white noise finis

I finished! It was a tough read, at first. As I read, I found myself trying to tie these "neurotic characters " to some direction or "plot" This distracted me...Oh my god.."are there really people like this? Is my a.d.d. working overtime. I chilled, kept reading enjoying it more and more. Oh yeah, I chuckled alot.
Dellio uses his cast of characters to comically approach their..."our" fear of death. "White noise" is the method with which society, families, people deal with this question. A question that won't go away. The solutions to this question reminds me of wooden dolls..the type that one is inside of the other, is inside of the other, is inside..etc. The answer is mathematical, sort of, assocative, you know..the graph where one set overlaps the other. It's a layered mess. Dellio makes it a comical layered mess!
I enjoyed his style of writing , like others have blogged. Actually, it is what kept me reading to the end. His style is reminiscent of an old Zero Mostel movie " A funny thing happened on the way to the forum". See it! There must be some connection! (looking left and right).
There are to many passages to"white noise" to mention, but here are a few of my favorites. Babbet teaches walking, sitting, and standing...its a feathery plume..black billowing cloud..enormous dark mass..and finally..airborne toxic event... Wilder crying for six hours.. Dejavu symtoms..followed later by closing of the Dejavu Crisis Center...Treadwells missing in the mall... a town psychic that finds the wrong criminal.. SIMUVAC...and..the..nebulous mass. These are the ones that got me laughing...Does anyone want to discuss these or others...Blog!
Craig. p.s. Thank you Megan for your mothers sphagetti receipe. psyblogs.

Italian Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

It's taken me awhile to post this, but I'm finally doing it! Here's my mom's Italian Spaghetti Sauce recipe:

1 medium onion, chopped
6 tsp. garlic
3 tsp. dried basil
1 can sliced mushrooms or 1/2 lb. fresh, sliced
3 tbsp. parsley
6 tsp Italian seasoning
1/3 c Burgundy or Chianti wine (fill 1/2 of mushroom can)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage
1 29-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 29-oz. can tomato sauce
1 12-oz. can tomato paste
6-oz. water

Brown meats, onion, and garlic. Add all spices, wine, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Thin sauce with water.

I hope you guys enjoy this! It took my mom years to perfect it and now she has it memorized!

White Noise

Okay, I’m ready. I finished the book last night. The theme of the book, Fear of Death (with sundry sub-themes: our drug-obsessed culture, what is manliness, etc.), would make good classroom fodder, but I got tired of it. I did, however, very much enjoy DeLillo’s style of writing. I reread certain phrases, sentences and paragraphs just because I loved the images those words conjured up for me. I read passages aloud to Rick. I smiled a lot. After I finished the book, I found myself flipping through it again to reread favorite parts. So, for me, it was a very worthwhile read. I can say more, but I’m not sure how thorough we’re going to get in these discussions. --Jennifer

I think Delillo has a gift in the perspectives he brings to his writing. His secret is reaching
within and touching our secrets.
We all can identify with situations of " dysfunctional moments " in our own lives. I enjoyed
the scenes where Jack was trying to learn German. Hilarious.
Truthfully, this book was hard for me to read and keep my concentration but worth the effort.
Well written.
Chan. As for the quote about nostalgia--true in some cases, but how about-- " Nothing is more
responsible for nostalgia than a bad memory."---Robert Benchley.
Larry--1/10/2008

White Noise

I just finished Chapter 34. This guy (DeLillo) just cracks me up! I look forward to a good chuckle every morning when I read a chapter. The characters are hilarious, with their neurotic antics. The author's style of writing absolutely amazes me. I think I'm jealous! :) He brings to the page the most fascinating perspectives and yet his words seem very poignant--not wasted. The funniest thing happened this morning. I'm working out on the elliptical with "Rhonda," my iFit trainer ("noise") and get to page 262. So, I read the entire first paragraph and the minute, no the very second, I reach the period at the end of the paragraph, "Rhonda" comes on my machine and says: "You did it! That was a GREAT workout! Remember to cool down and drink plenty of water after your workout. See you again next time!" Talk about serendipitous! That has to be the funniest thing that has happened to me throughout this reading! Perhaps DeLillo would be interested in substituting "Rhonda's" remark for the "woman passing on the street" in his 2008 Copyright edition, Ch. 34, P. 262, Para. 2! Ha! Chandra :0 p.s. Any comments on P. 258, Para. 2, "Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage." ??? :)

White Noise

I am about three quarters of the way through the book, and will probably finish in the next week or two. How far along is everyone else?

Melanie