Day 2,159, Quasi-Quarantine: "Barbarian Days" Rides A Long Wave To Inner Peace And Fulfillment

“Waves are not stationary objects in nature like roses or diamonds. They’re quick, violent events at the end of a long chain of storm action and ocean reaction. Even the most symmetrical breaks have quirks and a totally specific, local character, changing with every shift in tide and wind and swell.”

William Finnegan's autobiography is much a discussion of mortality as it as a love letter to surfing, with the melodic prose speaking to the spiritual experience of the sport and where it has taken him in his life.

"Barbarian Days" documents the violence that seemed to be a natural element of the author's upbringing, and the way it sparked his desire to experience the world at an incredibly young age. The Pulitzer Prize-winning work follows his travails across the world in his quixotic quest for the great unexplored wave.

“Big waves are violent and scary, full stop, and the bigger they are, generally speaking, the scarier and more violent they are. To anthropomorphize: big waves want, desperately, to drown you. Very few people surf them, and that’s the only reason they don’t kill more people than they do.”

Some of the events took place half a century prior, so a reader might wonder how accurate some of the remembrances are. Also, most dedicated surfers are inherently selfish -- minutely focused on the ocean and its subculture -- so the author definitely comes across as a pretty shitty partner in many ways.

“Chasing waves in a dedicated way was both profoundly egocentric and selfless, dynamic and ascetic, radical in its rejection of the values of duty and conventional achievement.”

But within the tale, Finnegan touches on growing old, his role in failed relationships, the loss of his parents, and his struggles to settle. "Barbarian Days" is a beautifully written book that accepts that it's all right not to try to explain the unexplainable.

“Surfing is a secret garden, not easily entered. My memory of learning a post, of coming to know and understand a wave, is usually inseparable from the friend with whom I tried to climb its walls.”

Day 2,158, Quasi-Quarantine: NC State's Heel-Stomping Brings Up Memories Of '95

 

Thirty years ago Scooter looks just as surprised as I did last night when the Pack absolutely pancreas-kicked UNC by 24 points. 

Go Pack, Young Scooter.

Day 2,151, Quasi-Quarantine: Celebrating The Hops In Puzzle Form

The "Crafty" puzzle from Happily was another fun one, documenting 48 different craft breweries from around the globe. This 1,000-piecer was made in the Netherlands and showcased some truly tremendous cans and obscure microbreweries.

The only (small) downside was that three sets of hands put this one together, so I perhaps didn't get an opportunity to spend time with and appreciate this one enough. Regardless, it was a winner -- and the more the merrier, with puzzlers and beer alike!

8.4, would solve amid icy blasts again

Day 2,149, Quasi-Quarantine: "Lazarus Man" Documents Atonement, Hope, Depression, And Community In Strata Of NYC

“Mary, still focused on trying to figure him out, at least had no doubt about the genuineness of his anguish, and for a moment it made her want him to be the real thing, despite all the signs and portents and poetic phrasing that whispered to her otherwise.”

A collapsed building and the impact it has on a series of interconnected lives is the subject of Richard Price's most recent novel. "Lazarus Man" explores the ramifications and repercussions of decisions made, using gritty New York City as a central character.

“He took me to a Mets game once when I was eight, we’re in a bar by the stadium beforehand and I told him I was worried we were going to miss the start. So what does he do? He orders himself another beer, says to me, ‘Look down there,’ and I see three Mets sitting at the short end of the wood throwing back cocktails.

“He says, ‘When they leave, we leave.’”

Price's cast stumbles through monotonous lives, ruined relationships, abusive situations, and small glimpses of happiness (sometimes even in the midst of petty crime). The novel brilliantly demonstrates how connections and communities form, allowing you to root for characters -- both despite and because of their supreme flaws.

“ … Within each of us lies the power to surprise ourselves with who we never knew we could be.”

Limerick Friday #649: Saying Goodbye To A Life Fully Lived -- Day 2,146

What a life he had

When you can look past the sad

Didn't always see eye to eye

But I'm gonna miss that guy

Semper Paratus, Dad

Lotta changes for Dolphin Nation

A mix of doubt and elation

But they finally seem to have a plan

That doesn't involve resurrecting Dan

Just hoping for a playoff win this generation

A welcome distraction

From the fascism faction

"Stranger Things" arrived on the scene

Made me remember being a teen

Before the dread of the world gained traction

A bumpy start for Will Wade

The haters thought they had it made

Then the Wolfpack got a taste

And the Red Road Warriors laid waste

Now into their holes all the clowns fade

Everyone looking to lay blames

And favor certain suck-up names

Frauds and butt sniffers

I guess my way differs

I do the shit and skip the games

Last time ...

Day 2,145, Quasi-Quarantine: Request For "Banned Books Puzzle" Misinterpreted As Confusing-But-Fun "Band Books Puzzle"

 

This 1,000-piece puzzle from White Mountain had a pretty liberal interpretation of "Great Stories." Ostensibly capturing "classic literature and classic books," this 24- x 30-inch work leaned hard on books about rock music, mostly rendered by artist J. Scott Nicol.

The bizarre theme aside, this was a worthy challenge. The book spines made for a fun element of connecting various parts of the puzzle.

7.8 out of 10, would cobble together during an ice storm again

Day 2,143, Quasi-Quarantine: Ambitious "The End Of The World As We Know It" Sets Tales In The World Of Stephen King's "The Stand"

 

“I wanted to tell him that blood had always and would always lubricate the grinding gears of the universe.”

~“The Story I Tell is the Story of Some of Us” by Paul Tremblay

In many quarters, Stephen King's "The Stand" is the most iconic post-apocalyptic novel of all time. The sprawling story has inspired a legion of fans and creators, and "The End Of The World As We Know It" encapsulates its beloved status among established and aspiring writers.

“I wanted to curl up and cry for days–to just expel everything and then fade into the soil, to be recycled and fed into the earth so I could be of use to something again.” 

~“La Mala Hora,” Alex Segura

Edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, this collection of 34 tales set in the world -- or the aftermath -- of "The Stand" represents nearly every geography and perspective one might imagine. There are stories set in outer space and Pakistan, and from the perspective of children, animals, and the living dead.

“You did not understand that we were the new. God’s rejects were the change. We will remake the world into a thing you do not recognize. We will remake the world into a thing that works.”

~“The Devil’s Children,” by Sarah Langan

At nearly 800 pages, "The End of the World As We Know It" can be something of a slog, and the quality of the short stories can vary. Many were better in concept in execution, and novellas may have been a better format than short stories for some as well.

“He looked like the hero of a Springsteen song, but in every way he bled darker.”

~“Keep the Devil Down,” by Rio Youers

However, a number of these works were worthy of the (Stephen) King, including "In a Pig's Eye," by Joe R. Lansdale; "La Mala Hora," by Alex Segura; "Kovach's Last Case," by Michael Koryta; "Keep the Devil Down," by Rio Youers; "Grand Junction," by Chuck Wendig; and "The Unfortunate Convalescence of the SuperLawyer," by Nat Cassidy.

“A utility worker starfished along the roadside with a throat so black and swollen you felt you could float down the river on it with a cooler of beer and some George Strait on the boom box.”

~“Lenora,” by Jonathan Janz

These stories -- among a handful of others -- made the effort more than worthwhile ... and a worthy complement to the King canon.

“‘There are no police anymore,’ she whispered. ‘And there are no doctors. There are only survivors and dreamers, and there are two kinds of dreamers. Only one of them is going to write the story from here. Which one will it be, Detective Kovach?’”

~“Kovach’s Last Case,” by Michael Koryta