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September 30, 2006
My Fix
A while back, Todd was telling some of us (at the time) fellow Bostonians that he and Ruth had looked up coffee places in Boston to see where people recommended going for a good espresso. I probably shouldn't mention this since Jurvis is on the cusp of addiction himself, but lately I've been indulging more and more in the fruit of Todd's search: Simon's coffeehouse on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Not only is it absolutely delicious, but they make perfect latte art using every cup. Self control, you fail me once again.photo masenger
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September 29, 2006
What are the odds?
Tonight I went to a talk on how we operate under certain illusions - specifically about our belief in a just world, but afterwards someone asked a question about how an illusion of confidence might influence how we act. "Sure," the speaker said, "I mean, if grad students knew the actual chances of getting a job in academia, how tiny their chances are, do you think they would even try?" And everyone in the room under thirty eyed eachother, nervously.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 11:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack photo masenger
September 28, 2006
And That's the Game
A few days ago I posted about some Dworkin articles I was reading about Supreme Court decisions regarding prisoner's rights in the war on terror, specifically about indefinite detention and the government's ability to try these people in special tribunals. If anyone's been following along, they'll be aware that today the Senate passed the New Detainee Treatment Bill, otherwise known as the Military Commissions Act of 2006. This is essentially the compromise ending the saga of Hamden v. Rumsfeld, and the upshot is a number of definitions of cruel treatment and torture, and this little gem from section 8 (a):
(3) INTERPRETATION BY THE PRESIDENT- (A) As provided by the Constitution and by this section, the President has the authority for the United States to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and to promulgate higher standards and administrative regulations for violations of treaty obligations which are not grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
This more or less grants the president the authority to do what he's been doing for 5 years anyway. Here's the voting record of the Senate, if anyone's interested.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 11:15 PM | TrackBack photo masenger
September 27, 2006
Hello, Goodbye
Tonight, I went to a memorial service for someone I've never met. The actual reason for this was some misplaced sense of obligation, but that's not important. I sat there, wondering to myself whether my presence there was for the wrong reasons, but the longer I sat there, the more I found worth appreciating there. I've been warming to the idea of ceremony lately. So many of our practices seem arbitrary when considered in the abstract, but the full weight of their purpose can hit you all at one in the act. Constructing a carefully crafted pyre or moving a large quantity of earth just to bid someone farewell can be its own reward, whatever the evolutionary motivation (although that's more than likely the reason these acts are their own reward, but who cares?).photo masenger
Which is not to say I still wasn't there for the wrong reasons. But at least I found my own for staying. And, by abstaining, proved that I wasn't just there for the free wine.photo masenger
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September 26, 2006
One Foot in the Grave
Todd is psyched about his first day of classes in grad school today. More the power to him. I, on the other hand, just went through my fourth Tuesday of classes from 10:30 until 9:00 PM. This wouldn't be so bad if my weeks didn't leave me so exhausted I fail to accomplish anything on weekends, so that I'm constantly fighting to get things done during every break, even on my hellish Tuesdays. Needless to say, I didn't take a 5 mile bike ride to a book club this afternoon.photo masenger
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September 25, 2006
Back in the Groove II
One of the few posts I wrote before this accursed weblog contests began was last spring when I started playing violin again. Like all developments in my life, that got put on hold over the summer (other than an impromptu blackout party gypsy jazz jam session, but that's another story). In an ill-concieved attempt to rectify this, I showed up to an orchestra rehearsal tonight, faking my way through A Night on Baldwin Mountain, and wondering to myself whether my time would be better spent sitting in on a class about Kant. I'm still undecided. I'd poll you wonderful people for your opinions, but judging by the amount of comments on this page you wonderful people don't exist (with the exception of Sylvia).photo masenger
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September 24, 2006
Do I Just Need to Belong?
I've been spending the afternoon shopping for book clubs online today, because obviously, the one thing I don't do enough of is reading. I should point out that this fruitless searching, not to mention writing this post, is merely a procrastination from reading I should be doing. Anyway. This whole absurd enterprise began with my idle curiosity in the Proust Discussion Group at the Boston Athenaeum. Before you point out how lame/pretentious this is, I should mention that my sister joined the Proust Society which meets at the Merc in New York, and finished the entirety of La Recherche in only about 6 months time. Ever since then, she's been bugging all her friends to read the book so she'll have someone to talk about it with. Which is reason enough for me to go and read several thousand page novel, but it would require me making taking a 5-mile bike ride each way between classes once a month to talk about said novel for an hour. I'm giving it serious consideration.
