Back again

I've been a shame of a shame as bloggers go.  I blame wanting to be the best-est of graduate students and pure laziness the rest of the time.  At any rate, my effort seems to have paid off well enough in my GPA, and now I'm hoping to scale back some of the frenzy and take time for something I actually enjoy.  It's hard to know where to pick up again--so I guess I'll move in wide circles.

1. Physical activity:
My Christmas break taught me that skiing is mega hard when you're a 25 year old beginner, but that doesn't preclude its being super fun.  (Ski food also makes it well worth the effort.)
Any sunshine in Région Centre means pack up whatever you're doing and go outside for a run.  Unfortunately, the rest of the time I've had to work on moving around the apartment.  
I realized I was developing noodle arms, so I started a self-initated weenie push-up routine, and now I've moved on to "The One Hundred Pushups Training Program".  The creator spells out how to increase endurance by small increments, and when one week's a bit shaky, I just redo it until I'm feeling ready to move on.  It's slow going, but I went from not being able to do one full pushup, to being able to do several sets at a time.  My arm also ceased "keeping the greeting going" for so long after I'd stopped waving.  
I also just started this "Daily Workouts" App.  I don't think it's a revelation, but it's good to have a timer and a little motivation when you're doing repetitive stuff.

2. Movies
The big stuff: Django actually brought tears to these eyes of mine. The Hobbit was awe inspiring.
Weirdo movies: The Master was a real work, and it was good to see Joaquin back.  The Celebration, a Dutch movie from 1998.  It was made according to "Dogme 95"'s principles.  Very, very moving.  I don't want to say much more because I think it really needs to be watched.
French fluff: Le Corniaud.  It's a 60s classic comedy.  A "sucker" gets conned into driving a Cadillac stuffed with drugs and stolen gems through Southern Europe.  Road trip antics.
Le Vilain.  Real silliness in the French style.  A prodigal son returns to his mother's house, fleeing a long history of crime.  The mother discovers his wrongdoing and seeks to right his evil deeds...
Astérix et Obélix was a really fun film based on the comics. 
Populaire was another light little entertainment well worth the time.  
8 Femmes is another noteworthy one.  As much as I hate musicals, each character has a tiny song that shows a bit of her personality, and it really works.  (Like I said, the songs are so short you're not left nauseated.)

3. Music
Jake Bugg's a young little twerp who knows his stuff.  
Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Foxygen are exciting (JagJaguar).  
Check out Tame Impala too.
NPR's been winning lately with their "First Listen" album streams and 5 Heavy Rotation songs.  New stuff from Jimi Hendrix is actually sitting over there at the moment.
I found a streaming service called Deezer to use outside of the US.  It's still growing so it's not as well crafted with 'Likes' and 'Thumbs downs' and whatever else, but it has a pretty broad catalogue, and it introduced me to French rap, which in itself is intriguing.  

4. Books
I know every literature teacher, and probably every well-educated English speaker, will gasp when I say this, but: Paradise Lost is crap.  Read the summaries and save yourself time and grief.  I'm not linking it.
The Count of Monte Cristo was long, but a fun distraction.  (It was one of the audiobooks that kept me company on public transit this semester.)  The site's also good for teachers because it has texts sorted by reading levels.
Life of Pi was a super good read, now I've just got to get around to watching the movie.
I finished The Hunger Games series.  Overall, it was a decent work.
I found something else on the edge of teen lit, but it's way better than the usual stuff.  (It's simple enough grammatically that I can read it in French, but the action and themes are really cool.)  It's the Tales of the Otori series, a sort of coming of age saga set in feudal Japan.  

5. Now for some photographic highlights from my absence:

Villandry

Chenonceau

Super Sauze

CinnaMonkey Frozen Yogurt, Awesome Autobiographical Reads, and Lots of New Albums

It's nasty hot here in Spain, and this week happens to be Ice Cream Week on TheKitchn...  SO:  Frozen goodies!

"CinnaMonkey" Frozen Yogurt  

Ingredients:
2 small-medium bananas
1 1/2-2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. skim yogurt
1/4 c. skim milk
1 tablespoon of liquid caramel (substitute honey, sugar+vanilla extract, etc.)
A few Dashes of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Chopped up chunks of dark chocolate

Directions:
Because I'm awesome/a beast, and I don't have a blender, I squished everything by hand with a potato masher, directly in a plastic container.  Again, because I'm awesome, I don't have an ice-cream maker, so I put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes, stirred it up again, and left it to freeze for another 30-45 minutes or so.  I just kept repeating the process until I thought it looked pretty good--3 or 4 times. 

