In an effort to consolidate websites I have moved this blog over to www.theperipeteia.com. Eventually it will include my bio, CV and other work related things to go along with a more much frequent posting schedule (It shouldn't be hard to surpass my current 2 posts a year).
So head over there, check it out. Tell me what you like and/or hate about it. I admit it is a work in progress so expect to see sporadic changes in both content and appearance.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A new post?! Unbelievable!
Well it's been nearly a year since I updated this blog which is too damn long. I am however hesitant (too lazy) to jump back in. So I will wade in and see how it goes.
There are two websites I wanted to point out that deserve a bit of attention. The first is bookshelfporn a website devoted to books on bookshelves. Some of the images are amazing, some artistic and others a bit of each. It's a thing of beauty.
The second website is The Paris Review. The venerable lit journal has recently made it's entire interview archive available for free. Now we can hear (with our eyes) the likes of Faulkner, Capote, Hemingway, Borges and Parker as they converse with The Paris Review interviewers.
What else could you ask for?
There are two websites I wanted to point out that deserve a bit of attention. The first is bookshelfporn a website devoted to books on bookshelves. Some of the images are amazing, some artistic and others a bit of each. It's a thing of beauty.
The second website is The Paris Review. The venerable lit journal has recently made it's entire interview archive available for free. Now we can hear (with our eyes) the likes of Faulkner, Capote, Hemingway, Borges and Parker as they converse with The Paris Review interviewers.
What else could you ask for?
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Reflecting on 2009 (in books)
One of the main reasons I detested 2009, being unemployed (months 7-14), was also the reason I was able to read a lot. Early in the year I managed to read Anna Karenina and Infinite Jest, two rather large books that I may not have read had I been working. One of these books, Infinite Jest, found it's rightful place in my mental list of favorite books of all time (FBOAT!).
In recent years I had been reading fiction almost exclusively and felt that I needed to break this habit. So when I started reading in 2009 I was determined to read more non-fiction. As the year drew to a close I found I had read 14 non-fiction titles (or approx. 23% of what I read). This was a major improvement of a previous ratio of 1 in 50. I have recently been writing down book titles and author names while listening to the magnificent Radio Lab and expect a stronger non-fiction showing in 2010.
My only reading regret is that I may have been too numbers focused and fear that I have read many of the books too quickly. I can only recall bits and pieces of plots and characters for many of the books I have read this year. 2010 will be the year I slow down and try to read more closely. At the same time I plan to read some of the larger novels I have skipped or have started and stopped numerous times (Yeah, I am talking about you Joyce).
So here is a list of books I read in 2009 with some of my favorites in bold:
**Birds of America: Stories – Lorrie Moore **
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
Adland: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet – James P. Othmer
Zeitoun – Dave Eggers
Fables – Aesop
** The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbery **
A Confederate General from Big Sur – Richard Brautigan
Dreaming of Babylon – Richard Brautigan
** The Hawkline Monster – Richard Brautigan **
Kitchen – Banana Yoshimoto
** The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson **
The Code of the Woosters – P.G. Wodehouse
Ubik – Philip K. Dick
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
** Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov **
** Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann **
Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami
How to Be Good – Nick Hornby
The Death of Ahasuerus – Pär Lagerkvist
Pilgrim at Sea – Pär Lagerkvist
The Holy Land – Pär Lagerkvist
The Unlikely Disciple – Kevin Roose
Born on a Blue Day – Daniel Tammet
Homer and Langley: A Novel – E.L. Doctorow
Thousand Cranes – Yasunari Kawabata
The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick
Thomas Jefferson: Author of America – Christopher Hitchens
Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living – Doug Fine
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto – Michael Pollan
Sappho: Poems and Fragments – Stanley Lombardo
Sixty-Nine – Ryu Murakami
In the Miso Soup – Ryu Murakami
Trout Fishing in America – Richard Brautigan
The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster – Richard Brautigan
In Watermelon Sugar – Richard Brautigan
An Unfortunate Woman: A Journey – Richard Brautigan
The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
A Scanner Darkly – Philip K. Dick
The Easter Parade – Richard Yates
The Sportswriter – Richard Ford
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick
** Infinite Jest: A Novel – David Foster Wallace **
The Road – Cormac McCarthy
The Art of Teaching – Jay Parini
Gourmet Rhapsody – Muriel Barbery
The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
Tree of Smoke: A Novel – Denis Johnson
How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel – Alain de Botton
Eats, Shoots & Leaves – Lynne Truss
This One Is Mine: A Novel – Maria Semple
How to Be Alone: Essays – Jonathan Franzen
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
Piercing – Ryu Murakami
Armageddon in Retrospect – Kurt Vonnegut
The Game-Players of Titan – Philip K. Dick
Galapagos – Kurt Vonnegut
Jailbird – Kurt Vonnegut
Invitation to a Beheading – Vladimir Nabokov
The Dharma Bums – Jack Kerouac
Wittgenstein's Mistress – David Markson
If you have made it this far and are interested in reading my poorly written reviews you can jump on over to my Goodreads profile.
