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Books

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.

Categories
Dog Bob

And then there were four …

I had to take Kesey to the vet today to have him put down. He’s been going downhill for the past several months. He kept falling down and often wasn’t able to get to his feet. His hips were in horrible shape. When he stopped eating, I knew it was time.

But that didn’t make it any easier.

The folks at the vet must have thought I was nuts. This 6-4, 260 pound guy bawling his eyes out over a poor old collie. They were very kind, offering to send me the bill rather than make me stand at the front counter with tears in my eyes as they ran my credit card. He went peacefully, and before I took him in, I drove him around for about 45 minutes with all the windows down. He even managed to get to his feet for a short while, sticking his long narrow muzzle out the window and reveling in the cool April morning.

Kesey was a great dog. We only had him for two years. I brought him home after someone dumped him up at Melton Hill Park. But they were two good years. He fit in well with the rest of the pack and filled Bubba’s role as the elder male. I’ll miss the old guy.

Goodbye, old man. And thanks for being a loyal, devoted friend.

Categories
Books Techno Bob Web Bob

The epistolary novel goes 21st century

This is very interesting. Haven’t had a chance to really look it over yet, but it mirrors something I was toying with attempting for the Homestead novel I’m kicking around.

I’ve signed up to be a beta tester. Hope the pick me …

And speaking of things literary, heard an NPR interview with Pulitzer winner Franz Wright yesterday. His father is James Wright, one of my favorite poets. The selections they read from Franz’s “Walking to Martha’s Vineyard” were really powerful. So much so that I jumped over to Powell’s and ordered a copy.