I've been writing, on and off, all night. I haven't been talking about the book much, I know. It's... a very different experience. Last book was a cathartic joy. This is... haunting. The world surround Joseph O'Clock is a twisted and dark place. The comedy I was shooting for is still there, but it darts around in the shadows. It is a scary book. Not frights, but there is a beast underneath the books skin that wiggles and squirms, itching to break through.Allen NoLastTime from Four Borders had it easy. But that was in part because his book was about rebirth and over coming loss. Or at least accepting it (or defying it). Joseph's path... Man, I don't know what I, Emelphin and Quill (full name Qilzhqtylrophffffftcough) are doing to bore Joseph.
The first moment I realized that the book had delved into something I didn't quite understand was when Samantha attacks Stephan in the school yard. I knew the scene was coming, knew it was coming from the moment I conceive of the story. But her ferociousness surprised me. The way she scattered the colored chalk at her feet and was upon Stephan's back, her teeth sinking into his shoulder. Joseph's panic, his sweaty hands, the box slipping to the concrete. Bobby flailing at Samantha, desperate to protect his on friend. The screams from the students and the yells from the teachers as Joseph finally gets the box and press the buttons to all three children. Their bodies convulsing as the electric shock surged through their bodies.
And I never expect Samantha to get back up and turn on Joseph, blood on her lips... and the standoff that followed.
And it has gotten darker since then.
This has always been my problem with the whole Judeo-Christian "God has a plan/God works in mysterious ways" thing. Either you have a benevolent God or you have one that functions on such a different level that "benevolent" has no meaning. But the God in the Book of Job accepts Satan's plan to torture Job... just to prove a point. It is not a test of Job. It is a pissing contest.
Perhaps that's what this whole series is: Why SixSider thinks God is an ass.
Anyway, I didn't intend to write about all of that. I meant to mention somethings that have bothered me with elections coming on Tuesday.
- The election ads have gone insane. I don't even get the Republican ones. The Dems ads all seem to be just listing Bush's campaign promises from 2004. Not listing things he didn't do... just listing them. And then there are the mass of apologies this year. Alan Hevesi's "I was stupid" ads over the last few days are particularly entertaining.
- The whole "What do we call Hilary Clinton?" question is interesting. I know I refer to her has Hilary, which I realise is wrong. But we always refer to First Ladies by their first names. I don't know how we break ourselves from that.
- Obama. I'm torn. There is no one out there I would rather vote for in 2008, but I have no idea how he'd react to a national campaign. I have no idea how he'd actually run the country. He is farther left than the his image actually is. I'd hate to see him have to bend center for the Presidency... and I really don't think Senator Clinton is electable.
- I haven't been looking to closely, but why has gas prices dropped so much over the last ten months? What changed? The conspiracy theorist in me wants to know.
- Cheney is going hunting during the election. 'Nuff said.
- Oh, John Kerry. You would have thought the word "Us" would be a uniting word. Not a word that ends up destroying any career you may have had left. Of course, he did leave "Us" out and that was his problem.
- Haggard. First, whenever I quickly see the head lines, I see "Haggar admits to buying meth, getting gay massage," and I picture that funny little viking. But beyond that, is he going to blame it on booze too? Or being molested? I'm not saying these folks weren't victims, but take some damn responsibility!
- And what is it with the 11th hour outing of Republicans? What the hell happened? Foley, Haggard, Mark Hyman (a maybe), Charlie Crist (another maybe). I loved Crist's response to the a gay-marriage question: "“Marriage is a relationship like my mother and father had, like I had before I got divorced.” Apparently the 50-year old bachlor was married for a very short time in 1979. Man, if all of the closeted Republicans came out they might find they'd have a whole new power base.
- George Allen should be given a tv show. We'd be just like Borat. Send him to Bangkok and Bombay and Sierra Leon. Call it "Delirious George."
- Hussein's conviction. Actually, I have nothingto say on the subject. I'm just glad that Trial of the Century is over. I'm sure the next one wis only a few years off.
