1. What film hit you at the right place and right time, pertaining to and illuminating things that were happening in your life the moment you saw it?
This happens to me all the time. It’s one of the reasons I watch movies–and watch TV and read books and listen to music and seek out interesting podcasts. I hope these things help me figure out better ways to live in the world. When I saw Shut Up and Play the Hits last summer, it hit me particularly hard, as it was right around the time I switched jobs and was … Read the rest
1. In my neighborhood, it’s difficult to tell the difference between graffiti:
and public art:
2. Someone has given surfboards to all the people on the crosswalk signs here, and I’m pretty sure that is graffiti. But maybe not.
3. A lot of people here have pets. For instance, one day when I was out on a run, I saw a teenager walking his pet pig on a leash.
4. Which leads me to observe that horse poop in the road is a lot more of an issue on my street than I would have anticipated before I moved here.… Read the rest
I’m hoping it opens the hidden Door of Power, which, once we find it, will lead to three trials that, if we are able to successfully complete them, will lead to the Magic Money Tree that only blooms under the light of the gibbous moon when you say the exact right words in Elvish, which, thank J.R.R. Tolkien, is completely in my skill set.
I have to remember to add “Quest for hidden Door of Power” to our strategic plan. Just in case.… Read the rest
I live half a block from the Memorial Art Gallery, and this afternoon I decided to walk down to check out the new piece they added to the sculpture garden and also to listen to one of the Eastman School students play the Italian Baroque organ. Here’s the sculpture garden’s new living room:
I often go through the sculpture garden on my runs (Why wouldn’t you run through art when it’s an option?), and I’ve wondered why they had that brick circle out in the middle of nowhere. Now I know.
Here’s the organ:
Pretty, right? I’m a member … Read the rest
I said, “Look like that’s the best book you’ve ever read in your life.”
I said, “Look like you’re having so much fun.”
I should probably leave this kind of thing to Jeffrey.… Read the rest
I’m currently learning “Waltz (Better Than Fine)” by Fiona Apple on my piano. I love so much about this song. It has a pattern, but it also moves all over the keyboard and has these great big crazy chords and is a lot of fun to play. It’s also difficult–for me, anyway. I’ve been working on it for weeks now, and I have about two pages of the thing learned. The lyrics are great, per usual with our Fiona. It’s a song about worth not coming from achievement but from humanity. “If you don’t have a point to make,” she … Read the rest
Last summer when I was attempting to sell my house, my vacuum cleaner broke. It happened right before an open house, so not only did I have to deal with my sudden lack of vacuum cleaning power, but the incident also filled the downstairs with that melting-plastic scent that smells exactly the opposite of Buy This House. I was outraged, of course, even though it was pretty clear that the 20-year-old Panasonic upright that was mostly held together with duct tape and electrical tape (from all those times I vacuumed the power cord) should have been retired before it started … Read the rest
Last week at work, I read the Children’s Internet Protection Act and New York’s open meeting laws. I’ll be starting off this week reading a tax booklet on how tax exempt status works in NYS.
Which all goes to say I deserve a gold star. Maybe even two.
At home, I’m reading A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin and hating Joffrey more than I’ve hated anyone real or fictional, ever. I’ve always felt that violent books do not encourage violence, but in my head, I have assassinated Joffrey several times now. I just feel like he has no … Read the rest
“Even if the songs are mostly in a major key, there’s something that’s hanging out there that’s a little bit dark. And I think that’s reflective of the world.”
-Rostam Batmanglij on Vampire Weekend’s new album, as quoted in “Setting Their Sights on Wider Vistas” by Jon Pareles in NYT (May 12, 2013)
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for a new Vampire Weekend album.… Read the rest
Me: Did you know that I wrote a book?
Maxwell: Of course you did. You own a library, and you are intelligent.
The world in Maxwell’s head works somewhat differently than the world outside his head. Speaking of which, earlier in the evening, he was sitting in the back seat quietly chanting, “Frodo. Gollum. Lord of the Rings.”
So it seems that we’re getting some good stuff in there.
He also told us of his intention to build a school when he grows up, “after I quit my first few jobs.” Apparently he wants this school to be “a place … Read the rest
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