Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Air ain't free!

I walked my bicycle down to the corner of 17th and College Streets to a gas station to put some air in the tires, only to find out that the air pump is coin-operated! Fifty cents for three minutes of air! I don't know, I just found the concept of paying for air a little ridiculous. So I walked my ass (and my bike) back home, dug up some quarters, and returned, and this time I got the much-needed air. Yes, a bit annoying, but the feeling of gliding along on the bike after so long was wonderful.

Today, indeed, I felt truly awake and alive for the first time since sometime in December. The difference is subtle, but the results are momentous. Running is going well, Mark is coming down for the marathon, I have just one interview left for my big J560 project, the semester is winding down, and for once the good things are outnumbering the bad. I was so motivated that I turned in two J552 assignments today, today's and Friday's. Friday's was a review of The Poisonwood Bible, which I unexpectedly liked. The narratives of the sisters deepened and matured to the point that I was enjoying them quite a bit. The last 150 pages or so was full of painful wisdom. Here are some more gems from Adah Price:

"In spite of myself I have loved the world a little, and may lose it."

"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes."

"Culture is a slingshot moved forward by the force of its past. When the strap lets go, what flies forward will not be family planning, it will be the small, hard head of a child."

And one from Orleanna, the mother:

"To live is to be marked. To live it to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know."

Good stuff. Next I have picked up Andre Dubus III's House of Sand and Fog (I'm still trying to work my way through the books I pilfered from my mother).

After a busy week, I think I deserve a night of relaxation.

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