Comments on: Merry-Go-Round — Chapter 3

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:17:19 +0000

I’m wondering how the two of these folks got together in the first place. Similar to what John said about 90% of people are doing work they don’t like, I thought of the line from Walden by Thoreau, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Interesting that the Havens got their mojo from living on the farm, Thoreau from nature, and now we have John Fordyce, enthralled about an “apricot sport”, obviously some sort of hybrid that can be grafted onto an existing tree.

Alyn seems pretty one dimensional here, but I think the author intended that. The MST3K side of me says that it would be more fun if this turned into a Frankenstein kind of story, and the hybrid apricot sport is slowly turning the men into mindless Burbank acolytes, while the women only can see that their very culture and way of life is in jeopardy. Alas, that is likely a false hope. Somewhere, some “humility sport” is going to graft onto Alyn, and she’ll be happy. Oh, and along the way, John will make millions off his meddling with the laws of nature, and everyone will live happily ever after.

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:52:23 +0000

Tea- I think there’s truth in the statement that “Ninety out of every hundred people are doing work they don’t like.”

I enjoy what I do for a living, but I’m not passionate about it. That is, I don’t like it enough that I’d do it for free, or think about it on weekends and evenings.

Of course, I have hobbies and now we know what that means.

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:49:28 +0000

I thought Luther Burbank was the cause of all unhappiness and familiar discord–based on this story and the previous serial.

By: Dan S

Dan S — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:08:19 +0000

It would seem that Luther Burbank is the ultimate cause of family and marital bliss, if we are to believe this story and the previous serial. But hopefully getting back to “our roots” will solve the problems of life.

By: Téa

Téa — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:22:19 +0000

“I think a hobby is a palliative for failure. It is the sure sign that you are not happy in your work. Oh, Alyn, I wish I could make you see! Ninety out of every hundred people are doing work they don’t like. Furthermore, I believe that there is work in the world for every person, each one doing what he likes best to do. If we ever learn that, Alyn, this earth will be heaven.” The concepts in this paragraph intrigue me. There's an employment version of soulmates in here, and I'm curious to see if others believe it more than we do the romantic kind. I can say my husband is well-employed doing a job that he loves, and that is a huge blessing to our family in every respect.