music
I read The Audacity Of Hope last week. I read it very quickly. It's a good book featuring Obama's thoughts on US Government, Money, Race, God, Policy, Family, etc.
I'm reading Dreams From My Father this week. Now, that is an infinitely interesting book. I'm glad it's so long. I really like the end, which narrates, finally, his Kenyan family history. (I had to read the end before I properly got there; you feel his relief at finally KNOWING where he's from.)
I wish many "lost" Black people in America could come out here, even on short visits, 'cos it's rare to feel at home, in the regal sense of the word, in America when you're Black.
I wish I read more of the AfrAm works that we did in that blitz of a course with Charles Metze III in Freshman year at HU. Now I see what a diligent kid I was, how diligent many of us foreigners were, to have got As in these courses in spite of not having the background knowledge - slaves, OK I had seen "Roots", but we hadn't heard of Thurgood Marshall, Richard Wright, even Toni Morrison, and we had just one semester. The main text for the course was fantastic: From Slavery to Freedom, A History of African Americans by John Hope Franklin.
My sister Kehinde graduated last weekend with a degree from The Mecca. The real H.U. She studied Business: Hospitality Management. (Anybody hiring? Seriously. I would hire her in a heartbeat.)
Last week's news:
New Poet Laureate of England - Carol Ann Duffy
New on the Time 100 List - Rafael Nadal
Still the best in the world - Dinara Safina
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Birthday
music
Birthday is on May Day folks.
tonight: cartoons and pineapple.
tomorrow: whatever's fun.
Life is amazing, even without electricity in my house.
there's a lot of fun stuff I could tell you, but my Papa might think it immodest. You know I'll still tell.
Girls are weird. Boys make more sense. Someone I know (yours truly) decided to try polygamy. She tried it. Her boyfriend returned two days later from a trip. She told him (well, he knows her, so he knew from her poetry that she might do something like that someday.) He did the sensible thing: tried to "adapt," then eventually started being a bit too busy to hang out regularly.
Could you see a typical girl doing the same as boyfriend? She would get so pissed, then waste a lot of her time fretting over the situation, maybe even trying to change things. Girls are weird, dude.
There are downsides to polygamy, like "who's the daddy?" - I think that's why all the mores around marriage started in the first place. Then also the fact that it leaves less time for "somebody." I guess everybody knew that.
The poetry book is done. I'm so happy. It's so nice to FINISH something this big. You'll read the poems soon, over a hundred of them, everything from Haiku to "Saguaro" with some music and limerick in between. I got a chance to read some today, and my audience had a fine time laughing. Who could ask for anything more?
Birthday is on May Day folks.
tonight: cartoons and pineapple.
tomorrow: whatever's fun.
Life is amazing, even without electricity in my house.
there's a lot of fun stuff I could tell you, but my Papa might think it immodest. You know I'll still tell.
Girls are weird. Boys make more sense. Someone I know (yours truly) decided to try polygamy. She tried it. Her boyfriend returned two days later from a trip. She told him (well, he knows her, so he knew from her poetry that she might do something like that someday.) He did the sensible thing: tried to "adapt," then eventually started being a bit too busy to hang out regularly.
Could you see a typical girl doing the same as boyfriend? She would get so pissed, then waste a lot of her time fretting over the situation, maybe even trying to change things. Girls are weird, dude.
There are downsides to polygamy, like "who's the daddy?" - I think that's why all the mores around marriage started in the first place. Then also the fact that it leaves less time for "somebody." I guess everybody knew that.
The poetry book is done. I'm so happy. It's so nice to FINISH something this big. You'll read the poems soon, over a hundred of them, everything from Haiku to "Saguaro" with some music and limerick in between. I got a chance to read some today, and my audience had a fine time laughing. Who could ask for anything more?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Aish baladee and Nutella
music
It's funny how well Nutella goes with aish baladee. One is an Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread, beloved of travelling students everywhere, baladee is the barely-there-light Egyptian local bread. Yum.
It's funny how lovely dark-haired white guys look in Adire/Batik, the locally-dyed cloth famous among Yorubas.
Yes, I know this post could use some visuals :-o
...so I just added the pics and links. do i have volunteers with cuter pictures of oyinbos in Naija clothes?
It's funny how well Nutella goes with aish baladee. One is an Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread, beloved of travelling students everywhere, baladee is the barely-there-light Egyptian local bread. Yum.
It's funny how lovely dark-haired white guys look in Adire/Batik, the locally-dyed cloth famous among Yorubas.
Yes, I know this post could use some visuals :-o
...so I just added the pics and links. do i have volunteers with cuter pictures of oyinbos in Naija clothes?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Cool research, outside the academy
music
Last months in Adamawa
After the last post, electricity returned, and we've had so many hours per day now that I'm mildly sleep-deprived. Basically, whenever we have power, I'm up "using" it, to watch DVDs, read, etc. Watching Indian films now : finaly saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a tearjerker love story with all the biggest names (except Aishwarya), Girlfriends is a surprising thriller - think Fatal Attraction but with girlfriends ;), there was a comedy called mujhse-shaadi karogi (Will You Marry Me?)that draws me to Goa , and I fell asleep watching more last night.
My answer, finally, to the first cry in this blog, dated July 2005, that I've discovered no new science...well, it is silly that I expected to be a researcher in 2004. (OK, 2005 less silly.) It takes time (for some people, for me) to have anything to say. I think the time will come, come soon even, but sad that I didn't know how to have more realistic expectations. Perhaps it's something that PhD programs can teach more to reduce the angst and pain. Ideally, though, it won't be in our trade papers that I do all or even most of my work, because I'm special and prefer higher impact even if it's unusual. That, does not come easily to many scientists. Although my gradschool advisor is way cooler than average, it's still a funny bunch that elects to live in Caltech. Ah yes, I'm planning to go back to grad school, in spite of being certain to be unhappy there, unhappy at least relative to eating cheaply and living simply in Adamawa State.
Compare Pasadena, the town in which I was somehow always a little sad. At least I learned a lot, including this work-life balance thing, how to be productive and relevant while selfishly keeping oodles of ME time. How to get knocked down and get up again. Not to mention practical things like driving and googling. Met some assholes and some lovely people, learned about white people and their civilization, enjoyed wealth for a bit (not that I was making a mega-salary but that the ambiance - the landscaping and the big-money equipment and everybody round having food and health, clothing and shelter, internet and extra, and the time and equipment to be scientists...it was quite a wealthy community.) The sad thing is that I wasn't even one of the sadder people around. What manner of progress ends up with sad people? At Howard, with black folk, there were sometimes delays, annoying people, but not the general sadness at 'Tech. Maybe things have changed since the President changed - he had a clue as to how to make a people sad: work long and hard on "interesting" problems without a clear view as to the real-world solutions and impact of the work. That's the winning formula for sadness.
