Freedom

What a loaded word. Means so many things to different people. And I guess considering the day and the associations attached to the word, it may not be appropriate that my title has nothing to do with the concept itself and more to do with a novel that explores the concept in a way, at least as it's relevant to our post-post-industrial-techno-global-consumerist-scared as hell-the-world is going to end-amped up culture at the moment. So, later in the post I'll be getting to Jonathan Franzen and his new novel nine years in the making, Freedom. But what would a Megan post be without an existentially tinged life update.

Obviously, I've been preoccupied, as evidenced by the lack of writing here. But there hasn't been much occurring in our home life because I've been just too busy with work. For those of you that know me, what else is new, right? I'm learning that you can take the girl out of a stressful work environment and put her in a new, moderately stressful one, but you can't make her stop stressing. And as it turns out, she can't quite make herself stop stressing.

So, as my hubby would say, I'm dutiful, thoughtful, care about quality and am maybe more than a little bit perfectionist. But my fixation on all of that is not helping me feel sane or helping the work float thoughts away at night. I'm working on developing a new way of being related to work, but it's going to take some time. Adjustment to new situations is especially difficult for me. I always feel that I should be able to do everything right, the first time, right away, but of course that's not reasonable. I need to give myself the freedom to make a mistake and evolve without torturing myself. It's going to take some time and I hope that I can learn to exist with work in a way that also lets me achieve a modicum of calm in my life. I'm asking you to please help remind me.

Onto the book, Ry ran to the bookstore for me and got it on the second day after its release. I'd read the story about Franzen and his new "Great American Novel" in Time magazine. And my connection to The Corrections was so strong, that I wanted Freedom now. I devoured all 562 pages of it in a gluttonous Labor Day reading extravaganza ignoring all sense of normalcy such as showering, getting dressed, cooking, doing housework or talking with people. It was an escape but also an intense fixation. Ryan respected this little obsession and left me alone with it, knowing full well that it would probably make my mood dip once I was done. This is what usually happens when I read novels with ferocity, I'm let down and missing the characters and wanting it not to be over when I finish. The more intense the reading process, the more intense the let down, really.

When I finished I thought about picking it up and starting all over again. But alas, Ryan had started reading it while I wasn't looking, so that wasn't an option. I've spent a good amount of post-Freedom time thinking about its contents. I also listened to half an interview segment with Franzen on NPR's Fresh Air only to determine I'd rather read Franzen's beautiful novels than listen to what he has to say. So, what is the book about? And is it worth reading?

Yes, yes. Read it. It's a spot on description of our modern society, yet it's still personal, funny, cynical, full of humanity and hopeful at the same time. It's about what freedom means to us personally and what we "give up" when we commit to certain choices that guide us down life's path. It's about the yearning for those other paths and people, but the let-down that inevitably comes from trying to re-capture what we cannot have anymore and come to find out we may not have ever really wanted in the first place. It's about how we see ourselves, our contemporaries, our heritage and how we are connected to those that raised us and made us who we are. It's about America and how we cannot sacrifice what is right for part of what is right attached to a war or disgusting corporate interests because we think that's our only option at doing good. It's about marriage, commitment, love, families, sex. It's about the environment and lovely little birds. It's about everything modern. It's about characters and a story that suck you in without being pretentious. It's about a lovely vocabulary and a little bit of black humor that exposes a big heart for troubled-everyday people.

In short, it's wonderful. And you should read it, now. And afterwords you should read The Corrections too. And then we should talk about it, because I desperately want to talk about it with someone. As for the claim of next Great American Novel, I'm not so sure. I'd love to hear what others think in that regard.

And one last exciting thing on the home front: we got a rockin' vintage mint condition '50's table ($150) that fits perfectly in our kitchen and a brand new fire pit ($35) from Craigslist. Boo-ya consumer economy. Reusable goods for sale out of a fellow Milwaukeean's home are where it's at! You'll all have to come over and enjoy then with us soon.


Ry working some bread dough.


The new table.


Freedom, with a bunch of other junk on the table.


Funky detail.