52 weeks. I didn’t make it. I only read 34. For me that is something. For some of you, this is a mere pittance and I should be ashamed to call myself a reader! I can do better. So this year I will repeat. April 1 to April 1 I’ll read 52 books. I noticed early in the past year I was focusing my reading on one book at a time and doing quite well keeping up with my goal. Later in the year I started reading 3 and 4 books at a time and got stalled. I’m going to try reading just one book at a time and see how it goes.

Here is a list of the books I read last year. I can recommend all of them except where noted. I was hoping some pattern would emerge from the books I read but I can’t see it.

Cold Mountain by Han-shan translated by Burton Watson - Zen poetry
Buddhism without Beliefs by Stephen Batchlor - Zen
Mortality by Christopher Hitchens - Philosophy
The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg - Psycology 4 out of 10
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn - Fiction
Broken Music by Sting - Memoir
The Fault of our Stars by John Green - Fiction Tear jerker
The Chocolate Cake Sutra by Geri Larkin - Zen
War Dances by Alexie Sherman - Fiction
The Gifts of Imperfection by Bren Brown - Self Help
Cooked by Michael Pollan - Natural History
Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland - Art Appreciation 10 out of 10
On Being Certain by Robert Burton - Life changing 10 out of 10
As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh by Susan Sontag - Memoir
Strangers to Ourselves by Tim Wilson - Philosophy 10 out of 10
A Skeptics Guide to the Mind by Robert Burton - First book better
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
The Dip by Seth Godin - Inspirational as usual for Seth
By Hand and Eye by George Walker and Jim Tolpin 5 out of 10
James Krenov's "A Cabinetmaker's Notebook"
The Five Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward Burger & Michael Starbird
James Krenov's "The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking"
Touching A Nerve, The Self As Brain by Patricia Churchland (Audible)
Thereby Hangs a Tail: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn -Audible
Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean (Audible)
David Pye’s book The Nature and Art of Workmanship
Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson (Audible Real wowo at the end)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide, by Douglas Adams
You are now less dumb by David McRaerdey
The Pre History of the Far Side. by Gary Lason
Why we make thing and why it matters by Peter Korn (10 out of 10) January
Transmitting the light - translated by Francis Cook February 1, 2014
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin by David Quammen
This is a Happy Marriage by Ann Pratchett Short story

This week in the shop I plan on:

finishing the welding cart that will support my welder
starting on the cutting board as fine furniture for Becky
get business card printed
slowly start the “Shop"