Today, in what is fast becoming a regular ritual, I biked to downtown Lincoln.

At the bookstore, I didn't have to peruse very long before finding something of interest. I sat down and read several chapters from Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. It's a book I had heard about all my life, but never actually read. I found it sufficiently interesting that I decided to buy the version that was available for $2.50. (There was also a $5.00 edition with extra footnotes and scholarly commentary, but I don't much care about that.)

(One of these days, I'm also going to have to get a Lincoln library card, although if their policies are anything like the Boulder Library, I'll probably need to come up with a way to prove my address first.)

I wandered randomly around the downtown area for a while. It's obviously less exciting than good old Pearl Street or the 16th St Mall, but still a few notches above, say, Oklahoma City. (From which bouncing will soon be escaping, or so I hear.)

I decided to go to my new favorite food store and see if I could get the makings for homemade spaghetti sauce. I was again impressed. Despite its small size (relative to a "normal" grocery store), Open Harvest had every ingredient I needed, all organic, including spices (some of which I wasn't sure would be in the kitchen here), plus several varieties of nice organic spaghetti to choose from.

Also, while I was in the produce section, I saw something I hadn't noticed last time. Beneath the counter, there were several containers of past ripe or slightly bruised produce, all marked "39 cents per pound". I picked out several pieces of fruit to eat for lunch, and put them in a bag.

Almost like dumpster diving, except without the adventure of sneaking around and sorting through all the crap, but with a small fee. I could live with that, I suppose.

I sat outside, ate my lunch, and with a backpack full of food, mounted Serenity for the return journey.

Back at the house, I showered off the sweat from the road, and went about preparing the sauce. I think it turned out fairly well, although not as good as the stuff my dad makes when he does it from scratch. I did manage to mostly achieve a similarly thick chunky texture (a feature, in my mind), but I think it was slightly too sweet. Maybe I'll use less basil next time, and more of.... something else. Additional experimentation required.

We watched Farscape over supper, followed by the televised poker game.

Then I retired to my quarters and read several chapters from my book -- abolishionist propaganda from a century and a half ago. Very entertaining, such as it is. (Except some of the dialog, which tries to be so "clever" at mimicking various accents that it becomes almost indecipherable at times. But I guess that's just part of the flavor.)

While reading, I can't help but ask myself the question: Does this have any relevance now, and if so, what? Obviously, my own personal interest is primarily for entertainment value, but I like to also consider the greater significance of what I'm reading.

For example, it's pretty obvious that The Grapes of Wrath still has instructive value in the present, as we can see many of the same patterns portrayed in that book occurring in this country now, on an ongoing basis. But with Uncle Tom's Cabin, the connections are less clear.

Slavery, as an officially sanctioned institution, is a thing of the past in the United States. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that would openly argue that this isn't a good thing. Ironically then, we run the risk of using the horrendous acts portrayed in Uncle Tom's Cabin as an excuse to self-righteously pat ourselves on the back, much like the slave owner who went to great lengths to rationalize himself as a humane and decent character, and say, "See? Slavery was outlawed, that's all gone now. This is proof that America is wonderful, and getting better all the time, so let's all just get down on our knees and praise George Bush." (And thus ignore/perpetuate other oppressive patterns that still persist.)

Where am I going with this? Shit if I know. I started out as if I might have some kind of thesis here, but I'm just babbling.

I think there's also value in understanding the influential power of a good story. I try to put myself in the context of the times, and remember that this book swayed many people who were formerly ambivilent about slavery into a strong position of opposition. How did it do so? Was it merely the obvious element of touching a universal nerve of human empathy, or were there also some signals specific to the era that we might also decipher?

I suppose I should let this brain get some sleep. Late night patterns are all well and good until Friday morning hits, when I will find myself needing to be at work at 7am. So without further ado, I shall let myself sleep.