Oops

I didn't mean to disappear for a couple of weeks but it happened. I'll try and get back on track tomorrow with the final post on the Hyperion edition devoted to Miklós Szentkuthy, including a few notes on the wonderful excerpt from Black Renaissance. To hold my feet to the fire, I'll follow up with something on Imre Kertész's Fiasco and then I'll hopefully have finished Zsigmond Móricz's Relations. Wow, there really has been a focus on Hungarian writers of late...

My apologies

My computer died today. And then I made sure the damn thing was dead. Deader than dead. And then some.

Not that he was waiting for the letter, but Michael Dell will not be receiving an invitation to any of our parties any time soon. But then that's been true for the past few years of having to put up with the piece of crap Dell sold me.

I have backups saved as of a couple of weeks ago but I'm mostly worried about all the homeschool work I might have lost since then...my focus right now is on making sure our lessons are uninterrupted. I know I've lost some notes and material on books I'll never get back again, but when you know you're dealing with something that has been as horrible on reliability as what I have had to deal with for so long...shame on me.

Part of me feels good to get rid of the POS (correct me if I'm wrong on the technical description Mr. Dell) that just died, but it will take a few days to get things in order so I can refocus on the blog. Again, my apologies, and hopefully regular blogging will resume soon.

Happier post

The article Calvin & Hobbes Creator's Life Lessons Become Beautiful New Comic is artist Gavin Aung Than's comic based on a speech Bill Watterson gave at Kenyon College in 1990. Well worth taking a few minutes to read and enjoy the artwork.

"To invent your own life's meaning is not easy but it is still allowed, and I think you'll be happier for the trouble."

Regular posting should resume some time next week...

Sad news

UC Santa Cruz announced today that this will be the final season for Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC), the professional repertory company in residence at the campus.

The current season, the 32nd since the festival debuted on campus in 1981, will conclude this year following the annual holiday show in December.

News release at UC Santa Cruz site

I'm particularly sad about this because the boys were getting old enough to take them to performances (see the holiday production they went to last year. Here's hoping the school will be successful in working with a troupe to continue performances there.

It turns out we have tickets for this weekend on the final day of their regular season. And you can bet we'll take the kids to the holiday performance again. Meanwhile I think I'll savor the fond memories of attending performances in the redwood glen over the years.

Update (9 Sep 2013): A final update (for now) in Theatre Bay Area

Previous updates:

Update: A little more on the closing.

Update: An update musing on the wording of the press release and its implications.

Update: Ouch.

And double ouch...the ending of a letter from the office of the Provost, Benjamin F. Porter College at UC Santa Cruz:

In the spring of 2014, the world will be celebrating the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, but in Santa Cruz, it appears that we will be mourning the loss of the cherished institution that brought Shakespeare to life for us—unless, of course, you reconsider your decision and ask the people who love Shakespeare, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the University to help you make a better future. I hope that you will have the courage to do just that. Nothing would be lost by deliberating together, and a great deal might be gained. I would gladly join you in the challenge.
Sincerely yours,
Sean Keilen, Ph.D.
Provost, Porter College Associate Professor of Literature Affiliated Faculty, Theater Arts

File under...

Women you don't want to date.

Or maybe women you want to date. Good thing I don't have to worry about it.

Posting to resume soon

I'm almost over a case of food poisoning so I'll get back to posting soon. Funny thing when I'm sick...I have all this time to read but never feel like doing it when I feel bad. Fortunately that's not as much of an issue now.

Enjoying my Father's Day presents this weekend

I will be occupied for a few days with my Father's Day presents. Perfect car-centric gifts for this redneck...NASCAR tickets and a Ford (Madox Ford). See y'all in a few days.

A bleg: "Kean," starring Anthony Hopkins

So I went the WorldCat route in trying to obtain a copy of the BBC performance of Jean-Paul Sartre's "Kean" with Anthony Hopkins in the title role. There are only two libraries listed with copies and neither loan audio-visual material. So I'm out of luck with that approach.

If anyone has a copy or knows how to get a copy of this performance (it is listed here) I would greatly appreciate any and all leads. I'm not sure the product matches what I'm looking for. The two sources with the videos (both on VHS) are not consistent with the description, so I think I need a different approach.

I would love a full version of this play to view, and this is a play I would love to post about on my blog! Any help is greatly appreciated.

