READIN

Monday, February 16th, 2004

Don Quixote, Chapter XXXVI: I just finished the Tale of Reckless Curiosity and found myself won over to its presence in the book. Although it distracted me from the main story of Don Quixote, it was itself a good story and I got interested in the characters almost despite myself. I was glad Cervantes interrupted the action of the enclosed story midway through to talk about the main story -- that kept it in my mind.

posted evening of February 16th, 2004: Respond
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Sunday, February 15th, 2004

🦋 Lesson learned

You'd think it would be straightforward enough; but:

A useful household tip

When moving a ladder, make sure no hammers are balanced on the top rung.

And,

Corollary #1

Don't balance hammers on top rungs of ladders.

posted morning of February 15th, 2004: Respond
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Saturday, February 14th, 2004

We watched "Sunshine State" this evening -- Ellen was not into it and bugged out midway through, but I was pretty captivated. I really enjoyed the composition of the movie, had the nice experience of second-guessing the director and being right a couple of times. I get really interested by the topic of zoning and development, and here it was mixed with a really gripping plot and good acting. Complaints: the old men playing golf did not add anything to the movie and did not feel like an organic part of it; Marley's drama queen mother seemed silly by and large; Desiree and her mother did not really seem to be acting in the same scene when they were alone together, like they were each reciting their lines in front of a camera. (But these two -- Angela Bassett and Mary Alice -- were such good actors that the performance was still impressive.)

posted evening of February 14th, 2004: Respond

Here are some things Sylvia has been doing lately:

A dialog between the cow and the wolf: as scripted by Sylvia

WOLF: Why did you run away?

COW: I was trying to find my mommy.

WOLF: Why did you stop?

COW: There was a scary monster, and it was...scary.

WOLF: When I was little I ran away from my mom one time and saw a scary monster. That happens sometimes.

Acting like dinosaurs

Sylvia is way into dinosaurs. Today we were reading a book with pictures and descriptions of various ones -- after each sentence she would repeat the sentence but in the first person, and act out the attributes in question. Apparently all dinosaurs eat Lola (our dog) -- sometimes she is another dinosaur, sometimes she is a plant, sometimes a dinosaur egg or an insect.

posted evening of February 14th, 2004: Respond
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Friday, February 13th, 2004

Don Quixote -- I am bogging down slightly on Chapter XXXIII, the story-within-a-story about Anselmo and Lotario. A footnote at the end of the previous chapter says Cervantes was criticized for including this story as it detracted from the flow and pacing of the story; I'm with the critics. This story reminds me a bit of the stories-within-a-story of the Decameron, which I found quite difficult to get through and not really that engaging. (Not to criticize Boccaccio -- people with far better taste than I have think he's the bee's knees -- I just had a hard time with it. Perhaps when I am older and more patient I will return to it and enjoy it.)

posted evening of February 13th, 2004: Respond
➳ More posts about Miguel de Cervantes

I finished Nickeled and Dimed last night, what a wonderful book that is! It really opens up a world I don't see much of from day to day. The writing style is exceptionally up front and lucid; all Ehrenreich's cards are on the table. Bill said to me the other night that the book should be required reading in the run-up to the election. I agree completely.

posted afternoon of February 13th, 2004: Respond
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🦋 Weird conjunction

This weekend features: Friday the 13th; Valentine's Day; and President's Day! Seems like fertile ground...

posted morning of February 13th, 2004: Respond

Tuesday, February 10th, 2004

A lovely evening tonight, I visited Gary and had a drink with him in Williamsburg, and then jetted on over to the Village where I met up with P-List friends Bill and Christine, plus Mark, whom I had never met before, and Sophia, who is in town from Lvov, doing Pynchon-related research. It was real pleasant talking with them -- I left with a smile and a spring in my step.

posted evening of February 10th, 2004: Respond

Natasha of Pacific Views suggests, on this Electrolite thread, that Dean would make a good leader of the DNC if he does not win the nomination. I think this is an excellent idea. (Note -- I may have seen this idea before, probably at Daily Kos; but this is the first time it really registered with me, what a great idea it would be. Natasha does a nice job of explaining it.)

posted afternoon of February 10th, 2004: Respond

Reading Nickeled and Dimed on the train this morning. I feel a lot of sympathy for Ms. Ehrenreich -- plus, she has a marvelous sense of humor. Some things it makes me think about: the summer I spent washing dishes (1987 or 88, I forget which); my own class consciousness and how it affects my relations with people around me; the relative ease of my current employment. I feel a bit guilty about having commandeered the book while Ellen is still reading it; but she is doing most of her reading at night, when I will be back home and it will be available for her.

posted morning of February 10th, 2004: Respond
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