Thoughts for the Day

Today has been a rather slow day. Two books came in for me, Teach Yourself Copywriting, 2nd Edition, by J. Jonathan Gabay and The Dreaming Void, a science fiction novel by Peter F. Hamilton. I finished reading Matter by Iain Banks on the train home. It was quite interesting with many nuanced levels of complexity.

I hope to learn a few things from the copywritng book; how to write press releases, choose title lines for articles, and write to sell.

Sometimes, as soon as I am finished reading one book, I start reading the second book. I prefer reading to looking at the other passengers on the train sometimes. The books are often more attractive than the smiling face of your fellow passengers. A lot of people wear sunglasses on the train, I prefer a book or newspaper to shield my eyes.

It is a very slow day today. I sorted some pamphlets, checked around to see if we had enough round footstools for the basement. There were quite a few in odd places. I also spent a decent amount of time on the reference desk. I also planned a little bit on what I was going to do next week, weeding, ordering career books, a business program, and maybe a visit to the local art gallery.

It is one of those days where I am not quite sure what to write about. One of the things I have been thinking about is the concept of what a professional blog is. Some people have complained that my blog does not look particularly polished. One of the goals I have in writing this blog is to learn to use the technology of writing blogs. This means designing my own banners, buttons, and similar things. It also means learning to upload pictures and video files.

I am trying to do all of this myself. This means, it will have a very personalized style. I don't expect everything to look perfect. In fact, that is one of the charms of blogging. You get to see a persons individual style.

Another reason I am reading the book Teach Yourself Copywriting is I am a believer in many cases of anti-consumerism. I believe there is an overemphasis on cheap unhealthful products for people. Some might call this Un-American. I call this a type of alternative thinking. This is one of the reasons I reviewed Debt Is Slavery earlier.

I think there is a thread of marketing and advertising which is not good for people in general. I will read material for consumer self-defense. It is not enough to just read on how to save money, but also how to protect yourself from advertising. Some people become overwhelmed by shopping and it destroys their lives.