Category — Reading

A few years back, in my Blue Period, I took odd consolation in a book by Cambridge astrophysicist/cosmologist Martin Rees called [deep breath]: Our Final Hour: A Scientist’s Warning: How Terror, Error, and Environmental Disaster Threaten Humankind’s Future In This Century—On Earth and Beyond. It is, quite simply, a book about all of the most probable ways in which our civilization might come to an end by next century. In fact, Rees gives us a 50/50 chance of being wiped out by 2100 due to forces created by us, whether they be accidental or on purpose. Could be intentional act of bioterrorism; could be accidental by-product of creating/releasing bioagents by dropping a beaker onto the floor. Could be the creation of nanobots that ravage the Earth. Could be the creation of a particle collider so powerful that it creates a black hole. In theory, any/all of these are possible, and exist on a precariously thin wire. In the “proper” (i.e. responsible, dutiful, moral, what-have-you) hands, this technology can be, to the extent that it can be controlled, okay-ish. However, Rees’ main premise of his 50/50 bet is that the availability of advanced technology is eclipsing our own ability to “control it” (he offers the story of a New Zealand man who built a cruise missile in his garage for a few thousand dollars with junk parts and plans that he downloaded from the Almighty Internet). Think of it this way: the handbook of many terrorist organizations is available and codified and passed on not on paper, but by .pdf.

There are other, far more harrowing examples of exactly how we might shoot our civilization squarely in the ol’ collective foot, but I’ll save those for you to discover on your own when you’re feeling strong enough to read such things. Anyhoo, I haven’t been able to shake my recollection of that book for the last 40 days/nights of the BP oil debacle. As Z and I are about to vacation down the Gulf of Mexico way, I can’t help but wonder if next year’s vacation could take on a radically different odor. What’s worse are all of the scenarios tossed about by the dentists of the scientific community–meteorologists. They are claiming that a Katrina-grade (or even slightly lesser, but headed in that general direction) could churn the oily seas and bring an oily rain well up into Tennessee–like Nashville needs another AOG headache.

Nevermind the fact that the well still spews, and the Minds are utterly stumped to the point of guessing that this will likely go on well through the end of summer. Whatever happened to the summer of shark attacks? Or the summer of extreme urban heat? Or the summer of $5.00/gal gas prices–well, that’s probably going to happen, too.

I just can’t get over the cosmic joke of it all–we used technology to puncture a hole in the Earth’s core itself, never considering that its contents need to go someplace.

But why the Gulf? Why not the Jersey shore???

Things that I’ve been doing lately instead of maintaining the blog:

Hand-crafting metallic flowers with my lobster claw

Reading stuff

Writing stuff, old-school, with my new writin’ pen–have exhausted 1.5 ink cartridges and 1 full notebook’s worth of material

Listening to stuff

Watching stuff–couldn’t turn away while watching this last night. Oliver Stone’s version is so embarrassing now that you look back on it, isn’t it?

Avoiding stuff

Attempting to fix stuff (and failing, I might add–anyone know basic html stuff?)

Sipping stuff

And there’s probably more, but you get the idea…

I’m always happy when this day is over because Z has a seemingly endless reserve of April fools jokes that she uses to carpet bomb the day into oblivion. It gets ridiculous to the point where you have to assume that whatever she’s saying is going to follow with “April fools!” after. It’s little things–like, “Daddy, I see a squirrel outside.” “Really?” “April fools!” Or, “Daddy, I can’t get the toothpaste cap off.” [I come into the bathroom.] “April fools!” And so on. All day long. I got her once, by letting her know that tomorrow before we roadtrip to Indy we have to see her doctor for a bunch of shots. And when I said, “April fools!” she frowned and shook her head disapprovingly…

Otherwise, it was a great day–beautiful weather, so we went to the park; ended the day at Cold Stone Creamery, which, since Ben & Jerry’s right around the corner closed, we thought we’d give it a shot. Good enough. Then she suckered me into 3 books before bed (instead of 2) by taking 2 out of 3 in Rock, Paper, Scissors…

I’m currently reading Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower, at the damn-near insistence of the NY Times Book Review. I’m not enjoying these stories nearly as much as I did Ben Fountain’s collection, which thoroughly rocks. In fact, and I don’t really think this is literary snobbery here, I’m surprised this collection received the raves that it has. Too many instances of details that you can just see the writer putting in there–not because they fit the narrative/story, but because perhaps he thought of them or noticed them in real life, wrote them down and was hell-bent on inserting them into a story. Anyway, not like I’ve published anything; but I’m just sayin’–if the Times is going to hold someone up as the second coming of DFW or Cheever or Carver or whatnot, can’t be shootin’ blanks…

So I was going to write about the fact that I’m considering tackling The Broom of the System next (having failed at Infinite Jest on 3 separate occasions). Then I found this dude’s web site(s), and couldn’t stop reading. Anyone know who this might be?? Kudos to this dude, anyway…

