Humid Cedar

The Song of Wandering Aengus

By W.B. Yeats

I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire aflame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And some one called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

What are my current top ten Christmas songs, according to my iPod? I am glad you asked!

1. The Carol of the Bells by The Bird and the Bee
2. Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow by Jethro Tull
3. Silent Night by Bing Crosby
4. Baby It’s Cold Outside by Ray Charles and Betty Carter
5. Snow by Loreena McKennit
6. Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi Trio
7. Ciara by Luka Bloom
8. Soillse Na Nollag by Altan
9. Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton
10. Christmas Bells by John Gorka

It’s been a while since I posted anything, so let’s get all bullet-point with this thing:

-There are few things in this world that are greater than watching your babies smile. Order Your Soma Online today. Includes Dilantin side effects, interactions and indications. Buy Dilantin Low Price Dilantin. Find a Deal at OhDeal. Making them laugh is way up on the list too.

-Lesson learned: if you think you are going to get left-over pie after a family get together, then you have another think coming.

-I can recommend the latest installment of the Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Fatal Revenant but just to those readers who have kept up with the series and retain a compulsive need to complete what they started. Mr. Donaldson’s writing skills are in top form, and few people can create and describe a believable fantasy world like he does in this series. However, the reader spends too much time in the head of a character with serious personal issues. The result is claustrophobic and unpleasan We will match any competitor’s price. Use Nizoral® A-D just twice a week and finally experience a kind of freedom you’ ve never had before the freedom from dandruff. Buy Nizoral Shop online for Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo at drugstore. Order Today. t.

-No Country for Old Men is among the best movies I have seen this year. Not only is the story compelling, but it captures West Texas and the people who live there perfectly. I think Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones were born to play their characters. There are few villains as frightening as Anton Chigurh. However, it is not the instant family holiday classic that I was hoping for. “You’ll shoot you eye out, kid” indeed.

-Heroes ended with a whimper. Again. I will give this show another chance, since the show’s creator acknowledged the problems with the series and vowed to correct them and the third time’s the charm. They have a steep hill to climb, though. My suggestion: bring Brian Fuller back and hire the entire writing staff from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to help him out.

-How I Met Your Mother is really great! We are watching the second season on DVD now and I laugh out loud. I realize that by recommending this I am assuring that my friends and family will avoid it like the plague, but I can’t help myself!

-Dexter is a really compelling drama. Someday I plan on watching it.

-Bridge of Birds is an absolutely delightful book. I understand that publishing woes prevented Barry Hughart from finishing his planned seven-part series. I hope he finds a way to get those stories out there. I am reading the other two installments that managed to hit shelves (The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen) and they are as fine as the first.

So I finished “Straight to Darkness” this week. Although I wasn’t impressed with most of the stories, there was one work that stood out. In “C-Town”, the Japanese prepare for the impending arrival of Cthulhu in their own unique way. Like in any Godzilla movie, they gather their best scientists and charge them with developing a weapon to use against the Tentacled One. Alas, things don’t end up the way they planned. Even with the Japanese can-do attitude and technological know-how, the protagonists are no match for the mind-rending power of Cthulhu!

Perhaps they should have used ninjas.

Since it is still October, I am not finished with the scary stories. I picked up a collection of Richard Matheson stories this week. Mr. Matheson is best known for his scripts for the original “Twilight Zone” series, such as “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (featuring a young William Shatner on an airplane with a gremlin). He also wrote “The Incredible Shrinking Man” and the story that opens the collection “I am Legend”. “Legend” concerns the last man on Earth, the sole survivor of a plague that turned the human race into vampires. Although I wouldn’t call the story frightening, it is certainly interesting as it describes the ways a man copes with crushing loneliness and despair. It also has a few exciting scenes as well, as he must also deal with a planet full of vampires that thirst for his blood. As you can imagine, it occupies his time.

My copy of the short story collection Straight To Darkness arrived on Tuesday night. As you may recall from my last post, this volume collects horror stories written by Japanese writers that deal with themes created by H.P. Lovecraft. In particular, these stories deal with eldritch horrors from outside time and space (collectively referred to as the “Cthulhu Mythos” in honor of Mr. Lovecraft’s most famous fictional monster) that impinge upon our world, to the detriment of those who come in contact with them. Madness, degenerate cults, ancient secrets and hidden things all have a place in these stories. The usual plot revolves around a well-educated, middle-class white guy who stumbles upon something that is best left alone. He is often falls victim to the horror he discovers and mankind rarely comes out on top in these stories.

