I read past page 60, Joe

Not taking Queenan's advice I trudged on deep into his fanciful Alice in Wonderland tome, tripping over titles dropped as bread crumbs by Hansel and Gretel. Some I knew, others not, and some I want to know. It was more an intellectual curiosity of mine to keep going on over his path of self discovery from buying a house to visiting places he should have researched beforehand to the Paris cemetery I absolutely love to visiting author's houses. Visiting Shakespeare and Company is like that Joe, get over it. There is a funny snobbishness present throughout about being a Yankee fan, and I'm named Ted after Boston's Splendid Splinter; the name of a town in Westchester; and the curious likes and dislikes of authors.

I remember the great epiphany when I picked up a copy of Troilus and Cressida in the USO library in Quin Nhon, Vietnam in 1969 and was blown away by it, the story, the characters, and the relevance to my life at that time. It changed by whole perspective on life. I spent my first year of college at Babson and immediately transferred to Skidmore to do further study in Shakespeare and then to become an English teacher teaching Shakespeare and then became a Shakespeare scholar. Prior to reading that play, I wanted to be a lawyer.

I finished Ulysses in short order before my visit to Dublin. I wanted to retrace Bloom's path. I was unsuccessful, Dublin as changed. What I did find rather startlingly depressing was a proper museum to celebrate the Irish authors. The museum honoring these giants was pathetic.

Now I'm retired after 40 years of teaching high school English and I enjoy reading past page 60, whether I should or not, but because I can. Reading is a joy as you most eloquently show, Joe. I, too, am struggling with that Miles Davis quote as are you: "Genius is knowing what to leave out."