What are you reading?

O.k. so first I am still alive despite a bombing in Pettah the day after Rachel and I explored the area. My friend Rachel and I had a great time traveling around the island, but I can't talk about that yet as my photos aren't edited and I've been tagged.

That's right, for the first time in the life of this blog, I've been officially tagged. I'm actually excited.

Grizzarkhov has asked me to do the following:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

So I'm currently reading The Omnivores Dilemma.
Page 123 is actually the beginning of chapter eight entitled, "All Flesh is Grass." So here goes:

"We think of grass as soft and hospitable stuff, but once it's been dried in the sun and shredded by machines -- once it's become hay -- grass is sharp enough to draw blood and dusty enough to thicken lungs. I was covered in chaff, my forearms tattooed red with its pinpricks.
The others -- Joel Salatin, whose farm this was; his grown son, Daniel; and two helpers -- had gone off to the barn for something, leaving me with a welcome moment in the pasture to gather myself before we cranked up the baler again."

I'm only about 30 pages into this book, but it is very interesting. Particularly since I lived in the heart of corn country during my distant youth. Who knew I was in the surrounded by the raw material that makes just about everything. I assume on the days the town I lived in (Mt. Zion, just outside of Decatur, Illinois -- the home of ADM) smelled really bad they were making something gross like Chicken McNuggets. I have to admit the days they made corn flakes smelled great.

Side note: In terms of evolution corn is a really interesting case. Corn shouldn't exist right now because it relies on us (I would argue that it also relies on birds because I've seen crows rip open the husks) to propagate. Generally since we don't have standard patterns of behavior we are not a reliable source for propagation assistance. So corn is only still around due to our serious addiction to it. Interesting.

I haven't been able to read much because I've been terribly busy trying to get the more than nine GB of photos edited and this EU proposal written. The proposal went to Italy today, so we are almost there and I'm down to the last three GB of photos. Soon you may here from me about my travels across the island. Oh, with photos.

I'm tagging the following people to tell us what they are reading:

lost in space...or india, or something
Popcorn and Scotch
Jimbo
Jo de Vivre!
Our Serendib

Enjoy folks!