Alive

That's the title of the story I'm reading-logging today.  Later this evening:  a free showing of the computer-animated action-comedy superhero film "The Incomprehensibles," a.k.a. my 4-page essay for the translation class on stuff like Schleiermacher and Walter Benjamin.  Because that essay is due tomorrow.  My cup runneth over  :(  But let's get this done:
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5:48 p.m.  "Alive", by Sharon Solwitz, from "Fifth Wednesday Journal."  13 pages long.

5:50 p.m.  Looked at this year's calendar:  January had a fifth Wednesday, and that day was my birthday  :)  The next fifth Wednesday will be in May, and I'm really hoping that I'll be in Iowa City on that day  :))  and after that, July will have a fifth Wednesday, and---with any luck---I'll be in Portland, Ore. on that day  :)))  The next fifth Wednesday will be in October, and I still don't have plans for that ...  Okay, I'll start reading now.

5:58 p.m.  Okay, that brief mystery about who Ethan is was probably unnecessary?

6:01 p.m.  A small box right under the skin?  For what was Nate in hospital anyway?

6:05 p.m.  Pizza!  :)  I'll return after eating and a cigarette break.

6:16 p.m.  Back.  Seriously hoping to finish the story by 7 p.m.  I'm suspecting Nate might have cancer, which would be such a cheap cop-out, but it's---sadly---really common in stories.  Plus I'm suspecting something bad will happen to Nate on the ski trip, which would be another cheap cop-out, etc.

6:39 p.m.  Done.  The author went for every cheap cop-out in the book, and then some  :(  but at least I'm done on time.