Finally, the research
What could be more important than better understanding infant care? I watched this thing on Oprah years ago in which a chic analysed and classified baby cries so that you can see scientifically "why" the baby is crying. I wish more girls would do science and have fun with it. In
If you're into this astrology thing, The Pisces Effect is intriguing. Kenneth Mitchell scientifically relates Zodiac sun signs to specific Olympic sports, finding for instance that the percentage of medals in a sport such as swimming or archery, is not evenly distributed among the 12 signs, but actually skewed in favour of their corresponding signs: Pisces and Sagittarius.
Why would I want to be a synchronized swimmer of all things: some attractions - movement, rhythm, it's not goal-oriented in the narrow way that besting your fastest time in running or swimming is, it's more "aesthetic" and "cultural," it's low-impact (safe, no injuries), and it involves teammates so that the stress is lower. Basically you have fun trying it, happy if you win, whatevs if you don't. Makes sense that a Taurean would dig it. Taureans are the synchro queens, per The Pisces Effect. And I dreamt of doing synchro years before reading this, you know?
And great news
TWO cybercafes just opened in my area, feet from the university. 50% lower price even. And they may soon have a wireless subscription. My XO laptop aka One Laptop Per Child, would come in handy then, since electricity is not guaranteed. Can't wait to test the laptop out if/when it arrives.
Last months in Adamawa
After the last post, electricity returned, and we've had so many hours per day now that I'm mildly sleep-deprived. Basically, whenever we have power, I'm up "using" it, to watch DVDs, read, etc. Watching Indian films now : finaly saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a tearjerker love story with all the biggest names (except Aishwarya), Girlfriends is a surprising thriller - think Fatal Attraction but with girlfriends ;), there was a comedy called mujhse-shaadi karogi (Will You Marry Me?)that draws me to Goa , and I fell asleep watching more last night.
My answer, finally, to the first cry in this blog, dated July 2005, that I've discovered no new science...well, it is silly that I expected to be a researcher in 2004. (OK, 2005 less silly.) It takes time (for some people, for me) to have anything to say. I think the time will come, come soon even, but sad that I didn't know how to have more realistic expectations. Perhaps it's something that PhD programs can teach more to reduce the angst and pain. Ideally, though, it won't be in our trade papers that I do all or even most of my work, because I'm special and prefer higher impact even if it's unusual. That, does not come easily to many scientists. Although my gradschool advisor is way cooler than average, it's still a funny bunch that elects to live in Caltech. Ah yes, I'm planning to go back to grad school, in spite of being certain to be unhappy there, unhappy at least relative to eating cheaply and living simply in Adamawa State.
Compare Pasadena, the town in which I was somehow always a little sad. At least I learned a lot, including this work-life balance thing, how to be productive and relevant while selfishly keeping oodles of ME time. How to get knocked down and get up again. Not to mention practical things like driving and googling. Met some assholes and some lovely people, learned about white people and their civilization, enjoyed wealth for a bit (not that I was making a mega-salary but that the ambiance - the landscaping and the big-money equipment and everybody round having food and health, clothing and shelter, internet and extra, and the time and equipment to be scientists...it was quite a wealthy community.) The sad thing is that I wasn't even one of the sadder people around. What manner of progress ends up with sad people? At Howard, with black folk, there were sometimes delays, annoying people, but not the general sadness at 'Tech. Maybe things have changed since the President changed - he had a clue as to how to make a people sad: work long and hard on "interesting" problems without a clear view as to the real-world solutions and impact of the work. That's the winning formula for sadness.
Finally, the research
What could be more important than better understanding infant care? I watched this thing on Oprah years ago in which a chic analysed and classified baby cries so that you can see scientifically "why" the baby is crying. I wish more girls would do science and have fun with it. In
The Secret Language of Babies: The Five Cries of Newborns
Priscilla Dunstan [claims] babies of different races and culture all have the same five cries ... and since we all have the same reflexes the sounds are the same. (Check the five sounds here, get the DVD)
If you're into this astrology thing, The Pisces Effect is intriguing. Kenneth Mitchell scientifically relates Zodiac sun signs to specific Olympic sports, finding for instance that the percentage of medals in a sport such as swimming or archery, is not evenly distributed among the 12 signs, but actually skewed in favour of their corresponding signs: Pisces and Sagittarius.
Why would I want to be a synchronized swimmer of all things: some attractions - movement, rhythm, it's not goal-oriented in the narrow way that besting your fastest time in running or swimming is, it's more "aesthetic" and "cultural," it's low-impact (safe, no injuries), and it involves teammates so that the stress is lower. Basically you have fun trying it, happy if you win, whatevs if you don't. Makes sense that a Taurean would dig it. Taureans are the synchro queens, per The Pisces Effect. And I dreamt of doing synchro years before reading this, you know?
And great news
TWO cybercafes just opened in my area, feet from the university. 50% lower price even. And they may soon have a wireless subscription. My XO laptop aka One Laptop Per Child, would come in handy then, since electricity is not guaranteed. Can't wait to test the laptop out if/when it arrives.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sana'a
music
Sana'a, Yemen
"Its value lies ... in the unforgettable impression made by the whole an entire city of splendid buildings combining to create an urban effect of extraordinary fascination and beauty."
Read all about the architecture of Sana'a
Cairo, Egypt
I recently found out what "art nouveau" is. Many of the faded Cairo buildings are art nouveau then. So Cairo's golden age must have been around the time these were built: between the World Wars. "No city on earth has as much architectural variety as Cairo..." While it's a jumble out there, the pictures on this Cairo architecture website remind one that taken individually there are fine buildings the whole city through. To love the look of Cairo, zoom in. Well, there's also the Nile. It's hard to screw that up.
Yola, Nigeria
In Yola, architecture is evolving. It's fun to watch. I'm in a "modern" part of Girei, outside Yola proper, in which the occasional storeyed house has been built. Most houses are either very much mud brick and thatch affairs, covered in earth, or made of mud but coated in cement. I live in something "in-between": it's built of cement, but so earthily, you imagine that it would soon return to join the rust-brown earth from which it came. I assume the walls are so soft because they use cheap cement mixtures, i.e. high ratio of sand to cement. I like it. The layout is simple: one long rectangle, one level only, divvied up with parallel walls into identical sections. Each section is a main door leading to a room, with an inner door and another room and a bathroom behind it. Join these side to side in a straight line.
Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos would be the Cairo analogue. Money is flowing in from "somewhere" and it's going into building at perhaps the most rapid pace in the world. To make any sense of this city's architecture, zoom in tightly. There is no method to the madness. My parents' home is actually very fine, and there's a neighbouring house that I find very unusual and inspired. It's solar-powered, very large and square, white, with huge open balconies on the top floor. The open plan suggests Hacienda? The white-block-ishness is Islamic? Balustrade would be some sort of traditional - what? Renaissance Italian? What is this place? Someday I'll find out. I can just ask the owner, a cool lady I haven't seen in years. In Lagos, the government is doing up the highways from horrific to nice, also very rapidly. Add electricity and water and we'll be on our way...
Got to run now.
