Sunshine, Spa, Kite Lines

Today was a beautiful sunny day. Blue skies and warm sun drew us to the spa and then to read awhile by the pool. We finally decided to tackle rewinding the kite lines, which were untangled and rolled up on a tissue and a plastic sewing kit pouch I had in my fanny pack last Monday on the beach. Today we carefully unrolled the lines and wrapped them back on the kite line holder, ready to go again.

Our internet connection has been slower and less reliable since we're now using our Verizon USB modem rather than the cable modem we were using for three months. We expected this, but it's still frustrating. It means we have to listen to low bandwidth radio stations.

Tonight we watched the third and last part of Any Human Heart on Masterpiece Classic, which we had TiVoed. Logan Mountstuart, the main character, leads a rather eclectic, checkered life. He's played by three different actors (plus a very young boy whose image we see at intervals as Logan reminisces). In the beginning, we found it hard to identify with Logan--he's not a very admirable character--but after an intimate journey through the years with him, I came to see him as a person, flawed, yes, but also understandable in a way, and to have more sympathy for him.

The book by William Boyd begins with a quotation from Henry James, "Never say you know the last word about any human heart." By the end, I realized that I couldn't sum up and judge Logan as neatly as I had thought in the beginning. Boyd sees the human condition as involving uncertainty, "luck, chance, happenstance, chaos, absurdity, randomness." The novel is written in journal form, without the advantage of hindsight or authorial omniscience, just as our lives are led.