In recent years I had been reading fiction almost exclusively and felt that I needed to break this habit. So when I started reading in 2009 I was determined to read more non-fiction. As the year drew to a close I found I had read 14 non-fiction titles (or approx. 23% of what I read). This was a major improvement of a previous ratio of 1 in 50. I have recently been writing down book titles and author names while listening to the magnificent Radio Lab and expect a stronger non-fiction showing in 2010.
My only reading regret is that I may have been too numbers focused and fear that I have read many of the books too quickly. I can only recall bits and pieces of plots and characters for many of the books I have read this year. 2010 will be the year I slow down and try to read more closely. At the same time I plan to read some of the larger novels I have skipped or have started and stopped numerous times (Yeah, I am talking about you Joyce).
So here is a list of books I read in 2009 with some of my favorites in bold:
**Birds of America: Stories – Lorrie Moore **
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
Adland: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet – James P. Othmer
Zeitoun – Dave Eggers
Fables – Aesop
** The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbery **
A Confederate General from Big Sur – Richard Brautigan
Dreaming of Babylon – Richard Brautigan
** The Hawkline Monster – Richard Brautigan **
Kitchen – Banana Yoshimoto
** The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson **
The Code of the Woosters – P.G. Wodehouse
Ubik – Philip K. Dick
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
** Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov **
** Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann **
Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami
How to Be Good – Nick Hornby
The Death of Ahasuerus – Pär Lagerkvist
Pilgrim at Sea – Pär Lagerkvist
The Holy Land – Pär Lagerkvist
The Unlikely Disciple – Kevin Roose
Born on a Blue Day – Daniel Tammet
Homer and Langley: A Novel – E.L. Doctorow
Thousand Cranes – Yasunari Kawabata
The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick
Thomas Jefferson: Author of America – Christopher Hitchens
Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living – Doug Fine
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto – Michael Pollan
Sappho: Poems and Fragments – Stanley Lombardo
Sixty-Nine – Ryu Murakami
In the Miso Soup – Ryu Murakami
Trout Fishing in America – Richard Brautigan
The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster – Richard Brautigan
In Watermelon Sugar – Richard Brautigan
An Unfortunate Woman: A Journey – Richard Brautigan
The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
A Scanner Darkly – Philip K. Dick
The Easter Parade – Richard Yates
The Sportswriter – Richard Ford
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick
** Infinite Jest: A Novel – David Foster Wallace **
The Road – Cormac McCarthy
The Art of Teaching – Jay Parini
Gourmet Rhapsody – Muriel Barbery
The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
Tree of Smoke: A Novel – Denis Johnson
How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel – Alain de Botton
Eats, Shoots & Leaves – Lynne Truss
This One Is Mine: A Novel – Maria Semple
How to Be Alone: Essays – Jonathan Franzen
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
Piercing – Ryu Murakami
Armageddon in Retrospect – Kurt Vonnegut
The Game-Players of Titan – Philip K. Dick
Galapagos – Kurt Vonnegut
Jailbird – Kurt Vonnegut
Invitation to a Beheading – Vladimir Nabokov
The Dharma Bums – Jack Kerouac
Wittgenstein's Mistress – David Markson
If you have made it this far and are interested in reading my poorly written reviews you can jump on over to my Goodreads profile.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Changing the library space.
Since starting at Potsdam I have been consumed with making the library a better environment for users to work in. Luckily for me I quickly found a like minded co-worker in Keith that would entertain most of my crazy ideas and even provide some crazy ideas of his own.
Most recently in an effort to both spruce up and increase traffic to our basement study area Keith suggested we hold an event that allows students to Graffiti the walls in our stairwells. It seemed like a crazy idea, but what was the worst that could happen? We could simply repaint the stairwell in the event of disaster.
The pieces soon fell into place, our director got on-board, and we found a latex based spray-paint that met the campus' safety requirements and the fire marshal's fire spread requirement.
The project was a success, one participant mentioned that it was the coolest thing the college had done in his three plus years as a student. The project also created a buzz on campus, generated attention for the library and made the stairwell more attractive.
A radical idea with a measured risk can have tremendous results.
Before:
During:
After:
Check out more pics of the stairwell on our library's Flickr page
Most recently in an effort to both spruce up and increase traffic to our basement study area Keith suggested we hold an event that allows students to Graffiti the walls in our stairwells. It seemed like a crazy idea, but what was the worst that could happen? We could simply repaint the stairwell in the event of disaster.
The pieces soon fell into place, our director got on-board, and we found a latex based spray-paint that met the campus' safety requirements and the fire marshal's fire spread requirement.
