(Translation: We still don’t know what the cat’s name is….) Actually, we haven’t decided, though Lime suggested “Woolf” which appeals to me because of the obvious canine pun. Oddly, though, Lime has never yet read anything by Woolf. I wonder whether Orlando has been translated. (Or I could just as well find the movie, given the apparent quality of a certain proportion of translations from foreign languages into Korean.) Anyway, the cat has pretty much adjusted to our place. That is to say, in her kitten way, which is that she doesn’t really stray too far from the two “offices” …
Category: GENERAL
A Natural Part of a Balanced Page of Feedback
I just finished writing up the feedback on an essay that my class will be critiquing today. The title of the essay is “The Real Meaning of Marriage,” and it’s a good example of the wall I’ve been banging into lately in my work. There are standard issues that are pretty much part of the job, of course: the sinking feeling when one is confronted by sentences that were written by someone who obviously doesn’t read (in English, at least) on a regular basis, the apparent lack of proofreading, the dictionary-itis. Dictionary-itis, by the way, is a propensity some students …
Introducing… er, Puppy… Schubert… 나방… Baudelaire… Rimbaud… Er, We’re Not Sure Yet
It’s been a very busy week, and I’ll have a few announcements to hurl out soon, on the far end of some rewriting I need to get done. But for the moment, I’m going to simply post something personal. I must preface this by noting that I’m really more of a dog person. Well, now, wait, that’s only sort of. When I first moved out from my folks’ place, I was shocked to find that I could breathe. Easily. Like, I didn’t feel like I was in the middle of some kind of weird asphyxiation torture all the time. I …
Lost, Season 4
Charles: don’t read this. Anyone else who hates spoilers, be warned! The rest? Read on, if you’re interested in opinions. That’s all I’ve got anyway, but since Stephanie was so eager to see my comments, here they are.
Almost as Entertaining as a Bollywood Film
Which is high praise coming from me. I’m sure nobody will be shocked to know I have the soundtrack to Om Shanti Om in my headphones as I write this. When my aging finally process reverses and I slide back into a world before a gut and bad ankles and having to make a living and all the rest of the stuff that keeps me busy, I think I want to (un-) grow up be Shahrukh Khan. You know, I’m not saying the man is immature, it’s just: wouldn’t it be just the best fun to dance seductively with Aishwarya …
Montreal Fever Dreams, and More Recent Weirdnesses
This oldish post at Acephalous reminded me of some of my more unusual dreams in years past. (And, SEK, if you’re reading this, the dream you reminded me of most was the Malatesta one, later on in this post.) I really do sometimes wish that I was more capable of remembering dreams, or maybe I just wish I had better sleep schedule so I would wake naturally and remember my dreams more often. When I do recall them, these days, it’s very unusual. But I have a few good ones I remember… Perhaps the weirdest dreams I’ve ever had were …
Got China?
A couple of them in this post on a blog I just discovered (in the Columbus, was-already-there sense), The China Beat. Particularly cool are the piece on Li Wei at 1000 Words and Virtual Shanghai. Plus why Jonathan Spence absolutely, totally rocks like a motherf*cker. (More here.) Listen to Spence’s Reith lectures here… even if you do skip the long (and iffy) question periods. Or download the MP3s (from links listed) here. I’m listening to lecture #1 now — which is about Confucianism, by the way, and thus of interest to all you Korea-watchers — and the big question is: …
To All SF Geeks in Korea With [Patient or Interested] Korean Other Halves
Lime posts here about, “His Books, My Books.” For the relatively Korean impaired — for whom that page will be less than useful — here’s the image from the post: You can see I got her some Debussy, because Debussy rocks, and you can’t have too much Debussy in your life. This is the guy who was asked, once, by which theoretical principles he organized his music, and, I was told by one of my professors, he replied, “My taste, of course.” Make it sound good. And make it new, I’m sure Pound would add — and make it new …
Fleeting Update
Let’s see: Personal Stuff Lime got a job today! Short term (till mid-September), but she wanted that, while she studies for the Neverending Huge Giant Evil Big-Boss (for you arcade game fans out there) Exam. For two months she’ll be working part-time in a hospital near our home. We’re going to Hong Kong next week. Just for a few days, because Lime won’t be able to travel the rest of the summer. I’m bringing my computer and writing on the plane, and for at least an hour a day. But travel is still travel, right? Theere’s a Korean expression I …
Night Guard Question
Langage barrier with the dentist, so I’m asking here! I got my night guard today from the dentist, to deal with the teeth-grinding issues I have when I sleep. But when I first got it, the thing was REALLY tight, like, to the point of hurting. The dentist made some adjustments and all, but it still feels extremely tight. He said it would adjust to my mouth and feel more normal after some time. (It’s made of hard resin.) 1. A website I saw suggested wearing it during the day (about 8 hours per day) for a week before trying …