Three missed debates

I realize that I tend to be a broken record, but I must confess again to being busy. Or rather I have a lot of items I want to get done and therefore I prioritize. When you start making lists, then something has to be at the bottom. In the 2013, that was engagement with the Internet. I have largely been a passive consumer of the Internet this year. It's not really a bad thing, as there are lots of people more than willing to fill the void of my silence and, as my dad says, the Internet is a piggy bank of everyone's two cents.

Still there were some topics that floated up over 2012 that give me a small pinch of regret that I have not explored further; grit in the boot that needles my mind as I go about my day. In view of what else I have done and discussed, I will not lose sleep over it. Yet they are questions and I'm a curious sort of guy. I'll look into them more deeply in 2013, but I will lightly capture the questions here.

1: Prescriptive vs descriptive art; this one is probably only topic that has cut through all circles of friends, coworkers, acquaintances, websites viewed this year. It tends to start with the statement what art is not, usually in the context of why something is not a "good" novel/movie/video game/tv show, then proceeds with a diagnosis that said item is not a novel/movie/video game/tv show. The conclusion is a prescription of what a novel/movie/video game/tv show is. I appreciate the dislike of something due to taste (of which there is no accounting) and dislike of something due to quality (in the broad sense of plot holes, inconsistent dialogue, poor wardrobe choices, lack of budget) but I have been unable to reconcile the idea that a novel is not a novel if the author says its a novel (and it is a fictional story in book format) or tv show is not tv show (when it is filmed and shown installments). How to determine the quality of art without being blinded by taste is a problem I have not come to grips with. The other wrench in the works is whether a piece of art that doesn't connect with me is a matter of good/bad art or simply that I, the recipient, and the artist have knowledge/life experiences too far apart to connect; ships passing in the night. Where is the failure then?

2: How to talk about the news. If I could say one thing that wore on my soul, perhaps since 2006, is that it is harder and harder to find discussions of policy. This might be a failure on my part, but most of my Internet news seems to be more a lengthy political ad campaign and spin then a discussion of what the issue is. The rhetoric seems quite substantial and repetitive with little sense of history or memory. The barometer for me has been the pundit pages. The quality of journalism there seems to be worsening, where I can predict the end of the article by paragraph two. They don't seem to inform or challenge in any real sense, but give a badly written argument that doesn't really force me to think (whether I agree with it or not). I am not sure what the solution is, but thankfully the straight journalism seems to the same as it ever was,

3: The alternative to consumerism this is really a research question, if we stop buying things, experience, and real estate, what is everyone to do? Jobs consolidate, transform, and disappear with technology putting a lot of pressure of the world job market, but as long as people what "stuff" there will be jobs. The current consumption is putting the environment in dire straits (both the built environment and the natural one) and we really need to think about how to consume less. But what is the alternative? I often have this thought when I hear a priest or writer rail against consumerism. It feels like a knee jerk reaction, with little thought that to the number of people who touch a single product in some way to get it to market. Again, how do 6 billion have jobs and not destroy the planet?

That's it. Three questions I hope to look at in 2013. Provided time allows.

S

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The rhythm of life

It is weird to get of the start of December. There is a sense of dread that when I consider the past 365 days at the end of the year and worry that it will not all add up to a positive. This is a knee jerk reaction as careful thought reveals quite a full and interesting year.

I traveled to the Caribbean on a cruise ship. A jam packed week of sun, Caribbean history, relaxation, and fun with my daughter. I saw San Juan for the first time and scuba dived for the tenth time in my life (slowly but surely my experience grows). This was at the start of the year, the other bookend of travel was Las Vegas to celebrate a friend's wedding anniversary. I had been to Vegas ten years ago and was surprised by how much it has changed. Still has a lot of good food.

In between these trips, I held a cheese party, had our kitchen renovated, went it my first ever fan expo, got into board games, had a bathroom renovated, continued the 250 pages or less book club, started board game nights, read 20 books, got my child use to going to school, was vegan for a month, saw three plays, learned a bunch of stuff about my iPad, wrote 10,000 words of a novel (so far), and occasionally exercised.