The project was a success, one participant mentioned that it was the coolest thing the college had done in his three plus years as a student. The project also created a buzz on campus, generated attention for the library and made the stairwell more attractive.
A radical idea with a measured risk can have tremendous results.
Before:
During:
After:
Check out more pics of the stairwell on our library's Flickr page
Monday, December 14, 2009
Finals week
So today was day one of finals week. I am only working three days this week, but I am blessed to have 7.5 hours on the reference desk, which is not busy, at all. In fact I will go ahead and say it: It's boring sitting there hoping to be asked a question. Despite this the library was packed with students today. There was not an empty table in site on any of the three floors. The computers were constantly in use, whether it was someone quickly printing a paper or rushing to finish their final papers and projects. In fact, it was so busy that a student set up shop on the floor near my office to use an outlet. She was using a step stool for a laptop table. There was also a group of about 5 students gathered around one of the lab computers doing group work. It was somewhat bewildering.
This week won't have high circulation statistics, database use might not even be high, but the gate counts will be through the roof. What is clear is that the library is the most popular place to go to get work done and that bodes well for the library, it's employees, and the campus community at large.
This week won't have high circulation statistics, database use might not even be high, but the gate counts will be through the roof. What is clear is that the library is the most popular place to go to get work done and that bodes well for the library, it's employees, and the campus community at large.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Things I have recently learned
My word! It has been awhile since my last blog post. I guess I have been dragging my feet a bit with this blog. For that I apologize, to no one in particular. The weather has begun to turn wintery here. There is snow on the ground and nip to the air. I might even need to put on my boots to walk to work soon.
The fact that it is cold and snowy can mean only one thing: The fall semester is nearly over. In fact next week is finals week. This semester has gone incredibly fast and I believe it was only a bit less stressful than it was when I was a student. I am guessing this is due to my newness to the profession. In the last 15 weeks I taught 20 information literacy classes, placed my first book orders for the English and Communication, History, and Business departments, and spent a fair amount of time at the reference desk.
Some of the realities of librarianship I learned while at the reference desk: There simply aren't as many true reference queries as I wished there to be. I also learned that due to proximity of the reference desk to the computers we are the frontline computer help desk and also the refillers of staplers. All of these things I seem to be able to do adequately, though I must say I excel in refilling the stapler.
One phenomenon that I have noticed since the weather has cooled is the dragging of feet. The reference desk, in a way, is sandwiched (maybe hot-dogged is a better term) between the computers and the printers. As a result there tends to be a good deal of foot traffic passing before the reference desk. Overall, most foot-draggers happen to be female and usually the culprits are wearing some form of boot. This leads me to believe that either these girls are so out of shape they cannot properly lift their booted foot or that the boots are purposely weighted down in order to build tone up and build muscle. At this point I cannot be certain as to which it is; this investigation remains open.
Once this mystery is solved perhaps I will devise a way to harness the static electricity from the foot-dragging to power a printer or two.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Information, Information, Information
After a recent blog post and possibly the Tweet or Retweet from The Pumped Librarian I have been thinking a lot about how we interact with information. Is it better or worse to have this much media flowing into our phones, computers and for some televisions? I have thus far refused to use del.icio.us because I already cannot handle the amount of information coming to me through various forms of social media and standard web surfing. I would have a complete mental breakdown if I had a running list of articles bookmarked that I had meant to read but hadn't found the time to.
One of the articles I did receive and read was MSNBC's Search questions often both wacky and weird which discusses how search engines have changed our lives and how Google (and other companies) auto-fill search predictors offer an amusing insight into the world's searches.
I first noted the hilarity when typing in the phrase, "which is worse" when trying to compare high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. What I saw was this:
I found it funny that marijuana use is listed twice but not using it's hard to spell term, but rather weed. You would think that a browser's auto-spell check would help out with this, but perhaps it is a bunch 12 year olds sitting around trying to figure out what to try first. It's not surprising, to me, that health concerns dominate the list, considering how unhealthy we Americans tend to be.
Of course, seeing this and then reading the above mentioned article I decided to test out a few other phrases to see how entertaining this could be. I tried "who is" next:
Here we find someone looking for a question posed in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, among other things. I am most struck by the last one asking who the antichrist is. Seriously? Is this just a group of scared christian children using the web to get all the answers they couldn't find in the good book? But seriously if there was an antichrist who came to town and there was an epic battle between heaven and hell I am pretty sure this would be common knowledge to all of humankind.
Next up "Should I...":
"Should I get a divorce"
"Should I call him?"
There can't really be people sitting at their computers thinking that the internet has the answers of these extremely personal questions, right? Please tell me I am right.
I am pretty sure "should I shave my pubic hair" wins this round. I think google should respond to this one with questions of its own.
"Do you have crabs?"
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Does your boyfriend or girlfriend call your nether regions The Black Forest?"