Sana'a, Yemen
"Its value lies ... in the unforgettable impression made by the whole an entire city of splendid buildings combining to create an urban effect of extraordinary fascination and beauty."
Read all about the architecture of Sana'a
Cairo, Egypt
I recently found out what "art nouveau" is. Many of the faded Cairo buildings are art nouveau then. So Cairo's golden age must have been around the time these were built: between the World Wars. "No city on earth has as much architectural variety as Cairo..." While it's a jumble out there, the pictures on this Cairo architecture website remind one that taken individually there are fine buildings the whole city through. To love the look of Cairo, zoom in. Well, there's also the Nile. It's hard to screw that up.
Yola, Nigeria
In Yola, architecture is evolving. It's fun to watch. I'm in a "modern" part of Girei, outside Yola proper, in which the occasional storeyed house has been built. Most houses are either very much mud brick and thatch affairs, covered in earth, or made of mud but coated in cement. I live in something "in-between": it's built of cement, but so earthily, you imagine that it would soon return to join the rust-brown earth from which it came. I assume the walls are so soft because they use cheap cement mixtures, i.e. high ratio of sand to cement. I like it. The layout is simple: one long rectangle, one level only, divvied up with parallel walls into identical sections. Each section is a main door leading to a room, with an inner door and another room and a bathroom behind it. Join these side to side in a straight line.
Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos would be the Cairo analogue. Money is flowing in from "somewhere" and it's going into building at perhaps the most rapid pace in the world. To make any sense of this city's architecture, zoom in tightly. There is no method to the madness. My parents' home is actually very fine, and there's a neighbouring house that I find very unusual and inspired. It's solar-powered, very large and square, white, with huge open balconies on the top floor. The open plan suggests Hacienda? The white-block-ishness is Islamic? Balustrade would be some sort of traditional - what? Renaissance Italian? What is this place? Someday I'll find out. I can just ask the owner, a cool lady I haven't seen in years. In Lagos, the government is doing up the highways from horrific to nice, also very rapidly. Add electricity and water and we'll be on our way...
Got to run now.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Them Egyptians
music
You know, I owe you a lot of writing. In particular, those film festivals in San Francisco, I still need to tell you about the films. With the time it takes for them to become commercially successful, some of them may just be making it into the big theaters now.
For now, I'll introduce a film (and novel) that were very popular at the San Francisco International Film Festival of 2007. Not the best film in the world, but notorious, so it brought long long lines of actual Arabs (as opposed to curious non-Arabs.) The Yacoubian Building. The novel can be bought anywhere i.e. local bookstores. Watching the film is of course, quicker. The director was really young and cute. There's something very French about Cairo, or at least the way Cairo of the "good old days" is portrayed.
I'll tell you more about that Arab Film Festival of 2006. It was sooo full. One of the films people crowded to see was "Kiss Me, Not On the Eyes." Raj loved this film. I didn't understand it, but still liked the sensuousness - dance, colour, beautiful woman, colour, red dress against black hair, dance - in the market, I walked through a place like that in the market in my last week in Cairo, where they sell cheap bras and stuff, and a kid stands on a table advertising, (dancing?)
I just read the synopsis written in the AFF pamphlet for this film. Now I get it!
What else was I going to write? Ah, this chic, Nigerian, named Chimamanda is good. I'm excited for her 'cos she got a MacArthur fellowship, aka money to do whateva, suckas. I'm reading a fiction thingie of hers in The New Yorker and thinking "wow, sweet, I actually want to read more." Then it goes beyond two pages, and I'm starting to feel lazy...still going to read more. Still haven't read either of her novels but that never stopped me recommending her, right? A trusted friend swears "Half of A Yellow Sun" is amazing. Igbo nationalists, hehehe. I recommend and gift "Things Fall Apart" a lot. Read that one. It's by Chinua Achebe, whom Chimamanda obviously loves, understands, and emulates as a writer. You'll learn more in 100 easy pages about "Africa" and her "culture" than in months of seminars with big oyinbo grammatical talk.
I'll be back. Peace and love.
You know, I owe you a lot of writing. In particular, those film festivals in San Francisco, I still need to tell you about the films. With the time it takes for them to become commercially successful, some of them may just be making it into the big theaters now.
For now, I'll introduce a film (and novel) that were very popular at the San Francisco International Film Festival of 2007. Not the best film in the world, but notorious, so it brought long long lines of actual Arabs (as opposed to curious non-Arabs.) The Yacoubian Building. The novel can be bought anywhere i.e. local bookstores. Watching the film is of course, quicker. The director was really young and cute. There's something very French about Cairo, or at least the way Cairo of the "good old days" is portrayed.
I'll tell you more about that Arab Film Festival of 2006. It was sooo full. One of the films people crowded to see was "Kiss Me, Not On the Eyes." Raj loved this film. I didn't understand it, but still liked the sensuousness - dance, colour, beautiful woman, colour, red dress against black hair, dance - in the market, I walked through a place like that in the market in my last week in Cairo, where they sell cheap bras and stuff, and a kid stands on a table advertising, (dancing?)
I just read the synopsis written in the AFF pamphlet for this film. Now I get it!
"Tradition, culture, expression, and passion collide in this sensitive exploration of the changing nature of love and romance in modern Cairo. Young Dunia balances two lives: one as a promising graduate student in poetic arts, the second as the daughter of one of the greatest legends in belly dancing lore. Between intensive studies and even more extensive dance training, she manages to wrestle with intimacy issues regarding arduous suitor Mamdouh, forcing herself to make hard choices between what she wants and what she believes. When she secures the opportunity to work with an esteemed and outspoken literature professor many years her senior, she discovers a new kind of sensuality that challenges every assumption she has ever had about love. A well paced and often hypnotic feature that draws the viewer ever tighter into its inexorable conclusion."Maybe I'll understand this film better when I'm older. Like how dumb was "Love Story" when I was a kid? I couldn't wait for the chic to die, the film was so boring. Then I watched it again during the holidays in Sophomore year of college, and thought, huh, I guess it's this love story going on, they're not altogether stupid following each other around and then being miserable when one dies. Gosh, I used to hate those misery stories. Like Beth in Little Women...what was her story? She was sick, and then she died. Julianne Moore once said Beth was her favourite. I thought, eeew, what about Jo? She was alive, tough, and she like married the Professor ;)
What else was I going to write? Ah, this chic, Nigerian, named Chimamanda is good. I'm excited for her 'cos she got a MacArthur fellowship, aka money to do whateva, suckas. I'm reading a fiction thingie of hers in The New Yorker and thinking "wow, sweet, I actually want to read more." Then it goes beyond two pages, and I'm starting to feel lazy...still going to read more. Still haven't read either of her novels but that never stopped me recommending her, right? A trusted friend swears "Half of A Yellow Sun" is amazing. Igbo nationalists, hehehe. I recommend and gift "Things Fall Apart" a lot. Read that one. It's by Chinua Achebe, whom Chimamanda obviously loves, understands, and emulates as a writer. You'll learn more in 100 easy pages about "Africa" and her "culture" than in months of seminars with big oyinbo grammatical talk.