I served it with extra cinnamon sprinkled over the top and a caramel drizzle.  For a little crunch, I think some cinnamon flavored kiddy cereal or even some crumbly cookies over the top could be a nice addition.  Yes, you're allowed to do it because it's not ice cream, it's frozen yogurt.
This is my adaptation of a recipe found whilst trolling Pinterest. You can find the original here at OhShineOn's blog.

Books
Although I usually don't read nonfiction works, I've recently read two outstanding autobiographies.  The first was Just Kids by Patti Smith, and the second was Black Boy by Richard Wright.

Just Kids by Patti Smith                                                          80 greasy grilled cheese sandwiches
The book tells the story of her life with Robert Maplethorpe.  Swarms of celebrities--Bob, Jimmy, Janis, Andy W.--and the incredibly chaotic scene of New York City in the 70s provides an interesting backdrop for a very moving story of personal struggles in pursuit of art and self-understanding.  The progression of their very unique relationship and their sometimes intersecting, sometimes parallel searches for fulfillment propel the book chronologically and emotionally.  I believe I have a better understanding of the human beings behind the iconic images.  Both Smith and Maplethorpe are incredibly enigmatic and accessible all at once.  The book (and a recently released single) has left me anxiously awaiting the release of Smith's new album Banga.

Black Boy by Richard Wright                                                     
I won't rate this because it seems insulting to connect food with a book that so often talks about a person's nearly lifelong, poverty-induced hunger.
This is a very strong portrait of a dark time in American history and a bleak period in a very gifted person's life.  Readers can feel Wright's alienation not only from society due to his race, but also his psychological alienation from family and self.  Throughout the book Wright has to grapple with crushed hopes and failed communication, being forced into certain roles and accepted patterns of expression, by those around him. You follow Wright's perceptions of others, watching his insight and introspection deepen as he ages.  The increasingly sophisticated self-reflection is what makes the narrative so engaging for the audience.  A very important, very modern work.

Music
NPR's First Listen has provided me with enough auditory material to fill multiple, longwinded blog posts this week.  However, because I'm feeling a bit lazy, I will give a quick gloss of highlights, as a nibble, and leave it to others to decide more once they listen.

Regina Spektor's What We Saw from the Cheap Seats                         Holy li2uoi4u2o83u4oi1u!
Very, very exciting stuff.  I'll be happy when it's released for purchase.  Listeners can see that she's still making enjoyable music.

Valtari by Sigur Rós                                                                         23153 Viking sized sheep heads
Misty, other worldy.  Sigur Rós.  It was worth waiting for.

Heaven by The Walkmen                                                                                     65 cups of ambrosia
Although I don't really understand it, something makes me giggle and think of The Smiths, Deathcab, and Buddy Holly.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Here                                                        26783 Zero bars
Country folk funk.  Fun rhythms, lo-fi sounds.  Tambourines.  done.

Go out and read a book, stuff your face with something cold, and listen to some cool new stuff.

Failed Feminism: How Jane Erred and an Anthem Died

I realize this post is a bit far from the usual, but I also know that I enjoy reflecting upon my readings sometimes.  
As a caution, I want to be sure to explain that I'm not unfairly applying the lens of a different time, these ideas were common enough stirrings at the time of the authors, and even before.  
Think Elizabeth Cady Stanton, etc.


Some months ago, I read Anthem by Ayn Rand, and I couldn't shake the feeling that Rand essentially missed the point of her own novel, and a more than suitable platform to express the sentiments of individualism in regards to her gender.  Although the individual is to be exalted over the collective, each person's identity derived through its personal expression, the most important female character in the novel mindlessly follows another: a man.  
How would a Russian woman writing at the beginning of the 20th century pass on this opportunity to critique the status of women in contemporary society?  
I've heard the argument that if individualism is truly cultivated in its purest sense, no one need worry about the gender of the person.  This seems rather after-the-fact because this concept isn't expressed well anywhere in the novel, and has to be searched for to allow modern supporters of Rand's ideology to better justify their beliefs.
She, "The Golden One" or Gaea, as she is named by her male partner, then perpetuates her submission through motherhood and the all-intensive grooming of the new generation of what seems to be some kind of uberman.  Emphasis on man because woman has now become a birthing machine to help populate the planet with the enlightened ones.
Maybe Rand wanted so badly to be rid of the collective ideals of her society that she chose to ignore the congealing feminist movement.  In that case, she was siding with the men's collective.  Great.


