Barmy and Heather in Wonderland
Barmy in Wonderland is a late P.G. Wodehouse book that I had never even heard of before a few weeks ago in Green Apple Books, the labyrinthine Clement St. bookstore. I was lingering near the front counter, wondering if I had the energy to brave the endless seas of books, when I overheard a customer and the desk clerk discussing Wodehouse. The desk clerk mentioned they had this book out in a new edition. !!! A Wodehouse I'd never heard of?-this was unprecedented. I followed the customer to the Wodehouse section, and we browsed through the books (the rest of which I did have). He was actually holding this book in his hand-I said, "I overheard you and the desk clerk; can I look at it?" He gave it to me, and I flipped through it, but when I held it out and said, "Were you going to buy this?" his chivalrous instincts kicked in, and he said, "No, you take it. I can always come back. I live close by." Well, I demurred a little, but not much, and did buy it. Later, I overheard him telling the clerk how chivalrous he'd been, and hoping they would have another copy. :-)
Unfortunately, Barmy in Wonderland isn't very good. It's set on Broadway, which is unusual in Wodehouse, though he did know a lot about it, and is probably full of sly and/or broad humor about the theater. But it's just one thing happening after another! No intricate this-will-have-dire-consequences-in-ten-chapters stuff, and no use of character at all. I haven't looked this up, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wodehouse wrote this in his sleep. Disappointing. I wish I knew the other customer's phone number so I could tell him not to bother.
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As for me in Wonderland, by which I mean LA, graymalkn and I went to Long Beach for Easter. Sorry, no pics this time, and I did kick myself numerous times for not taking my camera. I was really looking forward to this trip. It's been ages since we've traveled properly, so I was especially antsy to be out and about, even for a weekend. This trip featured:
Unfortunately, Barmy in Wonderland isn't very good. It's set on Broadway, which is unusual in Wodehouse, though he did know a lot about it, and is probably full of sly and/or broad humor about the theater. But it's just one thing happening after another! No intricate this-will-have-dire-consequences-in-ten-chapters stuff, and no use of character at all. I haven't looked this up, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wodehouse wrote this in his sleep. Disappointing. I wish I knew the other customer's phone number so I could tell him not to bother.
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As for me in Wonderland, by which I mean LA, graymalkn and I went to Long Beach for Easter. Sorry, no pics this time, and I did kick myself numerous times for not taking my camera. I was really looking forward to this trip. It's been ages since we've traveled properly, so I was especially antsy to be out and about, even for a weekend. This trip featured:
- Lovely green hills shaded with purple and gold on the 101
- My first time playing Mario Kart (on the Wii), and lucky we don't have one, b/c I am hooked! Eventually I'll even stop running into things, and then you all are going down!
- A fun Saturday with Roz featuring: giving her her bday present, a heavy book of anatomy and surgical technique illustrations from 1832, which she adored, then shivering squeamishly at the pics; walking around SciArc, a long building filled with architecture students and projects that turned out to be surprisingly mathy (I did not ask anyone where the caryatids where, but I wanted to. Still, I was more engrossed than I thought I'd be); a lovely Bulgarian folk-music concert set in an old theater run by the Panorama Enthusiast Society; a reception in the garden of same theater, featuring a harpist in a gazebo, which I think is close to Heaven; a Scrabble game played in three segments, including in a late-night hipster diner on Sunset, which I lost; and a concerted effort on the part of the LA freeway and street system to never let us get where we were going in an easy manner. No, there had to be confusing freeway junctions, police action, closed bridges, heavy street traffic, and more. That's how you know you're in LA, after all.
- An earthquake during Easter dinner-a long, drawn-out, dizzifying earthquake. Not that we stopped eating or anything.
- Yet another Scrabble game that I lost-what is wrong with me these days??
- An exhilarating late-night/early-morning drive back to Oakland on the 5 (timed to get us back for Monday appts and to avoid LA rush hour). Erik napped from 10 pm to 1 am, and I talked to his mom and read Harry Potter #6. We left around 1:40 am. Pouring rain in LA and on the Grapevine, fog on the Grapevine too, at least there was no traffic. Had to listen to bellydance music to keep myself awake. All clear on the boring part of the 5. I drove to Kettleman City, then Erik took over. I actually love driving on the 5 late at night: I love being surreally tired, I love the discipline of the one-point perspective, and the slight hallucinations on the horizon. And I just love being up late at night, especially out and about, and I love being in the middle of nowhere. Also, I loved being awake for the sunrise, which was so beautiful on the pass and the Livermore hills. We got home about 7:30 am, and I actually had a little trouble falling asleep-my body was buzzing from the long drive and the change in schedule.