Enough Already

Interesting discussion both on-topic and off regarding ON BEAUTY last night. I am sad to say I ended up having to skim/speed read the last 50 pages or so to finish in time. I'll do them justice this weekend, I promise.

I did have to read and re-read the ending several times. Did I miss something? I rather agree with Ms.Hannah that it peters out a bit. My best guess was that maybe he finally "liked the tomato". Heck, maybe he even loved the tomato.

That said, I did very much enjoy the book. I am sure that someone more thoroughly ensconced in the world in which it's set(Northeast Academia) would *get it* on a deeper level, but it succeeds on many levels, so this doesn't seem to matter or limit it.

So says I.

Many interesting questions about identity and race. Revelations about marriage and relationships. And one rather disturbing sex scene.

Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. Shit. They did it.

That kind of thing.

A somewhat off-topic discussion about the way we (universal we) have a tendency to romanticize pain and oppression. On topic because the character of Levi, the youngest sibling in the family felt a need to hide the privilege and opportunity that was his birthright to better "fit in" with the company he wanted to keep. He was an upper middle class kid who wanted more than anything to be *street*. Kid was never actually going to be *street*.

I think as artists we tend to do a version of this. But instead of poverty we glorify pain (which can indeed include poverty) and rename it "truth" and "meaning" and "significance". But really? It's just pain.

Someone else's pain? Nothing compared to our pain. Someone without pain? Useless. Worthless. Why should they even try? They have nothing to create! They have nothing to say!

They (gasp) had a happy childhood.

A hurrah to "happy childhoods".

And if you didn't have one--make your own, now. Go climb a tree. Walk barefoot in the grass. Sing a song. Hug a furry thing. Confess a secret to your best girlfriend. Giggle.

Angst is so totally over-rated.

Speaking of re-living childhood, plan is to go play tennis on Saturday (weather allowing). I'll let you know how that turns out.