Catch up

Being almost incapable of describing the life changing experience that I had with Les Miserables this weekend, I will not attempt. It would be shameful to portray it poorly. All I will give is my best review:

I went to the show with extremely high expectation, and it absolutely blew them out of the water.

It was also so tremendously cathartic, that I literally was incapable of a normal conversation for a few hours afterward. Apologies to friends who felt shunned or dismissed.

NOW, the new focus of my interest is a darling book that I discovered the other day called The Gentle Art of Tramping by Stephen Graham. Albeit a bit old school, it has absolutely enchanted my mind, and I am afraid only fueling my already outlandish desire for summer to be here (as it snows outside) and to ditch school and backpack in Europe (any strong boys interested in providing protection?). It is difficult to give a proper synopsis of this book as I discovered while talking to a friend in the pool this morning. Instead of trying to describe it to you (don't you just LOVE how I actually pretend to speak to someone?) I will give you a few snippets so you can taste it for yourself.

"but something else will be entering into [the soul], poetry, the new poetry of your life, and it will be evident to a seeing eye that you are gradually becoming an artist in life, you are learning the gentle art of tramping, and it is giving you an artist's joy in creation" (5).

"An ideal combination is sea-bathing and tramping" (9).

"Tramping puts you right with regards to yourself. You see yourself as others see you, and that is a refreshing grace wafted in upon an opinionated mind" (28).

"In tramping you are not earning a living, but earning a happiness (35).