Missing my first Superbowl :(

Cindysphinx

Cindysphinx

G.O.A.T.
Man, I am in a funk.

I am in a book club. In fact, it is a couples book club. The presence of both genders makes the book club discussions and selections pretty awesome -- because it is not All Chicks All The Time, the group picks books that appeal to folks like me who don't enjoy Chick Books.

Anyway, it is our turn to host the dinner and book discussion. Many members of the group travel, so we try to pick a date when most people can attend.

This particular book club meeting is on Feb. 6, the only time when folks were available. Yeah. Super Bowl Sunday. At 7:00. Which means I will miss the whole Superbowl.

As I sit here, I cannot think of a single Superbowl I have missed. I really enjoy the Superbowl, whether I am by myself or with a group. Why, I am one of the few people who actually saw Janet Jackson's mammary pop out and said, my mouth full of chips, "I think I just saw her boob."

Pity me, people. Pity me.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go finish the book in question. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I am on page 850, with 90 pages left to go. Like I said, the group *usually* picks satisfying books. Me, I have not been thrilled with pages 1-850. :(

Cindy -- who decided to churn through this book no matter what just so she could say that Anna Karenina is the longest book she has ever read
 
Simply make up some relationships or symbology between the book and the bowl and tune in for examples.

Otherwise, cough cough, you may be getting sick that day?
 
Cindysphinx said:
Pity me, people. Pity me.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go finish the book in question. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I am on page 850, with 90 pages left to go. Like I said, the group *usually* picks satisfying books. Me, I have not been thrilled with pages 1-850. :(
Click to expand...

Pity you? I'd trade places with you in a second.

As and aside, I much prefer "reading" books like this "Books on Tape" style. The actors that read these books are wonderful. I feel I get much more out of the book this way and it is much more enjoyable as well. I "read" (re-read) Karenina in the past 12 months this way. It is a wonderful book. Tolstoy is probably my favorite author. Nobody writes as well as he does. His insights are probably on even par with Shakespeare. These are books well worth reading multiple times (and at different stages in your personal life). You always get something new out of it
 
Last edited:
r2473 said:
Pity you? I'd trade places with you in a second.

As and aside, I much prefer "reading" books like this "Books on Tape" style. The actors that read these books are wonderful. I feel I get much more out of the book this way and it is much more enjoyable as well. I "read" (re-read) Karenina in the past 12 months this way. It is a wonderful book. Tolstoy is probably my favorite author. Nobody writes as well as he does. His insights are probably on even par with Shakespeare. These are books well worth reading multiple times (and at different stages in your personal life). You always get something new out of it
Click to expand...

Ahem.

I don't like the way Tolstoy writes. Yes, Anna's hand is little. I got it the first time, and I got it the hundredth time Tolstoy said it.

I also think Tolstoy is a huge tease. He throws things out there (Vronsky has money problems), and then nothing much comes of it.

Do not get me started on the anticlimactic scene where Anna goes out into society. The huge slap in the face I was anticipating turned out to be that some lady said one sentence to her. That's it? That's all ya got? Come *on!* How about a little drama? I'm working awfully hard to distinguish all of these Russian names? Can I get one good bar brawl for my trouble?

And Kitty's birth scene? Nicely done. On page 800. Is anything going to come of Levin's mixed feelings about the child? I don't see it happening before I get to the end.

I am a non-fiction type of person, so I guess I will take pride and satisfaction in just having finished the book. 'Cause I was ready to give up at about page 250.

Cindy -- who thinks it isn't fair that you're not allowed to diss certain authors without everyone concluding that you're just a lightweight
 
By the way, I will again recommend that any of you married folks consider starting a couples book club. The things we have read are awesome.

I was in a women's book club some years before we joined this one, and there is no comparison. The women's book club read Books Of Interest To Women. Like "The Red Tent." And some stuff by Barbara Kingsolver. Blech.
 
If you have seen the Kurt Russell/Robin Williams movie, "The Best of Times" I think you see what has to be done. >>>>>
Have everyone facing one direction and place a TV behind a chair or couch so only you can see it and that way you can watch the game while no one else knows it.
 
I'll be honest, I much preferred War and Peace to Anna Karenina.

