"What's wrong, Jake? Forget to take your antidote?-- Jezzie character in "Jacob's Ladder" by Bruce Joel Rubin ( Read more... )

A morning walk. It has become a regular thing again, once every other day, thanks to the steady, if punitive, weather and the lack of mowing days, and also thanks to the pretty steady sleep I have been enjoying. If I am up by seven and the weather is clear, there is no reason why not to go out and do my thing ( Read more... )

Working on the Iliad for my book-blogging, I started to hunger for another translation besides my trusty Fagles. I was thinking the Lattimore translation might be good to have along, and to read it through as I do this book-blogging. Then, while I was browsing Amazon's wares, and losing a good part of the afternoon thereby, I also saw a free ( Read more... )

I finally finished “Middlemarch”. I’m glad I got to become acquainted with the literary force of Ms. Evans. I am heavily impressed with the way she crafts a plot, seeing all the threads come together. She probably is better than Charles Dickens when it comes to these pure skills of composing a novel. Nevertheless, as Christopher Hitchens ( Read more... )

Rita Moreno has come out with a memoir. I imagine the name does not ring any bells for the under-thirties. In truth, the name doesn't do a lot for me. However, the big selling point seems to be that a good part of the book is the revelation of her long-term affair with Marlon Brando, and there is also a fair mention of Elvis ( Read more... )

“Live all you can: It’s a mistake not to.”

-- Henry James, “The Ambassadors”

“If Hitchens didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be able to invent him.”-- Ian McEwan ( Read more... )

What a neat coincidence ( Read more... )

“Words and wisdom that I shall carry with me into the fucking dirt.”-- Johnny Depp ( Read more... )

Ah, the UPS man made it in time with my Christmas books. Pop offered on Friday to buy an extra book for me, and I managed to squeeze in a two-book set. What’s more, I was able to beat Amazon’s deadline and ordered in time to get them before Christmas. I would not have cried myself to sleep if they had failed to make it in by today, but I am glad ( Read more... )

Eleven-something! Kentucky Fried Chicken. Did they raise the prices? I think that is about a buck higher than the last time I ate there a month ago. Well, it was worth it ( Read more... )