Wednesday, September 26th, 2007
I actually read quite a bit last night. I don’t know…I guess I was inspired. My frontal lobe is getting a workout and, believe it or not, I feel better.
I am almost done with “Wobegon Boy” by Garrison Keillor. Let me tell you, this book had good reviews. Even what they said on the back cover was good. HAHA, what they say on the back cover is always good. When I first started reading this book, I was having fun. The story made sense and all was nice in the world. I think, about half way through, when “John’s” father died, things got a little weird. To me, the story lost track. It seems like Garrison is almost just trying to get all the punch lines he had in his head for all these years on paper. It almost doesn’t make sense. I have to admit that I have been only reading a few pages each night, but it is hard to get back into the story when I do decide to pick up the book again.
Have you ever read, “It” by Stephen King? That book is kind of fat. That is, “thick,” not “phat” with a PH. I think I got about half way through it when I looked deep into my soul and told myself I had absolutely no idea what this man was talking about. I was slightly sad about that because Stephen Kind is so famous and I really tried to enjoy his writing. I had to put the book down forever. Now, I am not saying that what I write makes any sense either, but then again, I am no author. All I can claim is that I am an amateur blogging hack.
So, back to the frontal lobe. Yeah, it feels better. It has been a while since I did anything educational-wise-ish and I miss it. I get so excited when there is something to learn. I have been very focused on business lately that I almost gave up on intellectual stimulation. The most I have done in the past year was to complain about my problem during dinner.
I can tell I am a new man. Can you believe that the whole transformation has happened in less than a week?
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Wednesday, September 13th, 2006
Usually, I try to finish up what I am doing at about 10:30PM and hop in bed to read for about a half hour. There have been times when I intended to do that, say to myself, “Oh yeah, one more thing” to then look up at the computer to see the clock read 2AM. Whoops.
Lately, I have been very good. Partly due to my new book, “Wobegon Boy” by Garrison Keillor. Let me tell you why.
A few years ago, Saturday nights were a much more popular “going out” night for me than they are now. Every so often, while driving in my car, I would be flipping through the channels on the radio to hear this very odd radio show. I never quite knew what it was…a guy talking, people singing…kind of like a variety show. I found it very interesting, but never listened long enough to quite get the name of it. I used to refer to the show as the one with the “Story Teller Guy.” I told everyone I knew about it.
After moving to the new house a little more than a year ago, I began listening to NPR (National Public Radio) a lot more. The station I listened to comes in much clearer here. Well, just as luck would have it, at about at 8:30AM, just as I begin driving across the the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, I began to hear the same voice as the Story Teller Guy give a short narration of the day’s importance on poetry, called the Writer’s Almanac. It took a few times listening to be sure it was him, and then I got curious and did some research.
Well, apparently, this man’s name is Garrison Keillor and he hosts “A Prairie Home Companion,” usually on Saturday nights. I began to listen more and more and when 7PM hit on the right night, I made it a point to get in my car for a drive. This past summer was a great one for cruising around with the radio on listening to the program. There was lots of haze and humidity…perfect for a drive at dusk with all the windows open. I tried to keep my hair a little longer than usual just for the sake of it blowing in the wind. Who knows how much longer I will have it.
Listening to this show had become one of my favorite things to do. If I missed it, I would stream it on my computer through their website. Give it a try, you might like it.
The season closer this year was held up the Berkshires at Tanglewood, one of my favorite places under the sun. Laura and I made plans to go to the show. It would be like a dream for me to see it live.
Saturday night came and went, and for some reason, we didn’t go. We didn’t talk about it…we just didn’t go. I don’t know why. Sometimes, things like this just happen. We did talk about it a few days later and decided to go up the next weekend to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform. We did and it was like magic. I really enjoyed laying on the blanket on the lawn listening to the music and looking at the stars. Everything was perfect…the food, the wine, the candles and the music. It couldn’t have been a better night. If I could, I would go to every show Tanglewood offers every night. Next summer, I am sure that Tanglewood will see a lot more of us.
I told my mother how much I enjoyed listening to Garrison Keillor, going to the Berkshires and…well…drinking wine. To my surprise, a few days later, I found a small package in my mailbox. It was the book, Wobegon Boy by Garrison Keillor. Thanks mom.
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