The Odyssey, Theogony, Life, the Universe, and Everything

“The Guide says that there is an art to flying...or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Life, the Universe and Everything

Phew! It's been awhile since my last post. Labor Day weekend was wonderfully busy, and included an enormously successful surprise party for one of the coolest cat's in Austin, TX: Lance Schriner.

In the meantime, I've been reading up a storm.

What have I read?

The Odyssey (The Samuel Butler Prose Translation)

Theogony and Works and Days (Oxford World's Classics)

And

Life, the Universe and Everything


Let's start with The Odyssey shall we?

The first thing I noticed about this work as compared to  The Iliad was that it is a more mature work. Both the storytelling and the presented culture have developed beyond the brute force of the first text.

We see the main hero revered not due to his physical prowess (though this is in no way lacking), but rather his cunning and wisdom. I don't mean to say physical prowess has no place, rather that it is most useful when guided by sound reason and intellect.

We also see a more focused story that is significantly easier to read. The focus has narrowed from the epic sweep of the siege of Troy to a single family's reunion. Instead of flitting all over the battlefied from one line to the next, we are led through the story by three main characters: Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope. I suspect this narrowed focus, along with the fantastical monsters and adventures, has much to do with The Odyssey's popularity over The Iliad. That, and the darn battle scenes would drag on and on in the latter.

Much like The Epic of Gilgamesh , The Odyssey tells the tale of one man's journey through the underworld and back to life. Early in the book, after the introduction of Telemachus, we see Odysseus arrive in Scherie. Scherie acts as a sort of purgatory between the underworld, where Odysseus has been having his wild adventures, and the world of the living.

Odysseus' recounting of his adventures is similar to the Egyptian questioning of the dead. If his account pleases the Phaeacians, he will return to Ithaca and his family. If it does not...

The undertone that rang throughout the entire work was the Joseph Campbell monomyth of a hero's journey through the underworld followed by his return to the "real" world where he is a savior. Obviously, Campbell would have analyzed The Odyssey in the formulation of his theories, so this makes sense.


Theogony and Works and Days is a very different work. Dare I say, a less entertaining one?

Okay, so what's up with that?

Theogony is the formal documentation of the origin of the God's and this world which they created.It comes down to a long series of begats interspersed with wonderful little tales.

For a quick run down: there are three generations of god's. The First generation is Chaos, Earth, Sky, etc. The basics of the world.

The second generation is more commonly known as the Titans. The Titans did not really get along so well with the first generation.

And the third generation is the gods we know and love from Hercules, Fantasia,and other childhood whimsies (Kevin Sorbo & Lucy Lawless anyone?)


Okay, okay, I didn't like Theogony or Works and Days (a sort of handbook to daily life and pleasing the gods), but there must be something to take away from it, right?

There are two messages that I took from these works.

The first is that out beyond what humans experience, there is a world of order. This world we experience is all part of a very intentional plan. In other words, life is not meaningless. (This is something that I suspect humans have struggled with since the dawn of time, all the way up to when I was trying to wake up this morning).

The second is that though there is this divine order to the world, humans are inherently incapable of witnessing the plan, much less comprehending it. Yes, the gods are anthropomorphic. But they are not human. They are pure; they are better than human. They are the freaking gods!


I'm going to forgo quotes this time around. I think perhaps they are arbitrarily lengthening these entries without adding any real substance. If you want them to come back (they're in my kindle), then please leave a comment. If they're helpful to anyone, then I'll certainly post them up.

Up next, we've got selections from the Hebrew Bible. I only speak English at the moment, but in keeping with the classic literature motif, I'm going to go with: The Holy Bible: Authorized King James Version.

I have never read the bible, and I will not be reading it for any religious purposes. We're going to be looking at it from a purely literary perspective. Hopefully we find some interesting stuff; and hopefully we can keep the religion part of it in perspective.

Until next time...

The Egyptian Book of the Dead and Other Fancy Stuff.

In this past week, I read The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead. In a rather timely coincidence, my wife and I also watched Cleopatra.

Somehow I was able to squeeze in some Douglas Adams with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Without any further ado, lets jump right into The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Wow this book is pretty. The pictures were great, if a bit irrelevant to the text at times.

