Monday, May 31, 2004
Valuable Manuscript Unearthed
As I was perusing the writings of Dahl this morning, I discovered a historic document folded within its pages. It appeared to be a textual explication of one of the great one's poems, coauthored by four critics in serial fashion on a sheet of notebook paper. Because of its uniqueness and enlightening content, I considered publishing it on the blog, but I thought it might be more meaningful to you if you read the poem first. In deference to copyright laws, I will not print the poem here, but I will give you a week to purchase or check out Roald Dahl's "The Lion" (from Dirty Beasts), after which I will post the never-before-published explication for your exclusive viewing. It appears no one (except nerzhin) is reading anything worth mentioning these days, so I trust you can find time to skim this classic, pungent 18-liner. Look forward to Monday, June 7 for the unveiling of the manuscript!
Sunday, May 23, 2004
More reading
I've just started Life of Pi by Yann Martel, which so far I'm finding very enjoyable, very fun to read, but I suppose it remains to be seen if it has staying power. I most recently finished Wole Soyinka's Brother Jero plays, which were short and funny but not nearly as good as Death and the King's Horseman which I read for an African Lit class and which made me want to read more of Soyinka.
Other than that I've been slogging through Boyce and DiPrima's Elementary Differential Equations. Though this is a classic text, and one that I'm more interested in than 99 percent of the population, I still must admit that it is somewhat less entertaining than the average novel.
Other than that I've been slogging through Boyce and DiPrima's Elementary Differential Equations. Though this is a classic text, and one that I'm more interested in than 99 percent of the population, I still must admit that it is somewhat less entertaining than the average novel.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
What I'm reading
Lemony had the brilliant idea of showing what each of us is reading over in the sidebar. Unfortunately I haven't figured out how to make this updateable by each of us, but in the meantime maybe we could each just post it normally.
Right now I'm rereading Ulysses, not with much hope of ever finishing, but it's a blast. I think the book is so intimidating we don't realize how funny it is. Reading that has made me sort of revisit A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man, which is not very funny and much less enjoyable. Books I have recently started and failed to finish are Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and Zorba the Greek. Also, this morning I reread Roald Dahl's The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me, which I highly recommend. It is a jewel. RD said short illustrated books for children were the hardest genre of all to write. He wrote 314 pages of discarded versions before coming up with the final 34.5 typewritten pages. So those exquisite surprises that keep the corners of your mouth quivering and your ribs throbbing in pain throughout the story were hard-won by the author. Make sure you read this with someone by your side. There are few worse things than reading The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me and having no one to share it with.
Right now I'm rereading Ulysses, not with much hope of ever finishing, but it's a blast. I think the book is so intimidating we don't realize how funny it is. Reading that has made me sort of revisit A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man, which is not very funny and much less enjoyable. Books I have recently started and failed to finish are Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and Zorba the Greek. Also, this morning I reread Roald Dahl's The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me, which I highly recommend. It is a jewel. RD said short illustrated books for children were the hardest genre of all to write. He wrote 314 pages of discarded versions before coming up with the final 34.5 typewritten pages. So those exquisite surprises that keep the corners of your mouth quivering and your ribs throbbing in pain throughout the story were hard-won by the author. Make sure you read this with someone by your side. There are few worse things than reading The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me and having no one to share it with.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Malls
Last weekend I was taken to the Frisco Mall, a building of staggering size that you can see from miles away. Driving in under the shadow of the vast logo-decorated wall, I felt the stomach-turning sense of insignificance that often attacks me as a consumer.
Everything was bright, shiny, and new, not the woebegone mallscape that has been lamented in recent press coverage. It made me think of other architectural forms that are meant to belittle the occupants: cathedrals, for example.
Does a gigantic mall serve a similar purpose? To iron out our inconsistencies and make us one body? Do we like that feeling?
Here is another article about malls, and also about pedestrian issues, that I found interesting. Neither of these articles is particularly relevant to my cathedral comparison, but I offer them to anyone who feels intrigued by the topic.
Everything was bright, shiny, and new, not the woebegone mallscape that has been lamented in recent press coverage. It made me think of other architectural forms that are meant to belittle the occupants: cathedrals, for example.
Does a gigantic mall serve a similar purpose? To iron out our inconsistencies and make us one body? Do we like that feeling?
Here is another article about malls, and also about pedestrian issues, that I found interesting. Neither of these articles is particularly relevant to my cathedral comparison, but I offer them to anyone who feels intrigued by the topic.
Saturday, May 01, 2004
Walking man
As an advocate of walking rather than driving (influenced, of course, by the mighty Tree of Valinor) I found this article on alternet to be very refreshing and interesting. I like especially the closing thought, that the way to persuade people to walk is not through guilt trips about the environment but by simply showing them how fun and rewarding it can be.
On March 18, Tree wrote in this space (see the archives) about a research project involving how far people are from their cars at any given time. I wonder if, for some of us, the further we are from a car the happier we are.
I have almost resolved not to own a car when I move to Boulder in August. Can I stick to my morals, or will I be sucked into the convenience and Americanism of the internal combustion engine?
On March 18, Tree wrote in this space (see the archives) about a research project involving how far people are from their cars at any given time. I wonder if, for some of us, the further we are from a car the happier we are.
I have almost resolved not to own a car when I move to Boulder in August. Can I stick to my morals, or will I be sucked into the convenience and Americanism of the internal combustion engine?
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