Thursday, February 03, 2005
Civic Duty
The 200 thread count of my pillow was too much of a temptation last night. I know I should have been sitting, preferably anaesthesized, in the front of the boob tube watching the boob deliver the state of the union speech. I just couldn't do it. I raised the white flag on tv-watching last night and retired to a night of reading and snoring.
For Christmas, we'd given my youngest a copy of Miriam Toews' A Complicated Kindness. It was gifted based on a recommendation by Whisky Prajer (I've mentioned Whisky Prajer on a few previous entries...if you STILL haven't gone there, at least once, well..well...I guess you've been too busy poring over the speeches of our current Great Communicator residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.). The book, the 4th (I believe, but don't quote me) and latest from Manitoban Ms. Toews won the 2004 Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction(a highly prestigous book award north of the bordeer).
What a great title! What else is kindness between family members but complicated?
Before wrapping the book, I had gently (oh, so gently) parted the pages of the hardback to pore over the first chapter. As you've probably experienced yourself,this is tough going; you read 3/4 of a sentence and then interpolate the balance. Aside from keeping that "new Book" smell, it was imperative to keep that "new book" sound, the !!crack!! just before you initially delve into the sea of words.
So, yes, my daughter did receive the book and, yes, that was me lurking outside her door last night with larceny in my heart. While she was off studying, the book, on light fingers, made it to my bedstand. While I'm sure English was being mangled on all of the major channels last night in a way that drove AP English teachers to search for their heart medications, I was ensconced comfortably with "A Complicated Kindness". It's a slow read, a comfortable read. I'd finish a chapter and then immediately thumb back and read it again. Toews' writing is exquisite, perhaps not as poetic as Michael Ondaatje's or as humorous/striking as Jonathan Safran Foer's, but it entices one to do some serious re-reading. Her voice is unique, her eye is just a tilt off center, and her touch is soothing.
I weighed the pollution of my mind with bogus promises and lies v. my civic duty of watching the SOTU. Then I remembered Tip O'Neill's comment about "All politics being local". What can be more local than Philly? What can be more politically charged than this Sunday's Philly v Boston sports match-up? It was dereleiction of civic duty time.
Now, while English is mangled daily on WIP Radio in Philly, there is humor, personality, and, well yes, a complete lack of decorum. No blather about "Agents of Freedom". No secracy. No close-minded Q & A times. Host Angelo Cataldi, who bears more than a striking resemblance to Dr. Frankenstein's monster, and his crew do some dishing and they get dished. It's mainly local and it certainly kareens into the politic. For those members of Congress hoping for re-election, a stop @ WIP-Radio is a necessity. Even for the local officals,
like Mayor Street, even an accidental radio appearance is unavoidable. So, my next four years' attention will be focused on the local. Denial is the first step in eliminating the depression of November, 2004. The next four years of our national administration are like the weather, pointless to talk or fret about because it's impossible to affect either. Why converse about something so joyless?
This Sunday will certainly be local. Turn on the tv. Mute the sound. Tune into 94.1 WYSP-FM for Merrill Reese and Mike Quick.
No predictions on the game, but it should be a great one. Freddy Mitchell will have his bell rung a few times for the effusive commentating he's been doing the last couple of weeks. Westbrook will hopefully not get hammered too many times. And the Iggles will, cross fingers and toes, pull a victory out at the end. A victory would be nice, very nice for Philly. A positive event to warm the soul until November 2008. E - A - G - L - E - S !!
The 200 thread count of my pillow was too much of a temptation last night. I know I should have been sitting, preferably anaesthesized, in the front of the boob tube watching the boob deliver the state of the union speech. I just couldn't do it. I raised the white flag on tv-watching last night and retired to a night of reading and snoring.
For Christmas, we'd given my youngest a copy of Miriam Toews' A Complicated Kindness. It was gifted based on a recommendation by Whisky Prajer (I've mentioned Whisky Prajer on a few previous entries...if you STILL haven't gone there, at least once, well..well...I guess you've been too busy poring over the speeches of our current Great Communicator residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.). The book, the 4th (I believe, but don't quote me) and latest from Manitoban Ms. Toews won the 2004 Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction(a highly prestigous book award north of the bordeer).
What a great title! What else is kindness between family members but complicated?
Before wrapping the book, I had gently (oh, so gently) parted the pages of the hardback to pore over the first chapter. As you've probably experienced yourself,this is tough going; you read 3/4 of a sentence and then interpolate the balance. Aside from keeping that "new Book" smell, it was imperative to keep that "new book" sound, the !!crack!! just before you initially delve into the sea of words.
So, yes, my daughter did receive the book and, yes, that was me lurking outside her door last night with larceny in my heart. While she was off studying, the book, on light fingers, made it to my bedstand. While I'm sure English was being mangled on all of the major channels last night in a way that drove AP English teachers to search for their heart medications, I was ensconced comfortably with "A Complicated Kindness". It's a slow read, a comfortable read. I'd finish a chapter and then immediately thumb back and read it again. Toews' writing is exquisite, perhaps not as poetic as Michael Ondaatje's or as humorous/striking as Jonathan Safran Foer's, but it entices one to do some serious re-reading. Her voice is unique, her eye is just a tilt off center, and her touch is soothing.
I weighed the pollution of my mind with bogus promises and lies v. my civic duty of watching the SOTU. Then I remembered Tip O'Neill's comment about "All politics being local". What can be more local than Philly? What can be more politically charged than this Sunday's Philly v Boston sports match-up? It was dereleiction of civic duty time.
Now, while English is mangled daily on WIP Radio in Philly, there is humor, personality, and, well yes, a complete lack of decorum. No blather about "Agents of Freedom". No secracy. No close-minded Q & A times. Host Angelo Cataldi, who bears more than a striking resemblance to Dr. Frankenstein's monster, and his crew do some dishing and they get dished. It's mainly local and it certainly kareens into the politic. For those members of Congress hoping for re-election, a stop @ WIP-Radio is a necessity. Even for the local officals,
like Mayor Street, even an accidental radio appearance is unavoidable. So, my next four years' attention will be focused on the local. Denial is the first step in eliminating the depression of November, 2004. The next four years of our national administration are like the weather, pointless to talk or fret about because it's impossible to affect either. Why converse about something so joyless?
This Sunday will certainly be local. Turn on the tv. Mute the sound. Tune into 94.1 WYSP-FM for Merrill Reese and Mike Quick.
No predictions on the game, but it should be a great one. Freddy Mitchell will have his bell rung a few times for the effusive commentating he's been doing the last couple of weeks. Westbrook will hopefully not get hammered too many times. And the Iggles will, cross fingers and toes, pull a victory out at the end. A victory would be nice, very nice for Philly. A positive event to warm the soul until November 2008. E - A - G - L - E - S !!
Comments:
<< Home Verging on Pertinence Just some more disposable thoughts clogging up the hinterlands
It looks like my former classmate has cast her narrative spell on you! Nice to see!
Here's an odd coincidence: most of my first three years of life were spent in Philly, where my father attended seminary. I'm not much of a sports fan, but if I happen to be watching anything in which a Philadelphia team is playing, that's who I cheer for. Except for hockey - it's hard to forget the Broad Street Bullies!
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Here's an odd coincidence: most of my first three years of life were spent in Philly, where my father attended seminary. I'm not much of a sports fan, but if I happen to be watching anything in which a Philadelphia team is playing, that's who I cheer for. Except for hockey - it's hard to forget the Broad Street Bullies!
<< Home Verging on Pertinence Just some more disposable thoughts clogging up the hinterlands
