melissa's journal entry march 24

welcome to journal entry march 24. it is a day before Maricel's visit, and I am 95 percent done with cleaning my room. I am so dusty from all that housework. I was thinking about how much work it would be if I was actually moving. As I got closer to being done, I got lazier, and not as good at throwing things out. I suppose that is how packrats originate.

Anyway, I am reading (for the second time) Neal Stephenson's Zodiac. Stephenson is a great writer now, but Zodiac was one of his first works. It is neat to see some of the mistakes he makes as a writer that he avoids in later work. Regardless, it has an intimacy between the protagonist and the reader that his later works lack to some degree. There is a great interview with him you can read online here.Anyway, the other reason I love this book is that it seems to be pre-libertarianism for him. He writes about eco-crime, and the fight against pollution (although he describes in a laissez-faire way). Don't get me wrong--I agree with most of libertarianism. However, I think when you become aware of one's own political leanings, there becomes a tendency to narrow one's literary works. His later writing focussed on anarcho-capitalist worlds merging with technology. However, in this book, Zodiac, he concentrates on the biological and chemical sciences, and doesn't appear to hate environmentalists, like many libertarians do. I don't know if he agrees with his views in the book still, but it is an interesting contrast. Oh yeah, another cool thing he has written recently is on the web here.

Anyway, I saw ER and Friends tonight, and I was painfully aware of how few tv shows are going to continue that I enjoy. I am very pessimistic about the future of television. Of course, I am also in an Oscars mood, which makes me think about entertainment in general. There is a really cool thing on yahoo where you can make an Oscars pick list. Go here and you can also join my group, and see my own picks. Just click join a private group, type in #4082 and password yukyuk.

I think now that tv is going down the drain, I will end up doing more reading. On my list is Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Forest House, and The Abyss by Orson Scott Card. I got these books, including Zodiac, at Half Price Books. I am so in love with that bookstore--love at first site, since I only first went for about twenty minutes earlier this week. They are an organized used bookstore, which is rare, and they have a huge selection. It is sort of like a bookstore combined with a library, because it has older books that are hard to find in regular bookstores. Plus it isn't dusty or moldy smelling--it is bright an cheery--like many used bookstores can be.

Anyway, go buy Zodiac at Half Price Books. For a list of stores, go here. Anyway, have a great day!

bye,

Melissa

03/26/00 02:04:31 AM

ps: yes, my webcam is not working. however, it will be by this weekend.

the music is Madness' "Our House"