Lists

Christmas is over. It's time for lists.

Reading List. A lot of of people keep a tally on their blogs about what they are reading. This would be too embarrassing for me, generally. I'd have to admit that I only recently finished Gilbert's study of James Joyce's Ulysess which I purchased on June 16, 2004 or thereabouts in the Paris English language bookstore Village Voice. I read this book in the bathroom. OK, another embarrassing admission. I read whole books in the bathroom even if it did take over two years. This book was particularly difficult since it was written in the 30's about a difficult book (which I haven't actually read...I'm working up to that one) and assumed a knowledge of Greek and French and, I think, maybe a little German. Not to mention the history of myths in multiple cultures. I'm now reading A.M. Home's The Safety of Objects in that bathroom. In the other there is a choice of old copies of The New Yorker or a book called Objects of Desire: The Lives of Antiques and Those Who Pursue Them. It's a pure coincidence that these books share a word. I'm obssesive about some things. But that would be a bit much even for me. The former is a small book of short stories. Even at one paragraph at a time, it should be dispatched in short order. When I use the third bathroom, I am the prisoner of whatever FFP left there.

On the obsessive side I do want to announce that I have sent to recycling virtually all the old newspapers around here. Without some serious searching (perhaps in the aforementioned bathroom) I would have to read today's paper if I wanted to read the paper. My gym reading today will be Prisoner of Trebekistan: a decade in Jeopardy! which was my Christmas present from FFP. We don't really buy each other things but given my penchant for recording Jeopardy and shouting the answers out (when I know them) I think he saw this and couldn't resist.

To Do List: There are things to do for my dad. I think he has waited out Christmas and now expects his doctors to turn their attention to his problems. Sadly, I think they are on vacation. He wants me to call them. He also has some shopping for me to do. So there is his list. And then mine. The month and year are winding down. That means taxes. And bookkeeping. And then there is the long list of things to do around here. Like cleaning up offices and files and storage. And, of course, putting up all those silly decorations.

Sigh. Well, I could make some lists. That's a place to start. Off to work on Dad's list first. He would like sliced cheese, some Milk of Magnesia and a doctor to explain his back pain.

Naturally today's picture has nothing much to do with anything. Except maybe that to do list item: "organize digital pictures so you can easily find one that is relevant and not just post another shop window."