the epilogue

i just finished reading the final harry potter (don't worry - i'll do my best not to put any spoilers) - and i was thoroughly contented until i came to the epilogue.

i think i have decided that i'm rather un-fond (that being the opposite of fond - apparently i am now using newspeak - i'll really try to avoid it in the future) of epilogues. sometimes, yes, they are good. but that's if they're used effectively and correctly. but ... for the most part, they seem to be used to tie up the story - wrap it in a nice neat little package, if you will.

i seem to think that the masses seem to be craving this more and more. movies are more often ending up with those nice little synopses of what happens to the characters of note in the future - and i'm finding books are doing the same thing.

isn't a book or a film or whatever medium through which the story is told supposed to just be a glimpse of what happens in people's lives. it doesn't have to be the whole thing. the necessary parts of the plot need to be there - but we don't need to see each person's life to conclusion. is this just an extension of "happily ever after"? do we not trust "happily ever after" any more? instead do we need to be told exactly how happily ever after happened (or how the unlikeable character got his or her - for lack of a better expression - just desserts?)

perhaps it's just again the confusion of story telling and writing ... the two are not necessarily the same thing. a good writer doesn't *have* to be a good storyteller - the beauty of the prose and the imagery in and of itself can be enough to carry a book (for me - this is the wonder that is ondaatje) ... and a good storyteller doesn't have to be a good writer in order to become popular (the best example of this, i think, has to be the da vinci code, which i will not go as far to admit whether or not i have read, here).

i guess it comes down to what you're using the medium for. are you appreciating the art that went into crafting the piece ... or do you want pure plot and escapism? and why, oh why, do these two things seem to be increasingly separated? or am i just becoming increasingly sensitive to it and, dare i say, cynical?

measurement park

have you ever wondered just how tall you actually are? for me, it doet matter how many times i do it, i still want to see how tall i am. well, luckily, the city of toronto also shares this wonderment and as a result, measurement park! it's replete with muskoka chairs, just in case you get tired standing next to the various poles to see how high you measure in centimetres.

but really - why stop there? i want more measurements - i want weight, i want volume, i want iq, i want self-worth, gosh darn it!

and that's what it really comes down to - doesn't it? we are always looking for the approval of others. we need to make sure that we, well, in short (or in long - depending on which is more beneficial at the time), measure up. whether it's to be above average or to just meet it - we want to make sure that we are there.

i don't think there's anything wrong with trying to measure up - but i guess the real question arises as to - what are we trying to attain? who tells us what we are trying to attain? and do they have any idea what they're talking about? all i can say, whoever they are, i hope they did their fact checking.