Distractions, Literary and Otherwise

Almost every short story I've read to date this year (there's a running list on my sidebar) is from the anthology My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead, edited by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's billed as "Great Love Stories, from Chekhov to Munro," and this is no false claim. Of course it's out just in time to pick up for Valentine's Day and give to your lover-ly. All proceeds go to the awesome 826 Valencia.


Gilbert Sorrentino's "The Moon in Its Flight," which I think was written in the early '70s, has been a standout for me so far, especially since I am new to his writing. I admire the dreamlike quality he creates in this story, the blink-and-you-might-miss-it perfection of a teenage summer lake romance in 1948 New York. He throws in all these authorial asides, but rather than disrupting the motion of the story, they add a sort of topnote or a parallel story/essay. Anyways, I'm inspired to pick up Sorrentino's story collection, also titled The Moon in Its Flight.

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I'd be remiss (um, to myself) if I didn't mention that I've been driven to distraction by the upcoming California primary. I know it seems like he's been my guy for a long time now, but I was only 98.7% (random!) committed to Obama until quite recently. In fact, I would have liked to be able to stand behind a woman in this election. Unfortunately, in her effort to win, Clinton is consistently resorting to...I don't know what to call it...complete lunacy? Worse than complete lunacy, actually, since complete lunacy cannot be helped and certainly isn't meant to hurt. Whatever you want to call it, it's shameful. This article at the Huffington Post is just one of MANY to chronicle the fact that her team's attacks on Obama are outright lies.

Now, I'm not stupid. I'm sure Obama is spinning in his own way. But it's not her way: it's not ugly, it's not vicious, it doesn't reek of Karl Rove circa 2004.

So...this Friday and Saturday and—schedule permitting—into the following week, you'll find me phonebanking at Obama's South San Francisco field office. If I call you, be nice! Hey, like my shirt?