I just finished consuming a Western Genre Sandwich. The bread consisted of reading "No Country For Old Men" and "Lonesome Dove". The meat was watching "Once Upon a Time in the West", "The Unforgiven", "The Outlaw Josey Wales", "High Plains Drifter", "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly", "A Fistful of Dollars", and "Hombre". I envision the literary bookends as Texas Toast, and the cinematic meatiness as brisket and pulled pork. Genres are delicious.

squinty eyes

Cormac McCarthy started it. His decision to completely ignore the convention of quotation marks in diologue is the literary equivalent of hocking chaw on your boots. The following whirlwind weeks were filled with spurs, pistols, hangings, Indians, gamblin', horse theivin', whiskey, biscuits & bacon, and whorin'. Speaking of which, being a chick in the Old West was either unspeakably terrible, or it completely ruled - I haven't decided which yet. I continued through one silence, squint laden adventure after the next. Finally Ex-Texas Ranger Captain Call, wandering the empty streets of Lonesome Dove, told me I needed a break before my head burst.

Clint Eastwood was hot. And now he's just awesome. His world of of westerns is fascinating; so much simpler, so much harder. Life was herding, ranching and riding really freaking far to get anywhere. Revenge ruled the day and whiskey the nights...by god, what's not to want? I'm sure I couldn't hack it. The only times I've tried horseback riding I was convinced my lady parts were permanently damaged. But it's nice to dream for awhile. Dammit. Why am I not on the porch of a cantina on the Texas Mexican border? I'll totally take the threat of gunfight over low APR financing. Watch this 3 times and if you don't agree, you don't have a soul.

* I just discovered "No Country for Old Men" is being made by the Coen brothers! TOMMY LEEEEEEE JONES!!! Happyday.