Transcendant Optimism

There is an odd sense that material being covered these days is an evasive maneuver one which in certain light may be regarded as a retreat. I finished the book on Iran and then swallowed a terse book on Chechnya by a fellow named Meier. I appreciated the wit and candor of the latter writer. The Englishman in Teheran, by contrast, appeared to be submerged in a subtle settling of scores with his now inherited culture. Perhaps Meier had his own agenda in the Caucases but his prose is quite compelling. the material had apparently been released in a larger book in about Russia writ large in 2002 and then seperated and updated to include Breslan and the airline bombers.

I worked an unexpected shift in Supported Living last night and was afforded a few hours to read in both the Foote and the Mann. The assault on Vicksburg is underway as Sherman hopes that Yankee journalists drowned in the sinking of a transport but fears that more will take their places. Settembrini and Naphta are continuing their dialogue as a bewildered Hans attempts to hold on for the ride.