Thursday, November 03, 2005

The house-bound crab

Tonight I went to see Jonathan Lethem read at MIT, I am wary of readings in general but this one was really excellent. A new story about a Lethem stand-in (the name's pronounced Lee-them, not Lay-them as I had previously assumed) interviewing the Crab, the has-been former star (a crustacean) of a Married-With-Childrenesque "television situation comedy." Very funny, very well-written, rather touching (also it included cloning and the witty line "the evolution will not be televised," so I was altogether charmed; and I am of the particular vintage for whom Christina Applegate despite her many lapses in taste remains the height of charming hostile platinum-blonded femininity, and here's a shout-out to Jessie for her senior thesis which at least in my memory though possibly not in reality was titled "'Why Buy Milk When You Keep a Cow In the Kitchen?'" with some more illuminating subtitle about Married With Children). The story will be included as a bonus track (what's the literary equivalent?) in the soon-to-be-released paperback of Men and Cartoons.

Dinner afterwards at the Central Kitchen, a nice place on Mass Ave in Central Square; and finally life felt like something approaching normal. It is really nice that my Cambridge friends are so hospitable and dinner-party-hosting, but there is something really comfortable about having a drink at a bar--I expect this speaks poorly of my social skills and drinking habits...

I got a piece of good news earlier this week which I will blog about shortly, but meanwhile consider me very pleased with life. Not to mention I've written more than half of my Fielding essay and will definitely (barring unforeseen calamity) be done with it by the end of the weekend.

No comments:

Post a Comment