The End of Another Literary Landmark

It's no secret to anyone who has read this blog how much books and great bookshops mean to me; in a way, they're almost my lifeblood. So it was very distressing this morning to wake up and find several articles in my e-mail inbox about the demise of the Gotham Book Mart, a literary institution in New York City for decades.

I had the opportunity to visit once while I was in New York in 1995, and the one thing I remember strongly about walking through the front door was the tremendous history that hit me in the face, knocked me around, surrounded me. It was one of those extraordinary places where world-famous authors could be found scanning the shelves alongside the average Joe or Jane off the street (although on the day I visited I think it was just Joes and Janes in the stacks). The owner, Andreas Brown, was a real gentleman; he had been trying to help with the appraisal of some books signed by Truman Capote that were owned by the Alabama museum where I was working at the time, and I wanted to drop by to put a face with the name.

And now, the passing of another literary landmark, and it seems to have been a depressing event all around. The picture above and the following article are found in today's on-line edition of the New York Times.
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Wall-to-Wall Books, and All of Them for the Landlord

by Ethan Wilensky-Lanford

The line outside the Gotham Book Mart in Midtown snaked down the block yesterday morning. Several dozen eager bargain hunters, book dealers, art collectors and former employees of the storied shop waited to bid on a piece of literary history.

They had each put down a $1,000 deposit for the privilege of attending the auction. Books signed by John Updike. Letters from D. H. Lawrence and Anaïs Nin. Andy Warhol’s wig rack. All were up for sale.

In the end though, all the property that was auctioned went to the building’s landlord for $400,000.

$21-a-Week: The Follow-Up

There was a follow-up article in today's Washington Post about the members of the House Hunger Caucus who were trying to live on $21-per-week. They knew it was going to be difficult when they started, but I don't think they realized just HOW difficult.....
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Pangs of Hunger -- and Bit of Guilt
by Lyndsey Layton

A pork chop and a bag of peanuts proved too tempting for Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), one of four members of Congress who has struggled for the past week to subsist on $21 worth of food -- the equivalent of benefits received by the average food stamp recipient.

Last Friday night, in New Hampshire to deliver a commencement speech, Ryan succumbed to a pork chop in the hotel restaurant because he feared he would otherwise be too weak to give the address.

A Bossa Nova Break

There are so many serious things I can post about today, and I may get to those later on. However, in an attempt to provide a little bright spot, I opted instead to post this video of one of the best bossa nova songs ever: Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Aquas de Marco" ("Waters of March"). They just don't write music like this anymore.....

Sermon Excerpt - Food for Thought

One line from our rector's sermon at church on Sunday really got me thinking:

"It's not the unexamined life, but the uncommitted life, that's not worth living."

I'd be curious to see what you have to say about this; it's an intriguing -- and powerful -- statement.

In Which Pew Should YOU Be Sitting?

Karen had this interesting quiz posted over at her site, and I have to admit that the results surprised me. As an Episcopalian, the high percentage of Roman Catholicism didn't really surprise me. But where did the high Evangelical ranking come from? And with the way my thinking has evolved in the past few years, I'm curious that my Post-Modernist leanings didn't rank a bit higher.
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You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you. Roman Catholic 71% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 68% Neo orthodox 57% Emergent/Postmodern 54% Modern Liberal 54% Classical Liberal 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal 36% Reformed Evangelical 18% Fundamentalist 11% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

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Based on this, where do YOU belong?

Living Your Life for the Very First Time

There is a wonderful scene in the movie adaptation of The Cider House Rules where Homer Wells (played by Tobey Maguire) makes his first-ever visit to a movie theater and takes in "Wuthering Heights" (the only other movie he had seen having been "King Kong," when he lived at the orphanage). The look of sheer wonder on his face as he watches -- experiences -- something completely new is really something to see.

Now translate this into your own life: imagine how wonderful our lives would be if every day, every thing we do and see could be experienced as if for the very first time. Going to job on your 157th Tuesday morning would feel like your very first day on the job; seeing your child on their 15th birthday would feel the same as the first time you looked at them and held them on the day they were born; looking at your spouse every day would be as if it's the first time you've seen them; reading a passage in the Bible or a great theological work would generate feelings of exhilaration you felt the first time you read it years ago.

I think that the power to do this is in us, with us, around us. Having this same sense of newness and wonder would make every day feel like it was the first day of your life.

Congress (At Least Part of It) Tries to Live on $21

Interesting story in today's Washington Post about members of the newly-formed House Hunger Caucus who have taken on a difficult challenge -- to try and live for one week on only $21. Definitely worth a read.
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Lawmakers Find $21 a Week Doesn't Buy a Lot of Groceries
by Lyndsey Layton

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) stood before the refrigerated section of the Safeway on Capitol Hill yesterday and looked longingly at the eggs.

At $1.29 for a half-dozen, he couldn't afford them.

