Eugene and the Platypus

When I read, I think about Monty Python. And now for something totally different. It was Python who said that, right? What to follow Einstein and the British upper crust. I know, a philosophy book. A joke book. A philosophy book. Slap.

The authors describe different philosophical theories by using jokes. As always, I remember the beginning of the joke or the theory or the end of the joke. Putting them all together would take another read. I loved the beginning of the book. And got really bored near the end. I don't know if the book started to have a certain sameness or if I prefer Plato to modern philosophers. I don't even remember their names. It could have been the jokes. I'm not sure that God is always Jewish and calling everyone Bubbela. I prefer the description of a realist. A pessimist says the glass is half empty. The optimist says it is half full. The realist says the you have the wrong size glass. This book was not the right size.

The counterpoint in my reading was a mystery from an author I like. I suppose I like that there is a woman protagonist, a lawyer. That is not as rare as it used to be, but it is always interesting. She has a close relationship with her father who loves to cook. The mysteries don't usually involve savagery. Brutality is big these days. The books are well written. I really like the people in it.

Best of all, they take place in Eugene, OR. Julie and Adam live in Eugene. I go there now and then to visit with them. These books don't dwell on locale as much as I would like. Or I don't know the area as well as I would like. Guess I will have to visit them more when I am retired. Julie is back in school and doing extremely well. That makes it difficult for the moment to see them. But then, I will be in D.C. for some time. I guess I will just have to be happy with short trips until she is done with school and I am fully out of the working world.

Speaking of the working world, two of my three questions have been answered. Will I really be leaving The Times on 12/21? Yes. Yesterday I got my final papers with my final date in black and white. When will Bill and I be going to the East Coast? 2nd week of November. This means that I will be leaving Florida the weekend before Thanksgiving so that Adrian and I can drive up north to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. We drive up Monday and then start shopping, cooking and visiting. The final question is about India. I'll just have to be philosophical and wait. Or, I can consider it all a joke.