My world seemed parallel to a world of the us election, the Syrian civil war, the toronto mayor fiasco. There is a sense that the world is working towards a new consensus, or perhaps I am old enough to see the shift sands one's view of the world is built on.

These are the big things, what can't be captured here, is the tons of little moments. The small revelations, the little observations, the simple laughs or smiles and slip in and out of most days. The times that only matter to you. If you summed all these you would have a collection of short stories, not a novel.

In the end, all this adds up to a good year and quite a challenge to top in 2013. It will be fun to try.

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Walking through the Goon Squad Galley

I don't know if it is a statement on my exhaustion, or in a better light a statement on my empathy, I find myself fence sitting a lot more than I use to. I would like to say it's because I am thinking more critically, but I worry that my exhaustion is resulting in lazy circluar thinking. The sort where you shrug your shoulders and say "only God knows the truth" or some other vague "let's not think about it" statement.

To combat this, I have been trying to focus more on what I am doing, reading a book, playing a game, having a conversation. I really want to be more engaged, or at least get myself above the dreaded "pseudo intellectual" or "bar stool blow hard" level. I would rather be a rank amateur; thoughtful but not getting paid to be so. The most recent challenge to my striving for mental decisiveness has been a book called "a visit from the goon squad" by Jennifer Egan.

Goon squad is a very cinematically structured book. A collection of short stories/vignettes over time that circle two characters who worked in the New York music industry. They are only main characters in of the two early stories, but serve as the sun around which the other stories orbit. I mention movies as the stories come together like those collage films, Love Actually being one example, where you have a bunch of seemingly unrelated scenes that tie together around a theme, or a character. I should also mention that it is non linear.

As with the montage film, goon squad has a variety of styles, defined by narrative style rather than cinematography or lighting. The narrative styles are a mix of reliable/unreliable, first person, second person, etc; a potpourri of style.

Now we come to my dilemma. In the circle of readers I find myself in, the feelings towards this book is split. A definite love/hate dynamic that doesn't seem to have a lot of grey. Which is the problem, as I find myself in the grey, or rather wishing to be in the grey, but am confronted with to passionate lists pro and con from my fellow reader. Worse, depending who I am with, I take the other side, trying to force the consensus back to the middle.

I know one could argue that this is a matter of taste where they can be no winners, only losers. Yet, I feel there is an answer to the question "is it a good book?". I am finding it elusive, leaving me hiding on the fence. I have thought a lot about this book, trying to get past other's objections/praise and find what I think and whether it make sense. Create a clear picture of the book in my mind without over thinking it. I humbly present where I finally settled down.

The Goon squad is not a "moving" novel, it does not have a strong current running through or a narrative that forces the reader along. It feels more fragile. To read through it, left me feeling as though I had walked though a photo or modern art exhibit. A theme presented to me at the entrance to a white hall with simple wood floors, dotted by makeshift walls upon which the pieces hang. Each piece unique,but solitary, despite being only a few feet from each other and supposedly linked by the aforementioned theme. To walk too quickly through the gallery, you see nothing that is there, but to linger too long you see what is not there.

The Goon squad refers to time and it's relentless crushing of one's story. Crueler than death, bringing despair through your desires and dreams. The story give a sense of being all that remains, what fragments have been captured before it will all fade as things do. This is conjecture as, most of the characters are not Patrick Stewart and lack the philosophical gravitas to muse on the life's journey though time.

This is all really good, but I have not addressed my reservations. There are many jarring moments in the book. Power point presentations that are not really power point presentations, second person narratives, dropped characters, questionable futures, stereotypes. I found myself kicked out of stories because of the cliches. It felt very movie like again. A music producer loses his mojo, multiple broken marriages, New York minute of fame, the PR suit, secretaries being stronger than their bosses, rich people struggling for status. I remember thinking that I was reading more of an idea of New York than actual New York.

Some of these conflicts were body of knowledge issues. I have seen the power point presentations made by children and they are more photo and graphic heavy. The text speak was jarring as auto correct is destroying the dialect. The mega corps and high society seemed off note for me. A sense that more time was spent on style. It made me feel like the awkward kid at the party who doesn't understand what teenage cool is.

