why sadness?

sometimes, i get on a fast-track, rapid, delirious reading binge. i'm somewhat of an avid book-buyer (no thanks to a certain influence either, ahem), and so there's always books on my bookshelf that i haven't read yet. but the binges come and go.. dependent upon season and energy and mood and activities.

anyway, last night, i finally finished naked by david sedaris. yes, it's actually called naked. no, steph has not suddenly gained an interest in literary porn. naked's actually a memoir of sorts, by david sedaris -- a hilarious author who once did NPR stuff, i think. so anywho, it's a good book -- and it's got bust-out-laughing parts. oh, and "naked" actually refers to a part where he goes on a nudist vacation. :)

i like memoirs.. i guess it makes me realize that my family isn't so dysfunctional after all.. at least in comparison to others. but as good and funny and delightful or light-hearted as they are, there's always some deeper, resonating undertone.. and it's sad. i don't understand why though -- why must we add such a sad note to all the stories and fables?? life isn't so sad.... is it?!

sedaris writes --

"It was as though I'd received the true version of the X-ray specs I'd ordered as a child. The glasses were advertised in the back pages of comic books and promised the ability to see through clothing. I'd counted the days until they arrived and was clinically disappointed to discover that I'd been cheated. These were black plastic frames supporting cardboard lenses. The eyeballs were rendered to appear bloodshot, and the pupils were tiny peepholes backed by plain red acetate. The glasses, when worn, gave me the look of someone both enthused and exhausted by what he saw. They suggested the manic weariness inherent in their promise, capturing the moment when the sheen wears off and your newfound gift becomes something more closely resembling a burden."

insightful and poetic, but not entirely uplifting...