Coffee Musings - 060507

Waking up early is for the birds.

I'm reading a book, Falling Man by Don DeLillo, and there was another point yesterday when I almost started crying. Even though I would agree that the writing is good, he gives pieces of a conversation or an event so we have to keep reading to understand what is really meant. I don't know if this unfolding is in character with his writing or just a way to explore the themes in the book. I'm not the biggest fan of unfolding unless there is a wee bit less to unfold. In other words, the gaps are too big between a partial revelation and the facts.

Anyway, it was the part where the people who were in one of the twin towers that was hit were going down the stairs. It was the scene that got me. It must have been so horrifying. So, I don't know if it's the writing that did it, I don't think so, though, or if it was just empathy towards those that experienced it. Alternatively, and this is a little farfetched, the scene could be a calling out.

When I go to memorials, and I see names, or even in cemetaries, to write someone's name is a sort of calling out to them. The air may be thicker in that area if the calling out is responded to. Similarly even though names weren't used, could the scene be a calling out? As in someone is looking over my shoulder reading it with me, and getting sad with me all over again. Realistically, it's probably just empathy for those that went through it, but I don't completely disregard either the writing theory or the calling out theory.

Also, I baked Lowney's Brownies from Nancy Baggett's All-American Cookie Cookbook yesterday. I used hazelnuts instead of pecans or walnuts as I had hazelnuts on hand. Also, I used maple sugar for 1/3 of the sugar because I had maple sugar on hand. The taste is VERY GOOD. Just what a brownie should be. I didn't cream the butter and sugar well enough so they were flat. Actually, I melted the butter and tried to incorporate the sugar by hand, and that's just a tiresome process. Next time I'll make sure the butter and sugar are the right consistency and use the mixer. So, they may have been fluffier if I creamed the butter and sugar correctly. I don't think anyone will complain, though :)