pneumonia
Did I mention I have pneumonia? I do. nice, eh? It's now been since the end of may since I have been not sick. Hopefully this will be the end of it...I'm taking some strong antibiotic and today is the third day I have been really forcing myself to stay the fuck in bed (mostly). Well, i did some gardening, but I think it was good because I totally got all sweaty and then coughed up a bunch of stuff, and it's better for that shit to be out of my lungs than in, right? Probably if I had confined myself to my bed a month ago I would be well by now...but there's no way to know for sure so no self blame here. I'm just really looking forward to not being sick. I have SO MUCH to do.
Mostly today I spent reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. pretty interesting book. Among other things, the book presents the idea that dropping the atom bomb on japan changed the nature of the USA irrevocably. That we were so collectively horrified by it that we had to believe that we were better than every other nation, and had to be suspicious of every other nation, lest they get the bomb which only we were good enough to have, and this then led to the red scares and HUAC and all that, and that paranoia and nastiness has never left us. I am not sure what i think of this idea, other than I think it is interesting. The main character in the book spends oh about a third of the book working for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and then Trotsky. I wonder (not being supah familiar with their histories) how much of the events and characterizations are based on what is known of these people and times. It certainly makes Trotsky seem like a great man...I suppose another idea that the book puts forward is that if Trotsky had taken power after Lenin instead of Stalin, everything would have been different. Also an interesting idea that I don't know enough about.
also in the book? an interesting description of how to make good bread dough.
Mostly today I spent reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. pretty interesting book. Among other things, the book presents the idea that dropping the atom bomb on japan changed the nature of the USA irrevocably. That we were so collectively horrified by it that we had to believe that we were better than every other nation, and had to be suspicious of every other nation, lest they get the bomb which only we were good enough to have, and this then led to the red scares and HUAC and all that, and that paranoia and nastiness has never left us. I am not sure what i think of this idea, other than I think it is interesting. The main character in the book spends oh about a third of the book working for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and then Trotsky. I wonder (not being supah familiar with their histories) how much of the events and characterizations are based on what is known of these people and times. It certainly makes Trotsky seem like a great man...I suppose another idea that the book puts forward is that if Trotsky had taken power after Lenin instead of Stalin, everything would have been different. Also an interesting idea that I don't know enough about.
also in the book? an interesting description of how to make good bread dough.