Criticism

As ever, not that you asked, but...
I highly recommend a reading of Alexander Pope's An Essay On Criticism. In it Pope pokes at contemporary critics and writers (18th c.). The style is intriguing--it is in fact a verse-essay, with criticisms delivered in couplet (two-line rhyme) form. Does it not ring a bell? The Essay is full of thoughtful nuggets and what have since become common statements. A few of the following quotes (presented in no particular order) might be familiar...

'Tis with our Judgments as our Watches, none
Go just alike, yet each believes his own.

Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread

But where's the Man, who Counsel can bestow,
Still pleas'd to teach, and not proud to know?

Hope springs eternal in the human breast

But you who seek to give and merit Fame,
And justly bear a Critick's noble Name,
Be sure your self and your own Reach to know.
How far your Genius, Taste, and Learning go;
Launch not beyond your Depth, but be discreet,
And mark that Point where Sense and Dulness meet.

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

Pretty good stuff, huh? For cheaters in the crowd, here's a study guide.

Drama

Looking over our high school yearbook for senior year I noticed that many classmates commented on my sunshine-y personality in their oft-odd signings. Funny that I don't look back on high school as a bubbly time. Maybe the love connection, the play photos, and the big picture on academics page in yearbook all went to my head at end of year, just as signers formed their parting thoughts. Or maybe I put on a better act offstage than on. Anyway, I am here to recommend a perusal of your yearbook. Recall the rampant silliness, the naive certainty of seemingly everything, and the anticipation of weekends and friends. What is there not to miss about being young? Ah, yes, the drama.

On a somewhat related note, I long ago posted my info on classmates.com and similar sites. I dutifully report my whereabouts, likes/dislikes, lack of dog/offspring/drinking problem (am I truthful? Will anyone ever know? Read on...). I've never paid for access to actually see any of this meaningful info about my classmates. I find names of people I'd enjoy getting in touch with but a click on their name gets me to the Pay Now screen. Of course I refuse. I wonder how many people actually pay for the access. (I'm too cheap; others would be too.) Thus a survey--has anyone of you actually paid for one of these sites? More curiously, what name would have to show up in the listings to provoke you to pay the fee?

Bond

MOVIE REVIEW
Casino Royale The latest James Bond returns to the beginning with an updated remake of the first of Ian Fleming's Bond stories. Incorporating post-Cold War realities and poker trendiness the story feels current. There are the usual outlandish events (the fuel truck racing around untouched on tarmac had me rolling my eyes repeatedly), two heavily made up and voluptuously clad women, a bad guy or two or three or four(?), and of course several heart pumping action sequences (including one guy whose strength and agility had me quite breathless). David felt the movie was long, but I was entertained throughout. The few ridiculous plot devices were overshadowed for me by the gorgeous scenery (leaning to David, "I want to go there for my next vacation"), a bit of backstory on Bond (played handsomely and convincingly if not quite so oozing-with-charm by Daniel Craig), and the overall sense that Bond is back. I have missed him.

History

At what point do past hurts need to be made public in order to heal them? And to what extent does the public adoration of victim or abuser get to play a part in the need and usefulness of deeply painful revelations? Does the sharing of a hurt make it go away? Alas, I fear not. I might sum up all of my answers with this: once a hurt is done, it's done. At the same time, the sharing of a hurt can be a wonderfully soothing, even necessary, relief, particularly when shared with the trusting knowledge and confidence that the listener cares for you.

Today's advice: Live your life as happily as you can. Live consciously so that others may be less subject to your wrongs, and finally, make peace with what you do wrong (and we all do wrong).

Bettina Aptheker, about whose women's studies class at UCSC I have made reference previously, wrote a memoir that includes the revelation that she was molested by her father, the famous historian/Communist Herbert Aptheker. I post this note as a way to track the various write ups I come across on the subject. Here's a tidbit written by Bettina. The allegation has of course made it onto Herbert's bio on Wikipedia. The Chronicle of Higher Education has printed a slew of letters that form a conversation of sorts in defense of either or both parties; the letters are in response to an article written by Chris Phelps, entitled "Herbert Aptheker: The Contradictions of History" (both father and daughter are well known academics). George Mason U.'s History News Network has an interesting response to the situation, focusing on the father's Communist ties. Because of the politics of both individuals, the discussion often pits left against left. Here's one such conversation which urges the father's defense as he cannot defend himself from grave. Finally, I found a very thorough review of Bettina's memoir and its various revelations, one with copious quotes and some very good points about writing about a political past from a personal perspective. Go in peace daughter; rest in peace father.

The following might seem inappropriate given the sensitive nature of above discussion, but it goes back to my "once it's done, it's done" thought. Come on, laugh a little.

Harry: What do you want me to do about it? I take it back, OK? I take it back.
Sally: You can't take it back.
Harry: Why not?
Sally: Because it's already out there.
Harry: Oh jeez. What are we supposed to do? Call the cops? It's already out there!
Sally: Just let it lie, OK?
Harry: Great! Let it lie. That's my policy. (They get into the car) That's what I always say: let it lie. Want to spend the night in a motel? (She glares at him) You see what I did? I didn't let it lie.

Evil

Check out this series of comics called Hello Cthulhu, in which the most evil of all evils (Cthulhu and friends) meets the nicest of nice (Hello Kitty and friends). Hysterical.

Intoxicating...

• out walking, lapping up fresh air, as a day spent in full fall loveliness at the Renaissance Festival surrounded by happy people
• Tom Petty on a Monday morning, amplified and connected straight to my nerve centers through headphones (undoubtedly not good for my hearing, but excellent for my soul)
• a weekend of victories for favored teams, the Buckeyes, the Cougars, the Warriors, even the hapless Niners
• a hot dog fresh baked in a crescent roll--oh my goodness why have I not had more of these in my life?
• no travel on Thanksgiving, no feast to organize, a wide open schedule for the entire week--oh my, that's nice
  

Not so intoxicating to me...

• the man seen drinking a bagged tall can from his new car whilst driving downtown pre-noon last Friday
• the smell of dog poo that presents itself with regularity on the lawn in front of apartment
• the deteriorating state of my television

Yet further proof that my life is not so bad. :)

Review

MOVIE REVIEW
Stranger than Fiction is about a single IRS agent, Harold Crick, whose life takes a very strange turn one Wednesday when he suddenly develops a narrator. I liked the literary element to the movie (lots of allusions to literary devices). I liked the quiet thoughtfulness that pervades the entire story. I liked the bit of suspense about what would happen to Harold (his narrator is trying to find a way to kill him, the threat of which suddenly brings Harold more life than he's had in a while). I liked Emma Thompson and Will Ferrell and Dustin Hoffman (who plays a literature professor trying to help Harold discover the narrator). I especially liked the romantic angle to the story (Harold is nudged into action by his narrator, the same one who's trying to off him). I also really liked the modern visuals and sets, and the changing graphic overlays. Okay, yes, I have a few lingering questions about Harold's watch. I was hoping for a different ending (once you've seen the movie we can talk about my ideas and you can share yours). But when I add it all up I come to this conclusion: I enjoyed Stranger than Fiction much more than I expected to. :)

Counting

I love election day. I love the community feel of voting, the tension of ballot returns, the magnanimity of graceful losers and hopefulness of ebullient winners. I won't rub it in any face, as we all have different preferences when it comes to politicians, but I may slip up with a quiet little "Yea!" today (not that I have particular or undying love for the Democratic party). I was ecstatic to hear about the high voter turnout around the country. There were a few races I'd have liked to have seen go another way. Kinky lost in Texas (near Republican sweep), Ford lost in Tennessee, and there's not a Green in sight (Camejo got about 1% in California which by the numbers would be enough to get him a representative slot in many districts around the country). In general, the election was nice but not earth-shattering. For example, I don't see the results making a substantive difference in education policy (Eduwonk has a good posting on this subject).

I am certainly not gleeful about the Democratic shift; power comes and goes. More to the point, there's a definite dark side to politics and politicians. Reminder: with power comes responsibility. I don't particularly care who is in power. I care about what they do while in office--is it a win-lose proposition, a win-win one or lose-lose one that gets the most attention in our capital cities? I'd like to see politicians get campaign finance and the national debt under control, deal with health care, and cut out huge swaths of pork barrel spending and ridiculous program expenditures (yes, yes, define ridiculous; I am reminded of the movie Dave--is that not fair?). Is it just me or do these issues all seem related?