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September 23, 2006
Can anyone say "human rights violations"?
My TAship has me reading Dworkin pieces in the NYRB this weekend, including "What the Court Really Said," about decisions on the status of Guantanamo Bay prisoners and other "unlawful combatants". Like everyone Dworkin writes, it sounds very reasonable (which may be because it is, in fact, reasonable, but I'm hesitant to apply this to Dworkin's views across the board). Anyway, if you have even the least interest in how the precedent regarding the legal rights of those subject to indefinite detention, you can't do much better than Dworkin's summaries (albeit he makes it quite clear what his opinions are). The listing of his other pieces has nothing specific to Hamden v. Rumsfeld, but hopefully he'll offer something up before too long. But check this out, even though you can probably guess what the upshot will be: if we're going to throw people in jail and even pretend we're trying them for some sort of crime, we have to decide on some standard or another (either prisoner's of war or criminal trial) and treat them like, oh I don't know, humans or something?photo masenger
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September 22, 2006
The "Going Out" Post
This is the post which you leave simply because you're "going out," and you can't say for certain when you'll return. Maybe it's before midnight, but maybe (former roommate)'s birthday will be too wild to allow that. (A group of philosophers? Who am I kidding?)photo masenger
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September 21, 2006
Wanderlust
At this point in the previous few weeks, I would have already abandoned Boston for a bus to New York. But if I keep up that habit, I'll never let myself adjust to living here (not to mention I have people to see here), so I'm spending what's essentially my first weekend in my new apartment. Part of what's kept me away in the past was lack of internet, couch, and other furniture, which we've been rectifying slowly but surely (Jurvis even tracked down a swell kitchen table for us, and I may have a line on a desk this weekend). We'll see how long that keeps me in town.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 10:34 PM | TrackBack photo masenger
September 20, 2006
Breaking the Inertial Barrier
I made my first visit to the gym since returning to Boston, which is always an important step towards actually getting into the habit of going. Only while I was there, it occurred to me that I had biked 10 minutes from my apartment to spend 30 minutes on an exercise bike.photo masenger
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September 19, 2006
Acoustic Guitar
Inevitably, like the changing of the seasons, we go from the dance anthem of the summer to the folk cover of the dance anthem of the summer. Although I'm not sure if it beats the other acoustic version by Nelly Furtado (it's on that single album, in case you're confused).photo masenger
Posted by tony at 4:39 PM | TrackBack photo masenger
September 18, 2006
Lather your way to a new intelligence
I hope before too long I start having friends who are members of The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists. Starting off with the induction of Steven Pinker (obviously) for his beautiful rock hair, it also has such honorary members as this wild man. It's true, everyone loves luxuriant hair on a scientist.photo masenger
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September 17, 2006
Further Signs I'm Going Gypsy
Originally introduced to me by my father as more of a novelty, I've fallen head over heels for the sounds of the Kočani Orkestar. Their album, L' Orient Est Rouge, has been playing either in my head or on my computer for about a week now. Don't ask my why I'm suddenly into gypsy music of various different cultures.photo masenger
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September 16, 2006
Festivities
Happy Dieciséis de septiembre, or Mexican Independence Day (which, notably, does not take place in May). Now does anyone have a margarita for me?photo masenger
Incidentally, today is also the anniversary of the first day of the Sabra and Shatila massacres. Woo.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 4:21 PM | Comments (1) photo masenger
September 15, 2006
One by One
Since Ben hasn't move the list to the top of his blog in a while, I just thought I'd note that 21 of the 42 contestants in the Yo La Tengo Late-Summer Weblog Challenge have already missed at least one day (myself included), and 13 of those have disappeared entirely. I was trying to get some details on the first YLTLSWC, but it wasn't completely obvious from Ben's archives what the results were. The last time Ben mentioned the first contest was a November update of the contestants list, which at that point had five people standing. Of those, Jon and Raizin's blogs show them going without a missed day until December 31st, as dicated in the contest rules. (Eric and Gina's blogs won't load, so I can't check. Todd's archives went down with the rest of tonguebutnodoor's in the Great Tongue But No Door Purge of 2005.) But what interests me more are the statistics of how many lasted how long. We're 5 days away from the first month, and more than half of us are going strong. Is everyone being more diligent this time around? The policy of updating a single list of contestants makes it hard to say. For instance, this post is the last time Ben mentioned updating the list he maintained; which, if accurate, would mean the 2/3 had disappeared half a month into the contest. Hey, we're beating the us of three years ago at a completely meaningless challenge we set for ourselves! Go us of today!photo masenger
Posted by tony at 12:42 PM | Comments (2) photo masenger
They'll Destroy the Whole City!
Todd mentioned Avocados in his post yesterday, which inspired me to go read the Wikipedia entry for some facts about Hass. Some things you may not have known:
While dozens of cultivars are grown in California, 'Hass' (commonly misspelled 'Haas') is most common, accounting for more than 80% of the crop. In appearance, Hass has a dark, rippled skin and rich, creamy flesh. All Hass avocado trees are related to a single "mother tree" that was purchased as a seedling by a mail carrier named Rudolph Hass. He purchased the tree as a seedling from A.R. Rideout of Whittier, California, in 1926. Hass planted the seedling in his front yard in La Habra Heights, California, and patented the tree in 1935. All Hass avocados can be traced back to grafts made from that tree. The "Mother Tree" died of root rot in 2002. Other avocado cultivars include 'Bacon', 'Fuerte' (pictured), 'Gwen', 'Pinkerton', 'Reed' and 'Zutano'. The fruit of the cultivar 'Florida', grown mostly outside of California, is larger and rounder, with a smooth, medium-green skin, and a less-fatty, firmer and fibrous flesh. These are occasionally marketed as low-calorie avocados.photo masengerAlso, apparently these guys used to eat them:
Holy Crap! Giant Sloth!photo masenger
Posted by tony at 9:08 AM | Comments (1) photo masenger
September 14, 2006
Born to Be Bad?
I know we've all probably asked ourselves at one point, "have I committed any mortal sins?" Here's a handy list to help you answer that:
Abortion,photo masenger
Anger,
Adulterers,
Amending the words of the Holy Bible,
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, (Eternal sin)
Carousing,
Cowards,
Defrauders,
Dissensions,
Disrespect towards parents,
Drunkenness,
Enmities,
Envy,
Factions,
Faithless,
False witness (liars)
Fornicators,
Greed,
Holy Communion received while in a state of mortal sin,
Idolatry,
Impurity,
Jealousy,
Licentiousness,
Love and practice falsehoods,
Male prostitution,
Murderers,
Polluted,
Quarrelling,
Sodomites,
Sorcery,
Strife,
Thieves (steal/robbers).
Posted by tony at 1:57 AM | Comments (9) photo masenger
September 13, 2006
All Systems Online
After a valiant three-day effort of waiting for the cable guy by Jurvis, our apartment finally has an internet connection. Which, for me, means I no longer have to ride by bike to campus whenever I need to check my email. Instead, I can do it from the comfort of my floor, where I sit while using my laptop perched on top of an unpacked box of books. God, I wish I had a desk.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 6:39 PM photo masenger
September 12, 2006
Cultural Snow
Part of me still can't believe the following sentence was ever sincerely written:
If John Grisham had written Jurassic Park, he couldn’t do better than Tyrannosaur Canyon. - Stephen Coontsphoto masenger
Posted by tony at 12:31 AM | Comments (3) photo masenger
September 11, 2006
Can You Name This Cat?
