Music Fests

Pitchfork this weekend and Lollaplaooza next weekend. I'll be posting reviews and notes about the concerts on the audio vortex blog.

Review, Book

I had been meaning to pick up Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life for some time now. And, like most things that fall victim to my procrastinatory tendencies, I was quite happy to have finally acquired and read it.
Take your basic ordinary life. Chronicle various bits of it. Categorize those bits and arrange in encyclopedia form. That is the basic premise of the book, and on that level alone it would be interesting. And yet, in the midst of this well worn format, Rosenthal slips in the bones of a narrative, a story of family, love and occasional tragedy (or near misses) intermingling with the daily routine. In other words, the quintessential themes of life.
It's an easy read, but not in the simplistic sense. It's more along the lines of thinking, on just about every other page "I've done or seen or felt that." This allows Rosenthal to make an almost immediate and I daresay chummy connection with the reader, and from that point you just want to sit and devour the rest of the book.
Rating: Straight Flush.

Silence

After having a leaky tub faucet for a criminally long time (see earlier posts from April here and here) work finally began today on fixing that and re-tiling the whole shower (I have some water damaged wallboard on one side).
So, there is no longer a steady cascade of water emanating from the shower. The silence is deafening.

virtue vs. vice

A Tribune article today talks about a study in which it was concluded that in the long term people are more likely to regret virtue over vice.

Kivetz [the researcher] argues that the over-emphasis on virtue and prudence in American culture contributes to the impulse toward over-indulgence.

"I'm not saying, 'OK, be decadent' … but balance is important," he said. "I think people should strive to have a little more balance, and balance also means enjoying life more."

There's that word again. Balance. Some might call it karma. Anyway, it's an interesting piece of research, and while the conclusions are presented in such a way as to suggest the findings are surprising, I think most people would come to the same conclusion if they really thought the question through. After all, nobody ever gets old and tells stories about all the virtuous things they did in their youth.

kismet

Coincidence, fate, luck, destiny.
What are these things anyway?
Just concepts to explain what we cannot explain.
Not interchangeable, no, but cut from the same cloth.
The same cloth that gets cut into strips, used to blind us from truth, used as a gag against speaking out in protest of our situation.
What about free will? What about passion, and reason, and logic?
How often have I explained my actions, my motivations, with the phrase "That's just what I do." Is there such a thing as a mythology of the self, and do we eventually entrap ourselves in our own myths?
Is it odd that I find myself actively seeking people who both reinforce some of my traits while acting as an outlet to break away from other aspects of "typical me"? Is it odd or is it healthy?
That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? Step outside of your comfort zone, as often as you can without feeling unstable. Maybe my problem is that I feel like doing that is supposed to be rewarding in some way. But intrinsically, it's not, it is just another chunk of experience with no positive or negative value by itself.
I know I'm being vague. MG would chide me, "details, give me juicy details." Later. I think for now I'm just trying to settle a question in my mind, the question of risk versus reward, and whether I am so dependent on positive feedback that I avoid risk for fear of their being no reward in it. That's a deeply ingrained trait; do I have the discipline to exist without depending on the approval of others?

lightning

Last night's storms brought about the following recollection:

When I was about 8 or so, that is when my fascination with lightning really took hold. I was sitting in the living room of the old house, watching TV, a food tray propped up in front of me. This was a treat, I was up later than I was supposed to be, though I don't remember why I had that privilege that particular evening. My parents had picked up some beef sandwiches at Dukes, so as I sat there eating a storm rolled in. The living room had a large picture window facing the street. Suddenly, the blackness of the night-time glass was replaced with pure white, and the simultaneous crack of thunder. I probably jumped three feet. Lightning had struck the tree across the street, in front of my neighbor's house. In the morning I would see the extent of the damage; it had almost cleanly severed a large limb that ended up partway into their roof. I have to admit I was pretty freaked out.

(Back in the present) I saw one bolt in particular last night, it had to be less than a 1/4 mile away, that charred the air and left a trail of burning sparkles. Of course I kept seeing it, as a shadow on the back of my eye, for about ten minutes afterward.

a calm place

Where or what is your calming place?
A physical spot you either conjure or can get to when you need it.
For a while, mine was the Little Red Schoolhouse nature center. I'm not sure that it still is, though. At other times, Tori cat was my calming place. That's one of the things I miss most about her. Montrose harbor and a little patch of grassy hill next to Adler Planetarium have also served as my spots. I'm not sure where it is right now.

random 7-15

Stuff that spilled out of my mind this morning:

I read an article about a giant squirrel passing out treats at Chicago City Hall. What would I do with a giant squirrel costume for a day? Maybe climb a tree and intimidate the little ones? Or just take some weird pictures. There's a store in the city (Wrigleyville?) I think it's called Nuts on Clark, (?); I would totally walk in there and buy something. (Practical problem; where do squirrels keep their wallets? Or is that the setup to a joke I cannot remember?)