I think Japanese horror is particularly suited to this type of story. In stories like The Ring or The Grudge, the horror is implacable and inevitable. If you are unfortunate enough to fall within its grasp, then there is little you can do but succumb. Just replace the Japanese ghost with a tentacular cyst from Pluto and you have a tale that Lovecraft would envy. Nonetheless, I hope to discover in these stories new variations and perspectives unique to Japanese culture and literature that will freshen up the musty old rhetoric.

The first story in this collection, “The Secret Memoir of the Missionary,” does not fail me. It is an interesting twist on a familiar Lovecraft theme. Many critics believe that Lovecraft was racist, that he did not trust in anything that was not middle-class, white and from New England. In support of this view, these critics cite the author’s propensity to attribute the baser aspects of his “Mythos” to dark-skinned, foreign cultists who have more in common with primitive man than with enlightened European culture. They skulk on the fringes of society, murdering, thieving and gibbering dark curses at innocents whose only crime was to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. They embrace cthonic beings (in some cases, they even breed with them) and work to increase their influence on mankind. Cthulhu may drive us mad before eating us, but the dark-skinned, foreign cultists throw us into its maw.

In “The Secret Memoir of the Missionary,” it is the European who brings alien madness to the locals. Although the priest starts his journey to Japan intending to spread Christianity, a nightmarish conversion on the high seas provides him with a quite different goal. In this story, the white man is the foreigner who undermines society and seeks to replace it with his own in a cautionary story about the evils of foreign influence. As Japan constantly struggles with Western influences and seeks to maintain its own identity, I am sure that this type of story has a particular resonance to the Japanese reader. It is a ghastly, disturbing piece but a satisfying one. I hope that the rest of the stories are as interesting as this one!

It hasn’t been easy to read with twin babies in the house. When we aren’t feeding them or trying to comfort them, we are preparing to feed them or cleaning up after them. The process is definitely worth it: they are both healthy, happy babies! I am impatient for the time that they become more responsive to tickling and the like, so I can see them smile (although they do a lot of that now) and hear them laugh. But the experience, while exhausting, has been awesome!

I picked up a copy of Barbara Tuchman’s “The Guns of August” on my father’s recommendation a few months ago. It is a history of the events leading up to WWI, and by all accounts it is an enjoyable read. I tried to sit down and start it but, well, babies. I couldn’t give the book the attention it needs, so I had to set it aside for another day, when I can devote more time to it. Twenty years or so?

I can’t stop reading anymore than I can stop breathing (it can be done, but it doesn’t last), so I fished around for another book that better suits my current lifestyle. I tried Bernard Cornwell’s “Sharpe’s Fury,” the latest installment of his series tracing the career of a fictional British officer in Wellesley’s army during the Napoleonic War. In that book, he must stop a blackmailer from compromising a British diplomat and thereby placing the Spanish-British alliance at risk. As usual, he participates in some real-life battles where the British fought against overwhelming odds and won, as well as kick some ass on his own. The book was perfect for my needs. It is fast-paced, fun and easy to put down and pick up again without losing the thread of the story.

I decided to re-read that series, so I obtained a copy of Cornwell’s “Sharpe’s Tiger.” “Tiger” is the chronologically the first book of the series. Sharpe is a private in the army when the story begins, marching against a Muslim leader who stands in the way of British hegemony in India. The Muslim leader, the Tippoo, is holed up in his capital city of Seringapatam and Sharpe must infiltrate the city and rescue a Scottish spymaster who holds the key to the Tippoo’s defeat. He participates in the British siege of that city, and he faces Indian body-builders and tigers. It is a great read and I look forward to the next book.

However, that next book must wait. October is upon us and that means horror fiction. Most years, I will read some Le Fanu or Bram Stoker or even early Stephen King. This year I thought to try something different, a collection of Japanese short stories that tackle themes created by H.P. Lovecraft. The collection is called “Straight to Darkness” and I expect to see it on my porch on Tuesday. I’ll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, I can recommend some comics to tide you over during those idle moments. “The Immortal Iron Fist” is a great combination of early twentieth century pulp and modern martial arts/wuxia stories. Danny Rand is the champion of one of the Seven Cities of Heaven, and he must fight the champions of the other cities in a great tournament. The champion who wins the tournament earns his city the right to appear on Earth once a decade, instead of once every fifty years. While he stands up against opponents like the aptly named Fat Cobra, the evil organization Hydra plots to invade his city. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” began a story last month featuring Faith, the rogue Slayer. When the world suddenly finds itself up to its collective ears in Slayers, Faith is there to get her hands dirty and do what must be done.

And I cannot recommend the Marvel Adventures line highly enough for kids. The comics feature Marvel’s most popular and stalwart characters, such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, but written without the cumbersome and complex story continuity that plagues the characters’ regular titles. They are written with humor and a sense of fun. How can you go wrong when the Incredible Hulk travels around with a monkey?

