a storm blew through town just as i was leaving work. it knocked out power in carrboro, and though i thought momentarily about firing up the laptop (sans internet) to work on the database for tanzania, i decided rather to light two candles (thanks to jackie) and sit down with my book about the french revolution.

how much does anyone know about the french revolution? i remember having an english professor who used to tell us that it’s too early to tell the effect of the french revolution. i hate pompous and extravagant statements like that. so i think after seeing the surreal brotherhood of the wolves, i made a mental note to read something about this so-called “la révolution française”.

there are a lot of players in the french revolution. king louis the 16th. the nobles and aristocracy. the growing parisian bourgeois middle class. the peasants. the price of bread. the feudal system. marie antoinette. lafayette. the bastille. so lately i’ve been entertaining friends with tales from 18th century france. it’s kind of a lot like describing the movie titanic. i’m just about up to the chapter where louis bites it–in other words, things are about to get really ugly.