I’m reading Richard Mckenna’s “The Sand Pebbles” and also Garrison Keillor’s “Lake Wobegon Days” to do something a bit like rekinddling a love for a story again. There is something to be said of both books where a transformation within the characters occurs, and to be at that place, that moment and wanting to ride out the rest of that story to follow is something of…if not a treat which it isn’t always, it is at least moving. What is the magic that can up and disappear as a fart in the hot tub or linger on like the best glass of wine?
The Sand Pebbles seeeks to recount in fiction the exploits of a man serving in the twenties overseas in china along with the tails of that area’s time moving towards a red revolution far later yes, but until then, the hopes not yet dead that it might goa more glorious way. within this backdrop is the life of a sailor who up until this point moves forever away from ship to ship to find a home where he can be alone thus asleep in his soul only to , and trust me if you cant guess about the easily telegraphable awaking to purpose that is a’comin’ you just don’t want to know about stories or them lofty maybe points of how perhaps ben nevis is the lowest highest peak as moxy fruvous sung of. It isn’t surprising to spoil the book not further by telling you it is in the perfect anwe of the best of Chinese Literature where it just isn’t going to go as one might disney expect. do I already know this, yes. have I cheated and read excerpts ruining key facets of the tale? yes. Will I stomach the rest of the book like so much are we there yet length and weight of words?…we’ll see. the best stories are worth repeating even when we know the answer.
Garrison keillor was worth the ninety-nine cents at the Goodwill. I know I’m going to hell as I didn’t pick up this book where the author would directly benefit from the sale. I also feel chagrined knowing goodwill is a for profit thrift store so while they may help those in need, the do so at a first profit of their own needs and thus I’m not really benefiting someone of moral deservedness nor uplifting the notions of anything remotely theological. but that is the joy of reading Garrison Keillor! I can muse upon what I know knowing the imperfections of the reality and also imagine again and forever the magic. Magic of what can be. Within the tale is a young man on his way to a life… I was originally led to believe that Garrison waited til after his family were grown to embark on a personal mission of stardom so to speak in radio. Bubkiss, I forget there is a lie we want to believe in entertainment. and I am shocked I fell for it! 😉 I’m not surprised that the distrust of higher learning seperates a person from much of the life that was before not so much in what we do but how we put forth our energies and also our ability to process what does and doesn’t arrive. I’m the same person for instance I always have been since nearly white haired three beaming in hair color alone to the world what a sunshiney place this is yay… okay so 35 some years later I’m far more depressed about what really happened than I’d like to admit yet hey, I’m still here 😀 I still can beam like sunshine …I just happen to know a LOT more words. now back to mr keillor, the book really does cover the set up of a dream or idyll which for him was minnesotan, mine was of another town…however much further from god. the bliss so far is how well the punishment of poetry and bad jokes so dryly delivered I really have to remind myself often to a studdering jolt. wait a minute! this is fiction. the experience isn’t but there is more than a little tinsel ribbon of bullshit to these words.
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all the magic health moment was unfortunately short-lived as I have needed far more sleep lately again the feeling dinner snuck up on me is also there. I will of course get some more peanuts and pray and then after them damn potiions and powders again boo.
I have all the stuff for a ” RE CON” stew as in beef jerky, peppered of course, dried minced garlic as fresh as damn that 6 a small bottle cost…I know I know I only need fifty cents or so’s worth but still ding ding ding ouch, and a bag of black fungus or mushrooms….dried. I should get after it but I’m like tired as you note above.
I would like to tell you I enjoyed my breakfast of tea and lemon meringue pie. I need to get to the tea 😉 I’ll let you know bugger that there is no more room for pie as in processing ooomph internally I like the notion of tea and pie 😀 I mean that I like it a lot.
it’s officially hot to me out as in the sun is a hammer and I the anvil. talk about feeling way too used too fast going out even if it’s magic spring coming summer.
I originally started to say these things so I could adorn a few lines of poetry, but now? not prose ribboning poetry but poetry peppering prose… let time has come to season.
Books of shade and whispers
tell me of what could and should be
now to squint from the sun.
time said remember when
my years just pages further in
only it ends the same
well, it’s officially the twenty-eighth of May and my year anniversary lists upon the third of june….or less than a week away. I’m pretty much one year into working again after five years no such real luck. I’m ten years in nearly to this diagnosis diabetes and thus around 16x lbs it’s safe to say that I’ve left fifty pounds elsewhere and they aint coming back. I still like to read and stay inside but picked up smoking cigarettes so I get a shot at sunlight 😉 – now that’s a bad habit….haha sunlight of course! I’m currently reminded that in this life I am blind enough not so that I’ll be critical of others which I would be if I could just see 😉 but that there’s just enough salvation within the blu…my perceptions outward and those of others looking my way 😀 I don’t really have to do anything and thus I’ll happily note it’s near enough afternoon and I’ve a fine cold beer I can get to with the book readin.
the latest thing is I hear I should have more outward confidence. please understand I have a fairly solid internal core as in I’m not a stranger to struggling to get the me out there and the mine back from the world… but blind I may be yet it’s the sharpest whisper that says I’m not in any hurry to be a testicular asshole about coonfience displayed as such a word is also mistaken easily for arrogance and further confidence is best not dropped on the toes like a big heavy safe. I would like now to wink and just say I’m well aware of how full of shit others are and keep getting more enlightened all the time 😀 happy reading.