the autobiographic

this is not what you think it is.

far more borring.

Weintraub. the man with two watches.

the man who could lecture on a phrase. "and words had changed their meaning"; haven't they always.

well, he did it. and i can't remember what he said.

it's a shit-poor memorial to a great man. and i mean that, in spite of the gym placement test.

memories half remembered. time spent with him and not with dillan. well, you've got to do something, if you're not watching the mcgloclan group.

and words had changed their meaning. ninety minutes, he made it dance the way that lacan made petite object a dance.

the man, confusing. never understood. spqr, role playing games, romans on the moon. and how don't we know. the seas named in latin.

they say there's water there.

matt never should have left omaha

shout out, if you remember this one:

chicago delenda est.

oh, yuc. my alma mater.

and those times, writing papers.

and the dark haired wonder, who preferred me to the blowfish.

well, there's always the dunes. and memory.

not to get sentimental.

sleep

have you ever done that thing where you wake and you think it's dawn but it's evening?

or have you ever had the kind of nap that is so disorienting that when you wake, not only don't you know when it is, but where you are; what state even?

i read a novel once, the title too pretentious to put here, where the main character remembers a nap. the best in his life.

we've all known that. if we haven't, then so much more to look forward to.

Columbia and related matters (with a brief excursis on Straussianism)--oh, I make myself laugh

Used to hang at a Columbian hipster bar (you can find anything in NY).
Very good place. Had the wildest thing--a little terrace that hung
over the bar. Bands would play on it.

Went to a Halloween party there. My costume was Obe Won--the Ewen
McGreggor one. One day Sir Alec Guiness. He's my favorite.

Of course, the best one is Empire. Love the "you're not my father" bit.

And who doesn't like the incest aspect.

First day of class, if I make it. Have an afternoon appointment, and
school is 60 miles by train.

Well, if not today Thursday, which is the class i really want to take.
E. Ann Caplan--not that that means anything to you, but she's a kick
ass scholar. Real gem (and I don't mean the rock-star cartoon, though
she is that). She sent me to theory camp. One day I'll go again. Can't
get enough Dominic LaCapra. Who can?

What can I say, I was raised by a historicist (academically speaking).
Though, he misrepresented himself. Claimed to be a 19th century-style
german historicist. Which he was, in a way. But his training was as a
Straussian.

You might remember them. Very influential in the early Bush
administration. I believe Rumsfeld was one. Among others.

Scary stuff. Strauss believed in what's called the ``Straussian eye.''
Believed certain people could read right. Others only believed myth.
Undemocratic. But loved Gunsmoke.

Have you read the 9/11 commission report? Makes the Tower commission
report look like Aristotle's Nichomachian Ethics (yes, i've spent too
much time in school. studied greek and latin, no less. Read with David
Green, of the Committee on Social Thought (``we think in groups'').
I've studied too many things--classics, history, art history, writing,
20th century novel, 20th century poetry, briefly film (though i have a
kick-ass paper--terminator and aliens, both films about abortion),
critical theory, textuality, german idealism... the list goes on and
on).

Well, gotta let you go.

Enjoy Columbia. Good drugs there, though don't get caught up with the
Cali cartel.

Bogeta-- good avenues. Caracas--good beaches. The mountains to die for.

Gets chilly.

the real purpose of shelving

it makes you think of every book you own.

why?

why isn't this a book i sell/throw away.

maybe you're not like me, but when i go to an apartment (or house, should i be so lucky). the first thing i look at is the books.

used to look behind the mirror in the bathroom, rooting for medications. thought that was the pigeon hole. then found too many behind my own and thought about what they say. rather shallow, really.)

and bookcases say so much more.

so, i was once in the waiting room of a rather expensive complex in chicago land, rather near the lake, and rather near the mag mile. and in the loby books everywhere. but not like you'd expect. covering everything. from the trash pot boilers that may have never been catalogued to things that you've never seen or read about. and the porter cxomes up to you and says, "you know, your're the first person to look at these books. they're decoration."

and you're no, like, it's an archive.

and you know you've been studying too long.

For those long suffering students

Hey.

There's a pretty cool post (http://lifehacker.com/5334886/getting-things-done-explained-for-students) over at lifehacker (http://lifehacker.com/).

It's how to get GTD working for students.

Really wish I had this when I was in college. What a mess. Studied all the time.

It was ok, and I slowed down after my first year. But worked so hard then, I lost 10 pounds in 12 weeks. 130, the lowest I've ever been in my life.

Anyway, this one is for the students, not for me.

Enjoy!