Go Liss

You, like my mom, may be wondering why this is the sight greeting you as you open the fridge. Really, is that Weight Watchers Key Lime pie I see? And what's that apple juice doing between prepared and unprepared salads? Also, is that a wild boar skull?

Yes.

I'd happened upon this boar skull, a souvenir from two years in the Patagonia, a gift from an amigo and a half. I felt it hadn't got enough attention. I wanted to startle Mom with the sight of it--but where should it be sighted?

Malissa suggested the fridge and I cried in triumph, "YES!" as she, a whit or two mortified, audibly cringed and said, "Not really!" Oh yes really. Two seconds later she added, "You should put the milk out on the counter, so she'll open the fridge to put it back." I've got a twelve-year head start on her, and she's already ordering me around. But that's okay by me, as long as evil wins.

In the beginning... + Ambien Poem + Lloyd Alexander Exhibit

Well, perhaps I'll begin blogging. We'll see what happens. Lately I've written poetry while an Ambien prescription went awry, and I hallucinated, and, naturally--what else would I do?--wrote a poem. A trippin' one. Haven't taken those meds anymore.

Also, I got to speak as Lloyd Alexander's books and manuscripts were donated to BYU in his behalf by his granddaughter. Twelve professors or so were there, plus my friend Tomi who works in Special Collections at BYU's library, a grad student, and myself. I was asked for a testimonial of how much I loved the books, and why, to show them how BYU's students would appreciate the donation. (If you aren't aware, Lloyd Alexander wrote the book "The Black Cauldron," on which Disney based a movie, and was one of the most popular American children's authors ever.)

It was an awesome experience, as he is one of my favorite authors--because of the high sense of morality you feel exuding from his books as you read them--and I'll probably never get closer to meeting a favorite author than meeting his granddaughter (Diana, who's probably a bit older than my mom), and hitting it off so well with her. I loved it. I genuinely love all the stuff he (Alexander) valued, and she (his granddaughter) valued, and it was so cool to feel that affection warmly reciprocated by her. I always felt like that was my kind of crowd, as I read those sorts of books, but this time, I got to meet these people in the flesh, and much to my delight, I discovered they really were my kind of people, because they have the same sort of hearts.

BYU's basically putting in a shrine for Lloyd Alexander on the 4th floor of the Harold B Lee Library, in the Juvenile Lit section. Diana told me she'd requested me back for the exhibits grand opening in 13 months or so. It sounds pretty unique, or almost prestigious, even, but I'm really just most excited to be involved in something which I so truly and spiritually love.

The other two authors I'd be most excited to have a special, authentic/original material (Alexander gave us all the stuff from his attic-writing room so we could replicate it exactly) donation from, such that we could have an exhibit here, would be C. S. Lewis and J. K. Rowling. The morality of the books is their best aspect, and the realm of their greatest success, if they have any. As Lewis says, "Books only worth reading as a child really were never worth reading at all." Naturally, by extension, only books with timeless values are worth reading, and they are worth reading when you're young, old, and always.