I am Arthur Dent

Time for my weekly post. Once it happens three weeks in a row, it must be habitual. Really, it's just completely random.

I just finished the third book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy." Absolutely astounding and concisely hilarious. Right along the veins of Monty Python, with a sci-fi stabbing twist. I find it extra funny if you're sort of into physics like me. However, Rose has read it as well, and she agrees that it is quite good - she laughs harder than me while reading. So there ya go, a philosopher can like it too.

Ever read a book and realize that you identify with one of the characters so well, it's scary? I mean that's what makes a good typical story, one where the reader can relate to the protaganist in one way or another. I realized when I finished the third book, that I am Arthur Dent. I mean if I were put in the same situations he was, I would respond in rather the same way. I would fumble over my words, my friends wouldn't listen to what I had to say, and generally I would be quite overwhelmed by it all.

Example: I went up to the lake on the weekend (aka "The Point") with a bunch of my friends. We had mostly good weather, except on Monday when it was thunderstorming on and off all day. So between thunderstorms, we decided it would be a good idea for all eight of us to take out our pontoon boat out onto the lake. Good idea, normally, but unfortunately we only have one outboard motor up at The Point, and my brother and his girlfriend had already taken it out in another boat we have up there. So being stubborn, my friend Rob and I decided to push the pontoon boat out onto the lake "Huck Finn" style - using wooden poles.

Me and Rob "Huck Finning" it up. And the best shot I have of the boat.

So we make it out onto the lake alright, it's pretty shallow for pretty far out. We toss the anchor out once it gets too deep for us to reach bottom anymore, and the eight of us sit and play cards and just generally hang out. The wind picks up, and while we're ignoring it, starts blowing us parallel to the shore. The anchor tends to be useless in this lake once the wind blows more than a breeze. So we're drifting at a pretty good pace... away from shore. At some point thunder starts sounding in the distance again, and we all look up to see these black, almost purple clouds rolling in. Rachel mentions that maybe we should start heading in, to which I reply: "Maybe it'll just blow over." She persists, and I reveal my real concern which is: "Well we can't make it back anyways, it's too deep to reach bottom." Might as well just accept the impending doom. Rob and Luke start trying to push us, which is fruitless, but they believe they can do something about the situation. The storm is almost upon us now, and Rachel is freaking out... I continue to stand there staring at the black clouds and mutter about how we aren't going to make it back, why even try. Arthur Dent at his best.

I could name a few other examples of how I tend to be introspective, thoughtful at inopportune moments, sporadiacally impulsive, mouth slower than brain... all Arthur Dent traits. I'll leave it up to you to read the book and find out what I'm like.

Oh, you probably want to know what happened to us. Well Adam, my heroic younger brother, came with the aluminum boat to save the day and tow us back. We made it just in time to get completely soaked. Awesome.

Adam coming to save the day, with impending doom in the background.