Imperfection is Beauty...

Chicago, September 2011

Because this actually happens, or at least it does to me.

Have a great weekend.

Letter Opener

Last night I dreamed I left my Kindle at the library. I think my subconscious was trying to remind me to read more and Excel less. With a tightly packed week, I have had just enough time to review a few letters from My Faraway One: Selected Letters of Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz mentioned here.

I'm sharing opening excerpts from two letters to begin your day. One selected because it was written 95 years ago today; the other chosen for the romantics among us.

Alfred Stieglitz, September 28, 1916

[Lake George, NY]

It is another day. - Afternoon. - Another perfect day. But not so varied - not so exciting. - Blue sky - a perfectly calm smooth Lake - brilliant sunlight & milder in temperature.

Georgia O'Keeffe, December 10, 1916

[Canyon, TX] written on paper 24" x 17"

Sunday - Sunset.

I'd like to write you with letters about two feet high -

But maybe that would be a bit high -

Comma Chameleon

One might hypothesize that reading a book about the development of grammar just before sleep might be a good move to lull one into slumber. Rather, I find that I have been staying up later to finish the next chapter. Fascinating to read how language started to find more structure in the 1650s (only to lose it again in the 2000s with the gross acceptance of text [my words, not Lynch's]).

Advice on social manners and on speaking proper English emerged together in the 1700s as more people wanted to differentiate themselves from illiteracy and gain acceptance with the upper classes. Various champions of structure emerged, and one wonders what their wives must have thought of these men who were obsessed by proper use of commas and of spelling. [No love notes laying around certainly.]

As you scan your brain today for the proper word, consider placement of that semi-colon, and avoid ending a sentence with a preposition, know that these rules were not easily forged and that many a writer was a rule-breaker. The Lexicographer's Dilemma, indeed.

[Note: it is quite intimidating to write about grammar when one is a rule-breaker.]

Falling

If I owned a hammock, I would have slept outdoors tonight. For the first time, it felt like autumn has arrived.

Observe the wonders as they occur around you.

Don't claim them.

Feel the artistry moving through, and be silent.

- Rumi

Drive South

It is a toss-up as to which items I missed most with this week's GBC meeting: the company, the reading water, the biscuits or the homemade peach cobbler. [My run training however is glad I missed three of these.]

Using GBC P@1ge's words for a description of the meeting:

Most everyone had read all or part of The Warmth of Other Suns, and the verdict was: great book. This work of non-fiction that reads like a novel sparked a lively discussion among the group. From the author's writing style, to her research and dedication to her project, and the three people she chose to highlight...we found this to be a quality book worth investing in (and worth finishing if you haven't
yet).

I haven't yet read the book but will be certain to keep it in the queue. I dived into The Lexicographer's Dilemma by Jack Lynch and since the Chapter "Vulgarities of Speech," I have been pondering which shibboleths I have adopted by life in the South.

Alma Mater

I arrived to the airport a bit early for my standards. The hour at the gate plus the three hour delay was more than enough time to bring me well into the story of The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I was so engrossed in the book that I nearly missed my boarding call. While everyone napped on the flight, I had my reading light on, determined to race the remaining battery power to the end. [Side note: I was surrounded by seven men and women in jeans, t-shirts, boots, and Stetsons who had won a Marlboro contest and were returning from Montana. I think they were less than thrilled with my light.]

With just 10% remaining at 10,000 feet, the Kindle had to be powered down. As I mentioned, I read the book last year. But I didn't remember. I didn't feel.

It was after 1:00 when I arrived home and the only thing I wanted to do was to finish. I began "Would a Lamed Vovnik Do This?". Through the last pages as the voice changed between Alma and Leo, I remembered, and I cried.

When I read with the Kindle, I tend to make a number of bookmarks for favorite sentences or passages. This time I made one: "If it weren't for her, there would never have been an empty space, or the need to fill it."

September Moon

A lot happens in a year.

You take risks, face fears, learn new things, forget old things, move forward, and occasionally fall back. You know with certainty that life moves on and that no matter how high or low an experience, all things tend to settle back to their neutral and natural rhythm. You find balance, reconnect with old friends, make new friends, and find happy moments where you can. You run a lot. You let go. You hold on.

Here's to a little Sunday reflection with your coffee.

Take It to the Bridge

For those of you who are familiar with my tendencies to snap photos of bridges in moving vehicles, I offer the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. Happy Friday.

