My Reading Update: My Reactions to Ray's Book- Part I

Hello my dearest blogger readers,

I would like to share with you my Book-Reading Update. This is Part I To Some Thoughts on my reading of the book Everything and a Kite by Ray Romano.

Monday, Dec. 29th PM--- around 5 or 6-- early evening: I IMed the library reference desk (AIM: westmontrefdesk) to ask if they had this book that I heard about on Ray Romano's website, and after a few minutes (of I guess them searching the library "data base"), they found it, put it on hold for me, and then...

Same Day--- a little bit later: I drove to the library, with my sister (Stefanie) who needed to pick up a book that they had on hold for her, or at least she thought--ended up not getting the book that she had originally asked for (crazy, yeah I know!) I then got it, checked it out, and then after us searching around the movies and such that the library had (hey, its free renting!), we left the library and drove home (since I drove there to the library, Stef' drove back-- see how, two brother-and-sister-drivers share off the driving).

Same Day-even later--closer to 7 or 8 and/or even 9 or 10 PM: later that evening: I sat down in my comfy, circular chair (I forgot the name of it, but its round as a circular), that is in a brown leopard print, and I started reading: 1st the book flap (front and back flaps), then the dedication page, then I scanned the table of Contents page, then the Author's Note (pages ix-x), and then I started this book: with reading chapter 1 ("Nimble-Minded", and then after a quick break (of which I started listening to the Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick episode #590 "Christmas Presents"), I read chapter 2 ("Mom").

Below, are some of my thoughts in reaction to the first two chapters of this book.

-- of what I can recall from reading the first 2 chapters, this book seems to be based upon incidences from Ray's own life, which is also similarly what his stand-up routines are based on. You see I recently, as of a couple of years ago, brought (from the Borders in La Grange-- I remember it visually as it were yesterday) the first stand-up comedy CD from this star of Everybody Loves Raymond, which is called "Ray Romano: Live at Carnegie Hall". So, since I have (not recently as of now, but recently as of a couple of years ago), from both this stand-up comedy CD and watching a behind-the-scenes featurette that was on the last disc of season 1 that showed his Letterman Appearance stand-up routine, am able to recall some of his comedy-- so my reading of the first two chapters of this book, there were many similarities between his stand-up comedy and this book (well, at least the first two chapters).

--But, as Ray says in chapter 2, on page 9, "This book is by no means an autobiography. It's just observations on my life. ..."

--In the first chapter, about (or so) on page 4, he talks about the title of this first chapter"Nimble-Minded", and how he says on page 4, "... a magazine article I had recently read where a reporter described me as a 'nimble-minded comic Ray Romano.'" And how he goes on and says further on page 4, "OK, you ready for this? I had to look up the word 'nimble.' Are you catching the irony in that? He was calling me smart, and yet I was too dumb to understand it."

-- Well, after reading that line (or perhaps after reading the title of this first chapter), I, myself, had to look up that word "nimble." But, unlike, Ray, I had a dictionary in hand, well actually on my computer--as a widget on the dashboard.

--Further down on page 4, Ray says, "I couldn't find a dictionary, so I tried to remember where I'd heard 'nimble' before. The saddest part is the only thing I could think of was the nursery rhyme "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick." So I did some deductive reasoning. 'Well, let's see. 'Nimble' must be related to 'quick.' It couldn't be 'Jack Be Slow, Jack Be Quick.' That wouldn't make sense, even I know that So when he calls me nimble-minded, he must be giving me a compliment." Ray goes on at the end of page 4 to say, "If any magazine writers are reading this and want to compliment me in the future, use words like 'good.'"

--So, from what I can recall from this first chapter, it seems as if I am similar to Ray Romano -- well at least in the sense of having to look up a word as "nimble."

Well, that's about it for now. But, be stay tune to my blog, 'cause I'll be trying to post frequent updates on my reactions and thoughts to this book... and the reason for that is because it keeps you reading, if you are telling other people (well in this sense, blogging to you all) about the book and my reactions. (and did I forget to mention---that I am reading this book for fun?--well, I am! and I think that it will be a FUNny read!

Happy New Year to all of you, and Happy Reading!

 ~Daniel