work, body

yesterday i started reading this book - body of work - and it's totally kicking my ass. in a very good way. it's the perfect book for me right now. (i nearly started reading the known world by edward p jones - maybe i'll read that next - but i'm rather glad i made this choice instead.) meditations on mortality from the human anatomy lab. it's a memoir by a 1st-year medical student-slash-poet, and it's structured by an account of her first dissection of a cadaver. as i say, i only started it yesterday, but it's already a grueling read. it's exhausting. there's so much in it. this woman can write like hell and i'm loving the way she describes the body she's opening up and exploring, and it's amazing.

at the moment i'm on chapter 3 and she's just opened the thoracic cavity and removed the lungs. the heart comes next. she talks about the act of cutting, the functions of the organs, and her own reflections on all of this. it's hard to read much of it at any given sitting, but it's fascinating to me.

overall, lately i've been feeling pretty good. i'm feeling less ambitious regarding my job, looking forward to working from home all the time. and i feel fine about that. and i'm looking forward to watching the cath procedure in 2 weeks. and reading this book also makes me feel better about my work, putting it in a contex, perhaps. i'd still like to watch other procedures, including an autopsy, but i don't know if or when that will be possible. but this book is so good, i'm already feeling almost fulfilled in that regard.

and it's sunny and in the 70s. and the 6th ave art walk is the day after tomorrow.