Dr. Ramses Saleem takes us through the Papyrus of Hunefer as well as some portions of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. His translations were very readable, if his conclusions seems a bit, how should I put it, Westernized. What especially bothered me about that was his insistence that it was the Westerners who had muddle everything.

But, perhaps my experience with Bob Brier's work is tainting me a bit to the opposite end of the spectrum. I don't know. Let's just say that Dr. Saleem's views on some things (particularly polytheism vs. monotheism in Ancient Egypt) don't work for me.

Where does that leave us?

Why don't we start with what the heck the Egyptian Book of the Dead even is. It isn't really a book per se. Back in the heroic days of Archaeology, there was much more adventure and much less science to the whole venture. The Egyptian Book of the Dead is really just a mish-mash of texts found in various tombs. They appear to detail the process through which a soul must go before being resurrected into their new life.

Note, that we're talking about resurrection - not reincarnation.

My understanding is that the Egyptians believed that after death, they would get up and go in the next world. It rather reminds me of "The Further" from Insidious: A world that surrounds our own, is within our own, and that we cannot see. Sort of a parallel universe, but that sounds a bit too sci-fi for our purposes here.

This book wasn't in my kindle, so we're going to have to wade through my little post-it scraps from each page. I just can't bring myself to write in actual books, much less books owned by the library.

• Book of Dead = Book of Life
• In a sense, the Book of the Dead is more about life. It is about the life after this one. The life eternal. Since this life is finite, and the next one is infinite, it only makes sense that we should devote our time to ensuring that our next one is as good as it can be. 
• "Did the deceased embrace life enough to be able to live again in death? Did the deceased develop a strong enough character to continue his or her personality...Did the deceased make the words of truth a reality in everyday life by practicing them?"
• Does this remind you of anything? It reminds me of the 10 commandments. They are the questions asked a soul after it has died. The answers to these questions influence what happens next. 
• It's interesting that the Jewish faith (and it's descendants) utilize commandments sent from God. Could those have been inspired by these questions? Perhaps.
• "The wickedness of the soul is ignorance and the virtue of the soul is knowledge." 
• Perhaps it's a good idea to try to learn stuff.
• "This power wanted to make itself known and so it uttered the sacred word to create."
• This creation story goes on to mimic that of Genesis. Obviously, the Egyptian Book of the Dead came well before the Genesis story, so there is likely some inspiration drawn from this text. 
• Images such as the Djed colonnade read to me as showing a similarity, if not an evolutionary track between apes and man.
• Do we perhaps view time as a linear dimension because we, as humans, can only see in a single direction?
• I doubt it, but it's an interesting concept.
• "This suffering is, in reality, consciousness undergoing the process of transforming itself."
• In order to grow as a human, we must challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zone. We must suffer a little.
• "None of our thoughts are capable of conceiving God, nor any language of defining him."
• I really like this quote. It really puts a damper on all of those arguments about God, Religion, and who is 'right'. We cannot ever be certain, since we cannot ever even comprehend what "God" is.
• The Sun and the Moon are considered the two eyes of god. 
• What a nice image.
• According to Dr. Saleem's commentary, the Egyptians felt it was more important to cultivate good than to fight evil.
• Perhaps random acts of kindness and living with integrity are truly more important than ostracism and hate.
• Like later religions, Egyptians believed that it was important to live a proper life. We are born innocent, and must maintain this innocence (not ignorance) throughout life in order to reach our full potential in the afterlife.
• The Egyptians, unlike the later Greeks, valued innocence over cleverness. Odysseus, for instance, would likely not have been considered a hero by the Egyptians.
• Unlike certain monotheistic religions, the Egyptians believed that Evil did, in fact, come from God. It was not an invention of man, or an inherent weakness in humankind.
• Similar to later religions, Egyptians believed that one could be absolved of their sins.

In my reading, I felt like views were often skewed by Dr. Saleem. The translations were wonderful, and the commentary felt forced. Perhaps he is 100% accurate in his commentary (I am not one to say), I just found it frustrating. Ideas such as feelings lead to thoughts, thoughts to actions, and actions to destiny; or trauma can bring awakenings; felt like self-help tropes. 

So, what did I get from all of this.

