In 2021, a friend and I went to see Les Miserables on stage. It wasn’t the first time for either of us—we had even gotten box seats for the Utah Shakespeare Festival production a few years before—but we were particularly affected by this version.
After I finished weeping at the ending, she commented that she wished I would do a chapter-by-chapter discussion of the book. It had been about a year since I began reading Tolkien’s work through philosophical themes with another friend and I was intrigued.
I decided to start this on 6/24/2021 (24/6/21). I did a few chapters. Then the sheer hard times of the pandemic put a stop to it and while I really wanted to finish the project, I just couldn’t pull myself together to write for long stretches.
So today, this same friend texted me and said, “It’s 24/6/1. Guess which shirt I wore today!” I knew she meant the red 24601 shirt I’d gotten her at Utah Shakes. I took a picture of my Cosette t-shirt from when I attended in 2023. We had a laugh at our French literary nerdiness.
And then I decided it was time to restart Project Valjean before midnight. I’ll be here twice a week for 365 chapters and I hope you and I enjoy the ride.
Dedicated to Katey. Again.
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