Some Sort of Update

Austen Update: I've finished all the novels (except for Mansfield Park which I gave up on) and I think Persuasion may be my favorite. Either that or Pride and Prejudice. The thing is, while Jane may have felt rushed to complete the former before she, um, died, the result of that haste is (IMO) something paced a little more along the lines of a modern reader's expectations. Anne Elliott is less snarky than Elizabeth Bennett, and in the end Elizabeth is probably more fun at parties, but Anne is also less happy in her existing situation, which made her eventual attachment to Captain Wentworth more emotionally satisfying. She just felt so lonely before that, with her horrible father and sister. What is it with Austen's mothers, anyway? They are all dead, clueless or barely there. Anyway. Am now reading "Lady Susan" and plan to segue into re-reading The Jane Austen Book Club in the next few days.

This Charlie Brown comic done for the U.S. Department of Health where Sally has to wear an eyepatch? Dude, that was me. Except that I only got to wear the pirate eyepatch at night. During the day I had to wear this flesh-colored adhesive bandage which fit over my eye socket and probably made me look, from a distance, like a kid WITHOUT AN EYE. This was supposed to force my nearsighted ("lazy") eye to work harder, but all it did was make the good eye, which I wasn't using, farsighted. So, yes. One of my eyes sees near and the other sees far. Now you know . . . and knowing is half the battle!

Little known fact: Chumbawumba was approached to do a soundtrack for "The Passion of the Christ." Also, Panda sneeze!