Jane Eyre is another book that I've read and felt the urge to comment on.  I guess my commentary is more of a dialogue of questions than anything.  
Why does Jane only find happiness once married?  Why must she be attached to a husband and children to be fulfilled?  Which is such an other wises strong nature dominated by her creep of a cousin?  Why is it that she's only equal to Mr. Rochester once he's blind and left without one of his arms?  Are women really so limited as to be essentially "half of a man"?  How is her peace only found once Mr. Rochester is almost entirely dependent upon her?  Is there no such thing as mutualism?  Can exchanges between genders not take place fairly between two "intact" individuals?  Again, anticipating that some people would say it's more of a commentary on social class than gender, I'm compelled to ask why?  If it's part of the heroine semi-genre so popular at this time, why would the female author, herself and talented sister, from a background in which they were limited due to their gender, ignore the obvious chance to address gender equality through her title character in the same imprisoning predicament?  Couldn't she as easily turn the same microscopic eye with which she addressed English social stations to the relations between men and women?


More recently, I must say I was let down by the ending to Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar because it seemed to undo everything the novel had stood for.  Although its to some degree a chronicle of a life falling apart, its told in retrospect by a wiser woman who has found herself and stitched everything back together--only to conform.  Plath's alter ego essentially ran from male domination into the arms of a husband who subdued her individuality by making her the mother she never wished to be.


Maybe I'm too hard to please, but one of the only female authors who seems to suit my feminist ideals seems to be Toni Morrison.  In Beloved and The Bluest Eye, deep psychological portraits of families led by women in deplorable conditions are painted.  The characters try to extricate themselves from societal injustices and internal conflicts.  Although these women are almost always oppressed, they're never pitiable.  You understand their circumstances and enjoy watching them strive for more, confident that they'll succeed.


Authors everywhere: give us real women.  Real women of the society in which we live, who won't let us down.

The Three Rs: Romeria, Readin' and a-Runnin'

Romeria
The months of April and May often see a number of celebrations in Spanish pueblos dedicated to patron Saints.  Local food, wine, and dancing along with an overall carnival atmosphere is quite a sight to see.
I was lucky enough to have my camera with me for the celebration at "La Ermita", the little chapel dedicated to Nuestra Señora de los Remedios just outside of town.  
A local dance of by "Los Jateros" was performed.  This very old, very traditional dance is entirely unique to my little town.  It looks like an interesting combination of European cultures, and--although I'm no anthropologist--I'm going to guess it's probably some kind of gift from the Iberio-Celts.  
Thank you ancient peoples of Europe for providing me with colorful fodder for my blog.

Running
Running seems to be going pretty well, when I manage to keep from wiping out.  For the second time in the last couple of months, I found myself in slow motion, eating dirt.  But all's cleaned up and healing, and I've made the resolve to always wear my contacts when I'm taking the really uneven/overgrown paths around here.  
I'm putting in five days each week, with speed days on Wednesday, long days on Saturday, and rest on the T-days.  
During the week of rain we had (which seems as though that may've been the only wet period during my entire stay here), I spent my time doing speed intervals jumping rope.  I was pleased to find it pretty enjoyable, and surprised at feeling worn out afterward.  Kids are tough.
Now that the glorious sun is back, the only unfortunate aspect of my training is that I've been confined to nasty early mornings, or questionably lit dusk.

Reading
Although I am (once again) millennia behind many other readers' material examinations, I'm still enjoying some more classical reads which I think are worth sharing and reflecting upon.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote                                                                     9337495 Jack Whites
So creepy and great.  The story unfolds brilliantly.  It begins in media res, and offers a number of flashbacks from a swath of historical periods in the lives of many of the characters.  It's also told from the point of view of various people in this motley, so you as a reader can begin to discover for yourself, "the ties that bind."  Quick, satisfying read.

Ulysses by James Joyce                                                                        43080394 Pints of Guinness
Steven returns!
This has been described as one of the best novels of the twentieth century for one reason only: it is.  Joyce's almost shocking gift of mimicking the incredible evolution of written English provides great insight into his talent as a writer, but also raises some questions as to who the "real" Joyce is.  Fascinating.  His way of streaming, blending, and complimenting the flows of thoughts, sights, sounds, and surroundings of his characters while pulling meaningful symbolism throughout the novel is incredible.  The motifs and commentary related to modern colonialism is quite complex and still relevant today.