I end with fragility. The book really felt like crafted glass at point, demanding careful suspension of disbelief or trust less it the whole project will collapse on itself. To those that dislike the book, this seems to be their chief complaint. A sense that this was an exercise in narrative styles then a story, or collection of characters. This I think is the crux of my fence sitting. There is a lot of wonderful in this book, taken as whole, the experimenting representing the fickle nature of our life's archive. My wish had been for more depth in characters, but then that might have shattered the whole thing. This was a book about the silences that make music.

Is it a good book? I would say it is an okay book. It made me ponder structure. The characters did briefly touch me, but felt more silver screen than real. A book for my head but not my heart. A great book should do both.

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Tacile

Recently I have been obsessed with board games. I haven't had a chance to play them so much as the internet has kept me fed with videos of game play, podcasts of reviews and gaming theory. I have picked up two new games that I hope to write about in the future. I also have some plans for some game nights that will also provide some fodder for the blog.

S asked me why I have gotten so interested recently in board games. What trigger my mind to focus on it. The kernel of it is probably Wil Wheaton's new web series Tabletop. A show where low level celebrities play board games.
Taking a step back and giving it some more thought, I believe it's my missing the social element that video games use to have for me which is driving me to the dice and cards. When I was younger, it was not unreasonable to expect a bunch of the guys to get together and play a video game from start to finish one weekend. Or to sit around playing a video game while talking about the our individual video gaming sessions. It was as if we were hunters sitting in our Africian lodge to discuss our latest exploits.

It might be the passage of time, the chains of responsibility I chose to add to my life, or the fact there simply too many good games out there, that my video game experiences have become more solitary. I have made attempts to play games at the same time as others. But I simply don't have the time, or rather the blocks of time, to complete a Japanese rpg like I use to.

That is not to say that one's time could not be swallowed in board games. The Internet has shown me the dark rabbit hole I cannot enter. But I don't think it matters as much with board games. The social play of a board game is a means to itself. It doesn't feel like a medium of long drawn out thought, but rather puzzles to be mulled over with others. The biggest difference For a board game is that you play the table, the players around you. Video games haven't quite mastered that yet.

I newly back into the hobby, so I assume my feelings towards it will change with time. I am having a game night tonight at snakes & lattes. Should be fun!

S

 

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The Summer list

1.  Re-did our kitchen
2. Spent almost three weeks at the cottage
3. Have still not seen Batman
4. Still have a half completed kitchen
5. Read "A Visit from the Goon Squad" and don't know how I feel about it
6. Attended an awesome wedding
7. Attended Fan Expo (at a different time)
8. Swam with my daughter three times on the hottest day of the year. Thanks puddle jumper!
9. Managed to play some card games I own
10. Completed over half my resolutions.
11. Somehow lost track of this blog.

And that is only a fraction of a very full summer. The best kind.

Now the best season of Fall is upon us!

S

An ambitious laziness

I finished 1Q84!

Early on, in the first pages of this book, perhaps even when I started to think about reading the book, I remember reading a brief bio about how the author was a marathon runner. He had even written a book on the subject. The bio also mentioned his belief in a daily regiment of writing, exercise, and reading. This fact struck me as I began to work my way through the large tome that is 1Q84. It is a lot like running--the repetitive rhythms broken up burst of action, followed by long, slow stretches where all you can do is put one foot in front of the other, praying for the finish line coming into view.

Another thread that floats through 1Q84 is that of music. I recall, perhaps it was just a dream, the author menitioning in an interview that the book's inspiration was a piece of music. An orchestra piece by the polish composer janacek call the sinfetta. I listened to the piece and wonder if perhaps the novel was writing music through plot and language. A sort of narrative representation of what music as a story/slice of life. This paradigm explains the repetition and the cycles of words, plots and places that thread through the novel like a melody or harmony. Phrases acting like chords and dialogue as chapters acting as movements. Both metaphors elude to the surreal which is entwined with stunning normality(as an aside, I'm not sure how one can write about the surreal without a boring reality to contain it).

despite this thinking sparked by the book, I don't think I can recommend it. There's a sense of laziness in the book. The unnecessary passages of Dickens without the clever wit of Dickens. Long chapters that build nothing and are not entertaining enough to warrant their inclusion. This was beyond killing one's darlings but a question of editing. The word "like" was used everywhere to give a forced metaphor or simile. The characters felt unloved and inconsistent in composition.

