tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319034992024-02-06T19:29:02.170-08:00I Love You SomethingJimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-61815326941530838092011-04-16T19:27:00.000-07:002011-04-16T19:28:53.534-07:00This Blog Has Moved SomethingThis blog now has <a href="http://www.iloveyousomething.com">another permanent location</a>. Older entries on this site will remain, but please go to the new site for future updates and blog posts. Thank you!<br />
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Go there now: <a href="http://www.iloveyousomething.com">I Love You Something Dot Com</a>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-70388244135452922972011-03-27T16:12:00.000-07:002011-03-27T16:12:21.575-07:00Technical MisunderstandingsSo I got a Google Voice account about a year ago. One of its features is that when someone leaves you a voice mail, it will automatically try to transcribe it for you. But Google Voice doesn't know that my parents are speaking Cantonese. So its transcriptions of their messages turn out to be quite entertaining:<br />
<blockquote><div><span id="4-0"><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> When</span> <span id="4-1">our</span> <span id="4-2">mom.</span> <span id="4-3">He</span> <span id="4-4">did</span> <span id="4-5">not</span> <span id="4-6">send</span> <span id="4-7">a</span> <span id="4-8">deadly</span> <span id="4-9">man</span> <span id="4-10">planned</span> <span id="4-11">to</span> <span id="4-12">do</span> <span id="4-13">that.</span> <span id="4-14">They</span> <span id="4-15">that</span> <span id="4-16">happy</span> <span id="4-17">that</span> <span id="4-18">they</span> <span id="4-19">might</span> <span id="4-20">be</span> <span id="4-21">Hall</span> <span id="4-22">I.</span> <span id="4-23">I</span> <span id="4-24">don't</span> <span id="4-25">know.</span> <span id="4-26">Bye</span> <span id="4-27">bye.</span></div></blockquote>Here is the audio:<br />
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Interestingly, she actually said the English word "plan" in that message, but in the form of "planning" not "planned". She also ended her message with the English "bye bye", which Google was able to transcribe correctly. I don't know about this whole deadly man business, though. What are you trying to tell me, Mom?<br />
<blockquote><div><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> <span id="3-0">Way</span> <span id="3-1">it</span> <span id="3-2">out.</span> <span id="3-3">I'll</span> <span id="3-4">email</span> <span id="3-5">and</span> <span id="3-6">I</span> <span id="3-7">like</span> <span id="3-8">that.</span> <span id="3-9">They</span> <span id="3-10">they</span> <span id="3-11">Lisa.</span> <span id="3-12">If</span> <span id="3-13">you</span> <span id="3-14">have</span> <span id="3-15">about</span> <span id="3-16">the</span> <span id="3-17">he</span> <span id="3-18">had</span> <span id="3-19">bought</span> <span id="3-20">the</span> <span id="3-21">house.</span> <span id="3-22">I</span> <span id="3-23">need</span> <span id="3-24">to</span> <span id="3-25">have</span> <span id="3-26">dot,</span> <span id="3-27">com</span> <span id="3-28">The.</span> <span id="3-29">Online.</span> <span id="3-30">I</span> <span id="3-31">don't</span> <span id="3-32">know</span> <span id="3-33">the</span> <span id="3-34">phone.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> </span><span id="1-0">Hey,</span> <span id="1-1">if</span> <span id="1-2">you</span> <span id="1-3">got</span> <span id="1-4">busy.</span> <span id="1-5">My</span> <span id="1-6">whole</span> <span id="1-7">life.</span> <span id="1-8">I</span> <span id="1-9">cut</span> <span id="1-10">them.</span> <span id="1-11">I</span> <span id="1-12">had</span> <span id="1-13">a</span> <span id="1-14">AT</span> <span id="1-15">from,</span> <span id="1-16">so</span> <span id="1-17">on.</span> <span id="1-18">So</span> <span id="1-19">in</span> <span id="1-20">case</span> <span id="1-21">on</span> <span id="1-22">and</span> <span id="1-23">so</span> <span id="1-24">being</span> <span id="1-25">from</span> <span id="1-26">anything</span> <span id="1-27">on</span> <span id="1-28">Sunday.</span> <span id="1-29">So</span> <span id="1-30">on</span> <span id="1-31">a</span> <span id="1-32">thing</span> <span id="1-33">on</span> <span id="1-34">the</span> <span id="1-35">bye</span> <span id="1-36">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> </span><span id="0-0">Maria,</span> <span id="0-1">pack</span> <span id="0-2">and</span> <span id="0-3">I've</span> <span id="0-4">been</span> <span id="0-5">on</span> <span id="0-6">my</span> <span id="0-7">last.</span> <span id="0-8">I</span> <span id="0-9">owe</span> <span id="0-10">you</span> <span id="0-11">guys.</span> <span id="0-12">Okay</span> <span id="0-13">so</span> <span id="0-14">my</span> <span id="0-15">ass</span> <span id="0-16">a</span> <span id="0-17">whole.</span> <span id="0-18">It's</span> <span id="0-19">on</span> <span id="0-20">7</span> <span id="0-21">May,</span> <span id="0-22">lem.</span> <span id="0-23">I'm</span> <span id="0-24">050.</span> <span id="0-25">I</span> <span id="0-26">think</span> <span id="0-27">I'm</span> <span id="0-28">gonna</span> <span id="0-29">have</span> <span id="0-30">to</span> <span id="0-31">get</span> <span id="0-32">the</span> <span id="0-33">not</span> <span id="0-34">off</span> <span id="0-35">right</span> <span id="0-36">there</span> <span id="0-37">on</span> <span id="0-38">time</span> <span id="0-39">on</span> <span id="0-40">Monday</span> <span id="0-41">at</span> <span id="0-42">home</span> <span id="0-43">today.</span> <span id="0-44">I'm</span> <span id="0-45">with</span> <span id="0-46">us</span> <span id="0-47">on</span> <span id="0-48">the</span> <span id="0-49">hope</span> <span id="0-50">upon</span> <span id="0-51">the</span> <span id="0-52">tower</span> <span id="0-53">on</span> <span id="0-54">the</span> <span id="0-55">mould</span> <span id="0-56">and</span> <span id="0-57">everything</span> <span id="0-58">like</span> <span id="0-59">that</span> <span id="0-60">feed</span> <span id="0-61">off,</span> <span id="0-62">i'm</span> <span id="0-63">just</span> <span id="0-64">towel,</span> <span id="0-65">so</span> <span id="0-66">now</span> <span id="0-67">I'm</span> <span id="0-68">doing</span> <span id="0-69">fine</span> <span id="0-70">looked</span> <span id="0-71">out</span> <span id="0-72">it</span> <span id="0-73">without</span> <span id="0-74">it</span> <span id="0-75">up</span> <span id="0-76">so</span> <span id="0-77">my</span> <span id="0-78">god</span> <span id="0-79">bless.</span> <span id="0-80">Bye</span> <span id="0-81">bye.</span></div></blockquote>I started not answering the phone on purpose when my mom called, just to see the transcriptions of her messages and the weird poetry I could get from them.<br />
<blockquote><div><strong>Mom (cell): </strong><span id="1-0">May</span> <span id="1-1">not</span> <span id="1-2">on</span> <span id="1-3">the</span> <span id="1-4">the</span> <span id="1-5">garbage</span> <span id="1-6">in</span> <span id="1-7">my</span> <span id="1-8">life.</span> <span id="1-9">The</span> <span id="1-10">by,</span> <span id="1-11">that</span> <span id="1-12">if</span> <span id="1-13">I</span> <span id="1-14">don't</span> <span id="1-15">know.</span> <span id="1-16">I</span> <span id="1-17">got</span> <span id="1-18">bye.</span></div><div><strong><br />
</strong></div><div><strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="9-0">Went</span> <span id="9-1">on</span> <span id="9-2">on</span> <span id="9-3">it,</span> <span id="9-4">but</span> <span id="9-5">I</span> <span id="9-6">thought</span> <span id="9-7">the</span> <span id="9-8">most</span> <span id="9-9">central</span> <span id="9-10">data</span> <span id="9-11">and</span> <span id="9-12">just</span> <span id="9-13">well</span> <span id="9-14">it</span> <span id="9-15">off,</span> <span id="9-16">but</span> <span id="9-17">I'm</span> <span id="9-18">not</span> <span id="9-19">goodbye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Dad (cell):</strong> </span><span id="6-0">Right.</span> <span id="6-1">Jimmy</span> <span id="6-2">Jimmy</span> <span id="6-3">about</span> <span id="6-4">not</span> <span id="6-5">ready.</span> <span id="6-6">Lila</span> <span id="6-7">if</span> <span id="6-8">you</span> <span id="6-9">got</span> <span id="6-10">a</span> <span id="6-11">phone</span> <span id="6-12">call</span> <span id="6-13">and</span> <span id="6-14">give</span> <span id="6-15">me</span> <span id="6-16">a</span> <span id="6-17">joke</span> <span id="6-18">and</span> <span id="6-19">bye</span> <span id="6-20">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="8-0">Hello</span> <span id="8-1">hello</span> <span id="8-2">hello.</span> <span id="8-3">All</span> <span id="8-4">of</span> <span id="8-5">that</span> <span id="8-6">on</span> <span id="8-7">mon.</span> <span id="8-8">Hey</span> <span id="8-9">Dad,</span> <span id="8-10">It's</span> <span id="8-11">me</span> <span id="8-12">back</span> <span id="8-13">bye</span> <span id="8-14">bye</span> <span id="8-15">bye</span> <span id="8-16">hey</span> <span id="8-17">there.</span> <span id="8-18">Bye</span> <span id="8-19">bye</span> <span id="8-20">bye</span> <span id="8-21">hi.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="1-0">Hey</span> <span id="1-1">my</span> <span id="1-2">mom</span> <span id="1-3">and</span> <span id="1-4">I'm</span> <span id="1-5">A,</span> <span id="1-6">I</span> <span id="1-7">don't</span> <span id="1-8">tell</span> <span id="1-9">you</span> <span id="1-10">not</span> <span id="1-11">be</span> <span id="1-12">able</span> <span id="1-13">to</span> <span id="1-14">1,000</span> <span id="1-15">I</span> <span id="1-16">intended.</span> <span id="1-17">I</span> <span id="1-18">expected</span> <span id="1-19">to</span> <span id="1-20">see</span> <span id="1-21">if</span> <span id="1-22">I</span> <span id="1-23">don't</span> <span id="1-24">know</span> <span id="1-25">if</span> <span id="1-26">you</span> <span id="1-27">don't</span> <span id="1-28">mind</span> <span id="1-29">it</span> <span id="1-30">is</span> <span id="1-31">not</span> <span id="1-32">the</span> <span id="1-33">Done.</span> <span id="1-34">Hi.</span> <span id="1-35">The.</span> <span id="1-36">I</span> <span id="1-37">think</span> <span id="1-38">that</span> <span id="1-39">the</span> <span id="1-40">other</span> <span id="1-41">thing</span> <span id="1-42">is</span> <span id="1-43">that</span> <span id="1-44">they</span> <span id="1-45">they</span> <span id="1-46">said</span> <span id="1-47">they</span> <span id="1-48">liked</span> <span id="1-49">homa</span> <span id="1-50">la.</span> <span id="1-51">Simon</span> <span id="1-52">lack</span> <span id="1-53">of</span> <span id="1-54">my</span> <span id="1-55">house</span> <span id="1-56">I.</span> <span id="1-57">I</span> <span id="1-58">hope</span> <span id="1-59">that</span> <span id="1-60">you</span> <span id="1-61">got</span> <span id="1-62">it.</span> <span id="1-63">I</span> <span id="1-64">have</span> <span id="1-65">but</span> <span id="1-66">it's</span> <span id="1-67">about</span> <span id="1-68">510.</span> <span id="1-69">I'm</span> <span id="1-70">on</span> <span id="1-71">my</span> <span id="1-72">cat</span> <span id="1-73">harness</span> <span id="1-74">is</span> <span id="1-75">11</span> <span id="1-76">films</span> <span id="1-77">talk</span> <span id="1-78">to</span> <span id="1-79">them</span> <span id="1-80">so</span> <span id="1-81">important.</span> <span id="1-82">How</span> <span id="1-83">fine.</span> <span id="1-84">A</span> <span id="1-85">Hi</span> <span id="1-86">Donna,</span> <span id="1-87">hey</span> <span id="1-88">Chinese.</span> <span id="1-89">Anyway,</span> <span id="1-90">talk</span> <span id="1-91">to</span> <span id="1-92">you</span> <span id="1-93">at</span> <span id="1-94">the</span> <span id="1-95">intended.</span> <span id="1-96">Hello.</span> <span id="1-97">I'm</span> <span id="1-98">not.</span> <span id="1-99">Bye</span> <span id="1-100">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> </span><span id="0-0">The</span> <span id="0-1">maximum</span> <span id="0-2">10</span> <span id="0-3">the</span> <span id="0-4">Martha.</span> <span id="0-5">Or</span> <span id="0-6">might</span> <span id="0-7">be</span> <span id="0-8">a</span> <span id="0-9">M.</span> <span id="0-10">One</span> <span id="0-11">last</span> <span id="0-12">question</span> <span id="0-13">and</span> <span id="0-14">some.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="8-0">Yes,</span> <span id="8-1">and</span> <span id="8-2">on</span> <span id="8-3">it</span> <span id="8-4">and</span> <span id="8-5">I</span> <span id="8-6">hope</span> <span id="8-7">that</span> <span id="8-8">I'm</span> <span id="8-9">not</span> <span id="8-10">yet</span> <span id="8-11">they</span> <span id="8-12">got</span> <span id="8-13">it</span> <span id="8-14">in</span> <span id="8-15">my</span> <span id="8-16">on,</span> <span id="8-17">Hey</span> <span id="8-18">Jimmy,</span> <span id="8-19">Lo.</span> <span id="8-20">Bye.</span></div></blockquote>That last one was weird, because it interpreted something which sounded nothing like "Hey Jimmy, Lo" as "Hey Jimmy, Lo" and why the hell would it think that she said that? Jimmy Lo is my name. So does Google Voice just think that my mom would say my name at this point? Probably Google guesses things based on what it knows about me so things sounding even remotely like my name would probably be guessed as my name. But yeah, weird. Here is the audio of that message:<br />