My wife is in a book club and a few of the husbands attend as well. From what I can tell, only half of the people actually read the book (if that). They also read books I'm not really interested in. But, they all say that they do like having a few men present instead of just all women.

She has hosted it a few times. From what I could tell, little time was spent discussing the book.
 
Opposite here, I may actually see it this year. I have often been travelling back from skiing in Utah on Super Bowl Sunday. I believe we hit it 3 out of 4 years at one point
 
If there are men in that book club and none of them objected to holding the meeting on Super Bowl night, they need to turn in their man card. :)
 
I usually don't read books (Tennis Channel consumes my leisure time). But yesterday I was sitting in the pro shop waiting for a long time for our matches to begin. Tennis Channel was showing a rerun of the men's final and true to tradition, the teaching pro changed the channel to men's basketball (and people wonder why tennis is not more popular in the US).

A large pile of Corina Morariu's autobio (Living thru the racquet) was lying around (and has been for a long time as it did not sell). Being a cheap person, I read thru the entire book in an hour and then did not buy it.

Nice observations about Davenport and Gimelstob in the book. And how her first husband was her coach, 11 years older than her, and hit on her when she was 15.
 
JustBob said:
If there are men in that book club and none of them objected to holding the meeting on Super Bowl night, they need to turn in their man card. :)
Click to expand...

Correction - if they are in a book club in the first place, they need to turn in their man card.

I am just kidding and I am an avid reader. All of the book clubs I know of are exclusively female though.
 
ok, so what exactly is the purpose of a 'book club'? I mean I read books too, but isn't that the point that a book has one meaning for me and possibly another for you - so we are going to convince one another whose interpretation is better?
(it's not a facetious question)
 
jmnk said:
ok, so what exactly is the purpose of a 'book club'? I mean I read books too, but isn't that the point that a book has one meaning for me and possibly another for you - so we are going to convince one another whose interpretation is better?
(it's not a facetious question)
Click to expand...

You have answered your own question. Whether a book or film club, the purpose is to discuss different interpretations. Obviously, if there was only one interpretation possible, there would be no need for discussion or a club. :)
 
I'm certain that plenty of other people in your club are in that whole conundrum.

Why not consider some honesty?

"We should cancel the book club meeting for the super bowl."

Unless they're PAYING you to host this event and certain that no one else in the club cares about the super bowl (which with a male presence in it as well, i HIGHLY doubt that).

But its all on your terms, and having not known your club or involvement or what they think of u, all i can think is "f**k em, i'd rather watch the SB."

What i'm saying feels too simple to really be like that, so there must be something else going on thats making this conundrum pretty complicated.

Or allocate one room for the bookies, and another for the Super Bowl, and let the group decide.

If its on your terms, leverage what you got.
 
Last edited:
jmnk said:
ok, so what exactly is the purpose of a 'book club'? I mean I read books too, but isn't that the point that a book has one meaning for me and possibly another for you - so we are going to convince one another whose interpretation is better?
(it's not a facetious question)
Click to expand...

I don't know about the purpose of the book club, but I can tell you what they do for me.

First, our discussions tend to be pretty interesting, as folks tend to bring props and other things having to do with the book. We discussed a book set in the Arab world, and one of the women brought her burkas. She had bought a few on trips to the region, so the women tried them on. These were the full-on, head-to-toe variety with only the eyes visible. How these women get around without tripping over their own feet I will never know.

As for the books, we wind up reading things that we wouldn't otherwise choose. That alone has value. I am forced to read fiction, and the fiction people are forced to read non-fiction. To pick new books, each person nominates 2-3 books and pitches for them, and then we have a secret ballot to pick the next year's books.

As I said, we are stuck with Superbowl Sunday to accommodate the schedules of the people who travel a lot. There is one other male member who is bummed to be missing the Superbowl.
 
Cindysphinx said:
I don't know about the purpose of the book club, but I can tell you what they do for me.

First, our discussions tend to be pretty interesting, as folks tend to bring props and other things having to do with the book. We discussed a book set in the Arab world, and one of the women brought her burkas. She had bought a few on trips to the region, so the women tried them on. These were the full-on, head-to-toe variety with only the eyes visible. How these women get around without tripping over their own feet I will never know.

