The Ramblings of a Mental Meanderthal

At the age of 44, I am taking Freshman Composition at a junior college. High time, I know. The class officially starts tomorrow, but Professor M released the syllabus today. I'm tempted to pull a Hermione Granger and read the entire textbook before the class starts, but I'm trying to curb my enthusiasm in the hope that I don't burn out before Halloween. That reminds me; I need to start on my Hedwig costume. And I never know if this is going to be an autumn/winter that is going to have bronchitis or pneumonia in it, so I need all the oomph I can get. I did get the e-textbook -- many thanks, Professor, for assigning a book that doesn't cost upwards of $300 -- and read the introduction. I found my attention wandering, so I read some paragraphs out loud to the cats. It helped me focus, but Morse bit me and left the room after five minutes. Everyone's a critic. (In her defense, I was absentmindedly petting her, and my hand strayed to her belly.) It will be inte

So, yeah, a man writes a book and describes a woman, and yes, you can tell sometimes that the writer was definitely a dude. Having said that, Carl Sagan still treats Ellie Arroway as a fully-realized character. I have adored her and this book since I was a teenager, and every time I come back to it, I enjoy and understand it a little more. (I haven't the mathematical knowledge to understand astrophysics, but I understand a lot of the concepts.) Here's my review at Goodreads, which pretty much sums it up: I first read this when I was a teenager -- maybe four years after it was first published -- and Ellie's story has always resonated with me. Not just being a stargazer and science fan (though she's a pro, while I'm a self-taught amateur), but also being puzzled by the contradictions in science and religion. I certainly don't have the answers, and the book gets a tiny bit saccharine towards the end,