I'm currently reading Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman and I am loving the hell out of it, but I probably won't end up devoting a blog post to it when I'm done. Klosterman writes riffing pop culture essays on topics like how genius Saved By The Bell was, or what the sum total of Billy Joel's lyrics say about fame and glamour. He's kind of contrarian and kind of unabashedly a fan of pop culture, and sometimes he says stuff that is really insightful and sometimes he says stuff that makes him seem like kind of a jackass. Also, I've heard him on the radio (talking about the business of publishing on Marketplace on NPR because I am a nerd-beyond-measure) and he sounds a lot like Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, whic makes him kind of off-putting and endearing in equal measure. Anyway, Fargo Rock City is a collection of essays on the single theme of heavy metal music, as filtered through Klosterman's own personal experiences growing up in rural North Dakota as a fan of the music. It's a great hang-out book, the literary equivalent of sitting around with someone who has a common interest and just talking that common interest to death. I don't think it's going to add up to anything profoundly worth blogging about, but for now I'm enjoying reading it. Here's an early quote that kind of sums it all up:
"Clearly, the definition of heavy metal is a purely semantic issue. That being the case, let's get as semantic as possible."
Which is pretty much exactly how my brain works. Just so you know.
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I realized this week that I haven't said much lately about my little boy's continuing development, but rest assured that is neither due to said development stalling out nor to me not paying attention. Every day brings new delights in watching this tiny being, with new-human smell still detectable when you hug him and hold your nose against his round little head, figure out the world around him. He hasn't hit a major milestone like a discernable first word, but he adds random little tricks to his repertoire all the time. He has a pair of SpongeBob sunglasses which he won't wear over his eyes but likes to perch on top of his head. I'm not sure if he does this in conscious imitation of his mother and me, or just because it feels good. (I suspect the latter because he also likes to lay the phone cord across the top of his head. Which is not something his mother and I generally do.) He has gotten really interested in books, and he's figured out that if he toddles up to either his mother or me with a book in hand we will stop whatever we are doing, pull him onto our lap, and read to him. One of his favorites is a photo-illustrated ABC book, for which accompanying sound effects have become an intrinsic part of the reading. When we get to "L is for lightning" I do a pretty passable sonic recreation (if I do say so myself, although I admit it's probably closer to the sound of a transformer exploding after it gets hit by lightning, but whatever) and he LOVES that part. He's started trying to imitate my lightning sound, and it's an impressive effort, although his version involves a lot more spitting. I know I'll regret encouraging that, but I can't help it.
Anyway, he does stuff like that all the time. All kids do stuff like that all the time. I always swore to myself that I would never be one of those insufferable parents who regales people with stories about all the amazing things their kid does in a breathless tone that implies no other child has ever been so precocious. I think my son is precocious (and awesome and hilarious and the sweetest thing ever etc.) but I know that I am biased as hell on that score. This is just one of those areas I have trouble reconciling with the blog - if I note every little thing the kid does that makes me smile, it will surely wear thin, but if I never mention any of them, I'm really denying a big part of my life and my identity at this moment. This compromise - infrequent mentions when something big happens or a collection of little things reaches a critical mass - feels like the right way to navigate this, for now.
It's been a long Halloween so I think that's all for today.
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