I saw inspiration for both the Greek Pantheon and the Judeo-Christian tradition in these very early texts. The detailed lives of the gods (who were mortal and gods simultaneously) reminded me of the Ancient Greek mythology, with which I am much more familiar. The Creation story, and much of the "how to live your life" instruction reminded me of Judaism and Christianity.


Real quick, lets talk about Cleopatra and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Cleopatra was epic film making at it's finest. Elaborate sets (often used for mere seconds), beautiful costumes, and non-stop drama were the name of the game. I really enjoyed the movie, though I must admit I had to break it up into about four 60-minute viewings. My only gripe with it, and I understand why this was done, was that Cleopatra felt like a clingy succubus rather than a super-genius politician. If anything, I think Shakespeare's interpretation of their relationship was less overdone.

Much of the historical work in the film was very accurate, with some intentional side-steps to heighten tension or to save on time.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it if for no other reason than the fabulous sets.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - What can I say, other than absolutely hilarious. Any time I'm in the mood for some goofy witticism (just about always), I know I can turn to good old Douglas Adams for ridiculous fun. As my ever annoyed family and coworkers will attest to, I try to emulate this silly humor every chance I get. If only I was funnier.

Oh wait, I told you I'm hilarious... yeah... that's it... hilarious.


Believe it or not, I'm already half way through The Odyssey. I'm actually reading the Butler edition because it's free.

Until next time...

Translations...or... my Dad could TOTALLY beat up your Dad.

Translations

Translations are a funny thing, and to a native English speaker with only the most basic of Spanish skills, a necessary one.

A quick search of the world wide web shows that scholars often have strong opinions about this translation or that. I've read a bit about them, and I've come to a conclusion for mysef:

The best translation is the one that makes the text most accessible.

With all of the nitpicking about this word, or that phrase, I really don't find it all that relevant to a general survey of the great books. If I were trying to become an expert on The Iliad I would read the linked Robert Fagles version, the Alexander Pope versions (which I read for my previous entry), Samuel Butler, along with any other edition I could find.

That, however is not my goal. I want to wrap my brain around as much of these texts as possible without getting bogged down in any single text for too long. Okay, sometimes I want to wrap the texts around my head and scream, but we won't tell anyone that.

I read the Alexander Pope version of The Iliad, and honestly I wish I head read a different one. Pope's language is exquisitely quotable, and annoyingly affected.

For my reading of The Odyssey I will be using the Samuel Butler version. I will not for a moment claim the Samuel Butler's translation is better. Nor will I say that it is inferior. I found that the choice to abstain from forcing the ancient Greek verse into a modern English verse makes for more accessible reading.

When I read, The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead, I found myself with a bit of a problem.

Dr. Saleem's rendition of the text is very readable. Without any true "expert" knowledge, I was able to attack the book without any obstacles of language.

Wait, that's not a problem, that's great, right?

Well, yes. the downside was that I do have some surface knowledge of Ancient Egyptian History, and I don't for a second accept his attempt to force their polytheism into a more "sophisticated" monotheism.

So, I was left with a very accessible translation, that rubbed my history knowledge the wrong way. What to do?

I read it, and took from it what I felt most fit with the Ancient Egypt I understand.

My point with all of this?

Find the translation that gets you into the depths of the text as quickly as possible. When I'm struggling with a great work, the last thing I want holding me up is translated grammar or word choice. Will it be 100% accurate? Nope, translations never are. And that's not the point.

I'm not here to look at these texts only at the surface. I want to get down in there and muck about a bit.


In my next entry, we'll see what sort of mucking I accomplished with The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead

The Iliad... or... how many Conans does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Over this past weekend I completed my reading of The Iliad and also saw the newly released Conan the Barbarian a remake of the Schwarzenegger Classic and based on the Robert E. Howard books (on my "fun" reading list).

As I was sitting in the theater, I was struck by the similarities between this bloody fantasy film (aka "guy movie") and the gore-fest that is The Iliad. So, what are the similarities that I saw?


Both The Iliad and Conan glorify the pubescent male ideal. Blood, babes, and battle. I have to give Conan the win for nudity, but The Iliad outdoes Conan on the blood and battle fronts.

The Iliad is one of the defining 'documents' of the ancient Greek tradition. Yeah, yeah, the smarty trousers are jumping out and saying "No, dummy, it was an epic poem passed down orally". There, happy? I got that out of the way.

