Studyin' Rain

It was so slow at work today that I was given the rest of the afternoon off. Normally this would be acting class night, but Jace is still out of town. Rose and I were going to attempt going over our lines once again, but Rose decided to go off to Tacoma for ... something or other. So when I was given the early out I was rather at odds just what to do with myself. After a stopover at the IBB I decided to go over to the local Goodwill. I hadn't been over there in ages ... since early summer at least.

I didn't find much worth acquiring, but I did find a 1944 edition of W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge which is one of my favorite books. I'm pretty certain that this is an American first edition. It has the curious symbol that appears on all authroized editions of Maugham's novels on the cover. So that was a nifty find!

This is from the title page:

"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." ~ Katha-Upanishad

I find this very comforting.

While I having lunch ... and don't miss today's Quotable overheard during said luncheon! ... the magnificent Robert Johnson was playing on the stereo. I believe I am on the upswing from my own blues and listening to Robert Johnson helps to put things in perspective. Whatever I may be feeling is nothing compared to Johnson's feeling of emptiness, isolation and psychological terror. There were stones in Johnson's passway, he stood at the crossroads, tryin' to flag a ride. Nobody knowed me, everbody passed me by, there was a hellhound on his trail, women were heartless, his friends few. In what must be one of the most inexplicable, yet beautiful lines in all the blues, Johnson spent time studyin' rain. It's a line filled with evocative imagery, with deep personal meaning. Hearing his plaintive, heartfelt blues made me feel better.