Monday, February 16, 2009

Junk Mail and Disappointing Books

A little rant here about junk mail. I spend about 90 minutes a week going through the various solicitations that are sent to my hubby and me. Because we donate to a number of animal groups, we receive an average of 5 requests a week from groups dealing with abused pigs, mistreated donkeys, starving horses and the like. I try to avoid looking at the pictures as I sort through them. CARE, an apparently excellent group dealing with humans in wretched circumstances, asks us for money at least once a month. We made a donation to the group once following the tsunami in Indonesia. We answered "no" when they sent a letter asking if we'd like them to contact us in the future.

I go through the junk mail ripping off and shredding information about our names and address. The most time consuming of my junk mail task is cutting by hand the numerous address labels that I am sent. I can't use the shredder or they will muck up my machine. I remember when I used to pay for labels. I'd gladly do so again if that would keep away the ones that are sent to me with donation requests.

My desk is finally clear of piled up mail and financial non-junk, some going back all the way to August. I may yet be able to get on with updating the photo albums. The last time I did this was in 2002.

Today, I'm experiencing sharp pains in my back.
I don't know what's up with that. Mostly I'll be reading today. I'll probably finish Isabel Allende's Ines of My Heart, a novel taking place in the early 16th century and dealing with the Spanish conquest of Peru and Chile. With the first book that I read by her, Daughter of Fortune, Allende had become one of my laundry list authors, a writer that I'd enjoyed so much that I would read anything she wrote including her laundry list (once). With Ines of My Heart, I have stripped her of that honor. For the depth of character and situation that had marked the first book, Allende has substituted sex and violence. I feel somewhat like a voyeur and I don't like the experience.

With regard to a book I'd mentioned in my December 31st post, Snow by Orhan Pamuk, it was a challenge to finish it. This is a Nobel Prize winner and well recommended by a variety of sources including Margaret Atwood who is firmly anchored in her laundry list status but has lost credibility for me as a recommender of books. Snow is extremely well written at the sentence and paragraph level, but doesn't come together as a coherent story. It tells the tale of a "by accident" coup that begins with a theatrical event. The "actors" start shooting at the audience, killing some of those in attendance. Later we learn that the leader of the coup didn't really want to lead it, but felt that he had to following some braggadocios remarks that he'd made earlier. The behavior of the characters make no sense within the context of either the story or the real world. My advice: Do not waste your time on this book.

Enough for now.

12 comments:

Cory said...

I'm glad I don't get THAT much junk mail!

new*me said...

I HATE junk mail.........although I would prefer it to bills anyday :)

Hope the back feels better soon!

laughingwolf said...

living in an apartment i get junk mail too, but nowhere near what you deal with... still get a lot of spam online

ArleneWKW said...

Cory: I don't know why we get so much junk mail. When I was writing this, I assumed that others get as much as we do. Maybe it's the assumed demographics. Also related to some of the magazine to which we subscribe.

Annette: Thanks, it's a little better as I write this.

Laughingwolf: I thankfully get very little spam. I wonder why I get so much more junk mail and you get on-line spam.

Lorraine said...

I get all those pleadings for money to save animals. Some I send money when and if I can. I do look at all the material and the photos, and say a prayer for their wellbeing, thank I throw it out, but keep all the address stickers, I mean there's a price to pay for the time I have to go through, break my heart, and pray..I used to throw away those addresses stickers thinking I didn't deserve them, but I changed my mind about that...Take it easy with your back....sweetie

carla said...

thanks for saving me a read.
I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns.
read it? I LOVED IT.

ArleneWKW said...

Lorraine: I wish these poor critters could know that we care. I find it extremely difficult to deal with man's inhumanity to these animals. I have three or four lifetimes worth of address labels. I'm glad that you have a use for yours.

Carla: I got A Thousand Splendid Suns in my shelf and am looking forward to reading it. Hosseini's previous book, The Kite Runner, was very well written, though ultimately I found it too brutal for me. I'm a whimp.

Mick & Cathy said...

It always amazes me how much junk mail is sent out it must cost a fortune. I reckon its what keeps the postal system going.

Unknown said...

Hi arlene, I am back to blogging. Sorry about your back. HOpe you are better soon! Don't know if you remember me or not, but if you do just wanted to let you know I was back.

raccoonlover1963/Lisa Myers said...

I just toss my junk mail, but I do have a shredder for more important trash, such as cancelled checks from WalMart and other stores that give them back to you, additional pages from phone, electric and other bills that contain anything like account numbers, etc.

Anonymous said...

mOST books that are highly recommended by famous authors are crud, since the authors would never admit reading trash, so they have to pick the books that are recognized by the critics that they want to impress.

ArleneWKW said...

Mick: It all seems like an incredible waste of resources.

Barbara: Of course I remember you. I'm delighted that you are posting again and will check out your blog ASAP.

Lisa: I shred anything that has my identity on it. I think I may be a tad paranoiac about the whole identity theft thing.

Al: It's a possibility I suppose. I truly wonder why Snow was rated so highly. On the other hand, I don't "get" a lot in the way of symbolism so perhaps I'm missing something. I really don't know.