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End-of-Summer Boo Hoo Hoo's

9/20/2012

Happy One Year to Me

A year ago this week I made my first post here at richardjespers.com. Originally I intended to do one a month, but in the last twelve months I've written fourteen. I realize that most bloggers post daily or weekly, but I look at my post as more of a newsletter. Each month I write about what has piqued my interest since we last met here in cyberspace: books, trips, writing conferences, a marathon essay on all the New Yorker stories for 2011. As time has passed, I’ve become more conversant in how to post photographs, videos, and how to set up links. I encourage you to subscribe by locating the box in the sidebar to your right. If you like my posts, I hope you will forward them to your friends.

Thanks, dear readers, and have a great day as we close down summer.

My Book World

Not long ago I finished reading *A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I was encouraged to tackle it by a woman I’d studied with this past summer (see my August post). She recommended it when I asked her about contemporary novels that are written with a nonlinear structure.
*I've pledged to link all recommended books to powells.com because they carry titles from small and indie presses (the big places don't consistently do that). If you can make a few book purchases that are not from The Big Ones, you'll be helping out many a writer.

I love how Egan structures this book. It’s almost like a story collection in which one character is both a major and a minor character but in different chapters. The narrative is not in chronological order—much the way our minds work—and it’s up to the reader to put the events together. She’s a master at giving the reader subtle clues about where you are and what the time frame is. It’s not an easy read, but it’s fun. She has one chapter—Chapter Twelve, Great Rock and Roll Pauses—that’s written in the form of flow charts. The novel, about the punk rock world of the eighties, seems genuine—particularly to those of us who know little about it—and draws us in as a fine novel should. Kudos to Egan for earning all the awards of the year: National Book Critics Circle Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a PEN/Faulkner finalist, one of the Best Books of Year.

I also enjoyed another title, The Tools: Transform Your Problems into Courage, Confidence, and Creativity by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. I found this book helpful, as it dovetails well with my latest therapy experience. And after I memorized the procedures (tools), I believe they do "work." One I find somewhat helpful is the Reversal of Desire. If there is something you don't wish to do or an event you dread attending, you repeat the following mantra. “Bring it on! I love pain. Pain sets me free.” (There are also some mental pictures you must employ, like imagining that a “cloud” is spitting you out when you think, Pain sets me free, but I find that they help to legitimize the experience.) I've simplified the process entirely too much, but see if you can get a copy. And the authors are correct. You can’t stop using the tools, or you lose them. I’ve continued to re-read portions of the book each day. I needed to make a very difficult phone call the other day, and after preparing myself with the tool mentioned above, I was surprised at how well I was able to communicate with the caller.

Viva Las Vegas Again

In a little over a year and a half, Ken and I have made three trips to Las Vegas, Nevada. The first two times were during Christmas week. For people who’ve never liked Christmas (a childhood thing or phobia perhaps), Vegas is a great place to be. Along the strip, Xmas is rather a footnote. Oh, each hotel, each shoppe has its sparkly little decorations, but you don’t see many creches. The only Xmas carols you might hear are at the Bellagio Fountain shows that occur every hour or so, in which the loudspeakers might ring out with something sung by a great choir, almost, almost making you wish you were at home by the fire. Our hotel, Circus Circus, and the streets are filled with foreign visitors who don’t necessarily celebrate the birth of Christ or even know who he is. It’s enlightening to see that an entirely different world exists right under our very noses.

In early September we made our third visit, and it was hot, hot, hot. Not only that but the city was suffering through a rare period of humidity (it would rain hard and flash flood a few hours after we left to fly back to Texas, whew). The great indoors, the uber air-conditioned Circus Circus, was so cold, in fact, that some of us kept our arms and legs covered most of the time. Unlike the winter months, in which you can stroll up the strip in sixty-degree weather, we had to forego any walks, except for one.

Yes, one mild morning, we took a cab to a large park known as Springs Preserve. There you can view much in the way of native flora or plants that seem to grow easily in the desert—all with the city in view (see photos below). I would have labeled the plants except that many of the little signs had been plucked by management to correct previous mistakes. There are also carefully placed pieces of outdoor sculpture. After you’ve made a vigorous walk along the paved paths, you can grab a great but inexpensive meal at the Springs Café run by the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas. Among other items, you can order a vegan burger for $7, a chicken panini sandwich for $9, a vegetable & goat cheese panini for $8.25, crispy fish tacos for $10, or a chicken waldorf wrap for $9. And if it’s pleasant enough to eat on the terrace, you can also view the strip from one end to the other.

Gambling is a bizarre activity. You really can’t care about it, whether you win or lose (because you’ll do a lot of that). If you, for example, line up four fours in video poker and win a hundred dollars, you feel it’s quite a triumph. And if you’re smart, you’ll quit that machine and head for another one. If you’re really smart, you’ll cash out, leave the casino, and come back later (or never). You don’t want to jinx your luck by staying too long and giving all your winnings back to the casino. No, I have a set amount I spend each day on the machines, and when it’s gone, it’s really gone. I took a number of photos of Circus Circus because I found the sights interesting. Yes, the place is over forty years old, but the MGM Grand owns it and has refurbished one tower and is working on another. The rooms are clean and up to date, and the Steak House has some of the best cuisine on the strip.

Ruidoso, New Mexico

In August, Ken and I traveled with our friend Betty to Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso, where we stayed as her guests once again, always an enjoyable experience. FYI, a new trail has opened up adjacent to the Inn. You cross the highway to find the beginning, and from there you find many miles of a new asphalt trail. We heard that it was a walking trail. But others must have heard that it was for cycling for you'd hear, "On your left," as someone approached from behind. Others must have surely thought it was for runners only as they whizzed past you, refusing to acknowledge your existence. Believe me, there is plenty of room for everyone if we all follow the rules of any road. Stay to the right . . . or is it left, if you're a pedestrian? Yes, walkers and runners stay to the left, so that cyclists who are heading toward you on their right have the best shot at you. Ah, well, the point is that the new trail is beautiful. If you like the great outdoors and don't care for golf, this new trail in Ruidoso is just for you. Check it out!

Help for a Young Film Maker

End-of-Summer Boo Hoo Hoo's

Happy One Year to Me

My Book World

Viva Las Vegas Again

Ruidoso, New Mexico

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