30s & 40s

i finished the philip roth book the other day. i don't want to spoil anything for anyone out there who hasn't yet read it and thinks she or he might one day, but in my opinion the ending was a little bit anticlimactic. in a sense, i think mr roth took the easy way out. on the whole, nonetheless, a tremendous book, very worthwhile, and of course splendidly written. especially groovy was the fact that the last few dozen pages of the book consisted of bona fide (i assume) honest-to-goddamn factual timelines so that those folks like myself who aren't as well-versed in world events of the 1930s and 1940s as we might be can catch up a bit, and see where my buddy phil took his liberties in this novel.

then i picked up raymond chandler's "the big sleep," originally published in 1939. i've seen the film (made in 1946 unless i miss my guess) several times. rather a good film. zippy dialogue, clever. this is my first time reading chandler, though; i'm having a good time envisioning the scenes from the film as i read the scenes in the book. much of the dialogue in the book (so far) was also used in the film.

i am reminded of when i read michael chabon's "wonder boys" after having seeing the film several times. i think the film is excellent in spite of michael douglas. reading the book, as i did last spring or summer i think it was, i felt like i was watching an extended director's cut of the film i've seen. and maybe it's on the pathetic side that i think in those terms. but it's true that the film followed the book so closely but there were a few scenes omitted.

generally i like reading the book first. i haven't read "to kill a mockingbird" yet and i really need to do that. that's a good film. i love greg.

speaking of actors, i heard a rumor the other day that the actor josh lucas (who has been growing on me in the last year or two, though no way am i going to see "sweet home alabama") is the son of a tacoma general emergency department physician, one dr donald maurer. how does one confirm these things?

josh is one month younger than i am. kara's birthday is monday. we're in our 30s and 40s.