March 2009
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“Hell, yeah, I would have used it. Are you kidding me?”
– Darryl Strawberry, responding to a reporter asking if Darryl would have used steriods, had the drugs been widely available in the 1980’s.
February 2009
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“These capitalists generally act harmoniously, and in concert, to fleece the...”
– -Speech in the Illinois Legislature on the State Bank, Abraham Lincoln, January 11, 1837
from the Collected Speeches and Writing, 1832-1858, Volume 1
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Under The Banner Of Heaven
Though heavy handed and clearly driven by the author’s anti-Mormon/anti-religion agenda, I was thoroughly engrossed by Jon Krakauer’s Under The Banner Of Heaven: A Story Of Violent Faith. The book acts as both an abbreviated history of Mormonism and a study of the passionate, sometimes twisted psyches of men and women who interpret religion and sacred scripture to fit their own...
January 2009
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Jersey Culture
Lee Siegel wrote a quick little send-up of New Jersey’s Cultural History in today’s WSJ - New Jeresy: Hidden State of Culture. It’s worth a read, although the article is definitely a very cursory glance at the artistic idols and virtues of the Garden State. He also glosses over some of the more negative aspects of Jersey, like the millions of residents who couldn’t give a...
“What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them,...”
– from President Obama’s Inaugural Address, via The Times. It just gets better every time you read it.
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John Henry Days
I recently finished John Henry Days, by Colson Whitehead. I’m a pretty big fan of Whitehead’s first novel, The Intuitionist, and I’ve been meaning to read his second novel for a while now.
John Henry Days is a clunky, slow-burner of a book. The novel wears its ideas on its sleeve, often getting in the way of, and ultimately displacing, the story. Once I accepted the fact...
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WatchI came across a cool web app called extranormal that allows you to simply type in text, set some cues, and presto - you have yourself an animated video. I took it for a test run by whipping up a ridiculous little reenactment of a scene in one of my all-time favorite films.
Extranormal is in beta right now and the service is free, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they started charging a fee to...
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“With no personal military background and a reputation as a liberal,...”
– The Afghan Quagmire, Bob Herbert, 01.05.09 NYT
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Disintegration
Former KGB agent Igor Panarin talks up a possibility that most Americans can’t even begin to imagine. This is a crackpot story to be sure, but one that’s of particular interest to me, since the idea of a vastly different United States or even no United States, dovetails with a novel I’ve been working on for a while now.
The United States’ collective memory is short, and I...
December 2008
22 posts
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Words n' Stuff - Top 10 Books for '08
Because lists are just fun.
This one comes with all the usual caveats: I don’t finish books I don’t like, I don’t always read what’s new, out of all my compulsive reading these are my top ten favorite books that I read in ‘08. And if you ask me tomorrow, you’re likely to get a different list.
10. East Of Eden by John Steinbeck (1952) Not much to be said here...
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I dream of you… and you’re singing to...
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Can’t Remember How I’m Kin To Them
...
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Xmas Tunes
I’ll admit it, during this time of year, I’m a sucker for Christmas songs. Traditionals, classical hymns and pop renditions of the standards, like this one below. I’ll probably post a few more of my favorites in the next couple of days, but for now, enjoy a slightly crunchier take on We Wish You A Merry Christmas, courtesy of Weezer.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas - Weezer
“Sleep is the most moronic fraternity in the world, with the heaviest dues and...”
– Vladimir Nabokov, Speak Memory (1966)
It's A Bookcase!
Really, it is…
“The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is...”
– first two lines of Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov (1966)
Spirit of the Age
The end of the year - time for the holidays and all their baggage; the shopping, the wonder, the nostalgia, compulsory parties, too much eating, too much drinking and so on. The close of the year also heralds countless top-10 lists, corporate assessments, budget planning, fractured, anxious dreams (for me, at least), hours of self-reflection in preparation for a broadcast of hollow resolutions,...
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Bloody Liars →
Most of my friends, family and anyone who has been to my house know that I have an almost unhealthy obsession with books. Books help me make sense of my own life and the world, and I find them to be beautiful, comforting objects. And I’ll admit, I sometimes judge people by what they do (or do not) read.
Apparently, our brethren across the pond value books so much that they tend to lie...
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Nightmare v. Utopia
I came across a thought-provoking column in The Financial Times yesterday.
Many people cringe at the idea of a world government, but I don’t know… I can’t imagine that 100 years from now or 500 years from now, government will look the same way it does today. Maybe we will have one unified governing body or maybe future generations will revert to a back to earth-type...
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“The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.”
– United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, commenting on Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.