Had a blast playing my first ever "busking" gig at Park(ing) Day at Courthouse Metro yesterday. It was for the international event, which encourages people to think about how we use our public spaces and turns parking spaces into small parks.
Crowd favorites included The Mary Tyler Moore Theme ("You're Gonna Make It After All") and some originals of mine, including "Seekers of the Truth and the Impossible," "Faces Shine Back," and "Winter of My Youth." I played a mix of greatest hits from my old bands Monotremes, Funny Boy, and The Sprogs.
Westerners didn't begin to understand what life was like in China until 1931 when Pearl Buck wrote The Good Earth, a Pulitzer-Prize winner.
At the same time, people in China didn't appreciate the way Buck portrayed them. Nevertheless, there's no denying that The Good Earth is a strong and richly moving story.
It opens with Wang Lung getting married and his new wife attending to his every need. As a terrible drought takes over their land, they start a family. Even though he eventually is forced to go to work in the city, he always dreams of getting back to the land.
By the end of the epic family story, Wang Lung has fallen in and out of love with his wife and is dying. His sons promise to tend to his land, but they have a conspiratorial look in their eyes and clearly, as the story ends, plan to get rid of everything Wang Lung has ever worked for.
