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Happy Bloomsday

Almost forgot that today is Bloomsday, and the 100th anniversary at that. Google did a neat Joyce thingy with its logo. Check it out, or if it's already gone, you can see it here.

I'd hoped to get through Ulysses by now, but I'm still slogging away. I got about half-way through and started getting sidetracked by other books (most recently, Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian," which is awesome.) For some reason, Joyce is a cold weather read for me. I really need to finish it, though. I'm getting a lot more out of it this time through. The first time left me mostly bewildered. Now it's all coming together, thanks to Harry Blamires' The New Bloomsday Book.

Posted by Bob Benz at June 16, 2004 9:52 AM

Comments. . .

I loved Blood Meridian.

Ever read Pomona Queen by Kem Nunn?

Friggin' awesome.

Posted by: Chris in Bama at June 17, 2004 5:16 PM

Haven't read Pomona Queen. Never even heard of it. I'm adding it to my list, though. Good to hear from you again. Hope all's well in Bamy.

Posted by: Benz at June 18, 2004 7:47 AM

After reading your initial post I'm inspired to read Joyce again. I've been on the wagon for a while now, but it may be time.

Lately I've been writing reports at work that begin and end in mid-sentence.

Posted by: Chris in Bama at June 18, 2004 9:41 AM

Wow, you're alive. It took Joyce to inspire the first blog entry in nearly two months.

Posted by: Leanne at June 21, 2004 1:48 PM

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you, Leanne. I'd been hitting your blog and it hadn't updated for several weeks. I thought maybe you'd finally gone nuclear. I guess it took Ray Charles to flush you out ...

Not sure if you remember, but the Southern Belle from Hell dated Ray's bassist for a while in the Birmingham years. Said bassist claimed Ray was a raging PCP junkie ...

Posted by: Benz at June 24, 2004 10:59 AM

I'm treating summer as a verb this year, Bob. Hence the sleepy blog. I'm in the process of erecting my own web site and blog. I'll let you know when it is up and running.

Posted by: Leanne at June 24, 2004 5:46 PM

Yes, summer's a verb for me, too. But it's feeling really past tense these days. Har.

Can't wait to see the new site/blog. Send a note when it's live.

Posted by: Benz at June 25, 2004 6:43 PM

where is your blog, leanne? 'glad to hear you mention the ray charles' bass player thing, bob. i thought maybe it was some weird short circuit in my brain. she dragged him home from a jimmy buffett concert, didn't she? (i just happened to be there at the time...)

Posted by: jo at July 20, 2004 5:55 PM

Wow. I forgot you were there. You have a Gump-like ability to make the scene for key Benzian events, don't you?

My recollection is that she met the bassist at Grundy's jazz bar over on the northside after a Ray Charles show at one of the larger venues in Birmingham. Several members of his band showed up at Grundy's, where the Belle was a waitress. He was a good guy.

Posted by: Benz at July 21, 2004 12:31 PM

hmmm... 'wonder where i came up with the jimmy buffett connection... maybe it was the all of the tropical birds in the house. i guess that there is a short circuit somewhere...

Posted by: jo at July 23, 2004 2:38 PM

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