Monday
The other day I mentioned Miorad Pavic’s Dictionary of the Khazars, subtitled “A lexicon novel.”
Monday afternoon I left the department later than expected after having spent much of the day grading and waiting for students to show up and collect their old work. I stopped by the Mediterranean Cafe for a sandwich and tea (evidently it is just Earl Grey and mint, with sugar … nevertheless delicious), and I walked toward Fair Trade, intending to enjoy a coffee and read for a while, but it was far too busy for that, and since the bus was not due for another fifteen to twenty minutes, I walked across the street to Avol’s.
A quick look through the fiction section uncovered a “female edition” of Pavic’s book, and although it contained passages underlined by a blue ball-point pen, for $5.95 it was a good deal. I paid for it just in time to catch my bus. I also saw two copies of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, but I want to research the book a bit more before picking up a copy, and they were a bit pricey.
Science
Scientists May Have Found Those Nabokov Baby Blues: “In the 1940s, a decade before achieving international renown with ‘Lolita,’ Vladimir Nabokov solidified his reputation as a lepidopterist by reclassifying the wide-ranging North American butterfly genus Lycaeides, the ‘blues.'” It is also remembering, especially when so often ‘artists’ are associated with a cult of genius and take on the roles of prophets, priests, or monks, that many practicing artists are and were practitioners of other skills and professions.
When I think about blues I also think of Blue Gender, a somewhat trippy and violent anime series from a few years back. It loses cohesion as the episodes progress, and the mystical-eco-transhumanism, as I like to call it, seems to be a rip off of the more engaging and well-known Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The Isthmus this week contains a story entitled “The New Evangelicals” … not quite the same thing.
Virgin Dragon Prepares to Give Birth: “In an evolutionary twist, Flora the Komodo dragon has managed to become pregnant all on her own without any male help. She is carrying seven baby Komodo dragons.”
The article says “evolutionary twist,” but parthenogenesis (back to genesis again, it seems, no evangelicals necessary) is nothing new. Relating it to fiction, one will, perhaps, think of a similar plot if not evolutionary twist in Jurassic Park, relating not to self-impregnation, but to environmentally induced spontaneous sex change, and David Brin’s novel Glory Season deals extensively with parthenogenesis in a futuristic (post-)human society.
It is hard not to like this much-discussed story about and photograph of whale vomit.
Stupidity
Woman Puts Baby Through Airport X-Ray: “A woman mistakenly put her 1-month-old grandson through an X-ray machine at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.”
It takes great stupidity on the part of both the grandmother and the baggage screening monitors for something like this to happen. Carelessness, at least, but I attribute carelessness at work (when you’re supposed to be working a sort of ‘security’ detail) to stupidity.
Congressman Criticizes Election of Muslim: “In a letter sent to hundreds of voters this month, Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr., Republican of Virginia, warned that the recent election of the first Muslim to Congress posed a serious threat to the nation’s traditional values.
CNN reports it as Lawmaker won’t apologize for ‘Islamophobic’ letter: “A Virginia congressman will not apologize for writing that without immigration reform ‘there will be many more Muslims elected to office demanding the use of the Quran,’ his spokesman said.”
I report this under stupidity rather than bigotry because while Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, a Republican, is clearly a stupid bigot (see the linked articles for evidence, and, for good measure, use some common sense), the good people of Virginia are stupid for having elected him — racists don’t just happen: they are made and tolerated. This is the same state that this year gave us George “Macaca” Allen ([1], [2]).
Culture
Chanteuse with a harp mesmerizes sellout S.F. crowd: “Joanna Newsom gave new meaning to the term ‘going medieval on you’ Monday night at the first of three sold-out shows at Great American Music Hall. Her methods are much subtler than those of, say, Randy Savage, the Undertaker or Andre the Giant.” Andrew seems to recommend her. In Berlin last spring we had a beautiful harp performance as part of the Berlin Seminar … it’s not one of those things that you think you’ll like, but then you do …
Several months I saw Noli Novak‘s site dedicated to her stipple illustrations; the other day I came across the link again. Ralph Goings‘ photo realism is also a nice diversion. The results are pretty, and occasionally beautiful; what I admire, if anything, is the skill and patience necessary — skill I wish I had in that medium.
Daniel Kehlmann’s Die Vermessung der Welt (Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 2005) has been translated into English (Measuring the World). I saw it at Borders on Tuesday and came across a review or two online. I still haven’t read my copy, which I picked up at the Hackescher Markt. The German “Vermessung” can also be translated as “Measurement,” but “Measuring” as a gerund, as the process of doing measurement, also works. It seems my native dialect is one that accepts “maysurement” and not just “mehsurement.” No IPA today.
I appears that Frank Schätzing’s Der Schwarm has also appeared in English. I prefer the German cover — it looks like an eye, but could also be a top-down view of a jellyfish.
Wednesday
Only when I got on the bus yesterday to go to the department so as to return more student papers did I recall that a 5pm post-defense-beer was in order for Kim, who had her defense yesterday afternoon. I arrived early and ate a sandwich; then I saw M.S. shortly before 5. When Lynn (got some Kahlua cookies!) arrived we joined him and a professor from Geography, and then we switched tables to the arch between the Stiftskeller and the Rathskeller — it has great acoustics, such that you can, if positioned correctly, carry on clearer conversations with those across the way than with those right next to you.
Most departed early, but a half dozen of us drove to the Weary Traveler for dinner; Dave and I managed to get a large corner table before the rest arrived. One Two-Hearted Ale and a Bob’s Bad Breath Burger later I eventually paid and left, but not before a few interesting conversations with the geographers and their friends/SOs.
Currently
As for the books I’m reading, I’m still in the middle (well, not yet quite the middle) of House of Leaves and loving every page of it … even those that would drive a copyeditor and typesetter crazy due to the complexity.
Most of Die Prinzen’s song “Popmusik” is rather disposable — one definition of the pop music, one might say — though it takes a break from its extensive and at points excessive sampling and ADHD singing for a brief spoken-word segment:
Weisst du eigentlich, was Pop-Musik kann,
Sie ist tanzbar und regt zum Nachdenken an,
Es geht um Pop
Die Definition von Popmusik ist hinlänglich bekannt,
Das ist Hoch- Hoch- Hochinteressant,
Es geht um Pop,
Doch im großen und im ganzen gehts ums Tanzen
Do you know, actually, what pop music can do? / It is danceable and inspires reflection / It’s about Pop / The definition of pop music is sufficiently well known / It is highly- highly highly interesting / It’s about pop / But all in all it’s about dancing
What this aside discusses (the song itself does not deliver) is put into action in so many pop songs, but I think — sticking with the German vibe for a moment — it is quite nicely expressed by Wir Sind Helden’s “Von hier on blind” (and by “Gekommen um zu bleiben”).
