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07/28/2003 Archived Entry: "Back pain II"

IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH YOU HAVE TO SIT: And when you can't do it, you get little work done. I've been sitting on reviewing Douglas Coupland's new novel, Hey Nostradamus!, for two weeks because of my bad back. I can't sit down, either at my PC or with my laptop, without being forced to lie down again and push off the work to another day. Along with Coupland I have Robert Bove's book of poems, Tucker Carlson's upcoming book and Daniel Ryan's book on economics that have yet to be written up. How long can a strained/pulled muscle be strained/pulled?

Replies: 6 comments

Steve,

Re: Coupland's book, great, no?

Re: back, see a chiropractor.

Jeremy

Posted by Jeremy Lott @ 07/28/2003 01:33 AM EST

Hey Nostradamus! isn't bad but it doesn't compare to his early work. What did surprise me about it was the spiritualism. He clearly doesn't think much of organized religion but his characters in it are subsitutes for Christian archetypes.

Or I just read too much into it.

Posted by Steve Martinovich @ 07/28/2003 04:38 AM EST

I don't think you're reading into it. No, I haven't read the book, but the only thing keeping Coupland from embracing some kind of non-stupid religious faith his is abiding fear that it will make him stupid, talentless and without friends. The same reason many of us secretly had for staying piss drunk.

You have Tucker's book??? You lucky!

Posted by Kathy Shaidle @ 07/28/2003 10:05 AM EST

Steve,
You didn't read too much into it.
Jeremy

Posted by Jeremy Lott @ 07/28/2003 11:21 AM EST

BTW, when people talk about Coupland's 'early work' I assume they mean his 'middle work' or somesuch. Generation X was well nigh unreadable.

Posted by Jeremy Lott @ 07/28/2003 12:16 PM EST

Kathy: Yes I am lucky. It turns out the conservative movement has a plant at Time-Warner and she sends me drafts of the conservative books they'll be publishing.

Jeremy: Why do I get the feeling that you've read Hey Nostradamus! :-) Well, if that's the case, I guess your merely confirming the spiritualism I found in it. Good to know I can still pick up stuff.

Posted by Steve Martinovich @ 07/28/2003 03:27 PM EST