Proving once more that there's nothing my mom can't just replace, she adopted this little terror this weekend:
At least he's driving her crazy with his habit of meowing whenever anyone fails to pay him attention. The only thing remaining is the matter of a name. Me and Sylvia are pulling for Christopher Patterson, which mom stubbornly insists isn't a cat name. But if not that, I'm only willing to settle for Noboru Watanabe.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 10:35 PM | Comments (6) photo masenger
September 10, 2006
Freewheelin'
Today, for the first time ever, I rode a bike in Manhattan - which turns out to be incredibly fun. Markably different from riding a bike in Cambridge, which I do because there's no other way to get anywhere.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 10:31 PM | Comments (2) photo masenger
September 9, 2006
Found: Cute Looking Puppy
At around 6 this morning, there was a small brown and white dog wandering around the guard rail near an exit ramp on route 9A near my house. Don't ask me why I know this.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 4:55 PM photo masenger
September 8, 2006
Mr. Mee: Review in Brief
Let me just say for the record that this book is ridiculous. Mr. Mee, by Andrew Crumey, originally came on a recommendation from Crooked Timber, the second one I've followed up on (the first being the fantastic Jonothan Strange and Mr. Norrell). I'm passing on the recommendation for Mee, but with some reservations.photo masenger
First off, ditto all the stuff that Bertram pointed out. In the course of describing the contents of a fictitious 18th century French encyclopedia which develops an alternate philosopher of the universe, Crumey plays on many themes in 20th century computer science and philosophy of mind, all to hilarious effect. What better response to Searle than a Chinese Room setup that works, only makes the Chinese-ignorant people inside the room feel guilty for the effects of their machinations? (I realise that's confusing and vague, but you'll have to read it). And the literary allusions are out of control. The whole book bears a haunting familiarity to Flaubert and Borges, and then he manages to work them into the story in the last ten pages.photo masenger
Which brings me to my only reservations. The story gracefully pulls together the tales of 84 year old Mr. Mee's quest for Rosier's Encyclopedia, a French Literature professor's obsessions for some marginal characters in Rousseau's Confessions and a university student, successively, and the not clearly factual account of the two copyists who lie at the center of both the other stories. Maybe I lack a particular British sensibility, but Mee's story, which is clearly intended to be humorous, often just came off as cute but tiresome. Granted, there's real humor in the moment when someone nearly a century old discovers the world of the internet (including its murkier corners), but I have to agree with him about his young friend's reactions to his ignorance about the world. It gets real old real fast when she keeps saying "you mean you've never heard of . . . ?" But so does Mee's stupor when encountering all these new parts of the world he was utterly unaware of. By comparison, Petrie's story (the aforementioned Lit professor) is at times poignant, tragic, and filled with literary references and allusions. I suppose that might be what gets old for certain types of readers, but I found myself burning through the pages of his story, and getting bogged down once Mee started up again with his schtick which didn't really change all that much (even the resolution fails to take anyone by surprise, since it's exactly what you're made to expect).photo masenger
This copy is being lent out right away, but do try to get your hands on one in the meantime. Fans of Borges, Eco, and similar writers won't be disappointed. I'm even planning to hand it off to certain Proust lovers I know.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 6:50 PM | Comments (6) photo masenger
September 7, 2006
Post for Tony
For real, this is absurd, what I'm going through to keep us in this shit.photo masenger
Posted by todd at 11:00 PM photo masenger
September 6, 2006
However
It is nice being forced to spend nights reading in the library again. I suppose it might be odd that I find the force of "you must finish these 100 pages by the end of the night" comforting, but I suppose that's what landed me in grad school.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 9:19 PM photo masenger
I Must Admit
Not having the internet at my house so far has made things a little awkward with this contest. Plans are underway to jump in on the already operational wireless network of the downstairs neighbors. Which would, of course, mean I don't have to post between classes.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 11:25 AM photo masenger
September 5, 2006
Ringing in the New Year
Despite my room being half unpacked and my having no groceries whatsoever, today (being the busiest day of my week this semester) has been spent going from class to class. Already I'm exhausted and starving. This is probably going to be a long week.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 5:25 PM | Comments (1) photo masenger
September 4, 2006
On the Road Again
Someone with more of a mind for foresight than I would probably do things like prearrange how they were getting from New York to Boston in time for a 10:30 class, or at least write a post before all their travel plans fell apart. But that someone wouldn't be me.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 7:01 PM photo masenger
Placeholder for Tony
Just in case. photo masenger
Also, Steve Irwin is dead:
Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter." First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international celebrity.photo masenger
Posted by todd at 7:52 AM | Comments (2) photo masenger
September 2, 2006
New Virtues
I think I've become more honest. I think this may have happened today. I hope this lasts.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 3:12 AM photo masenger
September 1, 2006
Moving Day
The pickup truck having left not an hour ago, and my roommate only recently having heard from Harvard that my mattress didn't have bedbugs, we had no easy way to transport a double bed from Medford to Somerville. "Do you have any rope?" I asked Jurvis on the phone.photo masenger
Fifteen minutes later, we rolled away from my old apartment, Kiran and Jurvis hanging out the windows of my mom's car, keeping the mattress from flying off as we made our way to Teele Square. "Are you smoking a pipe?" Jurvis asked Kiran.photo masenger
Yes. Yes he was.photo masenger
Posted by tony at 11:42 PM photo masenger