"Is your Boyfriend or Girlfriend having a hard time locating the desired parts?"
Two other great phrases are "last night I" and "could I"
Hopefully we have all learned something about how Google has practically become everything to everyone, a confidant and a friend. What does this say about us? About the age of information? And about where we are headed as a culture?
One of the articles I did receive and read was MSNBC's Search questions often both wacky and weird which discusses how search engines have changed our lives and how Google (and other companies) auto-fill search predictors offer an amusing insight into the world's searches.
I first noted the hilarity when typing in the phrase, "which is worse" when trying to compare high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. What I saw was this:
I found it funny that marijuana use is listed twice but not using it's hard to spell term, but rather weed. You would think that a browser's auto-spell check would help out with this, but perhaps it is a bunch 12 year olds sitting around trying to figure out what to try first. It's not surprising, to me, that health concerns dominate the list, considering how unhealthy we Americans tend to be.
Of course, seeing this and then reading the above mentioned article I decided to test out a few other phrases to see how entertaining this could be. I tried "who is" next:
Here we find someone looking for a question posed in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, among other things. I am most struck by the last one asking who the antichrist is. Seriously? Is this just a group of scared christian children using the web to get all the answers they couldn't find in the good book? But seriously if there was an antichrist who came to town and there was an epic battle between heaven and hell I am pretty sure this would be common knowledge to all of humankind.
Next up "Should I...":
"Should I get a divorce"
"Should I call him?"
There can't really be people sitting at their computers thinking that the internet has the answers of these extremely personal questions, right? Please tell me I am right.
I am pretty sure "should I shave my pubic hair" wins this round. I think google should respond to this one with questions of its own.
"Do you have crabs?"
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Does your boyfriend or girlfriend call your nether regions The Black Forest?"
"Is your Boyfriend or Girlfriend having a hard time locating the desired parts?"
Two other great phrases are "last night I" and "could I"
Hopefully we have all learned something about how Google has practically become everything to everyone, a confidant and a friend. What does this say about us? About the age of information? And about where we are headed as a culture?
Monday, August 3, 2009
A Confession (30 days on)
In the name of the books, the director, and the holy library.
Bless me Father for I have worked. It has been 1 month since my last day of unemployment. These are my tasks…
Collection Development: I am the library liaison for English, Communication, History and Business Administration. This means I am in communication with each of the mentioned departments discussing collection needs and accepting requests for monograph purchases. It is up to me to judge whether a suggested book is appropriate for our collection and ultimately whether it is to be purchased or not. I also get to do some purchasing when the departments don’t submit enough requests. It looks like I have a lot to learn in this area.
Reference: I am scheduled 5 hours a week at the reference desk once the semester starts. This is one of the things I am looking forward to the most. The reference desk is one of the most fun places for me. You get to interact with people and help them find the information they needed. I like helping people but and more selfishly I enjoy learning about the random things that people need help researching.
Instruction: Over the course of this semester I will be eased into Library Instruction. Luckily I am not being thrown into the fire (though I am sure I would survive). I will be teaching classes about research and how to use resources at a professor’s request for various courses offered here at the college. First I get to observe, then co-instruct, then instruct (with support) and finally set free to soar on my own. Hopefully I won’t fly too close to the sun. There haven’t been many advances in wax over the last 3000 years.
Miscellaneous : Reformatting and updating the Subject Guides on the library website. This is often tedious and sometimes entertaining. We are using Springshare’s LibGuides for our guides. I edited and updated the Information Literacy Modules on Blackboard that all incoming freshmen are required to complete. I am also on the planning committee for the Library Expo 2009, which is a fun, informational event for students to become familiar with the library and its services. As of right now I am tasked with creating a crossword puzzle using clues from the various stations or stops setup throughout the library.
I am happy for these tasks and all the tasks I cannot remember
My God, In choosing to do work and failing to continue to be unemployed, I have sinned against you and the failing economy whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, but work no less, and to avoid whatever leads me to unemployment. Amen.
‘Your un-unemployment is truly forgiven. Go in peace.’
Thanks be to Employment.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Sunset (or how I managed to lock myself out of my apartment)
Today was a lazy day; a very lazy day. it consisted of waking, playing a video game and watching a movie. The trouble began after noticing that there seemed to be fruit flies in my kitchen. So I did what you are supposed to do. I got rid of the fruit that was likely drawing them. How they knew there was fruit was present and how they got into the house is beyond my intellectual scope and will forever remain a mystery.
I threw out the old fruit, took the bag out of the can tied it opened my front door and placed it on the door step. I turned to retrieve a pair of flip flops so I could walk down the stairs and throw the bag into the trash can. Something distracted me, I am not sure what it was anymore but I am certain it wasn't anything important and I forgot about the bag.