Sherlock...The entire series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle                     204072 Robert Downey Jr.s
I've been on some kind of express kick careening through the annals of Baker Street.  I'm not really sure why, but I took it upon myself to read the complete tales of my favorite London detective.  I haven't been disappointed.  The subtle dry humor, and the fun of piecing together the clues has been a pleasant source of entertainment.  The best part is that you can pick up and leave off almost anywhere in the series of short stories, or mix in one of the four novels without confusion.  The little self-contained accounts make it a nice travel companion.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison                                                                     9 3-penny Mary Janes
What a powerful social commentary.  It's Morrison's first book, and you can see her typical fascination with the story of a family through the eyes of its members.  Again, as with much of her writing, it can be humorous, difficult to read, and inspiring all at once.  It's a short, and very fast read, but it provides the audience with yet another glimpse of why Ms. Morrison is such an important contemporary American author, entirely deserving of her Nobel status.  Although Morrison has said she regrets that the book failed in that it touched, rather than moved many of its readers, I can say that I was very compelled by the narrative. 

Holy-super-cram-jam-packed-extravaganza-ness

It's been almost a month since I made my last post. It's been a very eventful start to my spring however, so I believe the delay is justified.

Stuff of interest to others:
Food
I made a bunny cake. Cute. Moist. Inhaled.
The version I made with Gramma (intentionally misspelled to demonstrate pronunciation) was a bit different because I used one cake round for the body and another for the head and tail, but you can find the general idea here: Betty Crocker Easter Bunny Cake.

Why yes, those are marshmallow teeth.

I made black bean brownies. My picky relatives gobbled and nommed without even knowing they weren't the ridiculously indulgent treats they seemed to be.  I found the recipe here at Pennies on a Platter , but I cut the sugar and oil by about half, upped the cocoa powder a bit, and used sugar free chocolate chips.  The batch yielded 25 brownie bites made in a cupcake maker. I did some calorie math after my changes and they came out to just over 100 calories per brownie bite. They were the best when they were warm and served with fresh fruit.


Music
Carla Morrison's song "Me Encanta"                                       32384 overpriced gourmet coffees
The song was available for free on iTunes, so I downloaded it and now I want MORE. Absolutely great. Actually, the first word that came to my mind while I was listening was, "gorgeous". Though she sings in Spanish, her lyrics are simple and sweet, and her voice contains all the meaning a listener really needs. Great folk sounds accompany her with a clean style that enhances her work. I'm definitely getting the album Déjenme Llorar soon.

Alabama Shakes' debut album Boys & Girls                            983983 peanut butter sandwiches
This album rocks so hard it hurts. I was a little worried that all of the hype couldn't be fulfilled, but I was pleasantly surprised. After listening to the album, all I can do is drool over the thought that one day, maybe, the world would be lucky enough to have them and The Black Keys at the same concert.
If ever this happens, I will need a change of pants.


Movies
The Hunger Games
I've already seen it twice and am anticipating many more times. The subtle black humor and man's barbarism in this creepy modern society is fascinating. The acting is also quite good. I love that the main character is a strong, smart teen girl. And my favorite part: you never know who anyone really is--actions, motives, inner feelings are all left to the viewer/reader to infer for themselves.

The Lorax
What a great surprise! I mostly saw the movie out of my loyalty to the Great Dr. Seuss, though I was afraid that it might destroy a bit of my childhood if it went badly enough. But as I said, a treat was in store, and I left the theater pleased. My sister who saw it with me left a bit teary-eyed. It preserved the message of the book without being too "preachy", and kept my attention although most kids movies are boring for me. Well done, Danny DeVito.


Books
I haven't listed everything I've read or audiobooked within the last month because it would be creepily/pathetically long, so I just posted the top three coolest.

Memoirs of a Geisha
Yes, I am years behind the times. But I've been slowly expanding my circle of reading to encompass more modern works in addition to the classics, so lay off.
I can see why this was such a popular book for so long. It's a powerful story that uses a mix of humor and emotional drama to lead the reader to see the world in a very different way. Such a vastly different time and society viewed through the eyes of the main character was a great break from my day-to-day. It's a pretty quick read which is well worth the time.

The Joy Luck Club
Again, if you're one of the cool people who read it a long time ago, lay off.
This is a wonderful series of vignettes pulled together by a few common threads: ancestry, immigration, hope, disappointment, and the relationships between mothers and daughters. The stories are told in alternating chunks, by the characters who lived them. I would actually consider this a good present for an aunt, mother, grandmother, sister, etc; and an interesting resource to pull from for a short story unit for junior high/high schoolers.

