i finished my steve martin book on the subway today. I didn't want to finish. When I reached the last 10 pages, I slowed down, put the book away for 3 days--I wanted to hold on. The last word meant the end, and I wasn't ready. But today, I did it. I ended it. I let something sublime out of my life. I have the memories though, and I'll tell stories about it--but it's done. Perhaps I'll re-read it. Not many people immediately re-read a book they've just finished, do they? They return it to the shelf...read another book...forget about it...miss it...and one day it calls out to them and they pick it up again. but that could take years, if at all.
I'm rambling and leading you into some other piece of my life...and I'd rather not. Instead, I'll share with you one of my favorite bits from Steve's book, The Pleasure of My Company (thanks again, angda.)
The day after the letter was Easter Sunday. It reminded
me that as an adolescent I was primped and combed and
then incarcerated in a wool suit that had the texture of
burrs. I was then dragged to church, where I had to sit
for several hours on a cushionless maple pew in the
suffocating Texas heat. These experiences drained me
of the concept of Jesus as benevolent.
p.s. jay leno just said the funniest thing. "Barack Obama's first order of business will be to pardon Aretha Franklin's hat." ha.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
finished. done.
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1 comment:
Whoo hoo! I'm so glad you finally got to it. Isn't it just a gem? He has such a way with words; his tone is both melancholy and ebullient; his prose is a melange of thoughtful angst and restrained yet ultimate triumph.
I don't know if you remember how quickly I read through it and how much I was in love with it when I gave it to you. The best thing for me when I read a great book is to pass it on so that someone else can share in my joy. Maybe someday it will fall into my hands again, but hopefully along the way it will touch others in the same or perhaps even more profound way.
I also remember that during that trip you recommended Glass Castle to me, and I raged through it in both ecstasy and disgust. It is now in the hands of a friend as well.
I can't say that I have any new revelations to share, other than a bit of self-indulgent trash: I devoured the entire Twilight saga within two weeks. It's badly written, but I am now deeply in love with its main character, Edward Cullen. It's a mental vacay, that's for sure. Try it out, and tell me what you think.
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