The Man Behind The Curtain

I just did something I rarely do: I clicked on a banner ad. I feel that I made a solid decision, as this website both amused and astounded me. Amused and astounded you ask? Yes. I was amused by the content, and astounded when I realized that it was an advertisement for a porduct of Microsoft, a company from which I've never before seen the slightest sign of a sense of humor.

DSC-III

While a handful of posts to this blog have included pictures taken with one of my digital cameras, I've yet to give the devices themselves much attention. My first camera, the DSC-P71, was a dual-graduation gift from my parents (as a congratulations for earning both an Associate in Arts and a High School Diploma in the spring of 2003). Its 3.2 mega-pixels served me well through my first year at Madison (including my first trip to Scandinavia) and my summer at Columbia University.

After returning from NYC I took my camera in for an alignment, since the blue was being recorded slightly offset from the red and green. Best Buy declined to fix "Li'l Digi" (as Marget and I had called it), so I was allowed to select a new camera from the shelf. Picking the DSC-P100 was an easy choice. The upgrade cost me the price of new batteries, but I was able to reuse the old case, which housed the new, smaller camera reasonably well. That 5.1 mega-pixel beauty served me for over two years, earning me a few bucks from James Block's political campaign shoot and gaining attention with a photo in a major newspaper.

Like the P71 before it, the P100 ended its days with me on the road. It was my constant companion in Los Angeles, but I made a last minute decision to stow it in my checked luggage when I discovered that we'd be flying home on rather small planes. I certainly regretted the decision when I arrived home to find the case in my bag and the camera missing from the case. My pilfering claim is still being processed, but I couldn't waste time in finding a replacement. Thus, on Monday UPS and Amazon.com connected me with my new photon-collecting friend: the DSC-T30. While I'm pleased that it boasts a cushy 7.2 mega-pixels, I'm still getting used to the feel of it, and it'll be while before I stop missing the old camera. I get rather attached to these things.

Form follows function

I'm still pretty happy with the overall appearance that this blog has had since late 2004, but its functionality hasn't been all that fabulous. I just couldn't put up with the linear archive any longer. I'm adopting this modified Blogger template, and I will attempt to tweak it until it more closely resembles my own design.

The Return

On my way home I looked up into the night sky and watched a plane descending slowly for landing at Hancock, its magnificently bright lights casting beams a quarter mile ahead of it.

Plumtree is back from Florida. I'm back from L.A. It's time to get back to it.

Driving Force

I've agreed to help out Martin Houge, the professor who led the Landscape in Flim course I took last semester, on his semesterly film series. This semester will be centered on Road Films. We finalized the lineup over the past couple of days. Our schedule will be:

07 Oct - Easy Rider
14 Oct - Two-Lane Blacktop
21 Oct - O Brother, Where Art Thou?
25 Oct - Sans toit ni loi (Vagabond)
04 Nov - Y tu mamá también
08 Nov - Stranger Than Paradise
11 Nov - Badlands
18 Nov - Vanishing Point

I'll be hanging posters and running the projector, which shouldn't be too bad. The fun part will come as we plan next semester's theme and line-up...

Understandable

While Googling around for information on UV radiation in LA I came across this friendly message:

Bonjour,
le service est indisponible momentanément...
Merci de votre compréhension.

This service is temporarily unavailable...
Thank you for your comprehension.

Scissors cuts paper, questions unnerve architects

I went to the Syracuse Connective Corridor open formum yesterday.  Four teams of architects presented their visions for our city, and the audience submitted questions to a moderator who posed a few of them to the presenters.  I asked the second team about their ideas for preserving parking availability since their plan calls for the reclamation of a number of parking lots for green spaces.  After receiving the questions all members looked nervous, and one fellow said softly to his teammates, "Do we rock, paper, scissors for it?"

Since 1984

Happy twenty-second, Claire!

Boom-da-da-boom-da-d—

I was walking back from the Warehouse, and a Ford Excursion with chrome rims rolled up at the red light next to me. The bass it was putting out easily surpassed anything that I've ever heard from an automobile, and I think I could even hear the glass of the car behind it and the windows in the building next to me vibrating. The twenty-something driver was looking rather pleased with himself, and the girl in the front seat seemed impressed—until the light turned green, that is. Almost as soon as the signal changed, the SUV stalled, the music went silent, and all I could hear were the usual sounds of a car starting up. I guess he must have diverted a little too much juice to his beats.

Syracuse international

Syracuse has been in full party-mode this past month. We've had a Latino Festival, an Irish Festival, and now we have Festa Italiana. This most recent one was only a half block away from my apartment, so I couldn't possibly miss out on the fun. (Nate and I strolled through the Irish festival a few hours before Plumtree died). I ate a light dinner so that I could sample some foods, but I still wasn't able to try everything I would have liked. I greatly enjoyed some "Greens Gentile" (escarole, sausage, broccoli, cherry peppers, and cheese) from Gentile's Restaurant and cooled my mouth with some gelato (which wasn't anything spectacular). Tonight I'm going back for the bacon-wrapped scallops on a stick, which will hopefully tide me over until the next big party: Oktoberfest!

