Monday, June 21, 2010

Monday Morning Glory



Sometimes a line or sentence stands out not because it strikes a new idea within me but rather, it reasserts something I've felt for ages. I came across one such passage last summer while reading the wonderful book, Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. He's a writer that I've always felt an affinity with. He's a master at expressing my deepest routed disgust and ugliest emotions. But never has he captured my thoughts so exactly as when he wrote:

The sun was there, I can vouch for that, always the same, as if somebody had opened a big furnace in your face... -Louis-Ferdinand Celine

Anyone who knows me even moderately well knows that I despise sunny days, and warm sunny days even more so. I long for the time when that star will simply die out and leave us all alone to the comfort of our own lighting. I live for cloudy days. Grey is the color of productivity in my world. It's impossible to get anything done on a blazing bright day. No one could possibly express themselves in such a climate.

Given the weather in my part of the world over the last few days, and quite a few more to come so they warn, this quote seems to continually play in my mind as I shake my fist angrily toward the center of our solar system and curse my fate. I have the small comfort of believing Celine would be proud.

2 comments:

  1. I'm not a great sun lover but I prefer the John Lennon quote:

    Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.

    always stuck with me that. I'm looking forward to the new film of his life.

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  2. I'm interested in the film, but admit to having low expectations as I do with any biopic.

    Did you see Chapter 22, the movie about Chapman? It found it surprising quite stirring and moving. Such a great commentary on fandom.

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