Life Begins At Twenty Seven Million Degrees, Or I'm Strong To The Finnish

"I'm not sure. Patterns are precise, but reading is not an exact science. As near as I could tell, though, it had something to do with the size of the sun."
"Size?" Mudge squeaked.
Colin nodded somberly. "The pattern suggested intensifying local changes, ending in an abrupt expansion of the sun to many times its present size. I think a change like that would make us long to stand above something as chilly as the savage's fire."
"Nova."


(Alan Dean Foster, "The Paths of the Perambulator")


The title object of Johanna Sinisalo's The Core of the Sun (ISBN 9780802124647; translated from the Finnish by Lola Rogers) is actually a chili pepper, a pepper so hot it's alleged to cause hallucinations in whoever eats or touches it. And set in a so health-conscious-it's-totalitarian Finland that denigrates all other countries as "decadent democracies" doesn't or hasn't let its own technology for public use go beyond ... oh, I'd say beyond the 1960s as well as seeks to practice eugenics to give birth to and raise the best citizens by dividing women into "eloi" and "morlocks" for breeding purposes. And as I recall, H. G. Wells who originated those was a staunch eugenicist.


27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 15,000,000 degrees Celsius. The core of the sun.


Stimulants such as chili peppers and caffeine and depressants are banned as well in that novel's Brave New World, which Core matched more than I thought it did The Handmaid's Tale as some of the reviewers claimed. But it was when I saw the word "dystopian" [meaning "negative utopia", yet if utopia comes from Greek for "no place", and a negative is no, then is a dystopia a "no no place", and the no's cancel each other out, then a dystopia's a real (a "yes") place?] on the back cover that I was willing to bypass my rule of not even considering books that don't bother summarizing the plot but instead extol reviewers' praises. I like dystopias. It's scary to say and read that now, but I do.


Eleven years ago ...


Revelation 22:16-21                                                              February 3
UC-Davis, UN-Reno, and UPac-Stockton growth                10502.03


And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 17


Matthew 22:1-22; Exodus 31-33


Arouse in the other person an eager want.
After going to bed with a 103 [degree] fever, Martha tucked me in and placed a wet rag on my forehead. I slept well, and I don't have a fever anymore, though my throat's still a little scratchy. But ... one of my regular customers at Fast Cash gave me some zinc-based pills which as of 1337 hours seem to be helping with that. I'm doing a much better job when I'm a better person. Amen.


[There's also a copy of Voice of the Martyr's report on Sudan for the year on this page.]


My reading for that first week of February '05 according to my records included parts of the Bible, L. Neil Smith's The Probability Broach, Dan Simmons' Hyperion, Robert Sekulker and Randolph Blake's Star Trek On The Brain: Alien Minds, Human Minds, Robert Fulghum's It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, and the Reader's Digest publication Who's Who In The Bible.                 


Approaching my trifecta ...


Actually, THAT'S the month of February because I've got Martha's birthday tomorrow (February 4) and of course there is Valentine's Day on the 14th and at last there's our daughter Sarah's birthday on the 28th. She'll be TEN. She'll be double digits, and that blows my mind. About as much as last night's first Cub Scout meeting of the month did; we're done with three of the six requirements for our kids' Bear Scout badges, and with "Paws For Action" this month we're to learn and research famous Americans, visit the local police station, and conserve energy. Now if only the kids would do that, I laugh inside my hand as I type this. We played a game of Sardines after the meeting (the hide-and-seek adaptation where when you find a person you hide in that spot with them) and one of our Bear Scouts was extremely clever in hiding! The last place we thought to look.


YES, I'm strong to the finish (but not because I eats me spinach),


David