//RECENT

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”

- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

An extended version of Bon Iver’s La Blogotheque Take Away Show of “For Emma, Forever Ago” with three versions of the song and some very startled tourists.  I think this is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Not just that the song is so beautiful, and is so beautifully sung, but that [...]

A man once said, “Childrens do learn.” and I believe childrens should learn to dream big dreams. Even better is to dream arty dreams like a hipster might draw. This hipster author’s name is Dallas Clayton. Although I do not know for sure that Dallas Clayton is a hipster, he looks like this: And, I [...]

It isn’t simply that you are loved gloriously, or loved beautifully. But rather that a pitch perfect expression of love for you sounds and sounds, Rises into the very air. Though the love itself may fade, I do not know, The poetry you inspire ascends, ascending Becomes stars and you, who are so loved, Look [...]

“However, this was one of those shows that blows you quite away and I felt privileged to have gotten to witness it.”

//FROM THE ARCHIVES

I have just been catching up with my friend Laura’s life by reading her LiveJournal. It used to be that when she and I were (frequently) mutually unsociable, I would keep up with her doings and happenings online. It saved a lot of time when we finally did meet up for cupcakes and knitting. I’ve [...]

When Edith sings my mind conjures up grainy, sepia-toned black and white photographs of Paris in the forties. Her voice embodies that tinkling piano that everyone hears in a neighbouring apartment, but never our own. When Edith sings I hear her say (in French), “At first there was no applause, and then the house came [...]

I recently got an email from my mom, who has been under assault by some conservative friends who are deeply worried about the downfall of the empire. These emails have grown more common of late, and in her latest missive, she asked for my two cents on the recent news from The Drudge Report that [...]

I’m so much more inclined to follow Richard Dawkins when he says having a word like “athiest” for folks who don’t believe in god, is like having a word for “not a heart surgeon”. That said, anything that helps all of us better understand the opposite point of view is really a great thing. So [...]

Sure, we’re a week late to the punch on the demise of Jerry Falwell, but it still bares some mention, since there are few modern examples of a “holy man” preaching this much intolerance and hate. This column at the SFGate sums it up as well as any, as did this one at Slate, but [...]