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July 26, 2010
I took out some more insurance last week. I upped our Life and our Long-Term Care policies a little, and took out an accident plan for just in case. The premiums were reasonable, so I figured what the heck. I'm a klutz, he's a blind man with a motorcycle...we'll need it eventually.
Shot off another letter off to Uncle--9 pages, this time. Several photos, and the usual big-ass font, make for a lot of pages.
A capsule description of the weekend weather: Crazy-ass storms, floods, sinkholes, and other insane weather culminates in a beautiful Sunday. Yesterday and today turned out scrumptious, and the water is PERFECT.
Work Update:
Work is freezing cold, as it is every summer. Like working in a meat plant. And it is still eleventy-seven kinds of psychological torture.
But I got a very good mid-year evaluation, anyway.
I have come to the conclusion that the Patty Fairfield novels are unusually well-written, very readable books.
I have also come to the conclusion that I really do not like the main character.
I don't want to get lynched by any Patty fans, but here's the thing. The paragon of sunshine and light whose truest purpose in life is to shine gently over others?
Yeah, turns out she's kind of a b-word.
I don't know�she wasn't a bad sort when she was younger, and she may grow out of this phase later in the series--but over the past few books, I've really developed an antipathy for her. She isn't a person I could ever be friends with. I find her spoiled, shallow, stubborn, impatient, tactless, undisciplined, and flighty. Example:
Here I am, trying my utmost to reconcile the author's descriptions of her "sound good health" and her "not strong constitution", and attempting to take her propensity towards nervous collapse in the same stride that all her family and friends do. Not easy, but just do-able, since I try to be empathetic. But then--
What's our heroine doing? Showing an appalling lack of empathy for a young woman whom she's ostensibly trying to help. A young woman who is fighting desperately to overcome her crippling shyness, and who wishes to take Patty herself as a model in this.
"Christine had grown almost gay in her chatter, when Kenneth was announced. Like a sensitive plant at a human touch, she lost all her poise, her face turned white, and her lips quivered as she braced herself
for the ordeal of meeting a stranger.
"Oh!" thought Patty, almost disgusted at this foolishness, "she is the limit!"
Well, she lost me with that one. That particular cut went a little close to the bone. As an introvert, that dismissive attitude is all too familiar and hurtful, and it made me want to reach across a hundred years and the bounds of fiction just to slap the taste out her mouth. She's a silly, worthless, self-centered twerp. Well, worse than that, actually�
She's an extravert.
Reading: Hobby--"Patty's Pleasure Trip" c.1909 and Patty's Success, by Carolyn Wells c.1910 Patty visits Italy, before heading home to New York and taking several attempts at proving she can earn 15 dollars in one week. Oh--and toturing goldfish, for some incomprehensible reason.
AND really pissing me off (see above)
General--re-read of "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter", by Ruth Rendell.
Surfing: Going Jesus.
Listening: not in the mood
At Random:
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