tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post2222254255145878970..comments2024-02-25T05:03:48.092-07:00Comments on Eudaemonia: The Joy of Slowing DownLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00665632105920753931noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-80042137346067327242009-01-11T13:17:00.000-07:002009-01-11T13:17:00.000-07:00An ecuse to give you a poem about may soon-to-be f...An ecuse to give you a poem about may soon-to-be former hometown:<BR/><BR/>Proust’s Madeleine <BR/>by Kenneth Rexroth <BR/><BR/><BR/>Somebody has given my <BR/>Baby daughter a box of <BR/>Old poker chips to play with. <BR/>Today she hands me one while <BR/>I am sitting with my tired <BR/>Brain at my desk. It is red. <BR/>On it is a picture of <BR/>An elk’s head and the letters <BR/>B.P.O.E.—a chip from <BR/>A small town Elks’ Club. I flip <BR/>It idly in the air and <BR/>Catch it and do a coin trick <BR/>To amuse my little girl. <BR/>Suddenly everything slips aside. <BR/>I see my father <BR/>Doing the very same thing, <BR/>Whistling “Beautiful Dreamer,” <BR/>His breath smelling richly <BR/>Of whiskey and cigars. I can <BR/>Hear him coming home drunk <BR/>From the Elks’ Club in Elkhart <BR/>Indiana, bumping the <BR/>Chairs in the dark. I can see <BR/>Him dying of cirrhosis <BR/>Of the liver and stomach <BR/>Ulcers and pneumonia, <BR/>Or, as he said on his deathbed, of <BR/>Crooked cards and straight whiskey, <BR/>Slow horses and fast women.steve on the slow trainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18257811143869341854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-13456589934348085852009-01-11T12:54:00.000-07:002009-01-11T12:54:00.000-07:00Oh, I found you through Seachanges too and have su...Oh, I found you through Seachanges too and have subscribed to your feed. I'm looking forward to reading more from you. Thank you for stopping in!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00665632105920753931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-82668965364536793102009-01-11T10:34:00.000-07:002009-01-11T10:34:00.000-07:00I'm new here, led by a link on 51 Stories (Seachan...I'm new here, led by a link on 51 Stories (Seachanges).<BR/>I'm hooked!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-72571803269325901812009-01-10T23:33:00.000-07:002009-01-10T23:33:00.000-07:00Patti, It's tempting to say that I doubt it, but t...Patti, It's tempting to say that I doubt it, but there are enough parents who love books to inspire that love of reading in their children that I think they must. It's just a shame that there are so many other things competing for their attention. Books were pretty close to the only form of entertainment (besides the handful of broadcast TV channels) that we had when we were alone, so it was pretty easy to fall in love with them.<BR/><BR/>Riss, Wow! 2000 pages is nothing to sneeze at, and thanks for the second thumbs-up for "The Dead" and the recommendation for "I, The Murderer". <BR/><BR/>The words! I'm with you, I think some of them are just fun to read, write and say, even if I won't remember what they mean next week!<BR/><BR/>Travis, I suppose it's times like this when we find out how many friends we really have. I have been thinking of you all so much and hoping that you are all coping with your losses. I know it's easy to say that it's just "stuff", but I think we all know that it runs deeper and there are things that can't be replaced. I imagine it has made you all appreciate each other that much more. Hang in there, my friend.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00665632105920753931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-59207431046306163952009-01-10T13:54:00.000-07:002009-01-10T13:54:00.000-07:00Thanks Lisa. This trying time has been made much e...Thanks Lisa. This trying time has been made much easier by the support of all my friends, both in the cyberworld and right here in Amarillo, My entire family is tremendously grateful.Travis Erwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09420879160702098979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-39639168664562935022009-01-10T13:23:00.000-07:002009-01-10T13:23:00.000-07:00beautiful post as always. I tend to be drawn towa...beautiful post as always. I tend to be drawn towards long books. I don't know why. I remember reading The Deed of Paksinarion when I was like, 15 or something...it's three books and it was like 2000 pages or something. Not huge by my standards now but it was enough. I have been thirsty for some old time writing lately. It seems to be in the air. I've been making myself wait though until I finish one of my non fiction books I'm reading. Anyway-good on you for taking the plunge into Proust. I read The Dead (to changes authors) and it was actually pretty good. I still have a copy of it from my writing class in college. If you want a funny short story find "I, the murderer". It's cute. <BR/><BR/>I like the way some of those words run off the tongue. I knew a few of them (like 3)...some of them are just neat to say!<BR/><BR/>Alrighty-happy reading. I'm off to finish painting. (c;Risshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16582122840116012400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-67805587279349267942009-01-10T08:53:00.000-07:002009-01-10T08:53:00.000-07:00I wonder if children today feel the luxury of chil...I wonder if children today feel the luxury of children of past generations-pre-Internet and all of the other technology in terms of reading. I hope so. <BR/>I also am drawn to short books.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-9147078456698074692009-01-09T23:12:00.000-07:002009-01-09T23:12:00.000-07:00Larramie, You're welcome. I am really enjoying it ...Larramie, You're welcome. I am really enjoying it and I've already had one of my wishes come true :)<BR/><BR/>Elizabeth, Why yes it is. It is called "Morning Coffee" and for the longest time, we had it in the house and it was the first NSF painting he ever kept around. Eventually, someone saw an image of it and wanted it and he agreed to sell it, I believe out of a gallery in Newburyport, Massachusetts and now it's...out there somewhere. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the tip on "The Dead". It's apparently in a dead zone somewhere because I ordered it December 30th and it's not here yet and no, I haven't seen the movie either (I don't think).<BR/><BR/>And I am so so sorry! I ordered (I thought) two copies of MATRIMONY and sent them out in mid-December and I just checked and apparently I only thought I ordered two, but I had your name and address in the system and just ordered it and you should have it by Monday or Tuesday. I am so glad you asked!