Dracula
I was honestly shocked.  Although there was a certain amount cheesiness due to the era in which it was written, it had a very modern sentiment about it. I was completely engaged. It was very cleverly crafted and interestingly unfolded for the reader through a series of journal entries and dialogues. There's a reason it has been the basis for countless other works after it: it's just a good story.


Personal neatos:
I spent two days in Sevilla, shopped a bit in Badajoz, and went to Paris for 3 days towards the end of the month.
I completed an interview (in French!) as part of an application for graduate school.
I flew home and FINISHED A HALF-MARATHON! *I've updated my "10 Things I would like to do" post to reflect this.* I think I'm going to keep this going. Maybe even something a bit longer is to come...?
I've seen lots and lots of robins' nests, full of eggs.
I stuffed my face with all kinds of goodies not available here in España.
I chugged limitless quantities of any coffee I could find.
I came back to my pueblo and celebrated Easter with my primary students with several belated Easter Egg Hunts.
I was accepted to study at the Université d'Orléans for 2012-2013!
I've put out 2834928734927 job applications in hopes of not being completely impoverished for the next school year.

Happy spring!

Soko, Springtime, and "The Seven Who Were Hanged"

Soko just released her first official album and it is great!  Spring has come to my region of Spain and I was able to get a few pictures to share.  And finally, I have a little book review.

Music
I Thought I Was An Alien by Soko                                           3 Gallons of Chick-fil-A lemonade
This is a very good album.  I was pleased she developed the potential that I saw in her earlier work from her EP Not Sokute, which I mentioned in an old post.  This album is much darker and more personal though.  There is a lot of heartbreak in her lyrics, but I think the most interesting aspect is that hearing about her feelings and situations doesn't actually make the listener sad.  If anything, it gave me a better understanding of the artist herself, and put me in a very reflective mood.  Nostalgia is sometimes necessary.
You can get all the typical information such as lyrics, tour dates, and video clips at her website: http://www.s-o-k-o.com/

Pictures
Hooray for happier weather for sunnier times!
The days are getting longer, trees are blooming, and the damp draft that was ever-present is lifting.  This inspired my tourist's walk through the pueblo.

I count myself lucky to be here to see these incredibly blue skies on my warm wanderings.

Reading
The Seven Who Were Hanged by Leonid Nikolayevich Andreyev.        100 oatmeal cream pies
A fascinating series of psychological portraits. 
Background: A group of revolutionaries in monarchial Russia plan an attack on a prominent bureaucrat.  The attempt is foiled, and the plotters are sentenced to death.  Two other criminals are also to die at the same time for unrelated charges.  
As the story unfolds, the reader is taken from cell to cell, brain to brain, to watch how the different personalities of the characters contend with the knowledge that they are to die soon.  One envisions martyrdom, one is terrified into stupor, one considers what it will be like to become nothingness.
I keep reflecting upon what a great movie it could make if a director were to ever take on the project.  It's incredibly Russian in its dark sentiments and motifs, and it maintains that same characteristically Russian novel appeal.  The reader becomes subsumed into details and very moving images and concepts, while the writer pours what he knows of himself and his society into the piece.  And as an added bonus, it's not the length of the typical Russian story.  I was through the bite-sized work in less than an afternoon.  You can read or download it here at Project Gutenberg.  

'Beloved' and Going to Band Camp

It's been many moons since I have indulged my blogging pleasure. I've been keeping busy in the meantime, however. I've been reading and listening to podcasts here and there. I've also picked up some additional conversation classes, and really thrown myself into my fitness routines.
Results: I'm a slightly smarter, slightly leaner, slightly wealthier person. But boy, do I mean slightly.
Anyway, here I go!

Beloved                                                          2343234 no-bake cookies and a HUGE glass of milk

Beloved is America, and you can too! I jest in an attempt to lighten a really tough subject, but sans-silliness, Toni Morrison's classic is a truly fantastic novel.
I'm clearly a late comer to the book. At my high school, it was lumped in with other period novels, and I selected another book to read in its stead. But I must say, I'm quite pleased with my recent resolve to make up for lost time. I'm not going to go into a summary of the novel, or even descriptions of the characters/events--it's easy to find that stuff elsewhere; I plan to just talk a bit about the musings it's evoked. 

Aside from the fact that it took me so long to finally read it, another unfortunate aspect for me in relating to the book is that it's too often categorized, and thus labeled. It's usually described as a "must read" for February because of Black History Month, or a required text for particular American history or literature classes because it's about a dark time in our nation's past. However, I think it's a disservice to try to categorize the novel in these ways because it gives perceived limits in readership and literary themes.

