Presidential Reading

When I heard the President was reading Camus, I hoped against hope that he'd picked up The Rebel, or was at least giving consideration to the philosopher's short and provocative essay, The Unbeliever. Alas, Mr. Bush's choice was predictable: The Stranger. I have to confess that although I am an unabashed admirer of Camus's writing, the general public consumption of this short novel has always made me a little batty. I really wish it was read with greater care -- adolescent males, in particular, seem to take all the wrong messages from it.

Link from Maud Newton.

One Book

One book that changed my life: Back when I worked at the bookstore, my co-worker and I would roll our eyes whenever we overheard someone say, "This book changed my life!" It's always amused me to hear this claim made about novels, particularly. There may well be novels that can change a person's point of view, or inspire them toward action – Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is often cited as the classic example – but I'm more inclined to think of novels as keeping me company (pleasant or otherwise) than shaking me up and turning me around. Were I to name such a novel, it would probably be Robertson Davies' Fifth Business, for its abundance of genuinely subversive mischief. But I think I'll eschew the fictional route for something more tangible, a self-help title that has indeed helped me help myself and deserves credit for a demonstrable change in the way I think and act: The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner.

One book I've read more than once: Ooooh, I love to re-read! But I'd say the book I've re-read most is Moon Palace, by Paul Auster.

One book I'd want on a desert island: probably something with a title like How To Get Off Your Freakin' Island And Back To Civilization.

One book that made me laugh: Oh, man ... anything by David Sedaris. I'll go with Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim.

One book that made me cry: hard to know where to start with this one. I've already mentioned Peter DeVries' Blood Of The Lamb, so I'll go with Peace Like A River by Leif Enger.

One book I wish had never been written: Easy: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion -- a book born from bloodshed, that has inspired bloodshed, and continues to inspire it still. Its only worthwhile byproduct is Will Eisner's final book, The Plot, which I highly recommend.

One book I wish had been written: this one.

One book I'm currently reading: Where God Was Born by Bruce Feiler.

One book I've been meaning to read: A Dance To The Music Of Time by Anthony Powell certainly qualifies, but to be honest, I'm having real trouble finishing Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle – not because it's boring, but because I keep getting distracted by other, shorter works.

One person I tag: YOU!!

Home

Infinity always gives me vertigo
And fills me up with grace -- Bruce Cockburn, Mystery.



A windshield shot of the plains of southwestern Manitoba, taken en route to Northern Alberta. And, yes, they are anything but infinite -- they simply allow for that illusion, and the blessing that Cockburn alludes to. Still and all, I'm glad to be back home.

Catching Up

I'm back, but not yet fit to post. Instead, I'm catching up on me cobbers.

Cowtown Patty considers how the cut of the hat determines the cut of the cowpunch, here. I've always wanted to wear a cowboy hat (from time to time, I still pull on the boots -- a throwback to my motorcycle days), but there isn't a single one that doesn't make me look like a horse's ass.

Andrew, the Aging Punk Wannabe has got me whistling Cheap Trick, thanks to his list of Thirteen Great Opening Lines From Rock, Pop & Country.

Scott has officially posted more pictures of his dog than I have of my kids (but then, he's never been one for self-restraint)!

Darko provides a much-needed Explanation Of The Philosophy Of Fjaka. Potential bumper-sticker: Fjaka - Now, More Than Ever.

Gideon calls this his "second-favourite movie dance routine". If his favourite is from Saturday Night Fever, I don't wanna hear of it.

I've been reading Seb Hunter's Hell Bent For Leather: Confessions Of A Heavy Metal Addict and thinking, "It's good, but it's not quite The Cheese Chronicles" (the gold standard of rock n' roll narratives, IMHO). Now Preacher Dan informs me that Tommy Womack has resumed his on-line ranting. Here's Tommy, in the throes of a condition I recognize all too well: the Ecumenical Hangover.

And finally, just about everyone on my list of cobbers has been hit with the "One Book" meme (if you aren't among them, you may now consider yourself tagged). I'll get to posting mine, but I thought Terry Teachout had an interesting variation: which authors dominate your bookshelves? The qualification is five books by or about, and here are my dominators:

Martin Amis
Aristotle
Paul Auster
Julian Barnes
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Frederich Buechner
Albert Camus
Leonard Cohen
Douglas Coupland
Robertson Davies
Don DeLillo
Annie Dillard
E.L. Doctorow
John Gardner
God (heh, heh)
Jim Harrison
Robert E. Howard
Philip Kerr
Soren Kierkegaard
Madeleine L'Engle
C.S. Lewis
Cormac McCarthy
Friedrich Nietzsche
Kem Nunn
Plato
Thomas Pynchon
Mordecai Richler
Carol Shields
Neal Stephenson
Nathaniel West
Rudy Wiebe
Philip Yancey

Another possible variation I might get to: which artists dominate your CD collection?

Thanks to my readers for all the pleasant wishes (silent or otherwise), and my apologies to every Winnipeg friend I neglected (for all my time away, it was a very limited visit -- argh).

The Bridge Drive-In

Every town has one: an ice-cream stand that opens in the spring and attracts a crowd. The fare is anywhere from average to above-average, but people don't really show up for the food -- they show up for the romance. Your father bought his sweetheart a milkshake here, way back when. You did the same. Now you're taking the kids. They don't know it yet, but the light they see tonight will eventually take on a nostalgic hue.

Winnipeg is a decidedly quirky town, and it has dozens of such spots. But it has only one Bridge Drive-In.

Greetings From Winnipeg

Two days of driving; one "incident" (the oldest finally threw up); the most expensive tank of gas yet ... and we're here. I took this while attending my godson's baseball game.

Westward, ho!

We're off to the Wild West. I'll try to post pix by Tuesday.