For All You Romantic Poets
I trust that even the naughtiest of you received something nice yesterday, even if you're of a non-Christmas persuasion. I was with my children and sweet Junie, 800 miles away, with hers. I got no less than 3 copies of Pynchon's latest book, but then I'm hard to buy for.
We actually received USPS packages on Sunday, and on Christmas. Some 1,500 Denver area mailmen volunteered to keep delivering mail that had been held up by the blizzard. Many thanks to the guys in gray.
Something has gone horribly wrong with Amazon's "people who bought" engine.
Based upon having purchased Reb and Molly's
Bedside Guide, Amazon suggested I buy the works of
William F. DeVault, "The Romantic
Poet of the Internet", who has written "over 13,000 poems and eloquences", most of them centered on
the page ("the words run past like dust / crushed stone powder to match failed
ardor"). Actually, Amazon was suggesting William's latest work, Ronin in
the Temple of Aphrodite, whose blurb runs: "The
astonishing manifesto of romanticism at the verge of disillusionment! Raw,
intense, emotional and literate as only one of the fathers of the Digital
Renaissance can conjour.[sic] 61 works that capture the struggle of
passion and faith in the soul of the poet. " William is also the "inventor
of the triskadelian canto", and has a blog liberally adorned by black stems and
red roses.
Coincidentally,
Cath and Der and I watched the film production of Phantom of the Opera
while waiting for Kyle to arrive with his sweetie. Christine was a little
young (Emmy Rossum) and the Phantom's voice a little thin (Gerard Butler), but
the visuals were outstanding and the supporting cast excellent. Rossum
certainly had that "deer in the headlights" look down pat. Minny Driver
almost steals the whole movie in her role of Carlotta, and Patrick Wilson plays
a muscular Raoul whom I liked much better than the original London casting.
Webber has guided the script to demystify some of the Phantom's magical tricks
and fleshed out the backstory. The movie was almost good enough to forgive
Webber for Cats.
Not much mail today. I think the backlogged local post office is doling
out my mail and litmags slowly. See you tomorrow.