New Content

So, I think we are all suffering a little because of the writers strike. Everyone, that is, except my local Blockbuster and all of the B- films that have come out in the last year. I have been watching the most ridiculous stuff to replace my (apparently) excessive TV watching. I did finally see Michael Clayton which was surprisingly good, and a show I would not have rented without being a little desperate. Unfortunately, I also saw License to Wed... twice. I rented it once, fast forwarded (4x) through half of it and returned it. A few months later I picked it up again, not remembering a thing about it and assumed I had never seen it. I am embarassed that such a mediocre show got my rental fee not once, but TWICE. Ugh.

I have also spent more time reading. I'm in a book club with a handful of women. We get together every month (for the last two years!) and so I have been compelled to read at least one book a month. Most of the books we read are the same ones you hear about from your Mom or your friend, so I won't bother to list them. Sometimes, though, because of the book club, I putter around the bookstore to see if I can find something new. One surprise I have come across lately is a small book of poetry by Billy Collins, Sailing Alone Around the Room. It is a revelation, because I generally find modern poetry repulsive in it's self-importance, with obscurity passing as depth. As if the more difficult it is for the reader to comprehend, the more brilliant the poetry becomes. Why publish poems your reader cannot understand?! Billy Collins does not play this silly game. Kj and I agreed that he sometimes fails: his poems are too simple. But more often I find myself smiling at how clearly and still elegantly he makes a point. And then he and I are actually sharing the same idea because I know what he is trying to tell me and not endlessly guessing. It is kind poetry, instead of difficult or challenging. Is it because I have become pragmatic, time-crunched, less romantic that I like this straightforward stuff? I don't care. Hats off to Billy Collins for filling my evenings with new content. I wouldn't even mind paying for it twice.