The story is much more than a story about slavery or the inhuman way people treated each other. It transcends the epoch in which it is set to provide a much wider commentary on contemporary society, women's issues, and more generally the human spirit as a whole. This is part of what allows for so many different interpretations of events and characters in the novel, and it is what makes the story so moving and salient for me. Characters are dynamic, and so is Morrison's writing style. Evolution occurs throughout the story, in the development of the women's personalities and relationships, the unraveling fragmented narrative, and even the style of the prose used to convey events.

The supernatural elements at work in the novel are presented at the very beginning of the novel, and are completely taken for granted by the characters. At first this was a bit hard for me to access because I didn't originally anticipate the need to suspend reality--it's a historical novel, right?--however, much like in Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, [another book I love without reserve,] this element of wholeheartedly believing in the supernatural creates an effect that draws a person in, if not as a coconspirator in a sense, then at least as an assimilated member of the community. Towards the end, Morrison also flirted with elements of Faulkner, bringing American style stream-of-consciousness to bear. Readers had a distant view of each character's actions, feelings, and thoughts throughout the novel, but the new direction the writing took for a limited time offered even deeper insights and revelations. The end was sort of unexpected, yet very satisfactory.
Hand well played.


Music
To use an old expression, Bandcamp pwns face.
I posted a link to my NOLA pal Gabriel Goldstein's album Sad Stories and Cautionary Tales quite a while ago, but I didn't talk about the Bandcamp site itself.
If you're an artist it's potentially cool because you can sign up for free and get your music out there in a way that wasn't available even a few years ago. You can set the price, give your stuff away, or allow listeners to decide what to pay for themselves.
If you're looking to discover new artists it's great because you have a wide variety of music you would never otherwise hear, available for instant download.

Personal recommendations:
Smokey-voiced/experimental Josh Garrels,
Where the Wild Things Are, Argentina style Julio y Agosto,
Bordering on lo-fi Cathedral Pearls,
Folky Chris Rubeo, and
Ethereal Chris Staples.

Free. Do it. Now.

'1491', Music, and Microwave Cookin'

I've been spending the last several days reading, running, and relaxing around my pueblo.

Reading
The main focus of my reading was Charles C. Mann's 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. I enjoyed the book from the perspective of a former history student and an interested reader for pleasure. 

To be sure, Mann is a journalist working in the world of ethnographic history, archaeology, and anthropology, leading to some mistakes and an uncharacteristically stylized form of writing for the genre. His undertaking is also a bit extreme: he includes two entire continents under the ideological umbrella of "Pre-Columbian Indian societies" and sets to work spinning his narrative, trying to help a reader picture what life was like "before contact". 

The organization of the book is at times problematic. Rather than following a chronological or geographical organization, he follows a more journalistic-line of thematic ideas, jumping between eras, societies, and vast geographical regions. This leads to sometimes concentric, sometimes overlapping circles of narrative. He also attempts to give both sides of the modern academic debate surrounding various issues, but with somewhat tenuous segues, so at times he seems to be deconstructing a wall as he is building it. This organizational pattern can leave a reader thinking, "Wait, didn't I just read that?" or "I thought he just dismissed that theory as inaccurate..."  There are also some easily avoided errors which I easily found during my reading, (a quick example: he calls Extremadura, Spain a town for example,) but the intention and the overall content made for a nice read.

When considering the intention of the author, I believe 1491 was pretty successful. This book is an attempt to address modern, mostly American interpretations of native peoples. Though not necessarily "dispelling myths", it's an interesting way of perceiving cultures which are often marginalized or discredited as being true "civilizations". My incredibly Euro-centric education has often minimized the impact of Indian groups, and it was nice to see things from a different point of view. At the very least, it's increased my interest in reading more about many of these groups on my own.
You can read an excerpt from the book at Charles Mann's website.


Music
NPR's First Listen has really impressed me lately with their musical selection. Leonard Cohen's Old Ideas, Ana Tijoux's La Bala, Gotye's Making Mirrors, and Kayhan Kalhor's I Will Not Stand Alone are all worth a serious listen. For free. Each in its entirety.
Old Ideas                                                                                              3 pairs of mirrored sunglasses
Cohen's dirty old man image remains preserved in his latest album. His crusty voice with gospel-inspired lyrics and accompaniment are reminiscent of the good ol' "Hallelujah" days. Check out "Amen" specifically.

La Bala                                                                                                             A glass of fine vino tinto
This album includes a lot of what was refreshing about M.I.A.'s work, just in Spanish. Great beats, forceful lyrics. The best part: I can understand a lot of what Tijoux's saying now, but I must warn that it's very political.