Do kids who imagine scary monsters in their bedroom name their monster? I don't recall having any monsters. So I wouldn't have had a chance to think up a name.

I made a carrot cake and it actually turned out okay, pretty good in fact. Who would have guessed? Here is the recipe I used, except I put in half a cup of walnuts rather than a whole cup of pecans, and didn't add any nuts to the frosting.

Book Review: Running With Scissors

To say that Augusten Burroughs had a perverse and psychologically twisted childhood is the definition of understatement. Here is what makes this book work and what also (perhaps) destroys it: Any idealistic notions about parenting, psychology, sexuality, maturity, and identity are so completely obliterated within the first 50 pages or so that you spend the rest of the text marveling at the sheer absurdity of it all. That Burroughs survived it is one thing, that he is able to tell the tale is a feat unto itself. Occasionally you get the sense that he is not involved in the action so much as drifting nearby, conveying a survival tactic of the moment that extends to how he writes. This is a life where the extremes are the norm and normalcy is longed for yet so foreign as to arouse something akin to suspicion. I'll recommend it, but it is not for the faint-hearted.
Rating: flush.

conversational math

Flip enough coins, and eventually the pattern will settle into a 50/50 split between heads and tails, right?
Does the law of averages apply to conversation? For instance, if I talk for a long enough time, will there be a point where what I say is interesting or funny no less than half the time?
But then how do we categorize those people who seem to have an abundance one way or the other?
Related question: Where is the fine line between tedious and hilarious? Is it in the delivery, the ability to twist a story, or is it more a matter of knowing your audience?
I know this makes absolutely no sense. How can one apply math to conversation? Maybe it's a notion borne more out of the idea of time; the 7-minute lull, or the point at which a story or joke goes on too long and the point is lost. Or the speed at which gossip travels (Juiciness x people who know = distance).
Or maybe I'm just hoping that years of being boring will balance out in the end.

Movie Review: Superman Returns

Last year it was Batman Begins, and now we have Superman Returns. Rather than a retelling of the character's origins, this movie attempts to get past the mythos of Christopher Reeve's characterization and make audiences buy into Brandon Routh as an acceptable replacement. It also takes the liberty of ignoring the third and fourth sequels, which to me seems consistent with the tendency of comic books to thrash continuity in favor of a good story and attempt to fill in logical gaps later. However, I think that movie versions of comic books with a lot of history can get away with ignoring or changing aspects of the comic they are based on so long as the movies are consistent within whatever universe they create. So, purely on the level of storyline and plot, this tale will be criticized but it cannot necessarily be damned for the way it strays from the comic; as it does seem consistent with the first two movies.
Perhaps too much so. There were so many references and tribute shots from the earlier movies that at times it was like watching a Cliffs Notes version of I and II. Still, the film succeeds in spite of such gestures, due in large part to the casting. Most of the criticism I have heard is dissatisfaction with the people in each role, but I disagree. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor doesn't exactly light up the screen, but his dry approach suits the character. Meanwhile, James Marsden appears as Lois Lane's fiancee, and is given the opportunity to act rather than just run around with silly sunglasses or eye-beam focusing goggles like he did as Cyclops in the X-men movies. And Routh carries the weight of the title character probably better than anyone might expect.
The story itself drags a little sometimes, and is often interrupted for the sake of iconic imagery, but it is a watchable enough plot to stay interesting.
Rating: flush

Bin Lung

My sister is in Taiwan. I couldn't resist posting this excerpt:

"Betel Nut is the seed of a tree called the Betel Palm. It is actually very popular in Asian countries. The nut contains a stimulant so when it is chewed the effect is describes as being similar to drinking about 6 cups of coffee. In Taiwan, the marketing of the Betel nut (called Bin Lung) is what makes it popular here.

Bin Lung Girls have stands that are usually located around entrance/exit ramps to the highways. The girls are often dressed in little more than bra & panties. So, that is one of the reasons for the popularity of the nut, especially with the fellas. So, at this rest area, you could actually buy Bin Lung dolls out of a machine! I couldn't believe it! Ya-wen said people actually collect them!!"