I am hesitant to get into specifics, as any reveal of the plot will take away interest in the book, but I will say that it's resolution left much to be desired.

to be honest, I have a sense that my biggest walk away is that I know the truth of the book. I will not be tricked in dinner conversation when someone talks excitedly about the book. I will know they have only read the reviews and have not wrestled with the book. Even a poor book challenges the mind, it was unfortunate that this particular one had to be so long.

One final thought. Having finished the book, I found myself sitting and thinking about re-writing the book, to make it tighter and stronger. Invoke the character Tengo work in the novel to re-write the story of Fuki-erai. As though the novel's central question is "how can a story be told better?". I don't believe this was the author's intent.

sitting on a deck

It a rare moment of calm, I find myself sitting on my brother-in-law's backyard. The weather is just right. I'm full from an excellent meal. Settling down after a fun day outdoors at Bronte creek. An evening calling me to relax.

The kind of moment you blog about so you don't forget in later more hectic times. Sorry to be completely self serving.
:)

The bird and the cat

The past week has seem to involve discussions about animals. The main agent of these ecological seminars is my three tear old daughter. She is working through the behaviors of animals, which ones eat plants, which ones eat garbage, and which ones eat other animals.

In other, older, circles, the theme of animals have come up as well. At my work there has been a lot of discussions of peregrine falcons who inhabit the building across the way. I was able to attend part of the tagging ceremony and was impressed with the dedication of the volunteers working to recover a species. They even have a webcam.

I say this as someone who isn't really a birder and when considering our feathered friends, I prefer water fowl.

The other animals this week is my friend Becky starting to explore the video features of her camera. She made cats the focus of her experiments. See results below.People getting excited about cats. What's not to like.

 

Finally, I have been delving into web series with pa tv and geek and sundry. Felicia Day's the flog is a new thing for me and in the first episode I watched she had a link to baby animals in her favorite five things of the week.

Leaves me wondering what next week's theme will be.

 

Getting to the eternal question

The oldest question that is ever present.

I have just finished the last season of the new Doctor Who (that being the oldest question apparently, closely followed by "who is this God person anyway" to steal from D Adams).

The next series does not start until the fall, giving a moment to ponder what has been seen while the TARDIS hums quietly in the background.

Overall I have enjoyed the relaunch of doctor who. The work they have done over the past seven years and three lead actors efforts to recreate the adventure atmosphere of the original have been quite successful . I am hesitant to choose a favorite doctor as they truly play to different elements of the mythos, using a diversity of role models and stressing particular aspects of the how's history. I have also enjoyed the writing for the most part.

That said, it is a children's show. The pacing is often odd as the logical conclusion of violence or complex dialogue is withheld due to the target audience. The darleks are an example of a failure in writing. They just don't seem scary enough. The show's simplictic view of world politics is a bit offensive at times as well.

The main problem for me is that it is not particularly science fiction. More of a fantasy with scientific dressing. The history is very cliche and shallow. I never really sure what this epic storytelling is speaking to but it doesn't move me too much. Perhaps it isn't meant to.

Still this is spoken with love. The little moments that speak volume, set the mind on fire. Despite all its cliches doctor who is about glimpses of the different and weird. Now what is wrong with that.

S

The lens poetic

There is a moment when the clouds clear and the body doesn't notice the dampness of the world. Simply glad that the rain has stopped. Savor and smile are the only orders of business, before life starts again.
If life was made of such moments alone it would be a great loss, and yet ever song is shaped by its silences. The pause between the note.
These are the thoughts at the end of rain before the sun comes out.

No spring in one's step

Someone in the elevator up to work today commented that everyone seems worn out this spring. I confessed to having a child, but that didn't apply to everyone else at work. I wonder if it has something to do with the weather. We never really had a proper winter this year, but one really long fall that is now turning to spring. T is also raining a lot.

