distraction

I picked up a book today, maybe the fifth book I've gotten from the library in two weeks. Ahh yes the library, or as my friend Angela calls it "that magical place where they give you free books."
I was already reading one book, "Brooklyn" lent to me by my book club queen. (She prefers queen to president.) But now suddenly I have five more.

Anyway, this fifth books is called "Distraction: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age," and it's written by Maggie Jackson. If you knew me, you'd understand the irony. Not only am I flipping between five books, I'm also pinballing between between three email accounts, two Twitter accounts, one Facebook account, two word docs, and often a phone that lets you text message even while you are speaking with someone else. "How do you know [whether] you have ADD or a severe case of modern life?" writes Jackson quoting Dr. Edward Hallowell. Wouldn't you like to know?

Jackson explores attention and its impact on our everyday communication tasks, our ability to create knowledge, to think deeply, and even to deepen our relationships with others. Jackson is speaking tomorrow night at the New York Public Library.

brad watson

She thought she heard the distant trill of a bird and looked up as a crash of bubbles shot down from the surface. The bubbles cleared and she saw it was the lifeguard, his dark and curly hair about his face like a nest of water serpents. His eyes were a clear blue revelation, open wide and upon her. She held out her arms. He came forward and held her and pulled her gently upward. Her hands felt the muscles moving powerfully along his back. She thought that he must have wings this angel, and he would take her on some beautiful journey.
- The Last Days of the Dog Men: Agnes of Bob

This may read like the most cliche of romance scenes but it's far from that. Read it again and this time picture Agnes Menken, a one-eyed, eighty-something widow, whose only companion is her dog, under water.