A fish stew kind of day

Which is what today's cooking project is, for an early dinner after I pick up H at 4 ... she is ushering a matinee to see a free play that doesn't interest me.

More reading in THE BOOK OF DANIEL, by the gods this is a great book, surely the best thing ever written about the sixties in fiction. Because the concept is brilliant, the children of 30s commies and the burden of growing up radical. Brilliant concept. Doctorow is first rate, Nobel great. This book is better than RAGTIME, which is a huge book itself.

I feel good today. The uncertainty and stress I was feeling earlier about a new direction in my rhythm have faded with the decision to return to the classics, rather like returning to basics, and catching up on all the reading, so much reading, that I never had time to do when I was obsessively engaged in my own work. Now my work is back burner, and I get to learn from and enjoy the work of others, especially of writers long dead, many I've never heard of. I am positively certain hat Project Gutenberg holds countless surprises and delights.

Maybe I need a new hat that says SCRAPPLE KING. I'm thinking about it!

The two hats I wear most often lately are 1. Banjo rules! and 2. insignia of the Army Security Agency. Now and again Portland State or UCLA. Or Venice Beach on a particularly terrible day, to counter the cold with dumb magic. I seem to have a hat collection without really meaning to. I have Librettist. I have the Library of Congress number of my books in Special Collections at the University of Oregon (there's ego for you). I have Three Moons Media, which used to publish my books. But mostly it's been Banjo rules! and ASA.