So you want to be famous?

I was talking with a co-worker earlier about some procedures, and what to do in X situation, mostly trying to impart some of my experience on the job, when he came across an official procedures document, that apparently mentioned me in it. Upon examination I found some things I had written when, for lack of a better word, bugging the procedures in the first place. Apparently the people in charge of said procedures and programs, decided to just lift my notes whole and use them. Looking at the document, all my notes showed no bad intentions were in mind when they did so, on the contrary this only enforced a most positive view of me. But what it really did was remind me, that although I've never been the "Cool" or the "Popular" person, I've also been the person most remembered and respected.

The co-worker also enforced this ego by then saying "You're a celebrity and didn't even know it"

My only comment was, "That seems to happen a lot"

I mean, growing up, I'd somehow get my picture in the paper, not as the focus or sole person highlighted in the article, but instead usually with a group of people, or about some project going on. It was rarely with the same people either, but instead it was as if I was riding some human interest wave, from one project to the next. Bouncing between the local newspaper, to the school paper, to the state paper and back. And every time, my name would wind up in the article, and people would notice.

I unconsciously tried side stepping this unintentional "be the story" by joining journalism my last year in high school. I figured, if I wrote the paper, I wouldn't be the paper. Unfortunately, because I didn't concentrate fully on writing, and instead still did a lot of other things my senior year, from founding a NJROTC at my school, to doing a stint as a page for the State House of Representatives, I still ended up in other people's articles. Also of course in an article about the school newspaper, so there was no escaping it there.

Finally I did leave most of the evident very minor celebrity status behind when I went off to college, only to begin a new quasi-very minor celebrity adventure, but having my name show up in the oddest of places, years after I'd left jobs in some cases, because when I left, I usually left a place better, with a bit more understanding, and apparently quite a bit of respect.

Thus, whenever I'm reminded of this unintentional life I lead, I'm glad to know that although I'm not famous as the world knows famous. Instead I'm famous in the way I want to know famous, as the cog that made a difference, and was proud of it

When reading, doesn't enjoy

The fact that you are reading this, means you sometimes read things, not because you enjoy them, but because if you don't read it, you feel you've missed out on something. Not to say that my writing is terrible, just that my blogging has never been terribly consistent. On the other hand, what has brought up this topic isn't blogging, but instead when it comes to reading novels.

Currently, I'm attempting to read a novel, that I will only refer to as "That piece of Crap" or [TPOC] for short. I'm also going to refrain from specifics on the plot, as I am sure that if I discussed it at all, it'd be evident pretty quickly as to what I was reading. All I can say, is that it's science-fiction, it's relatively new, and it's a load of horse manure.

I picked up the novel because it was supposed to be similar to some earlier stories I had enjoyed, although more up to date, and on today's heartbeat. Like other new novelists, the beginning was slow. Fine, I'm used to trudging through a hundred pages to get to the meat of a novel. However in TPOC, I'm half-way done, and I can already tell it's a half-assed merging of three or four other masters of writing, full of plot holes, one-dimensional characters, and a view of the world only an idiot could enjoy. Yet, I still trudge on, with the hopes the author will redeem himself.

My question though, is it worthwhile to finish reading something you consider that atrocious. Especially if you aren't a critic or editor? Or should you continue to give it the benefit of doubt, until you have completed it, then vow to burn the book and never case eyes on the likes of it again?

*UPDATE* Got about two-thirds through the novel and gave it up. Maybe I'll go back and finish it some time, but since then I've found a lot of other books to try that aren't nearly as bad. Also helps I've been enjoying them on a new electronic device, but that's another post far in the future.