Three day weekend reading...

Well, last week's attempt to read Fanny Hill was a complete bust.

 

Granted, I'm not quite sure I could follow, much less understand, all the physics behind the 18th century bawdy frolicking going on throughout so much of the novel, but I am pretty sure a lot of it was wishful thinking on the part of a man (John Cleland) with a very wild imagination. I'm not well-versed in erotica from any century, but I'm also quite sure love scenes ("love" being used loosely) should not sound like something from Gray's Anatomy (the medical text, not the tv show.)

 

 

 

 

I don't know why I pick up much older books when I can't sleep, but tonight I'm going for War and Peace (which it probably goes without saying is much cleaner and far better reading.) What surprises me is how funny the beginning is, though that could be the slap happy sleepiness inside me right now and the 21st century insight that "forty years" is hardly old age.

 

I think before I get into reading it any more, though, I need a good history refresher on Napoleon and his invasion of Russia.

 

Also helpful is this:

 

 

 

 Another great source is this link from Amazon where someone breaks down which translations to read and why:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R1IK42CKUHYV9V

 

I'm reading the Ann Dunnigan version, but I also downloaded (for free from Google Books) the Nathan Haskell Dole one.

 

War and Peace (Signet classics) -- (UNABRIDGED) Ann Dunnigan was born in Hollywood and here she has presented us with a very nice contemporary (1968) "American English" version of Tolstoy's Magnum opus. I call this one the "doctor's office version" because, even though it is 1,456 pages long (Signet paperback/Penguin), a busy errand-runner can still reasonably carry it around without backache. I found the translation itself to be quite competently rendered and most of the text reads straight through with no footnotes to deal with for the French language parts. If you're an American, and plan to read "War and Peace" only one time, and you're a really busy person who likes to read during windows of time, then this is likely your top choice.

Wednesday odds and ends, to start with

• It’s not pleasant when other people don’t like you, but it’s not awful, it’s not the end of the world, and it’s not fatal.

The above is from an article on irrational thinking I've found to be pretty helpful...I still need to work on this, but it's getting better (I hope):

http://www.rebtnetwork.org/library/ideas.html




This song has been on my mind...after "The Things We Do For Love," it's my favorite 10cc song:

• "This song incorporated the backing of a large wordless choir, which in reality was the group's voices. It was painstakingly built up from chord loops and multi tracks. Some 256 vocal dubs were required to complete the lush harmonies behind Eric Stewart's vocal."
   
  source:
   
   http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4113
   

"Every Simpsons Ever" (the FXX marathon that began on August 21st and runs through September 1st) feels like a Christmas present for an insomniac with a soft spot for Lisa Simpson and her family. There's not enough room on anyone's DVR to cover all 522 episodes, but during those times you can't sleep or you to need to smile, it's there for you! :)

One of my very favorite episodes of Fringe is called "6B," named after an apartment from the plot, where enduring love (and a perfectly understandable inability to let go of it) is the source of all things strange within the entire building. 

This is what Peter says when he is trying to encourage Alice (a devoted widow who has been able to see who she thinks is her dead husband in a parallel universe) to go:

"I know, I know, but you've already had what most of us only dream of... a lifetime with the person you love. Look around you, your entire house is filled with mementos -- photographs, ticket stubs, evidence of a life shared with somebody. Proof that what you and Derek had was true and real. And I know that when you have something so real, you'll do anything to keep from losing it. But please, you have to let him go."

It is indeed (I imagine) what a lot of us only dream of...and never find. Still, I do find happiness is seeing others find it. Maybe that's why I like the "Weddings & Celebrations" section of the New York Times so much:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/fashion/weddings/index.html?module=SectionsNav&action=click&version=BrowseTree&region=TopBar&contentCollection=Fashion%20%26%20Style%2FWeddings&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=Homepage

For more about the Fringe episode, read here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6B_(Fringe)

I love that in this particular episode the symbols*, that always appear on the screen before commercial breaks, spell out "hearts."


*a leaf, a frog, a woman's profile, a handprint are some:


http://fringepedia.net/wiki/Glyphs_code

The frogs are all in sync outside my window. I think they're trying to sing, but I'm not really sure...it's kind of a soothing sound, whatever they're doing. Speaking of soothing, two nice songs to close out the night are "When Will I See You Again" by The Three Degrees and "Charlotte Anne" by Julian Cope.

Here's to a smooth start to the week! :)