My question is, how on earth do we get from a bronze age culture of Conans and ten year battles to a Golden Age of philosophy and experimental governments? Seriously, how effective of an Anax (chief, king, what-have-you) can you be if you up and leave your home for ten bloody years.

"Okay guys, my buddy's woman was stolen. You just govern yourselves for ten years, and when I get back I'll put everything back into order."

WHAT?!

That's two and a half terms of a United States Presidency. Imagine Winston Churchill, along with the entirety of Parliament, abandoning England and popping over to the continent for a cuppa butt-kicking

These men were so tied up in proving their manliness that they were willing to abandon their homes to the women and children. Whatever the history books might say, bronze age Greece must've had some long stretches of matriarchy.

Let's look at some quotes shall we? Oh that Kindle sure is handy... importing my notes right into my computer. I will mention that I used this copy of the Iliad. It did not have line numbers, so I'm using page numbers for reference.

• "Death is the worst; a fate which all must try; And for our country, 'tis a bliss to die. The gallant man, though slain in fight he be, Yet leaves his nation safe, his children free; Entails a debt on all the grateful state; His own brave friends shall glory in his fate; His wife live honour'd, all his race succeed, And late posterity enjoy the deed!"[358]

• Well, we've pretty much summed up our Conan-dom here. "Yeah, you're gonna die. Might as well deal with that. So, now go get yourself killed defending your country." Or... maybe attacking another country because they pissed off your sort-of friend. Somebody steals your distant acquaintance's woman, you better beat the living crap out of them. 
•  We can also interpret that quote in true Smarty Trouser fashion, and say this:  "An honorable death is devoutly to be wished."

•  "The brave live glorious, or lamented die; The wretch that trembles in the field of fame, Meets death, and worse than death, eternal shame." [360]
•  More of the same really, though with the negative version as well. Not only is an honorable death devoutly to be wished, but a dishonorable death is the worst fate imaginable. 

• "Now manly shame forbids the inglorious flight; Now fear itself confines them to the fight" [ 363]
• This group of soldiers, that is outnumbered and outclassed, does not flee their death. They stay and confront it. Why, you ask? Read the last two quotes. 
• This behavior sets the stage for the later iconic "glorious defeat" of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. If you want to see that particular battle turned into a movie of Frank Miller comic-book proportions, check out 300.

•  "The insulting victor with disdain bestrode The prostrate prince, and on his bosom trod; Then drew the weapon from his panting heart, The reeking fibres clinging to the dart; From the wide wound gush'd out a stream of blood, And the soul issued in the purple flood." [382]
• Told you it was gory! 

• "Sole in the seat the charioteer remains, Now plies the javelin, now directs the reins:" [407]
• I keep reading and hearing that Homer only used chariots as a sort of "Battlefield Taxi". This is often considered a lack of understanding on Homer's part. I see two flaws with this ignorance theory.
• This quote clearly shows a soldier fighting from atop his chariot. This might even be paying homage to a particular Egyptian pharaoh that was renowned for his ability to shoot his bow while simultaneously driving his own chariot. (I want to say Thutmose IV, but don't quote me on that)
• Second, there does some to be some merit to the idea that early chariots (a particular 4-wheeled version) were used in this manner. 

• "There in the forum swarm a numerous train; The subject of debate, a townsman slain: One pleads the fine discharged, which one denied, And bade the public and the laws decide: The witness is produced on either hand: For this, or that, the partial people stand: The appointed heralds still the noisy bands, And form a ring, with sceptres in their hands: On seats of stone, within the sacred place,254 The reverend elders nodded o'er the case; Alternate, each the attesting sceptre took, And rising solemn, each his sentence spoke Two golden talents lay amidst, in sight, The prize of him who best adjudged the right." [430]
• This is a description of what appears to be the Bronze Age legal system. What remains unclear to me is that last sentence. Who gets the talents? Is it the defendant/prosecutor, the best "witness" or lawyer, or is it the best judge? I don't know.
• Another question that arises: Is this a description of what the legal system would have been like in the age of Achilles and Agamemnon, or is it what existed when Homer wrote it. (Let's not  get bogged down in a "Who wrote the Iliad?" debate)

• "his grief the heroes join'd, Each stole a tear for what he left behind." [443]
• To these Greeks, crying was not considered too unmanly even for Manly McTough. 