A few hours pass and I heard what almost could be described as a barking. It was as though two yippy (yappy?) dogs were fighting in the distance. "Odd," I thought. Then I heard scuttling and a struggle outside my door. I drew back the curtain to see two bushy tailed squirrels fighting over my bag of trash.
At this point I leapt into action grabbing my flip flops and headed for the door. Unsure of how protective these little warriors would be over the bag of trash I tried to make as much noise opening the door as possible. While doing this I also tried to open the door slowly so neither of the little bastards had a chance to get inside. The last thing I wanted was this squirrel on squirrel fight to turn into a cat vs squirrel cage match inside my apartment.
Luckily for me both squirrels took off down the steps and up the nearest tree. I snatched up the bag of trash and proudly shut my apartment door making a victory march to the trash can. After throwing the bag in I went back up the stairs only to find that the knob will not turn.
No big deal I will just walk around to the front of the house and knock on my landlords door and ask them to let me back in. It turns out no one was home. I turned away from the door and sat on the steps of the porch to think things over. Unfortunately in my laziness I didn't bother to get dressed and was only wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts. This of course meant I didn't have my cell phone or my wallet on me.
So here I am on a sunday night in a new place, without a phone to call one of the few people I actually do know watching the sunset. The whole event was funny and even peaceful until I noticed that mosquitos were really starting to take a liking to my plump skin. So I sat there wishing I had a book to read while being assaulted by small bugs.
Around 9pm after about an hour of sitting and providing nourishment for the local bug population I saw my landlords parents drive up into their nearby driveway. I was saved! My landlords arrived on the scene within ten minutes and I was let back in.
So here I sit, itchy, typing this story of my stupidity.
I threw out the old fruit, took the bag out of the can tied it opened my front door and placed it on the door step. I turned to retrieve a pair of flip flops so I could walk down the stairs and throw the bag into the trash can. Something distracted me, I am not sure what it was anymore but I am certain it wasn't anything important and I forgot about the bag.
A few hours pass and I heard what almost could be described as a barking. It was as though two yippy (yappy?) dogs were fighting in the distance. "Odd," I thought. Then I heard scuttling and a struggle outside my door. I drew back the curtain to see two bushy tailed squirrels fighting over my bag of trash.
At this point I leapt into action grabbing my flip flops and headed for the door. Unsure of how protective these little warriors would be over the bag of trash I tried to make as much noise opening the door as possible. While doing this I also tried to open the door slowly so neither of the little bastards had a chance to get inside. The last thing I wanted was this squirrel on squirrel fight to turn into a cat vs squirrel cage match inside my apartment.
Luckily for me both squirrels took off down the steps and up the nearest tree. I snatched up the bag of trash and proudly shut my apartment door making a victory march to the trash can. After throwing the bag in I went back up the stairs only to find that the knob will not turn.
No big deal I will just walk around to the front of the house and knock on my landlords door and ask them to let me back in. It turns out no one was home. I turned away from the door and sat on the steps of the porch to think things over. Unfortunately in my laziness I didn't bother to get dressed and was only wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts. This of course meant I didn't have my cell phone or my wallet on me.
So here I am on a sunday night in a new place, without a phone to call one of the few people I actually do know watching the sunset. The whole event was funny and even peaceful until I noticed that mosquitos were really starting to take a liking to my plump skin. So I sat there wishing I had a book to read while being assaulted by small bugs.
Around 9pm after about an hour of sitting and providing nourishment for the local bug population I saw my landlords parents drive up into their nearby driveway. I was saved! My landlords arrived on the scene within ten minutes and I was let back in.
So here I sit, itchy, typing this story of my stupidity.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Notes and Errata*
My life has changed. A lot. The blog describing that change is still waiting in the shadows. It will emerge one day and a nicely documented account of a 3,000 miles drive, setting up life in a climate exactly the opposite of the one I had lived in for 18 years, or so. Or it will be a total piece of crap in which I only tell the story in a sort of half-assed manner that will disappoint myself and others. As of right now I think the first one will happen.
One of the things I think I always knew on some level but realized on a conscious level recently is a nervous tick I have. I am not sure if nervous is the right word for it. While standing around or walking by myself I noticed that I often feel uncomfortable with my arms swinging, hanging or swaying. This could be on account of my unusually long arms. That's right, I have long arms, longer than most people apparently. If you've noticed you have seen that I wear dress shirts a lot. When I do, the sleeves are always rolled up. The reason for this is that I do not know how to shop for shirt sizes when they have numbers on their collars. I can handle letters though M, L, XL. That I understand.
My long arms were once commented on by a British gentleman measuring me for a suit in a Men's Wearhouse (son of a bitch, I just realized the play on words at work here! How have I not noticed this before?). While measuring my arm length he said, "Oh, my you must have been eating a lot of bananas!" and "How have your arms grown so long!"