As for the books, we wind up reading things that we wouldn't otherwise choose. That alone has value. I am forced to read fiction, and the fiction people are forced to read non-fiction. To pick new books, each person nominates 2-3 books and pitches for them, and then we have a secret ballot to pick the next year's books.

As I said, we are stuck with Superbowl Sunday to accommodate the schedules of the people who travel a lot. There is one other male member who is bummed to be missing the Superbowl.
Click to expand...

Is it just me? I can’t seem to picture a guy who is a regular member of a book club and an avid Super Bowl fan.
 
Cindysphinx said:
Why would you assume sports fans to be illiterate? Why can't a person enjoy sports and reading/discussion?
Click to expand...

I didn't mean it that way. It seems to me, an avid sports fan in its truest sense and a regular book club member are from two opposite ends of the spectrum, personality wise.
 
Nastenka!...Nastenka!

tricky said:
How about a book club brunch meet???
Click to expand...
^^^^^^^^^
What's wrong with that idea Cindy? Or, if "doomed love" was the theme de jour, then maybe Doestoevsky's short story "White Nights" as the required reading and knocking it off during the halftime show? ;-)
 
I'd wear a radio or put it in another room and then go there every now and then and check the scores lol send a different person every time :)
 
A brunch meeting might work, but we've never done that before.

What could work is combining the two events. Hold the book club meeting at 5. Then those who want to stick around to watch the game could do so -- which would be everyone.

That's a looooong evening, though . . . .
 
Aw, geez. Be careful what you wish for, eh?

I sent out an e-mail to the group setting the event for dinnertime as always. I got a phone call from one guy. He said he hadn't initially been that interested in the game, but now that Green Bay is involved he wants to see it.

So the new plan is that everyone is coming over well before the game for the book discussion. I will serve appetizers. Then we retire to the basement to watch the first half. Then I serve the dinner. Then we retire to the basement to watch the second half. Then I serve the dessert.

So now I will have guests for at least six straight hours, and I still won't get to enjoy the game. :(
 
Cindysphinx said:
Aw, geez. Be careful what you wish for, eh?

I sent out an e-mail to the group setting the event for dinnertime as always. I got a phone call from one guy. He said he hadn't initially been that interested in the game, but now that Green Bay is involved he wants to see it.

So the new plan is that everyone is coming over well before the game for the book discussion. I will serve appetizers. Then we retire to the basement to watch the first half. Then I serve the dinner. Then we retire to the basement to watch the second half. Then I serve the dessert.

So now I will have guests for at least six straight hours, and I still won't get to enjoy the game. :(
Click to expand...
I think you're making it too hard. That's not how people eat on Super Sunday. Just get a bunch of sliced turkey, corned beef, potato rolls, mustard, mayo, chips, salsa, etc. Keep it casual and fun. Invite people to eat whenever they feel hungry and they'll enjoy this more than sitting down to a formal dinner, Oh yeah, have plenty of beer and wine, and no one will complain.
 
Steady Eddy said:
I think you're making it too hard. That's not how people eat on Super Sunday. Just get a bunch of sliced turkey, corned beef, potato rolls, mustard, mayo, chips, salsa, etc. Keep it casual and fun. Invite people to eat whenever they feel hungry and they'll enjoy this more than sitting down to a formal dinner, Oh yeah, have plenty of beer and wine, and no one will complain.
Click to expand...

Mmm, nope. I proposed that. No go. Instead, I will be preparing a few Russian-inspired dishes. One will be fish. One will be beets. I swear, I am not making this up.

It was not my idea to serve fish or beets. I was going to make chili, which I could make the day before and reheat.

And now because everyone will be in the basement, I have to get the basement clean and warm. This will not be easy.

How did this get so darn out of control?
 
Cindysphinx said:
Mmm, nope. I proposed that. No go. Instead, I will be preparing a few Russian-inspired dishes. One will be fish. One will be beets. I swear, I am not making this up.

It was not my idea to serve fish or beets. I was going to make chili, which I could make the day before and reheat.

And now because everyone will be in the basement, I have to get the basement clean and warm. This will not be easy.

How did this get so darn out of control?
Click to expand...

Wait, this shindig is at your house and you can't choose what to serve? The only thing Russian about the gathering should be the vodka. What a bizarre turn of events.
 
