Dirty Vegas & Dixie Chicks — that is and was this evening, with a little Don McLean thereafter.
The rest of “D” consists of Dream Theater, Dungen, Dunja Knebl, and Duran Duran. Dunja Knebl is the only obscure name there; she’s a Croatian folk singer I heard years ago (1999) in Zagreb one evening during our language and culture program.
I enjoyed that month greatly, although I had some issues with it, mostly dealing with its political and ideological leanings … in short: far right, nationalistic. Historical revisionism. Climate of fear. I always place Knebl in that context, justly or not, and so my enjoyment of her music is problematic. That having been said, there are a few rather pretty songs on the album, Iz Globine Srce.
I have episode 13 of season 3 of Battlestar Galactica to watch; it aired on Sunday, but I haven’t yet had the time or opportunity to watch it.
Last night I started and finished Cabinet of Curiosities (Preston-Child), an entertaining light thriller of sorts, which returned Agent Pendergast and Bill Smithback, the journalist of questionable judgment. Contrary to my expectations Pendergast indeed managed to go through a little “character development” — he was at least humbled (until the next book, in any case) a bit, and there were fewer occasions for his catch-phrase (“A bad habit, but very hard to break”).
Preston and Child’s language is amazingly non-metaphorical, though when the occasional poetic metaphors creep in, they can be a joy; the language is meant as a clean, transparent window to the story, its characters and actions, and I admit that occasionally a naively straight-forward story is a fun diversion.
I started Jasper Fforde’s Something Rotten on the buss; only 15 pages in at this point, but tonight or tomorrow I’ll read it, so I can return it Friday. Regina recommended Fforde a few weeks ago, and it turns out that a half-dozen other acquaintances/friends of mine know and like his work. Terry Pratchett for smart people, perhaps. I picked up several other interesting books (novels and short story collections) recently that I want to get to as well.
Another friend recommended Simon Winchester’s The Professor and the Madman and is currently reading The Ghost Map (“On August 28, 1854, working-class Londoner Sarah Lewis tossed a bucket of soiled water into the cesspool of her squalid apartment building and triggered the deadliest outbreak of cholera in the city’s history. In this tightly written page-turner, Johnson [Everything Bad Is Good for You] uses his considerable skill to craft a story of suffering, perseverance and redemption that echoes to the present day.”)
Last night’s cornbread is mostly gone — that’s why I can’t bake it often, for it’s addictively good.
As for “News of the Weird” … or semi-disturbing:
First, the very sad: Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth — “Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given.”
Second, the disturbing: I won’t be happy until I lose my legs — “I was six when I first became aware of my desire to lose my legs. I don’t remember what started it – there was no specific trigger. Most people want to change something about themselves, and the image I have of myself has always been one without legs.” She contrived though various self-inflected injuries, etc., to get her left leg amputated above the knee … she knows she’ll eventually want the right one gone, too.