Making Mirrors                                            8 obscure candy bars you've probably never heard of
Gotye's album is sort of an eclectic mess, but a fun listen for a lighter mood. Synth, pop, and catchy melodies in a slightly high-pitched voice make his work pretty unique. (And I'll admit, maybe a bit hipster.)

I Will Not Stand Alone                                                       1 comfy couch and endless cups of tea
Kalhor's work is of an entirely different animal. It's Iranian sounds, sans-lyrics, often combining various string instruments such as a kamancheh in a free-formed shape of the audible. Something perfect for a more meditative mood or just quiet relaxation. Beautiful.

Health
In one of my earliest posts, I mentioned my goal of running a half-marathon at some point. The past few months, I've actually been training for it. I'll be going home for Easter break, and I've signed up to participate in my hometown's running festival.
I've been using Adidas's free miCoach application on my phone to prepare, and I've really been enjoying it. Of course, we'll see how well I've actually been prepared at the end of March...
I've also been doing a little yoga following my runs to keep my muscles loose. I found a free video podcast that I kind of like on iTunes: YOGAmazing. I'm feeling more fit and have noticed some of the benefits of regular exercise.
Both sites are careful to mention that they're no replacement for professional consultations, so be sure to do what's right for you and get advice from a doctor.

Recipe 

Following my long runs as a mini-celebration, I have a little recipe which has allowed me to indulge my ridiculous sweet tooth and love of molten lava cakes, even though I don't have an oven in my apartment.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake from Instructables
I decrease the sugar and flour a bit, and use part of the butter called for to grease the inside of the mug rather than directly including it in the batter. From my own calorie checking, this cake is probably really enough for two, (about 900 calories I think,) but if you decide to half it, the cook time would need to be adjusted.

Techie Stuff, Lovecraft, and Howler

A little something different today. I'm including some music and reading, but also some nerd knowledge I've recently acquired. On with the show.

Ear candy. If you need a little acoustic inspiration in your day, you can stream the band Howler's premier album America Give Up before its official release at NPR's First Listen. I'm already excited to follow this band in the future.

Hooray for compacts! I got a camera for Christmas, and I must say it's not too shabby. It's a sleek-little-retro Panasonic DMC-LX5. I wasn't born a photographer, but this machine lets me capture some nice images in a user-accessible way.
If you get giddy looking at this kind of thing too, you can check out my model at the Panasonic Site. Look forward to more pictures taken with this camera in subsequent posts.

Mac Apps
Smartr. Free for Lite, $2.99 for full. This is a neat little flashcard application available in the Mac's App Store. Simple design--it's as Swedish as IKEA--but it meets its purpose quite well. You can import files directly into flashcard format or export and share them. It cycles through different portions of the stack each time you initiate a study session, so it's not fantastic for major cram sessions, but it's good for retention over time. Updates are in the pipeline, so I'm looking forward to expanded features and functions in the near future.

Stanza. Free. Open a wide variety of formats from PDFs to reader docs, and read them on your computer screen, or convert them to another format for iPhone. *NOTE: You've probably already heard of Stanza app for iPhone, but there have recently been a lot of problems with crashes.
This software has actually been out for years; I just hadn't found it until recently. You can download it for Mac at CNET.
Practical example: I've been on a Lovecraft kick the past couple of months. All of his works are now in the public domain, so they're available in their entirety online, for free, and I can save them to my computer as PDFs. However, I can't seem to find them for free in an ePub format in the iTunes store. Solved with this freebie. I just convert and transfer them to my phone. Now I can give myself the willies on the go.

And in case you're also in the mood for creepy Poe-inspired sci-fi, you can find a long list of complete Electronic Texts of H.P. Lovecraft’s Works. "The Colour out of Space" is a fun short story to start with, though "The Call of Cthulhu" is probably his most famous work.

