Who'da Thunk It?

I miscalculated badly -foolishly. Now I have to scramble to recover. The situation is by no means lost, but it will require some truly inspired manuevering. My research paper that I thought was due next week is actually due in four days. Lord!! I have to get cracking. This was a long weekend. My son turned two, but had some kind of stomach bug that wouldn't let him keep anything down. I'm engrossed in about six different books right now, besides what I'm reading for scholarship. This may need to change. I am keeping all the plotlines and themes straight, but I wonder if I just need to be less versatile and more focused right now. Versatility is not a goal or ideal, but a mode to slip into and out of when the situation warrants it. Hmm.

The best book I am reading right now is Tom Clancy's The Sum of All Fears. I read (listened to, actually) an abridged version and found it to be excellent. The scope and complexity were just incredible. At this point, I am not capable of writing such a story, but then again, neither is Clancy himself. His recent works have been much maligned for their quality, but to be fair, brilliance is notoriously difficult to sustain over a long period. If I wrote one work like the one I'm about to spend a little time with before I retire for the night, I would be both pleased and grateful. Anyway, having read the unabridged, I was curious as to what was left out. Oi! If you have a love for a good story, and a mix of technical and poetic writing, this is your book. And now, what about that research paper?