My friend told me that she made a point of watching all the Oscar nominated movies this year. Only one of them, she said, was one she would watch again if it came on TV.

“They are all so overwhelmingly depressing!” she reported back.

I’ve noticed this problem already. It’s very easy to express sadness and unhappiness. Boy oh boy, we seem to be able to just get down into that mud puddle and hang out FEELING it.

It’s a lot harder to be believable when  you have something happy to say.

But ‘they’ say it’s really hard to do comedy well. And I have to say I agree.

Comedy is a lot more needed too. I have my own mud puddle thank you very much.

Can’t I get the medicine in a spoonful of sugar? Give me something to smile about.

I was talking with Chris about novels, and how I have given up on *literary fiction* lately. That used to be all I read.

But now, the only good stuff is the dead author part of the library. Yes, Dickens and Austen, love you both.

Toni Morrison, can you lighten up? Do we need another past-the-breaking-point story of sorrow?

Chris said that there is a whole category of “It’s hard to be (x)” novels.

It’s hard to be poor

It’s hard to be gay

It’s hard to be black

It’s hard to be poor gay and black

sigh

It’s true, and I don’t want to minimize the suffering. But I’m sort of done. I guess that’s why I’m in love with fantasy novels.

It’s hard to be the son of magical parents raised by an unmagical foster family. But golly gee whiz! Look what I can do now!!!

I want a meaty story that I can think about. But how about a story that makes me smile while I’m learning something?