Time After Time

Among my many enemies (the can opener, my 4th grade bully, the hairbrush, humidity), time is the worst. There's never enough of it when you need it, and too much when you have no way to occupy yourself.

I was lent the book "The Time Traveler's Wife" recently, a book that reading the back alone would have never propelled me to turn a page. The back describes an "unconvential love story" about two people who struggle with the changes of time, especially since one travels back and forth. Lame right?

Well, the beginning I was still kind of worrisome. I mean, imagine meeting your future spouse when you are 6 and they are 40. That is just, well messed up (for lack of a more eloquent word choice). It does improve, and come in full circle when the couple are married and he starts his visiting his current wife during her childhood.

Now the main themes of this book I didn't really like. That whole, love enduring time kind of fluff just doesn't grab me. But I loved the Chicago backdrop and being able to understand the locations of everyone. And what I like about the idea of time traveling was the realistic twist the author added to it; time traveling as a genetic disorder verses some magical power.

"I thought free will had to do with sin." p. 75, Probably my favorite quote in the book. It presents an interesting idea that I never have given much thought, of free will being closely tied to sin. I diagree with that idea for several reasons. Under our free will, we sin, but we also do so many good things that really balance out our bad. But then again, everyone has a different idea for what "sinning" is considered.

"I mean, to me things seem to random and meaningless for there to be a God." p. 76, I think this is a good sentence, because it's a really good description of how an atheist/agonstic views religion. I remember when I first started questioning things, it didn't make sense to me that if this so-called God was so great, why there were so many things wrong with the world (according to Christians). This is obviously a post for another time, so I will just say, the world is too imperfect for a God.

"My vast powers of observation have led me to the conclusion that whatever remains when you have eliminated the impossible, is the truth, no matter how impossible." p.87, I really just love this quote. I think its so beautiful.

"Praise means nothing...only criticism can flush her cheeks and catch her attention." p.216, What I like about this quote is that I really relate to it. Praise is wonderful, but it's forgetable and meaningless to a degree. In the end, if you get praise, it means you didn't fuck up. Whereas criticism is a wonderful thing. I have learned more from my mistakes and critiques then from anything else. A criticism is a gift in disguise.