Well, since my main reason for switching to blogger has now thoroughly turned out to be a bust (Picasa does not make posting photos easier, but possibly harder) I'm switching back to wordpress, at least for my everday fruity purposes. This might actually become a reading blog, as per the original stated intentions.
Anyway, it's pretty straightforward: just elletrice.wordpress.com, effective as soon as I've done some homework.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Pasta!
We made Pasta tonight!
It's a good idea!
The ravioli was a group effort, but Andy took all the credit.
Pasta maker, rolling pin, pasta!
This is where it got delicious. The rest is history.Saturday, April 5, 2008
Bathroom Balloons
How I spent the weekend before exams, when I should have been studying:
Artwork by me, Molly, and Chuck.
Friday, April 4, 2008
When does death come?
I am writing in black. black like my heart, after a certain incident after class to-day, involving me over-hearing a conversation. I'm not going to say what the class was, or who the student was (ok, I don't know her name anyway), or more importantly what that student's major was, because it is wrong to judge people by their majors, and it is also one of my major hobbies.
We had just watched some video of a lecture by Joseph Campbell (if you don't know him, I'm not even going to say look him up, I'm going to say, don't worry about it, because he is pervasive enough that you will; you won't have to try). The lecture was given in the eighties, when he was not only very well-known and respected, but his scholarship had progressed almost as far as it would do; he died soon afterwards.
As we left the class, one of the girls, walking behind me, remarked to another, "When he started to talk--well, first of all, he was old, which turned me off right away." He was old. And, of course, in the realm of scholarship, being old is a bad thing, because it means that you've had more time to learn and study and reflect, gaining both scholarly knowledge and life experience. You have less to learn from old people. It would have been much better if we had watched a video of a twenty-something documentary film maker explaining his take on the universality and particularity of themes stemming from the subconscious as manifested in world mythology, because his fresh perspective would have been worth much more than Joseph Campbell's 50+ years of scholarship.
Some people do not deserve a college education.
We had just watched some video of a lecture by Joseph Campbell (if you don't know him, I'm not even going to say look him up, I'm going to say, don't worry about it, because he is pervasive enough that you will; you won't have to try). The lecture was given in the eighties, when he was not only very well-known and respected, but his scholarship had progressed almost as far as it would do; he died soon afterwards.
As we left the class, one of the girls, walking behind me, remarked to another, "When he started to talk--well, first of all, he was old, which turned me off right away." He was old. And, of course, in the realm of scholarship, being old is a bad thing, because it means that you've had more time to learn and study and reflect, gaining both scholarly knowledge and life experience. You have less to learn from old people. It would have been much better if we had watched a video of a twenty-something documentary film maker explaining his take on the universality and particularity of themes stemming from the subconscious as manifested in world mythology, because his fresh perspective would have been worth much more than Joseph Campbell's 50+ years of scholarship.
Some people do not deserve a college education.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
design
It's just a feeling I've been having recently. An aversion to design, or rather, to the over-designedness of everything. Especially these magazines that suggest (through word or picture) that you arrange your books by color! Imagine trying to find a book that way. I arrange my books by language, and then by national literature and genre, excluding reference books, which I group all together and then by language. And undoubtedly there are many systems that would work quite well, but unless we are speaking of someone who would remember the color of every book they own--a very rare character, I should say--it is simply unimaginable that one could really get along arranging all one's books according to color.
So, a comment on the blog. The reason why I haven't made my own layouts for years is a separate question, and one I will probably not address on this blog. But my motive for the recent switch to this more minimalist layout is related to the above complaint. The fact that I'm a giant fruitcake notwithstanding, this layout reminds me of the old, text-based pseudo, always with white backgrounds, and invisible tables broken up by occasional dashed lines. Though I'm using design-esque language right now, I hope you can discern that what I'm describing is not design, it's a mess. And it's beautiful. As when I buy dresses and things because I think they're ugly. It's satisfying.
But there is something about design, the reason we're being sucked into it, one and all. (Well, not all. Certainly not my boyfriend.) And I don't mind conformity; it safeguards against certain dangers, and it's never absolute: no need to worry about that. And I don't mind foolishness, nor arbitrariness, nor even a little bit of uselessness. But futility is a different matter. I vote for stopping short of that, before we turn into pompoms. That is all.
So, a comment on the blog. The reason why I haven't made my own layouts for years is a separate question, and one I will probably not address on this blog. But my motive for the recent switch to this more minimalist layout is related to the above complaint. The fact that I'm a giant fruitcake notwithstanding, this layout reminds me of the old, text-based pseudo, always with white backgrounds, and invisible tables broken up by occasional dashed lines. Though I'm using design-esque language right now, I hope you can discern that what I'm describing is not design, it's a mess. And it's beautiful. As when I buy dresses and things because I think they're ugly. It's satisfying.
But there is something about design, the reason we're being sucked into it, one and all. (Well, not all. Certainly not my boyfriend.) And I don't mind conformity; it safeguards against certain dangers, and it's never absolute: no need to worry about that. And I don't mind foolishness, nor arbitrariness, nor even a little bit of uselessness. But futility is a different matter. I vote for stopping short of that, before we turn into pompoms. That is all.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Molly's monologue
Would you
like my number.
Youknow, my phone number.
because if you want it
you can have it.