Summer is fast approaching so hopefully that will get rid of the blahs going around (as foul moods are contagious in my not the least bit scientific analysis). I intend to enjoy the summer (Z is easier to get ready to go somewhere as there are fewer layers involved when it's warm) and get some outdoor swimming in.

Big notes I know, but it's a Tuesday. Never got the hang of Tuesdays Or Thursdays for that matter.

S

That linking feeling

One of my goals this year was to blog more. Mostly to get my head into a writing space, thinking about composing my thoughts and perhaps give them a more rigorous test then they would if they remained idle thoughts in my head. I believe I have been successful in getting my fingers on the keys to get the dreams out and the content made. One should celebrate victories, no matter how small.

Looking over the past month and a half of blog entries, I noticed my abandonment of hypertext, aiming to just get the words out. In business lingo, I am not providing that value add services that establish my brand in the market place of ideas (I don't know which rhetoric bothers me more, capitalism or socialism. God, I am become an old liberal).

Joking aside, I really should incorporate more links. As much as my words should do all the heavy lifting, there are items and elements I discuss that would benefit from a quick pop out to the Internet. One cannot change the past, but I can make amends for the future. I don't plan on making everything a link, but I will try to highlight elements more with the internet's assistance.

In light of this I have put together a couple of links on subject matters that have been I rattling around in my mind. Enjoy!

Gaiman talking about writing: one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman has recently running a sort of series on writing questions. He answers questions then advises he will be compiling it into a mega blog post on writing. I assume the intention of it being the ultimate go to place for questions about writing and allows him to stop worrying he is repeating himself or getting annoyed about being asked to repeat himself, but I digress. I feel for the man because writing advice is either overly general/obvious (finish what you start, submit it to people who will publish that sort of thing, work on your grammar, etc.) or really specific (word order, paragraph structure, what to cut or keep, i.e editing). I can't imagine how Gaiman will satisfy the questioners without becoming their editor, which really isn't his job.

Art & Letters Daily have had a couple interesting articles about the nature of culture. They curators of the site have a low opinion of the instutionalization of writing. The concern that all writing is becoming separated from the world with writers writing for other writers. I must confess that I am in the middle ground of this argument. Or rather when I think about it I keep coming back to the same thought. We need both, writers professionally trained, but also interesting people who take up the pen to write their story or bare witness to one. I wonder if the problem is that readers are not omnivores. They find what they like and don't really challenge themselves. I may challenge myself with philosophical texts, but I like philosophical texts, but I loathe the thought of reading a modern romance

They also had a cool article on what a foreign reporter carries with them.

I have been enjoying the developments at Penny Arcade as they slowly become a very impressive web-based company. Also I feel that the flourishing partnership with Scott Kurtz has been great. The web television is quite cool.

I have been following some comics, some epic, some silly, some odd

Finally there be board games

Later

S

Bike trail madness

Okay, this will be a short one, probably more worthy of tweet than a blog entry (I really need to get my head around Twitter. Although I feel that it will prove I'm not as witty as I think I am. A function that this blog is already fulfilling at a higher word count).

This past weekend I rode up to work on my bike. Other than confirming I need to exercise more, I also discovered the piece meal nature of our bike trails in Toronto. I had to back track three times because the trail either ended for no apparent reason or the section was clearly noted as being "not for bicycles".

Honestly, if linking up these trails would get me off the road and peddling to work. If you love cars, isn't that what you want? More bikers on dedicated trails would mean emptier roads ( well for three seasons of the year I guess). Actually I was struck by the thought that maybe we should have more dedicated bike trails and freeways around the city as long as it supports large pedestrian only zones. By the time I got to work i was going old school (as my old school was in urban planning).

This all ended when I remembered I lived in Toronto where we don't plan any transit, let alone a multi channel one. It reminded me I should be thankful for any trails that keep me off the busy streets. Hope springs eternal that I will be proven wrong.

At least I got a good morning and afternoon of exercising. Plus the Toronto ravine park system is quite pretty, even in early spring. A perfect place to people watch as well. So in the scales of my life, the day was a good one.

S

Book Victory

I have been having a lot of trouble focusing on reading lately. A conspiracy of distraction, by visible and invisible agents, has left my patience and ability to focus in shreds. I am running out of bookmarks for my unfinished projects.

I really need some book victories. Not just for the satisfaction of checking off another book, but more for the feeling of thought, the mind at work. To hear the gears running, going beyond cramming the mind with facts.

I had a minor victory in the completion of book club book today. Wind, sand, and stars is a short poetic reflection on the world through the eyes of a pilot in the early days of aviation. It is a french author, which in my experience is a struggle between narrative, philosophy, and poetry.

I was surprised it was not better enjoyed at book club. Mood seems to play a role. Not everyone enjoys wrestling with contrary thoughts (the author was a libertine aristocrat), preferring different battles in their books. It also doesn't hurt that the book was romanticizing logistics; near and dear to my heart.

Still one book down. Hopefully more to come.

S

Harnessing the hardware

Over the past year (roughly), I have come into possession of a number of new devices. They came as surprise gifts as I always assumed that people will give me a video game or book. They seem more affordable then hardware. But, software isn't as exciting to watch someone unwrap I guess ( and digital books even less so). But I digress.

As of right now I own an iPad 2, a kobo touch, a psp go, a Samsung galaxy. If I am fully honest, I really only brush lightly against the functionality of these devices. I'm not sure whether it is a tribute to the devices' complexity or their generality that I use only a small percentage of these 21st century wonders.

My desire to master these devices varies. The kobo's online rewards (to post on Twitter or Facebook) are frankly insulting; why should I want people to know why I choose to read? All mightier award indeed. Apart from the games to finish, the psp is rather clunky to do anything other than play video games. I tried to use it once as a calendar organizer to great frustration. Have to wait for the next model I suppose.

The source of that "not living up to one's potential" comes from the iPad and samsung galaxy. From my reading I can compose a symphony, run a website (or web business), write a novel, make movie, record a podcast, conduct an interview, paint a sunset...anything. These devices can enhance almost any profession, or start one.

The whole thing is rather daunting. It makes one feel that to simply use the device to check email is beneath it. As I type a text, I can almost feel the device judging my digital lifestyle (or the lack of one). If You Tube is any indication, I am not alone in my feeling. And the take away is one must be willing to tinker, commit the time, and choose your battles.

Time, time, time, plagued with the lack of it. It seems I write in circles. I need to fix that.

S

 

The wonders of jury duty

It is a weird sensation to be on jury duty. Essentially it is a lot of waiting. A waiting for an event to not happen. I hope it doesn't make me a bad citizen that I don't want to be on a jury. I lack a desire for legal details that everyone else who I have discussed the matter with seem to possess. I will do my civic duty, but it is not an activity i would enjoy. Apparently I prefer policy development rather than the creation of legal precedent. A preference to policy implementation than seeing the daily details of the law.

The other oddness is the forced slowness. I am in a room of waiting with no reliable Internet and so I can sit, think, read, and write. A rare chance to be alone without responsibility. No one to follow up with, no tasks to be done. There is a certain amount of enjoyment in that.

If I had food it would be perfect.

S

Update: I wasn't selected. After such a long wait, I must confess that I was a bit put out to be abruptly dismissed without any context as to why I wasn't chosen. It's an odd feeling to have since I didn't want to be selected.

 

Giving up on games

Recently, I have been part of several different discussions regarding the abandonment of books/ video games. The main point of debate is if/when it was appropriate to give up on a item of leisure. At what page is it okay to put a book aside. What point is a video game okay to get rid of. What endings are not worth seeing.
To be honest I'm in the finisher faction. I believe caution is the better course than leaving a task half finished. Some might say its sadomasochist, some might say there is so much better things out there to find...so skip on.
And yet, I just can't reconcile it with the tenement that life is work. Challenge is key. At the end of it, you should finish what start.

the new hard

It is odd how everything seems more daunting now that I don't have the vast amounts of time I had when I was younger. I should clarify that this is not regret. My youth is not some golden age to be pined for (I don't believe there has ever been a golden age or Eden that we fell from. If there is an Eden, it is in our future rather than our past). Instead it is a time with different problems, none involving a lack of time.
I often hear that age brings a sadness for what no longer happens, despair at the discrepancy between the state of the now to how one lived in the past. This is not my concern. I am smarter, healthier, richer, more in love, and better off than I have ever been. As I said the past sucks. :)

I guess mine is an embarrassment of riches. More is possible now then ever before. The challenge is commitment and focus. Everything is possible, but you can't do everything. You have to choose. And that is the dilemma that occupy my thoughts.

And the clock is ticking. I need to get something going. I don't want to have actual regrets because i was too scared make it happen.

I need to move pass process.

Trying to be clever

It has not been a conducive week to be creative, with a stressful week finally over that ended with a long car ride. Honestly what had a greater impact was the book I have been struggling with. It is 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. The best way to describe it is numbing. The book is over nine hundred pages and it's challenge is not from vocabulary or complexity in sentenced structure. 1Q84 is rather an endurance test. It is like a long run, stretched out tensions, a stream of mundane with flashes of excitement. The only drive is to see the finish, a finish that you already have a sense of what it will look like.

This is the second book of murkami I have read and I find the style quite enjoyable. Very dreamlike wrapped in a thoughtful view of the mundane. I could see why some would be unhappy with the mundane passages, that drag the story in some people's view. I feel this is a misreading of what murkami is doing. The dream like passages requires a grounding in a reality or the piece falls apart or drift into a mush of nonsense (odd that I feel that nonsense must have a structure, I guess I have difficulty with messes).

This is a roundabout way to say that this book is a wearying challenge of a read, particularly during a work week. The question I'm playing with is a question of cleverness. Plodding, and 1Q84 is essentially a slow burn plodding book (which might be an element of Japanese culture, as their manga, video games, and books are all slow builds rather than a quick punch that American books seem to have) through leaves me wondering whether the pay off is going to match the investment. I don't doubt it's beautiful writing the books contains (despite a weak ear for conversation), I wonder whether the book is clever or not. I don't think plot is the key indicator of cleverness, but perhaps the easiest to notice.

I am unsure if there is a design to it, a clever pattern of beauty or cultural reference, that I am struggling to figure out or if it is a simple detective story with bad dialogue. With a sigh, I have concluded that I need to finish the book before I can come close to answering it.

Not the best book companion during a long week. :)

Later S

Silver linings

Standing in the park watch my daughter and niece screaming in joy as they climb a ladder and slide. A moment of child Zen bliss. I need to remember these moments.

A fine line between courage and creepiness

I have taken up a swimming again. It is still early days, so the muscles are still sore as my body is still adjusting to the public pool's chorine levels. It is times like this that I miss the long summer of swimming in Georgian bay. It was cold, but always fresh. Still, it is one of my preferred forms of exercise and I should be in solid swimming form by the summer. Perhaps I will consider the triathlon that M is often talking about.

The subject line refers to one of the funny characters at the pool. I don't know his name (actually I believe few of the male lane swimmers know each other's name), but he's been there every time I swam this year. He is a short, fit man with short hair hidden by the swimming cap. Judging from his accent he is French, but I am uncertain if he is from Quebec or France proper. He is a very good swimmer, alternating between full out swimming in the fast lane, to doing hard swimming exercises in the medium lane (such as crossing his legs around a swim board and powering forward with only his arms).

What is amusing about him is that he has no social fear, possessing a bold courage to strike up a conversation with anyone. Unfortunately it is a bravo without tack. Watching him interact with men in the change room, and women at the pool, you see the trapped look cross the faces of the handsome lads and beautiful ladies who struggle to end the conversation. I wonder if he knows, or cares that they don't really want to engage, the interaction being based on the politeness of others. Perhaps he likes beauty and wants to be close to it. Or many he doesn't realize he's old.

Regardless, I leave the pool every time thinking that the man is a walking short story waiting to happen.

s

Circulation Madness

Dear Henry,

In lighter news than the crisis of my soul, I have just come off a crazy request marathon with the Toronto library hold system. If you have any doubt that this is the golden age of the book, just use the Internet and the library for a week and you will discover that we live in wonderful, chaotic times. Within seconds of finishing an article, one can reserve the writer's book, the four books mentioned in their article as well as three general books on the subject. Plus, you can get the movie that inspired the pithy headline of the article. The downside is that they all are over 300 pages and there is no way to consume before the deadline.Time is not available for rent as of yet (although Justin advises against this idea).

