President Garland has announced his recommendation that the Western College Program be eliminated as an academic division at Miami University. Read the full text. Obviously, this wasn’t unexpected, but it strikes me as a spineless move, announced during final exams, when students have little time and energy left to be heard, and right before Jimmy goes on a permanent vacation. The whole thing makes me sick.
WHEN WILL I BE BLOWN UP?
Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only one question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat. He must learn them again.
—William Faulkner, “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech”
I got my copy of George Saunder’s In Persuasion Nation in the mail a couple days ago, but I’ve found it really hard to get into, because I’ve already read most of the stories elsewhere. (“CommComm“, “Adams“, “Bohemians”, “The Red Bow,” “Christmas,” “93990,”…if you’ve got the Complete New Yorker you’re halfway there.) It’s like an album of previously released singles. The new website has a bunch of goodies on it, including a chapbook of non-fiction and an MP3 of Tony Danza (!) reading “The Barber’s Unhappiness.”
I’m also listening to Kevin Brockmeier’s THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEAD. He got the idea for the novel from the epigraph of one of my favorite books in high school: Jame Loewen’s LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME. Here’s a list of songs about death that Brockmeier likes, and the original story from the New Yorker.
I am still very excited for the new Walkmen album.
TOO MUCH MEAT WILL MAKE YOU HURT
There ought to be a man with a hammer behind the door of every happy man, to remind him by his constant knocks that there are unhappy people, and that happy as he himself may be, life will sooner or later show him its claws.
— Anton Chekhov
Yesterday was one of those days that make you want to hang up your hat. Throw in the towel. Etc.
Chalk it up to reverse seasonal affective disorder. Or maybe it was all the meat last weekend.
Anyways, the man with the hammer was knocking, and if you know me, you know I don’t have much of a poker face. I’m a pretty good liar, but my face tends to read like an open book. Good thing my great ambition is to be an open book. Ho ho. Thank God for Castrato Rock.
Today was much better. Today was Toots and the Maytals. Play “Louie, Louie” or “Pressure Drop” in your car with the volume full blast and the windows down, and just see if you can stay depressed.
“REMEMBER WHEN I TOLD YOU I’D KILL YOU LAST?” “THAT’S RIGHT, MATRIX! YOU DID!” [DRAMATIC PAUSE] “I LIED.”
In celebration of Easter, I’ve decided to give the gift of Commando.
TAKE YOURSELF A BREAK ON EASTER
I sure am…
I’ve been traveling a lot lately. I was over in Australia during Easter. It was interesting to note they celebrate Easter the same way we do : by commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus by telling our children a giant bunny rabbit left chocolate eggs in the night. Gee, I wonder why we’re so messed up as a race. You know, I’ve read the Bible. Can’t find the words “bunny” or “chocolate” in the whole book. I think it’s interesting how people act on their beliefs. A lot of Christians, for instance, wear crosses around their necks. Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he’s really going to want to look at a cross? Maybe that’s why he hasn’t shown up yet.
– Bill Hicks, “Easter,” Rant In E-Minor
- “Once upon a time, a group called the Clash sang, ‘We’re a garage band.’ But who can afford a garage nowadays?” Ian Svenonius explains the current rock scene in terms of space and buildings. (Thanks, Mike.)
- Also, check out the Weird War site. And my write-up from the Miami days.
- Archive.org has the whole Power Of Nightmares documentary (never shown in the US) available for free download. Sean shared this with me last year, and I highly recommend it to anyone who, like me, wants to learn more about the rise of fundamental Islam and neo-conservatism in the second half of the 20th century.
- Bill Hicks’s solution. More Hicks quotes.
- Finally, these Fibonacci poems are getting out of hand. The NYTimes has a report. Don’t forget who showed you how way back when.
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