BitterSweetLife

The fateful evening.

Last Wednesday (August 4), Lindsay and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. What I’ve heard is that the first three years are the hardest, so apparently we dodged the bullet, and now have a chance at the ripe old married age of “four.” On the auspicious evening we went to an Italian place we’d been eyeing for the past year—it was great. We exchanged gifts—mine went over well. (So did Lindsay’s, but that goes almost without saying; it doesn't take much to make me happy.)

Among our gifts were several poems. I wrote two short ones for Lindsay, and, true romantic that she is, she wept over the “sweet” one. The second poem was intended to be merely humorous, and she laughed, so I think the evening could be considered a success. Lindsay wrote some verse too, a deep, thoughtful poem for me, and, callous lout* that I am, I was still moved. I’d post the poems here for you, but Lindsay now owns the copyrights on mine, so I’d have to acquire permission; and her poem is too profound for casual browsing. All in all, a triumphant Third Anniversary evening.



I also wanted to briefly mention a book I finished last week: The Diary of a Country Priest, by George Bernanos. It doesn’t sound like a blockbuster (and it doesn’t read like a screen play), but what a breath of fresh air. Originally published in French, this book is a psychological masterpiece, and classic enough to survive translation. It brought to mind the flavor of Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamozov, or the lucid, disarming self-awareness of Montaigne…but published originally in 1937. In the words of The New York Times Book Review, “It is a strange and sad, yet a beautiful and compelling story.” Bittersweet indeed. A modern masterpiece. (And I’m not Catholic.) If you do consider reading this book, which you should, keep in mind that it’s one of those Books Not Everyone Is Smart Enough To Read, both for its inadequate recognition and somewhat challenging dialogue. (There are some passages you’ll need to read twice.) So prepare accordingly.

*This word was used in association with the Vocabulary Reclamation Project.
Lout. I'm unsure of the word's etymology, but it seems to have an olde English flavor to it. Synonyms include "thug," "hoodlum" and "oaf."