• "I hoped Patroclus might survive, to rear My tender orphan with a parent's care, From Scyros' isle conduct him o'er the main, And glad his eyes with his paternal reign, The lofty palace, and the large domain." [443]
• I disagee with the idea that the Achilles/Patroclus relationship must have been a homosexual one. I see no evidence to indicate anything more than an intimate male relationship. The coupling of intimacy and sexuality [especially between men] seems a modern construct. More important than that, it seems entirely irrelevant to the story. Regardless of sexuality, the close bond between these two men is the driving force. 
• Of course there is the entire idea of "platonic" male/male relationships, where Mentor and Student are also lovers. But, I think placing this later institution in the midst of The Iliad is, at best, stretching things a bit.
• Were they gay? I don't know. And, that's my point I guess: I don't care. It brings nothing to the story for me (positive or negative). Why can't two men be very close friends? SpongeBob and Patrick are just friends. So are Bert and Ernie. Just leave it at that.

• "Then fell on Polydore his vengeful rage, The youngest hope of Priam's stooping age: (Whose feet for swiftness in the race surpass'd:)  Of all his sons, the dearest, and the last. To the forbidden field he takes his flight, In the first folly of a youthful knight, To vaunt his swiftness wheels around the plain, But vaunts not long, with all his swiftness slain: Struck where the crossing belts unite behind, And golden rings the double back-plate join'd Forth through the navel burst the thrilling steel; And on his knees with piercing shrieks he fell; The rushing entrails pour'd upon the ground His hands collect; and darkness wraps him round." [458]
•  Look at the incredible detail given to a single 'extra'. Not only are we told about his life and talents, we are then given a meticulous description of his gory demise.

• "But not as yet the fatal news had spread To fair Andromache, of Hector dead; As yet no messenger had told his fate, Not e'en his stay without the Scaean gate. Far in the close recesses of the dome, Pensive she plied the melancholy loom; A growing work employ'd her secret hours, Confusedly gay with intermingled flowers. Her fair-haired handmaids heat the brazen urn, The bath preparing for her lord's return In vain; alas! her lord returns no more; Unbathed he lies, and bleeds along the shore! Now from the walls the clamours reach her ear, And all her members shake with sudden fear: Forth from her ivory hand the shuttle falls, And thus, astonish'd, to her maids she calls:"
• In true manly Myrmidon fashion, I about cried reading this passage. Watching Andromache go through her daily routine, ignorant of her husband's death, is heartbreaking.

• Here are some rapid-fire quotes. I love the language:
• "the black vessels smoked with human gore." [367]
• "Where the war bleeds," [378]
• "The soul, exhaling, issued at the vent." [385]
• "I joy to mingle where the battle bleeds," [399]
• "the weapon drank his blood," [403]
• "On heaps the Greeks, on heaps the Trojans bled, And, thickening round them, rise the hills of dead." [404]
• "War knows no mean; he wins it or he dies." [408]
• "yet still proceeds The work of death, and still the battle bleeds." [415]
• "hills of slaughter heap the ground;" [431]
• "All beautiful in grief, her humid eyes Shining with tears she lifts," [442]
• "Go; while thou may'st, avoid the threaten'd fate; Fools stay to feel it, and are wise too late." [453]

Well, that's all I've got for now.

Up next on the reading list is The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead. I picked up this copy from the library. I find it much more readable than the other several copies I've looked at. Only problem is that it's out of print. Check out The Egyptian Book of the Dead Translated by Raymond Faulkner if you can't get your hands on the Dr. Ramses Saleem one.

Until next time,
-Alex





* On a side note - Jason Momoa... you're charming as hell. Get yourself into some Romantic Comedies!! You'll rock those women's socks off. Okay, okay, you'll rock my socks off too.

Dun...dun...DUUUUUUNNNNN!!!!

"Er, excuse me, who am I?
Hello?
Why am I here? What's my purpose in life?
What do I mean by who am I?" - [1]

These are the same questions that we're going to ask about this blog.

Who am I?... I am Alex Hall: actor, novelist, and aspiring super genius. Oh... I am also hilarious.

Hello?... HI THERE!

Why am I here?... I enjoy learning. Learning new things, weird things, fun things... just about anything really (except most forms of dancing). Lately, I have developed somewhat of a "curriculum" for myself. I have been working steadily through it, and found one thing, in particular to be lacking.

