I've been reading some of the books I got for Christmas, and I have to give it to Kid #2... He knows how to pick a knock-out. As in "knocks you out into a dead stupor."
It's "The Detective Stories of Edgar Allan Poe." See, he's literary. Well, he's an English teacher - they're born that way and they get even worse as life goes on. I'm as much to blame as anyone...he was made that way.
So he got me a few books for Christmas; and I obliged by getting him a signed Amy Hempel. That's a woman who, if I grew up to be a writer (I mean, for, like, MONEY...), I'd want to be her. Anyway, I get these books from a "secret source" unknown to him. All I do is pay attention to who he's reading and who he admires. Then I go find a book signed by the author.
Unfortunately, I think I've reached my apex in Hempel...Everyone else is going to be wayyyy out of my budget.
Ahem. Back to the books. He got me the Poe, because he knows I'm a Sherlock Holmes fanatic. Not just a "fan" but FANATIC. I read the canon back in high school, and I still can quote large parts of it. And I've re-read it several times. I just love the way Conan Doyle put together the stories.Well, legend has it that Conan Doyle wasn't the first to create a "consulting detective," and that perhaps Sherlock was conceived in the wake of Poe's C. Auguste Dupin. (Pronounced, "deu-pah" with the sound like you're swallowing the last syllable.)
So there are 3 stories in this little volume: The Murders in the Rue Morgue; The Mystery of Marie Roget; and The Purloined Letter. I can tell you this: Poe is wordy and Dupin is a jerk. He makes Mycroft Holmes look positively ACTIVE.
Sorry - Holmes humor... Mycroft Holmes is written as a large man who virtually never leaves his club. Dupin doesn't leave his home...and in several of the stories, doesn't bother to turn on the lights (in this case: light the candles).
Anyway, the stories are short-ish. But they're - in a word - boring. They're over-wordy, and the explanations are murky at best. I mean, Holmes gets convoluted, but you can generally follow his logic. Dupin's logic is tortured, at best. Convoluted in the extreme. Battered to death by a wall of words with nary a discernible end in sight.
Seriously, 3 or 4 pages, and I'm ready to snooze. I'll re-read them. There are nuggets there, and I resent not being able to dive in and grasp the story. So I'll review the book again, but for right now? It may as well be my "Intro to Statistics" textbook. One whack on the head and I'm out...
The other one I'm reading is courtesy of my friend Wendy - for my 60th birthday. Judith Viorst's "Suddenly Sixty," a slim little gem of poems. This is my "pick-up-and-put-down" book. You can just grab it, open it and skim one of the poems. Or several. Depends on whether you're taking a break from overly-enthusiastic knitting, or you're bored with whatever's in the newspaper.
Or you just want a small snippet of something witty to read in between whatever you're doing.
I haven't read much of her work; I could be persuaded to read more. I know all about her children's book, "Alexander's No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Day" and I know she's noted for her short stories.
But I never had any other exposure to her work. Have to investigate this more fully.
The Super Moon...
Well. Once again, we missed the Super Moon/Blue Moon/eclipse thingie that went on. It was cloudy. And we're in a comparatively populated area, so there's a ton of light pollution. The best I got was a picture from Monday night's class. Really, the most deserted place I can be, outside of leaving town. This shot is over the top of the State Police road salt storage garage.
It seems like it was gorgeous, given the photos I saw on the internet. I believe the next one is in a hundred years.
Guess I'll miss that one, too.
Knitting...
The Petty Harbour sock is coming along. I'm a few more rows down the leg, and I think I have about 7 more of the 4-row pattern repeats till I start the heel flap. I think this will make a great pair of socks, and I would do this again in a solid color - but something brighter!! This yarn would've been better used to learn a cable because it certainly has lovely stitch definition and with the solid color, I could've seen what I was doing pretty clearly.
But I'm a little nervous about doing a cable in such a small yarn. Maybe I need to learn them on worsted weight, or something bigger so that I get the hang of it.
If I could stick with this, it goes by pretty swiftly, I whip through the two "K around" rows, and then the K1, P1 row is a little fiddly, but the K3, P 1 goes by rather rapidly.
Once I hit the heel, it'll be smooth sailing (see that pun there... Petty Harbour, "smooth sailing"...). I'm going straight knit from the gusset onward.
I have a decision, though -- do I want to do the regular toe in the pattern or do I do my favorite: the star toe. I really like that one because it fits me the best. It's easy to do, and I think in this plain color yarn, it would really be striking.
And then there's the "traveling sock," which I started the other day. I've been able to do rounds here and there, and I'm half way down the ribbing for the cuff. Here's the thing: I'm not sure I like it. It may be the only Opal colorway that I'm not too keen on. I'm not sure why they named it "Turntable." Doesn't look at all like a record player, a record, or a disco! It almost looks Christmas-like, but the red in the photo is actually a little more orange. And that black-ish line is actually a dark forest green.
Anyway, this may be my "experimental sock" wherein I use a different heel and toe. It might be a good way to start expanding my knitting - or sock knitting - horizons.
I'm getting a few of my "fancy" hanks in line to do shawls. Still narrowing down patterns. And I have a hat kit that I really want to start. Of course, since it's February, I have several projects I want to get done, and there are WIPs to finish, realistically, I'll get to it - MAYBE - in March!
The Columbarium...
Well, today was one of those days where I hit another thing on my "accidental bucket list." I had a person call the church and ask to put her loved one in the columbarium. It's a space behind the altar where cremains are stored.
Our church is currently still searching for a vicar, and the family just wanted to place their loved one, no service necessary. That was today. So... I got the columbarium map out, figured out where the loved one was supposed to go, and we did it. Hubby was installing the new organ lamp, so he was in the church with them for a little while as they said their goodbyes.
I actually helped Hubby place the loved one's remains in the box. It was nice to give the family the closure. But it certainly wasn't what I expected.
Random Picture...
I still like the comics. I have my favorites, and I follow the story lines, like Crankshaft, and Doonesbury. There are quite a few I don't read, but overall, the comics can give me a chuckle, make me think, and sometimes point out something I may have missed. If they're good political comics, even better.
No comments:
Post a Comment