<BR/><BR/>Lana, Scott thanks you :) I loved that painting too. Actually -- not long after we met he saw me sitting out on the back deck reading and drinking coffee one morning and he took a picture. Then he set up his easel and he painted the whole thing in one day (which isn't typical). It was the first painting he did with me as the "model", so it's kind of a sentimental one. But...since you're an artist, I'm sure you know that when it's how you make a living, you can't get too attached and if there's a buyer...<BR/><BR/>I was going to be surprised that the book came up at your work until I remembered you work in a library!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00665632105920753931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-5186748423439071002009-01-09T22:01:00.000-07:002009-01-09T22:01:00.000-07:00That painting is AWESOME!Ironically Proust's "Swan...That painting is AWESOME!<BR/>Ironically Proust's "Swann's Way" came up at work the other day. What are the odds?Lana Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06975996208260144558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-1982327858450495192009-01-09T20:44:00.000-07:002009-01-09T20:44:00.000-07:00Lisa, I forgot to say that the painting at the top...Lisa, I forgot to say that the painting at the top of the blog is beautiful. Is it one of your man's? Also, read The Dead right away. It's not difficult and one of the most evocative pieces of writing ever. Have you seen the movie?<BR/><BR/>And one more thing -- did you ever send that copy of The Marriage (I think that was what it was called?) that I "won.?" No worries if you didn't, but if you did, it's another instance of our incredibly bad mail lady losing our mail.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-85540956731152967522009-01-09T18:32:00.000-07:002009-01-09T18:32:00.000-07:00Thank you, Lisa, for my blog mention, only one wor...Thank you, Lisa, for my blog mention, only one working week into it and such fun.<BR/><BR/>As for your literary undertaking, I DO admire you. But, in reading those passages, Id bet almost anything that Proust had never heard of "run-on sentences." ;)LarramieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07198109684891545903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-81796367355073647562009-01-09T11:46:00.000-07:002009-01-09T11:46:00.000-07:00Melissa, I was so proud when I got a library card ...Melissa, I was so proud when I got a library card and could walk there by myself (weird -- we went a lot of places at a very young age back in the olden days). I still remember the smell of the library and I can remember all the nooks and crannies I kid could find to curl up and read.<BR/><BR/>Charles, It seems to me that a lot of us must have had a hope that if we were off quietly reading, maybe they'd forget about us when it came time for chores -- I know I did.<BR/><BR/>Denis, I'm telling you -- not so bad!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00665632105920753931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-92163791114033927142009-01-09T10:58:00.000-07:002009-01-09T10:58:00.000-07:00Proust! Brrrrrrrrrrrr.....Proust! Brrrrrrrrrrrr.....Denishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17340764661772384540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-26834141623440923682009-01-09T09:08:00.000-07:002009-01-09T09:08:00.000-07:00Your story about reading as a youngster really bro...Your story about reading as a youngster really brought home memories. It sounds much like my experience. I would read for so many hours sometimes I'd have to try out all kinds of new positions in the chair to give my butt a rest. And I used to sneak off to the barn or the woods to read all the time.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-91342245092663699792009-01-09T08:32:00.000-07:002009-01-09T08:32:00.000-07:00I could completely relate to the memory of reading...I could completely relate to the memory of reading as a child. Oh boy. I ALWAYS had a book in my hands and I used to spend hours and hours every day during the summer just reading. It was a delightful, carefree time. I would panic if I didn't have another book to read, so I'd beg my mom to go to the library. :-)Melissa Amateishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16086267508858187716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-71932001877311471012009-01-09T00:03:00.000-07:002009-01-09T00:03:00.000-07:00Elizabeth, I cannot even imagine trying to read th...Elizabeth, I cannot even imagine trying to read this in French (and it's not just because I only had two years of high school French!). This book is challenging enough in English. Based on what I've read, the previous translation by Scott Moncrieff (which is the one most people have read) was much more difficult because he actually lengthened the book when he translated it, among other things. I have avoided reading too much about Proust although it's hard to avoid thinking at least a little bit about what I do know of him. I hate to say he was a hypochondriac because maybe he was really sickly, but what little I know gives me that impression. But -- I'm not going to think about him :)<BR/><BR/>The only Wharton I've read so far is THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, which I really liked -- so sad and it appeals to that romantic notion I have about New York during that era. <BR/><BR/>I am scared sh*tless of Joyce, but I do have THE DUBLINERS here (which I'm told is the one to try first...and I recently ordered THE DEAD, so I do have him in mind for another challenging read...after I finish SWANN'S WAY And relax with a little Dr. Seuss!<BR/><BR/>Leslie, Well hello to you and thanks for stopping by.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00665632105920753931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-15054573667241028522009-01-08T23:47:00.000-07:002009-01-08T23:47:00.000-07:00Hi, fellow reader here...I'm enjoying your blog. ...Hi, fellow reader here...I'm enjoying your blog. Cheers!Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11291203353555877983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567668315717895367.post-10063465744418907242009-01-08T23:41:00.000-07:002009-01-08T23:41:00.000-07:00I was a French and English literature major in col...I was a French and English literature major in college and groan when I think of how we had to read Proust in French. Even with an English translation it was utter agony for me! I don't think I could ever separate out his persona (the sickly man in bed, weak and whiny) with his great words. I admire you for the path you've undertaken and your serious intent, but when I go back to the classics, I think I prefer the ponderous James or Wharton to Proust. Your descriptions of what it feels like to be a child reading were right-on. I had the same myself and often wonder if it'll happen ever again. I can still remember those library stacks and all the books that I'd lug home...Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.com