Multitasking Is Not For Everyone
April 6, 2008
Multi-tasking can be dangerous! I have proof. Last Thursday evening I came home from work, set some hand laundry to soak in the bathroom sink, added soap, and turned on the hot water. Then for some unknown and unknowable reason I left the room and didn’t even remember until an hour or two later when I stood up to get the dictionary. “What the hell is wrong with the carpet,” I shrieked when I saw a dark, oddly-shaped formation on it. That “formation” turned out to be about two inches of water that had flooded the bathroom floor (and both rugs) plus a rather large area in the hallway in front of the bathroom and leading into the bedroom on one side and the living room on the other. I will not share the thoughts that went through my mind except to say that my tears of rage and frustration were enough to add another half-inch to the water level.
* * * “I once owned every novel Sybille Bedford wrote,” Paul Clark writes, noting that since she only wrote four it is not, perhaps, the accomplishment it might seem. But its not the quantity that intrigues him about this novelist’s books, but their quality. She’s a writer who “does not fit neatly into any school of writing,” but she is nevertheless one of those he deems a literary treasure. Find out more about her in A Walk Through My Bookshelves. The novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, has never been out of print since its publication in 1852. The stage performances of it lasted an amazing 75 years. This week, in On Marking Books, I take a look back at a fascinating part of theatre history with a souvenir bookmark from one of the most popular and successful productions. Lunchtime is a favorite of Anne Michael. Whether sitting on a park bench and reading, watching people or even enjoying the amusement of a couple at odds, she uses that time richly as she details in this week’s Seasoned Lightly. Is the description “tree-hugging book lover” an oxymoron? Andi Miller explores the dichotomy she finds in herself as an avid environmentalist and a book lover. “I cannot give up my books,” she says. “But what to do in the face of environmental distress? I can’t turn a blind eye toward Mother Earth either.” Find out how she resolves this in The Finicky Reader. Henry Carrigan, in Readings, turns his literary education and brilliant mind to the question of God’s death (as declared by the New York Times and Time magazine in 1966). “God’s death came at a particularly challenging time in American society,” he writes, “one in which churches already found themselves embroiled in debates over politics and social issues—from the Vietnam War and Civil Rights to environmentalism and feminism.” But what about now, forty-two years later when America is faced with terrorism clothed in religious extremism? There are a number of important books that look at this issue, a fact that makes one wonder if the original reports were exaggerated or true. Last week Lisa Guidarini, one of the more popular book bloggers, talked about a book, The Death of the Critic, that she was reading. What is the difference between a literary criticism and book reviewing, she asked. This week, having finished the book and gotten comments to the same question on her blog, she again tackles the question. See her conclusion this week in Reviews & Reflections.
* * * Do you know about the Karpeles Manuscript Museums? David and Marsha Karpeles live in my hometown of Santa Barbara—and one of their museums is based here—but they also have eight other museums around the country. These museums showcase the world’s largest private holding of important manuscripts and documents. It would be impossible to describe even a portion of this spectacular collection, though you can see all of them online in wonderful close-ups. If, however, you are fortunate enough to live near or if you plan to visit Buffalo, Charleston, Duluth, Jacksonville, Newburgh, Tacoma, Shreveport or Santa Barbara, you must make a point of visiting, There is no charge, and their collection rotates among the museums regularly. It is absolutely amazing to see things like the original proposal draft of the Bill of Rights, the signed Emancipation Proclamation Amendment, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, and items from Galileo, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Napoleon, Machiavelli. Mini-exhibitions are also maintained at various universities, grade schools, other museums and city facilities. If your organization is interested in participating in the mini-museum program (they generally require that you be within a 50-mile radius of a Karpeles Manuscript Library, but do make exceptions), contact them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Until next week, read well, read often and read on! Lauren |