It's time to invest in a sustainable future for all our residents. I want to focus on that which unites us and makes us all better off (hello win-win), not divisions and the qualities about us that nurture suspicion and hatred (goodbye win-lose). And I'd like to do that in a fiscally responsible, socially tolerant way. Alas, I haven't heard much to make me think these positions will be at or even near the top of our government's true agenda. Maybe that's because we the people have a little problem with our personal and business finances and community bridging and bonding connections ourselves. sigh

I asked the man by the ballot box (people had the choice of using paper ballots) if he had any "I voted" type stickers. Certainly not, his look told me. He pointed behind me, "I tell you what, there's a pot of ink over there. You can stick your finger in and put a little sticker on wherever you want." Ha ha, no thanks. Just checking if you had actual stickers like the little oval shaped VoteTexas stickers I had seen on a series of ads. He said he'd never heard of such a thing and besides, "That'd be illegal." Uh, okay, whatever. Sure that he was wrong and still disappointed by my stickerless experience (not my first stickerless experience voting in Texas, mind you), I went on with my day. WELL, I saw President Bush on the news outside his polling place in Crawford; he and Laura were both wearing VoteTexas stickers. I felt vindicated and denied at the same time.

In other political news, a Washington Post column about a proposed Council of Elders has piqued my interest. Naturally the group of experienced senior politicians is comprised primarily of white guys, but I am otherwise glad of the diverse political spectrum thus far tapped to serve on the informal advisory body. I applaud genuine demonstrations of leadership and collaboration in public service.

Double Trouble

MOVIE REVIEW 1
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan: Two things you would not figure out from this movie: Sacha Baron Cohen is British and Jewish. You will become familiar with his physical anatomy, his apparent ability to endure unbelievable social awkwardness, and something of his sense of humor. Borat the character is bigoted, sexist, innocent, and perseverent (consider that combo). Borat the movie is a satire. David said it's hard to like a movie that he felt compelled to hide through three-quarters of, but I rather did like it (and so did David in truth). The jokes are not what you'll be quoting verbatim at cocktail parties, the physical mannerisms of the characters (real people most of them) won't inspire much mimicry, but you will find yourself seeking out fellow movie viewers and dropping a reference, "the naked fight", "etiquette lessons", calling scenes to mind that make you both laugh uproariously (it's already happened to me). There are also scenes to make you cringe, including a variety of natural-born bigots and sexists that make you wish these were actors like Cohen, putting us on. Cohen as Borat puts himself into situations that bring out the worst in people, and we find ourselves alternately laughing hysterically and cringing in silence. Borat is not a comfortable movie, and I don't feel the need to see it again (the film is more outrageous stunt than compelling narrative, though there is a story), but I am glad to have seen it once.

MOVIE REVIEW 2
The Departed: It's been a while since I saw a Martin Scorcese film and I'm glad to have waited for this one to return to his genre of gritty drama. Leonardo DiCaprio was very good (and surprisingly good looking, may I add) as Will, a boy from a mixed upbringing (money and the streets) who takes on Boston bad guys by going deep undercover with the state police. He's lonely, confused, and angry, deep down a good guy who just wants a regular life. Out in the open as a cop, Matt Damon's character hides his loyalty to the exact bad guy he's charged with catching, Frank Costello. The bad guy is played by Jack Nicholson, who is decent in his cool control, tacky wardrobe, and intermittent accent. I liked the movie's details, introduced and then reinforced in words and deeds, as well as the overall feel of the movie. It's not clear early on who will win out, it's not obvious in the middle who will win or lose most. You may predict the ending but it doesn't make it feel contrived; things work out as logically as life. The Departed isn't an extraordinary movie but it is solid. Good acting, fair pace, interesting story, some tense moments, several compelling characters, nice scenery. Again, I probably won't see it a second time, but was satisfied with the one viewing I did partake.