Jose Saramago

Over the past few months I've been grooving on books by Saramago and Ha Jin. The books by Jin engage the reader with crisp crisp characters. Saramago's books have captivated me with allegory, political/social commentary, rhythm, and form. The narrative keeps the pages turning. For all its outstanding technical aspects, Saramago also reveals something about human actions and what we're capable of--both good and bad.

Read in this order-- 1. Blindness 2. Seeing 3. The Cave. Then read Plato's allegory. It's an awesome experience.

Aging Addendum

So, I've written about the time when the verb "google" entered my daughter's vernacular. Now, this past weekend, I went to a mall for the first time in a long time. I'm not fond of mall culture. The pretty girls and the prettier boys remind me of my lack of fashion fusion.

And let me say this: I turn 32 in less than a month.

I feel much older, perhaps, because I work with youth. It's interesting, you know, to compare my teenage years with the actions of today's youth.

But back to the story. I went in foot locker. I loved this store when I was sixteen, and that's probably one of the last times I was in there. It's difficult to describe what I was thinking in the midst of rambunctious kids, baggy pants, sports jerseys, and rap music.

I guess there's no other way of saying it, I felt old. I felt disconnected from popular culture. I became "them." I became "they."

Piggy

Eating ribs and contemplating.