Walden? Perhaps a Trip to the Northeast By Way of Book

Starting to read Walden and some other writings by Thoreau. So far, a few bits and pieces that strike me in a right-like fashion.

"Why should they begin digging their graves as soon as they are born?"

"By a seeming fate, commonly called necessity, they are employed, as it says in an old book, laying up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt and thieves break through and steal. It is a fool's life"

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity."

"Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind"

"There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers."

"To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically."

I'm drawn in on this one. Not quite as much so reading "On Human Understanding" by John Locke. This one will take a bit of time, methinks (unless it starts to get more interesting then the first few books have made it out to be). Also currently reading The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker. Very interesting thus far, and a great follow up after re-reading Jack Copeland's Artificial Intelligence. And to top all of that off, I'm shimmying through Leaves of Grass a few verses at a time (I've had the book for 3 years now, and haven't so much as picked it up, but it provides some nice short bursts to interject between the longer bits of the above). Four books at once, which I haven't done in awhile. Also upcoming:

Bertrand Russell and Alfred Whitehead, Prinicipia Mathematica (to *56)
Ian Glynn, An Anatomy of Thought
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essential Writings

and, if I can find a copy:

Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols

In conjunction, I'm also slightly interested in getting some biographical information about the various authors (especially Thoreau at this point). Which all likely starts at work with some ferocious wikipedia-ing.

New apartment coming soon. Perhaps the new location can provide some additional focus.

As for the new place, it's just a hop skip and a jump away from my current location. The apartment is in the basement of a house, that has been sectioned off as a duplex. My portion of the house includes a large living room (with wood stove, amazing lighting, wood paneling), a smallish kitchen (nothing spectacular, but should suit my needs), a smallish bed room, access to non-coin-op laundry facilities, and (the real kicker) a sauna and hot tub, with a glass partition looking out on the living room. I am joyously awaiting mid-winter reading sessions by the wood stove, and post ultimate weekends in the hot tub. Need to start looking at stereo systems and means of getting speakers installed in the hot tub/sauna area. Once settled, methinks the environs will be cozy enough (hopefully not so cozy as to make me a recluse).