Answered Prayers

All summer I've been waiting for the return of the UMass daily. I love their horoscopes. I re-printed a bunch of them here a couple months ago. If you haven't seen them look them up. If you have read on. They were so much fun to read and some day I hope to search the UMass library archives so I can read every entry from the 08-09 year- I started reading them in April so I missed a lot.

Yesterday I was walking by the newspaper box on the sidewalk and spotted the first issue of this school year and actually smiled when I saw it.

When I got home, sitting on my bed and eating a hot slice of pizza, I jumped straight to the last inside page and there they were. I had only read the Airies entry and I knew that last semester's horoscope writer was gone, graduated. I'd give an example of the new writer's horoscopes but there's no point. I don't see any attempt to anything at all with the horoscope forum. He (or she) has had all summer to think of something to write that might be worth reading.

Sure, it's too soon to judge, I know that. But there are no time restrictions on disappointment and that's what I'm feeling now. I haven't picked up today's paper yet but I'm curious to see if there'll be any improvement.


Last night, after watching Magnolia* for the 5th time, I started reading Truman Capote's Answered Prayers, his incomplete (or unfinished- whatever you want to say. Some people think he had more to write, others believe he may have written more and destroyed it) final novel. It was great fun to read and I finished this morning in bed over coffee and cigarettes. It's too bad there isn't more- not that I care about any plot or want to see what happens. What makes it fun readinmg is the small touches- certain phrases, funny remarks, economical descriptions. It isn't really one full story, just many small full stories, and that's what makes it good.


Be on the look out for my upcoming review of Magnolia. It'll show up here at RJ Battles later this month.