I'll be back. Peace and love.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Woooooooooo
music
It's cold here. Hehe.
No, seriously, Yola is probably a tough sell being so "isolated" and all, but I feel it's paradise. Nowadays the nights get "cold" - in the late teens. That's Centigrade, not Fahrenheit. It's about 70F at night. Ah, the joy. The days now reach about 30, as opposed to nearly 40 (I agree, 40 is hot.)
I still haven't found an inexpensive swimming place...though I bought one of those inflatable kiddy things to fill up with water for a soak one of these mid-days.
I just finished Meet the Robinsons. Nice film. 4 1/2 stars: 4 stars plus 1/2 for Rufus singing that "give me just one more chance...Another Believer" song. Love the film. Love Rufus. Kids would actually be tickled. And it's so intelligent, the type that gets better the more times you watch. KEEP MOVING FORWARD, indeed.
You know another very science-y cartoon worth watching? Osmosis Jones, from 2001. It was a pleasant pleasant surprise.
I FINALLY watched Ratatouille. RATATOUILLE gets FIVE STARS. Aw, what a sweet film. Basically, this rat is a chef. French. Silly accent. The part near the end when the critic tries the food? Divine in its silliness. I'll always watch cartoons. It actually won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2007. Maybe the best of the decade. I wonder if kids judge in this category? Or is that why there's always something for the grownups in these big-studio animateds?
Some kids were visiting during the holidays (little cousins, sleeping over) and I think one of them was IN HEAVEN just watching cartoons on a laptop late at night until he fell asleep. The twenty(?) films are all on a DVD I bought in December for =N=300. I promise never to buy pirated media while in a Western country. But out here, oh yeah...
It's cold here. Hehe.
No, seriously, Yola is probably a tough sell being so "isolated" and all, but I feel it's paradise. Nowadays the nights get "cold" - in the late teens. That's Centigrade, not Fahrenheit. It's about 70F at night. Ah, the joy. The days now reach about 30, as opposed to nearly 40 (I agree, 40 is hot.)
I still haven't found an inexpensive swimming place...though I bought one of those inflatable kiddy things to fill up with water for a soak one of these mid-days.
I just finished Meet the Robinsons. Nice film. 4 1/2 stars: 4 stars plus 1/2 for Rufus singing that "give me just one more chance...Another Believer" song. Love the film. Love Rufus. Kids would actually be tickled. And it's so intelligent, the type that gets better the more times you watch. KEEP MOVING FORWARD, indeed.
You know another very science-y cartoon worth watching? Osmosis Jones, from 2001. It was a pleasant pleasant surprise.
I FINALLY watched Ratatouille. RATATOUILLE gets FIVE STARS. Aw, what a sweet film. Basically, this rat is a chef. French. Silly accent. The part near the end when the critic tries the food? Divine in its silliness. I'll always watch cartoons. It actually won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2007. Maybe the best of the decade. I wonder if kids judge in this category? Or is that why there's always something for the grownups in these big-studio animateds?
Some kids were visiting during the holidays (little cousins, sleeping over) and I think one of them was IN HEAVEN just watching cartoons on a laptop late at night until he fell asleep. The twenty(?) films are all on a DVD I bought in December for =N=300. I promise never to buy pirated media while in a Western country. But out here, oh yeah...
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Aw, menn. It's fun being a fan.
music
I like all these people: Martina, Rafa, Jelena, Ana, ...
I like all these people: Martina, Rafa, Jelena, Ana, ...
Stories by Sarah Thurmond, on TENNIS.comWhen You’re Good to Martina…
You may have heard that Martina Navratilova came in second on the British reality show “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” but what you may not have heard is that she caught the acting bug. (Possibly through one of these critters?)In an interview with The Times of London, Navratilova talks about auditioning for the role of Mama Morton in the West End’s production of Chicago. I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t that the role that earned Queen Latifah an Oscar nomination in the movie version of the musical? Wait…can Martina sing? Here’s what she says: “I have no idea whether my vocal cords can handle it, or whether I'd be able to cope with the lifestyle. I'd do it if it was a two- to three-week run.” The latest word is that the role is hers if she wants it, but she's too busy to take it on.
...
Tennis Stars at Night…
Is space becoming tennis’ version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame? First, Rafael Nadal got an asteroid named in his honor after he beat Roger Federer in the final at Wimbledon last year. Now Jelena Jankovic has a star. According to her website, the star is named JJ and “shines in SC2 Hercules constellation of North polar region.” In other Jankovic news, she switched management agencies, from Octagon to IMG. She is also is joining IMG Models. All you models-of-the-moment better watch out!...
Think She Cares?
Thedailybeast.com (former Vanity Fair editrix Tina Brown’s current affairs site) released its “Top Ten Thinking Man’s Sex Symbols for 2008.” Who tops the list? Tina Fey? No. Sarah Silverman? Uh-uh. It’s ANA IVANOVIC! Yep, the defending French Open champion is No. 1. The writer of the piece, former TENNIS Magazine contributor Touré, says Ivanovic “is blowing men away with a butterscotch-colored face that’s all smooth slopes and haunting eyes. Ivanovic is the most beautiful female professional athlete of all time.” Sorry, Touré, but the only eyes she’s haunting are those of hunky Fernando Verdasco.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Metamorphosis
music
The one you hold most dear
is the same whose heart you spear.
The one you want so close
you frighten since, who knows? --
love may be the child of hate,
if you push I may compensate.
Lessons from the life you knew -
Do as has been done to you.
Fear. Be jealous. Sting and bite.
Secure someone to hold at night.
Love is a dreadful swirling thing.
London is the capital of Spain.
I left aloft Lufthansa and mercifully
find amongst better teachers better theory.
The one you hold most dear
is the same whose heart you spear.
The one you want so close
you frighten since, who knows? --
love may be the child of hate,
if you push I may compensate.
Lessons from the life you knew -
Do as has been done to you.
Fear. Be jealous. Sting and bite.
Secure someone to hold at night.
Love is a dreadful swirling thing.
London is the capital of Spain.
I left aloft Lufthansa and mercifully
find amongst better teachers better theory.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Rufus is a funny man
music
In RollingStone Magazine
Rufus Wainwright on Casting Lou Reed as the Grinch and Being Stalked By Amy Winehouse
If you dread spending Christmas with your family, consider kicking it with the McGarrigle Sisters this year. The folk duo’s not-quite-annual “McGarrigle Christmas Hour” variety show lands at New York’s Carnegie Hall on December 10th — along with Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Fallon, Laurie Anderson and that apotheosis of Yuletide cheer, Lou Reed. Joining them all, as usual, is singer-composer Rufus Wainwright, the son of McGarrigle Sister Kate. Rolling Stone spoke with Wainwright last week about the big holiday show, his forthcoming opera and, naturally, Amy Winehouse. Excerpts:
It’s that time of year again and you’ve got a Christmas show a comin’.
