Cecily's comments

Cecily's comments from the True North group.

Note: Cecily is no longer a member of this group.

Just think on how much money is spent in lobbying on this stuff...and the "seed police" who go out and check fields for *unauthorized presence* of patented seeds??? Too bad, so sad if your perfectly valid non-GMO crop was contaminated via wind pollenation -- pay up!

I was in a public restroom the other day and saw printed on the package of toilet seat covers: "100% Recycled, 100% Flushable"

Which made me wonder:

(1.) Why they felt they had to declare this -- are there people out there who would wonder if a toilet seat cover could be flushed? Is that the real reason they are taking so long -- indecision???

(2,) Why would anyone want a toilet seat cover that was less than 100% flushable?

and

(3.) How one would flush less than 100% of a toilet seat cover? How would one know which part to flush and which part not to flush? Would there be printed disassembly instructions???

The mind reels...

I disagree with the assessment that TKAM could be notorious -- I think it depends on where and when. I am absolutely certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that had I lived contemporary to its publication, it would have been banned for me to read by my family for its indecent content. Indecent content? In some eyes, yes (though, granted, not very educated or very progressive eyes).

Catcher in the Rye was absolutely notorious for being "filthy" and "indecent" (which is hilarious when I consider the kind of stuff in movie theatres these days).

I never said Cather was "notorious" -- if you look at the original post, I was talking about "beloved." Cather wrote more "beloved" works than One of Ours.

I would also add The Awakening to notorious in the thread of Lady Chatterly's Lover -- absolutely scandelous at the time of publication, though it would have been moreso had *our brave heroine* not met a "just" end to her immorality via (probable) suicide. Jude the Obscure was also extremely notorious (not controversal, notorious) upon publication, but -- again -- the characters "get what they deserve" for their immorality and thus it becomes a morality tale. As for me, I've always wanted to send that group to be on Dr. Phil, because everything points to there being some seriously repressed sexual abuse issues in the case of Sue (What really seals the deal on that is when she jumped out the freaking window!!!). And Little Father Time??? That kid gives me the heebie-jeebies -- he's like one of those "spawn of Satan" kids in more modern psycho thrillers.

Jackie "the Librarian" wrote: "Everyone who reads it loves it, Lori. Hey, I lived in Brooklyn when I was 5. I thought the subways were scary. "

I hold a very special place in my heart for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- I was cited as the embodiment of Francie Nolan by my dear 10th grade English teacher (I even have a very similar ethnic background, though my parental heritage is the reverse of Francie's). There are so many details of that book that are just "real," and I'm drawn to it for some of the same reasons I'm drawn to Amy Tan's mother/daughter stories. There are a few quotations from the book that stick with me even today. The film adapatation -- though different from the book in some ways -- is also very good (it does not follow the complete timeline of the book, only a piece of it).

Also??? This was the book I picked to write about for the essay portion of the exam I took to test out of high school at sixteen. I will always have a fond attachment to this book, because it is the book that won me my freedom.

I would say the clearest one of the Pulitzer Prize winners (that I've read) in the "notorious" category is To Kill A Mockingbird. there has also been a whole lot of buzz about The Grapes of Wrath, though that is not Steinbeck's most "red" work. I know many who find much to object to in The Color Purple.

More broadly, I'd have to cite stuff off the list (having already confessed to not having read most of it...)

As for "beloved" -- (not Beloved ;-) ) -- One of Ours by Willa Cather is a good example. Most people have read My Antonia or O Pioneers or Death Comes for the Archbishop -- One of Ours does not generally make the list. I actually started it online once -- it bored me; I'm determined to give it another shot one of these days.

Now Sinclair Lewis fits both categories. The Jungle was definitely "notorious." Also, Lewis won the Pulitzer in 1926 for Arrowsmith. I've never heard of it, but I have heard of Babbit, Main Street, and The Jungle.

Lori wrote: "Oh and I've had some corn here that is so incredible we often eat it raw! Since I'm from the NE and went to school in MI I can tell when corn is not good. Remember, most areas in WA are perfect for..."

Yeah, but that defeats the purpose of locally grown. Living in a state with a HUGE agriculture industry, I always take pause with buying stuff from out-of-state. It doesn't seem to make any sense.

Agreed, but "we" couldn't handle it.

Where exactly do you think we are getting these billions and trillions of dollars to pay for all of this? Who do you think has the capital to invest in these bonds? Not me -- I'm freaking broke. Everyone I know is broke. Everyone they know is broke too. Many are unemployed, and some are homeless.

It does belong to all of us, but some of the "all of us" made really bad decisions, which we are all paying for now (and which we will continue to pay for). My sister and I have been paying for other people's bad decisions for seventeen years. That's not "poor me" -- life is too short -- but it always does make me wonder. I have to say I'm pretty cynical on trying to make sense of all of this. I'd love not to be.

I think we will be able to turn this around -- that is what our nation is famous for doing -- but what I wonder is how much it is going to cost to do it. Not in money. Hell, I have less than $500 to my name -- my mind barely comprehends "thousands" anymore, let alone "millions" or "billions" or "trillions." People at the top will pay a greater sum, but people at the bottom will pay more dearly (and will pay more collectively).

