Jerusalem's Lot

I really can't think of a good reason that would justify the inordinate amount of time that completing the opening story in Stephen King's Night Shift has taken. The truth is that I've had another two weeks in which I've allowed myself to be far too easily distracted. In spite of the many things that I've accomplished this weekend, the primary thing that I wanted to do (stay in bed and read) was not one. I recognize the fact that I, as usual, have spread myself a bit too thin, but I seem to be managing very well. If only I could force myself to complete a bit more at night than I do. I need to turn off Netflix and Facebook and YouTube and just allow myself to melt away into these short diversions that should take me no more than a few days to complete. I'd like to write that that is exactly what I'll be doing this week, but all my efforts to make such promises to myself and my blog rarely pan out.

At present, I'm awaiting the arrival of Kristi, Ryan, and Christina for our regular Sunday night viewing of new episodes of The Killing (on the record, I think it's the dark-haired prison guard). Brodie should also be here at some point, but I can't count him as part of the watching brigade since he has the many previous episodes to watch before he's on tap to watch the new ones as they air in real time.

An eventful week lays ahead. I have a ton to accomplish at work in the coming five days (and I'll have extra time on Saturday morning since this is my week to work an eight to noon while the shop's open for a half day). I need to revise the LASCYPAA bid script; I finished and posted the minutes for the past two meetings yesterday. I also have a pamphlet to read on Buddhism, which is a place where my interests currently reside since attending the Refuge Meditation Group this past Wednesday evening (something I plan to make a part of my regular weekly schedule). I have two thank-you notes to write and mail, and this is the week that I'll be starting over (again) on my reading of the Big Book. This time, though, I plan to stick with only the first 164 pages since the stories that took me so long to complete aren't the true meat of the program.

Since paying off one of my bills (part of my ninth step amends), I've got my paperwork ready to organize and begin making payments and arrangements to finish the many other (I dare not write how many thousands - more than I wish it were, but these are debts that I've made, for which I'm responsible, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to make things right) individuals and institutions to which I am accountable.

I got my copy of Angie's book club pick for August, Orange is the New Black, and I need to crack it open and get moving on it. Our first meeting of the newly revised group is less than a month away, and I have the big event which is LASYPAA 2013 in between now and then.

Now that I've formulated more than enough of a journalistic entry here, I need to write a bit about the first of the short stories in Night Shift. "Jerusalem's Lot" is meant to be something of a precursor to King's second novel, 'salem's Lot, but there's little in the story that speaks to the reader about the coming metropolis that succumbs to the evil vampires in that work. The story reminds me more of something that may have been written by H.P. Lovecraft, someone I know to be an inspiration to King in his youth. The epistolary style of the story's presentation, the overall language (being that of the men and women who walked the roads of New England 250 years ago), and the many supernatural developments (including the moment when King's hero basically writes that the description of the beast that overtakes Cal and Boone in the desecrated church is far too horrible to describe, let alone look upon - something that Lovecraft did quite frequently in his stories of Cthulu and his many other minions) all combine to give just over thirty pages of writing that merely perpetuate the mythology created by Lovecraft and continued by many horror writers today.

I enjoyed it, and I wonder if Stephen King might ever write some sort of follow-up to bridge the gap between what happened after the suicide of Boone in "Jerusalem's Lot" and the arrival of the Marstens in 'salem's Lot.

Next up: "Graveyard Shift."