The funny thing is that I have been doing this for years and I never seem to learn my lesson. The bought books almost seem to give of an aura of disdain as these transient volumes pass through our home. I'm also convinced that it slows my actual reading.

Still, they are wonderful books.

S

 

Theatre of the Mind

Dear Henry,

I don't know if this is an experience many people have, but it is something I encounter all the time and want to write it down in the hopes of figuring out some way around it. The "it" is my tendency to exhaust my interest/thought process on a subject or run the matter in my head rather than actually putting anything to paper or engage a live person with my thoughts. One always has a high opinion of one's cleverness, I believe David Brin captured this sentiment by saying "ask any crowd and they will nod in unison that the masses are manipulated by propaganda, then ask them whether they see through the propaganda themselves, and everyone will nod". Self-blindness being always a fun topic to discuss.

The consequence of this playing the ideas out in mind until boredom or the next shiny thing come along is that I a) don't get much writing/projects done and b) my arguments/profound thoughts sound really flat when they are used in actual conversation. "it sounded much better in my head" is a sad thought that has plagued many a subway ride home.

It does sort of play into a couple of 21st century themes: Isolation, solipsism, the primacy of the brain, passive consumption instead of active engagement. Although I guess it isn't really that new as stream of conscious has been kicked around by novelist for the past 100 years. That thought is not particularly comforting.

This blog post is taking a long time to finish. It really isn't writing itself. Perhaps if I was a neuroscientist I would have a little to say a out how the mind works and how the chemical make up of my brain creates my tendency to be a dreamer rather than a man of action. As interesting as that might be, I am certain the solution would involve a pharmaceutical cocktail that I would not be the least bit inclined to take.

Depending of The theological background, I could have a spiritual comment. That it is either God's gift or test of my mettle. What follows (other than prayer) is unclear to me. I am familiar enough with scripture that it isn't really interested with this problem, and when it is it views dreaming as a distraction from greater things.

So where does this leave me? I feel I have come full circle, a lot of thought with no action. I am left with no resolution. I do have some consolidation at having written this entry. I think I will need to return to this next month.

Till next time,

S

 

Narrenschiff

Sometimes a book just rubs you the wrong way. I recently read a science fiction book called letters of the flesh; a fictional collection of letters by aliens that bond with human souls to allow both species to find salvation in infinity (an oversimplification but consider it the essence of the tale). It is an example of the pitfalls of science fiction (another post on that later), but what I have been thinking about why it irked me so.

I believe it's main sore point for me is the underlying assumption that the society of faith knows best and that suffering happens for the greater good. As B mentioned in book club "I'm a happy person, am I beyond salvation?" The idea that someone must be utterly broken before god can mould them to his purpose is uncomfortable to begin with before you add the question of who is involved in the remaking.

Honestly, I just can't separate the politics from it. I constantly look for some way to reconcile  the faith to the politics, but it never addressed by religious leaders (at least the ones I have found). I don't the solution.

A more personal fear I have alluded to with the title. The book fool is rarely from my mind. With authority easily questioned, I often wondered whether I'm reading the right books or not. Perhaps Wilde was right to say there are only well or poorly written books.
All this from a cheap sci-fi book.

Getting ready to head home.

Okay this: isn't very profound. I'm mostly do This to test out my phone. Morse substance to come.

First week of health

There is a starting point four everything. This week I have been exercising everyday for the first rime in six months. I won't lie, it has been a bit rough with my abs not loving it. Still there a sense of accomplishment at get the body moving.
Of course, week 2 is the real challenge.

Writing from the future with my thumbs

Well another device with the capacity to blog from anywhere. Although one could argue that my new toy, the Samsung galaxy, truly is able to blog anywhere provided itched a signal. So now I just need to find the time to write, something to write about, time, and the ability to type with my thumbs. Get ready brave new world.!
If this will ever post