The Literate Kitty

You think you’ve got problems? Well, imagine you’re celebrating (what you thought was) 25 years of wedded bliss, when your partner turns around and tells you that not only are they no longer "feeling it”, but that they haven’t been, for a very long time. So much so, in fact, that they want a divorce. Ouch. Now, put yourself in the partner's shoes. Giving up all of your dreams and aspirations at a young age, to get married and have a child with someone you loved... only to wind up feeling completely sidelined by your spouse's greater dedication to work than to your relationship. Years of canceled-last-second, or entirely forgotten, plans.  Again, ouch . Or, consider being the third wheel to all of this, for decades. Best friend to one, and long-ago ex to the other, you love and care about both of them, deeply... but in very ( very ) different ways. Oh, and did I forget to mention? All of you work closely together, solving murders in a bucolic coastal city. This triangle is ...

I just died a hundred little deaths, watching Netflix’s take on Jane Austen’s final published work, Persuasion . [And, green eyes looking directly at the camera, “I was not the better for it”.]   A s her last completed story,  Persuasion  has always held a special place in my heart, for it is Austen’s most mature, most serious in tone, and most deeply felt… not only for Ms. Austen, who knew of love and loss, but for discerning readers, everywhere.  [If you wanted to go out on a high, you’d make  Persuasion  your last book.] [It should be noted that I'm fine with whatever “favorite” Austen tome anyone prefers, for that is not the point, here; the point, if you will, is that her stories—though set in a very specific period (the early 1800s)—have always translated easily , to other generations, other centuries… without the use of special plot devices that change the very tone of her witty, incisive writing.] Yet, what Netflix gives us today is a mind-n...

Most people, I’ve always figured, aren’t like me… because it’s far more common to get into some kinda groove semi-early in life and “settle down” (the marriage/partnership, kids and/or furbabies, a couple cars, and a mortgage)… all of which involves, staying put* . And that means—whether you really want to, or not—getting to know your neighbors (at least a little bit). But, even if you don’t invite each other over for backyard barbecues or babysit the others’ kids, most people who live that traditional lifestyle tend to see their neighbors enough to make reasonable assumptions about them. Things like, “ they’re good people (or not) ”, or “ she’s really funny but her wife is a total beyotch ”, or maybe “ wow, they're the best parents, ever, and I’d give anything to be like them ”.  Rarely, though—again, just guessing, here—does anyone ever think to themselves, “I bet that guy’s totally a murderer”. [I mean, property values wouldn’t do well with those kinda thoughts, now, woul...