He is the most unexcitable prof I’ve ever had. He knows his stuff, and I did learn from him, but I’m pretty sure I fell asleep at least once during some of his lectures.

If I could find a VHS copy of the movie, then I could make a DVD of it.

I recently began reading David Adams Richards, starting with Mercy Among the Children. His writing seems as finely crafted as, say, Michael Ondaatje, and the worlds his presents are rich and deep, but so brutally realistic at times, he’s not easy to take. I immediately moved on to his River of the Brokenhearted, found it to be exactly like Mercy Among the Children (which isn’t a bad thing), but I couldn’t bring myself to enter his world again — a world where not a lot of good things happen to the characters. His sky is always cold and grey.

Then I gave Kurt Vonnegut a try, beginning with Slaughterhouse Five. I like his no-bullshit style and his sense of humour. The novel was funny (I laughed out loud many times) but thoughtful and insightful. I was entertained, and I thought about novel long after I put it down. I’m currently reading his Deadeye Dick, which has a similar style with a story that jumps all over the place. But I’m not as into it like I was with the first novel. It’s narrative doesn’t seem as focused. Or maybe I’ve gotten tired of his style too. I hope not. Vonnegut has an easy-readibility to him that I appreciate. I don’t have to take track of every fine detail in the story and practically study it like a David Adams Richards novel to get something out of it. I hope I can move on to another of his novels right away without getting sick of him. He seems fun.