I started writing another entry but it was so unbelievably boring I couldn't finish it. I'm having a hard time coming up with much to say today. I've been sitting here for at least a half hour trying to come up with something. I could write about the great pasta dinner I made tonight with sweet and hot Italian sausage, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes from my garden, Walla Walla sweet onions from my garden, lots of basil from my garden, garlic, capers and tomato sauce. It was really delicious. Everyone loved it and we have enough left over for 2 more meals!

I could write about finishing Pope Joan this morning. Oh man, that is really a great book. I definitely didn't expect to be drawn in so much but it was one book that I had a hard time putting down, sometimes reading 75 pages in a day. It wasn't a perfect book, but very compelling. I didn't really like the partially omnicient narrator. The frequent POV shifts went against my grain as a writer. I'm all for breaking rules--hell, I live to break rules--but changing POV too frequently and on the same page, even, was somewhat distracting to me. I didn't see that it added much to the story when the author switched from Joan's POV to Gerrold's or Anastasius's. You can tell their stories without getting inside everyone's head.

But aside from that, I *loved* the story. There are lots of obvious issues to discuss--the role and treatment of women, the over-arching and overbearing role of the church in the lives of those early citizens, the corruption inherent in that system, obligation and duty vs. power and authority. I expect we'll be talking well into the night on this one.

Now I'm off to read Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I've heard it's pretty funny and pretty irreverent. I can't wait.

Guess this will have to do for tonight. I used up all my energy writing yesterday's entry. I think I'll just whip up some toast so I can take some ibuprofen and then go to bed.

I haven't had any guestbook entries in a long time. Is anyone out there?

--L