Reading.

Guard of Honor, by James Gould Cozzens. The best drama about bureaucracy I've ever read. Three days on an Army base in Florida in September 1943, this won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Some of the female characters seemed a little stock, but still enjoyable overall.

Benjy and the Specials.

Yeah, this is old - Benjy's around 18 months here. Jeanne and I were, uh, reviewing some archival material tonight.

Faut-il brûler Babar?

Adam Gopnik on Babar. I enjoyed the Babar books as a child, and Benjy has, too. What I love about the first book, The Story of Babar, is how Babar's activities - and what drama there is - seem so characteristically French. Babar buys a beautiful new suit! Babar eats pastries! Babar thinks of his mother and feels sad! It's not exactly The Little Engine that Could, but it's delightful.

Self-explanatory.

Ninja cat.

Reading.

They Came Like Swallows, by William Maxwell. Melancholy story of a
mother's death in the influenza epidemic of 1918. Written from three
characters' perspectives; the first section, Bunny, about an
eight-year-old, was the most affecting - Maxwell knew what he was
writing about.

Reading.

The Folded Leaf, by William Maxwell. Love triangle between two men and a woman at college. A harrowing page at the end given the author's personal history. Very good.

What I've been reading.

The Forbidden City, by Geremie R. Barmé. A good readable introduction to the history, mystery, and meaning of Beijing's zijin cheng. Part of a series called Wonders of the World. BLDGBLOG's interview with series editor Mary Beard here. Book's short (but still laudable) website here.

Frick and Frack.

Neuron 1: Oh, man, that's funny.

Neuron 2: Yeah, Daddy's pretty funny, Frick.

Neuron 1: I think he's REAL funny, Frack.

Neuron 2: Watch it, Frick. You know how you get. Just make sure you're ... oh, no. Oh, NO.



[Strobing lights, sound of alarms.]

Neuron 2: Frick -- Frick! We're in the red zone! The system is on overload! We are in trouble -- dial it back, man!
















Neuron 2: Christ, Frick.

Neuron 1: I know, I just got carried away. I'm sorry, Frack. It won't happen again, I swear.

Neuron 2: Okay, okay. But -- Christ, Frick.

Camera is healed.