Driver's License--
Last Friday, I got mine renewed. And as far as the state knows, I still weigh a modest 115 pounds. The woman* I dealt with handed me a printed slip (like a receipt) and asked me to review my information and sign at the bottom if it was correct. I hesitated, then "admitted" that the weight wasn't quite accurate. I got the impression that she didn't really care and would probably prefer if I just signed the darn thing, since otherwise she'd have to go to the trouble of entering the new information and printing out a revised slip for me to sign. Very well, then! As I don't see how it makes any real difference one way or the other, I shall remain 115 pounds-- at least for the next four years.
*Or should I call her a girl? She was probably younger than I am. This is something I still have trouble coming to terms with-- that so many of the "service people" I have cause to interact with in the everyday world are actually younger than I am, now. Of course, this will only become more common as time goes by, but it still feels strange, when I think about it.
Books--
I finished reading Don't Look Now (Daphne du Maurier) a couple weeks or so ago. I think "The Birds" was my favorite story in the collection. "The Blue Lenses", "Kiss Me Again, Stranger", and "Don't Look Now" were also a cut above the rest, in my opinion. "Indiscretion" and "La Sainte-Vierge" felt like they didn't quite belong with the rest of the stories... "Split Second" is an interesting concept, but left me frustrated and disappointed. And "Monte Verità"... Well, I found it to be a bit of a snoozefest, to be honest. Anna and her whole "no possessions / truth quest" thing was mostly irritating and left me ice cold. (Obviously I'm not one of the sacred Chosen Ones. Oh well.) All in all, though, worth a read if you like tales of the macabre.
After that, I read Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I can't recall where I originally heard about it, but the title and blurb intrigued me. I found it an absorbing read-- one of those novels where not a whole lot seems to happen (apart from a few notable exceptions), yet you're still compelled to keep reading. The "twist" wasn't much of a surprise. I think most readers must at least consider that possibility, even if they aren't certain about it. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to suffer from the lack of a startling revelation.
I've never been an avid reader of poetry (even less so now that no-one "makes" me read it), so maybe my opinion on this is skewed, but I feel this story has a poetic atmosphere-- poetic prose. It's partly that the narrator, Merricat, has a vivid (often morbid) imagination and an odd way of looking at things. It's also Constance's appreciation of and attention to little things (gardening, preparing food) that makes them seem so vital and all-consuming and beautiful. Whatever it is, it's an unusual concoction-- a mix of uneasiness with cozy comfort-- the familiar mingling with the bizarre.
I've since read that the author suffered from agoraphobia, which (if true) explains a lot about the novel. Almost all the novel takes place within the confines of a carefully fenced property, and as the story progresses, their world gets smaller and smaller. I can sympathize, as I am something of a homebody-- usually happiest when not out in the world, not having to interact face-to-face with many strangers-- generally content to stay in my own little place, walking the same paths, following the same routines. However, by the very end...
Um... There will be some spoilers in this next paragraph...
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
As I was saying, by the very end, even I found their circumstances cramped and sad. Cardboard over the windows? Junk piles as barriers against the world? Resorting to wearing tablecloths-- being afraid that one of their two whole teacups might break-- rather than taking some of their (apparently plentiful supply of) money into town and buying the necessities? They profess their happiness-- the last words of the novel-- but I felt sad for them.
E
N
D
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
Ok! Done with spoilers, now!
In the meantime, I also listened to an audio versions of The Hunger Games and read Catching Fire. (I'd seen them mentioned a couple of times in different places, and then Rachel started tweeting about how great they were, so I had to check them out.) They're YA novels-- kind of like a more violent, frightening version of The Giver-- about a distopian future in which children/teens are forced into a fight-to-the-death for the amusement of a "Capitol" audience-- and as a reminder of the Capitol's dominance of the citizens of territories that once attempted a revolt. It's an action-packed series with a gripping storyline. I'm looking forward to the last novel in the trilogy, due out this month. (This is one of the benefits of waiting a while before you start reading series.)
