If This Is Paradise, I Wish I Had A Lawnmower

Current book is The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, which is all about what would happen to the world if humans suddenly vanished from the face of the Earth (although, so far, he's spent a lot more time talking about the past than about that hypothetical future).

I expected to find this book highly enjoyable and interesting, as when I was younger I frequently indulged in guilty but satisfying fantasies of being the last person on Earth, thus enabling me to finally get some real peace and quiet. (Think of Burgess Meredith's character in that old Twilight Zone episode. Indeed, the possibility of breaking my glasses was the only truly frightening part of that scenario for me.) Even now, I still rather like walking down deserted streets at night and imagining what it would be like if they really were deserted, trying to picture what things might look like a year or a century later.

Unfortunately, though, although it's perfectly good and readable, the book's main effect so far has been to forcibly remind me of the disturbing fact that nature is trying to eat my house.

I think life was more enjoyable before I became a homeowner.