18 January 07
Fungus the Bogeyman
A friend brought a copy of this amazing graphic novel, now out of print, when they were up here doing the Christmas Bird Count, hoping , perhaps, I’d agree with her that it was the best children’s book ever.
Ron, you’re right.
I’m seeing from the Wikipedia entry that this was turned into a TV miniseries in 2004. I’m sure my niece and nephew, who are heavily into all things gross just now, would appreciate it. I love the art, I love the philosophical turn of thoughts of poor old Fungus (“but what’s it all for?”), and I love the side comments. (And I especially love the triple nipples.)
Thank you, thank you. A treasure.
22 December 06
On Holiday
Nine days off! I’m thrilled we’re staying put, not trying to catch planes and deal with weather.
A book arrived today from my sister and brother-in-law, Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation. I didn’t wait till Christmas to open it, nor to read it.
I haven’t read The End of Faith, but I will now. It’s good to read an atheist with a good command of Christian scripture. What to do about the lamentable state of affairs in the United States is something that was explored in this year’s San Francisco Mime Troupe play, but, as Harris points out, “the fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes [that the world is about to end and that its ending would be glorious, purely on the basis of religious dogma, should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency.”
12 December 06
Making Sense of Gobbledegook
Finally, some long-needed new proofreaders’ marks from Eve Corbel. Via Language Hat.
In other news, speaking of gobbledegook, we may be hitting some snow this weekend as we do our Christmas Bird Count along the ridge at Mount Vaca:
MODELS SEEM MORE IN LINE WITH THE DETAILS OF A TRANSITION BACK TO A MORE AMPLIFIED PATTERN OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS MAY DRIVE A STRONG STORM INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. 18Z GFS NOW BRINGS A SEPARATE WAVE ACROSS THE FAR NORTH THURSDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE JET AND ASSOCIATED PRECIPITABLE MOISTURE PLUME TAKES AIM AT OUR AREA BY FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM MAY HAVE A DEEP MOISTURE TAP... STRONG DYNAMICS AND CYCLOGENESIS. 18Z AND 06Z GFS DEVELOP A SURFACE LOW SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE AREA... EITHER OVER SOUTH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA OR IN THE GREAT BASIN. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR SNOW PRODUCER
30 November 06
Books
Modal Minority has started an interesting exercise: an inquiry into the best books we read in 2006, regardless of when they were published. I’m still thinking about this.
Today I received word of an interview by my former boss and mentor at Harvard. (Thanks Sue.) This interview reminds me why it’s important to remember that not all the best books were published last Tuesday. On Lindsay’s list of books he’s most proud of having published, I worked on well over half. It doesn’t mean Harvard has published nothing of note since I left ten years ago, but I’m glad some of those great books didn’t get relegated to the dustbin of publishing history…
19 November 06
Home Ground
I haven’t seen this new book yet but it’s on my to read list: Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape, edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney.
From the publisher’s blurb for it on the book’s website:
Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape brings together forty-five poets and writers to create more than 850 original definitions for words that describe our lands and waters—terms like flatiron, bayou, monadnock, kiss tank, meander bar, and everglade. The writers, including Barbara Kingsolver, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jon Krakauer, Charles Frazier, Antonya Nelson, and Samantha Chang, draw from careful research as well as on their own distinctive stylistic, personal, and regional diversity to portray in bright, precise prose the striking complexity of the landscapes we inhabit, from Missouri’s woody draws to Virginia’s runs, from the desire paths of cities to the rondes of Midwestern farmlands, from California’s bajadas to Alaska’s pingos and Hawai`i’s shield volcanoes. An advisory board has ensured the scientific accuracy of the prose. Included are one hundred black-and-white drawings by Molly O’Halloran and an introductory essay by Barry Lopez.
Not that I ever listen to All Things Considered but they did a piece on the book a couple of days ago — on that page there are also some excerpted definitions from the book.
1 November 06
Up and At 'Em
I woke up at 3:30, so I got up. I have, gentle reader, a novel to write. (And log into the NaNoWriMo site, which is clogged and sluggish.)
I wrote 2676 words this morning. I wrote them in pen, then typed them this evening. I’m tired, and I’m going to bed.
Historical fiction is hardest, I think, in the dialog. I’m not attempting any real victorian language. Keep it plain and simple should work…
30 June 06
Read And Release
I just picked up my first BookCrossing book. I was stepping outside for a break at work when I saw on a bench just inside the door a book entitled Joy in a Woolly Coat. Maybe it’s about sheep, I thought, and had a look. Actually it was about dogs, companion animals, and grief, and it was illustrated with nice pencil sketches. Then I noticed the BookCrossing bookplate and figured why not, I’ll pick it up. Bookcrossing is a neat concept. If you have a book you want to pass on to the world, you register it online, and then leave the book in a public place. With luck somebody will find it, read it, and jot down where it’s been in its online journal!
13 May 06
Losing The Heart Of Berkeley
We heard the bad news from Ron. Cody’s Books on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley is closing as of July 10. This store has been in its present location for as long as I have been alive and has always been the flagship bookstore in Berkeley and the East Bay.
The press release blames a 15-year decline in sales in the Telegraph Avenue location, together with a loss of sales from the Internet. The store has two other locations—one on the highly yuppified 4th Street in Berkeley, and another that just opened in the past year or so on Stockton in San Francisco. I have always found the 4th Street Cody’s to have a fairly paltry selection, and have never been to the San Francisco store.
Probably this decision has been in the works for some time. In my last several visits to the Telegraph store I’ve noticed that the selection of books has been getting poorer. And the recent opening of the San Francisco store worried me.
I grew up near Berkeley, and I have a routine I often follow when I return for a visit. I’ll start off at the Berkeley BART station, walk through campus visiting a few shops along the way, and then head south several blocks for a good browse in Cody’s. It’s very sad that this is no longer to be.
14 March 06
A Blog From Troy
Eurylochus, who is the lead officer under Odysseus, is keeping a blog of his experiences in the Trojan War.
28 February 06
Visit To The Mother Ship
Fifty minutes is hardly any time at all for a visit to Powell’s, but it had to suffice. After my meeting yesterday, my coworker and I hopped on the streetcar for a quick visit to the legendary bookstore prior to taking the light rail out to the airport. I left with a haul of four books.