Have fun!

Last night Linda and I attended a sneak peek of the new Pixar film Ratatouille. The movie was shown at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown and hosted by Patton Oswalt, the voice of Remy the rat. The prescription medication ClarinexAllergy relief Antihistamine ClarinexConsumer information about the medication DESLORATADINE - ORAL (Clarinex),Desloratadine is a drug used to treat allergies. biz has generic Clarinex (Desloratadine): 90 5mg pills for $27. Buy Clarinex Dec 29, 2004 Patient FAQ in html format with a link to approved labeling (as pdf). Take a deep breath.

For those of you not in the know, Ratatouille is the story of a rat who wants to be a chef in Paris. The rat does not live in an anthropomorphic world, where talking animals interact with humans, so the hero has his work cut out for him. The story is fast-paced (save for a few moments in the beginning of the last act, where everyone’s worst fears are realized and the villains are on the cusp of victory) and is deftly handled by the movie’s director, Brad Bird (who also directed Pixar’s The Incredibles). The animation is amazing and the voice acting is spot-on. I highly recommend the film.

The experience of watching the film was pretty cool too. Mr. Oswalt was aware that children were in attendance and he kept his (usually quite blue) material clean. He told us that this was only his second time to see the film and the first time he watched it with an audience not directly involved in the making of the movie. He was gratified to note that we laughed in all of the right places. After the movie ended, he participated in a Q&A, where he described his delight in every aspect of making the movie (”It was like being told that the Beatles, White Stripes, and Led Zeppelin were forming a band and I was asked to be the lead singer”). He had funny anecdotes about fellow actors involved in the film (Brian Dennehey told him : “We are character actors, so no one cares if we are fa FREE Just Pay Shipping. 93 with Discount, Buy MEGA HOODIA for Vitamins & Supplements at Herbspro Health Food Store. Buy Mega Hoodia 74 with Discount, Buy MEGA HOODIA for Vitamins & Supplements at Herbspro Health Food Store. Lowest prices on health, nutrition, performance supplements, weight loss anCompare MegaYour source for health and wellness research, news, message boards, chat roBefore You See Our Products Satisfaction or Your Money Back. t!”).

Janeane Garofalo appeared as a surprise guest. She lends her voice to the female lead, Colette, and she provided us with her perspective. She is clearly not used to talking to a “rated G” audience but she was gracious when a kid asked her a question. She did not add very much to the discussion, but I must say that I particularly enjoyed her description of the end of the last episode of The Sopranos, which she and Mr. Oswalt watched together the night before (”I do not accept this”).

I am sad to note that this is one of the last events to be held at the downtown Drafthouse, as exorbitant rents make it unprofitable to stay in the Warehouse District. I understand that the theater will soon relocate to the old Ritz building on East Sixth Street but I am not confident that the place will be as accessible or as accommodating as the original spot. As usual, the Drafthouse added its own touch to the experience, passing out free samples of the eponymous ratatouille before the show (Mr. Oswalt noted the convenience of satisfying the inevitable hunger that results from watching a movie about food as one is watching the mov Nolvadex more so than clomid, simplyLearn about the prescription medication Nolvadex (Tamoxifen Citrate), drug uses, dosage, side effects, drug interactions, warnings, and patient labeling. Buy 20 10mg pills for $14. Buy Nolvadex Apr 10, 2008 Learn about the prescription medication Nolvadex (Tamoxifen Citrate), drug uses, dosage, side effects, drug interactions, warnings,New Formula increases Testoterone levels up to 400% in 2 short weeks. NOLVADEXTamoxifen is an orally active selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that is used in the treatment of breast cancer and is currently the world’s largest selling drug for that purpose. ie). I understand that the theater will offer a full-course meal with the film when it is released to the public later on this month, so you should see it there!

UPDATE: A fellow from the Austin Chronicle who watched the film with us wrote a much more professional review about Ratatouille here

Chris of But Is It Fun? fame (sse the blogroll) wrote to me recently. He asked me about my favorite science fiction books, movies, TV shows and comics. I haven’t updated this blog in quite a while and this was as good a chance to get back into the swing of things. And I now have a MacBook Pro, so I can blog wherever I wish. I hope this flexibility encourages me to blog more often.

But enough about me! Here is my list:

Top Five Favorite SF Books:

1. Have Spacesuit Will Travel by Robert Heinlein

2. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

3. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

4. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

5. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Note that most of the books on the list are quite old titles. My grandmother kept an entire library of old paperbacks that I availed myself of at every opportunity as a kid. Many of the books that interested me once belonged to my uncle when he was a kid and they represented a cross-section of pulp novels and science fiction. Thus, the Heinlein Verne and Wells. I am not a big fan of science fiction these days. I find many samples of the genre to be pedantic or cliche (or both). There are some rare exceptions and I made a point to include two of them (Vinge and Stephenson) in this list.