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<blockquote><div><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> <span id="5-0">Rachel</span> <span id="5-1">not</span> <span id="5-2">they</span> <span id="5-3">come</span> <span id="5-4">out</span> <span id="5-5">Sunday</span> <span id="5-6">and</span> <span id="5-7">I'm</span> <span id="5-8">gonna</span> <span id="5-9">with</span> <span id="5-10">anyone.</span> <span id="5-11">They</span> <span id="5-12">are</span> <span id="5-13">be</span> <span id="5-14">45.</span> <span id="5-15">Okay,</span> <span id="5-16">see</span> <span id="5-17">you</span> <span id="5-18">about</span> <span id="5-19">the</span> <span id="5-20">Monty</span> <span id="5-21">Hall</span> <span id="5-22">feedback</span> <span id="5-23">on</span> <span id="5-24">the</span> <span id="5-25">can</span> <span id="5-26">do.</span> <span id="5-27">A</span> <span id="5-28">message</span> <span id="5-29">that</span> <span id="5-30">part</span> <span id="5-31">of</span> <span id="5-32">it</span> <span id="5-33">might</span> <span id="5-34">be</span> <span id="5-35">in</span> <span id="5-36">my</span> <span id="5-37">mouth.</span> <span id="5-38">I</span> <span id="5-39">will</span> <span id="5-40">talk</span> <span id="5-41">to</span> <span id="5-42">you</span> <span id="5-43">or</span> <span id="5-44">that</span> <span id="5-45">was</span> <span id="5-46">the</span> <span id="5-47">one</span> <span id="5-48">here</span> <span id="5-49">are</span> <span id="5-50">you</span> <span id="5-51">standing</span> <span id="5-52">there.</span> <span id="5-53">I</span> <span id="5-54">don't</span> <span id="5-55">know.</span> <span id="5-56">Bye</span> <span id="5-57">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Dad (cell):</strong> </span><span id="0-0">Gimme</span> <span id="0-1">a.</span> <span id="0-2">So</span> <span id="0-3">go</span> <span id="0-4">ahead.</span> <span id="0-5">I'm</span> <span id="0-6">gonna.</span> <span id="0-7">Thank</span> <span id="0-8">you.</span> <span id="0-9">Hi.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Dad (cell):</strong> </span><span id="9-0">Jimmy</span> <span id="9-1">call</span> <span id="9-2">back.</span> <span id="9-3">Looks</span> <span id="9-4">good</span> <span id="9-5">about</span> <span id="9-6">other.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> </span><span id="6-0">Hello.</span> <span id="6-1">Indiana.</span> <span id="6-2">You</span> <span id="6-3">don't</span> <span id="6-4">have</span> <span id="6-5">it</span> <span id="6-6">in</span> <span id="6-7">my</span> <span id="6-8">our</span> <span id="6-9">deadline</span> <span id="6-10">little</span> <span id="6-11">now.</span> <span id="6-12">Bye</span> <span id="6-13">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Dad (cell):</strong> </span><span id="3-0">Jimmy,</span> <span id="3-1">bye</span> <span id="3-2">bye.</span> <span id="3-3">Something</span> <span id="3-4">tells</span> <span id="3-5">me</span> <span id="3-6">that</span> <span id="3-7">and</span> <span id="3-8">envelope.</span> <span id="3-9">We're</span> <span id="3-10">going</span> <span id="3-11">to</span> <span id="3-12">have</span> <span id="3-13">a</span> <span id="3-14">lot,</span> <span id="3-15">so</span> <span id="3-16">you</span> <span id="3-17">guys</span> <span id="3-18">are</span> <span id="3-19">going</span> <span id="3-20">to</span> <span id="3-21">send</span> <span id="3-22">this</span> <span id="3-23">is</span> <span id="3-24">the</span> <span id="3-25">last.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Dad (cell):</strong> </span><span id="2-0">David</span> <span id="2-1">about</span> <span id="2-2">where</span> <span id="2-3">if</span> <span id="2-4">you're</span> <span id="2-5">not</span> <span id="2-6">gonna</span> <span id="2-7">behind</span> <span id="2-8">and</span> <span id="2-9">stop</span> <span id="2-10">by</span> <span id="2-11">pick</span> <span id="2-12">up</span> <span id="2-13">the</span> <span id="2-14">most</span> <span id="2-15">and</span> <span id="2-16">that.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="0-0">Went</span> <span id="0-1">along</span> <span id="0-2">with</span> <span id="0-3">the</span> <span id="0-4">S</span> <span id="0-5">E</span> <span id="0-6">dot</span> <span id="0-7">baby</span> <span id="0-8">are</span> <span id="0-9">doing</span> <span id="0-10">on</span> <span id="0-11">our.</span> <span id="0-12">I</span> <span id="0-13">know</span> <span id="0-14">it</span> <span id="0-15">by</span> <span id="0-16">E.</span> <span id="0-17">I'm</span> <span id="0-18">on</span> <span id="0-19">my</span> <span id="0-20">photo.</span> <span id="0-21">Yeah</span> <span id="0-22">savings</span> <span id="0-23">say</span> <span id="0-24">bye</span> <span id="0-25">Walton</span> <span id="0-26">face.</span> <span id="0-27">I</span> <span id="0-28">don't</span> <span id="0-29">think</span> <span id="0-30">I</span> <span id="0-31">found.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><strong><span>Dad (cell): </span></strong><span id="7-0">Gary</span> <span id="7-1">about</span> <span id="7-2">list</span> <span id="7-3">from</span> <span id="7-4">Google,</span> <span id="7-5">and</span> <span id="7-6">maybe</span> <span id="7-7">we</span> <span id="7-8">can.</span> <span id="7-9">I</span> <span id="7-10">love.</span> <span id="7-11">Pre-approved.</span></div></blockquote>One thing you should probably know is that when it says "Jimmy" at the beginning of these transcripts, that actually is my parents calling me that. They call me by my English name Jimmy sometimes, and sometimes by my Chinese name "Nam Nam". Although in one of those messages up there it transcribed it as "Gimme". Also, my dad doesn't leave as many messages as my mom, and generally when he does, he doesn't say as much. Also, interesting that Google thinks my Dad said "Google" when he said no such thing.<br />
<blockquote><strong>Mom (cell): </strong><span id="4-0">My</span> <span id="4-1">name</span> <span id="4-2">is</span> <span id="4-3">that</span> <span id="4-4">may</span> <span id="4-5">be</span> <span id="4-6">right.</span> <span id="4-7">So</span> <span id="4-8">iPods</span> <span id="4-9">all</span> <span id="4-10">but</span> <span id="4-11">in</span> <span id="4-12">Idaho</span> <span id="4-13">and</span> <span id="4-14">good</span> <span id="4-15">luck</span> <span id="4-16">and</span> <span id="4-17">I.</span> <span id="4-18">You'll</span> <span id="4-19">you'll</span> <span id="4-20">be</span> <span id="4-21">available</span> <span id="4-22">date</span> <span id="4-23">I</span> <span id="4-24">thought.</span> <span id="4-25">I</span> <span id="4-26">hope</span> <span id="4-27">goes</span> <span id="4-28">all</span> <span id="4-29">the</span> <span id="4-30">with</span> <span id="4-31">the</span> <span id="4-32">light</span> <span id="4-33">up</span> <span id="4-34">pen</span> <span id="4-35">back,</span> <span id="4-36">almost,</span> <span id="4-37">William</span> <span id="4-38">comes</span> <span id="4-39">up</span> <span id="4-40">and</span> <span id="4-41">I</span> <span id="4-42">don't</span> <span id="4-43">know</span> <span id="4-44">the</span> <span id="4-45">new</span> <span id="4-46">vehicle</span> <span id="4-47">Golden</span> <span id="4-48">Gate</span> <span id="4-49">Dr.</span> <span id="4-50">So.</span> <span id="4-51">I'm</span> <span id="4-52">sorry</span> <span id="4-53">if</span> <span id="4-54">I</span> <span id="4-55">don't</span> <span id="4-56">know.</span> <span id="4-57">Hi</span> <span id="4-58">will</span> <span id="4-59">give</span> <span id="4-60">up</span> <span id="4-61">on</span> <span id="4-62">it</span> <span id="4-63">and</span> <span id="4-64">coming</span> <span id="4-65">in</span> <span id="4-66">front</span> <span id="4-67">of</span> <span id="4-68">a</span> <span id="4-69">going</span> <span id="4-70">fine,</span> <span id="4-71">I</span> <span id="4-72">don't</span> <span id="4-73">know</span> <span id="4-74">and</span> <span id="4-75">I</span> <span id="4-76">thought</span> <span id="4-77">I'd</span> <span id="4-78">see</span> <span id="4-79">if</span> <span id="4-80">I</span> <span id="4-81">think.</span> <span id="4-82">Yeah.</span> <span id="4-83">Bye</span> <span id="4-84">bye.</span><br />
<br />
<strong>Dad (cell):</strong> <span id="1-0">Okay,</span> <span id="1-1">I</span> <span id="1-2">got</span> <span id="1-3">a</span> <span id="1-4">lot.</span> <span id="1-5">Bye</span> <span id="1-6">bye</span> <span id="1-7">Seattle</span> <span id="1-8">purebred</span> <span id="1-9">haven't</span> <span id="1-10">bye.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="3-0">Bye</span> <span id="3-1">and</span> <span id="3-2">I'm</span> <span id="3-3">dating</span> <span id="3-4">my</span> <span id="3-5">last</span> <span id="3-6">night</span> <span id="3-7">and</span> <span id="3-8">hung</span> <span id="3-9">up.</span> <span id="3-10">Goodbye.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="5-0">Hello</span> <span id="5-1">help</span> <span id="5-2">wanted</span> <span id="5-3">a</span> <span id="5-4">lot.</span> <span id="5-5">Bye.</span> <span id="5-6">Hello</span> <span id="5-7">testing</span> <span id="5-8">process.</span> <span id="5-9">Hello.</span> <span id="5-10">All,</span> <span id="5-11">Hello</span> <span id="5-12">okay.</span> <span id="5-13">Okay,</span> <span id="5-14">bye</span> <span id="5-15">bye.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span>Mom (cell): </span></strong><span id="2-0">Hey.</span> <span id="2-1">Hello,</span> <span id="2-2">Well</span> <span id="2-3">hello.</span><br />
<br />
<span><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> </span><span id="7-0">The</span> <span id="7-1">dear.</span> <span id="7-2">I</span> <span id="7-3">might</span> <span id="7-4">be</span> <span id="7-5">back</span> <span id="7-6">or</span> <span id="7-7">what</span> <span id="7-8">but</span> <span id="7-9">think</span> <span id="7-10">about</span> <span id="7-11">it</span> <span id="7-12">bye</span> <span id="7-13">bye.</span><br />
<div><span id="6-0"><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> Bye,</span> <span id="6-1">hey</span> <span id="6-2">i</span> <span id="6-3">hall.</span> <span id="6-4">Hey</span> <span id="6-5">the,</span> <span id="6-6">well,</span> <span id="6-7">the</span> <span id="6-8">telephone</span> <span id="6-9">with</span> <span id="6-10">voice</span> <span id="6-11">up</span> <span id="6-12">so</span> <span id="6-13">case</span> <span id="6-14">with</span> <span id="6-15">the</span> <span id="6-16">potluck.</span> <span id="6-17">Does</span> <span id="6-18">that</span> <span id="6-19">sit</span> <span id="6-20">down</span> <span id="6-21">with</span> <span id="6-22">such</span> <span id="6-23">a</span> <span id="6-24">fun</span> <span id="6-25">in</span> <span id="6-26">fact</span> <span id="6-27">and</span> <span id="6-28">where</span> <span id="6-29">you</span> <span id="6-30">left.</span> <span id="6-31">So,</span> <span id="6-32">is</span> <span id="6-33">the</span> <span id="6-34">third</span> <span id="6-35">party.</span> <span id="6-36">My</span> <span id="6-37">not.</span> <span id="6-38">Bye</span> <span id="6-39">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><div><span id="2-0"><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> But</span> <span id="2-1">it</span> <span id="2-2">on</span> <span id="2-3">them.</span> <span id="2-4">I</span> <span id="2-5">just</span> <span id="2-6">want</span> <span id="2-7">to</span> <span id="2-8">go.</span> <span id="2-9">It</span> <span id="2-10">is</span> <span id="2-11">doing</span> <span id="2-12">that</span> <span id="2-13">on</span> <span id="2-14">something</span> <span id="2-15">or</span> <span id="2-16">not</span> <span id="2-17">it</span> <span id="2-18">at</span> <span id="2-19">and</span> <span id="2-20">Brendan</span> <span id="2-21">refund</span> <span id="2-22">that</span> <span id="2-23">the</span> <span id="2-24">most.</span> <span id="2-25">I</span> <span id="2-26">did</span> <span id="2-27">lose</span> <span id="2-28">so</span> <span id="2-29">I'm</span> <span id="2-30">glad</span> <span id="2-31">to</span> <span id="2-32">drive</span> <span id="2-33">you</span> <span id="2-34">know</span> <span id="2-35">it</span> <span id="2-36">is</span> <span id="2-37">man.</span> <span id="2-38">Bye</span> <span id="2-39">Daisy's</span> <span id="2-40">night</span> <span id="2-41">Sunday</span> <span id="2-42">that</span> <span id="2-43">if</span> <span id="2-44">I</span> <span id="2-45">miss</span> <span id="2-46">him</span> <span id="2-47">on</span> <span id="2-48">my</span> <span id="2-49">side.</span> <span id="2-50">Hey,</span> <span id="2-51">Chucky,</span> <span id="2-52">and</span> <span id="2-53">I've</span> <span id="2-54">put</span> <span id="2-55">all</span> <span id="2-56">I</span> <span id="2-57">get</span> <span id="2-58">a</span> <span id="2-59">basement.</span> <span id="2-60">At</span> <span id="2-61">this</span> <span id="2-62">the</span> <span id="2-63">program.</span> <span id="2-64">And</span> <span id="2-65">I</span> <span id="2-66">said,</span> <span id="2-67">I</span> <span id="2-68">guess</span> <span id="2-69">I</span> <span id="2-70">need</span> <span id="2-71">to</span> <span id="2-72">know</span> <span id="2-73">if</span> <span id="2-74">I</span> <span id="2-75">I</span> <span id="2-76">got</span> <span id="2-77">the</span> <span id="2-78">reply.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span><strong>Mom (cell):</strong> </span><span id="7-0">Waiting</span> <span id="7-1">on</span> <span id="7-2">on</span> <span id="7-3">the</span> <span id="7-4">history</span> <span id="7-5">I</span> <span id="7-6">hit</span> <span id="7-7">him.</span> <span id="7-8">Hey,</span> <span id="7-9">Linda</span> <span id="7-10">gate</span> <span id="7-11">and</span> <span id="7-12">I</span> <span id="7-13">wanted</span> <span id="7-14">to</span> <span id="7-15">see</span> <span id="7-16">and</span> <span id="7-17">tell</span> <span id="7-18">him</span> <span id="7-19">that</span> <span id="7-20">bye</span> <span id="7-21">bye.</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div></div><div><span><strong>Dad (cell):</strong> </span><span id="3-0">Thank</span> <span id="3-1">you,</span> <span id="3-2">that</span> <span id="3-3">they</span> <span id="3-4">are</span> <span id="3-5">doing</span> <span id="3-6">well</span> <span id="3-7">and</span> <span id="3-8">It's</span> <span id="3-9">other.</span> <span id="3-10">Do</span> <span id="3-11">not</span> <span id="3-12">call</span> <span id="3-13">her.</span> <span id="3-14">Hello.</span></div></blockquote>Unfortunately, at this point Google must have changed their algorithm. Now it won't transcribe anything that it recognizes is in another language. Instead, it just says "Unable to transcribe this message." How lame!<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I received a voice mail from a computer automated system from Kaiser Permanente. Google Voice took the call and transcribed it. The idea of Google (a computer) transcribing what Kaiser (a computer voice) was saying made my head go in loop de loop circles, but also seemed very poignant. The machine miscommunicating with the machine. Here is what Google transcribed:<br />
<blockquote><div><span id="9-0"><strong>Kaiser: </strong>Hello</span> <span id="9-1">Yeah,</span> <span id="9-2">this</span> <span id="9-3">is</span> <span id="9-4">Kaiser</span> <span id="9-5">Permanente,</span> <span id="9-6">you</span> <span id="9-7">calling</span> <span id="9-8">for</span> <span id="9-9">you.</span> <span id="9-10">Yang.</span> <span id="9-11">Hello</span> <span id="9-12">we're</span> <span id="9-13">calling</span> <span id="9-14">to</span> <span id="9-15">share</span> <span id="9-16">some</span> <span id="9-17">important</span> <span id="9-18">information,</span> <span id="9-19">to</span> <span id="9-20">help</span> <span id="9-21">make</span> <span id="9-22">sure</span> <span id="9-23">you're</span> <span id="9-24">getting</span> <span id="9-25">the</span> <span id="9-26">most</span> <span id="9-27">out</span> <span id="9-28">of</span> <span id="9-29">your</span> <span id="9-30">new</span> <span id="9-31">benefits.</span> <span id="9-32">Yeah,</span> <span id="9-33">he's</span> <span id="9-34">call</span> <span id="9-35">us</span> <span id="9-36">back</span> <span id="9-37">yo</span> <span id="9-38">free.</span> <span id="9-39">Yeah</span> <span id="9-40">one.</span> <span id="9-41">Yeah.</span> <span id="9-42">877.</span> <span id="9-43">You</span> <span id="9-44">re</span> <span id="9-45">57.</span> <span id="9-46">Yeah</span> <span id="9-47">7626.</span> <span id="9-48">Again,</span> <span id="9-49">your</span> <span id="9-50">number</span> <span id="9-51">is</span> <span id="9-52">1.</span> <span id="9-53">Yeah.</span> <span id="9-54">877.</span> <span id="9-55">You</span> <span id="9-56">re</span> <span id="9-57">57.</span> <span id="9-58">Yeah</span> <span id="9-59">7626.</span> <span id="9-60">Thank</span> <span id="9-61">you</span> <span id="9-62">for</span> <span id="9-63">your</span> <span id="9-64">time.</span> <span id="9-65">And</span> <span id="9-66">remember.</span> <span id="9-67">Today</span> <span id="9-68">is</span> <span id="9-69">a</span> <span id="9-70">good</span> <span id="9-71">day</span> <span id="9-72">to</span> <span id="9-73">thrive.</span> <span id="9-74">Bye</span> <span id="9-75">bye.</span></div></blockquote>And here is the audio:<br />
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Why did Google keep thinking Kaiser was saying 'Yeah'?Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-10193339325475205532011-03-05T20:15:00.001-08:002011-03-05T20:15:55.907-08:00The Moscow Dogs<blockquote>"the silence will begin full of dogs" —Julio Cortázar</blockquote>I've been reading articles on the web about this phenomenon in Moscow. Apparently there is a steady population of stray dogs in Moscow who have evolved several different survival strategies. Some primarily hunt mice and other animals, some scavenge for food in dumpsters. But there is one group of strays in particular who have learned how to navigate the city. Every day they commute into the city via the subway. They know when to get on and when to get off the trains, moving alongside humans, and once in the city they know how to cross the street by waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green. They've also developed a very intuitive sense of who to beg for food and who to leave alone. Here is a good story about it (but the first part about the crazy woman (though interesting) is kind of distracting to the main point which is how amazing these dogs are): <a href="http://winkright.com/http:/winkright.com/community/moscows-strays-a-strange-admiration/">Moscow's Stray Dogs: Exiled or Admired?</a>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-8000817959197806882011-01-01T13:00:00.001-08:002011-01-01T13:00:05.374-08:00Favorite Books Read in 2010(full reviews of all these books can be found on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1325473">my Goodreads page</a>)<br />
<br />
<strong>NONFICTION</strong><br />
<br />
<em>The Shadow of the Sun</em> by Ryszard Kapu?ci?ski<br />
in which Ryszard shows us Africa around the end of colonialism (not that it ever ends). He makes it a great read as it is satisfying in many ways: as history, as memoir, as anthropology, and as travel writing.<br />
<br />
<em>Kabloona</em> by Gontran de Poncins<br />
in which Gontran, being French, and the year being 1938, travels to arctic Canada to study the Eskimos and writes this piece of anthropological gem, both interesting as a study of his whitey attitudes and as a study of the local population and their strange habits. This one is special, people… a highly entertaining book.<br />
<br />
<em>Broadsides from Other Orders: A Book of Bugs</em> by Sue Hubbell<br />
in which each chapter is lovingly dedicated to explaining away one little critter, often as common as the daddy longlegs or the less heard-of camel cricket which I'm sure lives in your basement as we speak, although "explain away" is inaccurate as there's still so much we just don't know about them.<br />
<br />
<strong>ALMOST NON-FICTION</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Emigrants</em> by W.G. Sebald<br />
<em>Austerlitz</em> by W.G. Sebald<br />
<em>Vertigo</em> by W.G. Sebald<br />
in which Winfried Georg, being German, being inscrutable, lulls me into deep meditative conversation in which I stop caring what is being talked about. He often writes from a very serious place, of memory and architecture and place; his fiction is a combination of essay, memoir, old photos, and a lot of walking.<br />
<br />
<em>I Love Dick</em> by Chris Kraus<br />
in which Chris and husband decide to woo an acquaintance, Dick, by writing him love letters. This novel, which is obviously thinly veiled nonfiction, soon leads to a series of postmodern investigations taking the form of epistolary novel, feminist manifesto, art criticism, tell-all memoir, critical theory, personal essay, and diary. Bonus: makes for great reading in the men's locker room.<br />
<br />
<strong>FICTION</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Recollections of Things to Come</em> by Elena Garro<br />
in which magical realism was written before magical realism was even defined. And oh she does it so well, so much better than mr. marquez. This story, a political one but not in an annoying way, is told by the town itself. It is a devastating story, and one that made me read nonstop.<br />
<br />
<em>The Confusions of Young Törless</em> by Robert Musil<br />
in which you will think it is another coming of age boarding school novel, but this one searches so deeply it reminds me of Rilke's poetry, in its ability to wrestle with the most complex spiritual, philosophical, and psychological themes.<br />
<br />
<em>Go Tell It On the Mountain</em> by James Baldwin<br />
in which Fate smiled down on me and told me I had to read it as the copy I bought for $5 in Chicago was SIGNED by JB himself with the note: "for Jimmy or be that James". A novel about religion but also about many things, he goes down deep into the empathy of every character and the result is powerful.<br />
<br />
<em>The Summer Book</em> by Tove Jansson<br />
<em>Sun City</em> by Tove Jansson<br />
in which Ms. Jansson writes about childhood and old age with equal skill and a light touch; this writing serves its function without an ounce of fat. The episodic tales unwind around flawed yet human and lovable characters.<br />
<br />
<em>The Time of the Doves</em> by Mercè Rodoreda<br />
in which she writes about devastation in a series of incremental impressions from a naive character, but one whose grief, though she doesn't understand it herself, also catches the reader by surprise.<br />
<br />
<em>Skylark</em> by Dezs? Kosztolányi<br />
in which a very ugly daughter and her parents have their routines disrupted when said ugly daughter leaves to visit a relative. A funny, sad book.<br />
<br />
<em>Pan</em> by Knut Hamsun<br />
in which Mr. Hamsun outdoes his own masterpiece Hunger, having written here an even better, more complex portrait of the mind's infatuation and raw feverish irrationality.<br />
<br />
<strong>SHORT FICTION</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Selected Prose</em> of Heinrich von Kleist<br />
in which so much is merciless and violent, and the people in these stories, poor things, are moved around by cosmic forces into monsters without their knowing it, swept up in the reconfiguration like a bit of bread in the bowels. The Marquise of O… in particular is one of the best stories I've ever read.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-10059824066980240582010-10-11T15:14:00.000-07:002010-10-11T15:15:53.311-07:00Errata Slip (a found poem)<table border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td>Page 32, line 3</td> <td style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Insert comma after</em> come</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">Page 44, line 16</td> <td style="padding-left: 30px;">veer and strut and saunter<br />
<em>for</em> veers and struts and saunters</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Page 51, line 17</td> <td style="padding-left: 30px;">exciting <em>for</em> existing</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Page 52, line 6</td> <td style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Delete</em> a</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Page 53, line 14</td> <td style="padding-left: 30px;">shifty <em>for</em> shift</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Page 53, line 17</td> <td style="padding-left: 30px;">effulgent <em>for</em> efflugent</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-7073509653511425322010-09-28T06:08:00.000-07:002010-09-28T06:08:38.503-07:00The light in my bathroom<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/U7ICpdwGVKE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/U7ICpdwGVKE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br />
<br />
"It is in the realm of the abstract that the more important things happen in these times, and it is the unimportant that happens in real life." - RMJimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-52953902224969686272010-09-20T08:57:00.001-07:002010-09-20T08:57:29.221-07:00Free Poems BlogFor those of you who enjoyed my last post here, please note that <a href="http://www.iloveyousomething.com/freepoems">Free Poems on Demand</a> now has its own blog (as it is becoming its own thing, with multiple events), so I will not be writing anymore about that project here.<br />
<br />
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-223" title="free_poems" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/free_poems.jpg" alt="free_poems" width="500" height="375" />Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-41269375652436452262010-09-13T21:34:00.000-07:002010-09-20T08:57:55.475-07:00Write-up: FREE POEM DaysFREE POEMS ON DEMAND was a success at the Decatur Book Festival. We collectively wrote more than 100 poems over two days on topics as diverse as: "neon broken arm", "cannibalism", "how to tell your grandmother you're pregnant", and "wow!"<br />
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-208 aligncenter" title="free_poems_table" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/free_poems_table-300x225.jpg" alt="free_poems_table" width="300" height="225" /></p><br />
Participants included: me, Jeff Dahlgren, Zac Denton, John Selvidge, Mary Richardson, Michele Rozga, Allison & Ping Pong, and a random stranger who wanted to try her hand at it (she wrote a good poem about "corners").<br />
<br />
I got out there around 3PM and wrote nonstop until 8PM. Various people joined me in the task throughout the day. I found these sales slips at Wal-mart that let you write things on the top sheet and it will transfer to the carbon copy on the bottom. We used these sometimes to get an instant copy of the poems we wrote for people. The pad had 50 sheets, but we ran out of sheets about half-way through.<br />
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-213 aligncenter" title="hippos" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/hippos.jpg" alt="hippos" width="500" height="658" /></p><br />
Some people asked for silly topics like Hippopotamus. But some people, you can really tell they needed a poem to get through whatever they were going through. You got to learn a lot about people sometimes, like the woman who asked for a poem about "the end of an affair". Or the older man who asked very genuinely for a poem about "hope".<br />
<br />
Those vague words are the hardest to write, (we got "hope", "true love", "life", "determination", "perseverance"). There's an impulse to undercut the subject with cleverness, but if the person looks like they really meant it, then you don't want to do that. You want to write a genuine sincere poem about hope. Now, all you ironic poets out there can smirk all you want, but that is fucking hard.<br />
<br />
Overall, though, writing instant poems is fun and easy. It's much easier than writing a real poem simply because nobody expects a good poem to be written in 5 minutes. So if you write a bad poem, that's par for the course. If you write a mediocre poem, that's considered wonderful, fantastic! This way of thinking about it really freed me up to write whatever crap came into my head.<br />
<br />
I got so many encouraging responses. One woman even said she will frame it on the wall, and some just said thanks over and over again. One boy said "thanks, i really like it" then later "It's really a good poem". He was so sweet.<br />
<br />
Some people had special requirements for their poem. Like this following one, in which I was instructed to include the words turquoise, sun, detritus, monkey, fresh-cocoonut, chanting, hand-spun, and moon:<br />
<br />
Turquoise and blue, natural colors<br />
filling up the stream. Nearby<br />
detritus ends up in Detroit<br />
where the monkeys wear suits,<br />
teleconferencing. But here, only<br />
the din of traffic reaches me<br />
as I crack fresh coconuts,<br />
drinking its contents, its<br />
flesh regards me, chanting.<br />
The clouds look hand-spun,<br />
custom made for the moon.<br />
<br />
Many people asked for personalized poems, dedicated to someone. Like this one for Elsa, who just turned 2½:<br />
<br />
Ode to Elsa and fingers<br />
and O's where Elsa steps<br />
and sunshine swings Elsa's mom<br />
to Elmo here and Elsa there<br />
does hops with Elsa's hair<br />
here there and everywhere Elsa.<br />
<br />
And this one for Grant who his father claims never listens to anyone. His father gave me a $10 tip for this poem!<br />
<br />
A book of poems<br />
for Grant who doesn't listen.<br />
Nobody listens, though, right?<br />
Grant is listening now<br />
just because. He likes<br />
to talk the big talk.<br />
Talking is when words<br />
come out of your mouth.<br />
Grant is a big boy<br />
so big words come out of<br />
his big mouth. Everything<br />
is quiet now. Silent night.<br />
Perfect opportunity.<br />
<br />
It is hard to resist the urge to revise these now. A tweak here or there could make it so much less cringe-worthy, but then again I have to remember it is not about the poems, but the process.<br />
<br />
I thought writing poems for 5 hours straight would exhaust me but it just kind of put me in this weird state of mind. At the end of the first day, I was a little bit ecstatic. The second day was less busy, but my mind was also less fresh.<br />
<br />
There were many people who wanted to know who we were. "Are you poets?". A lot of interest in Eyedrum was generated from these encounters as well. I thought above all that it was really good for cloistered experimental poets to do this as a way to get out of our own headspace a little. We complain that nobody reads our poems, but I've been surprised by the amount of receptiveness that most people have shown.<br />
<br />
There was also someone who asked, unbelievingly, "do you use some kind of template, or formula". No, we don't. That would defeat the whole purpose. If the purpose was to always safely hand the audience a pretty good poem, then that would be a good strategy. But the purpose was to challenge ourselves to go outside of our comfort zones, to risk writing that bad poem, writing 50 bad poems. No, we didn't have a formula or a strategy, and that can be why it's such an awful project or an awesome project, depending on which end of the lens you're looking through<br />
<br />
We're thinking about doing it again sometime soon. We need to find a place with a lot of foot traffic in Atlanta, maybe L5P or East Atlanta Village… or Piedmont Park. It would be nice to get a totally different crowd, to see how different the experience is.<br />
<br />
Much thanks to <a href="http://www.eyedrum.org/">Eyedrum</a> Lit Committee for being open to this idea, and to Bill and Amy and the <a href="http://www.theseengallery.com/">Seen Gallery</a> for opening up their space for us.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-13123992417819397922010-07-31T05:18:00.001-07:002010-07-31T05:23:44.594-07:00Time of the Doves<img align="right" alt="time_of_the_doves" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-200" height="300" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/time_of_the_doves-186x300.jpg" title="time_of_the_doves" width="186" />I read this book for the <a href="http://spotlightsmallpress.blogspot.com/">Spotlight Series</a> (which puts the spotlight on small press publishers by having bloggers read and review a book by a small press that they have chosen to feature for that month. The current spotlight is on <a href="http://www.graywolfpress.org/">Graywolf Press</a>).<br />
<br />
<b>Time of the Doves</b><br />
by Mercè Rodoreda<br />
<blockquote>"And as he was talking he'd run his fingernail along the crack in the table and dig out breadcrumbs that had gotten stuck there, and it seemed strange to me that he'd do something I did sometimes but that he'd never seen me do."</blockquote>This book is about the experience of something big in the body of something small, small as a woman named Natalia. Because all big experiences, even marriage, even children, even war, even despair—because all of these big things are also little things, or it comes one little thing at a time—doves and eggs and the name Colometta or the smell of hydrochloric acid.<br />
<br />
And though something big can be forgotten, can be silenced, can be inside deep like termites going from inside out instead of outside in, something small like blue lights or a cork or a picture of some lobsters, they stay with you in tiny shards just quiet-like. This book is about how to forget them.<br />
<blockquote>"I'd learned to read and write and my mother'd gotten me used to wearing white clothes. I'd learned to read and write and I sold pastries and candy and chocolates and bonbons filled with liqueurs. And I could walk through the streets like a human being surrounded by other human beings. I'd learned to read and write and waited on people and helped them…"</blockquote>All these small things are like a cork to stop up the big things but the big things get through anyway. The things not said, because it's too painful, or simply because our narrator is not very eloquent. She's in-eloquent not because she's stupid but because she's not totally aware of her feelings, at least through most of the novel. But that doesn't mean she's not able to move you, the reader, all the more for it.<br />
<br />
So that's what this book felt like—just tiny experiences that slowly build up, with a whirlwind of characters and things and thoughts all written in a style that seems slightly dizzying because the sentences are long but not complicated, they are long in the way a Frank O'Hara poem is long, where you run out of breath by the end of the sentence with that inexplicable breathless urgency.<br />
<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was glad that Spotlight on Small Presses gave me the extra nudge in the rear-end to finally read this wonderful Graywolf Press book (since it was already on my "to read" list).<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.graywolfpress.org/component/page,shop.flypage/product_id,141/category_id,58fe665254b9537f9c81d5c1529e6c8f/option,com_phpshop/">Buy it now from Graywolf Press</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.graywolfpress.org/Related_Content/Book_Excerpts/Excerpt_from_The_Time_of_the_Doves/">Read an excerpt</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merc%C3%A8_Rodoreda">More information about Catalan writer Mercè Rodoreda</a></li>
</ul>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-88717736948920463152010-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:002010-06-12T12:49:56.343-07:00Lay hold of that symbol<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-194" title="lay_hold_of_that_symbol" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/lay_hold_of_that_symbol.jpg" alt="lay_hold_of_that_symbol" width="500" height="310" /><br />
<br />
<strong>September 15th, 1917</strong><br />
<br />
“You have the chance as far as it is at all possible, to make a new beginning. Don’t throw it away. If you insist on digging deep into yourself you won’t be able to avoid the muck that will well up. But don’t wallow in it. If the infection in your lungs is only a symbol, as you say, a symbol of the infection whose inflammation is called X and whose depth is it’s own deep justification, if this is so, then the medical advice (light, sun, rest) is also a symbol. Lay hold of that symbol.”<br />
<br />
from <em>Kafka's Diary</em>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-2057018668469902572010-05-03T09:56:00.001-07:002010-05-03T09:56:29.825-07:002666Reading 2666 is like trying to appreciate the Sistine Chapel from up close. I wanted constantly to step back in order to get some bigger-picture perspective, and because it is so hard to do this with a work of literature (basically you have to contain the whole thing in your mind and try to imagine it from afar) it makes certain sections (let's say almost all of it) frustrating, or slightly unsatisfying. But by the end, you start to see some connections, though they are not simple connections. It is more like a feeling of a worldview, than any kind of easy conclusion. If there is any big picture, it is very hard to encapsulate without trying to re-tell the whole thing. Or drawing rather meaningless diagrams, as I have done below:<br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-182" title="2666" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/26661.jpg" alt="2666" width="500" height="500" /><br /><br />This makes sense to me, even though I feel like I'm still leaving out a whole bunch, and even though it might not make any sense to anyone else.<br /><br />I don't think it is a great novel, although I think its strongest point is creating an internal logic so full that it approaches madness. I think the book lacks some basic things like joy, humor (there <em>was</em> humor, but not the type of humor that sustains one in the act of reading), and characterization. The people in the book seem flat and do not develop; they are almost like chess pieces Bolaño uses to illustrate his points. On the plus side, the book is unlike any other book I've read and its strengths are very different from those that I'm used to. I feel that this is a very difficult book to think about in terms of "good" or "bad". I honestly did not enjoy reading most of it, but I did feel compelled to continue. There is a sense that I am not immersed in the novel's world, but am only reading a synopsis of 'what happens', almost like reading a list of ingredients. There is something enticing about lists to me, perhaps that's why I kept reading.<br /><br /><strong>2666 Group Read Experience:<br /></strong><br /><br />I was excited to read 2666 partially because of the <a href="http://www.bolanobolano.com/2010/01/06/2666-group-read/">Group Read</a> aspect. I like that there is not one forum for discussion, but rather everyone uses their own modes (whether it be twitter, blogs, forums, GoodReads, etc.). But while I found a lot of interesting perspectives, the book seems so open-ended that I started to not really get too much out of these perspectives, but instead felt an overwhelming sense of becoming a book-hermit. This book especially, while going outward, has a spiraling down and inwards feeling to me, akin to becoming slightly insane and illogical. What I didn't expect was that I liked not explaining or reading others explanations the more I got into the book, and felt a sense of guardedness towards the experience of reading rather than an expansion outwards. My gut feeling is that this would have been different with another book. I can't explain why. I remember after finishing <em>The Brothers Karamazov</em>, that I wished to discuss it with people. But with this book, I didn't have that feeling at all. Partly, I think any discussion of this book—which seems to have an infinite number of nodes for making connections—would be at least 80% bullshit, but maybe that's the cynic in me speaking.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-8868651563370076492010-04-30T08:52:00.000-07:002010-04-30T09:15:30.712-07:00The Bus Stop<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-172" title="Bus-stop-4" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Bus-stop-4-300x203.jpg" alt="Bus-stop-4" width="300" height="203" /><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2010/03/23/the-bus-stop/">Another great Radiolab podcast</a>. It's not one of their hour-long shows; this one is just under 15 minutes and is well worth listening to. It hits close to home for me because my recent trip to Hong Kong was partially to visit my grandfather, who now lives in an old folk's home. His memory is almost gone now, though he has good days and bad days. He acts like a quiet child, and is very fond of eating. At night, they have to tie him up because he often gets up to steal food from the kitchen, and his balance is not well, so he could easily fall.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-17442079710280144382010-04-25T04:14:00.000-07:002010-04-25T04:15:33.869-07:00FestivalFestival celebration footage I shot in Hong Kong.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bnk0janf8JQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bnk0janf8JQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-17965796956571355342010-04-11T08:15:00.001-07:002010-04-11T08:15:43.194-07:00Micro TextsWorking on a visual poetry project with the help of Nisa Asokan and her microscope. Here are some of the images we captured from household items.<br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/onion_1-300x225.jpg" alt="onion_1" title="onion_1" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-157" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/banana_plant-300x225.jpg" alt="banana_plant" title="banana_plant" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-159" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/seed-300x225.jpg" alt="seed" title="seed" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-160" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/smothered-300x225.jpg" alt="smothered" title="smothered" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-161" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/tumeric-300x225.jpg" alt="tumeric" title="tumeric" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-162" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/weird-300x225.jpg" alt="weird" title="weird" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-163" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/yellow-300x225.jpg" alt="yellow" title="yellow" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-164" /><br /><br /><img src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/spikes-300x225.jpg" alt="spikes" title="spikes" width="300" height="225" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-165" />Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-63207696527446176452010-03-10T10:51:00.000-08:002010-03-10T10:52:38.674-08:00Law Less NessI'm in love...<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-n-s7pWlL08&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-n-s7pWlL08&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-15347609766210838482010-02-23T06:34:00.000-08:002010-02-23T06:35:13.669-08:00On Usefulness<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" title="brussels" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/brussels1.jpg" alt="brussels" width="500" height="375" /></p><br /><br />Is 2666 a useful book? I set out to test its usefulness last night when I used one of the recipes provided in the Part About Fate, when Mr. Seaman preaches about usefulness to his congregation. And I quote:<br /><blockquote>I see lots of fat people in this church, he said. I suspect few of you eat green vegetables. maybe now is the time for a recipe. The name of the recipe is: Brussels Sprouts with Lemon. Take note, please. Four servings calls for: two pounds of brussels sprouts, juice and zest of one lemon, one onion, one sprig of parsley, three tablespoons of butter, black pepper, and salt. You make it like so. One: Clean sprouts well and remove outer leaves. Finely chop onion and parsley. Two: In a pot of salted boiling water, cook sprouts for twenty minutes, or until tender. Then drain well and set aside. Three: Melt butter in frying pan and lightly saute onion, add zest and juice of lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Four: Add brussels sprouts, toss with sauce, reheat for a few minutes, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges on the side. So good you’ll be licking your fingers, said Seaman. No cholesterol, good for the liver, good for the blood pressure, very healthy.</blockquote><br /><strong>Verdict:</strong> Yes, 2666 is indeed a very useful book. I was able to make the above dish without too much effort. Although I had some brussel sprouts lately that were much more delicious, it would probably not be fair to compare the usefulness of 2666 with a proper recipe book. The ones I made last night were also very good, slightly lemony and oniony, although my stomach felt a bit weird after eating way too much of it.<br /><br />I'm not the first one to do this, I found another <a href="http://ieatfood.net/?p=227">blog post</a> and their photos look much more fingerlicking than mine :)Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-28675661787827733052010-02-15T09:15:00.000-08:002010-02-15T09:20:57.733-08:00The Part About Amalfitano<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130" title="clothesline_2666_sm" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clothesline_2666_sm.jpg" alt="clothesline_2666_sm" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />There's a <a href="http://www.bolanobolano.com/2010/01/06/2666-group-read/">Group Read going on for the book 2666</a>, and I've been following along on the forums and stuff, but here is my first blog post about it. I've never read Bolano before and I find it alternating between engaging and frustrating. Often, I have no idea what he is trying to get at mainly because there is just so much there. He throws so much at the book (it is 900 pages long) that it seems inevitable to make connections, but are the connections really there? Or is it just the result of there being so much there?<br /><br />I kept most of my comments on The Part About the Critics on the forums or to myself, but here are a few things I noticed about the Part About Amalfitano (please excuse the messiness of these notes)<br /><br /><strong>Parallels with Part 1:</strong> Right off we start in a similar territory as part 1. Instead of the critics going from Europe to Latin America to look for Archimboldi, we have Lola going to ??? looking for the poet. Interesting: Amalfitano says there is no way she really met him since he introduced him to her. So (knowing this) the long passages where she writes of meeting him and making love to him at a party read to me almost like one of the dream sequences. Also: parallel with part 1 in that a woman (Lola in part 2, Norton in part 1) is leaving/abandoning a man (or 2 men, in part 1) and writing to him/them from the new location.<br /><br /><strong>What strikes me about these looking-for-a-writer scenes:</strong> these people don't know who they are, and they are invested in this other thing that defines them, because they can't define themselves. The critics write ABOUT Archimboldi's writings. It seems like a modern condition Bolano is highlighting, wherein people's identity is so lost and so caught up and dependent on others... but it's dependent on others not in a close-knit-community kind of way... there is a very ego-centric, selfish neediness in their searches and reliance on some kind of literary hero.<br /><br /><strong>Character notes:</strong> we know so little about these characters... who is Lola and what is her background, why did she suddenly leave so mysteriously? Who is Imma and what is her motivation for going along with Lola? We know very little about Amalfitano, though this section is about him... it gave him a page or two and then went head first into Lola's adventures. Only later in the section do we get more into his head. Also: Lola is an interesting choice of name... traditionally Lola is a name of a prostitute or a drag queen... just based on many songs with the name Lola in it... I've actually thought about this before encountering the name here. It's interesting here considering Lola's relationship with the poet is through sex, and also how she implicitly allowed the guy who hangs out at the cemetery to pay her for sex.<br /><br /><strong>Stylistic notes:</strong> why is part 2 suddenly devoid of paragraph breaks? Except in the last page, where Yeltsin speaks in the dream to him, that is the only paragraph break.<br /><br />"Madness is contagious"<br /><br />Neighbor's fort-like walls w/ broken glass on top. This part compares Amalfitano to a medieval lord. I found this metaphor kind of curious, and out of nowhere, but Bolano returns to it a few times.<br /><br /><strong>A quote:</strong><br /><blockquote>Anyway, these ideas or feelings or ramblings had their satisfactions. They named the pain of others into memories of one's own. They turned pain, which is natural, enduring, and eternally triumphant, into personal memory, which is human, breif, and eternally elusive. They turned a brutal story of injustice and abuse, an incoherent howl with no beginning or end, into a neatly structured story in which suicide was always held out as a possibility. They turned flight into freedom, even if freedom meant no more than the perpetuation of flight. They turned chaos into order, even if it was at the cost of what is commonly known as sanity.</blockquote><br />p. 189. If you didn't know he was talking about Amalfitano's ideas on jet lag, you'd think he was talking about the role of novels like 2666 here.<br /><br /><strong>Testamento geometrico</strong>:<br /><br />"three books 'each independent, but functionally correlated by the sweep of the whole'" (sounds like 2666, with its 5 independent parts)<br /><br />"the friends' last names had been printed in capitals while the name of the man being honored was in small letters." (ego? sounds familiar to the Critics)<br /><br />Book hanging on line = symbolism too much? i.e. literature meets the elements/real world. For those of you wondering, yes I did hang 2666 on the clothesline in the photo above. It seemed a good tribute.<br /><br />"We're not animals" Rosa says, about the book hanging on line<br /><br />"I take it back" p 191, weird rhetorical device here. Anyone get this?<br /><strong><br />Random thought: </strong>I think Bolano is trying to say you can look to art and literature for your answers all you like, you can worship art and forget what you were looking there for to begin with, you can become a professor of literature and scrutinize a piece of text for years, you can even follow the writer, the originator of the art, the questions, but there are some things--in the real world--that you can never understand. (like the murders)<br /><br /><strong>chincuales</strong> - 1 flea or bedbug bites 2 a restless scratcher 3 a restless mind<br /><br /><strong>Books</strong> It is interesting that in the first part about the critics, we don't get any sense what Archimboldi's books are like. And yet in the second part, we get the nitty gritty of 2 books Amalfitano is reading. At least more nitty gritty than the ones mentioned in part 1. The book on Araucanians is described in detail in terms of how Amalfitano is reading it, and I found especially interesting his imagination while reading it, imagining even scenes of the writer trying to publish the book and get a discount (which goes into this region of is-it-imagined or did-it-really-happen-this way). p224. The other book of course is the geometry book, which he hangs out in the elements (also a way of reading?). And which pervades his thoughts in a totally different way, perhaps influencing him to draw geometrical shapes with names of thinkers at different intersections of these diagrams. Maybe Bolano is highlighting the way Amalfitano is "reading" these books and how it is different and unconventional compared to the way the critics are reading their books (which aren't even worth mentioning in depth). Perhaps Amalf. is the active reader as envisioned by Cortazar, and referenced on p. 224. And then he goes on to imagine Kilipan to have not existed at all, he imagines him as all these other people writing under the name Kilipan. This person who was just made so real to us a second ago by the same imagination.<br /><br /><strong>Young Guerra:<br /></strong> Not sure what I think of this yet. Or how he fits in. He's a little off his rocker. But then so is Amalfitano. Is it just 2 ways of being mad/dealing? Lola was a little mad too.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-91763992105725726702010-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:002010-02-07T08:05:27.278-08:00Naw! Thee!<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-126" title="Lewis Carroll Postcard" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lewis_carroll_postcard.jpg" alt="Lewis Carroll Postcard" width="500" height="652" /><br /><br />I found this postcard yesterday. Caption on back reads:<br /><blockquote>Story-picture drawn by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson) at the age of 9 (1841). The Rosenbach Foundation Museum, 2010 DeLancey Place, Philadelphia.</blockquote>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-58983717644885988932010-01-24T17:55:00.001-08:002010-01-24T17:55:31.023-08:00Old PhotosSome photos I found at Kudzu Antiques recently:<br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118" title="puddle_sm" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/puddle_sm.jpg" alt="puddle_sm" width="350" height="350" /><br /><br />I love how it looks like the mom is lowering the kid into the puddle. "Go play with your brothers in the mud!" The photo is dated September 1963.<br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119" title="haircut_sm" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/haircut_sm.jpg" alt="haircut_sm" width="300" height="447" /><br /><br />Anyone have any ideas where this could have been taken? Seems like a nice scene.<br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120" title="couple_sm" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/couple_sm.jpg" alt="couple_sm" width="440" height="288" /><br /><br />Photo dated February 1952, San Antonio Texas.<br /><br />Now for some animals:<br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121" title="jackrabbit_sm" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/jackrabbit_sm.jpg" alt="jackrabbit_sm" width="500" height="303" /><br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122" title="horses_sm" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/horses_sm.jpg" alt="horses_sm" width="430" height="245" />Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-84413273601730278042010-01-19T07:22:00.000-08:002010-01-19T11:39:14.747-08:00To An Artificer<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-112" title="Marianne Moore" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/marianne-moore-154x210.jpg" alt="Marianne Moore" width="154" height="210" align="right" /> <br />Not of silver nor of coral<br />But of weather-beaten laurel<br />Carve it out.<br /><br />II<br />Make a body long and thin<br />And carve hairs upon the skin.<br />Make a snout.<br /><br />III<br />On the order of a tower<br />Faintly wrinkled like a flower<br />On the paws<br /><br />IV<br />Carve out heavy feline toes<br />Make each claw an eagle's nose.<br />Carve great jaws.<br /><br />—Marianne Moore<br /><br /><strong>Bonus:</strong> this from a letter Marianne Moore wrote to Robert McAlmon on September 2, 1921, found on page 179 of her Selected Letters:<br /><blockquote>You are right; the intellect has not the last word today—any more than it ever had. Sophistication is no match for nature and as I have written Bryher, I have a respect for nature, blind or conscious. The blind instinctive behavior of old fashioned unenlightened society has many advantages over our conscious behavior today; psychoanalysis is a fascinating study and in some ways a useful one but it pre-empts too much of the mind and people tend to feel that a situation analyzed is a situation solved. In rapping marriage on the head as it sometimes does, it is unscientific—when you consider the evolution of the marriage relation and the instinctive tendency to idealize it, and to explain religion away is ludicrously superficial. Religious conviction, art, and animal impulse, are the strongest factors in life, I think, and any one in the ascendant can obliterate the others. We see different phases of them, for example, Bryher's interest in education and in securing freedom to the race, are a tangent of religion. Religion may be pigeonholed as a transference but religious conviction in operation has always made room for itself over the head of every obstacle. It is apparent that sincerely religious people are contented and are not easily at their wit's end.</blockquote>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-21198828835533340362010-01-06T09:51:00.001-08:002010-01-06T09:58:13.809-08:002009 Reads<h3>Novels</h3><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66669212"><strong>An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter</strong></a> by Cesar Aira, and...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73245748"><strong>How I Became a Nun</strong></a> by Cesar Aira<br /><br />in which Argentinian writer (and we all know about them Argentinian writers) takes us on adventures involving surreal shape-shifting narratives, philosophical insights, and much attention to language (yes, it's well translated).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74651704"><strong>The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge</strong></a> by Rainer Maria Rilke<br /><br />in which I emerge from a fog of folklore and historic tangents infused w/ personal memories of a little boy Malte (read: Rainer in feeble disguise) all grown up and wandering the streets of Paris having excessive thoughts on death, poverty, and ghosts. WTF, Rainer? Is this really what you call a novel? Whatever, at least it's fucking great.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61018433"><strong>A High Wind in Jamaica</strong></a> by Richard Hughes<br /><br />in which a bunch of pirates end up accidentally kidnapping a bunch of kids. Poor pirates. These kids are merciless. Forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. I recommend this book for people who love kids. Bonus: many animals, death, and various other perfundities. Is that a word?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67011622"><strong>Two Serious Ladies</strong></a> by Jane Bowles<br /><br />in which two serious ladies engage in various random acts of nonconformity in order to escape from their dull lives. Many strange people met on the way. Funny and charming and sad and indeed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74626898"><strong>Frances Johnson</strong></a> by Stacey Levine<br /><br />in which one, Frances Johnson, is introduced wherein she is worried about various contrivances say her warts or some other thing or where oh where her bicycle takes her. A very experimental novel, but also a touching and soft one too, which is nice to know: that that is still possible I mean.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73562775"><strong>Stoner</strong></a> by John Williams<br /><br />in which a most boring college professor's life is recounted in bibliographic and chronological order which sounds really boring but actually I have no idea how it snuck up on me and was just the most powerful book ever and made me cry and cry and cry.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77191084"><strong>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</strong></a> by Betty Smith<br /><br />in which a little girl grows up in the slums, and finds ways to be positive around every corner, and somehow almost always evading sentimentality.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50092462"><strong>Madame Bovary</strong></a> by Gustave Flaubert<br /><br />in which Gustave my man Gustave writes his tercid prose is that a word tercid? does it mean turd-like? Well, no matter, this book that bowled me over with passage after passage, is about a woman who is never satisfied and almost never happy. Sweet lord, what a book.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47016552"><strong>Moviegoer</strong></a> by Walker Percy<br /><br />in which something happens in New Orleans inside of the head of Binx Bolling who happens to have some ideas in there as well, and they knock around, and this book came out. Funny, I remember hardly anything about this book anymore.<br /><br /><h3>Non-Fiction</h3><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69913721"><strong>The Story of Mary Maclane</strong></a> by Mary Maclane<br /><br />in which Mary Maclane, a nineteen year old girl stuck in Butte Montana in 1901, writes a sort of definition of herself... or a manifesto, of sorts. She is a genius! She has a "peripatetic" philosophy inside of her "wooden heart". She has a crush on a lady friend. She worships Napoleon and has 17 portraits of him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62764745"><strong>Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill: The Story of Mary Bell</strong></a> by Gitta Sereny<br /><br />in which the true story of Mary Bell, an 11-year old girl who killed 2 boys ages 3 and 4 many years ago, is finally revealed through intense writing and recounting of the events that followed the events preceeding, as well as through personal interviews with Mary Bell, who is now out of jail and has children of her own. Did I mention "intense"? This book is enough to give you a fever, and make you think twice about why children do the things they do. Was Mary Bell evil? Or was something else at work here?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67836939"><strong>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</strong></a> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<br /><br />in which the secret of happiness is revealed to be a state of mind achieved through unriveted attention, well-defined goals, clear feedback, and the perfect level of difficulty (not too hard, not too easy). A very interesting book, which doesn't just stop at the science, but includes very human elements.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44135448"><strong>Breaking the News</strong></a> by James Fallows<br /><br />in which the horrid state of journalism is detailed in every way possible. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, you realize that this book was written during Clinton's era, and that things have gotten much worse with Fox News, Reality TV, and a bunch of other things that I don't even want to think about. Someone kill me now.<br /><br /><h3>Poetry</h3><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35105477"><strong>Selected Poetry</strong></a> of Rainer Maria Rilke translated by Stephen Mitchell<br /><br />in which Rainer Maria Rilke is very poet-like in the traditional sense of being inspired by angels while holing up in a castle for ten years. The Duino Elegies blew my mind, and I can't believe I had not discovered Rilke until 2009. Get this translation, especially, it is superb, if I can say that.<br /><br /><strong>The Making of Pre</strong> by Francis Ponge<br /><br />in which Francis Ponge, being French, labors over the phenomenological atoms of rivers and plains, coming up with a meadow on which theoretical swords are crossed and yet one is felled in practice. Mr. Ponge, you killed me on the Pre, but this is a very interesting read. Bonus: lots of words vehemently crossed out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81694070"><strong>Isle of the Signatories</strong></a> by Marjorie Welish<br /><br />in which nobody else got it but I did and started reading it all the way from the bookstore till I got home. Something about words or signs and what they pointed to, and how pretentious that is, and how like an academic with a tenure track going round and round. But more visceral, in my opinion, more stabby.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81758634"><strong>The Romance of Happy Workers</strong></a> by Anne Boyer<br /><br />in which no word is the blip of its own passing, and Anne Boyer is a woman of sufficient means moving over the page with slight curtsies because, well, just because. I think I'm turning into Dawn with this review.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-8621781111402013082010-01-04T07:08:00.000-08:002010-01-04T07:18:00.750-08:00Surprise + Traffic Jam<object style="width:525px;height:500px" ><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=091230224620-5fd34b8defaa48458b51c94377677f97&docName=surprise_a_short_story&username=jimmylorunning&loadingInfoText=Surprise&et=1262617664178&er=78" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:525px;height:500px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=091230224620-5fd34b8defaa48458b51c94377677f97&docName=surprise_a_short_story&username=jimmylorunning&loadingInfoText=Surprise&et=1262617664178&er=78" /></object></embed><br /><br /><object style="width:525px;height:500px" ><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=100104145654-ab5f5bdc089345049c79a5cf4df8d864&docName=traffic_jam&username=jimmylorunning&loadingInfoText=Traffic%20Jam&et=1262617619047&er=89" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:525px;height:500px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=100104145654-ab5f5bdc089345049c79a5cf4df8d864&docName=traffic_jam&username=jimmylorunning&loadingInfoText=Traffic%20Jam&et=1262617619047&er=89" /></object></embed>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-74539453695769442052009-12-29T12:28:00.000-08:002009-12-29T15:24:44.299-08:00Favorite Movies of the Decade1. <strong>Yi Yi</strong> (Edward Yang)<br /><br /><img class="size-medium wp-image-83 alignnone" title="yiyi" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/yiyi-300x194.jpg" alt="yiyi" width="300" height="194" /><br /><br />I try to watch this movie about once a year, and every time, I see something new to admire in it. It's hard to sum up, because it has so much in it, but <a href="http://www.reverseshot.com/article/13_yi_yi">Reverse Shot</a> has written a really good article on it.<br /><br />2. <strong>What Time Is It There?</strong> (Tsai Ming Liang)<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G1Q4nYh6WmE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G1Q4nYh6WmE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"> </embed></object><br /><br />Its humor and its sadness seem interconnected, or seem to flourish from the same place, making both emotions more painful. A film about alienation, as only the Taiwanese can do it. When I saw it last, I wrote this review:<br /><blockquote>A re-watch. This time, the movie was less funny, but more tender, and even sadder than before. I was struck by the sadness of seemingly awkward private gestures, the girl stuffing her face with crackers and bananas in a hotel room in Paris… the mother masturbating with the container of her dead husband’s ashes. The silence is not really silence but tapestries of odd rhythms. Sounds emanating from all corners to penetrate and intrude the characters. In fact, everything is a form of penetration while on the surface looking rather harmless: penetration as a substitute for connection. I was also a bit surprised by how much I related to the girl this time, more so than the other two characters. I thought her scenes were the saddest and most awkward. I imagined the movie as a musical composition (keeping tune to the odd beat of a watch being smashed against the railings) with 3 different parts (bass, alto, tenor?) played by the three different characters, all separate (and separated) but in synch, crescendoing almost literally as all three are brought to a sexual climax, although one that is illusively disappointing, perhaps inherently so because of what they’re expecting from it: human connection. And yet these three musical parts always remain alone. The last shots of this movie are some of the most memorable and affecting I have seen, with the father walking into a sunset… or what stands for a sunset in this movie: the carousel in the fairground, perhaps the same fairground that 400 Blows was shot, when Jean Pierre Leaud was pushed against the wall.</blockquote><br />3. <strong>Syndromes and a Century</strong> (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)<br /><br /><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-84" title="syndromes2" src="http://iloveyousomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/syndromes2-300x168.jpg" alt="syndromes2" width="300" height="168" /><br /><br />Weerasethakul is one of the most promising new directors. I'm excited to see what he comes up with next. I wrote a <a href="http://jimmylorunning.blogspot.com/2009/01/favorite-movie-discoveries-of-oh-eight.html">short review of this movie </a>on this blog before.<br /><br />4. <strong>Bamako</strong> (Abderrahmane Sissako)<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TUZMJctingk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TUZMJctingk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br />A film from Mali by a director I haven't seen enough of yet. One of the few movies I loved despite political themes being explicitly stated (here it is not preachy). I remember only the invigorating feeling of the narrative told in a jagged inventive manner, with all the energy of a new way of making movies.<br /><br />5. <strong>Ten</strong> (Abbas Kiarostami)<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OqOTiNv9OEo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OqOTiNv9OEo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br />A mother drives around town and has ten separate conversations. Kiarostami's digital camera focuses on half of the story at any one time, but delivers so much raw emotion from these performances.<br /><br />6. <strong>Bemani</strong> (Dariush Mehrjui)<br /><br />Can't find much on the internet; can't even find a decent screenshot. I saw this at the Iranian film festival at the High Museum a few years back. On the surface it was about a few women and their struggles, but the way it was told was what impressed me. I can't point to a single thing, but just the whole attitude and style towards filming reminds me of many other Iranian films where I feel like they are making movies for the first time, without relying much on staid conventions.<br /><br />7. <strong>Innocence</strong> (Lucile Hadzihalilovic)<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J3hsiC3aNH0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J3hsiC3aNH0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br />If you watch movies for mood, then run out and watch this. It's got plenty of story too: but one that is amorphous, mysterious, constantly on the line between creepiness and commonplace. Is it an allegory? A fairy-tale? A dream?<br /><br />8. <strong>2046</strong> (Wong Kar Wai)<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8-RbpQUqosI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8-RbpQUqosI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br />A sequel, of sorts, to <em>In the Mood for Love</em>. The first time I saw it I didn't like it as much. ItMfL was a straight forward restrained love story. This movie, by contrast, was complicated and confusing. And what was up with those scenes of the future? But every time I watched it, I understood more of what was going on and loved it more as well. This is a wild tangled investigation of memory that grows on you the more you watch it. It is serpentine and layered and full.<br /><br />9. <strong>Kandahar</strong> (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BJKQ_ZsTJN0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BJKQ_ZsTJN0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />A film set in and about Afghanistan directed by one of my favorite Iranian directors. Really beautiful and depressing, it's hard to describe the feeling this movie gives me. Why am I even trying to write about any of these movies? They are all so hard to describe with these damn words.<br /><br />10. <strong>Mulholland Dr.</strong> (David Lynch)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VFtqxpL1sG8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VFtqxpL1sG8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This film needs no description. You've probably already seen it and hate it.<br /><br />11. <strong>The Visitation</strong> (Nathaniel Dorsky)<br /><br />Screenshot Not Available.<br /><br />One of the few shorts by Dorsky I was able to see at Andy Ditzler's Film Love. This one is "about" aliens!<br /><br /><blockquote>Remaining on the West Coast (once again San Francisco, specifically), next is Nathaniel Dorsky, an artist whose devout approach to the cinematic image transforms daily sights and sounds into wondrous moments of reverential contemplation, embodied through the use of "polyvalent" montage, which seeks to "redirect editing away from the dialectics that energized the Russian films of the 1920s and from the narrative demands of pop cinema, toward a refinement of viewers' ability to perceive the subtleties of particular images and the complex webbing of interconnections between them." (A Critical Cinema 5 pg. 79)</blockquote><br /><br />12. <strong>All the Real Girls</strong> (David Gordon Green)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FTrjVYno6Xk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FTrjVYno6Xk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Quirky indie-flick about young people angst, but actually good. There's something amateur about it that I love, and something Terrence Malicky about the cinematography. Also, it has some seriously funny dialog.<br /><br />13. <strong>Talk to Her</strong> (Pedro Almodovar)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KNdzcTZUW54&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KNdzcTZUW54&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Twisted love. Almodovar can be too heavy handed sometimes, or too dramatic, or his plots too contrived. But still, you gotta love this movie, which made me forget about all those flaws.<br /><br />14. <strong>Half Moon</strong> (Ghobadi)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xzUZmzZ3pYg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xzUZmzZ3pYg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />A surreal journey to find death, where moments of reality and moments of dream are indistinguishable in the vast landscape, and left open to interpretation. I loved this movie. Also from Iran. If you watch the YouTube video above, try to ignore that ugly name that scrolls across the screen. Whoever made that video put that in, but it wasn't in the movie.<br /><br />15. <strong>Punch Drunk Love</strong> (Paul Thomas Anderson)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6btDjOPkEqk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6btDjOPkEqk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />My favorite PT Anderson movie.<br /><br />16. <strong>La Pianiste</strong> (Michael Haneke)<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpKH1NRUuss&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpKH1NRUuss&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Brutal and depressing. Not for the squeamish. Isabelle Huppert gives a great performance. I really liked Cache by the same director, but one Haneke is enough for any list.<br /><br />17. <strong>L'Intrus</strong> (Clair Denis)<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gn3V9Hey_Ss&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gn3V9Hey_Ss&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Obscure as fuck, but really good if you're not too concerned with figuring out what everything means.<br /><br />18. <strong>Inland Empire</strong> (David Lynch)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_DlYCvxvPZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_DlYCvxvPZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />David Lynch at his scariest and rawest. I saw it in the theater when it came out and it was one of the most visceral experiences ever.<br /><br />19. <strong>The Gleaners and I</strong> (Agnes Varda)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lNPIe9yLjlw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lNPIe9yLjlw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Agnes Varda makes movies like nobody else. Her charm is too big to be contained off camera, and in this documentary about the history and continuation of gleaning her stamp is all over, which is the way I like it.<br /><br />20. <strong>Old Joy</strong> (Kelly Reichardt)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tL1X_7jIcIM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tL1X_7jIcIM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />A subtle and slow film. Relaxing with just enough tension to form the tatters of a story. More films should be like this, where the story unfolds so organically from the characters, the scene, and the mood.<br /><br />21. <strong>Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind</strong> (John Gianvito)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7j-FIjAY500&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7j-FIjAY500&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />“The day will come when our silence will be more important than the voices you are throttling today.”<br /><br />A simple concept and restrained execution. It’s a documentary with no voice-over narration; a chronological tour of important gravestones, from labor leaders to civil rights leaders to people who sacrificed themselves for these causes. These are mixed in with beautiful shots of trees rustling in the wind, and little pencil sketch animations. It sounds pretty lame in words, and perhaps for some it would be lame. It's definitely not for everyone. It lasts for an hour but I felt like it was only 20 minutes. I highly recommend you try it and see if it’s for you.<br /><br />22. <strong>The Wayward Cloud</strong> (Tsai Ming Liang)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TTan_ZWGEUU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TTan_ZWGEUU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />A sequel of sorts to <em>What Time Is It There?</em> in which things get a lot weirder. You'll never look at a watermelon the same way again. Oh yeah, did I mention there are musical numbers?<br /><br />23. <strong>All About Lily Chou Chou</strong> (Iwai)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bqE8lUzz1t8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bqE8lUzz1t8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Japanese school kids can be mean. It's all those uniforms they're forced to wear.<br /><br />24. <strong>Triplets of Belleville</strong> (Chomet)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Npro9kjyaJk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Npro9kjyaJk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Beautiful old-style animations, strange somewhat creepy story with an off-kilter sense of humor, and a happy ending. All you can ask for in a movie!<br /><br />25. <strong>Five Dedicated to Ozu</strong> (Kiarostami)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AmDz9sQpm_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AmDz9sQpm_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This movie is five scenes, all with a static camera capturing things coming in and out of the frame. A good movie to meditate to.Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-84913409096235567752009-12-28T16:07:00.000-08:002009-12-28T16:13:46.487-08:00My Newest Book<object style="width:500px;height:450px" ><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=EEEEEE&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=091228235423-eaf1ebb9a086496eb94fc946fbf24ff2&docName=iwrotethisentirething&username=jimmylorunning&loadingInfoText=I%20Wrote%20This%20Entire%20Thing&et=1262045606065&er=55" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:500px;height:450px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=EEEEEE&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=091228235423-eaf1ebb9a086496eb94fc946fbf24ff2&docName=iwrotethisentirething&username=jimmylorunning&loadingInfoText=I%20Wrote%20This%20Entire%20Thing&et=1262045606065&er=55" /></object></embed>Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31903499.post-4703672922850711012009-12-22T20:46:00.000-08:002009-12-22T20:51:32.670-08:00From Duplex PlanetFrom <a href="http://www.duplexplanet.com/">Duplex Planet</a> 174 (a zine that collects interviews with elderly people):<br /><br />DBG: What kind of animal would you be if you had to be one?<br /><br />HELEN FOSTER: Me? I have no idea. I never thought of that. I have no idea. What kind I would want to be? Oh, I don't know... (thinking)... You would think I'd want to be powerful, but I wouldn't. No, I'd want one that other people would be comfortable with, I think, whatever kind of animal that is. A lot of people don't like cats, but I think a cat is comfortable. Most people would like a dog, but a dog is too mindless. A cat is a little more selective. I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but that's just my opinion. I don't know if I answered your question.<br /><br />DBG: No, that's good. They're all just food for thought.<br /><br />HELEN: So what do you have there now--is that what they call a tape recorder?<br /><br />DBG: Yep. One microphone is hooked on to you there, and this one is just picking up anything I say.<br /><br />HELEN: Mmm-hmm. So what did you study in college?<br /><br />DBG: Painting. I went to art school.<br /><br />HELEN: You're kidding! I have an artist in the family, too. Do you play an instrument?<br /><br />DBG: I played for a long time in bands--I was a bass player.<br /><br />HELEN: Ohhh!<br /><br />DBG: I haven't done that much since the eighties.<br /><br />HELEN: Well, my son, he's still in the process of retiring--the 26th of September he'll retire--and he just took a year's piano lessons. I said, "I didn't know you wanted to play the piano!" He says, "I didn't either, but it's something I decided I was gonna do and I'm doin' it." I think that's wonderful.<br /><br />DBG: It's good to start on something new.<br /><br />HELEN: I don't know if he's got it in him like you do. Why don't you come around and play the band here?<br /><br />DBG: I need to play with other people. I'm a bass player.<br /><br />HELEN: Oh, okay.<br /><br />DBG: But I haven't played much in years.<br /><br />HELEN: Well I'm sure you have a lot of creativity inside that head of yours, so put it to good use. Are you altruistic, would you label yourself as altruistic, David?<br /><br />DBG: To a point, yes.<br /><br />HELEN: I think so<br /><br />DBG: I'm fairly pragmatic.<br /><br />HELEN: That's what I thought I was, too. But see--when you look in the mirror, deep down, I bet you are.<br /><br />DBG: Well, that's part of me.<br /><br />HELEN: Don't worry about anything. It's a waste. It's a waste, don't worry, I learned that. Of course, it's okay for me to say that, now that I've got one foot in the grave! (laughs) But really, worry is wasteful.<br /><br />DBG: There're parts of it that are unavoidable and come from concern, like I'd worry about my wife or my daughter.<br /><br />HELEN: No, we can't cut that out of our lives, that's right.<br /><br />DBG: But worrying about what I am going to do ten years from now.<br /><br />HELEN: Yeah, needlessly.<br /><br />DBG: I'm confident I'll figure it out.<br /><br />HELEN: Well, gee, I'm so glad to have met you.<br /><br />DBG: It was great to meet you too.<br /><br />HELEN: And I wish you well with this work in progress.<br /><br />DBG: Thank you.<br /><br />HELEN: That's what you'll have to call it, Work in Progress.<br /><br />DBG: Oh it is. I've been doing this for twenty-five years.<br /><br />HELEN: Good for you. Let me tell you, you know what I do? I collect, in my lifetime, I collect naughty stories. Well I heard a story two days ago. (looks over at tape recorder) Is it off?<br /><br />DBG: It's running out of tape.<br /><br />HELEN: Oh no, turn it off, turn it off! (tape stops)Jimmy?http://www.blogger.com/profile/05183095376455741298noreply@blogger.com0