Well, it’s sort of a biannual Christmas show that we do. Um, mainly because if I had to do it every year, I would probably become a Hasidic Jew.
Why do you say that?
I can only take Christmas in small doses and it’s really only mostly for my mom ’cause she really loves getting the family together and forcing us to sing and be merry.
Well, there’s nothing small about the doses that you’re serving it up in though.
No, no it’s an O.D. event and my mother really is going whole-hog. She’s doing the Martha Stewart Show the day before the performance and she’s making cookies for everybody. And she wanted everybody to dress in sort of a Dickensian style — meaning just take your fashionable clothes and put holes in them. And then we’re doing a selection of French songs and famous English songs, or standards. Because we have people like Emmy Lou and Lou Reed, I’m sure we’ll do some country songs and stuff. And then, you know, a lot of comedy too just because we tend to under-rehearse and then make up for it onstage with banter.
Lou Reed doesn’t strike me as the most holiday-oriented chap.
He’s the Grinch, or the Scrooge character in our carol. He did the last show, which was a couple years ago and I worked with him at a couple other events. He’s a wonderful, wonderful guy.
So speaking of big shows and O.D.’ing, you did Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall in 2006. Now apparently Liza Minelli is poised for a comeback. Did you see that big profile in The New York Times?
Was I mentioned? Probably not. No, Liza and I are sort of in different camps — which is sort of a funny term to use. I mean, I think she’s an incredible talent. But I don’t know how much Liza digs my Judy work. I think anything concerning her mother is usually loaded. That’s another funny word to use.
Who in today’s culture would you sort of compare to Judy?
Oh God, one can’t help but think of Amy Winehouse of course. I mean, there’s so many correlations. They both have such an amazing voice and an amazing drug problem.
Have you ever met Amy Winehouse?
Yeah, I met her. She once sort of chased me at Coachella. She kept trying to break into my dressing room and, I don’t know, I think she saw some light in my eyes or something.
What did she want?
I don’t know. Maybe she was a fan, I can’t quite tell, but I think it was more about looking for some sort of safety. I don’t party anymore and there was a lot of partying going on. And I remember that when I did party, you could kind of see people who weren’t in that fast lane. And they either seemed extremely attractive or extremely repulsive. So I think I was pretty attractive to her at some point because it was pretty crazy around her.
Did you guys ever talk?
We talked a little bit and in all truth, I think she was probably, you know, raiding my beer fridge ’cause I wasn’t drinking it or something.
You’re totally dry? You don’t drink at all?
Well… whatever. You know, who knows? Never say never.
She is really tragic. She never had that sort of depth of career that Judy did before it went down sort of spiraling.
I think the problem is that in this day and age, there’s no safety net for anyone in show business. In fact it’s almost the reverse. They almost push you off the trapeze without a net, you know, for kicks. They feed off of your injuries.
Did you ever feel pushed?
When I started it was a little safer. It was right after Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley. I think people were a little sensitive to real dark chaos and they were kind of smarting from being extremely wounded by those two events. So people wanted to see me healthy. But that seems to have worn off at this point.
What about Britney?
Actually, I really love Britney and I love what she did on TV recently. I thought that was a great move on her part just being really honest and open and not exploitative either about her situation, but at the same time being realistic.
There’s hope.
Yeah! There’s always hope. But I’m always here writing my opera and working with Shakespeare so if they want to come over and see what it’s like — see how boring it can be — then that’s great.
Talk about your opera.
I’m writing this opera at this moment that is premiering in July in Manchester, England called Prima Donna.
What about any other pop recordings? You’ve been touring a lot.
I tour every once in a while just to make money to eat out. And then I have another fabulous project that will be premiering in Berlin in the spring, in April. It’s a musical play based on Shakespeare sonnets. I’ve written music to about eight or nine of the sonnets and it’s being directed by Robert Wilson. That’ll be sort of a Germanistic theatre extravaganza.
A Bertolt Brecht sort of thing?
Yeah it’ll be huge here of course. I’m totally going for the jugular in terms of the MTV generation here — Shakespeare and opera.
Right, great. All Rolling Stone fodder.
I know. I know. I have some Rolling Stone fodder, but it’ll come later. Don’t you worry.
****************************************
In Newsweek
You’ll Have A Gay Old Time
Rufus Wainwright is back at Carnegie Hall, only not with Judy Garland this time. His Christmas show includes his mother, his aunt and his sister. He spoke with Nicki Gostin:
Whose idea is the show?
Definitely my mom's idea, 100 percent. In fact, it's really the Kate McGarrigle Christmas Show.
Is it a way for the family to get extra money for presents?
Oh, no! It's a way to give a Christmas present without having to go shopping. One other thing about the show: there is a charity aspect, for cancer. My mom's been struggling with that for a couple of years, so we're raising money for all the great care she's got in Canada.
Don 't they have nationalized health care?
They do, but they still need money.
You ' ve lived in Canada and the U.S. Which has the better healthcare system?
At the end of the day, if it's free it's better. There are a lot of obstacles but eventually you get what you need if you fight really hard. That's better than being completely wiped out.
Is it weird working with Mom?
No, I've worked with my mom all my life. That being said, yes, it's completely weird.
Your sister, Martha, is also in the show. Does your mom favor her?
No, no. I think that she gets along with us both in completely different ways. Martha and her are bosom buddies, they'll cook and talk. Me and mom go to the opera together.
They do say there ' s nothing better than a gay son.
My mother has definitely profited from that legend.
Are you still with your German boyfriend, Jorn?
Yeah, we're happily together. After the show, when I'll be completely horrified and sickened by my family, I'm going to go to Germany for Christmas for the first time. We're going to go skiing in Austria, and on New Year's Eve on the stroke of midnight we'll dance to Strauss's "The Blue Danube" in the snow.
Do you have lots of famous friends?
I do. Elton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon.
Do you have fancy dinner parties?
I try to, but I don't like to clean up very much.
So hire some help.
I'm not quite that fancy.
Do you at least have a cleaning lady?
I'm just really lazy. Too lazy to phone the cleaning lady. But I do have a German boyfriend. He can't help cleaning. Recently he came back from a long trip and he kissed me and immediately went and cleaned the toilet.
****************************************************
In RollingStone Magazine
Rufus Wainwright on Casting Lou Reed as the Grinch and Being Stalked By Amy Winehouse
If you dread spending Christmas with your family, consider kicking it with the McGarrigle Sisters this year. The folk duo’s not-quite-annual “McGarrigle Christmas Hour” variety show lands at New York’s Carnegie Hall on December 10th — along with Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Fallon, Laurie Anderson and that apotheosis of Yuletide cheer, Lou Reed. Joining them all, as usual, is singer-composer Rufus Wainwright, the son of McGarrigle Sister Kate. Rolling Stone spoke with Wainwright last week about the big holiday show, his forthcoming opera and, naturally, Amy Winehouse. Excerpts:
It’s that time of year again and you’ve got a Christmas show a comin’.