Boston, September 2011, 70 mph

"We build too many walls and not enough bridges" - Isaac Newton

Play Stop Rewind

For some time, I have been anxiously awaiting the electronic release of History of Love by Nicole Krauss. A few days ago patience was rewarded and I downloaded the book for reading. As I moved through the first few pages, I paused. This story sounded familiar. How many characters named Leo Gursky could I have possibly known? Not many. Nevertheless, I pressed on. As Leo unlocked the door in the rain, my mind's door unlocked and I became more convinced that I have read this novel however I could not (and cannot) remember the ending.

So, being the organized nerd, I consulted my spreadsheet of book titles and searched this blog. Not only had I read it last spring, but I wrote about it, yet still have no memory of the story. My conclusions are that I'm either turning the corner toward old-age forgetfulness or that I am meant to reread this work. There is of course the third possibility that the book really was not memorable but I'm giving Ms. Krauss and GBC P@1ge (avid book supporter) the benefit of the doubt that this is not the case.

Re-reading any books this year?

Never Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

After a weekend which seemed a little heavy, a walk in the moonlight this morning left me in search of something beautiful to begin the week. Many of us in the GBC are cooks as well as readers. Even if you are not, this selection would be worthy as a conversation piece for your shelves. The Great Food Series published by Penguin Books is a collection of 20 titles with covers rumored to have been inspired by ceramics. The cookbooks span approximately 400 years of recipes with subjects ranging from simple meals to infantry cooking. The complete paperback set lists for £139.80 with each book sold separately at £6.99 and will be available in the US beginning October 25 from Amazon. The Well-Kept Kitchen by Gervase Markham is shown below; click here to view the entire set.

Saturday Sun

A reminder on this beautiful weekend that our next GBC read is The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.

My Saturday mantra taken from the Acknowledgments of Turn Right at Machu Picchu and is sometimes referenced as the Incas' Golden Rule:

ama sua, ama llula, ama cheklla

- Do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy.

Have a great weekend.

Not Falling Flat

I've long believed that my books find me when I am ready to read them. In my typical "Oh, I'm flying tomorrow and should find a suitable book" state just before midnight last Wednesday, I discovered Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. The novel was a completely random purchase aided by high reviews and the magic of Amazon 1-Click. [At least one of the book's characters would have calculated the odds in this selection. As a math nerd, I'd go with 1:250 based on my search methodology.]

As I mentioned Tuesday, the intro had me hooked. Add to this initial pull, the following Labor Day weekend details:

• my trip would include Boston (the book's setting)
• a car journey that was saved thanks, in part, to Dunkin Donuts (Starbucks, Maine has you out-ranked.)
• the weekend company involved two math geeks
• I was requested to provide an explanation of Facebook vs Twitter, and
• at least one of the GBC members had a hangover like the protagonist (though without the embarrassing call just before crashing).

If any of those items connect with you, you will probably find more than a thread in the story to keep you reading. The characters are quirky and the story oscillates between moments of "slightly off" to "wow, I was just as awkward" with an undertone of sadness that lingers momentarily like an autumn breeze after the leaves have disappeared. It has a touch of the hopeless romantic with the wit of a science geek. The book is a quick read and pairs nicely with back to school weather and memories of your first college years.

I won't address the particulars of the story line so that you can enjoy it in the same manner as I did, clueless about the background and (if you're lucky) 30,000 feet in the air.

Prime Time

Cohesion may not be the theme of the day. I trust you will give a lenient eye to a gal who awoke at half past three and is just having her first three shots of espresso. [This post brought to you by the number "3".]

The Man Booker Shortlist was announced today. Time to make your guess for the likely winner.

The plane rides went through in a blur with Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. It is a light, hold on to the last bits of summer book book with License Notes that include a fairly stern warning and threat to "soak a geeky t-shirt in ammonia and beat you with it" for illegal sharing. Noted. The acknowledgments included references to math, zombie, time travel, and grammar. She had me with geeky.

Hope your week is off to a good start. Cooler temperatures and rain might just be the excuse you have been waiting for to finish those lingering few chapters.

Going into Labor

Items for a successful holiday weekend:

• Fully charged Kindle with minimum of two unread books [one serious fiction, one $3.99]
• Fully charged iPod [playlists for car journey which may or may not include Katy Perry]
• Reading water stash [and map to closest point of replenishment]
• Good friends [a must]
• A Salmon Festival [why not?]
• Sunscreen [see previous post from Italy]
  
• Mobile phone [or two if work-tethered]
• Vitamins [see item 3]

Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Hitting the Wall

Because Machu Picchu left me thinking about:

climbing,

walking,

finding,

discovering

the

magnificent,

powerful,

mind-blowing,

and awesome.

Today's photo: The Great Wall.

(Wear good shoes.)