Why Does It Feel LIke I'm Back at School (Even Though I'm Not)?

BACK TO SCHOOL
It strange because every time September rolls around, I feel like I have to prepare myself to head back to school. I have no idea why since I've been out of school for quite a while now, but I can't seem to stop myself from thinking "Oh crap, Labour Day is coming up, maybe I should get some new school supplies and clothes."

Huh?

I actually was pretty fond of the new stuff at the beginning of the year. I can't tell you how many pencil crayons I have as a result of my elementary - junior high days. It didn't matter if I still had supplies from the previous year. I had to have a brand new set, brand new eraser, brand new pencils (that's right - no computers back then).

Occasionally, as I walk by these Back-to-School sales, I'll catch myself staring covetously at pencil crayons, brand new, all neatly lined up in their pristine plastic packages. I don't even use pencil crayons anyway since I'm a black and white kind of girl. Whatever the reason for my urge to "school it", I also hold it entirely responsible for my "I forgot to study for my exams" nightmares.

ADDING COLOUR TO MY LIFE
I should go to Michael's and buy some paint instead of shiny new pencil crayons. I'm thinking of introducing some red in my black and white world. I also have to figure out how I'm going to store the rusted metal sheets my uncle has so kindly salvaged for me for a project I've been thinking about.

It's times like these I wish I had a magical interior that would accommodate all storage requirements. Wouldn't that be handy? A black hole storage room? Then again, if it's anything like my purse, I would never find what I would need. It's hard enough trying to keep my life organized enough so I can do what I want to...when I want to. Needless to say, I'm not that organized.

BOOK LIST FOR SEPTEMBER THUS FAR
I seem to be running out of books to read for a little while. Kind of broke, so it's not like I can just go out and buy a book when I want to. I'm also trying to be a little more picky about what I'm picking up these days since the space on my shelves are rather limited. Thus far, I haven't read any novels, only graphic novels. I'm thinking I need a break from sci fi & fantasy and may need to pick up a mystery book or two.

Eden: It's an Endless World Vol. 1 - 12 (ongoing)
by Hiroki Endo

Hmmm...how can I explain Eden. The first book of this series I read, I found myself a little disappointed and a little confused. The story starts off about a young boy and girl, and their dying mentor isolated on an island where the entire population had been wiped out by a strange virus that causes the human body to harden into a shell and the internal organs to deteriorate into liquid mush. Yummy.

I never read the synopsis of this series, so perhaps my misguided assumptions allowed me to think that this was going to be one of those "Oh man, we're the only two people left in the world who are healthy - we have to re-populate the world with our offspring." Ick.

It really isn't like that at all. It's more like "Oh shit, 15% of the world was wiped out by this stupid virus, and we still can't seem to stop fighting each other". The novels are filled with continual bouts of graphic (haha) violence (more so than your average comic book) and periodically random hard core comedic porn (I'm really not kidding - so don't try and read it while you're at work), and a revolving door of characters where as soon as you're introduced to them, they're either gunned down, mutilated, or blown up.

I can't even compare this to a Sin City type of comic, which relishes in blood, sex, and violence but in an surreal sort of way. Eden is filled with characters and human behavior disturbingly grounded in reality if the world was at war, filled with drugs, disease, and poverty, any country, any race, any religion. Oh wait. Isn't that where we are?

Okay, okay...so there is a very distinctive science fiction flair to this story. I forgot to mention robotic suits, cyborgs, AIs, and robots, but strangely enough...we may not even be all that far away from that in our world today are we with technology rapidly developing at the rate it is? We don't have a virus that changes humans into cognitive crystal...but hey, gotta stretch things a LITTLE...

If I dig through all the violence of the story line, there is the fascinating struggle for the characters to find happiness in what they view as a very bleak and brutal world. The jury is still out on Eden. I'm obviously finding it interesting enough to continue reading, yet as I'm reading it, I'm not actually sure if I'm enjoying it. Definitely not something I would recommend to just anyone - if you have sensitive views or opinions, it's best to steer away from this one.