Old Man and Me

I finished "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway last night during our flight to Florida. This was my first time reading the novella (Remember Zionsvillians, I came to honors English late) and I must admit, I enjoyed it a great deal more than Hemingway's dull "The Sun Also Rises."

First, I love the novella short form. "The Old Man in the Sea" is just the perfect length to keep me interested before reading ADD strikes. Second, it's wonderfully focused, a virtue sadly lacking in the aforementioned "The Sun Also Rises." Third, I love Hemingway's sparse prose. I see my own style of writing reflected in Hemingway's superior rhythms. And fourth, I was inspired by "The Old Man in the Sea" because I think I detected weak spots in the prose. Detecting weak spots is just a step from correcting them and this gave me a boost of confidence in my own writing skills.

Too bad Greg had to send me a few of his most recent short stories. Superbly crafted, Greg. I am jealous!

Natura Non Facit Saltum

I can remember hauling a copy of The Origin of Species around high school, determined to get through that densely packed book. I had some success and managed to complete about a third of the material. But like a lot of my reading, only the smallest and most personally interesting pockets stuck with me.

Later, in college, my reading comprehension skills progressed, thanks in large part to the realization that the study of English literature should not be approached as a kind of mathematics (I know, so obvious! but that's fodder for some later post.)

Anyway, I took at least 3 courses that required re-reading Darwin (his personal letters are particularly interesting) and developed a real appreciation for his prose. Despite his predilection for drawn-out sentences and sometimes poor syntax, the simplicity of Darwin's arguments and his ability to admit ignorance where appropriate continue to inspire. A selection from the final chapter in The Origin of Species:

We can to a certain extent understand how it is that there is so much beauty throughout nature; for this may be largely attributed to the agency of selection. That beauty, according to our sense of it, is not universal, must be admitted by every one who will look at some venomous snakes, at some fishes, and at certain hideous bats with a distorted resemblance to the human face. Sexual selection has given the most brilliant colours, elegant patterns, and other ornaments to the males, and sometimes to both sexes of many birds, butterflies, and other animals. With birds it has often rendered the voice of the male musical to the female, as well as to our ears. Flowers and fruit have been rendered conspicuous by brilliant colours in contrast with the green foliage, in order that the flowers may be readily seen, visited and fertilised by insects, and the seeds disseminated by birds. How it comes that certain colours, sounds, and forms should give pleasure to man and the lower animals,- that is, that is, how the sense of beauty in its simplest form was first acquired,- we do not know any more than how certain odours and flavours were first rendered agreeable.

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

Spring Break 2008

I admit, I feel more than a little guilty for taking a vacation from being a bum. But, what can I say? Why knock a good thing?

I leave for Memphis TN this morning, and then arrive in Fort Myers FL on Monday. Until next time!

"The Rainbow Has a Little More Red Today"

One of the dogs I sit for has recently passed away. Originally, I wanted to write something. After all, I only knew this pup Red for a few weeks and he and his insulin shots managed to help me get over my fears about injections. I was amazed at how willing and cooperative he was when I administered the shots, and how he seemed so appreciative of my attention.

But I simply can't compete with this touching tribute from his owners over on winecanine. Please make sure you give this beautiful piece a read:

"The Rainbow Has a Little More Red Today"

Featured Doodle -- Butt-Fish

Isn't he cute?

That'll Do, Pig

A couple of days ago, we dug up our old VHS of "BABE" and watched it together. Now I remember why we went to the theater 3 times to see this movie. Utterly charming, funny, moving and smart. The writing is excellent, the cinematography and direction superb, and even the performances are noteworthy.

Oh yes, the music is also stirring! If this movie has somehow escaped your attention, it is in your best interest to rectify this problem immediately. That's not exactly a threat, but . . . I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!!

The film's uplifting ending can be found on youtube, but to avoid spoiling its emotional impact, I thought I'd just include this review from Siskel and Ebert: