yup, yup, still here
Crazy, huh? That's what I think, at least.
So, I hit up the Dean's List for Summer Semester. Maybe I can make Faculty Scholar for my last semester and leave GSU with a little pride. This Fall I'm taking Toxicology and Senior Biology Seminar. Toxicology is OK so far. The teacher seems to be reasonable and relaxed. He works at the CDC and I'm pretty sure he is in the Marines (he wears his khaki uniform to class, but the Navy has a very similar one). On a tangent, the Public Health Corps has really nice dress whites (a friend of ours who works at the CDC wears his to shul sometimes). I chose to buy the book because it is considered the definitive literature on toxicology and I'll probably need it later in my career (hope, hope). Also, I found it for a good price on half.com.
My week-long vacation with my family was, well, not the vacation I would have chosen to take. Imagine leaving a place where the heat index is averaging over 100 degrees Fahrenheit daily and the humidity is not that great and going to another place where the heat index is even higher daily and the humidity is oppressive (plus no cloud cover). Yes, my parents find this relaxiong somehow. I find it perfect migraine-inducing conditions.
There was no getting out of it. Three relatives who we see rarely were invited and I was spending time with them, like it or not (they actually are varying degress of OK and fun people to hang out with). No matter that I spent all day inside, this was it. I foresee a talk about personal autonomy due to the fact that I am no longer a minor by anyone's book with my parents in the near future. They are still on vacation, though (and greatly enjoying themselves, which is good).
I did get to see 2 good movies while I was down in Hell Blue Mountain Beach: Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men. Many friends demanded that I see the former and I was intrigued by the latter by an interview with the director on NPR concerning some technically difficult shots. Also, the premise seemed interesting (semi-post apocalyptical world wherein women are no longer able to bear children). The scenes mentioned were great and the explanation and mechanisms were quite inventive. I was impressed at the length Cuaron was ready to go to deliver his literal vision of the script (which is based on a P.D. James book). Obviously, Pan's Labyrinth was wondrous. What an awful war - completely lose-lose (Fascists vs. Communists . . . yeah) and sad that it goes mostly forgotteen despite the fact that some of its horrors are displaye in one of Picasso's most famous paintings - Guernica - and the war's legacy lasted until Franco's death, to a certain extent.
Since I had so much time inside, I had the opportunity to read a bit. I read Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra, Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman, and part of Spy Wars by Tennent H. Bagley. SG received good reviews from a variety of credible sources (WSJ, NPR, NYT, etc.) that usually do not agree. I can best describe the book as an epic murder mystery novel: in the seacrh for the story behind a head gangster's murder-suicide by an slowly up-and-coming Sikh police inspector, we learn about the history of modern India (and Pakistan, to a certain extent, due to the Partition). I'm not a stranger to this history, as I read Gandhi's autobiography (recommended) and saw the movie with Ben Kingsley (also recommended) and read about the riots between Hindus and Muslims that occur periodically in various areas of India. There is something about the book that leaves you feeling like you have a layer of grime on you, and it is an uncofortable feeling, perhaps brought out of ignorance of this episode in modern history. I think this was done on purpose. We owe it to ourselves to understand our world today in a historical context and the scope of SG definitely attempts to educate you in 900 pages (though education might not necessarly be his main goal, just a by-product). It even comes with its own glossary of Indian terms used in the book. If you like to invest yourself in a book, I would recommend reading it.
Fragile Things proves that you can read everything an author has out there and s/he can still continue to amaze you with her/his imagination. Well, I'm probably a sucker for Gaiman, but still, there were still a few outstanding stories in the collection. The author even admits to as much (nearly) in the introduction. The first story, which won a Hugo Award, definitely earned it. I guess that when you are inspired, what you produce never seems old or recycled. If you have never read Neil Gaiman before (The Sandman, Coraline, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and much more), what the hell are you waiting for? Here's your invitation. He has some great collaborations as well. You should dtart with the early stuff and fall in love and move along from there, IMHO.
Spy Wars was obviously not ghost-written, because it is really dry. It's unfortunate, because the topic is interesting: former CIA chief in former Soviet bloc recalls his exploits, including a defector who explained Popov and whose motives are still being unravelled today. But said very drylyand with an utter lack of straightforwardness. I guess I should have expected this from a former spy, but I thought there would be some help telling his story. If you are really into the Cold War and espionage, go for it. The story is there, but my patience is not.
So, I hit up the Dean's List for Summer Semester. Maybe I can make Faculty Scholar for my last semester and leave GSU with a little pride. This Fall I'm taking Toxicology and Senior Biology Seminar. Toxicology is OK so far. The teacher seems to be reasonable and relaxed. He works at the CDC and I'm pretty sure he is in the Marines (he wears his khaki uniform to class, but the Navy has a very similar one). On a tangent, the Public Health Corps has really nice dress whites (a friend of ours who works at the CDC wears his to shul sometimes). I chose to buy the book because it is considered the definitive literature on toxicology and I'll probably need it later in my career (hope, hope). Also, I found it for a good price on half.com.
My week-long vacation with my family was, well, not the vacation I would have chosen to take. Imagine leaving a place where the heat index is averaging over 100 degrees Fahrenheit daily and the humidity is not that great and going to another place where the heat index is even higher daily and the humidity is oppressive (plus no cloud cover). Yes, my parents find this relaxiong somehow. I find it perfect migraine-inducing conditions.
There was no getting out of it. Three relatives who we see rarely were invited and I was spending time with them, like it or not (they actually are varying degress of OK and fun people to hang out with). No matter that I spent all day inside, this was it. I foresee a talk about personal autonomy due to the fact that I am no longer a minor by anyone's book with my parents in the near future. They are still on vacation, though (and greatly enjoying themselves, which is good).
I did get to see 2 good movies while I was down in Hell Blue Mountain Beach: Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men. Many friends demanded that I see the former and I was intrigued by the latter by an interview with the director on NPR concerning some technically difficult shots. Also, the premise seemed interesting (semi-post apocalyptical world wherein women are no longer able to bear children). The scenes mentioned were great and the explanation and mechanisms were quite inventive. I was impressed at the length Cuaron was ready to go to deliver his literal vision of the script (which is based on a P.D. James book). Obviously, Pan's Labyrinth was wondrous. What an awful war - completely lose-lose (Fascists vs. Communists . . . yeah) and sad that it goes mostly forgotteen despite the fact that some of its horrors are displaye in one of Picasso's most famous paintings - Guernica - and the war's legacy lasted until Franco's death, to a certain extent.
Since I had so much time inside, I had the opportunity to read a bit. I read Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra, Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman, and part of Spy Wars by Tennent H. Bagley. SG received good reviews from a variety of credible sources (WSJ, NPR, NYT, etc.) that usually do not agree. I can best describe the book as an epic murder mystery novel: in the seacrh for the story behind a head gangster's murder-suicide by an slowly up-and-coming Sikh police inspector, we learn about the history of modern India (and Pakistan, to a certain extent, due to the Partition). I'm not a stranger to this history, as I read Gandhi's autobiography (recommended) and saw the movie with Ben Kingsley (also recommended) and read about the riots between Hindus and Muslims that occur periodically in various areas of India. There is something about the book that leaves you feeling like you have a layer of grime on you, and it is an uncofortable feeling, perhaps brought out of ignorance of this episode in modern history. I think this was done on purpose. We owe it to ourselves to understand our world today in a historical context and the scope of SG definitely attempts to educate you in 900 pages (though education might not necessarly be his main goal, just a by-product). It even comes with its own glossary of Indian terms used in the book. If you like to invest yourself in a book, I would recommend reading it.
Fragile Things proves that you can read everything an author has out there and s/he can still continue to amaze you with her/his imagination. Well, I'm probably a sucker for Gaiman, but still, there were still a few outstanding stories in the collection. The author even admits to as much (nearly) in the introduction. The first story, which won a Hugo Award, definitely earned it. I guess that when you are inspired, what you produce never seems old or recycled. If you have never read Neil Gaiman before (The Sandman, Coraline, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and much more), what the hell are you waiting for? Here's your invitation. He has some great collaborations as well. You should dtart with the early stuff and fall in love and move along from there, IMHO.
Spy Wars was obviously not ghost-written, because it is really dry. It's unfortunate, because the topic is interesting: former CIA chief in former Soviet bloc recalls his exploits, including a defector who explained Popov and whose motives are still being unravelled today. But said very drylyand with an utter lack of straightforwardness. I guess I should have expected this from a former spy, but I thought there would be some help telling his story. If you are really into the Cold War and espionage, go for it. The story is there, but my patience is not.