Ryan and three other members of Congress have pledged to live for one week on $21 worth of food, the amount the average food stamp recipient receives in federal assistance. That's $3 a day or $1 a meal. They started yesterday.

The Times They Are a Changin'

Coming back from my in-laws' house earlier today, I heard on the radio of the passing of Jerry Falwell. I haven't had any connection to Dr. Falwell (other than having him run me off the road while he was pulling out of a car wash in my hometown of Lynchburg years ago) or with his church and university (other than having gone through a phase where it seemed that every girl in whom I had an interest attended either Liberty University or Thomas Road Baptist Church - or both!), but his death marks another transition in my life -- through that of Lynchburg.

For those who may not be aware, it was Dr. Falwell who first put Lynchburg on the international map, beginning in the early 1970s with the first broadcasts of "The Old Time Gospel Hour" on television. As I got older and grew, so did the Falwell family's presence and impact on Lynchburg -- the college grew and became a university; the church grew to the point where they recently had to move to new and larger quarters in a new part of the city; Moral Majority was formed and was a force among the religious right for many years (the extent of that influence remains a point of debate, but how else can you explain politicians and world leaders beating a path to Lynchburg, and Falwell in return having such access to those leaders.

No matter where I've gone in life, when people ask me where I was raised, my answer is always greeted with, "Oh, you must know Jerry Falwell!" (I will say that on rare occasions, people have gotten their Lynchburgs confused and have answered with, "Oh, you make Jack Daniels!" to which I respond, "No, we MADE Jerry Falwell!") Even as I left the city, moved to other areas of the country, and started a family, I remained amazed by the amount of influence he wielded over the community; how else can you explain millions of dollars in debt to area construction contractors being forgiven, and countless tax "privileges" being extended to his organization every time he threatened to leave the area over something that hadn't pleased him.

I don't want to use this post to walk all over him, though. Even I can't argue the fact that he did make a huge impact in the lives of tens of thousands of people -- folks who found inspiration in his preaching, who got an education when it might otherwise have not been possible, and who found fellow Christians who were (and are) strong in the faith in the families of Thomas Road and Liberty. My prayers are certainly with his family and with everyone affected by his passing, but most especially my prayers are with my hometown; while plans had been made well in advance for a smooth transition in the leadership of the church and university, this will also impact Lynchburg. Their "big draw" is gone, and it leaves me wondering how the tremendous growth in the city over the years will be affected.

A Visit to Virginia Tech

A. and I took the girls over to Blacksburg today to visit my youngest sister, who still lives in the area. After a great lunch at a local eatery, we took a stroll over on campus to enjoy the great weather and the beautiful scenery. Another goal, though, was to stop at the memorials that had been established for the victims of the April shootings on campus; MB got bored early and wandered with my sister on down to the duck pond, but A. and I (with our youngest) stayed behind to spend some time at the memorials.

I wasn't prepared, however, for just how emotional the experience would be for me. I was certainly very concerned about my sister's safety the day of the shootings, as well as that of any of her friends in the college community. Being removed from it like I was, though, I could only begin to imagine just how difficult it was for the Blacksburg community and the families of the thousands of students in the days after the event. When I saw the memorial to Professor Librescu (above), my emotions stared to get the best of me.

And as we walked and looked at the subsequent memorials blanketed with flowers, notes, pictures, and mementos left by friends and family members, I really got emotional. A picture of one of the victims with a friend, and a note left by that friend asking that God watch over her. Another picture of a young man in his lacrosse uniform -- an example of just how vibrant each of the members of the Virginia Tech community these people were. From a certain angle, all of the individual memorials blended together (above) into one large display, another example of how, while this may be a college made up of thousands of men and women, it is also a single family.

Amazingly, and in a touching display, the central area of campus was ringed by banners and messages sent from other colleges around the country. As but one of many examples of the message of concern and love they demonstrated, one sent by the student body of San Diego State University read:

San Diego State
Aztecs
Hokies

Behind it all, one of the main buildings on campus towered behind the beautiful, touching, emotional displays. If there was any sure sign of the continuing strength of this beautiful place and wonderful community, it is this building.

Finished Styron -- and Now?

A minor accomplishment (or a major one, when trying to complete it along with job hunting, tending to children, etc.) today when I completed my reading of Sophie's Choice. I hadn't read it before and hadn't seen the movie (although it's now on my Netflix list), and A. had repeatedly asked me during the course of my reading whether I wanted to know what "the choice" was (naturally, I refused, not wanting to have the crucial part of the story given away). Needless to say, I was extremely surprised when I got to that point in the novel, and I can only imagine how difficult it was for Sophie to make the decision which she did.

Not only was it a great read, but it was also a great introduction to William Styron -- another of the "new" authors that I've turned to lately, along with John Irving, John Updike, and Thomas Pynchon. If you haven't read it -- and you have the time -- give it a read.

Now, what do I read next?