The vanishing interest curve

My daughter the writer listed Wilkie Collins on an otherwise unobjectionable list of things she likes. The only reason I have uttered his name for probably 40 years is captured in the following story.

I became an English major at age 18 thanks to the life-shaping mentoring of Robert K. Thomas. The next year, I took a Shakespeare course from Dean Farnsworth that was stunning -- my first time to really savor the Bard's mastery of the language. But when I found myself reading Collins as a senior, I couldn't stay awake.

Not to worry though. At about the same senior time, I began an intense study of classical Greek in the summer, then read Plato's Apology in the fall and Homer's Iliad in the spring. I still quote insights from Plato and have yet to read as gripping poetry as Homer in the original . But my Greek teacher, Doug Phillips, spent 3 years studying the diction of Leonidas of Tarentum (check it out -- copyright 1975 -- google says so).When you read Leonidas, you find out why he was obscure; no justification in being anything else.

So I thought I was doomed to getting jazzed by the great stuff and whimpering my way through the literary filler. Then I discovered that I probably wouldn't make much of a living as a comparative literature scholar, so I started studying business weekends. The first course was managerial economics. Uggh. When we discussed economies of scale, I thought the topic was the price of alligator hides. But several children encouraged me to keep pursuing pay-worthy subjects, and you know, it got increasingly interesting. Now, more than 30 years on, my fascination factor with business strategy, product development, and astounding customers continues to swell. I see no likelihood of ever hitting an inflection point like the one that dragged me down to my encounters with Wilkie Collins and Leonidas.

Help me out here. What did I miss? Is it worth re-looking? Can Wilkie do for me what Jim Collins does?

Today's writing is for a different audience

Spent several hours "writing," but this work was for a client. Still very good stuff, feels satisfying to have done it, but it's not for general consumption.

Toby's baptism

Toby Jackson was baptized yesterday. He received the Gift of the Holy Ghost -- the best love gift this (or any?) Valentine's week.

 I got the same gift nearly six decades back. It hasn't worn out. And the most reliable place to use it -- no kidding, absolutely, positively the most dependable place to bask in the catch-your-breath, tear-jerking flow of the Holy Ghost -- is a baptism. NEVER faileth.