WITH WEIGHTY HEARTS?

Bright sunshine and newfallen snow. That's what we woke up to.

Another challenging day. I can't say I was wholly surprised to hear the Honda dealership repair guy tell me that I needed to buy a new car, but I can't say it made me happy. It made me cry as a matter of fact. Now, I had my local mechanic give me an estimate for the parts and labor and the whole job was $500 cheaper than the Honda place quoted me for just the part. And Honda is trying to sell new cars, not accommodate those of us who can't afford a new car. But hell.

On the other hand, Ms. IS was awarded a gig that she thought she had no chance at and I do believe if all goes well, I will have a few weeks of work on a research project which would be great for any number of reasons.

Oh, and I got 6 out of 6 as a grade on my Alice's Adventures in Wonderland essay. One reviewer asked me to post it to the Alice discussion boards for the class, so that was cool.

I did have the presence of mind to obtain a little Valentine for my dear M. I wrapped it in a big bow and left it near the coffee pot as I know that's where she heads first in the morning. Imagine MY surprise to find a big red-wrapped package perched  on the edge of MY desk ;-). It was a lovely way to start the day.

Making progress in Dracula. Still have a lot to read, but doing it. I need to call the Kindle people and see if I can get some help on how to use the danged thing.

I have not been able to read much of the Tom Bissell essays, Magic Hours, and it is due next week and I cannot renew it. But in the last HILARIOUS essay, which was about the Underground Literary Alliance, he concluded with this

"I wrote earlier of the sacred. Indeed, literary movements have a typical development not unlike that of religion. They begin in revelation, grow in consolidation, mature in strength, decay into complacent necrosis, suffer schism and partial inner destruction, and then are born anew. If the ULA follows this traditional arc, one of two things will happen. They will either grow frustrated, stop writing, surrender their faith, and disappear; or one of them, or two of them, possibly three of them, but no more, will publish or self-publish something that findsan audience large enough to move the traditional publishing houses and larger magazines to swing their censer before the ULA's eyes. Any such success will, no doubt, be a moment of some philosophical difficulty. The money will in all likelihood be convincing enough to allow those lucky ULA writers to swallow their rancor toward the system that shunned them, and with weighty hearts they will step into the bloody crossroads where art and commerce meet. Perhaps, then, the ULA will become the literary equivalent of say, Episcopalianism. Suddenly, they will be the ones turning away expect apostles. Theirs will be the door to which many will nail their bad-tempered theses. I personally hope for the latter, both because I believe that the ULA's movement is fundamentally one of hope and because I suspect that only success will convince the ULA that art, like death, is life's great leveler. We all grieve of it equally, and at no point can any of us expect to be treated fairly.

— Tom Bissell

Hmm ... I think money is the great leveler in this day and age, and I guess money is part of that last equation. But I need to get ready for bed.

Happy anniversary to Bill G. and Susan U. Love you.