6 apr 2012

just finished up for renewal by cathy alter. it's nonfiction, 320pgs, so that's 43% of my goal of 750pgs of nonfiction in 2012. bully for me! the book was quite enjoyable. ms alter's telling of her falling apart and regaining her self-composure after divorcing in her mid-30s is both humorous and heartwarming. her life in washington DC is at first vicariously thrilling in its delirious moral abandonment and as the story develops, her reorganization of her priorities and her recovery of her principles is cathartic. it's fun to imagine being that out-of-control and it's fun to imagine being that take-charge, so throughout, this memoir is a fun read.

i'm here with descartes & josephine having a last visit to the palace before they move north for a few years. descartes works hard to make things look easy, and he and josephine have built quite a life together for themselves and for their kiddos, frog and princess. descartes's latest adventure is law school, and a school up north made an offer they couldn't refuse (a full ride). at any rate, one of the things one does when one comes to the palace is to visit the used bookstore. i brought a nearly-finished book on purpose - so that after visiting the bookstore, i could begin reading one of my purchases right away. i selected both john grisham's the confession and muriel barbery's the elegance of the hedgehog. i have elected to begin with the hedgehog. i'll be sure and let you know how it turns out.

as a bonus, here are a couple pix from my trip. the first is some fab copper pipes in a secret-looking hallway. this was at a rest stop where one of those "employees only" doors was standing open. rest stop employees apparently toil amongst the pipes. who knew? the second is an item i saw for sale in a walmart here. they're pretty blasé, just selling merch like that, right out in the open.