Anyway, it was a fun exercise and I got to read something I normally wouldn't have (which is one of the points of this book club), and now it's on to The Two Towers! Just in time for the movie....
By the by, here's the current list of books we'll be reading, just sos ya know:
A rather impressive list, if I do say so myself. Or, at the very least, an ambitious list. We have talked about revising it a little to make it a bit more accessible. We may substitute Maus for Gravity's Rainbow. We'll see.
I finally added that story I mentioned many a moon ago: "Down-Time." Check it out here.
Speaking of term limits, I am happy to say that those of us who believe that our democratic system already has a built-in term limit system (it's called voting people) upheld the Idaho's legislature term limits repeal (called Proposition 2 here). Though I despise that the Republican-held legislature repealed an initiative that the majority of Idahoans voted for (and one that most, if not all, of the Republican office holders campaigned for, that is, until it came time to own up to the fact that their time in office was over), I still can't bring myself to agree with the concept.
A small consolation to the fact that Idaho is still one of the most politically conservative states in the Union is that my county, Latah, is the most Democratic in Idaho. It is a political oasis in Idaho, and one of the few reasons I don't pack up and leave for more left-leaning climes.
Never mind the waste of money (all the stuff was bought within a week of us putting them out), it's the waste of the items themselves. The clandestine idiots didn't even take the stakes that kept the items in the ground, so basically, they're just fucking with us. How cool of them. How pranksterish. Dumbasses.
A bit of good luck: my wife wanted to put out some other items at the same time, but I convinced her it wouldn't be a good idea as they are electrical and might short out if we got some rain. We'll put those out the day of Halloween.
I have my suspicions as to who the culprits are, but I can't prove anything. If anything else disappears, however, I think I'll be calling the police and sharing my thoughts.
Back in '88 or '89 I was given this little pocket knife by a coworker and I've pretty much kept it in my pant pockets since then—at work, at home, pretty much everywhere—and it's come in handy many times.
But then last spring I lost it. I had it in my pocket and at the time I thought that when I pulled my keys out of my pocket the knife got pulled out as well. A few weeks later, after I had resigned to the idea that my knife was gone, I bought another one. It was far inferior to my original, but I often have a need for a small knife. In fact, last weekend, I thought I had lost that knife as well.
Then, the other day, while looking for my stereo remote (of all things), I checked under the couch (it's a hide-a-bed) and voila! there was my old knife. Oh, sweet reunion.
I'm being very careful now. I'm not keeping it in my pocket, except when I think I'll need it, so I guess I'm a little knife-shy....
When all of this started I listened intently to hear the reasons the little Bush thought we should go kill a bunch of Iraqis and Americans alike. But nothing new came out of his puckered little mouth. He did, however, employ an oft used parenting technique: repetition. "We must initiate regime change!" "Saddam is bad!" RepeatRepeatRepeat. (And don't get me started on "regime change." Why can't we call it for what it is: eliminating a head of state?) Perhaps he thinks that if he says it enough that we'll all agree with him. Fortunately, this doesn't appear to be happening. Democrats and Republicans alike all across the country aren't ready to shove Johnny out the door to be fitted for a pine box, not without good reason anyway, and we've yet to get that from W.
All a lot of us are asking for is some evidence so that we can support this hawkish position that Bush the junior keeps reiterating. If there is some evidence that can't come to light for national security reasons, that's fine, but give us something, anything other than your word for it. If the stakes are so high, shouldn't the President be making the case, rather than merely paying it lip service?
Speaking of television, here's what I watch (when I should be writing or reading . . .):
You know, I'll let you in on a little secret: For the most part, I really don't care all that much about having every I dotted and every T crossed. This is a dangerous admission, considering my background and current job. It probably has more to do with my lack of encyclopedic knowledge of all the Rules than anything else. That, and age. Some things seem a whole lot less important now than they did, say, ten years ago. If they confiscate my EMM (English Major Membership) card, I'll let you know. :-D
Working on posting a selection from my MFA thesis, Alter Ego. It'll be a story called "Down-Time" (that is, if I can get the formatting right).
A few weeks back I bought Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant. I'm big on the superheroes and I like Grant's work from the Batman comic some years ago, but this book is not as well written as some of his comics. Of course, he is trying to write somewhat for the superhero-uneducated audience so there's a lot of "catch up" going on, i.e., quick exposition on who the Batman is and how he came to be. And since this book features the members of the Justice League, there's a whole lot of exposition. Still, it's not too bad and a quick read.
One of these days I'll provide a list of all the books that are currently sitting on my "To Read" shelf.
Hmm. This Rant page seems to be developing along thematic lines. I had some great conversations today at work about reading and writing and a possible book club. I've never taken part in a book club (though I have many semesters experience with literature and creative writing classes) and I find the prospect stimulating. To speak of words and characters and themes again. . . . Exciting!
At the risk of demeaning any sentiment implied above, am I the only one who can't stand to listen to the President speak? (I know, old news, right?) Every time I hear him say "tearrr" my eyes flash green, my body convulses as the grammar radiation courses through my frail body, and I become the Great Grammarian and "terror!" spills forth from my lips. Ugh. You'd think the leader of the free world could get any member of the Toastmasters to help him out. . . .