We live on front porches and swing life away

I'm about 5/7ths through War and Peace! I doubt I'll finish it as soon as I expected, being that it's already Thursday, but it's really picking up now so maybe I will somehow finish it by (when am I working next?) next Thursday. Maybe even sooner. I just thought I'd mention--before reading this book, you may want to brush up on your history. The war in question is Napoleon's (ooh, spoilers!) failed Russian campaign. I sort of remembered it--well, I remembered that he got his butt whupped. Fun fact, so did Hitler. Anyways, about 250 pages ago (I read a lot today!) I had to go back to my world history notebook from freshman year. Just for quick refreshing--I also grabbed a Horrible Histories book for supplementary use as well. Anyways, that's beside the point. The point is, this whole book I've been seeing quotes I sort of like, but since this copy is so gorgeous, I've been not too keen on marking it up, you know? So I've been resisting sticking my little stubs of paper in the book and hoping WikiQuote can cover for me--but today, I had to. I found a section which--well, it may mean nothing to you. Sometimes that's the way. Actually, mostly always. But I have to inscribe it even though it will take 40 years because I love you oh so much:
"A king is history's slave."
Okay, I forgot about the short one--but here's the long one:
"When an apple ripens and falls, why does it fall? Because of the attraction the earth, because its stalk withers, because it is dried by the sun, because it grows heavier, because the wind shakes it, or because the boy standing below wants to eat it? Nothing is the cause. All this only the coincidence of conditions in which all vital organic and elemental events occur. And the botanist who finds that the apple falls because the cellular tissues decay and so forth, is equally right with the child who stands under the tree and says the apple fell because he wanted to eat it and prayed for it."
Tolstoy was using this all to prove a point about Napoleon--but it's a tasty little morsel in any case. Who's to say who's right and wrong? Both can be right. What's the difference between science and godliness? Really, depending on who it's affecting, they're interchangeable. The man splicing genes to create a new line of rodents is god to those mice. Et cetera. But, aren't they the same? Or aren't they not? It's really a matter of your own opinion. Anyways. The quote itself makes me think of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. When the men are studying martian history--I kind of want to say it's the exploration with Spender. (Or was his name Spencer? I can't remember exactly now.) But I'm pretty sure it happened when the Captain confronted Spender/Spencer. Spender/Spencer is telling the Captain about the Martian culture--how their religion and science intertwined, so they could peacefully coexist--so they were really one and the same. In this case, it's kind of like that--the biologist may say what he believes, and the boy may say what he believes--there is equal proof for both. Perhaps the tissues just did die and so it fell. Perhaps because the boy prayed they rotted and God had it fall. Perhaps I'm just throwing my weight around here. Either way, it struck a chord and I did mark the page--with a bit of plastic bag, no less. Look, I was at work! What else was I gonna use, a zucchini!?

And, remember when I was talking about Job? Well, I was cleaning out my closet and I came across a book this girl Mary I used to be friends with gave to me a million years ago for my birthday. It's an illustrated bible, not quite for children, but not nearly of the Bible's actual reading level. And I was kind of like huh... this is sort of stupid. But for whatever reason, I decided to open it, and I happened to open upon the story of Job. Turns out, he was a rich man, and Satan (somehow) got into conversation with God (I wish they had more details on this part. It's not like they had AIM back then) and accused Job of only loving God because Job was rich. So God worked his ways and made Job poor. And he still loved God. So this turned into Satan being like "Oh yeah, well I bet he won't love you if you make him sick." So God covers the poor guy with welts or leprosy, or something nasty like that. But Job still loves him, and Satan's pissed because he's been proven wrong twice. And I didn't really read the end, to be honest, because I was impressed with Job. I would be boiling mad. Like, what the hell, man!? Well, maybe the not being rich thing not so much--but being covered in nasty diseases? After all those sacrifices? I see how it is. Then, of course for turning my back on God, I would be smote like hell, but at that point I'd probably welcome it, being covered in all sorts of terrible things I don't like thinking about.

Aaaand at work I was thinking--I know--the notion that Eve bit the apple desperate for change or to purposefully destroy paradise is a popular one. And by popular, I've maybe read it four or fives times but quiet the adults are talking sweetie. But maybe that's the only way we can think of it--that eternal happiness and leisure (I always had the assumption that Adam had to care for the animals at least partially, but I guess not) as being boring because of the fall. In Paradise Lost it's often alluded to that people can only perceive some things a certain way after the fall, and the same goes for before (but that's because Adam and Eve had yet to partake in the forbidden fruit). But it's a key point that the forbidden fruit completely wrecks how people can perceive things--senses are deadened, God can no longer be viewed directly, Satan's tongue is that much sweeter, etc. So maybe our views--and my agreement to that view ("Maybe eternal happiness was so boring that Eve biting the apple was justified"--Paraphrased off of Chuck Palahniuk)--is limited because of the Fall, whether it happened or not. Man, forget English teacher--philosophy is fun! (Is this considered philosophy?) Too bad that's not really considered a job anymore and I can't even go back in time for it cause women weren't exactly loved then... I'll just have to find Epicurus! Well, Epicurus the Sage does look like it would be fun... Which I just discovered is just the one volume. Dammit! Really!? It's such a cool comic. That is, if you're a fan of those Greeks... Emma.

And today at work a guy who looked like Kurt Vonnegut bought tomatoes. Awesome.