Listlessness

I finally got tired of being sick. Watched the rain out the window and read a good book. I haven't mentioned many books I've read here on the ol' blog partly due to an aversion to book reports I picked up as a kid, which's why I never became an English Major.

I like to read - always have - especially in bed on rainy days. Also it helps pass the time when sick and bedridden, until the point the book ends and I get tired of being sick. Funny, I usually get better when I'm tired of being sick and start getting listless. Is it mind over matter, or mind over microbe?

Since I gave up my satellite TV for Lent last year, I must say that watching The Tube when sick, especially daytime TV, can cause fevered dreams of mullet court justice, or "is this my baby and I'll take a lie detector test to prove it ain't" nightmares.

This is enough to cause the nearly dead to rise from their sickbeds in miraculous recovery!

However this time I was able to read Jack Whyte's latest installment of the Camulod Chronicles; my favorite \version of the Arthurian tales because I think it is historically believable.

Let me qualify that, in ninth-grade I got into an argument with favoritest teacher, Geoffrey Bullock teacher of English, over his comment that Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of Lake. I had just finished reading (on my own) Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory where he claimed Excalibur was the Sword in the Stone.

To be fair, Mr Bullock was basing his position on having read The Once and Future King, however I was convinced that my source predated his, and so we argued in class. Up until a fellow teacher poked his head into the class, whence the Excalibur question was put to him. He sided with our instructor and everyone got extra homework that night.

Made me unpopular for the day and made me a History Major years latter in college. [On a side note: once I met all the foreign girls, I changed my major to International Affairs]

My impressions of all the stories I read concerning The Arthurian Legend are many of them are fanciful, mystic, full of magic, or allegorical. Few are convincing. I read quite a few* and the series by Jack Whyte paints a plausible history for a legendary figure that is full pain and suffering and hope and, well things true to life as we know it...



*Maybe if I list all the stories I've read I might cure my listlessness?

The Booklist will be turned with the Book Report, Hah! OK, maybe in the comments.