Well, it’s sort of a biannual Christmas show that we do. Um, mainly because if I had to do it every year, I would probably become a Hasidic Jew.
Why do you say that?
I can only take Christmas in small doses and it’s really only mostly for my mom ’cause she really loves getting the family together and forcing us to sing and be merry.
Well, there’s nothing small about the doses that you’re serving it up in though.
No, no it’s an O.D. event and my mother really is going whole-hog. She’s doing the Martha Stewart Show the day before the performance and she’s making cookies for everybody. And she wanted everybody to dress in sort of a Dickensian style — meaning just take your fashionable clothes and put holes in them. And then we’re doing a selection of French songs and famous English songs, or standards. Because we have people like Emmy Lou and Lou Reed, I’m sure we’ll do some country songs and stuff. And then, you know, a lot of comedy too just because we tend to under-rehearse and then make up for it onstage with banter.
Lou Reed doesn’t strike me as the most holiday-oriented chap.
He’s the Grinch, or the Scrooge character in our carol. He did the last show, which was a couple years ago and I worked with him at a couple other events. He’s a wonderful, wonderful guy.
So speaking of big shows and O.D.’ing, you did Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall in 2006. Now apparently Liza Minelli is poised for a comeback. Did you see that big profile in The New York Times?
Was I mentioned? Probably not. No, Liza and I are sort of in different camps — which is sort of a funny term to use. I mean, I think she’s an incredible talent. But I don’t know how much Liza digs my Judy work. I think anything concerning her mother is usually loaded. That’s another funny word to use.
Who in today’s culture would you sort of compare to Judy?
Oh God, one can’t help but think of Amy Winehouse of course. I mean, there’s so many correlations. They both have such an amazing voice and an amazing drug problem.
Have you ever met Amy Winehouse?
Yeah, I met her. She once sort of chased me at Coachella. She kept trying to break into my dressing room and, I don’t know, I think she saw some light in my eyes or something.
What did she want?
I don’t know. Maybe she was a fan, I can’t quite tell, but I think it was more about looking for some sort of safety. I don’t party anymore and there was a lot of partying going on. And I remember that when I did party, you could kind of see people who weren’t in that fast lane. And they either seemed extremely attractive or extremely repulsive. So I think I was pretty attractive to her at some point because it was pretty crazy around her.
Did you guys ever talk?
We talked a little bit and in all truth, I think she was probably, you know, raiding my beer fridge ’cause I wasn’t drinking it or something.
You’re totally dry? You don’t drink at all?
Well… whatever. You know, who knows? Never say never.
She is really tragic. She never had that sort of depth of career that Judy did before it went down sort of spiraling.
I think the problem is that in this day and age, there’s no safety net for anyone in show business. In fact it’s almost the reverse. They almost push you off the trapeze without a net, you know, for kicks. They feed off of your injuries.
Did you ever feel pushed?
When I started it was a little safer. It was right after Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley. I think people were a little sensitive to real dark chaos and they were kind of smarting from being extremely wounded by those two events. So people wanted to see me healthy. But that seems to have worn off at this point.
What about Britney?
Actually, I really love Britney and I love what she did on TV recently. I thought that was a great move on her part just being really honest and open and not exploitative either about her situation, but at the same time being realistic.
There’s hope.
Yeah! There’s always hope. But I’m always here writing my opera and working with Shakespeare so if they want to come over and see what it’s like — see how boring it can be — then that’s great.
Talk about your opera.
I’m writing this opera at this moment that is premiering in July in Manchester, England called Prima Donna.
What about any other pop recordings? You’ve been touring a lot.
I tour every once in a while just to make money to eat out. And then I have another fabulous project that will be premiering in Berlin in the spring, in April. It’s a musical play based on Shakespeare sonnets. I’ve written music to about eight or nine of the sonnets and it’s being directed by Robert Wilson. That’ll be sort of a Germanistic theatre extravaganza.
A Bertolt Brecht sort of thing?
Yeah it’ll be huge here of course. I’m totally going for the jugular in terms of the MTV generation here — Shakespeare and opera.
Right, great. All Rolling Stone fodder.
I know. I know. I have some Rolling Stone fodder, but it’ll come later. Don’t you worry.
****************************************
In Newsweek
You’ll Have A Gay Old Time
Rufus Wainwright is back at Carnegie Hall, only not with Judy Garland this time. His Christmas show includes his mother, his aunt and his sister. He spoke with Nicki Gostin:
Whose idea is the show?
Definitely my mom's idea, 100 percent. In fact, it's really the Kate McGarrigle Christmas Show.
Is it a way for the family to get extra money for presents?
Oh, no! It's a way to give a Christmas present without having to go shopping. One other thing about the show: there is a charity aspect, for cancer. My mom's been struggling with that for a couple of years, so we're raising money for all the great care she's got in Canada.
Don 't they have nationalized health care?
They do, but they still need money.
You ' ve lived in Canada and the U.S. Which has the better healthcare system?
At the end of the day, if it's free it's better. There are a lot of obstacles but eventually you get what you need if you fight really hard. That's better than being completely wiped out.
Is it weird working with Mom?
No, I've worked with my mom all my life. That being said, yes, it's completely weird.
Your sister, Martha, is also in the show. Does your mom favor her?
No, no. I think that she gets along with us both in completely different ways. Martha and her are bosom buddies, they'll cook and talk. Me and mom go to the opera together.
They do say there ' s nothing better than a gay son.
My mother has definitely profited from that legend.
Are you still with your German boyfriend, Jorn?
Yeah, we're happily together. After the show, when I'll be completely horrified and sickened by my family, I'm going to go to Germany for Christmas for the first time. We're going to go skiing in Austria, and on New Year's Eve on the stroke of midnight we'll dance to Strauss's "The Blue Danube" in the snow.
Do you have lots of famous friends?
I do. Elton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon.
Do you have fancy dinner parties?
I try to, but I don't like to clean up very much.
So hire some help.
I'm not quite that fancy.
Do you at least have a cleaning lady?
I'm just really lazy. Too lazy to phone the cleaning lady. But I do have a German boyfriend. He can't help cleaning. Recently he came back from a long trip and he kissed me and immediately went and cleaned the toilet.
****************************************************
Friday, December 05, 2008
Poem
music
It's not usual that I apologize for my "art." I'll say before pasting this poem that Naija-bashing is not a sport I want to indulge in, I actually think it's a gorgeous bunch of land and people here.
Here goes Prophecy II: Blame Game
Prophecy II – Blame Game
Author: Tosin Otitoju
ootitoju@hotmail.com
How does it feel to be a problem?
Tell me, Nigeria. Let us talk.
What happened?
Is it…
me, us, the people,
who have slandered you
and named you scapegoat
to cover up our laziness?
Is it…
them, Britain, America,
who beat you as a child
then mock you as a large-limbed
but small-brained man?
Is it…
God
God
God
whom you call daily
who tells you to come back,
to wait, Oga no dey office –
Is it He that wastes your time?
Is it…
your wife, her name, Corruption?
