Today I helped to save a bunch of trees by pitching file after file of paper ranging anywhere between 10 and 20 years old into the recycling bin.  Not just that, but I found the Form of Truth.  The outdated form that allowed for the ordering of more outdated forms.   The truly sad part was finding the old forms, then finding the even older outdated forms behind them.  You’d think, you really would, that they’d have pitched those when they put the new ones in.  Then again, you wonder why bureaucracies work so well.

I’ve also gotten quite a bit of writing done as of late.  It’s still not quite where I’d like, but it’s a definite improvement over where I was even last semester.

The thing this has spawned is my closer reading of Douglas Adams.  The first time I went through those books I thought they were just hilarious.  However, reading them with an emphasis on studying stylistic elements produces quite a different experience that, while I would say isn’t as funny, is much more enjoyable.  Noticing just how he paces things, sets them up, and then swoops in for the finish is an enlightening and thrilling experience.   Just noticing how he intersperses actions with dialog–one of my worst areas–has helped me quite a bit as has looking at how he does expository description.   Even internal character thoughts and motivations are something exciting.

Jack of All Trades came today and I’d like to say, it’s even better than I remember, probably because I was about 10 something when it was first on.  Now I happen to get quite a few more of the references.

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