It sounds to me like you let it get out of control, just lay the law down and make the chili. When they get there telll them you didnt have time to prepare the meal and enjoy the game. You want to enjoy the game also and if they dont like that they can walk thier little yuppie rumps out the door.

Its obvious you live a different lifestyle than myself. With your reading books and meeting and talking about them and whatnot. If it was me I would say F those inconsiderate A-holes.

What has been tradition for me and Superbowl is to go to frinds dads house. We usally buy 5lb of steamed shrimp, 5lb of old bay seasoned wings, and he makes a huge pot of crab chowder. We BS, eat food, and watch the game.
 
@Cindysphinx: is it me or you don't really enjoy these book club gatherings too much .....? Not that I would either...
 
Cindysphinx said:
Mmm, nope. I proposed that. No go. Instead, I will be preparing a few Russian-inspired dishes. One will be fish. One will be beets. I swear, I am not making this up.

It was not my idea to serve fish or beets. I was going to make chili, which I could make the day before and reheat.

And now because everyone will be in the basement, I have to get the basement clean and warm. This will not be easy.

How did this get so darn out of control?
Click to expand...
Really? You offered chili and they said "no"? Who are these people? They're not in a restaurant. And then it's at the same time as the Super Bowl to boot! That's different.
 
JustBob said:
If there are men in that book club and none of them objected to holding the meeting on Super Bowl night, they need to turn in their man card. :)
Click to expand...


Exactly! They must be Patriots fans. I guess they're still mad about them losing and decided to boycott the rest of the football season.
 
Cindysphinx said:
Anyway, it is our turn to host the dinner and book discussion. Many members of the group travel, so we try to pick a date when most people can attend.

This particular book club meeting is on Feb. 6, the only time when folks were available. Yeah. Super Bowl Sunday. At 7:00. Which means I will miss the whole Superbowl.
Click to expand...

A whole group of people agreed that holding the book club meeting during the super bowl was a good idea? Understanding this is like trying to understand the mindset at Jonestown...

Cindysphinx said:
Do not get me started on the anticlimactic scene where Anna goes out into society. The huge slap in the face I was anticipating turned out to be that some lady said one sentence to her. That's it? That's all ya got? Come *on!* How about a little drama? I'm working awfully hard to distinguish all of these Russian names? Can I get one good bar brawl for my trouble?

And Kitty's birth scene? Nicely done. On page 800. Is anything going to come of Levin's mixed feelings about the child? I don't see it happening before I get to the end.

I am a non-fiction type of person, so I guess I will take pride and satisfaction in just having finished the book. 'Cause I was ready to give up at about page 250.
Click to expand...

I gave up on page 200 myself. So watch the spoilers in case I try to read it again!

Anna Karenina, and recently, "Far from the Madding Crowd" are the only 2 books I either didn't finish or didn't abandon within the first 20 pages. Both were that rare example of good enough for me to stick with it for a long while, but ultimately not compelling enough to stay the full course.

r2473 said:
I'll be honest, I much preferred War and Peace
Click to expand...
Good book. Could have been fleshed out a little, a bit longer. It skimped on some details. And I'm not kidding.
 
Last edited:
Heycal, I did finish the book last night. I had an incredible surge of elation at the end, but I don't think it was because of the book. It was probably the same feeling of euphoria climbers feel when they summit Mt. Everest.

Yeah, I like the book club meetings. They are fun, as these folks are fun, worldy and creative. I have never once missed a meeting, and we've been doing this for several years. I learn a lot -- I wasn't a liberal arts major, so this is all an adventure for me. I just find the hosting responsibilities to be somewhat overwhelming.

Anyway, one lady is bringing caviar, and another is bringing champagne. Another is bringing a mink coat. Very Russian, don't you think?

And by next week it will be over and I won't have to host again until the fall, probably . . .

Cindy -- whose husband just told her he is going out of town tomorrow and so won't be able to do much to get the house ready
 
Cindysphinx said:
Heycal, I did finish the book last night. I had an incredible surge of elation at the end, but I don't think it was because of the book. It was probably the same feeling of euphoria climbers feel when they summit Mt. Everest.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Maybe I'll pick it up again someday. I do know that when I finally finished "Moby Dick", I didn't feel any sense of Everest-like elation, but rather a feeling of "Gee, that was 3 years of my life I'll never get back..."
 
