mystic, connecticut

As a Valentine's gift to each other, Mark and I took the train to Mystic and passed along the seashore for nearly two hours. We decided to go to this sleepy seafaring village because there is so little to do there. We figured we'd read and write and not go shopping. Well, we bought 21 books at Annette's Antique & Treasure Shop.

Some highlights: The Jackson Pollock is a 1967 exhibition catalogue from the MoMA. The show was supposed to be directed by Frank O'Hara (love him) but he passed away and was replaced by William S. Lieberman. It cost me $2 and is a chronology of his life and work. The Eureka book is an amazing book from the 70's all about inventions. From The Picture Press is another MoMA catalogue from 1973 with amazing photo journalism.

The food was really the highlight. I am a new burning hearted adorer of the lobster roll. Such a simple idea, such deliciousness! As for Mystic Pizza, yes, we did. It's far cheesier than you can even imagine and I'm not talking about the pizza. They play the movie on three different screens, sell merch, and there are little head shots of horse-laugh Julia everywhere. I may be ribbing her a bit thick but I once played a drinking game in Portland, Oregon with friends where we watched My Best Friend's Wedding and took a shot of tequila every time she did that laugh of hers. We got drunk fast.

Lastly, throughout my weekend I had to read Native Son by Richard Wright for my class with E.L. Doctorow. It's really not a blast to read about two grotesque murders before getting pretty for dinner but it is for the most part a good book as it's chilly voice is so frightening I couldn't put it down. I'd say more specifically but I'd be giving it all away. It is profound that the main character Bigger actually admires Hitler's ability to control others. He is so oppressed he does not consider that Hitler is just another white man as a threat but rather finds him a strange hero. It's disgusting and says so much of the confusion surrounding civil rights which is my blood, sweat, and tears with my book. I'm writing a book that I hope reexamines those issues through a family and it's chilling to think how little civil rights has progressed. So many assume it has but even the health care team in D.C. is facing abuse similar to the sixties; that means bricks flying through windows and hate signs. Civil rights is devastating territory as we just can't govern morality.