the price of oil

Money. Money comes and goes. The ex taught me to make the most of it whilst it was around.
Looks like cheney and his cohorts did the same.

the bedside table

ok computer

no, i am not reading cds.  this is a book in the 33 1/3 series that each take on an important album.  ok computer, regarded as the best of its era, is tackled by the head of the music department at oxford brooks university.  boingboing told me about the series and it sounded too good to pass up.  

dr. griffiths point is that ok computer represents a special collection of songs - one that he terms a cd album.  he first introduces the concept through some philosophical and esoteric explanation of critical defintions and explorations of underlying arguments.  this part is pure gold, especially for a somewhat music geek like myself.  it would be even better for a more informed music geek.  he then continues to a detailed song by song breakdown of the album, explaining how each fits into the wider concept of the album and how they work together to create a cd album.  

a great book, well researched and explained, with an interesting thesis.  my only complaint is that i wish i knew the album better.  as i was reading i tried to play the music in my head, with little luck.  i really should have been playing the album while reading the album breakdown.  there are lots of great albums to choose from, so maybe next time . . . . 

the bedside table

anathem

one of my favorite authors currently writing is neal stephenson.  i'm sure that says something about my taste in literature.  i find his books to be somewhere in the vast area between trash and art.  (not that trash is bad or art is good.  i have enjoyed plenty of trashy books and been bored stiff by many art books.)  mr. stephenson writes a different kind of book each time out, and this is his sci-fi book.

the story takes place on the planet arbe, a more advanced but somewhat earth like place.  the scientific community has been shuttered up in monasteries called maths.  (while there is a sprinkling of new words, it's not cumbersome and mr. stephenson has, for the most part, taken care in his word creation.)  a cataclysmic event, which i will spoil in a later paragraph, brings them back into the saecular world to hopefully save the day.  a fun ride for sure.

what makes mr. stephenson's books so interesting to me is what he includes beyond the story.  in most of his books that i have read, it is clear that he is trying to teach me something.  this book spends a lot of time in what can only be described as socratic dialogues.  mr. stephenson uses these interludes to flesh out some of the more interesting ideas from philosophy, physics, music, and whateverelse he wants.  there were many passages to return to just so i could figure out the ideas behind them.  i had quite the time trying to explain them to mrs. timmeh.  the acknowledgments page is a cornucopia of interesting information, too long to actually be in the book.  i can only think that mr. stephenson's goal was not to write about arbe, but to share some cool information he has.

like many of mr. stephenson's books, this one is long.  850+ pages.  damn do i like me some long books.  it really allows me to know the characters and inhabit the world of the story.  there is not much better than a great thick book.  this one certainly qualifies.

SPOILER ALERT.  DON"T READ PAST HERE IF YOU DO NOT WANT SOME OF THE STORY EXPLAINED.

NO, REALLY

so the cataclysmic event is aliens show up in orbit around arbe and the planet is not sure how to react.  four races are represented on the alien ship for reasons that i won't explain.  at a couple of points they mention earth, which i was thrown off by.  as i think back to the planet names, i don't remember an "earth".  probably this is just sloppy reading on my part.  i have a tendency to do that as i get close to the end of a book.  but i cannot help but wonder if that was some sort of editing error.  just a little tidbit i wanted to put out there.

and if you read that paragraph i don't think it spoiled much of the story for you.  it was an easy guess as you were reading.

Word On The Street

So, there is this guy that everyone I have run into is talking about. It does not seem to matter where they are from: Thailand, Britain, Iceland, Japan, Argentina, China, Australia, Czech, Kenya.... you name a country and a person from that place is talking about this guy. His name is melodically bellowed out with the same reverence reserved only for the highest of religious figures: Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed... it really is stunning for me. I have had my eye on this man for a mere 6 years, but, it seems as though the world has been watching him for millennia. If that is possible.

My smile professes proudness. After such a time in the wilderness of shame, as I cross the world, now I can reclaim honesty in my nationality thanks to this "friend" of mine that everyone seems to know. No longer will you here me sing out "oh Canada" because of my fear of what will happen if I tell the truth of my upbringing. Now i can once again proudly belch out "America the Beautiful", and instead of getting empty martini glasses thrown at me, I get offered sex on the beach. Sounds good to me.

Obama: decimating the evil Bushism the world 'round, changing "merica from a four letter word into a word offered forth only by the likes of Gabriel, and getting my glass filled with alcohol by people incapable of voting for him from across the Earth; keep up the "good works" big guy!

