Hi,
Per the previous entry, this is the spot to post re the latest chunk of Gravity’s Rainbow. For chat, please scroll down to the next entry below.
Note: And for completists, don’t forget to take a stroll through the first batch of comments this week, over in the original Week 3 thread.
Thankee, -Cecil
GRDM, Week 3 — Chat thread
Hi,
Here’s an experiment — I enjoy the banter, but I don’t want it to keep us from actually talking about the book. If we had threaded comments, we could prolly do both together, but in this one-big-stew approach, I’m not sure. So howzabout we use this entry as the bantery and chat thread… And then I’ll post another entry in a sec right above this one that folks can use for more book-related posts. We’ll see over the course o’ the week if this approach works.
(In the spirit of eternal warmth and generosity, chat and book comments both count toward mugness….)
Building a flock
They’re building a flock of geese
out by the base.
For six months now
they’ve been working on it,
piece by piece
sun, wind, rain.
First came the bones.
Then the organs, the muscles.
Fat and flesh.
Last week they put on
a soft undercoat of feathers.
Then beaks.
(Honk.)
And I was like:
“wow, these really are starting to look
like geese.”
The Gravity’s Rainbow Deathmarch, Week 3
Well, we started this venture with an astounding 35 or so folks out the gate. And inevitably, people are beginning to tumble off the trail. (Well, we wouldn’t call it a deathmarch if it was easy….)
At this rate, by my calculations, -5 people will finish the journey. But what’s math, right? A poor predictor of the human soul.
March on you valiant page turners, though thy arms ache to pluck mysteries from thy sagging bookshelf, though thy very retina begin to shake and swell, march on!
Around 20-25 people appear to be head down, still making progress, some commenting on these threads, and others reading along offline but opting to forsake much coveted Grand Poobah status. I respect that. And I will toast them when the march is done, with fine champagne in a sturdy mug.
For now, you’ve found the spot to comment on pages 113-167 plus or minus.
Next week: Let’s meet up at page 226 (263 in Bantam), a section that ends with the phrase “…with a war on….” (Sorry for the spoiler…)
See you there, -CV
x-post: and the Ridley Scott and the monkey and the Monday of it all
We’re getting back into the weekly swing of things over on Monkey Vortex Radio Theater. This Monkey Vortex Monday, it’s Letters, an insta-parody produced by our rapid reponse team, and featuring Eileen Dahl, Bleu Smith, K. Smith, and yers truly.
Frogs
I remember frogs -- feeding them, caring for them pressing that spot on the base of their spines...
Small frogs, caught by the creek cupped for a moment, captive, fluttering released open-hand.
Huge store-bought bullfrogs kept in shaded back-of-garage aquariums.
I don't remember naming them. But I do remember holding them close looking down
their slimy skin soaking up against my shirt
and it wasn't gross at all.
He was a fine mouse, and other laments
Put it in a box and bury it
by the side of the house
with a few friends, a eulogy.
Soft voices and a
turning embrace.
Gone, like our grandmothers
and grandfathers. And not
coming back.
No matter how young we are inside.
How frolicking. How ready
to go to the circus.
But it’s gone. Long gone.
Giddy-up gone.
And we never took
a still moment
to say
goodbye.
Mouth-feel
Saying the word “doodle” out loud —
“Doodle.”
“Doodle.” —
makes me feel
three months more young, light, and lean
three months less gassy and gray.
Noodle
Poodle.
Streudel.
“Doodle.”
The Gravity’s Rainbow Deathmarch, Week 2
Welcome to the end of week 2! This is the place to comment on (roughly) pp 50-113 (p/v). That said, as last week rolled on, a lot of people dropped comments past the mark, to keep up with what they were reading that day. I thought that went great. So in the course of this week, feel free to comment on page 120, 130… Just use a little restraint on spoilers for later sections.
There was some confusion amongst prize-peoples regarding the first two weeks. In the spirit of loving-kindness that is the GRDM, we’re gonna count both of those two weeks as one, meaning if you commented Week 0, but not Week 1, you’re still a candidate for potential “Grand Poobah” status. Those who haven’t commented yet, don’t give up — highly regarded “Poobah” and “Big Poobah” status are still well within reach!
Hope everyone’s holding up OK. Me, it’s work, and I’m about 12 pages behind. But hell, that’s still about 94 pages farther than I’ve ever gotten before. Mainly I’ve been surprised how much fun there’s been along the way. More like a Hallucinatory Death Dance than a Deathmarch, methinks…
Next Tuesday: Let’s meet back up at page 167 ((195 in the Bantam edition) a week from today — it’s the section that ends: “Is God really Jewish?”
See you there, -CV
x-post: and the Bobba Bebba of the monkey
After nearly a month on hiatus, Monkey Vortex Radio Theater is back with Bobba Bebba, our most ambitious piece involving an alien watching earth TV from their spaceship yet! With script by yers truly…. Give it a listen and let us know whatcha think.