Last weekend I met a friend at our local mall—not
because I needed to shop, but because that’s most convenient halfway point for
us to get together and hang out. Nonetheless, as we were wandering aimlessly in
Big Bland Department Store, I happened across what looked like a promising
pair of light summer pants. I didn’t hold out much hope, because, well, I just
don’t hold out much hope anymore for clothing, but I tried them on anyway, and
lo and behold, they fit comfortably. Sold! But it wasn’t until I put them on at
home that I realized their true glory. They don’t just fit--they are perfect.
They are the very definition comfortable, light summer pants. They are made of
a crepe-like material, with a very light-weight lining, they slip on just below
the belly button with a wide, comfortable elastic band, and they are flared at
the bottom, providing a graceful skirt-like movement. It’s that time of year
again in Seattle when we get our three weeks of hot weather, and I have been
swanning around in my cool, light, well-fitting summer pants non-stop. I shall
never remove them, these pants of glory, these shining, noble, triumphant, most-esteemed pants. I want one pair in every color, and I shall be known as That
Lady Who Wears Those Swishy Pants and Always Looks so Comfortable. If only I could find some tops that met a similar criteria…but
I know better than to get greedy.
It’s been a week full of all kinds of turmoil
and disruption, which has, among other things, waylaid my reading. I like to
read in long, uninterrupted spans of time—preferably to settle in for two to three
hours with a good book, sometimes even longer. But I’ve had to read in fits and
starts this week, which has been very frustrating because I actually came
across book that is not total trash. My novel-picking radar has been way off
lately. I blame my Kindle for shoving a lot of schlock at me, and getting me to
download free samples so I get hooked and buy the dumb book before I realize it’s
actually dreck. But this most recent novel, The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, is
a beautifully written literary novel, the kind of book you want to spend
quality time with. The story centers around a woman who is serving a life
sentence in prison, but it dips into sweeping epic territory, as it also tells
the story of many satellite characters whose lives intersect with hers. I ran a
program in a women’s prison (one day a year for about five years), and this
topic is very dear to my heart. And it’s been nice to read a book that pays
attention to language and the elegance of its storytelling. I’ll do a longer
review if things calm down around here and I actually get to finish it.
The afore-mentioned heat is getting to me, made
worse by the fact that I had go sit in a booth outdoors today for three hours
and talk to people. I’m knackered and I have nothing illuminating to say. So
instead, here’s a video of classic movie stars dancing to “Uptown Funk.” It’s pretty
astounding.
1 comment:
Um, can you share the brand name of the magic pants? Those sound amazing!
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