Just marry another wife.
There are women out there
who make a man prosperous.
I don’t know why you have no money left
but I do know that when you stand up you will be praised
and the shame of the past will be quickly forgotten.
Let’s go Nigeria. Vamos.
The author is currently working on a collection of 100 poems, including the Prophecy series.
It's not usual that I apologize for my "art." I'll say before pasting this poem that Naija-bashing is not a sport I want to indulge in, I actually think it's a gorgeous bunch of land and people here.
Here goes Prophecy II: Blame Game
Prophecy II – Blame Game
Author: Tosin Otitoju
ootitoju@hotmail.com
How does it feel to be a problem?
Tell me, Nigeria. Let us talk.
What happened?
Is it…
me, us, the people,
who have slandered you
and named you scapegoat
to cover up our laziness?
Is it…
them, Britain, America,
who beat you as a child
then mock you as a large-limbed
but small-brained man?
Is it…
God
God
God
whom you call daily
who tells you to come back,
to wait, Oga no dey office –
Is it He that wastes your time?
Is it…
your wife, her name, Corruption?
Just marry another wife.
There are women out there
who make a man prosperous.
I don’t know why you have no money left
but I do know that when you stand up you will be praised
and the shame of the past will be quickly forgotten.
Let’s go Nigeria. Vamos.
The author is currently working on a collection of 100 poems, including the Prophecy series.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sappy
music
What's on your wedding album / dream wedding album ?
Here's my list :) What's missing?
Tiergarten - Rufus Wainwright
Said I Love You - Babyface
I Finally Found Someone - Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams
The Wedding Song - Kenny G
So in Love - All 4 One / AZ Yet
Everything I Do I Do For You - Bryan Adams
What's on your wedding album / dream wedding album ?
Here's my list :) What's missing?
Tiergarten - Rufus Wainwright
Said I Love You - Babyface
I Finally Found Someone - Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams
The Wedding Song - Kenny G
So in Love - All 4 One / AZ Yet
Everything I Do I Do For You - Bryan Adams
Monday, November 17, 2008
Quickies
music
It's been a while. Internet sucks out here, but I found a good cybercafe in town and intend to be more regular. So much to write, so little time.
DVDs: No FBI in China or Nigeria, so it's all about the pirated recordings. Full season of Prison Break, Numbers, 24, can be had for about $3. Everyone around here has watched them all.
Wentworth Miller: In case things don't work out with Tosin y Rafa :) His character in Prison Break has low latent inhibition, which seems really cool to me. That's like, genius disease. This phase will pass, like when I was in JS2 and wished for glasses.
MY students: 72 baby engineers, I ran a course on transmission line theory. We had only four weeks and we did a lot: in-class presentations, the relevant math, a few proof questions, some of the actual engineering coursework, two quizzes, and a little crazy trip. I hope they do well on my final exam. For next semester, I'm looking forward to getting them using software and to supervising a few excellent projects.
Self-defense: Some kid tried to enter my apartment on Saturday night. It was pitch dark (no electricity half the nights here) and I opened the door. He gave a name I didn't recognize and I still opened the door. Don't do this.
Thankfully, as soon as I opened, I pushed myself outside the door (he wanted to push me in.) So, since the dumbfuck had no backup plan, he took a stroll with his friend. I hear this is the season for picking up cellphones and laptops. Stupid kids could be learning how to rule the world but instead they'd settle for your used cheap Nokia.
Intelligentzia: I meet cool people here. My officemate is nice. Many people are nice. Some are even intellectual and all. Like any tech school, too many boys :) Not happy about the thieves, it's making me hate the place. Stupid place. There's a hotel called "Bizare" It's sponsoring a beauty contest for "Miss Bizare"
Suya: FINALLY got shelves from the carpenter and arranged the place. Add a few flowers and traditional leather cushions and maybe a whiteboard and I'll be totally cozy. I eat suya almost everyday. I've even made my peace with the fat that they mix with the the regular beef. Mmmmm, yummy spice-crusted fire-roasted beef fat.
Writing: but not the novel. Poems. My kids will do a little creative writing on their Transmission Lines final - they don't know it yet heh heh heh.
Kids: The goats here are, like, always pregnant. Their little kids are the cutest. Sheep are cool. They hang out with herds of cattle, kinda like sheepdogs. I don't know why. I keep thinking there'll be pictures someday but dunno.
It's been a while. Internet sucks out here, but I found a good cybercafe in town and intend to be more regular. So much to write, so little time.
DVDs: No FBI in China or Nigeria, so it's all about the pirated recordings. Full season of Prison Break, Numbers, 24, can be had for about $3. Everyone around here has watched them all.
Wentworth Miller: In case things don't work out with Tosin y Rafa :) His character in Prison Break has low latent inhibition, which seems really cool to me. That's like, genius disease. This phase will pass, like when I was in JS2 and wished for glasses.
MY students: 72 baby engineers, I ran a course on transmission line theory. We had only four weeks and we did a lot: in-class presentations, the relevant math, a few proof questions, some of the actual engineering coursework, two quizzes, and a little crazy trip. I hope they do well on my final exam. For next semester, I'm looking forward to getting them using software and to supervising a few excellent projects.
Self-defense: Some kid tried to enter my apartment on Saturday night. It was pitch dark (no electricity half the nights here) and I opened the door. He gave a name I didn't recognize and I still opened the door. Don't do this.
Thankfully, as soon as I opened, I pushed myself outside the door (he wanted to push me in.) So, since the dumbfuck had no backup plan, he took a stroll with his friend. I hear this is the season for picking up cellphones and laptops. Stupid kids could be learning how to rule the world but instead they'd settle for your used cheap Nokia.
Intelligentzia: I meet cool people here. My officemate is nice. Many people are nice. Some are even intellectual and all. Like any tech school, too many boys :) Not happy about the thieves, it's making me hate the place. Stupid place. There's a hotel called "Bizare" It's sponsoring a beauty contest for "Miss Bizare"
Suya: FINALLY got shelves from the carpenter and arranged the place. Add a few flowers and traditional leather cushions and maybe a whiteboard and I'll be totally cozy. I eat suya almost everyday. I've even made my peace with the fat that they mix with the the regular beef. Mmmmm, yummy spice-crusted fire-roasted beef fat.
Writing: but not the novel. Poems. My kids will do a little creative writing on their Transmission Lines final - they don't know it yet heh heh heh.
Kids: The goats here are, like, always pregnant. Their little kids are the cutest. Sheep are cool. They hang out with herds of cattle, kinda like sheepdogs. I don't know why. I keep thinking there'll be pictures someday but dunno.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Greed is good
music
We of America believe that "greed is good."
I wonder what else is good now that wasn't good when I was a kid in Lagos 20 years ago, watching Tales by Moonlight on TV and learning "the moral of this story: this story teaches us not to be greedy (or proud, or jealous/envious, etc)." You know, the lessons have changed. No wonder there are things called generational gaps. And culture shock.
Sloth is good? I can beelee that!
