In addition to my internet surfing, blog reading, and various desultory entertainments (among which is a semi-obsession with Battlestar Galactica), I am continuing to read Les Misérables to Janie (I will posting a few more entries later), engaging in some Other Reading Projects (I am currently reading Philip K. Dick's & Roger Zelazny's "Deus Irae".), and playing unpaid IT support to family & friends.
Sam managed to infect his computer with some variation of the Conficker computer worm. Then a barely computer literate friend experienced the same thing and definitely didn't know what to do. In both cases I had to "wipe & reload"; anyone who uses MS Winblows will know what I mean. The problem with reformatting and a clean install is the enormous time (unless one has ghosted a clean install) that it requires to get the OS on the drive, load the drivers, configure, update, load the software, reload data, etc. etc. And I have the opportunity to do a new build for a guy at work but it drains more time, etc. I am still a computer hobbiest, but I am starting to reach the point in my life that I just want the darn thing to work. My whole family is convinced to convert to Apple; we just have to wait and save our shekels and then some day...
The novel, "Deus Irae", is another mind bender in the tradition of PKD's other novels. The story reminds me of PKD's novel, "Dr. Bloodmoney", in that it is a post-apocalyptic story, but in this case with strong religious overtones. I like that though the plot is simple and story is straight forward in a trippy way, there are other little incidental cultural fragments and philosophical ruminations that bring interest to the tale. I hope that I can some day write stories like this that entertain yet allow me to explore all sorts of ideas of human science, psychology, and culture.
There are some great moments of the sublime in Victor Hugo, but I'll reserve my comments for another entry.
Religious study continues apace as I get great spiritual steak dinners from Pastor Rayburn's sermons, and BSF forces me to stay in the bible some of the day. There is so much to learn in every area of human and divine knowledge that if I could somehow collect my paycheck without having to go to work, I would never be bored and I could study a thousand years. As the song from "Fiddler On The Roof" goes, "If I were a rich man..."
But there are spiritual riches to be had if only one had time.
I've been enjoying listening to Franz Schubert's Mass #2 in G and some of his other works, yet I still think that William Byrd has something "outer-space-like" (for want of a better word or phrase) about some of the Masses that he has written. But music seems to be like tools or books--you can never have enough. If only I had had an opportunity to study a musical instrument or had the almost infinite time to learn to sing properly... Sometimes I listen to a piece of music and it almost hurts in the enjoyment.
Ah the curse of having a brain barely alive and aware, and to not be able to do anything about it.
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