Someone sent me some hilarious mail today -- if you like Calvin & Hobbes and Shakespeare, you have to check out this. Speaking of Shakespeare, I'm sometimes amazed by how nice people are. So I was reading my alumni magazine, and there was an article on this new adaption of Henry IV, a two hour (instead of seven hour) version, designed for an intimate theater space (Court Theater specifically, where I saw many a marvelous play in my college days) by an old and favorite professor of mine. Intrigued, I called him up, and asked whether there was a copy in print, thinking perhaps they'd published a limited edition run. He says no, but he'd be happy to mail me a copy. Sweet, huh? I agree, thanking him, and give him my address. So far so good.
As we're about to hang up he says, 'Oh, would you mind sending it back to me? It's my only copy...' Is this nice or what? Product of months of work, only copy, and he trusts me, a student he had five years ago in a few classes (admittedly, I did well in them, but still :-) to copy it and send it back to him. Is this guy a prince, or what? If you ever consider taking a Shakespeare class in Chicago, look for Professor David Bevington. Not only is he one of the foremost Shakespearean scholars in the world, but he's a genuinely nice guy. (Though I did wonder if I'd trust such an package to the U.S. mail).
Anyway, in the rest of Mary Anne news...well, rent is due today -- sent Kevin off with it. Plans proceeding apace for Florida on Friday. Spent last night eating curry, chocolates, watching television and reading a trashy romance novel (which I enjoyed thoroughly until the terrible awful horrible ending -- why do authors feel compelled to take a female protagonist who has been bright and capable throughout and then have her do something REALLY STUPID (oh, I'll go off with the bad guy to meet another bad guy who wants to kill me -- without a weapon, even!) just so the hero can rescue her??! It's worse than having a pathetic female throughout, 'cause it just doesn't make any sense! Argh!). Other than that, a thoroughly indulgent and pleasurable evening. Also read the February issue of Analog. Pretty good, but not stunning.
Ran across a great quote while reading news (rec.arts.books, I think):
"I have just said that I was attractive. Consequently one half of the road to temptation was already covered and it is only human in such situations that one should not stop half-way. For to tempt and to be tempted are closely allied; and in spite of all the finest moral maxims buried in the mind, when emotion interferes, when feeling makes its appearance, one is already much further involved than one realizes, and I have still not learnt how to prevent its appearance." -- Catherine the Great, from her memoirs