Top Five Favorite Sci Fi movies

1. Star Wars

2. Alien

3. Blade Runner

4. Close Encounter of the Third Kind

5. Silent Running

I realize that the first four movies are obvious choices but they are obvious for good reason: they are excellent, exciting stories chock ful of cool ideas. I am not sure how many who read my blog know abot Silent Running and, truth be told that I haven’t seen this film in many years (it may not hold up). But I remember being struck by the ideas in the film (the domes containing the remaining vestiges of earth’s ecosystem, the robots) and the fact that the protagonist was a nut job (played by Bruce Dern).

Top Five Favorite Sci Fi Television Shows

1. Star Trek, the Next Generation

2. Babylon 5

3. Firefly

4. The occassional episode of Battlestar Galactica

5. The Six Million Dollar Man

My television choices are in no particular order. I didn’t like every episode of STNG, or even every season. I am on record about my disappointment in Battlestar Galactica, but when it is on it is on! Babylon 5 proved that a storyline extended over many years can work (even if the last season fumbled a bit). And who doesn’t like the Six Milion Dollar Man?

Top Five favorite Sci Fi comics

1. Adam Strange: Planet Heist

2. On occassion, the Legion of Super Heroes.

That’s about it. I couldn’t think of a complete list of comics because sci fi is not a genre I look for when I shop for comics. I should note that I liked the first several issues of the Five Years Later run on the Legion but I wasn’t as invested in the comic than a lot of fans are.

Feel free to add your lists in the comments!

I am happy to report that I am watching a lot of excellent television.

When 30 Rock premiered, I predicted it’s swift demise. When the first new episode in a while aired last night, I was struck by how wrong I was. Not only is this show getting better and better, it is getting a second season! I am not certain whether Will Arnett’s guest appearance bodes good or ill for the show; after all, Arrested Development - easily the funniest show I have ever seen on television - struggled for three seasons before dying ignominiously and I do not want 30 Rock to share the same fate. But he was as funny as ever in his uncomfortably short bathrobe, and Alec Baldwin can do no wrong in my book. I intend to enjoy this show for as long as the powers that be deign to keep it on the air.

Linda and I watched the first season of The Wire on DVD recently. It reminds me of the book Clockers, about a smart kid involved in the drug trade, and the world it described where the line between the police and the crooks was quite blurred. It’s not that they are both equally corrupt but that they share the same space and they have to figure out ways to get along together. It’s not unlike the Warner Brothers cartoons where the sheep dog and the coyote both clock in at the beginning of the work day. The notion makes sense to me and this show allowed me to take a long look at how this dynamic plays out over time. I am also a sucker for political drama, where one must flourish or die by one’s wits, and this show delivers that as well. I look forward to watching the next season soon.

Speaking of shows on DVD, I note with pleasure that the most recent season of The Shield on DVD is now in my Netflix queue. I haven’t watched the show in quite a while and in the interim I have watched the aforementioned The Wire as well as five seasons of The Sopranos. I wonder how The Shield will compare. By all accounts, the show has only gotten better.

Did you know that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has an eighth season? It’s not on television. Joss Whedon and many of the show’s excellent writers are continuing the eponymous hero’s story in a comic. The first two issues are on the stands, both written by Mr. Whedon. I was a little wary after a lackluster first issue but the second issue delivers the goods in spades. The dialog that marked the show is front and center, and the characters ring true. And how can you go wrong with a fight between an army of Slayers and an army of ninjas? How about an army of Slayers and an army of zombies?

September 1913

by William Butler Yeats

What need you, being come to sense,
But fumble in a greasy till
And add the halfpence to the pence
And prayer to shivering prayer, until
You have dried the marrow from the bone;
For men were born to pray and save;
Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone,
It’s with O’Leary in the grave.

Yet they were of a different kind,
The names that stilled your childish play,
They have gone about the world like wind,
But little time had they to pray
For whom the hangman’s rope was spun,
And what, God help us, could they save?
Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone,
It’s with O’Leary in the grave.

Was it for this the wild geese spread
The grey wing upon every tide;
For this that all that blood was shed,
For this Edward Fitzgerald died,
And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone,
All that delirium of the brave?
Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone,
It’s with O’Leary in the grave.

Yet could we turn the years again,
And call those exiles as they were
In all their loneliness and pain,
You’d cry `Some woman’s yellow hair
Has maddened every mother’s son’:
They weighed so lightly what they gave.
But let them be, they’re dead and gone,
They’re with O’Leary in the grave.