comparative and superlative, part deux

**I started this in November and finished it today**

I was unpacking the fall and winter clothes a few weeks back (you know, for when the temperature ever drops below 80 degrees) and found a bag of Harper's shoes from when she was tiny. She greeted them like old friends and proceeded to attempt to stuff her feet into every pair, not believing me when I told her that her efforts would most certainly be in vain. She seemed genuinely hopeful, then genuinely disappointed when each and every pair refused to encompass her size 9 feet. Later that day she was wondering aloud about this growing bigger business and she mentioned how glad she was that she would always be bigger than Hudson. I told her that probably wouldn't be the case; that while she will always be older than Hudson (by the huge span of 20 months), he might at some point grow bigger than she, because that is what boys tend to do. She found this idea, as you can imagine, EXTREMELY vexing. She mentions it every couple of days, usually in the context of a meal during which she is intent on eating more than he does.

Have you ever seen the movie "Amadeus"? It portrays a (mostly fictionalized, apparently) rivalry between Mozart and another composer named Antonio Salieri, who, though a talented and well-known composer in his time, had the tragic realization that his music would never, no matter how he tried, rival the genius that was Mozart's. I've been thinking about the concept of fame. I taped the Oprah show on Friday because I had read that Stephenie Meyer was going to be on. She's a stay at home mom (of 3 young boys) and practicing Mormon who has written 4 books about teenage vampires that have sold something like sixty MILLION copies world-wide. I think that is fascinating. In the same way that I find the Harry Potter business fascinating. These books are NOT good literature. They aren't bad literature either. They are just well-told stories. And people enjoy well-told stories. (I don't mind-well stories, I just in general need a little something more to really love a book.) So, back to Salieri. Is it worse for a rival to gain fame when you think they really deserve it, or is it worse if you think you are really better than they are, but no one is realizing it? Salieri knew that Mozart's music was in its own galaxy. It still drove him mad, but mostly because he thought Mozart was an unworthy vessel for the sublime music he created. Which got me to thinking about the fact that I happened to go to A&M with a whole slew of guys who wrote and sang music. They all got a certain amount of recognition in the Christian world for their singing and song writing. They are all talented musicians and are, as far as I know, still making a living with music. Interestingly, the one that I would have least expected to has had huge commercial success--if you turn on the Christian radio station right now I will give you $10 if one of his songs doesn't come on in the next 30 minutes. I really will. So, is he the most talented? The luckiest? The savviest? The most well-connected? Is he the best at rocking the skinny jeans and unnecessary scarf? Maybe. But I think perhaps he just writes songs that lots of people like to sing. And the melodies are easy for worship leaders to learn to play on their guitars. Maybe it's game theory. I think the whole idea of destiny is intriguing (as do, apparently, the other bazillion people that watch "Lost" each week) and as I watched parts of the "American Idol" audition process (the only part I can stomach-remember?) over the last month or so, I found it interesting that there is a certain quantifiable aspect to an abstract idea like "talent". I caught the last 10 minutes of REM on "Austin City Limits" Saturday night. How can you quantify Michael Stipe? REM seems to think Providence blinks. I disagree. (by the way, it seems "Lost" is going to try to reconcile the whole free will/sovereignty tension and I can't wait to see how.)

Speaking of the sun (which I kind of was) the pup is outside on the deck having a fantastic time wrestling with her shadow. Yes, we still have her. No, we are NOT keeping her.