I’ve been trying to complete reading — I’ve mastered just starting the book — G.K. Chesterton’s book, Manalive for over a year. Also in the past year, I have been making great use of the Miami-Dade Public Library system. Whenever I come across a book which may interest me, I go online and request it. I’ll pop into my local library [Hispanic branch, just a Renyel Pinto toss from the OB2] every couple of weeks and pickup my requests. The library’s online system works beautifully.

On a whim [I allege], I recently requested the new Carly Simon biography, More Room in a Broken Heart. I didn’t actually intend to read it, I just meant to look through it to see if my impression of Mrs. Simon, mostly based on a quote I happened upon long ago, was accurate. Here’s the quote:

I was 11 when I went to see my first shrink. I’ve seen a number of different gurus … (I’ve done) TM, of course. I’ve gone to an astrologist; I’ve seen psychics; I’ve done carpentry workshops .. I’ve done bio-feedback, I’ve done hypnosis. It becomes habitual. It’s like what it says in the song: ‘She’s looking for a cure, she doesn’t exactly know what its for.’

Once opened, I could hardly put the book down. I made it through about 300 pages in 2 nights. It was embarrassing. I swear I could hear derisive laughter as I walked by my C.S. Lewis and Chesterton collection of garage sale paperbacks. What was next, I wondered, a People magazine subscription? Adding insult to injury, its not even supposed to be a good biography, one which focuses on the dysfunctional parts of her life.

The lady in the blue sweater is the look my brain registered for Mrs. Simon, back when my brain began registering such things. Poor Chesterton, his book patiently waits its turn, dependent solely on the force of his ideas. Meanwhile, other forces, registered long ago and with no apparent expiration date, jump the line.