Thursday, June 02, 2005

I have had a wonderful morning even though it started out with a trip to the DVI office to find out, yet again, that they are not giving the test. Next week instead. I will try again. But since I was out and about so early the lines at the bank, gas station, and KMart were easy to navigate. I was even second in line to get my oil changed at Western Auto and they were done with it before I got back from picking out Father's Day cards at KMart. People were friendly and in a good mood - not like when you run errands at the end of the day or on Saturday and the lines are long and people are tired. I was back home by 11:00 and had time to chat about cars, again, with Mary. She is going look at the midnight blue PT Cruiser again tonight. My favorite color at least - that's what color my beloved TransAm was - I miss that car! :-(

I finished up listening to The Life of Pi by Yann Martel while I drove around the island running errands. It has received high praise and I can see why, although it was not one of my favorite listening/reading experiences. I found it a bit drawn out and I got bored with the length of the narrative descriptions of his zoological knowledge. The parts about faith and religion were quite enjoyable and the scene where his mentors/leaders from three different religions converge on him at the same time was quite delightful. I initially had problems suspending my disbelief of a lifeboat being able to handle a Bengal tiger, a zebra (with a broken leg), a hyena, a rat, a cockroach, and a sixteen-year-old Indian boy, but I got over that as Martel pulled me into the story. The narrator was quite good too so I often found myself chuckling at Pi's dry sense of humor in the worst of circumstances. Over two hundred days at sea with a tiger he catches and feeds fish to so it won't eat him, as well as landing on an island of carnivorous algae, was easier to belief than the brief blind encounter with the Frenchman adrift in another lifeboat. I am glad I listened to it, rather than read it, as I am not sure I would have stayed with it and it was well worth the effort. I honestly don't see broad YA appeal for this adult novel, but because the character is a teenager searching for himself (as well as land) there are some older teens I would recommend this book to, but not the average teenage reader. I don't think they would stay with it.

Now to get some things done around this apt - I am surrounded by boxes!