Ten items

[gurdonark]

1. I dislike that my car is always disorganized and full of stuff, but I love that as I get out of my car to go to the airport, and think I am without reading material, I can just reach down, and "voila", there's AS Byatt's "Possession", purchased at a library used book sale weeks ago, but not moved in from the car.
This proves to be a fascinating read. I'm four fifths of the way through, and the "literary romance thriller" has me hooked. I do not surprise myself that books with flowery prose, tongue in cheek literary parody and overwrought 19th Century writers, can pull me in.

2. I got off the plane at my stopover in Vegas last night, and meandered over to the giant Wheel of Fortune machine. In those unlikely times when the stars align and the machine chants "Wheel of Fortune", causing the big wheel to spin, then one feels as though one has been specially chosen by God to receive 250 tokens. This, I suspect, is the root of the gambling addiction. I wonder how many other bits of good fortune I see as divine providence, and contrariwise, how many bits of divine providence I see as merely mundane. I lost forty dollars, and the wheel didn't spin, but I'll resist the damnation discussion. Instead, I'll mention that although my "preset limit" for gambling during this airport run was 40 dollars, I inexplicably (and thus, in willful error) did meander over to one of those curious nickel machines in which one plays 15 nickels, and wins for inexplicable reasons in impossible combinations. I soon found myself up 20 dollars, based on apparently causing some lobsters to align in a row. A fisherman appeared,and began pulling lobsters out of bottles, which then paid me immense tokens. Sadly, I kept gambling until my winning were down to 2 dollars and 30 cents, 1 dollar of which I tipped to the woman who converted hundreds of nickels back into money. I cannot, therefore, answer about the Fates, but I am hopeful about lobsters.

3. I got upgraded yesterday by my airline, which apparently has determined that I am part of the silver elite. I have never been a silver elite, but I dislike the class warfare sound of it. I do not dislike the extra room in first class. Everyone should fly in first class. We had an airline, called Legend, based on this philosophy. Tons of legroom and tickets to LA on 3 days' notice for 200 dollars. That airline is now, alas, merely a legend.

4. Sometimes I am sheepish in conversation.

5. I wanted the Red Sox to play the Cubs in the World Series, for no particular reason, but now I want baseball to end.

6. I am already dreaming of seeing a far-away heron in the distance, taking wing.
I am thinking of the year-round resident great blue heron, but it is almost time for some of the white herons to make looping passes as they swoop up in flocks and depart. Amazing things happen in droves here--like the fire ant queen flight in March.

7. I wonder if Lake Ray Roberts, one of the small bands of places with the zebra longwing butterfly, will still be in zebra butterfly now.

8. I have a marvellous way to finish a nervousness exchange I am working on. I am so eager to put it into practice.

9. I wonder, sometimes, if everyone doesn't need two home-made scratch biscuits, and a good dollop of honey made from mountain flowers.

10. The problem with velvet ants is that they are really wingless wasps.
They sting.

Comments

[kayre]

Nervousness exchange?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes, an exchange on nervousness.org, where they do art exchanges. I am writing something this month, and it had been going, but going slowly, but now I see where to go with it.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

. I cannot, therefore, answer about the Fates, but I am hopeful about lobsters.

It is always good to have the lobsters on your side. Here's hoping you continue to be blessed by their favor. (Hint: Try not to make any jokes involving melted butter where the lobsters might hear you. Lobsters get testy about that sort of thing.)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Lobsters are really cool. they are fairly tasty. But they are cool enough that it's almost a surprise that I eat them. But I do.

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

I wonder, sometimes, if everyone doesn't need two home-made scratch biscuits, and a good dollop of honey made from mountain flowers.

I wonder this, too. And I have come to the conclusion that, yes, everyone does need this. Maybe even on a daily basis. It's called "soul food" around these parts. And I can't get enough.

I couldn't get very far with Possession. And it seemed like just more proof that we are all really alone in this world as everyone recommended it and felt certain I would "love" it.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I grew up with things being called "soul food", but in Texas they tend to call everything Texan.

I remember my father's father, whom we called 'pappy', had some honey with the honeycomb from the deep country that he gave to us once. It was amazing stuff. I'm never sure if the flowers the bees use really makes that much difference, but I am sure that the more "rural" a honey is, ,the better it is.

I always stayed away from Byatt before because the covers always made me wonder if the things were too gothic-y, and because the Eco-type "how many allusions can we cram into a paragraph" does not work all that well for me. But it hooked me, and I enjoyed it. But you're not alone. You're just unique.

[blue-by-you.livejournal.com]

8. I have a marvellous way to finish a nervousness exchange I am working on. I am so eager to put it into practice

This has just enough to it to make me think it might be the juicy bits. I hope so. And if it is, I want more information. Please, oh, please.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it's that juicy, but here goes. I sometimes do exchanges on nervousness.org, and this time I've promised that I'll do a book in October for an exchange. I had hit some stumbling blocks on it, having done only a title and a few thousand words, but suddenly, the whole thing shimmers before me, to be finished soon.

[chevrefeuilles.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you like "Possession." It is one of my favorites.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I finished it tonight. What fun! A very good read.

[elainegrey.livejournal.com]

Well, i enjoyed Posession enough to pick up The Biographer's Tale.

And now i really want good biscuits. It's the limiting to just two part that's hard. I definitely do not need a half dozen biscuits, particularly with butter and honey. Two would reflect moderation, pleasure without going overboard.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

A true friend (and perhaps a true Friend) would have 2, and share 10.

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

I read Possession on my trip to the Adirondacks this year. I was hooked too. :-)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

It really held me--knocked it out overnight.

[laruth.livejournal.com]

#9 - Everyone needs at least two home-made scratch biscuits, and fresh honey. The more the merrier!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I know y'all call a cookie a biscuit. What do you call a biscuit? Do you know what I mean? Our biscuits are not yeasty like rolls, but are bread-y and not cookie-y. What is the Oz term?

[laruth.livejournal.com]

We tend to use the terms "cookies" and "biscuits" interchangeably. Are you saying that your biscuits are more like bread?? Our biscuits/cookies are generally sweet and not bread-like at all. We also call our biscuits "bikkies".

[the-outsider.livejournal.com]

5. I wanted the Red Sox to play the Cubs in the World Series, for no particular reason, but now I want baseball to end.

Yeah, that's exactly how I feel too. I don't even like baseball, but I was hoping it'd go that way.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Sometimes the picturesque is the cool thing, it must be admitted. Who wants a team of marlins in the World Series?