Finally!

After about 10 years, and at least 8 or 9 readings of Dirk Gently's Holistic Dectective Agency, I have finally put together every last piece of the ending---with help from the internet.

Douglas Adams, you were a brilliant, brilliant man.

Ranting about Rant

We're going to see Chuck Palahniuk on Thursday. It's really exciting because our city doesn't seem to have a literary pulse, and authors, especially authors that we like, rarely come to visit.

While I have not had the chance to read Palahniuk's new book, I'm excited to finally "meet" him. The last time he was in town, I was a college freshman who had no idea who he was and therefore passed up the opportunity that I regretted for years after.

I want to read his new book Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey before the signing, but seeing as how it's a day away, I don't think it's going to happen. However, I did have a chance to read the reviews on Amazon. Stranded amongst the generally benevolent 4-5 star reviews, was this little review, posted on May 9th by Mr. Joseph Suglia (novelist) attacking Palahniuk's novel with the same sort of vim and vigor that people in the 14th century use to display when they lobbed fruit and vegetables at the village idiot. Since I haven't read the book, there's nothing much I can say in terms of his general evaluation of it's merits. I do, however, have a problem with his attack on Palahniuk's readership.

The sub-normal high-school stoners who comprise much of Palahniuk's massive`fan-base' will find the book more boring than the most boring documentary on rabies.

Ouch, that's harsh. Makes me feel like I should crawl back into the sewer that I was born out of for one thing.

On a serious note, I am absolutely sure that there are plenty of teenagers who love Palahniuk, and feel that his books are angsty anthems to their lives. But just because Palahniuk appeals to them doesn't mean that his work is invalid or that these 'sub-normal high-school stoners' don't have the intelligence to see the merit in his work. Secondly, sub-normal is inappropriate. I am so glad that Mr. Suglia had a normal and wonderful high school life. But I am really sick of 'normal' people making snap judgements about people that they don't understand or know.

I understand the statement was meant to be sarcastic and condescending, but it's disheartening to see one writer degrade another based on the supposed sub-normality of his fan-base.

**Update: Interestingly enough, when I checked Amazon today (May 11, 2007) Mr. Suglia had removed his review.

In which I ponder a grilled cheese sandwhich

Ever since Fox cancelled Arrested Development, and Scrubs jumped the shark somewhere at the end of season 5, 30 Rock has been the shimmer of light in the vast, murky waters of unfunny, and cliched TV comedies. So needless to say, I am saddened by the news of Alec Baldwin's intended resignation over the irate message left on his daughter's cellphone.

Taking Alec Baldwin out of 30 Rock is like taking the cheese out of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Do you know what it's like eating a grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese?

Well, now we get to find out. Thank you media of America, once again you manage to make mountains out of molehills, and turn actual mountains into convoluted and inaccurate piles of crap.

Updates

Things will continue to be slow here, as I am in the middle of a career change and a relocation. The good news is that I will finally be working with books (if someone is willing to hire me *cross fingers*). The bad news is of course that I will be making a lot less money in a more expensive city.

Still, who cares? I will be working with books!

Anyways, I hope to pick up this blog again in full force when everything gets settled in the next 3-4 months.

In other news, I am currently reading Joy William's The Quick and the Dead. Joy Williams is an author that a was recommended by a very close friend. It's funny how our tastes, which were very different when we were younger, have converged.

The Quick and the Dead manages to be one of the funniest, and yet most evicerating and painful books I have ever read. It's wonderful, strange, and should have won the Pulitzer that it was nominated for.

That's it for now, I will be back in due time.