The Bus Ride Home

I do not read much before bedtime. However, I do read on the bus. And seeing as how I have between 1.5 and 2 hours to ride the bus everyday, I do have a lot of reading time.

I do not always read so quickly though, because the bus is also sleep time. Though I have been able to finish four books in the last month. The World According To Garp, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Tai-Pan and No Country For Old Men. Three are between 600-700 pages. And No Country For Old Men is 300 pages.

I began Garp first, and I think it was the most well written. It it is a story about what it is to be human. Garp is an everyday person and it is about the craziness of the life he goes through. It seems to me that it is a sort of auto biography of the writer: John Irving. As you follow T.S. Garp through his life, do be prepared to laugh at the most awkward moments during this story. Though not as beautiful as Marquez, nor as profound as Kerouc, Garp is a solid read and a good way to pass the time.

At the same time I was reading Garp, i was also reading The Butlerian Jihad. This is a furthering of the dune chronicles. Please understand that those of us who like Sci-Fi think that DUNE might be the best Sci-Fi novel ever written. In fact, I put Dune right next to One Hundred Years of Solitude and the Bible on my wall of fiction. Now, as for this "jihad", it is not a strong, life altering read by any means. It did pass the time well enough, but along the lines of one of the early Batman movies (i.e, the jihad) compared to The Dark Knight (think Dune). If you have not read the other books in the two different Dune series, then you might like this one...

Being a novice historian, I tend to like historical fiction. And James Clavell tends to do this type of fiction very well. From begining to end I enjoyed reading Tai Pan. It is the story of the beginning of Hong Kong. Though I did like Shogun better, tai pan was easier to read all of the way through. Watching the British out think
and out maneuver their advisories always gives me pause to wonder about how much trust any one should put with the British. All in all, a good read.

Now the last book I have finished is more difficult for me to talk about. I am not sure why though. No Country For old Men has sat in my mind for a long time. It was made into a movie that is as close to the book as any movie since Star wars, but reading the book did not seem to explain why this work has always left me thinking about what it is. I think that it is a study of the bad side of existence. I think that it is about someone who has spent a life surrounded by evil and evil events, but does not see that evil is innate in the world until he runs into the after effects of one Anton Chigurgh (sugar), who is evil personified. If you have seen the movie, you really do not need to read the book, and vice versa. This is the most disturbing and probably the most profound of the recent readings I have done.

Remember, whether you read or not, continue to forever explore your own imagination. For it is limitless.

the bedside table

tristessa

trancendental empty kissable milk light of everlasting eternity

clocking in at only 98 pages, this is proof that good things come in small packages.  kerouac is widely known for his work with spontaneous prose, and this is a tour de force of the genre.  if the myth about on the road is to be believed, then tristessa could easily have been turned out in fifteen good minutes of writing.  as you read it is clear that kerouac is exercising his writing muscles, and it is a wonder to behold.

tristessa is a meditation on some of the junkies kerouac met while living in mexico city and returning to visit after a year.  we meet tristessa, cruz, and a number of their fellow addicts including old bull gains.  their persons, descriptions, thoughts and actions serve as the best deterrent for the use of morphine and its derivatives.  believe me, i'm going to just say no.

first level your own mind, and then the earth will be level, even unto mount sumeru.

Screw The Norwegians ...

... and you might be in trouble. A new law in Norway that covers Norwegians across the whole globe has banned them from paying for sex.

Norwegian citizens caught paying for prostitutes at home or abroad could face a hefty fine or a six-month prison sentence...

The stated reason for this I think is commendable...

"We think buying sex is unacceptable because it favours human trafficking and forced prostitution," deputy Justice Minister

Now I agree that trafficking in humans and forced prostitution is a very bad thing. However, I do not think that creating new levels of punishment around "the world's oldest profession" is called for. Why not go after the actual traffickers, and not the people who provide income for poor girls who might not have any other way to make the same amount of income doing anything else. This law makes all forms of "compensation" illegal, and be-careful about who touches you where ladies, because this might be construed as "selling sex" if you take anything in return....

the sexual activities it covers... include payment for sexual intercourse, physical contact between exposed genitalia, one or two-way masturbation or touching someone’s private parts or breasts. “Payment” is defined as the exchange of money, or payment in kind, including the giving of flowers and gifts.

Looks to me like the Norwegians might have just banned Valentines Day ladies. So no more chocolates and flowers and dinners and movies for you from them... Goddamn those smart Norwegians!