Still, no debauchery.
There’s been some ping pong, a little cancelled whale watching, some homemade clam chowdah (not homemade by me, of course) some baseball watching (not by me, of course) and in the meantime I’ve been staring in amazement at books, and in horror at the blank page, and listening to—I kid you not—a fly sizzle itself again and again on the light bulb by my desk. Buzz buzz. Sizzle sizzle. Die already!
Oh, and I’ve been dog walking. I’ve commandeered someone else’s dog, but because the dog doesn’t really like me, and won’t walk without its owner along, I walk the dog and the owner, too. I can’t believe they’ve agreed to this arrangement, but they have, and I’ve had the chance to explore the sand dunes and the beech forest and some kind of mud bog with a Corgi at the helm.
During one of these walks, the dog owner and I had a long discussion about plot, and about Cormac McCarthy, whom I’ve been utterly smitten with since 2001, when I read Child of God, a novel about a bungling necrophiliac. This prompted me to watch his interview with Oprah online, which was well worth becoming a member of Oprahs’ Book Club. (Relatively painless process—no “O” became emblazoned on my forehead or anything.)
The interview had some illuminating moments, particularly Cormac’s discussion of avoiding work (that is, the kind you do for somebody else), his thoughts of the role of the subconscious in the writing process, and his remarks on the genesis of The Road. And, as one might expect, it was an awkward affair. Throughout, Cormac made the couch look like a giant, man-eating plant, and Oprah struggled to find the right facial expressions, particularly when Cormac spoke of his utter disinterest in material things. What team of people had chosen her earrings that day? What kind of furniture had she chosen for the vacation house she’s building in southern Colorado? How could she appear at ease before this man who at one point couldn’t afford to brush his teeth, and didn’t give a damn?
Also, he said “book” like “spook”. I love him. So much so that I now say "book" like "spook." If you haven't yet, check it out.