Persecuting myself to the full extent of the law

Or an update to the state of the blog.

So I think by announcing a November read-along it’s clear I plan on continuing the blog. I needed some time away (despite erratic posting) to think about what I wanted to do with the blog. There were many issues leading to the earlier post on continuing the blog. I realize some of these won’t go away, such as seeing the bulk of a post showing up on money-making sites without any attribution. That’s the nature of the game, I guess, like it or not. But I think the biggest pressure that led to my questioning whether or not to continue came from me and not knowing what I wanted from this blog. I’m not going to pretend I have a clear picture but it’s slowly coming into focus.

What I have enjoyed doing most with this blog has been “project based,” loosely defined. This can be tackling all the English translations of Benito Pérez Galdós (something I need to get back on track), doing a series of posts on classic works like Herodotus or Thucydides (expect one on Xenophon soon), or finding an author that deserves a wider English-speaking audience and posting about a few of their works. I will still post on individual books I read and I need to post more on the nonfiction. There will continue to be plenty of cross-media posts, especially movies made from novels or plays. The recent posts on pre-glasnost Hungarian plays have been remarkably satisfying despite having a limited audience.

There will be posts that look deeper into a work, too. One example I’m planning on soon is some posts on Jean-Paul Sartre’s play “Kean” along with his inspiration/basis, Alexandre Dumas’ play “Edmund Kean, Or, the Life of an Actor.” And if I can obtain a copy of the BBC production with Anthony Hopkins in the title role, I’ll post on that, too. The November read-along is another example. I’ll probably only read a few books from the (expanding) list of 19th-century U.S. women writers but I’m hoping others join in so we can create a nice resource beyond the usual, well-documented suspects.

So there it is. Posting will probably be more erratic depending on my free time. While there are many stellar book blogs out there, I’d like this blog to be a resource people enjoy visiting and getting ideas for something to read or view…whether it involves authors to explore, plays or movies to watch, or whatever I’m focusing on at the moment. As I said, it’s still coming into focus but I think a more relaxed posting schedule and focusing on projects I enjoy gets the blog closer to what I want to see. As always, comments are greatly appreciated. It's nice to know when something strikes a chord with readers.

By the way, my wife has imposed a $1 fine for every obscure reference I make. I usually protest that the reference isn't obscure...she just isn't familiar with it. I mention that because I realize I owe her a dollar for the title of this post.

Beating the heat

It was supposed to get to 100°F where we live (it got there, and then some), so we decided to beat the heat and have some fun. Try and learn things, too. So we walked among coastal redwoods. And played in the Pacific Ocean. And played silly video games. It was a good day. Here are a couple of blurry pictures to prove it.

On (semi-)hold

I’ve reached an existential moment for this blog. I don’t feel like I’m contributing to any discussion, which reflects my own interests since lately I have focused on nooks, crannies, and shadows of literature (at least in the English speaking world) that few people seem interested in despite my enthusiasm. I want to thank everyone for their support, encouragement, and comments since April 18, 2006, which translates into 49 years in dog (and maybe more in web) years.

Taking a step back, I realize many of my goals for this blog have been achieved. I wanted to revisit the works of a classical education, a plan I’ve started and will continue. It’s gratifying to see the visitors that come looking for the same thing and I appreciate the emails I’ve received about those works. I noted at the start of the blog that I read a work differently if I know I’m going to write about it. I find I have adapted how I read, whether I plan to post on the work or not. Writing about what I’ve read has historically been a painful process…OK, not everything has improved.

If I plan to continue I need to set new goals for what I want to achieve. The problem is I’m not sure what I’m looking for or hope to realize in this blogging endeavor. I have several books I want to comment on over the next few weeks, mostly out of inertia. I’ve set a goal of two months to figure out what I want to achieve here and will update as I work through things. Again, thanks to everyone that has provided support and comments over the years.

Whenever you're on my mind

I've been distracted from posting the past few weeks because of my mom falling and fracturing her collarbone. It's amazing how much energy is required to take care of things from a distance. Fortunately I have two great brothers helping out.

