23 degrees this morning, walk 36:22 minutes
Cold this morning, but with no wind, it wasn’t really that bad. Not that I wouldn’t prefer 80 degrees!
Listening to my series on “Great American Literature”, this morning he started on Eugene O’Neill, whom I know absolutely nothing about except I recognize some of the titles to his plays. I don’t think I have read, seen, or even read about any of his plays, oddly enough.
The lecturer mentioned that American Literature has not produced a lot of great playwrights, only Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams and Author Miller.
Actually I have vivid memories of the movies of plays by Tennessee Williams, at least the movie “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, and a play I saw in person, “The Glass Menagerie” . I also saw Author Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” in person. Frankly, both were very good, but also very depressing.
I actually saw all of these in college and still have vivid memories of my reaction to them, so I guess playwrights communicated well! That was, or was almost 50 years ago!
I also tried to read Author Miller’s autography “Time Bends” and I still have it. He mentioned it was written in a “new format” (the reason for the title) where he jumped around a lot. It was interesting, but too disjointed, and I stopped reading it.
Actually, I didn’t “stop” reading it, it just got so disjointed that I didn’t resume reading it, there is a big difference!
“Death of a Salesman” especially depressed me (in a natural way I guess), almost as much as “Of Mice and Men” did.
Actually I have to disagree with the lecturer on American Playwrights, there are too many to mention that have produced excellent plays, but Thorton Wilder and Edward Albee etc. come to mind!
I have really been drawn into the novel “Powerless”. Especially with the situation coming up in Washington, it is too close to a reality, which is why it makes since intense reading.
I agree with the local book reviewer, this novelist compares to any of the best selling novelists of the same type of novel and is probably better than almost many of them. It is amazing to think he lives in the same town I do!
Anyway, in the book “Powerless”, everyone is staring to realize that the situation is reality for some time, probably years, and so gangs and looters come out to prey on people and get supplies etc.
Since electricity is literally the basis for everything you realize it isn’t impossible it could happen, and I think his concept of what would happen afterwards is probably realistic.
Read a very scary article about the new Department of Education selection. She literally bribed the legislature into destroying public schools in Detroit and shoveling money to profit schools. The last place she should be is in charge of anything. It is very scary to think about a power hungry greedy nut like her being in charge of education. She should be in jail for bribery and extortion.
I expect an “Arab Spring” situation to develop in the near future, much as I predicted several months ago as people realize what is happening.
That’s it for now, Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
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