Oddly enough I don't think his equating my long monkey arms to banana consumption is the reason for my discomfort, and I have yet to determine the reason for it. Regardless of the reason my subconscious will kick in and my right arm will come across my body and scratch at an imaginary/nonexistent itch on my left wrist. It always happens in this manner and I have yet to catch myself doing it while alone in my house or amongst people. It's only alone yet in public. If I make any further discoveries or have any other revelations about being awkward alone I will report back immediately.
Moving on, I have noticed a phenomena that, to me, has seemed peculiar to Northern New York. They have left turn arrows on their roads that appear for lanes in which you can either go straight or turn. This is really weird to me because there have been a number of occasions where I will be the first one waiting at a red light and a green arrow will appear allowing me to turn if I so should wish. Neither time that this has happened had I wished to turn. Though both times there were a number of cars behind me that wished for me to turn so they too could turn. The first time this happened I thought I had really fouled things up being in a turn only lane when I wanted to go straight. But after a quick sign check I found that I was in an appropriate lane. So instead of feeling like an idiot I felt like an asshole for not letting others turn.
So why would this manner of light exist? As best as I can tell it exists in case of a cosmic miracle that there is a line of cars coming together in both space and time to turn left. On second thought maybe it's for funeral processions. They follow a lead car like mindless (and mourning) sheep. But me, I am left to ponder whether I want to be an asshole and block that lane (legally) or whether I want to wait in the often longer line of cars in the right lane.
* Blog title stolen graciously and blatantly from DWF's Infinite Jest.
One of the things I think I always knew on some level but realized on a conscious level recently is a nervous tick I have. I am not sure if nervous is the right word for it. While standing around or walking by myself I noticed that I often feel uncomfortable with my arms swinging, hanging or swaying. This could be on account of my unusually long arms. That's right, I have long arms, longer than most people apparently. If you've noticed you have seen that I wear dress shirts a lot. When I do, the sleeves are always rolled up. The reason for this is that I do not know how to shop for shirt sizes when they have numbers on their collars. I can handle letters though M, L, XL. That I understand.
My long arms were once commented on by a British gentleman measuring me for a suit in a Men's Wearhouse (son of a bitch, I just realized the play on words at work here! How have I not noticed this before?). While measuring my arm length he said, "Oh, my you must have been eating a lot of bananas!" and "How have your arms grown so long!"
Oddly enough I don't think his equating my long monkey arms to banana consumption is the reason for my discomfort, and I have yet to determine the reason for it. Regardless of the reason my subconscious will kick in and my right arm will come across my body and scratch at an imaginary/nonexistent itch on my left wrist. It always happens in this manner and I have yet to catch myself doing it while alone in my house or amongst people. It's only alone yet in public. If I make any further discoveries or have any other revelations about being awkward alone I will report back immediately.
Moving on, I have noticed a phenomena that, to me, has seemed peculiar to Northern New York. They have left turn arrows on their roads that appear for lanes in which you can either go straight or turn. This is really weird to me because there have been a number of occasions where I will be the first one waiting at a red light and a green arrow will appear allowing me to turn if I so should wish. Neither time that this has happened had I wished to turn. Though both times there were a number of cars behind me that wished for me to turn so they too could turn. The first time this happened I thought I had really fouled things up being in a turn only lane when I wanted to go straight. But after a quick sign check I found that I was in an appropriate lane. So instead of feeling like an idiot I felt like an asshole for not letting others turn.
So why would this manner of light exist? As best as I can tell it exists in case of a cosmic miracle that there is a line of cars coming together in both space and time to turn left. On second thought maybe it's for funeral processions. They follow a lead car like mindless (and mourning) sheep. But me, I am left to ponder whether I want to be an asshole and block that lane (legally) or whether I want to wait in the often longer line of cars in the right lane.
* Blog title stolen graciously and blatantly from DWF's Infinite Jest.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sorry for the Delay
I will have a new blog up sometime next week detailing my adventure of driving across the country, visiting DC and Philadelphia and settling in at my new job. It has taken a while for the internet to be activated at my new place. Everything should be set up by monday night; after that the blog posts will be much more frequent. Thanks for your patience.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Painting 3: Modernity and Religion
(Via The Finch Wench)
Saint Francis and the Birds (1935) by Stanley Spencer
My apologies for the delay in posting the third painting. I have to also apologize to Ben for posting a third religious painting in a row. I said I wouldn't but this one is so damn charming I had no choice. I did however break my rule of posting them in the same order as the book.
Here is the story of St. Francis and the birds.
The painting is a somewhat modern take on this story. Apparently when this painting was displayed in was quite controversial to take on of the most popular saints and stick him in these modern times. The setting is actually the back yard of the painter's parent's house.
This controversy is rather ridiculous in my view because of how often middle age and renaissance painters moved their religious imagery into their times. Apparently Spencer meant no disrespect towards St Francis or god or the church. He was a reader of St Francis' writings.
Spencer at the time this painting was created Spencer was in the midst of a love triangle of sorts and it is thought that the woman in the picture is the 'new' woman but echoes a drawing he did of his first wife. Peculiar.
I like this painting a lot. It is a somewhat comical depiction of a fable like story. St. Francis has bedroom slippers on and any time religious figures are depicted with bedroom footwear it has my approval!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Painting 2 and a battle between Jesus and a Minoan Octopus
In my previous blog it was suggested that I draw a picture of Baby Jesus battling a Minoan Octopus. So I did, and here are the results:
And now for Painting #2
(Via Hanover College Department of History)
The Lamentation (1305 CE) by Giotto
Not surprisingly this is another Jesus related painting. This time we have jumped to Jesus post crucifixion. I think I like this painting more than numero uno. Obviously there is much more going on and there are a ton of halos which means we have some important people depicted.
Here is the quick rundown:
1. Jesus - You can probably guess which one he is (think deceased)
2. Mary - Holding his upper torso
3. Mary Magdalene - Holding his feet, harking back to when she once anointed his feet with perfumes (maybe Jesus' wife?)
4. John the Evangelist - his arms thrown back.
5. Joseph of Arimathea - On right with big beard and likely carrying Christ's shroud. Joesph was a rich Jew who provided his own tomb to bury Christ (maybe he knew it wouldn't be occupied for long). You can allegedly see the tomb's entrance next to John's rear end.
6. Nicodemus - Far right, according to John (19.39) provided the spices for anointing Christ's body
Aside from the angels above there remains two figures with halos unidentified (the lady standing with a hand up to the left of Christ's head and one of the mourners holding Christ's left hand) Who could they be?
Also of note, Jesus' body is not allowed to touch the ground. The angels above seem to melt back into clouds and are painted at various and perspectives (daring for it's time). Also the lone tree which seems to be near death is actually sprouting some growth perhaps symbolic of the resurrection.
I like the fact that there are two figures in the painting with their backs towards us. I wonder if the reason they have no halos is not because of there lack of significance but rather because a halo could not be painted without obscuring other details.
I am also interested in the fact that there are only three lamenting males in the painting (aside from the angels) and fifteen women. I also found it interesting that there is no description of the communal lamentation depicted in the Bible. There are obvious reasons and implications for filling in parts of the story at a later date (like the notion of what hell is like as a place) but I never before considered the role art may have played in this development.
And now for Painting #2
(Via Hanover College Department of History)
The Lamentation (1305 CE) by Giotto
Not surprisingly this is another Jesus related painting. This time we have jumped to Jesus post crucifixion. I think I like this painting more than numero uno. Obviously there is much more going on and there are a ton of halos which means we have some important people depicted.
Here is the quick rundown:
1. Jesus - You can probably guess which one he is (think deceased)
2. Mary - Holding his upper torso
3. Mary Magdalene - Holding his feet, harking back to when she once anointed his feet with perfumes (maybe Jesus' wife?)
4. John the Evangelist - his arms thrown back.
5. Joseph of Arimathea - On right with big beard and likely carrying Christ's shroud. Joesph was a rich Jew who provided his own tomb to bury Christ (maybe he knew it wouldn't be occupied for long). You can allegedly see the tomb's entrance next to John's rear end.
6. Nicodemus - Far right, according to John (19.39) provided the spices for anointing Christ's body
Aside from the angels above there remains two figures with halos unidentified (the lady standing with a hand up to the left of Christ's head and one of the mourners holding Christ's left hand) Who could they be?
Also of note, Jesus' body is not allowed to touch the ground. The angels above seem to melt back into clouds and are painted at various and perspectives (daring for it's time). Also the lone tree which seems to be near death is actually sprouting some growth perhaps symbolic of the resurrection.
I like the fact that there are two figures in the painting with their backs towards us. I wonder if the reason they have no halos is not because of there lack of significance but rather because a halo could not be painted without obscuring other details.
I am also interested in the fact that there are only three lamenting males in the painting (aside from the angels) and fifteen women. I also found it interesting that there is no description of the communal lamentation depicted in the Bible. There are obvious reasons and implications for filling in parts of the story at a later date (like the notion of what hell is like as a place) but I never before considered the role art may have played in this development.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
A Few months ago I started a project discussing highly esteemed works of art in a immature and amateur fashion. I am going to import the three I have done from my myspace blog and continue on with them on this blog. Hope you enjoy.
A New Project, Part 1
I have been largely absent in the recent weeks and it has been a pretty long time since I have posted anything blog-wise. I guess there hasn't been much to say recently. I have decided to start a new project, of sorts. I have a book called The Folio Society Book of the 100 Greatest Paintings. I haven't read it yet, but I have looked at some of the paintings. I plan on looking at a few of the paintings each week and reporting back on them here. I am completely unqualified to discuss art critically so don't expect anything profound.
I figure it is just a way for me to learn something and possibly share that with someone. I am not too concerned as to whether painting A doesn't belong on the list or not. Someone named Martin Bailey edited this book so I assume it is his expertise and opinion that they are the best.
I skipped the introduction as I am so apt to do. Perhaps I will go back and read it at a later time. It appears that the paintings are listed in chronological order and don't take into account anything painted pre 1200 CE (AD). So that means no Minoan Octopus Stirrup Jars, bummer.
Without further ado, here is the first painting:
(Via ducciodibuoninsegna.org)
The Rucellai Madonna by Duccio (painted 1285)
Obviously this book is going to have a good deal of religious art and in my opinion it is one of the only good things religion has given us (aside from the reproduction of ancient manuscripts).
This painting looks to me that it could have come straight out of an illuminated manuscript but it is actually from the Santa Maria Novella church in Florence and currently resides in the Galleria degli Uffizi, also in Florence.
The painting is Tempura on Panel. This is obviously in no way battered and deep fried as you would expect from tempura. In fact this book, after browsing the table of contents is decidedly Western in nature. Shouldn't this then be titled the 100 Greatest Western Paintings post 1200 CE?
The Central figure, as I am sure you guessed is Mary holding the little baby Jesus. It seems to me as though Duccio did not quite have the hang of painting children in proportion. Something just looks a little off about the J-man the Greeks also struggled with portraying children and babies. usually they just look like tiny men and I sort of see that here.
Jesus also appears to be all halo-ed up and blessing things already, interesting. I think the painter does a good job using all three dimensions with Mary's knee sticking out and the perspective on the throne/chair she sits upon.
I guess the frame painted with saints and apostles that surround the pentagon shaped painting remind me of illuminated manuscripts, well that and all of the gold.
So I guess that finishes painting one. I don't know if I will have anything to say about the others. I may be a one trick pony, or I may start being a sarcastic jerk about the images, who knows? This project of mine will either last 100 paintings or just a few. It depends on my interest and on my ability to talk about each one.
A New Project, Part 1
I have been largely absent in the recent weeks and it has been a pretty long time since I have posted anything blog-wise. I guess there hasn't been much to say recently. I have decided to start a new project, of sorts. I have a book called The Folio Society Book of the 100 Greatest Paintings. I haven't read it yet, but I have looked at some of the paintings. I plan on looking at a few of the paintings each week and reporting back on them here. I am completely unqualified to discuss art critically so don't expect anything profound.
I figure it is just a way for me to learn something and possibly share that with someone. I am not too concerned as to whether painting A doesn't belong on the list or not. Someone named Martin Bailey edited this book so I assume it is his expertise and opinion that they are the best.
I skipped the introduction as I am so apt to do. Perhaps I will go back and read it at a later time. It appears that the paintings are listed in chronological order and don't take into account anything painted pre 1200 CE (AD). So that means no Minoan Octopus Stirrup Jars, bummer.
Without further ado, here is the first painting:
(Via ducciodibuoninsegna.org)
The Rucellai Madonna by Duccio (painted 1285)
Obviously this book is going to have a good deal of religious art and in my opinion it is one of the only good things religion has given us (aside from the reproduction of ancient manuscripts).
This painting looks to me that it could have come straight out of an illuminated manuscript but it is actually from the Santa Maria Novella church in Florence and currently resides in the Galleria degli Uffizi, also in Florence.
The painting is Tempura on Panel. This is obviously in no way battered and deep fried as you would expect from tempura. In fact this book, after browsing the table of contents is decidedly Western in nature. Shouldn't this then be titled the 100 Greatest Western Paintings post 1200 CE?
The Central figure, as I am sure you guessed is Mary holding the little baby Jesus. It seems to me as though Duccio did not quite have the hang of painting children in proportion. Something just looks a little off about the J-man the Greeks also struggled with portraying children and babies. usually they just look like tiny men and I sort of see that here.
Jesus also appears to be all halo-ed up and blessing things already, interesting. I think the painter does a good job using all three dimensions with Mary's knee sticking out and the perspective on the throne/chair she sits upon.
I guess the frame painted with saints and apostles that surround the pentagon shaped painting remind me of illuminated manuscripts, well that and all of the gold.
So I guess that finishes painting one. I don't know if I will have anything to say about the others. I may be a one trick pony, or I may start being a sarcastic jerk about the images, who knows? This project of mine will either last 100 paintings or just a few. It depends on my interest and on my ability to talk about each one.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Initializing
So here it is, the first blog post on my shiny new blog. Why am I doing this? I am not exactly sure. I imagine one answer could be: It is the 21st Century and I may be the only my age person who doesn't do this. Another answer could be because blogging on myspace was too limited in flexibility and visibility. As a result my guten freund Mo and I have decided to branch out to see what the larger internet holds for our meandering thoughts.
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