What I worry about is the cost of intangibles (which will all come out in the wash as monitary expenses elsewhere). What I struggle with is trying to find a place in a world that has no room for me in it. We can speak of the economy and society belonging to all of us, but I'm not seeing the kind of *pull together pluck* I heard about in the Great Depression. It can belong to all of us, be we have to want to own it first.

I'm against the biotech industry in general. There are so many issues that can come from this. It's hard though -- knowing that so many of my friends have pituitary adenomas. I see both sides of IVF, but?

I think that if you are going to go so far as to bioengineer your offspring, that's a whole new level of twisted. I came from a "keeping up with the Joneses" kind of clan -- it's downright evil when "token children" become the thing to do/to have. Children are not a fad, children are not a toy, children are not something you can stick in storage after a few years (or donate to Goodwill or sell at a garage sale). I really question the motives behind parenthood when you are willing to bioengineer your own offspring. Offspring? Yes, because the kind of selfishness required to hold such an idea in one's head is not worth "children."

I mean, seriously -- shouldn't the whole idea of parenthood be about loving your kids and knowing they are a blessing??? I can tell you, I know a lot of people who didn't get what they expected when they had children, but would tell you that what they got was better than what they would've wished. And I guess maybe if you the kind of person rich enough to always be able to get and to have whatever you want, well, bully for you...but I think in the end those folks really miss the boat on a lot of blessings.

Oh, and we have done *so well* with all our domesticated animals and domesticated crops/produce...in some cases breeding so much for looks we took the functionality right out of them. Maybe we should let these folks have at it??? Breed themselves out? No wait, because our tax dollars would have to pay for the mistakes. Right -- nevermind.

Maybe we all need to read Jurassic Park again, or maybe they missed the point the first time that "playing God" with nature is a dangerous, uncontrollable, and unpredictable business.

Sarah Pi wrote: "Organic certification is also hard to come by,expensive, and includes some prerequisites that have nothing to do with the food itself -- I think I read that for a dairy to get organic certification..."

That's why farmer's markets and local co-ops can be so great -- going out and talking to the people and seeing the land and the operation. It's a whole different deal and brings very real perspective as to "where my food comes from."

Sherri wrote: "Feh. I have a climate controlled storage unit that houses my overflow books. Most are boxed up, but many are on shelves so I can go 'shop' my own library.

Not that this stops new (or at least ne..."

Would it be sacreligious to admit I miss my piano more than my books?

I confuse me sometimes too. What's that Whitman line: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes)."

No, I meant "notorious."

Some of the authors wrote other books that ended up causing quite a stir of controversy (and some of them are/were banned). There are some "notable" works, and surely "notorious" are always "notable."

"Notable" books merely cause me to raise my eybrows -- "Hmmm...that's nice, some high-brow somewhere thinks I should read this? Whatever."

"Notorious" makes me want to read them (it's a "Wet Paint!" or "Do Not Step on the Grass" kind of deal). "Notorious" is just the sort of thing I was raised not to seek to read (for we only want to think pleasant thoughts, now don't we?).

The worst of it is that my family lost everything back in the early 1990s. Now we've lost everything we've worked for since. All my friends my age (late 20s, early 30s) are in a bind for being underemployed (or unemployed) because people our parents' age (in their 60s) can't afford to retire. The only story I ever hear on the news is "Chicken Little," and some days I get the distinct suspicion that the "You can do anything you want to do, be anything you want to be, if you just work hard enough" rhetoric of my Reagan-era youth has been retracted by my elders.

So when the world which once lifted you up as a *Golden Child of Promise* because you are to be "A Leader of the Future," now suddenly decides the world is too crowded and you have to get out of the way, be content with the table scraps, or starve (too bad, so sad, sucks to be you)??? What's up with that?!?!?!

*happy thoughts*

But what I'm really wondering is that if this thing is global, isn't it kind of dangerous to cede our future to SUPER rich international investors? ('cause someone has to put up the cash "right now") Can "America" still "America" if we are majority-owned by foreigners??? Not xenophobia, just a weird thought along the lines of a "hostile takeover" on Wall Street. What do you call something like a "hostile takeover" that is by permission???

(And trying not to think about the fate of GM -- my grandmother will lose almost everything if they go under for good)

Bruce wrote: "Cecily - For Shame! As someone who is a library trustee and runs two of those sales per year I just want to remind you all that it is a MORAL IMPERATIVE to buy more books than you want/need. My w..."

I agree, my local libraries agree, and the place where I rent my storage also supports your position. Build an addition??? I am staying in my friend's back bedroom with all the pets of my down-on-our-luck relatives...and I'm pretty sure building an addition would be a violation of our condo complex's HOA. I do miss the library used book store in the city where I used to live though -- they didn't check for first editions. ;-)

The thing I like best about Barbara Kingsolver (aside from the Bellwether Prize for fiction: http://www.bellwetherprize.org/ ), is that her style is very tongue-in-cheek sassy. This is true in her works of nonfiction, but also in many of her works of fiction through her style of narration (Rachel's and Ruth May's chapters in The Poisonwood Bible are priceless). Sometimes I think that writers forget that serious writing doesn't always have to be serious all the time.