What time is the actual kick-off? Meaning the time when someone's toe will touch a football around mid-field?

Googling it gives me 6:30 EST, but is that the phony, bogus start time the network gives, or is the real start time?

Heycal, I feel your pain. I think the only real benefit of having finished that book is that I will now have a better shot if I appear on a trivia game show someday.

It's funny how once you read a classic book you suddenly start hearing the occasional reference to it, and then you get these references that would otherwise fly over your head.
 
Cindysphinx said:
Heycal, I feel your pain. I think the only real benefit of having finished that book is that I will now have a better shot if I appear on a trivia game show someday.
Click to expand...

A book like this is only worth reading if you get something out of it.......or are at least entertained.

As neither is the case, perhaps you are in the wrong book club. The group you are with chooses books that don't interest you. They make the meeting inconvenient for you, plan times that conflict with your real interests (which they do not seem to share for the most part), and force meal plans on you that are not what you want.

If I were you, I would seriously think about dropping out of the club and finding one that suits you better. It is supposed to be an enjoyable activity, not a painful one.
 
Cindysphinx said:
Man, I am in a funk.

I am in a book club. In fact, it is a couples book club. The presence of both genders makes the book club discussions and selections pretty awesome -- because it is not All Chicks All The Time, the group picks books that appeal to folks like me who don't enjoy Chick Books.

Anyway, it is our turn to host the dinner and book discussion. Many members of the group travel, so we try to pick a date when most people can attend.

This particular book club meeting is on Feb. 6, the only time when folks were available. Yeah. Super Bowl Sunday. At 7:00. Which means I will miss the whole Superbowl.

As I sit here, I cannot think of a single Superbowl I have missed. I really enjoy the Superbowl, whether I am by myself or with a group. Why, I am one of the few people who actually saw Janet Jackson's mammary pop out and said, my mouth full of chips, "I think I just saw her boob."

Pity me, people. Pity me.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go finish the book in question. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I am on page 850, with 90 pages left to go. Like I said, the group *usually* picks satisfying books. Me, I have not been thrilled with pages 1-850. :(

Cindy -- who decided to churn through this book no matter what just so she could say that Anna Karenina is the longest book she has ever read
Click to expand...

Anna karenina is an excellent book; surprised to hear your remarks. Have you read Middlemarch by George Eliot? I'm assuming your group's been through Jane Austen; she's popular.

Also, for fun, and since it's a couples thing, consider Gabriel Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.
 
max said:
Anna karenina is an excellent book; surprised to hear your remarks. Have you read Middlemarch by George Eliot? I'm assuming your group's been through Jane Austen; she's popular.

Also, for fun, and since it's a couples thing, consider Gabriel Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Click to expand...

I always preferred In Evil Hour, but perhaps just because i read it first
 
The club does not often pick especially long books or classics. We've read Seabiscuit. Life of Pi. A non-fiction book about vehicle traffic. Non-fiction about the explorer Magellan. Several novels about life in the Middle East. A book about a doctor working with the poor in Haiti. Kiss of the Spider Woman. It is usually a good mix.

That's why Anna Karenina felt like such a departure.

Cindy -- who is about to start Laura Hillenbrand's newest non-fiction book
 
Cindysphinx said:
The club does not often pick especially long books or classics. We've read Seabiscuit. Life of Pi. A non-fiction book about vehicle traffic. Non-fiction about the explorer Magellan. Several novels about life in the Middle East. A book about a doctor working with the poor in Haiti...
Click to expand...

Whoa! Suddenly Anna Karenina seems like a lucky break for you all.

Who picks these stinkers?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Lleytonstation
  • Poll Poll
Which book would you read? Rafa? Fed? Djoker?
Replies
36
Views
3K
BeatlesFan
BeatlesFan
B
  • Locked
Chat with Barton
170 171 172
Replies
9K
Views
195K
Zara
Zara
KineticChain
Here on my tennis court
Replies
9
Views
692
Sentinel
Sentinel
ultralinear
Tumble on down
Replies
3
Views
78
Zara
Zara
K
Federer responds to Boom Boom ''Becker really has no idea''
2
Replies
58
Views
8K
Gary Duane
Gary Duane
Back
Top