Odds and Ends

2003-12-09 - 9:29 p.m.

I'm three pages away from finishing Catcher in the Rye, and then I can move on, my life can progress, I will finally be able to learn to love again. Or something.

My favourites links are woefully un-updated, and I will try to get that changed sometime this month. If anyone has anything they want me to say about them when I'm writing their comment, let me know: I've been suffering writer's block in the worst sense when it comes to that sort of thing lately.

Speaking of writer's block, I wrote my grammar final today. Just like the last two tests, I have that unnerving feeling that I could easily have failed the whole thing. I did exceptionally well on the other two tests despite feeling like English is my fortieth language, so maybe that's a good sign. Either way, I only need to get a 15% or something on the final to pass the course, so at least I don't need to worry about gerunds and non-defining relative clauses and transitive verbs and stuff. On the down side, I think that I will be cursed forevermore with a tiny part of my brain that will analyze comma use whenever I pick up a piece of fiction. I've also discovered that these newfound powers of grammar analysis are completely useless when used on my own writing. My errors are the kryptonite to my editing super-humanness.

I've been restless and anxious to move, and this will intensify since some friends of Pookie's are coming to stay with us for a few days or something, starting tomorrow. Those plans were made even before Pookie and I broke up, and I don't know why I didn't say to cancel them...I guess the dread that I'm feeling now just wasn't intense enough.

I've been a little more social than usual the last few weeks, and I'm getting to the point where I want it to stop. This is another reason why I'm anxious to move: I'll be able to revert to the version of The Magus that doesn't have to answer the door or telephone if he doesn't want to. I'll be able to huddle under some blankets and hibernate properly, like a decent, self-respecting hermit.

I'm in a completely odd mood at the moment...I think it's a good mood, but it'll take more introspection to find out.

Finally, thanks to everyone for their Catcher in the Rye support. Whether you enjoyed it or not, I love being able to get feedback and impressions on books that I'm reading. I've always wanted to be in a book club, but most clubs seem to require attendance and for people to generally have read the same (or similar) books before the discussion starts. I have no idea what I'm trying to say here. Pretend it was something witty about book clubs.

Is there a gene for geekiness?

Cheers,

The Magus

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