Monday, June 11, 2007

Ahead of Schedule

I'm sick. I have a severe cold that is bordering on bronchitis. Along with this my family and I unexpectedly have to leave town for a few days to take care of an unforeseen circumstance. All in all, not the best series of events that could be transpiring right now. I'm not looking forward to driving a car for more than four hours while trying to keep my head mucus free, or at least to a normal level, and also trying to prevent my germs from spreading to my wife, my son, or my mother, all of whom will be traveling with me. I actually purchased some medical face masks to wear while I'm in the car.

In America we don't take very many precautions to prevent the spread of our germs to those around us. We take our medication, stay home from work if we have to, and try to cover our mouth when we cough or sneeze. We would never think of wearing an unsightly mask over our nose and mouth all day long as we work and go about the rest of our daily routine. I learned that this is exactly what people in Japan do. If you are sick, or even have a case of the sniffles, you simply have to go to your medicine cabinet where you will have these face masks well stocked. A cold is no excuse to miss work, so this is the most polite solution. It's those little details that made me fall in love with Japan.

But I digress. Due to everything going on in my own life I decided to get Chapter Two of the Tolkien Papers published on the blog for you now so you don't have to wait until I'm feeling better and everything else has been taken care of. This is the biographical chapter in the papers, where you will learn about the man's life and loves. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I will hopefully have the opportunity to publish Chapter Three sometime this coming weekend. Of course, that means I need to get to writing as well. I don't want to run out of material for you. I'll make you a deal. If you keep reading, and telling other people about what you're reading, I'll keep worrying about the material and the writing. Deal? I was hoping you'd say that. May you read good words, my friend.

No comments: