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| I love Dory Story by Jerry Pallotta, Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan, and Common Sense by Thomas Paine. |
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A few bookish lines each day. That's the goal. We'll see how it goes. So far, so good.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Sunday Times had a really well-written piece by Lillian Ross about what it was like to be in the life of J.D. Salinger. I didn't read Catcher in the Rye til college; but it's been about my favorite book of all time since then. Mr. Salinger lived in seclusion in New Hampshire and had a remarkable way with words and stories. Even though he avoided people and found them mostly annoying, he still had children, family, and friends. What a puzzle he was. Successful, reclusive, private, and probably pretty normal in at least some ways. He had children. He seemed not to like them. I wonder what they thought of him. Peggy Salinger and Matthew Salinger. Famous father, unhappy children. Not an unfamiliar tale. Til tomorrow.
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| Erik Ross, Lillian Ross, Matthew Salinger, Peggy Salinger, J.D. Salinger-Central Park, NYC |
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Monday, February 8, 2010
I set aside Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark for a bit last night to watch the last installment of Emma by Jane Austen on PBS. I'm glad I watched it although I had to stop and think several times about the characters. I had to really focus on who married whom and who was courting whom. But in the end, Ms. Austen painted a great picture of life in the 1800s if you were rich. If you weren't rich, then your life was less than great. The second-best character in the broadcast was George Knightley til the end when he gushed a bit too much when Emma said, "Yes." Her immaturity wasn't really all that attractive; and yet he was attracted to her. Hmm. What a conundrum. So, if the second-best character was Mr. Knightley, who was the best? The best character was Miss Bates. The actress who played Miss Bates was Tamsin Greig; and she was 100% brilliant. She chattered away with gusto in every scene she was in. And in the final episode when Emma made a cruel joke about her always talking too much, it seemed like you were watching a real scene rather than actors. Miss Bates was devastated by the joke at her expense and showed her pain by actually turning pale. And when you can turn pale on cue in a film, whoa, you're a great actor. So, back to Remember Me. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, February 7, 2010
My new book turned out to be not Hunger Games but rather Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark. Can't say why really. The Clark book just sort of leaped into my hands. So, I'm following its lead. And so far, fabulous. There are times when the only thing that will do is a good mystery thriller. So, I'm all set. Hunger will have to wait. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
I'm starting a new book today by Suzanne Collins titled, The Hunger Games. But then of course, it's Saturday, so there's Michael Feldman, Ira Glass, and Garrison Keillor at tpr.org. Texas Public Radio out of San Antonio is simply the best. It's going to be a busy winter day. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, February 5, 2010
Spring is never gonna get here. Chilly, foggy, snowy, drizzly, cloudy. Brrr. Even my desk is cold. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
Today is the big day for Garrison Keillor at Prairie Home Companion. He's broadcasting his show live at 500 theatres around the the nation tonight at 7 PM. I have a previous commitment and can't go; and I can't believe I'll not be there to witness digital history being made. Maybe there will be equipment failure and they'll have to reschedule; in which case, I'll be sure and be free for the redux. It's gonna be so great. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wow! Frontline on PBS had a documentary titled, Digital Nation last night. I'm going to buy the DVD when it comes out in March. In the meantime, I'm going to rewatch snippets of it online. If the rest of the nation goes completely digital with concomitant multitasking behaviors and then consequently has trouble paying attention long enough to read a book or write an essay, then I think we're missing out on being human. Living in a virtual world is not nearly as nice as living in the real world. So, I'm staying in the realm of the physical until such time as it no longer exists. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Finished my Spenser book last night. I kept seeing these images in my head of Marcia Gay Harden and Joe Mantegna. Click, click, click on the internet; and wow. Robert B. Parker had lots of his books made into movies; and Ms. Harden and Mr. Mantegna were in several. I must have seen one or two of them. Very cool to have a movie influence the images from a book - even one I'd already read. Good times. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, February 1, 2010
Luck is the residue of design. Nice phrase. Luck is the residue of design. Yesterday, I'm reading along in my book Potshot by Robert Parker; and I came across that phrase on page 113 spoken by Spenser the fabulous private investigator and lead character in the book. Then I eat lunch. Then I finish the Arts and Leisure section of the NY Times; and there on page 6 is an interview with Ethan Hawke, who is directing a Sam Shepard play on Broadway, and he says THE EXACT SAME PHRASE. Luck is the residue of design. How is that possible? I'm reading a book written ten years ago; and on the very day that I get to page 113 in that book and see that phrase I also see it in an interview in the Times. What are the odds of that happening. What are the odds. If I were a mathematician instead of just a reader, I could calculate those odds. Sure wish I was a mathematician. Not really. A mathematician would probably have never noticed the phrase in the first place. Just kidding. Ha. Luck is the residue of design. Or as Louis Pasteur said, Chance favors the prepared mind. Til tomorrow.
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| Cast of Sam Shepard's play. Photo by Chad Batka. |
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Although one time, Garrison Keillor did in fact say that the death of old man is not a tragedy, the unexpected loss of Howard Zinn is indeed just that - a tragedy. Last night, BookTV rebroadcast a brilliant lecture of his recorded in January of 2007 at Brandeise University to a packed hall of young intellectuals who supported all that Howard Zinn advocated and stood for. Peace and justice. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All of that for all of us and not just for the privileged and wealthy. I don't see anyone on the horizon who can take his place as an advocate, as an historian, and as a leading citizen of the people, by the people, and for the people. His clarity of thought, his quickness of wit, his winning personality, and his total commitment to social justice is the best I've ever witnessed. Who will take his place? Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, January 30, 2010
The end of the month is here; there's a full moon out each evening; and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. It may be time, to read some work by Colette. She was a French novelist whose book Gigi became a Broadway play. There's a hotel room named after her at The Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon. Plus, I heard her referenced on NPR the other day. When several things happen in quick succession like that and point to something particular, I try to pay attention. Seems like Colette is the next novelist (she wrote 50 novels) who needs a new reader. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, January 29, 2010
Howard Zinn
born August 24, 1922
died January 27, 2010
age 87
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/us/29zinn.html
I wasn't ready for him to go.
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Thursday, January 28, 2010
I read a live online blog yesterday as Steve Jobs unveiled the new ipad in San Francisco. At first I wanted one. Badly. Then two things occurred to me. No USB port and no front-facing camera for Skyping. Why? Why? Why? Those two things could have easily been included. So, basically, this is a touch Kindle with color or a big ipod. And of course, I could surf the web on the ipad but only if I purchase a $30 a month AT&T (groan) account or can find a hot spot for WiFi. I think the hype for this tablet didn't quite meet my needs; but I wish them well. Apple, Amazon, Google. They're a big part of my life. I wonder if they know. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images |
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
So, according to the paper, high blood pressure weakens the arteries, which leads to stroke. Also according to the paper, the nation now has a trillion dollar debt. And finally according to the paper, it's going to remain chilly this weekend. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I've been thinking about Dava Sobel lately. She wrote Galileo's Daughter. Galileo's daughter had many correspondences with her father over many years. They wrote to each other in Italian. Ms. Sobel said that 20 years earlier when she herself was taking Italian in college, she had no idea that she'd ever use it again. But there she was. In Italy. Holding the letters that Galileo and his daughter, Virginia, wrote to each other in the 1600s. All in Italian. Sometimes the twists and turns of life are revealed and sometimes they're not. Cosi fan tutti. That is the way of the world. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
I watched Emma by Jane Austin on PBS last night. The setting was beautiful and the acting appeared effortless. The two scene stealers were of course Michael Gambon and the actor who played Mr. Knightley. The one thing that kept me from being totally absorbed by the play was the fact that I'm currently immersed in books and conversations about power and culture and the influence of those on our lives, language, and happiness levels. As I watched Emma, I was drawn to images of the servants. Their faces were never in focus. Their needs were never addressed. They held open doors. They brought in letters on silver trays. They wore ridiculously uncomfortable clothing. And they appeared robotic. Who wouldn't. You're there in jolly old England without a 401k, with no education, with no property of your own, and dressed in clumsy clothing. So, even though the plight of the servants distracted me, I still enjoyed the performance and will tune in next Sunday for part 2. And of course, all those images portrayed by the servants were on purpose. PBS and the BBC don't make mistakes. Those images were part of the landscape of the film designed to set the tone between the classes. Laura Linney was the mistress of ceremony and did a splendid job. Plus, she was featured in the Times yesterday. She is the actor's actor. Totally talented. Totally versatile. Squeaky clean. And an actor for all classes. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, January 24, 2010
There is something about sunshine. Love it. When it streams in through a window and lights a room, it's bringing ten billion years of evolution with it. It's not just that sunshine brings warmth and good feelings, it's that through the process of evolution, sunshine makes it all possible. The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes is a book that goes a long way toward understanding the process of evolution. I like that book enough to reread it. Dava Sobel, Oliver Sacks, Bill Bryson, Sebastion Junger, Jared Diamond. I've learned a lot from them. Scientists, historians, anthropologists, thinkers, writers. Wonder what they're up to today. Probably writing their next best seller. Or maybe just reading the Times. Til tomorrow.
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| Bryan, Dava, Oliver, Bill, Sebastion, Jared |
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Saturday, January 23, 2010
As of today, I have two new books and a CD. The new Newbery, When You Reach Me, reached me yesterday via Amazon. Also via Amazon and by way of Mumbai, I have a new cookbook by Judith Jones who was Julie Child's editor; and I have a new Rosemary Clooney CD. So, I'm all set. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, January 22, 2010
I'm thinking about buying a Kindle. But I read an online report in The New Yorker and actually laughed out loud as the author told about his efforts to like the thing. That's so cool when something you read makes you laugh out loud. But back to purchasing a Kindle. I'm still undecided about whether I'll like the technology. Plus, it's a lot of money and it's not backlit, which means when you're reading at night, you have to have a light of some sort. But I sure enjoyed the piece (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_baker) by Nicholson Baker. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
It's interesting to me how I choose something to read. In this week's New Yorker, I started an article by Malcolm Gladwell on entrepreneurs in the world of big money. As I was reading I was thinking, "This is something I should know about so I'll make myself read it." I tried. Really. I love Malcolm. I love Malcolm's books. Didn't work. I gave it up after I realized I didn't care about the money-grubbers he was writing about. Then I tried a piece by Woody Allen who wrote about cows who had squashed, attacked, or bumped into people and killed them. Because he writes comedically and because I have great respect for cattle who don't really do anything other than graze, huddle, and moo, I stopped. I didn't want to take the chance that Woody would make fun of a fairly noble beast. We readers are peculiar folks. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Robert Parker died. I love his Spenser mystery books. And for some reason, my copy of Potshot is on the shelf next to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. I have GOT to come up with a better system for organizing my books. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
An NPR report Saturday is on my mind. A scientist said the habitat for the polar bear will be gone by 2030. No more ice cap. No more polar bear. Pretty tragic. Unbelievably tragic. Tragic. So, to soften that news, I'm ordering the new Newbery book that was announced yesterday by ALA. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. It's gonna be glorious when it arrives on my desk. Can't wait. And then of course, the incomparable Jerry Pinkney won the Caldecott award for The Lion and the Mouse, which I am happy to say I already own. Glorious. January 19 moves from tragic to glorious in ninety-nine words. It's a lot to ponder. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, January 18, 2010
Thirty-nine when he died. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, January 17, 2010
Notably sweet and intellectually gifted. Those are the words that Tracy Kidder used to tell about the mother of Dr. Paul Farmer. Mr. Kidder wrote a book about Dr. Farmer who works for the medical needs of the poor around the world. Dr. Farmer said that six million impoverished people around the world die each year from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria simply because of inadequate or no medical care. Dr. Farmer has written about medical and humanitarian needs of people around the world and specifically about people in Haiti; so BookTV is featuring that 2003 interview this week in light of the Haitian earthquake. Mr. Kidder said that Dr. Farmer uses the 7/3 rule in his writing and in his work. Don't use seven words when three will do. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
I got my office cleaned up last night. I can't believe it. It looks great. I'm so happy to have an office space that actually functions. Moving on. I'm reading a new book, 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. It's an odd little book. I'm learning about architectural concepts, which I've always liked, but I'm also learning about the connections between how we build our buildings and how we build our lives. But then again, I'm probably reading way too much into this slim little book. I have a tendency to find way too much meaning in things that aren't really all that meaningful. Why is that? Anyhoo, David Brooks had a wonderful piece about Israel in today's paper. He's such a great writer and great thinker. Too bad he's not actually in charge of something big - like the UN or China or AT&T. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, January 15, 2010
My office is a wreck. Books, papers, folders, boxes, mail, discs - everywhere I look. So, today's the day I get it all cleaned up, organized, and put away. Right. Ha. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, January 14, 2010
I have rediscovered The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. I've had the entire portfolio of 15 drawings in my office for some time now; but I didn't examine it carefully until yesterday. It's a gem. I love everything about the exquisite and elegant drawings. And all the time, these wonderful pieces were sitting right there in my office waiting for me to find them. So, today starts my new quest to find out how Chris Van Allsburg came to be. Lovely. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo credit to Christopher Garrison |
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I've made the huge mistake of letting way too much time pass between now and a couple of months ago when I started The Lacuna. I'm a third into it; and I've lost track of the characters and plot. So, now I have to decide whether to start over or move on. The reviews of this book have been to describe the book as powerful, rich, large, and moving. Hmm. I'm sure there is something wrong with me since I am not as fully engaged in this book as I should be. And that's so odd since my respect for Barbara Kingsolver is so absolute. So, I'm afraid I will have to quietly set it aside for now until I can give it the attention it deserves. And as I think about it, one thing that may account for my reluctance to finish the thing is my growing dislike of Diego Rivera as portrayed in the book. This all makes me think I don't know enough history to properly appreciate this tome. But how much background information and history should a reader have to have to simply enjoy a good book? That's my question for now. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Today, I'm not thinking directly about a book. I'm thinking of a movie. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jaime Foxx were wonderful in The Soloist, which is a movie based on a book by Steve Lopez who was a journalist with the LA Times. The actors were great at portraying the notion of lost souls and misspent talent. Who knew they could each act so convincingly? Their agents of course. Mr. Foxx plays a mentally ill young person, named Nathaniel, who left Julliard for life on the streets. Mr. Downey, Jr. plays a journalist who hears of him, writes up his story, and then tries to rehabilitate him (with only modest success in real life). The movie illustrates the need for better mental health care and a kinder and gentler world. The best line in the movie was when Nathaniel, who was living on the mean streets of LA with a shopping cart and a beat-up cello, said that his dream and hope for the future was that someday he'd have two new strings for his cello. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, January 11, 2010
Cranford and Return to Cranford are Masterpiece Classics on PBS; and I've been watching them for the past several Sunday evenings. Dame Judi Dench is wonderful. She's the epitome of excellence and is the star of the show. The PBS series is based on three books written by Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865). The stories take place in England in the 1840s at the time when the railroads are being built across England. Relationships between the classes, between history and progress, and between women and men are each woven into the stories. Thank goodness for PBS and the BBC. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, January 10, 2010
Flipping through the channels this weekend, I ran into Stockard Channing and Mary Louise Parker. I can't believe I've seen both of them on Broadway. Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Carol Channing, Judith Jamison, Debbie Reynolds, Tyne Daly, Vanessa Redgrave, Angela Lansbury, Diane Weist, Christine Ebersole, Melanie Griffith, Brooke Shields, Whoopi Goldberg, Gina Gershon, Lynn Redgrave, Emma Redgrave, Cady Huffman, Frances Sternhagen, - all of them. I can hardly believe I've seen all of them perform on stage. What a lucky gal am I. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, January 9, 2010
Michael Feldman is in Madison, Wisconsin this morning at 10.
Ira Glass is featuring people who make difficult bets this afternoon at 2.
Garrison Keillor is in San Francisco this evening at 5.
Marsha Grace is tuned in to public radio at http://www.tpr.org all day today.
Til tomorrow.
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Friday, January 8, 2010
The Red Wheelbarrow
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
William Carlos Williams, M.D.
September 17, 1883 - March 4, 1963
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Sunday, January 3 through Thursday, January 7, 2010
So, here's the deal. Network Solutions which hosts this website for $128.50 per year was unable to repair my site til today. They said it somehow got corrupted. Hmmmm. Three phone calls, four emails, and four days to wait. Additionally, they indicated the site takes too long to load and I should create an alternate page. So, while I consider this recommendation and try to figure out how to even do that, I'll tell you that I'm back to reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver; and it's fabulous. Til tomorrow. Maybe. If Network Solutions allows.
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Saturday, January 2, 2010
I miss Jeremy Brett (1936-1995). Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law were both wonderful in the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Their dialogue was clever, sincere, and well-delivered. But it wasn't as contemplative or as kind as Mr. Brett's Sherlock. In this most reincarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master sleuth, Guy Ritchie has way too many scenes of people chasing each other and not near enough scenes where plain old conversation reveals clues and creates intrigue. Plus, this movie has a lot of the feel of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. So, I'm hoping that if Mr. Ritchie, Mr. Downey, Jr., and Mr. Law produce a sequel that they provide more dialogue, more clue-filled conversation, and less running and chasing. The coolest movie magic involved rewinding the film to show what Sherlock saw and thought when he was looking at clues. I hope they have more of those. Plus, I was bothered by how easy it was to blow up a ship, destroy a bridge, or ruin a factory when during Victorian times it took so long to build those things. Plus, I don't think Mr. Doyle had his Sherlock experimenting with drugs on the dog. But I could be wrong about that. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, January 1, 2010
It's here. 2010. A nice round number full of hope. Robert Indiana has a new sculpture called Hope. His most famous sculpture is called Love. Robert Indiana. Quite a guy. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Welp, 2010 is almost here; and what better way to greet the new decade than to listen to Broadway's Best on Sirius satellite radio with Christine Pedi and the amaahzing Seth Rudetsky. So, that's what I'm doing today while I wait for the new year to ring its way in. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo credit to Mary Beth Tierce, January, 2009 |
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
I bought a copy of E.L. Konigsburg's Silent to the Bone; and I'm loving it. I bought it at Strand Bookstore to have something to read on the plane back from NYC; and I'm finishing it here at home. It's a simple mystery involving a lot of smart people, a hurt child, and two boys that figure it all out. It's lovely and intriguing. Makes you wish you were a clever writer like Ms. Konigsburg who won a Newbery in 1968 and another in 1997. She's the goods. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I'm enjoying comparing the 1961 version with the 2001 version of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This morning I found a difference in the two versions' accounts of how to scramble eggs. In 1961, Julia admonished cooks not to include tomatoes as it would introduce too much liquid into the eggs. In 2001, the admonition is simply not to add more than one-half teaspoon water or milk per egg as a way to help blend the yolk and white. Even progress in scrambling eggs can be made. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, December 28, 2009
I'm just back from NYC. I went to plays and museums and had a grand time.
Race with James Spader and David Alan Grier
A Little Night Music with Angela Lansbury
In the Heights
Bye Bye Birdie with John Stamos and Bill Irwin
Carnegie Hall
Guggenheim with Kandinsky
MOMA with O'Keefe
Metropolitan with all the Greeks and Romans and Rodin's The Thinker
Central Park
Sarabeth's on 59th between 6th and 5th
Fairway at Broadway and 74th
Le Pan Quotidian on 53th between 5th and Madison
Burgers at Parker Meridian on 56th between 6th and 7th
Room service at the Hilton
Strand Bookstore at Broadway and 12th owned by Mr. Fred Bass with whom I spoke.
And of course the Christmas tree at the New York City Public Library at 5th and 42nd.
It was all fabulous.
Glad to be home. Til tomorrow.
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| NYPL Christmas Tree |
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| Central Park's Alice in Wonderland |
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Friday, December 18, 2009
My computer is in the shop til December 27. Til then.
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
Walden Books is closing in Laredo, Texas leaving Laredo with no bookstores. No bookstores at all. This was reported by the Associated Press today. The AP story made Laredo sound like a town without a future; but the director of the public library there has plans to open two more branch libraries. So, even in a town without even one bookstore, there's hope. And her name is Maria Soliz. Madam Librarian. Til tomorrow.
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| Laredo Public Library |
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
I bought the 40th anniversary edition, published in 2001, of Julia Child's cookbook from Amazon; and it's nearly exactly like the original. Nice surprise. Til tomorrow.
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| Julia Child, 1967 The French Chef on PBS |
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Ken Auletta had a nice rebuttal in the Sunday Times Book Review written to the person who somewhat negatively reviewed his new book Googled: The End of the World as We Know It. Mr. Auletta's book is thorough, precise, unbiased, and clearly illuminates the mindset and inner workings of the Google folks. It's too bad that the negative reviewer saw things less clearly. To oppose an idea for the sake of opposition is always a losing proposition. Anyhoo, I liked the book and its thesis. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, December 14, 2009
I started The Lacuna again last night. I had set it aside and taken a break from this particular book to get caught up on other stuff. Probably a mistake. When I'm reading a complicated novel like The Lacuna, it's very difficult to stop, read something else, and then return to it. So, I'm going to give it another go; and see what happens. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, December 13, 2009
I just love Sunday mornings so much. Coffee, my favorite chair, obedient dogs at my feet, the Sunday Times with a photo of Mexico's newest famous artist at MOMA, a reference to Kant's moral imperative, a glimpse of high society at the Met's Christmas party, or an in-depth analysis of the DJIA, which I never read. All on Sunday, every week, all in my favorite chair. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Last week's NY Times Book Review listed the 100 best books of 2009. They also had reviews of other books including Kate DiCamillo's new book about an elephant and a new biography of Ayn Rand. All good stuff. Thank heaven for the NY Times which is, according to Ken Auletta, sinking fast financially. Mr. Auletta says the Times is working on ways to beef up advertising sales both online and in print. He said that an ad online generates only 10% of an ad in their printed paper. Or maybe that's the other way round. Can't recall. As I was just now looking that up, I found an article about the fact that Kirkus Reviews has shut down. Kirkus reviewed books and was the source that librarians used to decide which books to buy for their libraries. That leaves Publishers Weekly and Library Journal as the primary places to look for book reviews. The web site, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/books/12kirkus.html?_r=1&ref=media gives the low-down on Kirkus. Goodness. If you're a writer in today's market, better keep your day job. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, December 11, 2009
In no particular order, people I admire are Beatrix Potter, Noam Chomsky, the guy with the flower in Tiananmen Square, Jonathan Kozol, Tom Hayden, Eleanor Roosevelt, all the teachers I had when I was a kid, Chris Hedges, and the 14th Dalai Lama. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow. Lyrics to a song written by Sammy Cahn and the composer Jule Styne in 1945. Rosemary Clooney sings it the best. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
In 1980, Howard Zinn published A People's History of the United States. This coming Sunday on the History Channel, his work will be presented as a documentary extolling the virtues of the working class, dissidents, and anti-war citizens of the US. The documentary encourages viewers to question their government and to hold it accountable for making good and peaceful decisions. I saw a documentary about Howard Zinn last year. He was an anti-war spokesperson in the 60s against the Vietnam War; and he's still consistently speaking out against violence as a solution to world problems. He says the Declaration of Independence gave citizens the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Democracy and freedom of speech at work. Quite a sight. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Malcolm Gladwell gave a great interview with Brian Lamb on BookTV recently. He was very gladwellian. http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/216084 Til tomorrow.
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Monday, December 7, 2009
I was so lucky to catch Joy Hakim on BookTV yesterday. She skewered textbook companies who produce poor history textbooks and poor science textbooks. She basically said that all the textbooks are poorly written and pathetic and just putting them online, on a computer, or on a Kindle will not make a poor textbook better. So, there. I own her set of history books; and they're great. She also condemned NCLB and teaching to the test. For three hours - on live TV, she got it just right. BookTV.org is terrific. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, December 6, 2009
Jeff Bezos was interviewed by Deborah Solomon in the NY Times Magazine this morning. And thankfully, they have returned to color photos of the interviewees after a stint where they were doing black and white. Mr. Bezos is the CEO of Amazon. He said that for every 100 books that are available on Kindle, they sell 52 in book form and 48 on Kindle. His goal is all books all over the world on Kindle. He doesn't sound like a reader to me. I need the book, the page, the smell of paper, and a place to write in the margins from time to time. But if Kindle will keep the book industry alive, then so be it. But what a loss. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo by John Keatley for the NY Times |
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Saturday, December 5, 2009
I have several issues of The New Yorker to read today. I've let them pile up a bit; and that's not good. But, it's chilly out today. So, it's going to be a nice day to get caught up, piddle around, and maybe bake some bread. Christmas is just around the corner; and my shopping i s d o n e ! Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, December 2, 3, and 4, 2009
I've been away from the computer; but now I'm back. I'm one-fourth into my new book, The Lacuna; and it's a whirlwind of writing style, imagery, language, culture, oppression, and transgression. I'm reminded immediately of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. At first, I started reading Lacuna closely trying to make small images in my head and trying to read all the Spanish phrases. But then I realized because the story moved around from time to place, it would be best to read it like an easy novel sort of like jumping into the pool all at once versus taking the steps and holding onto the handrail. The novel is about a boy with a Mexican mother and an American father. The boy is raised by his mom, grows up poor, and lives between cultures. He is an outsider everywhere he goes. He's quiet, smart, and makes connections between what he sees and what he reads. He's a kid who loves poetry, books, and pan dulce. He winds up in the house of Frida and Diego (yes, the painters) working in the kitchen; and then issues of class, money, power, and privilege are woven into the plot. Achebe, Marquez, and Farmer weave those things too into their books. And so does Toni Morrison. You sort of feel like you're on a roller coaster or going down a river as you read them. So, I'm back. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
My new book by Barbara Kingsolver arrived yesterday; and I'm thrilled. I'm almost done with Poppy and Rye so I'm ready for my next big read and that will be, The Lacuna: A Novel. Last night on Sundance, I was lucky to watch a film about the life of Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) who was a poet and playwright in Germany during the time of the great wars. He lived in Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland before coming to the US. The Sundance film featured his play Mother Courage and Her Children. There was a revival of this play in New York with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in 2006. The documentary was released in 2008 and showed Brecht in photos and footage. Featured were the wagon that Mother Courage pulled behind her, Tony Kushner who translated the play, George Wolfe who directed the play, behind-the-scenes rehearsals with Meryl and Kevin, footage of the McCarthy hearings during the Communist scares in the 50s with Richard Nixon sitting right there, and commentary that helped explain the relationship between Bertolt Brecht and Karl Marx. This documentary film, perhaps more than the play, asks viewers to examine why we allow ourselves to be manipulated and exploited by war and its machinery. While the play ends, war continues on with no end in sight. Why? Til tomorrow.
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| Photo credit White Buffalo Entertainment and The Public Theater / Michael Daniel |
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Monday, November 30, 2009
I would love to hear Malcolm Gladwell read his new book; and I would love to hear Ken Auletta read his new book. I'm going to investigate that. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
So, today, finally. In the New York Times Book Review, Malcolm Gladwell responds to Steven Pinker's negative analysis of Mr. Gladwell's new book, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, which I just bought from Amazon seconds ago. On November 15, Dr. Pinker put into question many of Mr. Gladwell's assertions. So, I didn't buy the book. I waited for Mr. Gladwell's rebuttal anticipating that it would come on November 22. When it didn't, I assumed Mr. Gladwell was acquiescing to Dr. Pinker's doubts about the books accuracy; and who wants a book that's inaccurate even if she loves the author. But today. Voila. Mr. Gladwell comes through with flying colors. He explains the statistics he used, he explains the email he sent to Dr. Pinker, he makes a few digs about a book reviewer who checks facts from blogs rather than academic journals, and he does it all with gentlemanly wit. Then Dr. Pinker was given a chance to respond and is equally genteel although obviously standing down. Love it. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009
This evening at 5 PM central time, Prairie Home Companion will be live from Town Hall at 123 W. 43rd in NYC. Mr. Keillor had a stroke a month or so ago; and tonight he's broadcasting live from Town Hall. He has certainly maintained and promoted the world of live radio to an art - the art of living well and doing good work. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, November 27, 2009
BookTV is on all day today. I bet there will be somebody on there who has written a book that I want to read. So, it's great to have leftovers and BookTV all day today. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
At some point I'm going to have to just stop reading the newspaper. Today, it was reported that 600 salt water fish died in an aquarium at a local shopping mall. It was reported as though it didn't matter. But it does. Everywhere I look, land is paved, trees are removed, nature is despoiled. It's very tough to tolerate all that. So, when it looks like the planet is going down for the count and the citizens have cut down the last tree of the land, I turn my gaze to Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. Ms. Jacobs (1916-2006) wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities, first published in 1961 and still in print and high demand. She outlined the ways in which city governments were destroying neighborhoods through urban expanision and renewal. She galvanized people to protest all kinds of destructive new building projects and won. She simply never stopped her crusade against progressive destruction. The other person I think about is Rachel Carson (1907-1964) who wrote about the destructive use of pesticides and pollution in her book Silent Spring. Her title predicted that the planet would have silence every spring unless we changed pesticide and pollution practices that were killing the birds. Ms. Carson's book is still in print and still being held up as a powerful model for proper treatment of the environment. Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. Their focused efforts and their books are powerfully unique testaments to what can be accomplished. But then again, wouldn't it be nice to be able to live a life that was "for" something rather than having to be "opposed" to something. Til tomorrow.
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| Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson |
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
At some point I must have read Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows copyright 1908, 1913, or 1916 depending on where you look on the copyright page. I've read multiple places that it's the greatest piece of literature for children ever written. Talking animals. Rivers. Nature. Virtues. Just my style. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, November 23, 2009
I ordered Barbara Kingsolver's new book yesterday, The Lacuna: A Novel. I have all of her books. I love her stance on life and literature. And I love the fact that she's been able to apply her wordy talents so that she can make a solid living. She tells a good intelligent story in all her books and leaves you with images that remind you of other things just like Proust described in Remembrance of Things Past. Ms. Kingsolver also connects the past with the future. I wonder how she does that. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
In last week's NY Times Book Review, Steven Pinker reviewed Malcolm Gladwell's new book, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures. Dr. Pinker said that although Mr. Gladwell was indefatigable in his intellectual curiosity and his output for new books, the newest book had statistical errors and a spelling error for the word igon which is actually spelled eigen and is a term used in linear algebra. So, I waited all week for Mr. Gladwell to write a letter to the editor as a sort of rebuttal or even apology or perhaps a thank you for the constructive feedback. Nada. There you go. Error. Correction. Move on.
This week in today's Book Review, Steven King has a lengthy piece about two new books about Raymond Carver, who although was a great writer was a total mess in his private life. Mr. King also took the time in preparing for that piece to tell us what an editor of a book should do to help writers. He said that an editor of a book should, "improve the writer's work by doing a number of useful things: posing questions the writer should have answered and didn't, suggesting places where thematic concerns can be reinforced to make a more pleasing whole, and pointing out (gently) infelicities of language. What an editor should never do is superimpose his or her own beliefs about style and story on the author's work. An editor should be an expert midwife, not a surrogate parent." I love that quote. It's 100% true and very helpful.
Finally, in today's Book Review, Sam Tanenhaus used a word that is known by probably seven readers in his review of the autobiography of Andre Agassi. Bildungsroman. Bildungsroman. Bildungsroman. German for a coming-of-age story. I suppose sometimes a foreign word is the only word that will do. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
Michael Feldman at 10.
Ira Glass at 2.
Garrison Keillor at 5.
Supper at 6.
Must be Saturday.
Plus my new book by Shaun Tan arrived. Tales from Outer Suburbia. His other really significant book is The Arrival. I never get tired of studying that book. It's wordless and exquisite in his perspective. His books require an investment of time and thought. They require the reader to focus, clear the mind, and pay attention. The reward is always significant. Art is like that. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, November 20, 2009
It's raining cats and dogs today. Time to stay indoors. Time to finish Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez as well as Poppy and Rye by Avi. Time to plan for Thanksgiving dinner. Time to vacuum. Time to polish the silver. Time. Time. Time. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
I was missing a book. I looked and looked and couldn't find it. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. I read it long ago in college and had recently moved it from one shelf to another. But then I couldn't find it. How's that possible to know where something is for 20 years and then suddenly you don't know where it is. The good news is I found it. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wake up.
Drink some coffee.
Skim the paper.
Email mom.
Walk the dogs.
Go to work.
Eat lunch.
Go back to work.
Fix supper.
Wash the dishes.
Walk the dogs.
Stare at the computer.
Call a friend.
Watch Modern Family on ABC.
Read a book.
Go to sleep.
Perfect.
More or less.
Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
At Bauman Rare Books, located at 535 Madison Avenue in NYC, they have a 1963 copy of Where the Wild Things Are signed by Maurice Sendak. They have the price listed at $25,000. I wonder if they'd take $20,000. They also have an unsigned copy of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco from 1922, priced at $22,000, which they seem pretty firm on. And finally, a first edition of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web from 1952 is listed for $3,600. Til tomorrow.
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| I love this bookshop on Madison Avenue. |
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Man oh man. Ralph Nader and Chris Hedges were both on BookTV yesterday. LIVE!!! In my living room. They both have new books and are brilliant and articulate about the way it's supposed to be. They understand everything from the economy to global warming to world peace to the power of words. They seem unstoppable in their devotion to making the planet a better place to live. Mr. Nader says it all starts with small, grass-roots groups who meet and work toward a common goal. Mr. Hedges says it all starts with getting our nation's number one economic drain fixed and that is out-of-control, for-profit health insurance. Very convincing they were. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, November 15, 2009
Yesterday.
I started and almost finished a new book with a copyright of 1998. Poppy and Rye by Avi.
I caught Al Gore delivering a booktalk in Miami on BookTV.
I listened to Anjelica Huston read a short story on Selected Shorts.
Avi. Al. Anjelica.
All in my living room. Am I spoiled or what? Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, November 14, 2009
James Baker, former Secretary of State, supposedly told Israel and Palestine to solve their peace and war problems themselves. He said, "We have our own country to fix." And then he gave them a phone number and told them to call Barack when they were ready to talk at (202) 456-1414. The phone number appears to be the real deal. I just called it and a guy answered, "White House." Then I went to the reverse phone lookup and got 31 hits with the address of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. Cool. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss is the book I'm thinking about today. I first saw her on BookTV in 2004 and "immediately" loved her inner stickler for punctuation. During this appearance, she was at Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon where I've been several times. It's a fabulous place and rivals Strand Bookstore in Manhattan as the place to find whatever book you might need or want. The subtitle of Ms. Truss's book is The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. AND I've just reread the foreword to the book by none other than Frank McCourt (1930-2009). Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
I just ordered Shaun Tan's newest book, Tales from Outer Suburbia. It got a great review in the NY Times Book Review section this past Sunday. I had just reread The Arrival, which is also by Mr. Tan and so I'm ready to love the newest of his books. Another title receiving a great review in that issue of the Book Review was Jerry Pinkney's newest book The Lion and the Mouse, which is of course one of Aesop's fables and which of course Jerry included in his 2000 edition of Aesop's Fables. How great it is to be a reader. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I was reading a scholarly piece about literacy and language and came across a reference to Claude Levi-Strauss (1908-2009), who was an anthropologist who made it possible to systematically study language and communication and culture among and between all kinds of groups of people. And no, he's not related to Levi Strauss (1829-1902) of blue jeans fame. Claude Levi-Strauss died this month just before his 101st birthday. I wondered how to pronounce his name and found a youtube video interview with Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) who pronounced his name LEEvee Strose. I am so appreciative of these kinds of thinkers who do the hard, hard thinking that is required to figure out life. But here's what I think. Life is actually pretty simply. It's just that we humans lack the intellectual ability to see it. So, we create very complex ways of trying to figure out why A = B. In most cases, even our best efforts to understand and explain even the simplest set of relationships fall short. But I still admire the effort. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman.
Those are my next two books. They came highly recommended; and their Amazon ratings are off the charts. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, November 9, 2009
Writing a few words each day about books and all things bookish sounds easier than it is. Today, nothing comes to mind. So, I'll say that loud and clear: today, nothing comes to mind. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, November 8, 2009
For what it's worth. A song from the 60s by Buffalo Springfield. Reading today's paper put me in mind of that tune. We are a species that produces both high art and enormous atrocity. At some point, civilizations will resolve all their conflicts at the peace table rather than the battle field. When will that time come? When will the better angels of our nature show themselves? It's time. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, November 7, 2009
I've had to update my list of books that have influenced me. I left out Atlas Shrugged. So, I've added that title and removed Sick Puppy, which was a nice book but which doesn't permanently change my outlook like Atlas did. I could have left Puppy on the list; but I wanted to keep it to one page. Ah, the limitations of space. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, November 6, 2009
Al Gore has a new book out. Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. He was on Charlie Rose last night and was brilliant. In his case, it's turned out well that Mr. Gore was not our President because it allowed him to focus on saving the planet from global warming. He said that within ten years, America could be free from dependence on an oil-based economy if we start now to develop alternative energy sources. What a guy. And for once, Mr. Rose actually let his guest do most of the talking without interruption. Lovely. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, November 5, 2009
I'm up way too early to think about books this morning except to say that I watched Ken Auletta on BookTV this weekend. His new book is titled, Googled: The End of the World as We Know It. He was great. He explained how the founders of Google got started, how they use an algorithm to allow searches, and how Google has permanently changed the world. Way cool. Til tomorrow.
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| Brian Lamb and Ken Auletta |
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The time change has once again messed up my schedule. I have 17 clocks; and they all say a different time. I've left some of them on pre-change time because I wanted a sense of what kind of time I was losing. Turns out a lot. It's dark way too early, which interferes with my evening reading. Somehow. I don't know how; but this time change business seems unnecessary. I wish that it would stay the same time on the clocks. No more time changes. On a brighter note, the sun still comes up regularly and is unaware of how we humans are trying to manipulate it. Way to go, sun. For today's missive, time's up. Til tomorrow.
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Monday and Tuesday, November 2 and 3, 2009
Days and days go by without Frederick Neitzsche's name ever crossing my mind; and yet yesterday, his work was evoked in two different places. First, in the Sunday Times Book Review a review of a new biography about Ayn Rand was published. Ms. Rand was quoted as saying that Nietzsche "beat me to all my ideas." Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is about the talented, creative, and powerful people in America who simply got tired of supporting everyone. So, they opted out into a secret society where they vowed to produce no more work to benefit society and consumers. They felt their talents weren't appreciated and were being squandered. John Galt was their iconic leader. I love that book. I love the fact that Ayn Rand could take complex economic and philosophical ideas and craft them into a novel. And as Susan Sontag said, "narrative is more long-lasting than expository." Atlas Shrugged will be here forever. I'm going to reread that book soon. The second invocation of Nietzsche was in the book I just finished titled, Masterpiece by Elise Broach. It's about a boy named James and a beetle named Marvin both of whom you grow to like. How is that possible. Liking a non-existent beetle? Who'd have thunk it. Anyhoo, the art critic in the book named Christina mentions Nietzsche in one of her lectures at the Met. She said, "The Greeks thought the four cardinal virtues were related to one another. It was impossible to master one without mastering all of them." That's what she said on page 152. She went on to say that Nietzsche disagreed by saying the virtues were incompatible. He said you couldn't be both wise and brave.
What are the four Greek virtues?
Temperance, prudence, fortitude, justice.
(Moderation, cautious judgment, courage, ethics.)
I feel like I've been slammed.
Ayn Rand, Frederick Nietzsche, Atlas Shrugged, Susan Sontag, Greek virtues, and an artistic beetle all within a two hour period on a Sunday afternoon.
Rand (1905-1982)
Nietzsche (1844-1900)
Broach (1960-)
Sontag (1933-2004)
Til tomorrow.
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| Rand, Nietzsche, Broach, Sontag |
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Sunday, November 1, 2009
I've found a wonderful new book. No! By David McPhail. It's dedicated to teachers. It's wordless. It's powerful. Mr. McPhail got it just right. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
The winner of Garrison Keillor's contest for the best six-word novel goes like this:
Returning the zuchini; accept this fruitcake.
Til tomorrow.
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Friday, October 30, 2009
I've found my new favorite book, Masterpiece by Elise Broach. It's a story about some beetles that live in a little house beneath the kitchen sink in a house owned by Mr. and Mrs. Pompaday and their young son, James. The book is yummy. As I'm reading it, I'm uber-aware of how books I read as a kid have made me sensitive to the needs of bugs, birds, moose, hares, and all other manner of flora and fauna. The notion of giving human qualities to other life forms is called anthropomorphism. And Masterpiece gives these beetles under the sink all the characteristics of one of the finest families you'd ever want to meet. I'm ready it slowly so it won't conclude too quickly. Deelicious. Til tomorrow.
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| Illustrator Kelly Murphy knows beetles. |
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
I have two new books. The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney and Masterpiece by Elise Broach. I have already finished Mr. Pinkney's book including the author's note at the end. I love Jerry Pinkney. I talked with him at a conference where he was the keynote speaker. He came down from the dais to speak to me as I told him how much I had enjoyed his presentation on BookTV. He is a wonderful artist. Ms. Broach is a new author for me; but I'm very anxious to get into her book. It's going to be fabulous. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ethel Merman, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone. All played Madame Rose in Gypsy. There may have been one more; but I don't know about it. I saw the last three on Broadway. I'm too young to have seen Ms. Merman. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Willem Dafoe is on Broadway in Idiot Savant; and Laurie Metcalf is there as well in Brighton Beach Memoirs. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has a new opera in London that takes up where Phantom left off. But right here in my study, Leon Redbone is singing away from Up a Lazy River. Artists, performers, musicians, writers, poets - why aren't they in charge of the world? I guess they're busy doing what artists, performers, musicians, writers, and poets do. Til tomorrow.
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| Willem, Laurie, Leon, Andrew |
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Yesterday was good. Reading the Times, sipping coffee, sitting on the patio, watching the hummingbirds, waiting for the beef bourguignon to be done. And finally it was. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
Beef bourguignon is in the oven braising away while I write these few words. The aroma is enormous. While I'm waiting, I'm pining away for a new 27" quad imac; but it's two grand. It's totally beautiful but not in the budget unless I get some sort of stimulus funding in the mail. In the meantime, I'm loving Mirror: Stories of Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano. He has chronicled society's shortcomings in 600+ little narratives that have taken place since the beginning of recorded time. His book is not uplifting; but it tells a truth about the inclination of powerful groups to dominate and despoil. For my money, Mr. Galeano got it all just right. I wonder how he'll end it so that hope remains. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, October 24, 2009
I'm still thumbing through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. On page 310 is the recipe for beef bourguignon which I will attempt to make today. French cooking is not for spur-of-the-moment people like me. Beef bourguignon requires a 24 hour marinade. Hmm. Maybe I'll just forget the whole thing. Maybe I'll just be happy that I can now spell b o u r g u i g n o n.
Til tomorrow.
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Friday, October 23, 2009
David Brooks wrote a column for the NY Times on October 19 about Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Now that the 1963 copyrighted book is a movie, it's seeing a resurgence of interest and scrutiny. Mr. Brooks analyzes the book according to two lenses. First, he looks at the book through the eyes of a philosopher then a psychologist. The philosopher says that we humans have character traits that dictate how we behave. If you're honest in the morning, you're honest in the evening. If you're compassionate in the morning, you're compassionate in the evening. The psychologist says that we humans have character traits that are totally dependent on the context and situation we're in. If I'm anxious at home, I'm not necessarily anxious at work. If I'm brave at work, I'm not necessarily brave at the mall. So, Max can be analyzed philosophically or psychologically-take your pick. My money is on the psychological analysis. Behavior is totally dependent on where you are at the moment. It's location, location, location. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Windows 7 came out today to replace Windows Vista. It's still clunky and inelegant. But it's cheap. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
I found out that kids love a pop-up book on geography. The book is The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book. Harm de Blij is the nation's most popular geographer; and he's convinced that EVERYTHING is geography from our language to our customs to our culture to our lifestyles and of course to our history. So, I'm delighted to find this little gem of a book. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
It's dead still outside my window this morning except for this stray dog that has suddenly appeared. That sentence reminds me of Cynthia Rylant's The Van Gogh Cafe which has to be one of my all time favorite books especially the part where pies start baking themselves in Flowers, Kansas in a little cafe owned by Marc and his daughter. I think I'll reread that book. It's delicious. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Wow. I caught William Ouchi on BookTV yesterday. His new book is on TSL. Total student load. I just went to C-SPAN and bought the video. His data shows that if you reduce the number of students per teacher, we will have better schools. The video can be watched online at
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/video.php?dispid=289124-1
I don't know what I'd do without BookTV. Every single time I watch, I learn. Til tomorrow.
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| williamouchi.com |
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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Deborah Solomon has featured two food people in a row in the Times Magazine for the last two weeks. Lisa Lillien known as Hungry Girl was interviewed last Sunday; and Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet, was interviewed today. Reading those interviews makes me want to go cook something fabulous. But in reality, I'll probably warm up the Alfredo and spaghetti I made yesterday along with a bit of salad and peaches with whipped cream...all devoured on the patio. Til tomorrow.
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| Lisa's photo by Christian Oth; Ruth's photo by Fiona Aboud; Alfredo photo by me. |
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Saturday, October 17, 2009
“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted. You should live several lives while reading it.” That's what William Styron said. How could he have used just 20 words to express the perfect sentiment about books. Twenty words and three pieces of punctuation. Pretty profound. Til tomorrow.
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| William Styron, June 11, 1926-November 1, 2006 |
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Michael Moore's Capitalism has finally arrived in town after opening in the rest of the country two weeks ago. I love his perspective, style, and gumption. He gets it all just right. But I'll probably still wait til it comes out in DVD. Going to the movies is not a pleasant outing. Sticky floors, lots of texting, and commercials that are WAY TOO LOUD. So, what do you do. You wait for the DVD. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday and Thursday, October 14 and 15, 2009
William Styron came up this week in something I've been reading. I remember him sitting down with Christopher Cerf (Bennett Cerf's son) and talking to BookTV one weekend. Mr. Styron wrote Sophie's Choice and Darkness Visible among many. The interview between those two life-long friends was quite wonderful. And then, I met Christopher Cerf at a conference and told him what a great interview that was of him with Mr. Styron. He asked if it was still available. He hadn't seen it yet. He was absolutely sweet and wonderful. He led Sesame Street and now leads Reading Between the Lions on PBS. Bennett Cerf was on What's My Line for many years with Arlene Francis, Kitty Carlisle, Dorothy Kilgallen, and John Daly as host. Bennett Cerf launched Random House publishers because he thought he'd publish a book every now and then at random. Til tomorrow.
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| Christopher Cerf at The Institute of Expertology |
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My list of 33 books from October 9, 2009 contains 17 expository and 16 narratives although a couple of books could fit into both categories. So, the books that have impacted me the most on that list are about evenly split between the two types of books. As his favorite book, I know that Shelby Foote preferred Proust; but I'll stick with Kingsolver although Proust's concept of sense memory is absolutely dead on. We all sense something every single day that brings back a memory. Astute senses spark vivid memories. Dull senses live in the moment. Til tomorrow
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Monday, October 12, 2009
In the NY Times Book Review yesterday, Maureen Dowd criticizes Dan Brown's new book about the Masons for not revealing enough about that group's semiotic secrets. Masons, evidently, lay bricks, share secrets, and stick with their brotherhood through thick and thin. She is guessing that because he was so critical of the Catholic church in his book, The Da Vinci Code that he decided not to rile up too many folks this time around. She also criticized the new book as being a book written more for a movie than a book to be read and appreciated just as a book. I'd say the relationship between Ms. Dowd and Mr. Brown will be forever strained. As much as I like both of their writings, she convinced me to pass on the book. I wonder if that's what she intended. Here's what I want from a book. Does this book tell an engaging story that sustained my attention, fed my imagination, and kept me turning the pages? Til tomorrow.
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| Maureen Dowd and Dan Brown |
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
Michael Feldman had a rebroadcast yesterday and featured the governor of Arkansas since he was in Little Rock; he also interviewed the director of Heifer International, an NGO nonprofit that provides goats, chickens, and cows to developing nations. It was fabulous. Ira Glass explained why people in some cities become more ill after seeing their doctor than people in neighboring cities. Garrison Keillor talked about his stroke during his Lake Woebegone segment. All yesterday. And I'm still reading Eduardo Galeano's Mirror and Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. Plus, I just finished reading Deborah Solomon's interview with Hungry Girl in the Times Magazine this morning. Words. Words. Words. They all got it just right. Today? Coffee, the Times, two loyal dogs, and homemade spaghetti for lunch. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009
Michael Feldman at 10
Ira Glass at 2
Garrison Keillor at 5
All online at Texas Public Radio, 89.1 FM in San Antonio or www.tpr.org.
I love Saturdays.
Til tomorrow.
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Friday, October 9, 2009
I made a list of my favorite books last night and typed them up. But then I found a couple more sitting on the shelf that I like but that won't fit on the list. So, I've revised the list a bit and hope that the replaced books don't feel too badly about not making the final cut. Perhaps they'll never know. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, October 8, 2009
Twenty-four hours later; and I'm still listening to Leon Redbone. He's the master of jazz, blues, and sophisticated guitar playing. He sang "Polly Wolly Doodle All Day" on Prairie Home Companion on May 8, 2008. Garrison asked him who wrote that song. Leon said, "I wrote that song." But then I researched that song; and found that it appeared in a Harvard student song book in 1880. So, this means that like all good artists, Mr. Redbone was speaking metaphorically. He's singing live in Eligin, Illinois this weekend. The house is packed. Lucky ticketholders. The blues ain't nothing but a good man feeling bad. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I've listened to Leon Redbone for decades. I'm listening to him now. He's a very private person. His musical talent is boundless. I wish for him much happiness. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
There once was a writer who blocked
Her mind shut down and locked
She now only stares
At the monitor's glare
And waits for time to tick tock.
Til tomorrow.
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| Edward Lear 1812-1888 |
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Monday October 5, 2009
My mom and I made a lemon meringue pie for Christmas in 2003. We had it with a cup of coffee on the patio. It took all morning to make using Betty Crocker's cookbook. I have not had anything to eat since then that tasted as good. I'm sure glad I took a picture and that my beautiful imac stored the photo til now. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, October 4, 2009
Chris Hedges has a new book, Empire of Illusion. He was interveiwed by Ron Suskind on BookTV last night. BRILLIANT. I've admired Mr. Hedges forever. He is a journalist. He is a strong proponent of non-violence in world affairs. He is a critic of war as a solution. He is a critic of Wall Street and it's bungling of the world economy. He's written many books all of which are backed up by credible data that he himself has collected, compiled, and distilled. He's articulate, unrelenting, and unapologetic for being a spokesperson for social justice worldwide. How do you get to be him? Graduate from Harvard Divinity School for starts and then live for 20 years in the Middle East watching the world through the eyes of people and cultures whose wisdom and beliefs are underrepresented. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
Margaret Drabble has a new book on life as a jigsaw puzzle. She has written 17 novels. Susan Sontag said that fiction was more long-lasting than non-fiction for illuminating themes and issues. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, October 2, 2009
Eric Carle has produced a video tape showing how he makes his artwork and his books. His trilogy The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar features the respective themes of love, work, and hope. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009
I've been writing on this site for over a year now. It's good to wake up, think about something literary, and write a few lines. And the only thing I can think of this morning is Tom Hayden's new book, The Long Sixties: From 1960 to Barack Obama. Mr. Hayden was a 60s revolutionary who supported civil rights and anti-war movements. He's still doing that. So, it is possible to commit to a long-term movement and stay with it. Most people don't. He did. When I hear him speak, I always like what he says. Til tomorrow.
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| Then and Now: The good don't always die young. |
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Up early today. Listening to Nathan Lane from The Producers on Sirius radio. Read the paper. Had coffee. Thinking about how great it is to read good writing. My favorite writer? Hmmm. Shelby Foote would say Proust. I would say Cynthia Ozick. Maybe O. Henry. Or perhaps Margaret Drabble. Or probably Barbara Kingsolver. Yes. Barbara Kingsolver. On a related note. Ken Burns said that Shelby Foote sold 60,000 copies of his three-volume set of books on the Civil War. And then after Ken Burns's broadcast of his PBS video on the Civil War that featured much of Shelby Foote's research and voice, Mr. Foote sold over one million copies of the three-volume set. The power of film trumps the power of books. It's easier to view a film than to read a book. Til tomorrow.
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| Barbara Kingsolver |
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Michael Moore, Paul Krugman, and John Waters were on Bill Maher this week. They spoke convincingly about the worlds of economics and entertainment. They discussed the notions of greed and violence that are so prevalent in our various societies. I suppose it's in our collective genes to take what we need so that we can survive as part of the world's fittest. We do what we do to survive. But our genes have also given us the ability to reason which means we should be able to rise above our basest instincts. We should be able to rise above the instinct to annihilate each other and take what is not ours. We should be able to bend to the better angels of our nature. But after reading today's paper containing story after story of murder and mayhem, I fear it is not to be. Our genetic makeup is not serving us very well. Our poor species. Burn a candle. Curse the darkness. Maybe both. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Benjamin Harris. Those were the Presidents who signed into law protection of Yosemite and Yellowstone according to the compelling PBS film by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan about the nation's parks. But it was John Muir (1838-1914) who was really the star of protecting all this land from developers, strip miners, clear cutters, and polluters. I watched the first two-hours of the twelve-hour film last night; but I did have to mute parts of it when the narrator, Peter Coyote, told stories of the dispossesion and massacre of the native people who had lived on these lands for thousands of years before the US expanded its industrial, capital-producing development of the West. The film begs the question, "What is progress?" Til tomorrow.
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| The Scotsman, John Muir |
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Sunday, September 27, 2009
The National Book Festival in DC was yesterday and was broadcast live on BookTV. Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan talked about their new film and book that feature the national park system. PBS will broadcast the six-part series beginning today. Mr. Burns and Mr. Duncan produced this 12-hour documentary on the 58 national parks that the people of this country own in order to encourage the continuing preservation of the land and the system. Thanks to President Teddy Roosevelt, the national park service controls all those lands that would have otherwise been in the control of private land developers and gated communities. Way to go TR. Til tomorrow.
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| Statue of TR in front of the Museum of Natural History in NYC |
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
I met Michael Moore, Ben Cheever, and Barbara Ehrenreich in NYC at a 92nd Street Y book talk one time a few years back. They were wonderful. They each signed the books I bought from them; and they each gave wonderful, chatty talks to a room packed with people. They also stayed afterwards and signed books and just talked - easily and without even once glancing at their watches. It was easy to see that they each possessed the ability to singularly focus on a topic long enough to write a book no matter how long it took. They looked like and talked like normal people; but if you studied them closely, they each were completely focused on the craft and joy of writing. What a great evening that was. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, September 25, 2009
The Times Magazine last Sunday featured Carl Jung and his Red Book, which is a red, leather book containing thoughts, ideas, and pictures of Jung's dreams and their interpretations. His book, Memories, Dreams, Reflections presents his ideas on figuring out your inner self. And of course, the problem with doing that is that it can drive you crazy. Which in Jung's case, it may have. But then of course, other Jungian analysts have studied Jung and are perfectly fine. Ostensibly. Carl was a well educated reader and thinker who tried to piece together poetry, science, art, philosophy, and ultimately the meaning of life. He died in 1961 leaving his grandchildren to deal with his estate. The Red Book has now been scanned and will be published soon for everyone to see. The original Red Book is locked in a vault in Zurich, Switzerland; but it will be loaned out to the Rubin Museum in NYC later this year for those who want to see the original. Jung's notion of a collective unconscious shared by all is appealing although unprovable at the moment. But at least CGJ tried to make sense of a world that seems coded in complexity. He examined life very thoroughly. Maybe he was guilty of overthinking things when all we really need is peace. Til tomorrow.
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| The Red Book from nytimes.org |
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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Deborah Tannen, a linguist, was featured by Deborah Solomon in last Sunday's Times which I'm still reading because I'm behind in virtually everything but coffee and blogging. So....she talked about her research on sisters. I always thought I'd like a twin sister but that's just because I watched Hayley Mills with Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in The Parent Trap way too many times. Til tomorrow.
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| Photos by David Holloway and IMDb. |
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I was stuck in an airport for five hours Monday. ARGH. It was the weather. Hail, lightening, wind, torrential downpour. It was great. I bought a book there and almost finished the whole thing. When Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. His writing is laugh-out-loud-right-there-in-the-airport. His take on the world is to explore the minutia of life, people, and their things and then to write about it. Where exactly is Normandy? Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, September 19 to Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I had occasion to visit the public library in Cushing, Oklahoma. The library is dedicated to the enlightenment of all so that democracy may prevail. How cool is that. I even checked out a book on my mom's library card. The book you ask? Why it's The Alley by Eleanor Estes, copyright 1964. The exact book I read there as a kid. Exactly. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, September 18, 2009
Said the mouse to no one in particular:
If not for the cat
And the scarcity of cheese,
I could be content.
Poem by Jack Prelutsky
Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ten more days; and it will be a year that I've been writing daily snippets. When the year gets here, I'll be done for a while. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
In the movie, Before Sunrise, with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, Nina Simone sings the song "Just in Time." Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Times had 3 Arts and Leisure sections this past Sunday: Theatre, Movies, Music. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are everywhere in the movies. While the rest of the world was waiting to see if they could make it in Hollywood, they were out there making it. Versatile actors with talent. They should try their craft on Broadway cause that's where it counts for acting. Waiting for Godot would be an interesting gig for them. Til tomorrow.
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| Inglourious Basterds and The Informant |
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Monday, September 14, 2009
What does it take to raise people like Malcolm Gladwell and Sam Tanenhaus? They were both on BookTV this weekend; and they are the very voice of intellectual curiosity and linguistic agility. They know what to say and exactly how to say it. They study, read, write, speak, and are very generous with their gifts. Modern day heroes. I wonder if they hang out together. Til tomorrow.
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| Malcolm and Sam |
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Sunday, September 13, 2009
The number of women who have made major contributions to literature and art throughout their lives is humbling. In the world of PBS, NPR, HBO, and The NY Times, Alice Neel, Nina Simone, Judith Jamison, Margaret Drabble, Grace Paley, and Cynthia Ozick are just a few who have been featured recently as having made their marks over years and decades. These are not ladies who lunch. They are raw talent and pure work ethic. They write, paint, sing, dance, and went to work every day. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
On December 10, 2008, it was the 60th anniversary of the UN's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I have a copy in a little blue book. There are 30 Articles of things like, "people have the right to a nation," "people have the right to education," and "people have the right to rest and leisure." It's a lovely and noble document. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee.
http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/udhr60/declaration.shtml
The book I bought at the gift shop in Hyde Park contains the 30 Articles in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic. After 60 years, it still holds up as a remarkable contribution to world peace. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, September 11, 2009
Eight years ago, the towers fell. The perpetrator of this act is still at large. If I could do one or two or three really big things to repair the world, I wonder what I'd do. Or if I could just wish for a better world, what would I wish for. How do you restore goodness in a world where the seeds of malfeasance are "sown in poverty, ignorance and despair." Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
I finished not too long ago a book by Christopher Paul Curtis titled, Elijah of Buxton. It's a wonderful book that gives an absolutely clear perspective on the issue of slavery and how this issue was handled in Canada versus here in the US. The story is told through the eyes of a little boy named Elijah. His family is loving, hardworking, and living in Canada. Elijah is a boy; and when he's needed to help a runaway slave, he steps up and tries to save the day. What a thrilling book. I met Mr. Curtis in Atlanta. He was the keynote speaker at a dinner; and he was fabulous. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Jonathan Kozol said that American education needs four things:
1. high-quality preschool for every child in America, all day, every day.
2. a reduction in class size to 18 students per every 1 teacher.
3. restoration of teacher morale by eliminating the testing mania and NCLB.
4. bunches of charming, beautiful books in every American classroom.
Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I've heard Shelby Foote say it. I've heard Stanley Crouch say it. William Shakespeare is the reigning king of language usage. But to appreciate that kingdom requires a teacher who can help one weed through and understand the difficult parts. And that takes the right person, a chunk of time, and a clear head. Til tomorrow.
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| British Museum. Marble sculpture by Louis-Francois Roubiliac in 1757 |
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Monday, September 7, 2009
Jonathan Kozol was wonderful, inspirational, courageous, strong, focused, determined, hard-working, well read, and totally committed to his life's work. I've already emailed him thanking him for the program; and I ordered the DVD from C-SPAN. Plus, since Jonathan mentioned that he still hasn't been invited to the White House for dinner (even though he helped Barack get elected), I emailed the President and suggested he invite Jonathan to dinner. And me too. What will I wear? My new Keds for sure. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, September 6, 2009
According to the Times this morning, Jude Law will be playing Hamlet on Broadway for three months. Recently, the audience at Kronborg Castle in Denmark saw his performance after Hamlet had played in London for a season. The current prince of Denmark was actually in the audience. Cool. Others who played Hamlet at that same castle are
Laurence Olivier
Richard Burton
John Gielgud
Kenneth Branagh
The Times said Mr. Law is unfazed by the pressure to play Hamlet under this kind of historical weight. The play was written by Shakespeare around 1600 and is about the Prince of Denmark, named Hamlet. Hamlet's father, The King, was killed by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, who married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Madness, revenge, murder, despair. Always a good mix for a really good story. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo of Jude Law by Jonathan Worth for The NY Times |
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Saturday, September 5, 2009
It's a long weekend. Yea. Plus, tomorrow BookTV will be broadcasting a live, three-hour conversation with Jonathan Kozol. I simply can not wait. A hero right in my own living room for three hours. I simply can not wait. Wait. I already said that. Til tomorrow.
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| Jonathan personalizes his book to me. Thank you, Stan. |
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Friday, September 4, 2009
Network Solutions stopped completely my ability to use Safari to create my web page. Yesterday it worked, today it didn't. So, now I've downloaded Firefox, which I'm using to write these few words. There you go. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, September 3, 2009 People crash into buildings while they are looking at their GPS devices to find the building they just crashed in to. Facebook is on the decline. Twitter is getting boring. Fees for instant internet access are becoming prohibitive. So. Give me a book and a candle; and I'm good. Next book: Mirror by Eduardo Galeano. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009 I would like 640 acres of forest; and in the middle I'd build a little Henry David Thoreau cabin with three rooms and the necessary furniture. I'd need a creek, a pond, a road, a water well, and some loons. A few chickens, a red wheelbarrow, wireless internet, my dogs, one goat, maybe two, and plenty of Vitamin C. Plus a small garage and my Subaru. Til tomorrow.
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| Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts |
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009 I do believe that the book I most admire is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Ms. Rand took a great philosophical debate about our capitalistic society, added fully formed characters, and created a time and place that was more interesting than the time and place in which I now live. Her characters were all financially successful people who ran great corporations but who in the end decided to withhold their creative talents from the rest of society which just seemed too ungrateful and unproductive to support. For a writer to take monetary and societal theories and turn them into a novel with compelling characters seems impossible. At least it's impossible for me. Who is the next Ayn Rand? Not me. Til tomorrow.
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| Atlas on 5th Avenue, NYC between 50th and 51st |
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Monday, August 31, 2009 Howard Gardner added two intelligences to his list of seven multiple intelligences. He added an existentialist intelligence and a flora and fauna intelligence. Linguistic, mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, musical. Makes sense. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo by Jon Chase |
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Sunday, August 30, 2009 While the nation's schools continue to debate how to teach children to read and enjoy books, Nancie Atwell continues with her 25-year quest to use readers and writers workshops. And on the front page of the Times this morning, an extensive article about the workshops and a photo of Ms. Atwell demonstrating the process appears. Very refreshing. Til tomorrow.
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| Nancie Atwell in The NY Times |
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Saturday, August 29, 2009 At one point, I was six weeks behind in reading The New York Times Book Review. This morning, I was one week behind. As of this moment, I'm all caught up. So this morning, as I was reading all the book reviews and drinking my tepid cup of coffee with sugar and French Vanilla non-dairy coffee creamer, I was struck by the sheer number of people who have a story to tell or an opinion to share. And the thing is is that all these stories and opinions are worth reading; and yet, there's only 24 hours in a day. So, a selective process of elimination automatically becomes the game. Too bad that life is so short. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, August 28, 2009 I woke up this morning thinking about Voltaire. I remembered one of his short stories about the question of whether it's better to know and understand the truth about the world and be fairly unhappy or whether it's better to live in sort of a protected bubble where the reality of the world's hardships are not visible. So, then I go to wikipedia and I find out that I want to find out a LOT more about his life and work. So, that's my goal. Til tomorrow.
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| Voltaire in white marble by Jean-Antoine Houdon |
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Thursday, August 27, 2009 The August 10, 2009 of The New Yorker has articles by two of my favorite people: Malcolm Gladwell and Sherman Alexie. Mr. Gladwell writes about Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird. He points out the soft bigotry in the story and parallels it with the life of a southern politician named James Folsom. Then, Mr. Alexie has a short story in the same issue about his life, family, and a potential brain tumor that left him mostly deaf in one ear. Both of these writers have got the craft of telling a story down pat. They are very elegant with their words; and they're both decent people who have great talent and tremendous energy for work. Lovely. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009 I've decided to cut back. I'm going to clean out my files and bookshelves and keep only what is essential. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009 Marriage not required. Children not essential. Marriage and children not necessary for women to have a satisfying life. That's what she said. Ama Ata Aidoo. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, August 24, 2009 Alex Storozynski was on BookTV yesterday talking about his new book, The Peasant Prince. The book chronicles the life and times of Thaddeus Kosciuszko who was a Polish statesman, peace negotiator, and world travelor. He was friends with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and helped win the war of independence. When an audience member asked why people didn't know much about Kosciuszko, Storozynski said two reasons, 1) Kosciuszko's name was hard to pronounce and 2) Polish documents and American documents were just now being opened up to historians for study. Kosciuszko is a world hero who is buried in Poland. Til tomorrow.
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| http://www.kosciuszkofoundation.org/News_Storozynski_Bio.html |
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Sunday, August 23, 2009 Today, I'm planning on finding something to cook from Julia Child's Volume 1 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Or maybe I'll just go to the theater and watch Julie and Julia again instead. It's not the cooking that I avoid. It's the cleaning up afterwards that deters me. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, August 22, 2009 Michael Feldman at 10. Ira Glass at 2. Garrison Keillor at 5 Baked chicken with lemon at 6 It's going to be a busy day. Til tomorrow.
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| Michael, Ira, Garrison, Baked Chicken |
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Friday, August 21, 2009 Ed Young has a new book titled, Hook that I'm going to buy. There's nothing better than holding in your hands the work of great artists. And that's what Ed Young is - a great artist. So, mow the lawn, dye your hair, wash the dishes, cut your nails, but read Ed Young. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009 The Brooklyn Bridge. It spans the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan. David McCullough said that when he visits his old home in Brooklyn, he and his wife walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. So, I vowed that the next time I was in NYC, I too would make the trek. Done. Okay. Alright. I didn't walk completely across it. But I did walk most of the way. It was hot. It was crowded. It was a huge distance. I did walk most of the way before I turned back to go to Strand Bookstore on 12th and Broadway where I bought a copy of Probuditi! by Chris Van Allsburg. He's so great. What a day. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Eleanor Roosevelt lived in her own house on the Roosevelt estate when FDR died. The name of the house she lived in was Val-Kill standing for valley and the Dutch word for stream. It's a lovely house with a sunporch on the second floor where she slept in the summertime since it wasn't air conditioned. JFK met with her in her parlor seeking endorsement for the presidency (which he got from her with the condition that he do more to support civil rights). Val-Kill is a place that I would like to live. It's on the Hudson River. It's a cottage. It has a swimming pool. It is designed for work, solitude, and beauty. Who could ask for more. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009 I've been in NYC this past week. I saw Phantom for the third time. LOVED it again. South Pacific and Next to Normal. The talent, work ethic, artistry, and commitment to put on a Broadway show leave me speechless...except to say, I loved it all. Then I took the train from Grand Central Terminal on 42nd to Poughkeepsie and then took a bus to the Roosevelt estate. I saw where Eleanor lived. I saw her desk, her bed, her life. I saw the Presidential library of FDR as well as his Ford. It was all stunning, inspriring, and unforgettable. The National Park Service employs extraordinary people who love their jobs and who love telling the stories of the Roosevelts. It was a wonderful trip. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, August 13-Monday, August 17, 2009 I'm away from my computer for five days. How sweet it is. Til Tuesday.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is my current book that I'm reading along with Amy Hempel's book as well as Julia Child's cookbooks, Volumes 1 and 2. It's too much. I've vowed to read only one book at a time. But time after time, I find myself in the same pickle I'm in now. Too many books, not enough time. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 Margaret Whiting had the voice that sang Time after Time in the movie Julie and Julia. I downloaded it from Amazon; and it's lovely. I also downloaded the Amazon mp3 player; and now my computer is freezing periodically. Ah. The price of art. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, August 10, 2009 Julie and Julia is a great film made great by Meryl Streep. She and Stanley Tucci carry the show. The cinematography was great. The scenes in France were great. The chocolate cake was great. The ensemble was great - not to mention picture perfect. Makes you want to go cook something. Yum. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, August 9, 2009 Carleen Hutchins (May 24, 1911-August 7, 2009) was a violin maker. She used glitter and a huge speaker to find the best spots on a piece of maple so that her violins would sing. Then she shaped the wood based on her glitter technique. Yo Yo Ma recorded an album using one of her cellos. Once with a friend, she stole a solid piece of maple from a phonebooth for one of her violins. She replaced it with a matching but cheaper piece of wood. She was 98 at her death.
Nuala O'Faolain (March 1, 1940-May 9, 2008) lived in Ireland and Manhattan. She was a writer and was the female version of Frank McCourt. In her book, she says, "A lot of us suffered in the Ireland of my day. We came out of a culture where women were utterly powerless and children had no value. If you were hit at school you were hit at home for being hit at school. It goes without saying there was no sex education. The only education a lot of us got was in neglect and being unloved." She had best sellers in both the UK and US. She gave a sobbing interview on Irish radio right before she died. http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0513/ofaolainn.html She was 68 at her death.
Til tomorrow.
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| Carleen Hutchins and Nuala O'Faolain |
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Saturday, August 8, 2009 Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be sworn in today as a Justice of the Supreme Court...for life. She's SO smart and knows the law. She'll do well. And she is very photogenic. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, August 7, 2009 The book I love the best is The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant. The story takes place at a cafe in Flowers, Kansas where Marc and his young daughter, Clara, witness the magic of food and life on a daily basis. I read this book years ago; but nearly every day, something happens which reminds me of that book. A possum, a piece of pie, a ceramic rooster. It's all there. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, August 6, 2009 The short stories I'm reading by Amy Hempel are still wonderful. I read one each evening. I think they are affecting my dreams because I'm having very peaceful dreams where everything turns out just right with no house fires, no burglars, no car crashes, no abandoned kittens, no droughts...just easy-going dreams. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, August 5, 2009 I love my Mac. The Mac operating system works like my mind words. Globally. The PC world works like Bill Gates's mind works. Sequentially with one plodding step after another. Ninety percent of the world uses a PC, the rest of the enlightened use a Mac. Apple made a huge mistake in not allowing its product to be sold in retail outlets. People couldn't buy it except online for a long time; so they bought PCs instead. Plus, the elegance of the Apple computers makes them more expensive; and people want a cheaper product. So, moving between the Apple and PC world is not an easy task. I'm in a job where I am required to use both. I wish the world were Apple. Plus, I like Photobooth on my new Mac. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, August 5, 2009 My four-cup Farberware coffee pot died yesterday. Actually it didn't die. I left it on; and it rather burned itself up. So, I've ordered another one. A different kind. I want minimal plastic, minimal mess, good style, and nice-tasting coffee. So, I ordered a Bunn. And now that I look at it in the light of day, I'm thinking...HUGE mistake. It's just so ugly looking. Maybe I'll cover it with a tea cozy. It arrives today from Amazon. Fingers crossed. UPDATE: I sent it back. The water smelled like plastic. Hot water and plastic do not a great cup of coffee make. Plus, it was too big and ugly. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, August 3, 2009 Annie Leibovitz is one of the world's best photographers. In the Times yesterday, there was a huge article about her. The article said she was 24 million dollars in debt and was about to lose her three houses and the rights to her intellectual property (photographs and negatives). The article pointed out that the skills and artistry it takes to make beautiful photographs are not the same skills required to manage ones finances. The PBS series American Masters included Ms. Leibovitz in its collection. That's how good she is. She is more than capable of paying off her debts and will continue to snap, snap, snap those photo...graphs. That's my predic...tion. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, August 2, 2009 Juan Williams of NPR fame will be live on BookTV today at 11:00 AM central time. So, I'm going to watch it just like I do the first Sunday of every month. The most memorable of those Sunday mornings included the authors: John Updike, Steven Pinker, Joan Didion, and Susan Sontag. You watch people like that on live TV for three hours in your living room; and you're never quite the same. Til tomorrow.
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| Juan Williams of NPR fame. |
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Saturday, August 1, 2009 I'll listen to Michael Feldman at 10, Ira Glass at 2, Garrison Keillor at 5. It's a busy, busy, busy day. KSTX in San Antonio, Texas Public Radio at tpr.org or 89.1 FM. The best. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, July 31, 2009 I'm thinking I'd enjoy a beer at the White House also. I'd probably ask for a white wine spritzer instead or maybe just a glass of Evian. The old $20 bill has a picture of the White House on it with a magnolia tree that was planted by Andrew Jackson in 1828. I wonder if it's the same magnolia tree in the photo below. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, July 30, 2009 Today, there's good news and bad news. First, the bad news... I lied. There is no bad news. Ha. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009 I was reading a book review on a book about absolute zero. Someone did an experiment where a light beam was directed into a mass of absolute zero degrees; and the light was stopped. Whether I got those facts exactly right or not is mostly irrelevant. The notion that really cold coldness can stop light is a cool phenomenon. One of these days, we're going to figure out everything about life; and I bet we're not going to be disappointed. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009 From my window where I sit and watch the neighborhood, there are joggers, walkers, gardeners, mowers, edgers, trimmers, UPS trucks, and two ducks. Two ducks. Two ducks flew in and parked on the neighbor's porch. Looking for Godot? Looking for duck food? Looking for their ancestral home? Looking for clean water? Who knows. But there they were. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, July 27, 2009 I'm looking for a round tuit. I need a bunch of 'em for some projects I'm working on. If only I had some round tuits, I could make more progress. I'll get a round tuit one of these days. Til tomorrow.
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| Get it? Ha. I'll do it all when I get around to it. |
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Sunday, July 26, 2009 Deborah Solomon interviewed Arlo Guthrie in her column today. He said all the right things. Even though he seems to have an easy-come, easy-go and relaxed attitude toward life, he's still a successful businessman with four grown children and several grandchildren. So, none of that can be too relaxing. He said his fans are probably sick of Alice's Restaurant; but I think he's wrong. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo by Cameron Wittig for The NY Times |
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Saturday, July 25, 2009 I watched Cash Cab on Discovery Channel yesterday. It was great. I knew most of the answers, like, "What French monument did Charles Godefroy fly his plane through in 1919?" The Arc de Triomphe of course. I rarely know the answers (actually more like never) on Jeopardy. That's why I like Cash Cab so much. The Arc is the only monument I know of; and it's certainly the only monument you can fly through. So, I knew the answer and would have won $50. Knowledge pays. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, July 24, 2009 Today my scanner won't scan and my printer is out of black ink. That means it's time for a walk in the park, a trip to the beach, or maybe even a nap. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, July 23, 2009 Ah. To buy the new Apple 3GS iphone or to continue on with my Motorola E815 with the bad battery - that is the question. Whether tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageously dropped calls and poor reception or to take arms against a sea of overpriced AT&T options and while opposing them to watch my current phone die and sleep; ay there's the rub. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2009 The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson begins: When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of American begins: We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln begins: Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009 On The Writer's Almanac yesterday, Garrison Keillor explained what a sonnet was. Fourteen lines. Twelve lines of ten syllables each in iambic pentameter and ending with a couplet with a pattern of abab cdcd efef gg. Then he read a couple of Shakespeare's. And here's #18 of William Shakespeare: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
Til tomorrow.
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Monday, July 20, 2009 There aren't many people who tell the truth about religion, poverty, education, life. Frank McCourt was the best at all that. He died yesterday at age 78. It's a loss. A loss because there will be no more stories, no more balderdash, no more insights, no more truth. He was hope. Hope that stories, words, and language could fix things. While he fixed much, he left much too soon. He's gone. His books are here. Yes. I have them. But it's not the same. Books are not a man. Video is not life. Memory is not enough. Beat the drum, stop the clocks, he is done. Ashes to ashes. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo by David Shankbone, March 21, 2007 |
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Sunday, July 19, 2009 Ama Ata Aidoo is a writer from Ghana. She was the topic of discussion yesterday at the Harlem Book Festival broadcast live on BookTV. Four people discussed her political action and her authorship and artistry. She was quoted as saying marriage is not required and childbirth is not essential for women. Ms. Aidoo is working toward equity for women in Africa. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, July 18, 2009 Michael Jackson, Robert McNamara, and Walter Cronkite. Died young. Died an apologist. Died still trusted. Music, politics, journalism. If they each could have lived one more year, what would they have focused on? Til tomorrow.
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Friday, July 17, 2009 I can't think of anything to write today. I haven't listened to any music in about four days; and my brain isn't working properly. Or maybe it's because I ate 40 points worth of food yesterday (Weight Watchers points) instead of my goal of 28. Or maybe it's because I stayed up too late last night reading Amy Hempel's book. Or maybe it's because it's Friday. Or maybe it's because my two dogs are sitting here staring at me waiting for their walk. Or...who knows why. But I can't think of anything to write today. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, July 16, 2009 Robert Redford got married to a woman from Germany. Sonia Sotomayor rose above bizarre questioning by Senators from Arizona and South Carolina. The 69-year-old woman who had twins two years ago by lying about her age to a fertility clinic died. That's all I remember from the newspaper this morning. Seems like an odd collection of things to remember; but somehow there's a thread that seems to connect them all. Seems like everyone struggles to find a thread, connect the dots, make sense of the world, and live a happy life. Life isn't that complicated although we tend to make it so. Blaise Pascal said (or may have said), "The sole cause of man's unhappiness is his inability to sit still in his room." Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009 I just can't believe how good Amy Hempel writes. I needed a break from Bertrand Russell explaining to me how to conquer deterrents to happiness in his book The Conquest of Happiness. So, I picked up from the table in my study, The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel; and boom, I'm sold after one page. I can't wait to get back to it. I had no idea she was that good of a writer. Her short stories represent the best technique and the best stories in that genre. I'm so happy to have her book. Gotta run. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009 For some time now (four years), I've been thinking about buying a new desk chair. Consumer Reports has rated them. Amazon has rated them. And I've sat in some. But, the really good ones are a huge chunk of money; and I'm thinking the recession, the depression, and the financial disasters that are just around the corner dictate caution. So, I'll probably wait and think about it some more - for like four more years. In the meantime, I'm leaning toward a Deluxe Herman Miller Mirra with Latitude Fabric Cover. Seems way too excessive for just a chair. But then again, the days of excess aren't really over - at least here in the states it seems. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, July 13, 2009 There are six thousand languages on the planet. I was watching House Hunters International last week and saw a young couple who was buying an apartment in Paris. They had the equivalent of about $350,000 US dollars to buy an apartment. They wanted to be in the fifth district. Their agent helped them find a 500 square foot apartment for that price; and they bought it. During the filming, the woman spoke English to the agent and Japanese to her husband. Her husband spoke Japanese to her and limited English to the agent. Then at the end, they both spoke French and Japanese to each other. Three down; five-thousand, nine-hundred, ninety-seven to go. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, July 12, 2009 I was reading the Times this morning and after I read Deborah Solomon's interview with Howard Dean, I saw an ad from TimesTalks.com featuring Nora Ephron, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci who would all be interviewed by Alex Witchel at The Times Center at 242 West 41st in NYC on July 25. So, I decided to get a ticket and go. I went to the website and.....sold out. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, July 11, 2009 I was at Barnes and Noble last night having a light supper of a tomato sandwich and an iced mocha when I glanced over and saw Kate DiCamillo's series of books about Mercy Watson. I skimmed through them and loved them. Now I'm off to purchase the whole set. Seems like even when you're out on the town enjoying a great tomato sandwich, you'll run smack dab into a book that you need. And why Barnes and Noble came up with the name Tomato Caprese Sandwich instead of just a plain old tomato sandwich with olive oil and basil, I can not say. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, July 10, 2009 I've barely looked at Mirrors (2009) by Eduardo Galeano but I'm hoping to really get into that book this weekend. Each evening, I'm reading a few pages of Bertrand Russell's The Conquest of Happiness (1930); and I just keep wondering how he got to be so wise and insightful about the foibles and psyches of people and society. Then, finally, I was going to stop by the grocery store today after work so I picked up the grocery list that I add to throughout the week. Today there were three items on my list: Cat food Whip cream Slim fast bars Seems like a very odd collection of food items. But there you have it. Odd. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, July 9, 2009 I was looking at my new L.L. Bean catalog yesterday and found a dog bed I'm thinking of buying. It's a little bit big though. But it's very cute; and my dogs would love it. I'd have to rearrange the living room however. Hmm. We'll see. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 So... I'm reading the paper and having coffee this morning and there in the business section is an article about how the airlines put airfares on sale yesterday. So... I'm thinking maybe I'll go someplace; but then the article is mainly about Southwest Airlines, which I do not really like. So... then I'm thinking why don't I just stay home because that's really where I like to be; but then actually a little summer getaway over the weekend might not be a bad thing. So... now it looks like maybe I'll think about, possibly, perhaps, perchance, conceivably take a little trip. So... til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009 My new book arrived. Mirrors by Eduardo Galeano. He was on BookTV last weekend talking about his book. He's a poet, storyteller, philosopher, and observer of all things good. This book is a collection of about 600 short stories with some of them being half a page. After the hour-long interview on BookTV, he said thank you and that it had been enjoyable and that it had been like "a talking conversation with a friend in a cafe." And it had been. Two friends talking about life and stories in a quiet cafe. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, July 6, 2009 The perfect antidote for all the mischief, madness, mayhem, and murder that makes up the news in today's world is the lovely and talented Miss Marple of Agatha Christie fame. I've watched Miss Marple on PBS for years and love the whole series. The actors who've graced the screen are Margaret Rutherford, Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan, and Julia McKenzie. I watched A Pocketful of Rye on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS last night; and voila, I'm ready to tackle the week. Til tomorrow.
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| Margaret Rutherford, Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan, Julia McKenzie |
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Sunday, July 5, 2009 I woke up super early this morning. Six-thirty. I watered all the plants, trimmed limbs that were rubbing the house, made coffee, read the Times and the local, walked the dogs, emailed my mom, made a list of things to do, looked for the stray cat I've been feeding, and checked to see who's on BookTV live for three hours today starting at 11:00 AM central time. John Ferling, author and historian, will be interviewed live from George and Martha Washington's Mount Vernon estate near Alexandria, Virginia. I'll be there. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, July 4, 2009 Happy Fourth of July. I'm off to the beach with the dogs who are hoping to find a rotting fish to roll in or perhaps a sand crab to sniff or maybe even another dog in whom they will be wildly interested for about 30 seconds before wandering off to their next big find. The life of the canine. Pretty sweet. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, July 3, 2009 The newspaper this week has been full of Fourth of July advertisements promising great buys on everything from dog food to stainless steel appliances. But Noam Chomsky said that our culture is one of unnecessary consumerism. So, I'm not going to buy anything. Sales or not. Needed or not. I'll see if I can get by with the excessive amount of stuff I already have. That's not to say that I have everything I need. If I were going to buy just a couple of things, I'd buy...Hmm. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, July 2, 2009 Noam Chomsky was on BookTV this week; and wow. He's probably the smartest man on the planet. The crowd loved him. He's retired from MIT. His book Syntactic Structures was published in 1968 and explained the mathematical relationships of the structures of our langauge - all languages. All languages are basically the same and can be analyzed according to the rules of each particular language. He's become wildly popular in the last three decades as a world thinker who speaks for freedom, peace, democracy, and humanitarianism with every word he speaks and with every stroke of his pen. Dr. Chomsky. Someone with whom I'd like to have dinner. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009 It's a new month. Cool. I bought new wireless speakers for my computer and my stereo; and they are FABULOUS. Now I can listen to Phantom or NPR or Ira Glass in every room in the house and even outside if it ever cools off. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Sharon Creech wrote a great book titled, Love that Dog. She got the story, the rhythm, the references all perfect. I did read Love that Cat as well but didn't relate to it as much as the dog book. Ms. Creech seems to understand boys, dogs, poems, love, loss, and everything in between. I've read that book probably a hundred times. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, June 29, 2009 *Gretchen Peters wrote Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda. She explained on BookTV how Afghan soldiers are forcing farmers to grow poppy under a system where the farmers stay poor and in debt to the Taliban...forever. She explained how Pakistan is divided into four regions without a basic government so that soldiers are running the rural areas. The bookshop she spoke in was packed with smart people who asked amazing questions. *Rick Steves wrote Travel as a Political Act. He explained more about Iran in an hour an BookTV than most federal officials know. People in Iran want the exact same things that people everywhere want. He explained all the misunderstandings the west has about Iranian practices. His talk was brilliant. *Richard Nisbett wrote Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count. He got a few things right. But he missed it when he said that there were computer programs that could teach kids to read. He also missed it when he criticized Head Start and lauded Kipp Schools. He also missed it by quoting a lot of research that is correlative and not causative. He did say that eighty percent of the variation in test scores of children in school is attributed to factors beyond the classroom, which means that schools are being held accountable for factors that are not in their power to address. He is Distinguished University Professor at University of Michigan. I'd like to see those three people in the President's Cabinet. Til tomorrow.
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| Gretchen, Rick, Richard |
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Sunday, June 27, 2009 Three actresses I want to remember are Colleen Dewhurst, Geraldine Page, and Maureen Stapleton. Ms. Dewhurst 1924-1991 Ms. Page 1924-1987 Ms. Stapleton 1925-2006 Be well. Do good work. Keep in touch. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, June 27, 2009 Bertrand Russell (May 18, 1872-February 2, 1970) won the Nobel Prize in 1950. His grandfather was the Prime Minister of England in 1846 and again for a year in 1865. Bertrand Russell's abilities, accomplishments, and work ethic, not to mention his four marriages, were all well above average. Til tomorrow.
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| 1950 |
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Friday, June 26, 2009 I started rereading The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell last night. The first time I read it was several years ago at which time I underlined the parts that I connected with the strongest. As I am now rereading the book, I find that I still very much like the underlined parts. I'm sure I'll continue to reread this tome from time to time. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009 I think about the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance probably once a week. I read that book many years ago; and I like the notions in it. I probably should reread it; but here's what I remember: It's immoral for inorganic needs to be met before biological needs. It's immoral for biological needs to be met before society's needs. It's immoral for society's needs to be met before intellectual needs. It's immoral for intellectual needs to be met before the need for goodness. Goodness. I don't see enough goodness out there these days. Where is all the goodness hiding. And it's not just that there's evidence of too much greed, hegemony, misogyny, and misunderstandings, there's simply too little goodness. Maybe it's the heat. That's it. Maybe there's just too much summer heat. Goodness is out there in the same proportion that it's always been there; it's just too hot. And goodness is taking a break til it cools off. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009 Brundibar is a special folk tale told in book form by the incomparable Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner. Within the pages of this book is a tale of desperation, hardship, longing, effort, selfishness, and selflessness - all rolled up into the simple characters of a child's book. And yet, the book contains allegorical references to the holocaust and to human inhumanity towards others. In the end, after survivors make sense of their lives, lives hope. Or at least the hope of hope. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Yesterday, I was six weeks behind in reading my copies of The New York Times Book Review. But today, I'm only four weeks behind. Yea. And from June 14, 2009, I've found my next book which I'm ordering on Amazon as soon as they repair their website. It's down. Can you believe it? GM, Ford, AIG? Yes. But Amazon. No way. Yes, way. So, I have to wait til they're back up before I can click. Name of the book? Oh yea. Forgot to write it down. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, June 22, 2009 Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot character is one of my favorites; and the series started a new season on PBS last night with David Suchet as Monsieur Poirot, the Belgian detective who lives in London and speaks English with a French/Belgian accent. Years ago, I saw him drinking from a glass and silver tea holder; and I wanted one. So, last night, I found him again drinking from a glass and silver tea holder. One hour later, to have a closer look I found the scene on youtube and then found a site where I can buy one just like his.
http://www.therussianstore.com/russian-tea-glass-holder-gh00003a02.html Now all I have to do is find $197 plus shipping. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009 On the footstool this morning there were five back issues of The New York Times Book Review; and since it's Sunday, there are now six. How did I get so far behind. Summertime. That must be it. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, June 20, 2009 Stephen Sondheim's Company was interesting. It told a story of couples and people who are either married or considering marriage. The story was told through song. All the musicians were totally excellent and had been preparing their talents all their lives. They were flawless. The audience was responsive and loved them. It was filmed live as the play was produced on Broadway. It was great to see and hear the end-product of an effort put together by so much talent, dedication, and brilliance. There will never be another Mr. Sondheim. Seven Tony Awards, seven Grammys, one Oscar, one Pulitzer Prize, hit after hit, and still going strong. Til tomorrow.
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| Born March 22, 1930 |
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Friday, June 19, 2009 I stumbled onto Company and can't wait to watch it. Broadway, Amazon, Stephen Sondheim. Right in my living room. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, June 18, 2009 I heard someplace that they have developed a paint that totally and completely absorbs light so that if an object is painted, it will be invisible. I wonder if that's true. Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009 I bought a new DVD; and I'm going to watch it soon. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009 I'm between books at the moment. So, instead of rushing into a new title, I'm looking at some things I've already read. I read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1989 and knew it was a masterpiece. I'm not sure I followed all the writing techniques Mr. Marquez used; but I knew I was reading something worthwhile and compelling and it was effortless. I read the book, reread parts of it, thought about it all, and then pretty soon, it was done. It's done; but it's still in my head. Another book I loved was Isaac Stern's My First 79 Years. He knew he had a talent for the violin at a very early age. His parents supported him. He practiced, practiced, practiced and didn't just wind up at Carnegie Hall, he saved Carnegie Hall with a massive fundraiser and refurbishing that makes it one of the best acoustical halls in the world. My favorite seat (actually the only seat I've ever sat in there) is Box 28, Seat 3. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, June 15, 2009 Gosh, looking at a blank screen deciding what to write is tough this morning. I've decided to set aside Herzog and Dear Husband for now and am finishing up with The Wordy Shipmates. I haven't decided what I'll read next; and that's bothering me. I like to have something lined up. Hmm. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, June 14, 2009 It was a simple, Sunday pleasure reading the Arts and Leisure section of the The New York Times this morning. I was actually smiling throughout the whole thing. Don't know why really. A clever interview. A nice phrase. A new idea. A compelling photo. A bit of hope. A reminder of really good things. That's it I suppose. Reminders of really good things were sprinkled throughout. One thing that I'm still thinking about from today's Arts and Leisure section is that someone said we should always have hope for something big in our lives even if we don't think we'll get it. It's good to have something to hope for. Hope is good. Til tomorrow.
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| Starbucks, NYC, 56th and 6th, December, 2006 |
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Saturday, June 13, 2009 My desk is by the window; and the trees and hedges sit there while I work. The birds flit in, fly away; the postman comes and goes; the garbage gets collected; a thief drives by plotting for the new wheelbarrow that replaced the old wheelbarrow stolen by the thief's brother last month; UPS drops off an order of Harry and David's relish; a lawn service mows the weeds next door; and the neighborhood dog drops by to check on Chino. All that ... from that window. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, June 12, 2009 When I was a kid, the city pool was where I spent my summers when I wasn't at the library. Swimming and reading; swimming and reading; swimming and reading. It has a nice rhythm; and it was a great way to grow up. Inexpensive and worthwhile. I'm going to start making a list of things that are inexpensive and worthwhile. The main character in Pam Munoz Ryan's book, Becoming Naomi Leon, makes lists in her notebook. She has all kinds of lists. They are lovely. Gaston, Andrew, Pam, Naomi. That's a pretty good list right there. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, June 11, 2009 Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) wrote a novel, The Phantom of the Opera, published in 1910 in France. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber transformed the novel into opera in 1986 in London. I've seen it twice on Broadway and plan to see it again this year. In the meantime, I bought the original London cast on CD with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman singing the lead roles and all directed by Harold Prince. It arrived yesterday; and it's transformative. Love, romance, pain, anger, new hopes, old hurts, all of it wrapped around melodies, words, and orchestrations that don't seem possible. And yet there it is - housed in a CD case, shrounded in plastic wrap. Monsieur Leroux. He had no idea what he'd done. Til tomorrow.
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| Written as a novel by Gaston Leroux. |
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009 The best parts of the Tony Awards this week: 1. the three dancers who won the Tony for Billy Elliot. They were so talented and sincere in their demeanor. 2. Martha Plimpton. I thought she should have won the Tony for her category. She was really wonderful in Pal Joey. 3. Angela Lansbury. She's 83 and won the Tony for best actress in Blithe Spirit. 4. Radio City Music Hall. It's a grand theatre (particularly the premium seats). 5. To be a star on old Broad Way. How thrilling. Til tomorrow.
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| Times Square, NYC, January, 2009 |
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Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Anna Quindlen is someone I've admired for the longest of times. Books and writing have basically been her life. She's been on BookTV many times; but there's one time during an interview where she outlined specifically how books and reading them have impacted her and her family. I bought the DVD from BookTV; and now I can't find it. So, that's my task for the day. Finding Anna. Til tomorrow.
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| Anna Quindlen |
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Monday, June 8, 2009 I was right. The three-hour, live interview with Bill Ayers on BookTV yesterday was great. He was gracious and clear when questioned about his anti-war activism during the 60s; and he was scholarly when he spoke about the need to support teachers, rescind NCLB, and make our schools the best of the best for the sake of justice and democracy. Just what I needed to hear. I'm going to send him a thank you note along with a note of encouragement to keep on with his agenda for social justice. Not that he needs a note from me. But sometimes it's hard, most of the time it's hard, to be a lone voice against oppression. So, who knows, maybe he would appreciate a little note of thanks. He was great. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, June 7, 2009 Bill Ayers is on BookTV live today at noon Eastern Time for three hours. It's going to be great. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, June 6, 2009 My friends Barbara and Chuck Flanigan of Rainbow Books gave me two signed-by-the-author books by Amy Hempel titled Unleashed and The Collected Stories. How lucky I am 1) to be able to read and 2) to have such wonderfully bookish friends. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, June 5, 2009 It's so easy to make a mess and so difficult to keep things tidy. I've been thinking about hiring someone to make a list of all my books with the shelf number beside each title. Then I could alphabetize the list. When I needed a particular book, I could find it on the list, go to the designated shelf, and voila. There the book would be. Sounds like a great idea. It's not the Dewey Decimal system; but it would work splendidly. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009 My friend Scot Hoffman came up with a Writer's Bill of Rights; and I added six or so here and there.
The RIGHT to write.
The RIGHT to choose a topic to write on.
The RIGHT to play when you write.
The RIGHT to write to others.
The RIGHT to time, space, and the right materials needed for
writing.
The RIGHT not to worry about spelling in a draft.
The RIGHT to share your writing.
The RIGHT not to share your writing.
The RIGHT to write about what you know.
The RIGHT to write about what you don't know.
The RIGHT to illustrate.
The RIGHT to decide when to stop writing.
The RIGHT to help and mentorship in your writing.
The RIGHT to have a writing partner.
The RIGHT to seek and choose an audience for your writing.
The RIGHT to use ideas and words that are uncommon.
The RIGHT to create ideas that other people might not like.
The RIGHT to write the truth.
The RIGHT to subsequently change your mind about what is
true.
The RIGHT to hope that others will appreciate what you've
written.
Til tomorrow.
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Readers' Bill of Rights by Daniel Pennack (1994) from his book Better than Life.
The
right not to read.
The right to
skip pages.
The right not
to finish.
The right to
reread.
The right to read anything.
The right to
escapism.
The right to
read anywhere.
The right to
browse.
The right to
read out loud.
The right to
not defend your tastes.
Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Bob Herbert writes an op-ed column for the NY Times each Tuesday and Saturday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/opinion/30herbert.html
On May 30, 2009 he wrote about the genocide, poverty, and inhumanity that still occurs in poverty-stricken countries where misinformed, starving soldiers are given guns and free reign to express their misery. They do. Women, children, each other. All are targets; and none are spared. Humanitarian aid goes to corrupt officials. Those who are starving never see the aid; and they continue to starve and die or be killed outright. Bob Herbert and Elie Wiesel bring all this to the world's attention. Mr. Wiesel survived the Holocaust and is pursuing a better world through his books and activism. It's difficult to know about all of this. But it's better to know. Ignorance is not bliss. Til tomorrow.
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| Bob Herbert and Elie Wiesel |
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Monday, June 1, 2009 I'm still bummed about the thief who stole my wheelbarrow. Whether it's that sort of petty thief or thieves on the scale of Bernie Madoff, it's still maddening that a person will reach out and simply take what is not theirs. Moving on. BookExpo America was this past weekend in NYC and was partly broadcast on BookTV. There was a session with Tina and Harry Brown as MCs with four publishing-house CEOs including:
Macmillan, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Perseus Books with John Sargent, Brian Murray, Carolyn Reidy, and David Steinberger, respectively.
It all took place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC located at 655 W. 34th. These four CEOs are in the book business up to their eyeballs. Their whole world revolves around finding great books to publish and figuring out ways to get readers to buy them. They discussed everything from library books to Kindle books to pirated books to turn-around time to laws prohibiting them from talking about the pricing of books with each other. It was GREAT!!! And there wasn't a thief among them. Just all good people doing brilliant work. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, May 31, 2009 Two non-bookish things. First, Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent came in second place last night. If she'd come in first, she'd have gotten to sing for the Queen. Surely, the Queen will seek her out for a song or two even though the rules say that only the first-place winner sings before royalty. Second, someone stole my wheelbarrow last night. I reported it to the police and told them if they catch a thief with a black wheelbarrow, it's mine; and I want it back. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, May 30, 2009 I've been listening to an album by Harry Connick, Jr. titled, Blue Light, Red Light that he produced in 1991. I didn't really know I had it. I have a Sony CD player that holds 51 CDs; and one day, I heard this music playing. It was great. I didn't recognize it even though it was playing on my own system. I walked over to the player, looked at the CD, and wow, what a surprise. A perfect musician right in my own house. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, May 29, 2009 My copy of Herzog (1964) by Saul Bellow arrived yesterday from a used bookseller on Amazon. I also picked up a copy of The Other Wind (2001) by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read a page in each before deciding which one I'd start. It only took a moment to choose. I put aside the fantasy of Le Guin and opted for the realism of Bellow. For now. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, May 28, 2009 One thing does lead to another as they say. I'm still thinking about Alice Neel this morning. So, I looked up the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Their membership role for both living and deceased members is at: http://www.artsandletters.org/academicians2_current.php It's lovely to look at the roster and see all the people who gave us all the best in art and literature. The academy is located across the street from a cemetery named Trinity Park. The academy is located at 633 W. 155th in NYC across the street from the Hudson River. Til tomorrow.
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| Maybe I'll go there and visit some day. For real. |
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009 I watched this documentary on Sundance last night about Alice Neel (1900-1984). She had a difficult life as a painter, a woman, and a mother. Her grandson made the documentary. Andrew Neel. Ms. Neel was eventually admitted to the American Academy of Arts and Letters but only after a lifetime of "almost making it" as a renowned painter. And of course, eventually, she received the acclaim that should have been hers all along. In her portrait paintings, she captured the essence of the person and then captured the essence of the times as well in each of her 100s of paintings. She painted, taught, exhibited her work, and eventually saw success. The 90 minute documentary is complete and thorough. There is nothing on the web that comes close to revealing the real-life beliefs, struggles, and accomplishments of Alice Neel except for this video documentary. Her son Hartley said her love for them was unqualified. That was perhaps the best moment in the film. Among others, Ms. Neel painted Kate Millett who wrote a dissertation on sexual politics. I read Ms. Millett's The Looney Bin Trip in 1990 and think about that book still today. Ms. Millett documented the treatment she endured for her manic-depressive state. She's a compelling thinker and writer. She along with Gloria Steinem, Germaine Greer, Betty Friedan, and Marilyn French gave the women's movement strength and courage through their actions and their writing. A photo of this week's Time magazine shows Michelle Obama on the cover beside the archived portrait of Ms. Millett from 1970. I wonder if Mrs. Obama knows about Alice Neel. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Elaine Showalter said the first writer she remembered affecting her was Mary McCarthy (1912-1989). Ms. McCarthy wrote about life and politics beginning with stories of young women from Vassar from which she graduated in 1933. Ms. McCarthy corresponded with the philosopher and writer Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and edited the book written by Dr. Arendt titled The Life of the Mind. I wanted to hear the voices of these two women and found rare audio for each.
McCarthy from 1963: http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/11/23/home/mccarthy.html?_r=1 Arendt from 1968: http://www.bard.edu/arendtcollection/digitalproject.htm
Here's the thing: one thing leads to another; and as Robert Frost said, "It goes on." Til tomorrow.
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Monday May 25, 2009 On the show, After Words, on BookTV yesterday, Elaine Showalter was interviewed by Sara Nelson. Dr. Showalter is professor emeritus from Princeton. Ms. Nelson is former editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly. It doesn't get better than that. For an hour, they talked about Dr. Showalter's new book, A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx. The book documents the lives and works of America women writers from 1650 to 2000. The criteria used for the women to be included in the book is two-fold: First and foremost, the book had to be interesting and compelling to read. In other words, the book had to be written well and had to tell a good story. Second, the author had to have had an impact on history. That's it. Those two criteria. Many writers were left out; and some rather obscure writers were included. But I trust Dr. Showalter's vast knowledge of literature to choose the 250 American women writers who 1) tell a good story and 2) changed history. The conversation on BookTV last night was one that I'd like to have in my living room every evening over dinner. Til tomorrow.
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| Elaine Showalter, photo by Claudio Vazquez, left. Sara Nelson, right. |
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Sunday, May 24, 2009 Reasonable human beings have the capacity to hold two or more disparate thoughts in their heads at the same time. The local paper and the NY Times this morning had several stories that shined a light on four wildly different lifestyles: guns, proms, words, and race:
1. Families in a small Texas town were banding together to try and get a couple of their neighbors to stop having target practice with rifles in their back yards.
2. In Georgia, seniors in a small Georgia town had two separate proms. One for whites; the other for blacks.
3. Deborah Solomon interviewed a man who is responsible for Orwellian doublespeak for the Repulican party so that universal health-care is now dubbed " the Washington takeover" and drilling for oil is now called "energy exploration" while government eavesdropping on email is called "electronic intercepts."
4. A Lebanese-American woman married an African-American man in 2005 and now have two children named Hendrix and Fairuz who listen to their parents speak Arabic, English, and French in their post-race home.
So, all those stories in today's papers. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, May 23, 2009 When I was a kid, my grandmother called it Cemetery Day. She'd take flowers to the various graves of the family; and we'd go with her. It was always a huge affair with much planning, flower arranging, food, dressing up, and getting the car ready. I also remember going to people's homes "to visit." We'd drop in, sit on the couch, and "visit." I haven't done that for 30 years. It seems unthinkable now to just go to someone's house and talk without an agenda, a purpose, a schedule, or a firm departure time in mind. What were we thinking? We were thinking, "Hey, it's summer; what's the rush?" Til tomorrow.
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Friday, May 22, 2009 David Korten, last weekend on BookTV, talked about his new book Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth. His talk is available for viewing at http://booktv.org/watch.aspx?ProgramId=LW-10284 His explanation of the world's financial collapse points to the greed, excess, and lack of watchdog controls on Wall Street. The world seems to agree. Greed, excess, lack of controls. Those traits brought the world to its knees. During his talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, he was asked what kind of economy he favored: capitalism, socialism, communism, or some other ism. His reply was - he's in favor of a free market economy. He explained that capitalism concentrates wealth in the hands of those who already have wealth. Thus, he favors a free market economy that will create a better world and opportunities for all. He favors the Gross National Happiness Index (GNHI) as opposed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of how successful our nation and the world are. He wants to end war, reduce automobile dependence, and create a sense of community for us all. He wants local living economies based on people-friendly and earth-friendly businesses. Me too. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, May 21, 2009 Hurt, sadness, anger. Those are words I read that described the film Schenectady with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the lead character. And it's true. That film is about a man who lives his life amongst those three themes. I loved the movie; it takes a hard look at what everyone wants: stability, happiness, caring. In this particular movie, Mr. Hoffman's character goes through angst and ennui his whole life and never seems to quite get it together even though he had many chances. A similar theme is found in a book by Joyce Carol Oates whose characters have far more than their share of despair in Dear Husband. I've read three of the book's fourteen short stories. So far, all of the various characters have experienced a full range of hurt, sadness, and anger beyond anything they deserve. Makes you glad there's sunshine to help mediate the rain and certainly makes you glad that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joyce Carol Oates are two gifted people who have chosen to help illuminate our way. Til tomorrow.
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| Mr. Hoffman and Ms. Oates |
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Wednesday, May 20, 2009 Half-Price Books didn't have Herzog yesterday; so I bought it from Amazon. The sooner it arrives, the better. I also purchased yesterday online from Walgreens three 20" x 30" posters made from photos I took of the waves in the Gulf. And finally, yesterday I tried to purchase a new desk for my living room but couldn't find one the right size. So, today it's time to clean out the garage. Maybe. Perhaps. We'll see. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009 I can't seem to stop working. I rearranged my study yesterday, removed my ten-year old computer, and threw away two bags of stuff that before yesterday seemed essential. Lighten the load, clean out the cobwebs, polish it up, and streamline the day. That's my new motto. On NPR last night, a reviewer was talking about writers who write with style. The reviewer lamented the fact that with so many people dashing off emails, pecking out text messages, processing text, sound, music, and messages all simultaneously that we were all losing the ability to appreciate style. He said that the master of style was Saul Bellow in Herzog: A Novel written in 1964. The reviewer said to go to that book, open a page, any page, and read it out loud. That's style. That's what he said. The incomparable Saul Bellow, with his insight, widsom, and ability to capture the foibles of life, gave us a main character named Moses Herzog written up with style. So, I'm off to Half-Price books to see what I can find under the Bs. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, May 18, 2009 There was a panel of writers from The NY Times yesterday on BookTV. They discussed how they put the newspaper together each day. They start with a meeting at 10:00 AM each morning. There are about seven or eight different editors who pitch stories to the executive editor, Bill Keller. Then he decides what goes on the front page. The main piece is always on the right side at the top. The second-most important piece is on the left side at the top. Below the fold are the other important pieces. They defined news as something of importance that is new. They talked about the conflict between providing people with news that they need versus providing people with news that they want. For example, providing readers with analysis on what is happening in Afghanistan versus providing readers with a story about Jay Leno is always a conflict for them. They said they don't choose stories based on what will sell newspapers but rather what is important for the world to know. The NY Times is the nation's paper of record. This paper attracts the best writers with the most ambitions for writing well day after day and for playing a sustaining part in reporting the news. They admitted they were slow to understand that they had been misled about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that had they been quicker to expose the misinformation, the war would have been different. They concluded by explaining the impact of the web on their readership. Older readers read the paper. Younger readers read online. It was a great panel discussion; and I wish them well. Til tomorrow.
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| Bill Keller, photo by Tony Cenicola |
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Sunday, May 17, 2009 Coffee, the Times, walk the dogs, a nice lunch on the patio. Or. Clean out the garage, mop the kitchen floor, do some laundry, collapse on the couch. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, May 16, 2009 My study is a mess. I've been going to clean it up for the past 10 years but.....I've been busy. So, this week, maybe. Maybe I'll find a place for each piece of paper, paper clip, pencil, pen, old computer, pinking sheers, bills, files, and photos. But wait. A famous photo of William F. Buckley, Jr. in his study seems to imply that productivity and mess go together. So, maybe I'll just leave it all exactly where it is; and maybe I'll even add a Tiffany lamp to the mix. Til tomorrow.
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| Photo by Suzy Allman for The NewYorkTimes |
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Friday, May 15, 2009 My new book arrived this week. So, now I have, recommended by Anna Quindlen, A Field Guide to Writing Fiction by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.; and I have my newest, recommended by Christopher Buckley, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser. A great summer reread and a great summer read. Plus, I've decided to treat myself this summer by lowering the thermostat to 79 degrees during the day instead of 81. Cool readers should not break a sweat. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, May 14, 2009 Cristo and Jeannne-Claude are artists. Two of their many art exhibits are extra compelling. One was in Tokyo titled The Umbrellas in 1991; the other was in Central Park titled The Gates in 2005. Their work is unbelievable in scope and purpose. And of course, artists do art for art's sake and for no other reason other than perhaps to pay the mortgage. These installations, as well as all their work, are photographed exclusively by the eye of Wolfgang Volz. http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/index.shtml
I don't know why I woke up thinking about those two installations today unless it's because I just booked a ticket for NYC and it's supposed to rain this weekend. That's probably it. Art is a luxury. It shouldn't be though. It should be an every day occurrence. But it isn't. So, I look to Christo, Jeanne-Claude, and Wolfgang for their interpretation of life. Til tomorrow.
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| Photos by Wolfgang Volz |
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009 I recently thought of a book from the past...A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace. Kitty takes me back to where I first met Mr. Wallace. He doesn't remember me; but I remember him. We lived in the same small university town; and he came and talked to my university students about his book. I saw him recently from a distance at a conference; he's still the same. He's a writer totally focused on telling good stories. He continues to have a remarkable career. His writing is accessible and kid-friendly. He used to tell the story that he would give chapters of Kitty to his fourth-grade students for their critique. They helped him edit and tone it up. That's a great strategy for launching a writer...real-world readers telling you how it is before you go to press. Gotta run. Time to walk the dogs. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 It's such a thrill to write these few lines and listen to Liza Minelli and Joel Gray in Cabaret. Plus, I've ordered a new book by Richard Rothstein, Grading Education. He gave a brilliant talk on BookTV this weekend about getting accountability right. He says our current system is wrong, wrong, wrong. Mr. Obama and Mr. Duncan are you listening? Copy and paste this link to watch Mr. Rothstein's 1 hour and 15 minute lecture: http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=285403-1 Til tomorrow.
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Monday, May 11, 2009 Seems I've been duped. Possibly. ARGH. A new book is out about how NYC put on a world-class PR effort to make people fall in love with NYC at just about the time I fell in love with NYC in the 80s. Movies of the NYC skyline. Sweeping helicopter shots of the city that never sleeps. Broadway stars beckoning theater goers. Those cute little graphic slogans. It was all PR. ? So....the choices are: a. ignore the new book b. reexamine WHY and IF I love NYC c. read the new book and then ignore it d. ignore the new book e. go to NYC immediately and seek reaffirmation f. ignore the new book Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, May 10, 2009 It's Mother's Day; and I sent my mother a lovely Mikasa lead crystal vase. And now I'm thinking about buying one for myself. But in today's paper, there was an article about the virtues of frugality; so maybe I'll just use a vase I already have but which is not as nice. But then again, why not. Why not buy something lovely that I don't really need but which I want. Let me count the ways. Ha. So, anyhoo, here I am in the middle of reading three books when I'm trying so hard to finish one book before I begin the next. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell when I'm in the mood for a great account of Puritans. Dear Husband by Joyce Carol Oates when I'm in the mood for the best prose on the planet according to John Updike who said Ms. Oates was the woman of letters for all time. And finally, The Magic City by E. Nesbit when reality doesn't quite do it for me. Happy Mother's Day. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, May 9, 2009 I've been at an IRA conference in Minneapolis this week. While there, I took advantage of the Kerlan collection at the University of Minnesota. This is a collection of papers and art from authors and illustrators of children's literature. Thousands and thousands of documents are housed in boxes and are available to those who research and use children's literature. For four hours, I looked at and studied manuscripts, editors' notes, letters from children, original artwork, correspondence, and press sheets for: Tomie de Paola Simms Taback Katherine Patterson Beatrix Potter Eve Bunting Eve Merriam Margaret Wise Brown Walter Dean Myers Eric Carle Ezra Jack Keats Randolph Caldecott Lois Lowry Charlotte Zolotow It was great. The best was a handwritten letter from Margaret Wise Brown to Ursula Nordstrom. Next was an ink drawing by Beatrix Potter dated 1928. It all revealed a great deal about humanity. Til tomorrow.
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009 Anna Quindlen recommended the book A Field Guide to Writing Fiction by A. B. Guthrie. Christopher Buckley recommended the book On Writing Well by William Zinsser. I bought Mr. Guthrie's book some time ago and read it. Great. I bought Mr. Zinsser's yesterday and am waiting for Amazon to ship it. Double great. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, May 4, 2009 Thirty years ago, I had this cookbook with a cheesecake recipe that used cottage cheese and no crust. It was authentic and perfect. The only thing I remembered about the cookbook was that it had the word country in the title and it was green. Last week, I went on ebay and found what could be the book. It arrived Friday; and voila. Tis. Page 350. 3 c. cottage cheese, drained 5 eggs, slightly beaten 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp. almond extract 1 c. sugar 3/4 c. sifted flour 1 & 1/2 c. milk Smoosh, blend, combine, add, and pour into buttered 9" square pan that sits inside a larger pan of water. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Surface may be pale it says. Farm Journal's Country Cookbook is the best cookbook I own. Til tomorrow.
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Sunday, May 3, 2009 I'm researching the iphone and thinking I'll wait to buy until the next iteration comes which is hopefully this summer and even more hopefully with Verizon and not AT&T. I'd like to have the internet 24/7 no matter where I am. That's the deal. But I want the iphone to have: external speaker voice-activated dialing webmail through the internet landscape typing in all apps Word cut and paste capability ability to send photos turn by turn GPS with voice wireless printing of email and Word USB port a cool dock-charger an affordable plug and play stereo And I want it for less than $100 a month. Hmm. Maybe the iphone already has all that. I'll check. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, May 2, 2009 Last night, I bought a used book by Bill Martin, Jr. He wrote a series of books titled Sounds of Language. They're full of poems, rhymes, chants, pictures, ideas, and language. These books are designed to teach children to read from an aesthetic and holistic stance rather than a cognitive-based, skills-oriented approach. Too bad they're out of print and unused in today's schools. Mr. Martin was a lovely person who gave us everything from brown bears to polar bears. Til tomorrow.
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| http://www.billmartinjr.com/ |
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Friday, May 1, 2009 Today, I'm shopping for a new patio chair. The one I have has a crack down the middle. I also have a rusty side table that is about to collapse. It's difficult in these austere times to know when to call it when. If something is just semi-broken or semi-dysfunctional, is it best to keep it and make do or toss it. The notion of repairing and making do with what you have is a strong one. But still, cracked chairs and rusty tables seem to be beyond the pale. It's all about the money. Spend it. Save it. Spend it. Save it. Money makes the world go round. Til tomorrow.
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Thursday, April 30, 2009 The end of the month. Wow. Where has spring gone? The seasons are one of the few things you can count on completely. It's nice to be outside enjoying trees, grass, birds, bugs, bees, breeze, pollen, and all the rest. Reminds me of my favorite book of all time (in addition to Catcher in the Rye) titled My Side of the Mountain copyright 1959 by Jean Craighead George. Ms. George came from a family of writers, thinkers, and naturalists. After I read her book, I was ready to go live in the forest in a hollowed out tree and enjoy the primal nature of life. But then of course, I wouldn't have the internet, my burr coffee grinder, or hot water. So, I'll just enjoy the book. But Ms. George and her family knew the value of nature as a true wonder of the world. I never get tired of planting things and watching them grow. Til tomorrow.
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| http://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com/index.html |
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009 I bought a hummingbird feeder yesterday and some nectar. I've hung it on the patio; and I'm conducting an experiment. There are four plastic flowers with yellow centers for the hummingbirds to use. I removed two of the yellow centers to make the holes larger. I'm going to see if the hummingbirds prefer the yellow centers or the bigger holes. Can't wait to see what they do. Til tomorrow.
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| Yellow on the left, no yellow on the right |
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 I bought eight Betty and Veronica comic books on ebay last week; and they arrived in the mail yesterday. They are wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to compare them to the newest graphic novels for children like Seadogs by Lisa Wheeler and Mark Siegel and see how they stack up. I grew up on comic books; and so to find these eight in pristine condition selling for originally 35 cents is very cool. The ebay seller stored them in plastic sleeves designed for comic books; so I feel, somewhat, like they're collector's items that I should house in a museum. But I want to read them, so out they'll come. But then, I'll put them back for safe keeping. Til tomorrow.
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Monday, April 27, 2009 Christopher Buckley wrote a wonderful piece for The New York Times Magazine yesterday. He talked about the life and death of his mum and pup, Pat and William F. Buckley, Jr. It was great prose. His parents were dismissive of him throughout most of his life it seems. They were very busy being grand and acerbic. Mrs. Buckley (1926-2007) and Mr. Buckley, Jr. (1925-2008) lived well; but like most, they died rather poorly in bad health and in a state much less than grand. Christopher Buckley will be on BookTV live on Sunday, May 3 at 11:00 AM Central Time. I'll be there. Til tomorrow.
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| William, Christopher, Pat THE BUCKLEYS |
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Sunday, April 26, 2009 Coffee. The Times. Bette. Chicago. Just another ordinary Sunday. Til tomorrow.
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Saturday, April 25, 2009 I was in Half-Price Books yesterday and found The Magic City published in 1910 by E. Nesbit. I became interested in Ms. Nesbit (1858-1924) after I heard J. K. Rowling say that Ms. Nesbit had influenced her writing. Ms. Nesbit had an interesting life and wrote out of necessity to make a living it seems. On December 3, 1964, Gore Vidal published a laudatory piece about her in The New York Review of Books and skewered American librarians for not making Ms. Nesbit's work available in American libraries. He's always so clever when he skewers unless of course you're the one being skewered. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/13132? Half-Price Books, Edith Nesbit, Gore Vidal, Joanne Rowling. December 3, my birthday. Pretty great connections. Til tomorrow.
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Friday, April 24, 2009 One of the best books I own and have consistently used over the years is The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds. I just saw an American Goldfinch this week in the back yard and found it in my bird book. It was spectacular although I'm sure the bird had no idea how brilliant he appeared. If we take care of the birds and their habitat, then everything else will take care of itself. If it's good for birds, it's good for all. If it's bad for birds, it's bad for all. Til tomorrow.
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| Number 408 in the Field Guide |
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Thursday, April 23, 2009 It's almost Friday and then the weekend. Yea. I went to Lowe's yesterday to look for lumber to build a deck under an oak tree in the back yard where grass won't seem to grow. I thought a deck would look better than dirt; and I thought it would be nice to sit on the deck under the tree and read a book or eat some ice cream or just sit and do nothing. It's a beautiful thing to sit and do nothing; and after that, it's a beautiful thing to rest. So, I measured, budgeted, planned, and almost bought. But today's a new day; and I'm thinking, "Why do I suddenly need a deck? I've got plenty of places already to read a book, eat some ice cream, and just sit and do nothing." Therefore, I've decided to plant some ivy instead and save my energy for another day, another project. Til tomorrow.
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