A Book about New Orleans and some Jazz

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

I will not bother rating it because I believe it will speak for itself.  I said in the title of this post that this book is about New Orleans.  It's a bit of a misnomer.  A Confederacy of Dunces is about my old city and more.  This is a story of intricately woven madness which takes place in one of the most appropriate cities in the world for a book of this nature: New Orleans, LA.  It reeks of disturbing problems associated with the modern Southern identity along with the black hilarity such circumstances afford.
The [anti]hero of the novel, Ignatius J. Reilly is painfully antiquated, repulsive, and fantastic. Reilly is the hub of the novel, surrounded by a menagerie of characters whom Toole shockingly manages to fit into this cosmic mayhem.  At times I could feel myself cringing at the awkwardness of the dialogue and situations portrayed anywhere Reilly set one of his swollen, boot-clad feet, though at others I found myself laughing aloud on the verge of tears.  What a delightful mixture. A reader can really revel in this oddball's even odder story.  
Parallel stories and side plots weave in and out of the narrative, making readers guess what kind of wild goose chase they're being led on.  What's best: it makes sense.  All of it.  The characters' lives meet in an astounding crescendo that gives this story not only its cohesion, but its magic.
The actual language of the novel is another aspect of its beauty.  The strange and uniquely Southern Louisiana accent is duplicated in a way that makes me crave King Cake.  Even a character's cold becomes a laughable element of the story when duplicated in Toole's way.  What's special about the narration is that the narrator has no need to explain, "He thought" or "she wondered".  This formality is bypassed when the narration incorporates the rhetoric particular to each character.  Readers jump immediately into the minds of characters, like Jones's musings about "that mother in the green cap" or Reilly's feelings that anyone who offends his sense of propriety "should be lashed".  And this adoption of rhetoric progresses as characters become more familiar to the reader, drawing a person into the story even more.  Genius.   
In the end, a profound sense of justice is displayed.  Each character gets what he or she deserves.  (Again, a Southern novel.)  Well, maybe I should restate that--each character gets what you as a reader want them to get, maybe not what they deserve.  You really can't begrudge the ending bestowed upon "Your Working Boy"...

Many thanks to my photographer.

And as promised: some jazz to accompany the setting.

Same Girl by Youn Sun Nah                                    The surprise of 12647 unexpected gifts!
A very unique style of music in which the artist actually uses her voice as an instrumental element, not only singing, but seemingly accompanying herself with her vocals and lyrics.  She creates some of the most haunting song covers I have ever encountered.  It's not truly minimalism, but there is a sense of negative space that is evoked with the simplicity and tempo of the music.  Not what I was expecting at all.  And just in time for the Christmas season, check out:  Youn Sun Nah's cover of "Favorite Things" on You Tube 

Lars Danielsson's   Tarantella                                83 authentic Mexican cheese enchiladas
I'm nowhere nearly sophisticated enough to comment on most jazz, but I think this album isn't the kind that delivers to only the intellectual music elitists.  It is what is right about jazz.  Recurring, yet beautifully improvised themes and an exploration of the creativity of the artist as well as the imagination of the listener.  A beautiful warmth and peace emanates from the tracks.  You can visit the artist's website here: http://www.larsdanielsson.com/html/frame.html 

Cheers to good entertainment!

Little Stevie Dedalus

I realize that it is probably sheer folly to write this post, but I'm choosing to do so anyway.  I've been reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce the past few days, and really enjoying the experience.  So much of what Joyce said back then seems salient for me in the modern era.

Of course, stream of consciousness is modeled after how one thinks, so it is logical that this kind of writing would really speak to a person.  However, I believe the content of the story itself really echos something of the adolescent experience generally, and my experience specifically.  Not that I had an alcoholic father who drank and squandered our family into ruin, nor did I have to cope with a subsequently poor diet or hygiene, but many of the actions, emotions, and thought processes were there.

I remember on occasions the same crippling pangs of guilt for sin (not that I had a lust for prostitutes).  The same hysterical thoughts of repentance, continual penance and self-denial, and the same burning desire to change my ways so as to avoid an all but certain eternity of punishment.  What if I died on the way to confession?!  What if God chose to stop my heart right before the priest spoke the final words?!  

I remember the utter mental and bodily illness I felt before confession; the vile repulsion with myself and the world.  The equally strong elation after receiving absolution.  

I was a maniac.  The resolves I always made following confession encouraged and terrified me at the same time. 

In my case, and in Dedalus's, religion succeeded in cultivating a dire sense of guilt and panic.  This seems to be a very adolescent-style religious experience.  An experience that almost without fail, tempers itself over time.  It certainly did for the character and for myself.

However, I do have to wonder if it has truly been tempered, or merely changed shape.  I've reflected on my current lifestyle here in Spain, and I've realized I have been pouring myself into a physical fitness routine among other habits, so as to fill some unseen void.  I do yoga everyday, I run at least four times per week, and sometimes I do additional exercises as well.  I continually read, cook low-cal, listen to music, and write.  To what end?  What fulfillment am I seeking?

I suppose I shall leave off where Joyce left off: on the move, in transition.

Read the book.  It's free to download, or cheap to buy.

http://www.gutenberg.org/

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/