Audiobooks

A rainy morning after a rainy night. At least it's a light raining rather than a stormy rain. Maybe we won't be badly flooded and the cats will be able to go out as soon as tomorrow, even though this drizzly-fizzly rain is expected to continue into the night off-and-on.

"So, how is the 'Karamazov' audiobook going?"

Uh, well, it's not a bust. But I'm not as happy as I hoped I would be with it. The reader kind of turns me off. There was an audio sample at Amazon, and I thought he was okay, but it kind of wears on me in the long run. Though, at the same time, I wonder if it might have to do in part with the kind of narrative that it is. There is a lot of discursive narration over only a very few present-action scenes, which I'm afraid might make for a less absorbing work, at least as a listening experience.

If there is something to this, then it is interesting to note that this would also be a problem with "The Magic Mountain". Mind you, I'm not looking for car chases or sword fights, but only the sense of something happening - not a bunch of quick summaries of things that have happened. Maybe, for instance, that's why "1984" works. It makes you feel like you are tagging along with Winston in his ongoing life in Oceania.

Though, as far as "Karamazov" goes, I might only be struggling because I am at the beginning, in which there is a long set-up of the characters and their relationships. I'll see better once we get to the visit to the monastery, when I think the narrative becomes much more about present-action, and I will be able to see how that feels to me.

Writing Life

This on-again/off-again rain seems to be more on than off as we ride into mid-afternoon.

~

My lunch plans came tumbling down. It looked like I had a big slice of breast of chicken when I put it in the oven, but then it seemed to shrink almost into a chicken nugget midway into the cooking. And I was planning on the full barbecue-sauced chicken meal. It feels like it has been a while since I have enjoyed some mashed potatoes. However, seeing that shrunken piece of meat in the oven, I felt that it would be a waste to whip up the full trimmings for that. So, I changed my plans and made a chicken sandwich.

"I'm so glad you informed us of that. Fascinating!"

Ah, but I think this might be the key to staying in the blurty mood: to bravely record the trivia. I think I often fall into a trap when I first get into the blurty mood, by virtue of feeling a little impressed with what I am writing, so that I start to become increasingly critical of what to write. I ask myself, 'Is this at least a little interesting? Can I at least put it in a somewhat clever way?' Eventually, I simply stop writing altogether.

I enjoy writing, even just for its own sake, without so much as a comment from any possible e-friends. To keep it up, I think I simply need to just keep it up - and just keep pouring down phrases and sentences, and keep the self-critic away. Let it rain words! Let the pages flood with them. Later on, I might even come to feel that some of it is worth memorizing into my internal journal. Nothing comes from nothing.

And, as I have recognized many times before, the mental exercise of writing is a virtue in itself. And it is the only kind of exercise that I have ever really been able to get into. Why not make the most of it and just go with it?

Karamazov

Post-nap.

That rain is really accumulating. I doubt the cats will go out tomorrow. This seems to be a common theme this autumn and winter.

Regarding the "Karamazov" audiobook, maybe in the future I will just skip the first 17 tracks or so. I feel like I'm getting more into it, which comes as a real relief. I was fervently looking forward to having this long book in my arsenal of audiobooks.

Home Life

Finally, a pause in the raining. For the latter half of the day, it has not been on-and-off raining but just rain, rain, raining. I needed to bring back our trash bin and pick up the mail.

I took off my socks before going out, because they would get soaked if I kept them on. Crocs are not ideal for rain and flooded grounds. After taking care of those outdoor chores, I put my socks back on, and I was reminded that I really need to clip the nails. I wish I could pick a time - say, at the beginning of the month - to take care of my toenails, but I'd just as soon forget about them and not think of them until it becomes a near-emergency, before they start snagging and ripping on my bedding or socks and start hurting.

Little Trip to Heaven

Little trip to heaven on the wings of your love
Banana moon is shining in the sky
I feel like I'm in heaven when you're with me
I know that I'm in heaven when you smile
Though we're stuck here on the ground
I got something I've found, and it's you

I found the movie on Amazon Prime. Julia Stiles. It's a sweet cinematic offering that I cannot resist.

At least the rain has stopped. They say we should get a little sunshine tomorrow afternoon, but they also say that love conquers all.