There are two writing-related adages – write about what you know, and write in order to be surprised. They are both quite different, and in fact, some would say contradictory. Well tonight I am writing in order to be surprised because nothing, absolutely nothing, is jumping to the forefront of my consciousness.

But write, I must. I do have big plans – I want to resume writing. This is the good thing about it being dark so early – I can read, and I can write. There isn’t much else to do except clean the house, and I’ve already done this. Well, sort of cleaned the house.

Bookcases in Koslosky Building

I want to resume work on Shelf Life. I am going to have Pete print up a copy in the next few days – it will be here when I get back from Old Harbor. I am leaving tomorrow morning and returning Friday evening.

Of course, I am nervous about flying – I wish that humans could fly and that I was in that number. The gift of flight – if we were able to fly, we’d be even more barbaric than we already are.

I’ve been reading a book by Larry McMurtry – Crazy Horse. It’s a part of the Penguin biography series. It’s not a very good book, and it will be a struggle on my part to finish it. But I am going to do this because there is the off chance that it will get better. I am hoping that he writes about Crazy Horse, the monument. The one takeaway, as if I didn’t already know, is that the Indians were treated very poorly by white men.

The brutality exhibited by our forefathers continues on today. And it’s going to get worse.

I sometimes think about the Bright Lights Book Project and what might happen – if censorship becomes such that we are going to have to quickly close up shop and find places for the books. This might happen, if a Fascist regime prevails. I suppose that my computer will be seized, and this very paragraph will be used as evidence.

The last time our government turned repressive, someone, maybe it was my sister, remarked that the changes were quick. So I perhaps have to brace myself for what’s to come.

Well, we sent 2,500 books to Old Harbor, they are now being catalogued and shelved. They are calling it The Library Revitalization Project. Well, those books will remain there in perpetuity. And we’ll get books out to other places.

Old Harbor is one of those places that’s only accessible by air and water. The goods come in by air. If things get worse, will there still be flight service there? How will they continue to get food? I guess I’ll find out more about this tomorrow.

Next: 314. 11/18/24: Marker Days