Okay, two things really.

First, I have found that I can consume large amounts of information, text, etc, but my ability to synthesize these into a holistic understanding is lacking at best. I am hopeful that in writing about thoughts I have, quotes I like, and random experiences, I can begin to really pull all of these things together into a broader understanding of that ultimate of esoterica: The Human Condition.

In other words, I want to sound smart at fancy parties.

Second, It's a lonely road. As much as I enjoy reading and listening to lectures... it's difficult to stay motivated and finish that book when, at the end, I know that it's just over. So, in addition to helping myself forge those iron bits of knowledge into steely witticisms and genius, I hope that some fellow smarty trousers will show up and offer their insights and ideas.

In other words, I'm going to mooch your ideas so I sound even smarter at even fancier parties. 


What's my purpose in life?...


Okay, okay, I can't tie everything nicely into that quote. Here's the part where I'm going to tell you a little bit about the "curriculum" I've developed.

It involves books and lectures. Rather, and here's my inner geek, it involves a Kindle and an iPod.

Books

With the Kindle, I will be reading through the "Great Books". There is a list by Mortimer J. Adler called Great Books of the Western World, but I found his list to be too eurocentric. Not to mention that prohibitive price (did you see above that I'm an actor (read: poor).

On a side note, I highly recommend Mr. Adler's How to Read a Book.

Instead, I found this wonderful list online: http://www.thegreatbookslist.com/ . It's still rather eurocentric, but much less so than Mr. Adler's list. Also, the actor in me forces me to read the entire Shakespearean Canon, not just the selected titles.

I started with The Epic of Gilgamesh and plan to work my way chronologically through the list.

Actually, I listened to an audiobook of it from the library, but I can't find that version online.

What's great about the majority of the books in this list is that they can be found on www.gutenberg.org. I just throw them on my kindle and I'm set.

Unfortunately, I am having a difficult time with the books native to languages other than Greek, Latin, and English. The translations are frequently under copyright, which means I'll have to get them from the library or buy them from Amazon. Right now, I'm searching for a copy of The Egyptian Book of the Dead. I found one by E.A. Wallis Budge online, but it is entirely unreadable.

While I search for that one, I'm reading The Iliad, and The Odyssey is up next.

Lectures

Simultaneous to my devouring of these supposed "Great Books", I am also listening to lectures through The Teaching Company and The Modern Scholar.

These are a bit less organized, since I will be listening to what I can find from the library.

I cannot justify purchasing these lectures because the quality is inconsistent. Sometimes, they are absolutely fantastic. Other times, the lecturer is so monotone that I have difficulty concentrating.

I am working through history lectures at the moment, and doing so in chronological order as much as is feasible. I'm trying to line up the history lectures with the books I'm reading so that I'll have a basic knowledge of the culture from which the literature comes. I will also listen to the lecture series on a particular book simultaneous to, or immediately after my own reading.

Art, Music, Movies & Video Games

Art and Music are both entrenched within the realm of the Smarty Trousers, and I don't think anyone will dispute them.

After nearly a century, movies have become accepted in most circles as an intellectual pursuit.

But VIDEO GAMES? What!?!? Video Games make you stupid and fat, right?

Just like literature, art, movies, and music, video games are a creative expression of cultural ideas and passions. And, just like the accepted smarty trousers pursuits, there are good ones, and less good ones. I enjoy playing video games, and feel that I often learn a great deal from them. Therefore, I will include my thoughts on any video games I might play as well.

And remember, this is about sounding smart at parties.

Wait, never mind... video gamers all live in their parents' basement and smell like fritos. They don't get invited to parties.

Nonetheless, I like me some video games.

What do I mean by who am I?

See, I told you that quote stopped lining up.


How is this blog going to proceed? Honestly, I don't know. I'm going to write at least one entry per book with thoughts, quotes, silly words, and anything else I dream up. I have promised myself that I will read one book per week, so this should mean one entry per week.

Surely I'll have other things I want to comment on.

"Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the bowl of petunias as it fell was Oh no, not again. Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the bowl of petunias had thought that we would know a lot more about the nature of the Universe than we do now."

Until next time... use those big fancy words and sound smarty!


[1]  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams