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We say to the apathetic, Where there's a will, there's a way, as if the brute realities of the world did not amuse themselves each day by turning that phrase on its head.

José Saramago


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Friday, October 15th, 2010

🦋 The Gerry-Mander

The Wrap runs an article by Jeff Reichert on the Bad History That Gerrymandering Often Produces -- Reichert directed the new documentary Gerrymandering, in theaters now. He writes about "detouring into the odds and ends of history" -- "the meat of the film is everything that happens around" the main story, which concerns a redistricting fight in California. The film is strongly influenced by Mason & Dixon; a quote from the novel was hung on the studio wall during production, Captain Zhang's feng shui observation that

Nothing will produce Bad History more directly nor brutally, than drawing a Line, in particular a Right Line, the very Shape of Contempt, through the midst of a People,-- to create thus a Distinction betwixt 'em,-- 'tis the first stroke.-- All else will follow as if predestin'd, unto War and Devastation.

posted evening of October 15th, 2010: Respond
➳ More posts about The Movies

Saturday, August 6th, 2011

🦋 August 6th


Do you suppose something has exploded somewhere? Really--somewhere in the East? Another Krakatoa? Another name at least that exotic...

posted morning of August 6th, 2011: Respond
➳ More posts about Birthdays

Monday, August 15th, 2011

🦋 Inherent Vice playlist, take 2

Wow! Spotify was not around yet a few years back when I tried to build a playlist of songs from Inherent Vice from YouTube videos... Now GalleyCat's Jason Boog has answered the call with his own playlist. Boog has shared a bunch of other literary-themed playlists, too. Thanks for the link, Christine!

posted evening of August 15th, 2011: Respond
➳ More posts about Inherent Vice

Friday, February third, 2012

🦋 Let's Listen to

The Trashmen!

You're welcome.

posted evening of February third, 2012: Respond
➳ More posts about Music

Monday, May 7th, 2012

🦋 Pynchon in Public Day

Happy birthday, Mr. P!

posted evening of May 7th, 2012: 1 response
➳ More posts about Readings

Saturday, May 12th, 2012

🦋 Bet you never did the Modesto Kid

This passage, from a Nov. 1960 letter from Billy to Brion, I am finding almost unbearably perfect, evoking disparate threads from Beckett to Carroll to Pynchon... This needs to be quoted in bold and with underlining (some editorial, some present in the "original"). Burroughs is pitching an idea for Brion to write in the voice of Hassan-i Sabbah, for Reader's Digest...

LOOK OUT at all times. See what was in front of you. Can a man see what is front of him with all his friends and enemies talking in his ear? Stop talking to yourself. Ah this shocks you? Listen: Words should be your servants. Use them. Do not let them use you. And when you do not need them send them to sleep. How to? Learn to know the word your servant. Look at words. Listen. Listen out at all time. Look and listen out at all times. Take any simple phrase like I am That I am. Repeat it. Now pass it back and forth through a sieve of punctuation. See the words changing meaning as the period rotates. Now change the position of the words. Now translate into other languages. You are stuck in word slots. You do not hear. Cut the word lines. And step out into silence. It is yours. It is everybody's. You do not see the trees when you walk down the street because of ‘The ’‘Word ’‘Tree’. Look at the word tree. Look? at the word tree. Look at? the word tree. Look at the? word tree. Look at the word? tree. Word look at the tree? Tree look at the word? Etc. Now look at the tree and you will see the tree not the word tree. You will begin to see everything sharp and clear like after a rain.

posted morning of May 12th, 2012: Respond
➳ More posts about Rub Out the Words

Monday, June 4th, 2012

🦋 (weather permitting)

Hm, well I live (as I mention now and again) in the northeastern U.S., where it looks like conditions are not going to be particularly good tomorrow evening for viewing the Transit of Venus. If you live somewhere where the sun is shining, be sure to check it out! Cornell's Fuentes Observatory invites you to come take a look, rain date December 11, 2117. More info at nasa's Eclipse website.

Below the fold, from hyperarts, an account of Mason & Dixon's time at the Cape of Good Hope, where they observed the Transit 250 years ago; taken from the Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of South Africa, November 1951. (Thanks for the link, Henry!)

posted evening of June 4th, 2012: Respond
➳ More posts about Mason & Dixon

Friday, August third, 2012

🦋 Annotations: Christine reading Dave reading Tom

Two old, good friends from my days on the pynchon-l are collaborating -- one from beyond the grave no less -- on a fun new blog. The Fischer Pynchon is the lovely Christine K.'s reading of a copy of V. that she got from the estate of David Marc Fischer, PBUH. She is posting photos as she goes along of his annotations and underlinings, a memorial to a friend as we near the anniversary of his passing.

posted evening of August third, 2012: Respond
➳ More posts about V.

Friday, August second, 2013

🦋 Glen Island

Kind of flabbergasted that I have never encountered any mention of Glen Island amusement park in the writings of Thomas Pynchon -- it seems utterly implausible that the Chums of Chance (for instance) would never have paid a visit.

posted morning of August second, 2013: 5 responses
➳ More posts about La casa de la loca

Friday, September 13th, 2013

🦋 Bleeding Edge



Just a few more days! I can hardly wait. Check out Jonathan Lethem's review for the NY Times.

posted evening of September 13th, 2013: 1 response

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