Sunday, October 21, 2007
Playing Catch-Up
Golly! I've been away for days. During that time, I've been tagged by Kim at Knit Whimsies, which I will deliver on in another post, my family and I have helped a friend move, I've gone to work, I've read more stories in "Logorrhea," I've checked Jeffrey Eugenides' book "Middlesex" out of the library, I've almost finished knitting a bath mitt, and I've gotten my new issue of Wired magazine in the mail. Such a useful magazine, Wired is. There's not a single issue wherein I haven't learned something. Since their redesign, they've made it a point to publish even more letters from readers, which I appreciate. Hey, there are some experts out here! I just wish I knew who wrote the smart-ass intros that lead off reader letters.
We've had rain, rain, and more rain in central Minnesota. It makes me think back to high school French class, where I learned to say "Il pleut," which means "It's raining." You say "pleut" as "plu" - kind of a short "u," but with some "e" mixed in. It almost sounds like rain when you say it, especially the sort of gray, plodding rain we've had. My mom told me that she had heard that if all the rain we've had lately were snow, we'd have 180 inches. Bring it on, baby! The white stuff, please, not more rain. Have we turned into Portland or Seattle?
We've had rain, rain, and more rain in central Minnesota. It makes me think back to high school French class, where I learned to say "Il pleut," which means "It's raining." You say "pleut" as "plu" - kind of a short "u," but with some "e" mixed in. It almost sounds like rain when you say it, especially the sort of gray, plodding rain we've had. My mom told me that she had heard that if all the rain we've had lately were snow, we'd have 180 inches. Bring it on, baby! The white stuff, please, not more rain. Have we turned into Portland or Seattle?
Labels: family, french, friend, jeffrey eugenides, knit whimsies, knitting, logorrhea, middlesex, minnesota, mom, portland, rain, seattle, snow, weather, wired magazine
Friday, October 05, 2007
Eczema
Ever read a story that sticks with you? I don't mean stickiness in the overt that-was-cool sort of way, but in the subtle nagging-at-you-like-you've-left-something-undone sort of way.
I'm reading a collection of short stories called "Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories," edited by John Klima. Each author had to write a story based on winning words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The story that's sticking with me is "Eczema" by Clare Dudman. The gist of the story is about a young man whose sister has died. He doesn't fit into regular society, but I'm not going to tell you why. The story involves three neighbor women dressed in black that the man's sister used to call crows. The ending of the story left me unsettled, like I want to continue the story. That's why it's sticking with me.
I'm reading a collection of short stories called "Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories," edited by John Klima. Each author had to write a story based on winning words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The story that's sticking with me is "Eczema" by Clare Dudman. The gist of the story is about a young man whose sister has died. He doesn't fit into regular society, but I'm not going to tell you why. The story involves three neighbor women dressed in black that the man's sister used to call crows. The ending of the story left me unsettled, like I want to continue the story. That's why it's sticking with me.
Labels: clare dudman, crows, eczema, john klima, logorrhea, short story, unsettled