#92

Teaching begins tomorrow–late start class, which means 3 solid hours rather than 2.75. I’ve failed to take into consideration the Tuesday evening doldrums, which are always a precursor to the Wednesday yawns, which lead into the Thursday stretch. Hopefully, I’ll be up for it tomorrow night. Tonight was spent photocopying and paper-shuffling and 5 minutes of mental visualization. 2.5 minutes, probably…

I continue to read The Plot Against America and think reassuring thoughts as I’m alternately impressed w/the writing and freaked out by the plot, as it were. (“As it were” was said in my slippers and smoking jacket, with a pipe in my mouth and a slightly affected British accent. Thank you…)

Finally, I would like to declare the following: Based on what the scale says when I go into my bathroom after I get off the computer, I will either have a mighty large bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce or a modest bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. Either way, vanilla ice cream/choc sauce is gonna happen tonight… Good night…

#83 (Yesterday was #82, though I forgot to number it. Still haven’t missed a day yet…)

77…

While reading The Plot Against America this evening, I discovered on page 46 (paperback edition), the following error: ….whose glory days were long past, and this was how Abe Steinheim managed to became commissioner of racing…On the rare occasions that I run across an error in a book, I’m always pulled out instantly from the narrative and feel like I’m staring at an unclaimed $20 bill just lying there on the ground amid a crowd of people. Writers are human, editors are not supposed to be, though. Clearly, this line is against the will of Roth, and the editor should be sacked…

If you’re interested in recent fiction about Haiti, you should read Ben Fountain’s Brief Encounters with Che Guevara. Aside from the fact that he gave up his partnership in a law firm to write full time, his stories are also inspirational, of sorts. He was interested in Haiti, so he traveled there and spent some time. Many of the stories in this collection are set in Haiti, in vivid clarity. All of the stories are excellent…

I’ve enjoyed watching the Late Night shake-up, and found David Letterman’s jabs at Jay “Big Chin” Leno last night really fun. Conan should just watch NBC squirm…

Finally, this clip made me choke on my pasta salad. Then I laughed for many minutes straight. I think Colbert is funnier than Stewart, for the record:

I have thoroughly un-decked my halls, and disposed–with extreme prejudice–of all but memories and sweaters of this jolly holiday season. If only I could un-deck the third floor of the outrageously noisy neighbors above me. This would complete my yule-tide purge, and I could enjoy a peaceful long winter’s nap. Enough of that, though…

Listening to NPR on my way in to work this morning, I caught this interview with health care writer and wunder-surgeon Atul Gawande. He has emerged as the lone voice of true reason when talking about health care–reform or other issues. Anyway, his new book is out, and I’m likely to read it as much for pleasure as for anything work-related…

Finally, I couldn’t read this without thinking of Andy (Ed Helms) on The Office. Hey Big Tuna…

So I saw that Roy E. Disney died today, which reminded me of the Roy E. Disney creative writing fellowship at Pomona College–it’s like a million-dollar job teaching creative writing and other stuff to rich, smart kids. David Foster Wallace was the first Roy E. Disney fellow at Pomona College (R.E.D.’s alma mater). Since David Foster Wallace killed himself a couple of years ago, I was curious who the R.E.D. person was now, only to find that the position is vacant. In the job description, I found that among the qualifications they’re seeking for the fellowship position is:

Strong secondary field(s) desirable, including (but not limited to) considerations of race, sexuality, performance, geo-humoralism, and political theology.

Geo-humoralism? Political theology? I looked up “geo-humoralism,” and learned that it has nothing to do with humor, morals, or late-80s GM cars. Turns out “geo-humoralism” is:

a racialist concept propounded in Renaissance Europe. Briefly, it “held that variations in topography and climate produced variations in national characteristics”

I stopped there, and decided not even Google “political theology.” So here are my own made-up disciplines:

• Farkleomatic Theory: A gaming concept of frustrating proportions related to the tossing of dice and the scoring of said dice in such a way as to avoid a “farkle;” originated in Facebook
• Toplet0filmic-topography: The in-depth examination of Russ Meyer films, especially those cast members who may appear topless throughout
• Capncrunchological Studies: The intake of sugared cereals while on the couch watching cartoons, usually done in various states of near-nudity

First snow of the season–pretty tonight, wretched tomorrow during the commute. Every year during the first snowcommute, I curse not having an SUV with 4-wheel drive, though this morning it didn’t seem to matter for the 4×4 pick-up that careened into the Infinity behind me. I stopped to see if everyone was okay, and saw the Infinity was no more than a couple of inches from my back bumper. Fools. I put the steel shovel in my trunk, in case I have to dig out the Honda or crack someone over the head for driving like an idiot in the snow…

Good reading: A former call girl’s critique of Tiger Woods’ mistresses; Atul Gewande’s latest article about health care; and The 13 Most Unintentionally Disturbing Children’s Toys from Cracked.com…