I’m traveling this next week and I’m not sure how much internet access I’ll have. A list of what I’ve read (or I’m almost finished with) that I want to post on when I have a chance, so plan your reading or avoidance accordingly:

• The movie Memórias Póstumas, the 2001 adaptation of Machado de Assis's The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas  
• The Light and the Dark by Mikhail Shishkin 
• The first two volumes of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle 
• Leonid Tsypkin’s The Bridge over the Neroch and Other Works  
• The Astrologer by Scott G.F. Bailey 
• Four essays in N.M. Penzer’s study Poison Damsels, and other essays in Folklore and Anthropology
• Plays…I've read several I’d like to share, including István Örkény’s weird and wonderful Stevie in the Bloodbath: A Grotesque Play in Two Parts and a few plays from Václav Havel (centered on his character Vaněk). There’s several more plays but I don’t know that I could write them all up...

Not to mention some upcoming posts I hope to coincide with other bloggers:

• Richard at Caravana de recuerdos and I are planning to post on Andrey Platonov’s The Foundation Pit in another week. Also, Richard will be hosting the group read of Gogol’s Dead Souls at the end of this month. 
• Winstonsdad’s blog hosts Polish literature in June. I have well over 3,000 pages of Polish literature sitting on my shelf, mocking me, that I want to tackle… 

Delay in posting, so a few notes

After both boys got the stomach crud it's my turn and the last thing I feel like doing is reading or posting. I will add a few notes, though.

I won't get to posting about the Introduction of Paideia: the Ideals of Greek Culture (Volume 1) by Werner Jaeger for a few days. In the meantime, check out the updated links in section the preface / contents post if you're interested. On the subject of coincidence, I was happy to see Jaeger was the first quote in Demosthenes of Athens and the Fall of Classical Greece by Ian Worthington. More on that book soon, too.

For other bloggers / readers in the San Francisco Bay area I wanted to mention this event on April 4 at the Hotel Rex in San Francisco: Mikhail Shishkin's Amazing Maidenhair. I highly recommended the book in this post and look forward to going to the event. Translator Marian Schwartz is also scheduled to be there. Drop a line if you're going and I'll be happy to meet for a drink before the event. I also hope to read the recently translated edition of his novel The Light and the Dark before the event.

Diversion, shameless plug

Posting will resume soon...I've been assisting my wife lately with her website. For anyone with kids check out her site "kids + love + acupuncture: tips from A - Z to keep your kids healthy" and follow her on pinterest. Thanks to the last article I know more about kids' constipation than I ever wanted to. Fortunately there are more topics than just poo.

A great pairing

After

If you made cherry cordials based on my post back in May, I can report that they are wonderfully ready. If you didn't, take advantage of the next cherry season and enjoy!

Before

Weekend listening

Still recovering from a happy hour from last night with former co-workers. The high (low?) point of the evening was a potential recreation of a live karaoke performance (singing with a live, performing group) of a ... ummm... rumored performance at a company meeting. By me. Fortunately things didn't escalate to that point. The crowd and police breathed a sigh of relief.

Anyway, for your enjoyment: instead of some instant viewing, let's visit a fun listening experiences for the weekend. I've been a fan of the Bedazzled blog ever since I first stumbled across it. The tagline is "Music, Movies, Microcode & High Speed Pizza Delivery" but what I enjoy the most are the vintage videos and the old singles provided in the posts. The most recent post is the second post on the burgeoning P-Funk enterprise (which was a staple at the local coliseum where I grew up). Check out this week's post on George Clinton Productions, Part Two and listen to some fun and funky '60s tunes. Included in the post are the following songs:

"Our Love (Is In The Pocket)" by Darrel Banks
"Look at What I Almost Missed" by Pat Lewis
"Headache in My Heart" by The Debonaires
"I'll Wait" by Pat Lewis
Pat Lewis with "Hey Mama (What You Got Good For Daddy)" and "Let's Have A Love-In (Cause everybody Needs Love)"

Enjoy!

Update
Be sure to check out the related posts:
Part One
Part Three

Status update

I was part of a layoff today so blogging will be a lower priority until I get the job-hunt machinery cranked up. I plan on finishing the Fortunata and Jacinta read-along on schedule, more or less. We'll see how things are going in a few weeks. Good karma sent this way is greatly appreciated!

Joy

The sound of one tongue lapping

Ham on Rye. Or not.

Picture source

Click on the picture source for more of Bob Staake's Bad Children Books. When I have more time I want to collect other links for alternate book titles or spoofs like this. Meanwhile, enjoy!