"In my head, there's a Greyhound station..."

Almost exactly five years ago, I read The Unbearable Lightness of Being for the first time. I'm not sure why, precisely; I had probably seen it on a list, for which I have a hereditary predilection, and happened to see a copy at the library. I read it in a single afternoon, Thanksgiving 2001, with the cat occasionally lounging on or beside me. I thought it amazing at the time (it starts, "The idea of eternal return is a mysterious one, and Nietzsche has often perplexed other philosophers with it: to think that everything recurs as we once experienced it, and that the recurrence itself recurs ad infinitum!"), but although it continued to haunt my thoughts, I somehow never re-read it.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a used copy, along with Oscar Wilde's Salome, for one of the monster papers plaguing the end of my semester, and tonight, in a simultaneous attempt to work on and avoid said paper, began it again. [1] So far, I still think it's amazing.

Here is the third chapter of the second book:

"Tereza tried to see herself through her body. That is why, from girlhood on, she would stand before the mirror so often. And because she was afraid her mother would catch her at it, every peek into the mirror had a twinge of secret vice.

"It was not vanity that drew her to the mirror; it was amazement at seeing her own "I." She forgot she was looking at the instrument panel of her body mechanisms; she thought she saw her soul shining through the features of her face. She forgot that the nose was merely the nozzle of a hose that took oxygen to the lungs; she saw it as the true expression of her nature.

"Staring at herself for long stretches of time, she was occasionally upset at the sight of her mother's features in her face. She would stare all the more doggedly at her image in an attempt to wish them away and keep only what was hers alone. Each time she succeeded was a time of intoxication: her soul would rise to the surface of her body like a crew charging up from the bowels of a ship, spreading out over the deck, waving at the sky and singing in jubilation." (41)

[1] Blogging is of course, pure avoidance.

Things I love

Avalon Organics Awapuhi Mango Shampoo. I have no idea what an awapuhi is, but this shampoo smells great, lathers beautifully, and contains no evil sodium sulfates.

Jason PowerSmile toothpaste. See above. I'm also convinced that it whitens better than any other toothpaste I've ever used.

Things I don't love:
* Grading papers
* Writing papers [1]
* Winter [2]

[1] Does this make me a bad grad student? Should I be worried about not wanting to write the papers, in addition to worrying about writing them?

[2] “Oh, really,” the teacher said. “How very interesting. I thought that everyone loved the mosquito, but here, in front of all the world, you claim to detest him. How is it that we’ve been blessed with someone as unique and original as you? Tell us, please." --David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

Monday the 13th

1. The Onion says it so much better than I ever could.

2. Naturally, I am elated about the election results; Americans have somewhat begun to redeem themselves, and I can only hope the trend holds.

3. I have 40 five-page papers to grade, three more classes to teach, and a 15-minute presentation to deliver to my seminar class before Thanksgiving break. We have classes Wednesday; I can't skip because I'm a teacher.

V * O * T * E

This is the first I've been able to see, let alone post to, my blog in several days, so I'm glad it's back. I was afraid it would not allow me to post my possibly single most important message of the year: it's voting day, so get out there and do it! Voting is an incredible privilege (and a relatively recent, extremely hard-won one for women), and our participation shows that we appreciate the sacrifices of others and how fortunate we are.

Also, Karl Rove believes that he has "THE math," and few things would make me happier than seeing that slimy toadball proved wrong.

Of course, if you think the president is basically doing a stellar job and that his party in Washington is accomplishing good, honest things and making sound use of our tax dollars, by all means, vote Republican. If you have your doubts, do the research... and then let your VOTE be heard.