I never really made any serious resolutions or reading plans for this year, but it popped into my head the other day that I should use the year to read as many Pulitzer Prize winning novels as I could. I'm going to read them chronologically, but I'm finding it to be an interesting commentary to look at which ones are still in-print. His Family by Ernest Poole (from 1918) I could not find locally. The first one I found (from 1919) is The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington, followed by The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton in 1921. Let me tell you, there is quite a difference in tone and style from those works to 2008's prize for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I also found it interesting that -- often -- the book for which an author won the Pulitzer Prize was not always his or her most notorious and/or beloved work.

Sherri wrote: "Sarah PI -- ARGH! NOOOooo! NO more temptation!

And just when I thought it was safe to go back to B&N."

Sarah Pi wrote: "It's never safe. "

Though the "Friends of the Library" used book sales at the local library can be more dangerous. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," and "Wow, this is almost new, look at the price" turn into "Shoot, where am I going to PUT these?!?!?!?" when I get home.

(though the "bargain" section of B&N is also extremely dangerous -- hardcover bestsellers for $5 or $6???)

Please remember that I hail from a tribe of "Irish Amazons" and was "raised by a pack of wild...English teachers"

On February 13th, I happened through the room when my roommate was watching Bill Moyers Journal on poet Nikki Giovanni. I'd nver heard of her. I grew up -- and was raised up -- to love the dead great white poets of England and New England. We didn't study much of "living" authors. She read "Ego Tripping (there must be a reason why)" on the air, and I was just mesmerized.

The Bill Moyers interview: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/021320...

(I make no promises that I got the punctuation of the following correct...)

Ego Tripping (there must be a reason why) by Nikki Giovanni (1973)

I was born in the Congo.
I walked to the fertile crescent and built the sphinx.
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star that only glows once every one hundred years falls into the center giving divine perfect light.

I am bad.

I sat on the throne drinking nectar with Allah.
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe to cool my thirst.
My oldest daughter is Nefertiti.
The tears from my birth pains created the Nile.

I am a beautiful woman.

I gazed on the forest and burned out the Sahara Desert.
With a packet of goat's meat and a change of clothes, I crossed it in two hours.
I am a gazelle so swift, so swift you can't catch me.

For a birthday present when he was three, I gave my son Hannibal an elephant.
He gave me Rome for Mother's Day.

My strength flows ever on.

My son Noah built an ark and I stood proudly at the helm as we sailed on a soft summer day.
I turned myself into myself and was Jesus.

Men intone my loving name.
All praises all praises,
I am one who would save.

I sowed diamonds in my back yard.
My bowels deliver uranium.
The filings from my fingernails are semi-precious jewels.

On a trip north, I caught a cold and blew my nose giving oil to the Arab world.
I am so hip even my errors are correct.
I sailed west to reach east and had to round off the earth as I went.
The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid across three continents.

I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal.
I cannot be comprehended except by my permission.
I mean...I...can fly
like a bird in the sky...

She also reads it on her website: http://nikki-giovanni.com/egotrippingqt....

Kelly wrote: "
On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings--oh, happy
chance!--
I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest.

In darkness and secure, By the secre..."

"The Dark Night of the Soul is also on Loreena McKennitt's The Mask and the Mirror...

Studio version (no "video"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcVaEA000...

Official live version (posted by quinlanroad): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MclLF473X...

[Not on a Loreena McKennitt kick, really -- I'm just reading through all this great poetry and finding it...:]

Kelly wrote: "So, I don't know if this counts, since it is Shakespeare. But I hope you'll let it in anyway seeing as it /is/ poetry, if not as modern as most of these that have been offered. I love the last spee..."

I say it counts. ;-)

The Tempest is one of my favorites.

Loreena McKennitt ( http://www.quinlanroad.com ) did this one as the final track on her studio album The Mask and the Mirror. I've always found it haunting. There are a few lame "fan videos" on YouTube. They are kind of annoying, but if you ignore the video, you can at least listen to the music.

Distracting (and disturbing) video with footage from something about Pompeii: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HPBLI7Z5...

Lame (less distracting) fan video with a typo in the text: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irBPubHzG...

Rebecca wrote: "The Lady of Shalott *aspires*

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the field the road run by
To many-tower'd ..."

(Just now reading through all these...)

Have you heard the Loreena McKennitt version? The most "complete" version is on her studio album The Visit (she still skips a few verses though). I know this version exists on MySpace Music (as "The Lady of Shalott" is the theme to my MySpace page), but I couldn't find a good version of the full deal anywhere on YouTube; you can only get samples on http://www.quinlanroad.com

I also love this poem's connection to Anne of Green Gables.

Sherri wrote: "Larry, it's part and parcel with my current situation -- transitory period while the husband completes grad school and gets a new job, after which we can get an actual house again and unpack the st..."

Isn't it great when you tell yourself that "one of these days" you are going to have your life and your stuff back...but in storage it remains (though "storage" is still cheaper than what it would cost to get a "real" apartment vs. a transitional deal)???