The seven deadly sins are LUST (good), GLUTTONY (Oprah says not-so-good) , GREED (your civic duty, very good) , SLOTH (good in small doses, buy antidepressants if in excess) , WRATH (good in small doses, take lessons if too much) , ENVY (drives greed, which is good) , PRIDE (do you like Donald Trump?)
There.
They're not deadly at all, but good for you.
Consider Pynchon's essay on Sloth, and tell me: is a thesis statement good - we were taught this in Freshman English - or is it for losers?
The novel - Haven't been writing, moving and all that, but will get back to it soon. Forget the October deadline.
Toodles.
We of America believe that "greed is good."
I wonder what else is good now that wasn't good when I was a kid in Lagos 20 years ago, watching Tales by Moonlight on TV and learning "the moral of this story: this story teaches us not to be greedy (or proud, or jealous/envious, etc)." You know, the lessons have changed. No wonder there are things called generational gaps. And culture shock.
Sloth is good? I can beelee that!
The seven deadly sins are LUST (good), GLUTTONY (Oprah says not-so-good) , GREED (your civic duty, very good) , SLOTH (good in small doses, buy antidepressants if in excess) , WRATH (good in small doses, take lessons if too much) , ENVY (drives greed, which is good) , PRIDE (do you like Donald Trump?)
There.
They're not deadly at all, but good for you.
Consider Pynchon's essay on Sloth, and tell me: is a thesis statement good - we were taught this in Freshman English - or is it for losers?
The novel - Haven't been writing, moving and all that, but will get back to it soon. Forget the October deadline.
Toodles.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Lest I forget this funny bit
music
It was two thousand and six or seven in the home of a friend who was greatly relieved to have his PhD and a sane life working at a technology development company.
He marveled that whereas at his new work the tiniest theoretical fact accomplished big solutions, in the grad school days Professor X would build up this fantastic solution - you know cute definitions, brilliant lemmas, leading to the eventual short proof (QED, Al-hamdulillah) - leading the student to ask Bill (Professor X) for an example, any topology, in which you can apply this theorem.
My friend's punchline? Professor X answers earnestly after a second's thought "Consider a square (of dimension) 1 by 1."
It was autumn of two thousand in the year before graduate school when My Good-Looking Prof. reported this from his own grad school days:
Professor X walks into class and starts to write all available chalkboard sections full of math, while MGLP is stomped, simply not getting it.
Of course the other students are nodding as if to say "well, obviously, we understand."
MGLP decides he really doesn't understand and raises his hand. "Professor" - now Professor X stops and turns around - "I really wonder what this thing means..."
X looks back at the board and quickly apologizes, "Oh Shit, I write it in German!"
Coming soon: I'll scan a picture from the summer of 2001 of my first impressions/expectations of grad school. I had visited Pasadena, and the Western US, for the first time in March of the same year and was to return in September. It was an encounter with a whole new world and as usual I was seriously excited.
It was two thousand and six or seven in the home of a friend who was greatly relieved to have his PhD and a sane life working at a technology development company.
He marveled that whereas at his new work the tiniest theoretical fact accomplished big solutions, in the grad school days Professor X would build up this fantastic solution - you know cute definitions, brilliant lemmas, leading to the eventual short proof (QED, Al-hamdulillah) - leading the student to ask Bill (Professor X) for an example, any topology, in which you can apply this theorem.
My friend's punchline? Professor X answers earnestly after a second's thought "Consider a square (of dimension) 1 by 1."
It was autumn of two thousand in the year before graduate school when My Good-Looking Prof. reported this from his own grad school days:
Professor X walks into class and starts to write all available chalkboard sections full of math, while MGLP is stomped, simply not getting it.
Of course the other students are nodding as if to say "well, obviously, we understand."
MGLP decides he really doesn't understand and raises his hand. "Professor" - now Professor X stops and turns around - "I really wonder what this thing means..."
X looks back at the board and quickly apologizes, "Oh Shit, I write it in German!"
Coming soon: I'll scan a picture from the summer of 2001 of my first impressions/expectations of grad school. I had visited Pasadena, and the Western US, for the first time in March of the same year and was to return in September. It was an encounter with a whole new world and as usual I was seriously excited.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
SMS Virgin
music
I just sent my first couple of text messages. I typed them in online in Skype. I don't have a cell phone and had never sent a text message (though when I had a cell people occasionally sent them.) Trying to use all the cool Skype services because cell phones irk me. Conversely I love land lines and old phones and of course the internet and internet phone.
I just sent my first couple of text messages. I typed them in online in Skype. I don't have a cell phone and had never sent a text message (though when I had a cell people occasionally sent them.) Trying to use all the cool Skype services because cell phones irk me. Conversely I love land lines and old phones and of course the internet and internet phone.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep
music
Having a ball in Nigeria. I'll be working at the Federal University of Technology in Yola, Adamawa State. I've always wanted to have students...seriously going to rock this party!
This is also the year of my NYSC, so just got out of the three-week orientation camp in Adamawa yesterday, and the work at FUTY is my Youth Service posting - I report for duty today and will be here until August 2009. The university is not really in Yola, as the name suggests, but nearly an hour away in Girei Local Government area, near Jimeta the business capital of the region.
Loving Adamawa so far. It's serene, green, hot, and the nights bring so many stars.
There's so much I could write about from camp - what a crazy time - but you know I'm more likely to chat about it one-on-one than do a long blog post. Briefly,
Pros of NYSC Camp: I got stronger/fitter, got a crash course in Nigeria, a great excuse to see Northern Nigeria and to get this university gig, met hundreds of awesome people and had some great discussions, kissed in Nigeria etc.
Challenges of NYSC Camp: eeeew the "toilets", no US Open tennis news, ...
Come on over and check out the pastoral splendour and colourful cultures of the Adamawa highlands and river valleys. Bring friends. Seriously. Let me know when.
Having a ball in Nigeria. I'll be working at the Federal University of Technology in Yola, Adamawa State. I've always wanted to have students...seriously going to rock this party!
This is also the year of my NYSC, so just got out of the three-week orientation camp in Adamawa yesterday, and the work at FUTY is my Youth Service posting - I report for duty today and will be here until August 2009. The university is not really in Yola, as the name suggests, but nearly an hour away in Girei Local Government area, near Jimeta the business capital of the region.
Loving Adamawa so far. It's serene, green, hot, and the nights bring so many stars.
There's so much I could write about from camp - what a crazy time - but you know I'm more likely to chat about it one-on-one than do a long blog post. Briefly,
Pros of NYSC Camp: I got stronger/fitter, got a crash course in Nigeria, a great excuse to see Northern Nigeria and to get this university gig, met hundreds of awesome people and had some great discussions, kissed in Nigeria etc.
Challenges of NYSC Camp: eeeew the "toilets", no US Open tennis news, ...
Come on over and check out the pastoral splendour and colourful cultures of the Adamawa highlands and river valleys. Bring friends. Seriously. Let me know when.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)