I finished Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. It took me 6 chapters to get into it, but once I got the bait, I was hooked. It's another excellent suggestion from one of my best friends, barbarino. I continue to be amazed with his taste and how he consistently suggests great content for my brain. Having Mike as a friend is a guilty pleasure. I'll miss him more than most when I leave the bay area.
I admit, I like the main character, Casey, a lot. I like her dislike for trademarks. I admit, I identify with that characteristic, though not to the level she goes to. It is a rare day when you see me wearing any kind of logo gear and if I am, it is most likely because I got it at a clothing swap. I don't like aligning myself with a certain look or brand, but I don't usually go to the point of obliterating any trademark.
I read a lot. Sometimes, if a book is especially good, I read the end of the book shortly after I've started it. Sometimes it is the last sentence, last paragraph. With pattern reco, it was the last page and a half. I like to know how it's going to end. I find that with most books, knowing the end doesn't matter. It peaks my interest in the characters more. How are they going to get from where they are now to that endpage position? The way the story unfolds is part of the pleasure of reading. The story is important too. So to me, knowing the end is one part of the equation. In algebra, you've got a place to start from, the end of the equation, and some parts in the middle. You find out the missing part by placing the other parts of the equation against (in juxtaposition) to other parts. It's the journey, not the destination.
We all know our final destination. It's death. Our death. Complete and utter obliteration from the world we have created, crafted and lived in. Complete obliteration of our personality as we have known, explored and enhanced. Knowing your end, that you are going to die, does it change anything you do today?
Unlike a book, where you can turn to the last page (say 356) and read the end and know it is the end of the book, death can come at 15, 32, 45 or 92. We don't know when our last page. Like the living story, each page could be the last one. The story doesn't have to have a conclusion, or it might. The journey is the destination. Whether it is a trip around the world or around the block is really of no matter, it's personal preference.