At 60 years of age, I have succeeded in my midlife goal of becoming one superb curmudgeon. It's fun, believe me. However I do love to read all sorts of things.I read all sorts of things. lately it is cyberpunk which has led to a renewal of my love for science fiction, fantasy and horror and many blends of the three. In those genres, I find that...
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At 60 years of age, I have succeeded in my midlife goal of becoming one superb curmudgeon. It's fun, believe me. However I do love to read all sorts of things.I read all sorts of things. lately it is cyberpunk which has led to a renewal of my love for science fiction, fantasy and horror and many blends of the three. In those genres, I find that no one writes better than Caitlin R. Kiernan. She is not easy to read and is the pure writing child of H.P. Lovecraft. I'm also fascinated with the social assignment of gender and the designation of pathology of the mental sort. I consider myself fearful and distrustful of government and, at present, as people here in Vermont are choosing between food and heating oil, i wonder why Congress is wasting our time and money looking into pro baseball and football. They say it's because these athletes are the "heroes" our kids look up to. Ah.... have they heard of pro wrestling and ultimate fighting? I'm also convinced that congress belongs to the mega-corporations and not to the people who "elect" them. (See the documentary "Hacking Democracy" if you have any doubt as to how easy it is to fix an election.
I think it is not the government's business what we put in our bodies, only the effect that may have directly and injuriously upon others.
Another of my latest loves, is the study of quantum physics in lay language. I believe more of THE ANSWERS we humans seek are available there than anywhere else. I believe spirituality is a necessity and religion is extremely dangerous, in particular ANY fundamentalist religion. Well, enough about me... the books I put on my shelf will tell you lots more.
Further, I reserve the right to be unhappy, melancholic if you will and find the current emphasis on which drug will make you "happy" very reminiscent of Huxley's Brave New World and god knows how many other dystopian novels. I can laugh out loud, have a vicious wit, am intelligent and expect pretty much the same from my friends. Anyone who feels they are doing something wrong or that there is nothing wrong with them if they are not happy all the time are certifiably whacked. So my current non-fiction fascination, adding to quantum physics, is the return/rise of social psychiatry, which defends the patient's right to be unhappy, digruntled and melancholic. I mean, you have to put on blinders to not be alarmed about a lot of what is going on in our country currently. The constitution has been gutted by all presidents and congresses since Ronald Reagan. Fear is the weapon, especially since "W" was king. As is said by John Goodman's character so often in The Big Lebowski, "I didn't drag my ass through the swamps of Vietnam to come home to a country where a complete, illiterate moron can be elected president and surround himself with pure greed and evil...
I thought the 2008 elections would have a much greater effect upon the U.S. but it has been a real disappointment. However, no one seems to noticed that they passed more legislation than any Congress since LBJ was president. Now, I am preparing for two years of schadenfreud since the Republicans and their Tea Party friends try to work out a budget that meets the criteria they have campaigned on for years. Drop me a line sometime.
Have a nice day...
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