But not in the way that it
would be yours
I mean when I say "would
you like my phone number
I mean would you like me
just to tell you what it is.
okay okay...well I will tell you
then... 7 3 9 oh damn I forgot it again
adapted from a little Claire fontaine notebook, as composed by Molly.
like my number.
Youknow, my phone number.
because if you want it
you can have it.
But not in the way that it
would be yours
I mean when I say "would
you like my phone number
I mean would you like me
just to tell you what it is.
okay okay...well I will tell you
then... 7 3 9 oh damn I forgot it again
adapted from a little Claire fontaine notebook, as composed by Molly.
Friday, March 28, 2008
A word on color
Ok, I'm a fruitcake. I'm aware. But I am just going to say that I find it not only enjoyable but increasingly necessary to post in color. (I'm using green to-day cos it's my explanatory color) I think it says more than anything in my posts does to indicate my mood. Also, if you have a computer... why not keep things colorful? To illustrate this point, I would like to share some of my favorite colors from flickr and colourlovers.com...
and this next one is currently my wallpaper. I'm fond...
I'll comment on the layout change next post.
and this next one is currently my wallpaper. I'm fond...
I'll comment on the layout change next post.
R
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Caffeine.... ner...
Not. functional. Not at all. Oh my gush.
Books. Ok, Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall. --Why does no one underline anymore?--
I finished The Adventures of Augie March, some time ago, but I never spoke of it, as far as I can remember. Yes, it's funny. And it's sort of... well, if it were a person, I'd say that it rambled, with its feet. But as a book it didn't ramble so much as just refuse to settle down, I think. Which suited me just fine in France. It was my comfort English.
Not interested. Not in the least...
why am I writing this so caffeinated? It was an accident. I couldn't feel my morning coffee, and I was hungry, so I got a honey latte at Alterra. It's good. You should go if you're in Milwaukee. I really want one of their mugs. I'm gradually outfitting the entire Fontana family with them, but do not have one myself.
Never, never, let me post after so much coffee again. Or otherwise, get me to do drugs so that coffee doesn't affect me so much. There's a thought.
PS: this is what I'm wearing. well, sort of.
----------------
Now playing: The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down
via FoxyTunes
Books. Ok, Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall. --Why does no one underline anymore?--
I finished The Adventures of Augie March, some time ago, but I never spoke of it, as far as I can remember. Yes, it's funny. And it's sort of... well, if it were a person, I'd say that it rambled, with its feet. But as a book it didn't ramble so much as just refuse to settle down, I think. Which suited me just fine in France. It was my comfort English.
Not interested. Not in the least...
why am I writing this so caffeinated? It was an accident. I couldn't feel my morning coffee, and I was hungry, so I got a honey latte at Alterra. It's good. You should go if you're in Milwaukee. I really want one of their mugs. I'm gradually outfitting the entire Fontana family with them, but do not have one myself.
Never, never, let me post after so much coffee again. Or otherwise, get me to do drugs so that coffee doesn't affect me so much. There's a thought.
PS: this is what I'm wearing. well, sort of.
----------------
Now playing: The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down
via FoxyTunes
Monday, March 17, 2008
Shallow News
I was just watching The Station Agent, and now have a crush on Bobby Cannavale. So, was I ever excited to find out that he was in a film with Robin Williams! The Night Listener has been bumped to the top of my netflix queue. Nice.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Garbo, Beckett, Vergil
In celebration of one of my favorite things, it is time for a list:
- Last night was the one and only performance of Kabarett Stromausfall. I sang a number, and participated in a sketch and a silly little dance. I am now known as "sexappeal girl".
- Tomorrow night is opening night (of two) of the Beckett plays being put on by Mountebanks. I'm also in that, for something completely different.
- I'm done with classes now (except for a German wrap-up), leaving one exam and a paper on the Aeneid. (if you're going to read the Aeneid in translation, please, please, read Dryden's translation.)
- I now listen to BBC World Service (using a Google Desktop gadget) and BBC World Service podcasts. I never get around to reading the papers as much as I'd like, but I can do this while doing other things! I recommend it.
- Netvibes is out of beta. Some people found my reaction inappropriately enthusiastic. (Maybe it wasn't something to announce at our house meeting... maybe.)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sacs Réutilisables and other tales
So, on day 2 of week 9 (the week after week 10 is exam week on our trimester system), I realized I had a research paper, went to the library, and came back with 12 books. My housemates were proud of me when they saw me actually using my sacs réutilisables--this time one from Target.
About an hour later, I realized that my blogger page is still set to French.
About an hour later, I realized that my blogger page is still set to French.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Egbu
I was going to title this post "English," but I felt that "Egbu" better expressed what I feel. I just came back from a Classics talk, about a theory of self-liberation by slaves in ancient Athens. So what I'm thinking about is, in title-form, The Mundane in Poetry.
Doesn't it make you crazy when you're reading a poem, and you come across a really great line--absolutely beautiful poetry--and you want to find an excuse to quote it, but then you realize that the topic in question is the literary equivalent of toejam and there's no way a situation will come up in which it could be appropriate to quote that line?
I hate that.
Doesn't it make you crazy when you're reading a poem, and you come across a really great line--absolutely beautiful poetry--and you want to find an excuse to quote it, but then you realize that the topic in question is the literary equivalent of toejam and there's no way a situation will come up in which it could be appropriate to quote that line?
I hate that.
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