She refuses to go to her dentist appointment today. No way to convince her she should. So instead of sitting on a stool in the corner watching while she gets her cavities filled, I have some found time to blog.
I gave a friend the copy of Alice Hoffman’s Ice Queen that I had finished, wondering if he would be as taken with the heroine’s journey as I was. He responded: “I’ve finished The Ice Queen which I thought was a splendid read. Its mythic quality just kept drawing me in, so thoroughly intriguing me that I had to force myself to stop reading so I could absorb and enjoy (and sleep).”
For those who would distastefully dismiss the wisdom of the likes of myth-lovers such as Joseph Campbell and Sheldon Kopp, I suggest that literature that reflects cultural mythologies has been an inspiration to individuals as long as there have been individuals struggling to live satisfying lives. Hoffman is one contemporary writer who intuitively understands the power of myth.
Now, there are other writers out there whom I don’t know but who send me emails about their books. One of the recent notices came from the blogger, Grumpy Old Bookman. In February 2005, the Grumpy Old Bookman was listed by the Guardian as one of the top ten literary blogs worldwide. Well, MIchael Allen, that Grumpy guy, has written a novel that can be downloaded in PDF from the publisher’s site ; it’s scheduled for trade paperback publication later this year. According to Allen, this is what his novel, How and why Lisa’s Dad got to be famous is about:
Harry is a divorced man who has not been able to see his daughter Lisa since she was five years old. But Harry still loves Lisa more than anyone else in the world; and he worries about her future because she was born without a left foot. When Harry is offered the chance to win a million pounds for Lisa, by taking part in a reality-TV show, he immediately accepts. All he has to do is find a woman who is willing to risk her life for him – and he has just three months to do it
If another found hour or few find me, I’ll download and read Allen’s novel and let him know what I think.
Meanwhile, I’m thinking about the marvels of this age of science. This from here:
RESEARCHERS have grown complete urinary bladders in a laboratory and transplanted them into patients, improving their health and achieving the first cultivation of working replacements for failing solid human organs.
The “neo-bladders”, each one grown in a small laboratory container from a pinch of a patient’s own cells, have been working in seven young patients for an average of almost four years, says a report in the British journal The Lancet on Monday.
On the other side of the coin of marvels is our fearless leader, whose assinine actions are fueling the movement for his impeachment.
My current favorite is www.impeachthemotherfucker.com, from which you can get to lots of other related sites, like:
Impeach Bush Coalition
Impeach Bush Tattoo
Impeach Bush Yard Signs
and, most notably, the outlanding article in Harpers, The Case for Impeachment.
Now, there’s a myth in the making.