Computer Over

The hard drive of plumtree, my primary computer, died today. I'm going to be stuck with quidnunc, my old Dell, for the next three weeks. quidnunc has no wireless, so updates to this blog before early October may be infrequent. (So what else is new?)

Wish me luck.

For whom?

I've always been one to look at the dedication pages of books, and I'm usually please when I find one that is interesting due to the presence of a familiar name or a bit of humor. In the last few days I've eyed the one in Francis MacDonald Cornford's translation of The Republic a few times. It reads:

TO
F. C. C.
in gratitude for many hours
patiently given to the amendment of this version
by one whose sense of good English
in a never failing guide

which I don't consider very interesting, although somewhat preferable to

For Louise, again, always

which precedes James C. Scott's rather excellent book Seeing Like a State. Today my real estate development textbook arrived, and I was pleased to find a freer spirit at work:

This book is dedicated to the memory of Jim Graaskamp—
dynamic, insightful, slightly opinionated,
and one helluva guy.

It sounds like a good way to be remembered to me.

A trip to Wal-Mart

I'm not a Wal-Mart fan, but Nate's parents (who eat organic foods and buy their cars based on Consumer Reports reviews) don't choose to fight that particular battle, so to Wal-Mart we went, and I wasn't as pained as I might have been. I did try to complete my more significant purchases at Minneapolis-based (and Guthrie-sponsoring) Target, but I bought a few little things from the Evil Empire, one of which was a rubber stopper for our kitchen sink. It took much looking, but finally I found one (while looking for something else, actually). The package had no brand name, but was simply marked "Sink Stopper." On the back it had a list of features to recommend it:

· PVC Material
· Flexible Snug Fit
· Unique Soft Grip
· Convenient Octopus Design

Yes, the thing is molded to look like an octopus sitting on top of a disc. Moreover the octopus has a face with two circles for eyes and one for a mouth. I seem to remember a Beanie Baby with similar anatomical incorrectness, but this one's a whole lot creepier. Yes—I think 'creepy' is definitely more accurate than 'convenient.'

Thems Fightin' Words!

Last night all grads were invited to Blue Tusk for a pre-semester drink. The restaurant and bar serves many drinks (Chris got a drink she calls "Sprite with two cherries"), beer is definitely their forte. I'm guessing they have around 5o beers on tap. I'm always tempted by Guinness, but I decided to try a War of 1812 Ale Sackets Harbor Brewing Company, since a truck bearing their logo had graciously waited for me to cross a street earlier in the day. I'm still to new to beers to review them seriously, but I liked it, and I liked the name. In some respects it reminded me of Bender, made by my hometown brewery Surly Brewing Co. I susptect there are a good number of beers out there that go by some fightin' words. Maybe I should try the locally brewed ImPaled Ale, made by Syracuse-based Middle Ages Brewing Company.

The Moose Are Safe In This Wood

Our attempt at a class trip to Ithaca may have been unsuccessful from the standpoint of attendance (only five of us went, and my own presence was due to some last-minute coaxing from Chris), but the food we found on the road kept our spirits high. We saved our appetites for Moosewood Restaurant, which seems to have achieved fame in its creation in 1973, especially among vegetarians and vegans. The quasi-vegetarian menu (a seafood dish seems to be offered most meals) is perfectly sized at five entrees and a handful of soups, salads, and sandwiches. I had Sante Fe chowder, a tomato and mushroom pasta dish, and a roasted plum teacake, and all the food very good casual fare. The chefs of the Moosewood seem discontent to keep their creations to themselves, and the restaurant has an impressive array of foods to go and cookbooks for at-home enjoyment, although the books are a little out of my price-range at present.

The drive home was supplimented with icecream from Doug's Fish Fry, which was enjoyable and reasonably priced. I regret to say that we passed by a place called "Googer's Cakes and Things" without stopping. It may very well have been closed, however, since word has it that Googer has moved on to bigger and better things...

A Pose By Any Other Name

After an afternoon at the beach we took a dinnertime siesta and then regrouped at Carousel Mall to see Little Miss Sunshine at the Regal Theater on the third floor. Chris, who's been my angel-of-transportation this week, drove me, and we arrived with enough time to head into Victoria's secret to find a pair of underwear that would satisfy the requirements of a coupon she'd had in her purse. I hung back for the first couple of minutes she was checking tags, figuring I'd be more in the way than anything. Eventually I did jump in, digging through the disorganized piles (in an ultimately fruitless search), but while I was waiting during those first two minutes I noted a rather prominently displayed add featuring model Heidi Klum. Black and white photos of Ms. Klum posing in a smooth black brazier were completed with the following quote, attributed to the model herself.

"Now I have a bra named after me."

Which got me to wondering: what's the bra called? The 'Klum'? The 'Heidi'? Sadly the 'Klumcupper' seemed out of the question. 'Heid' & Chic'? No. Then I joined in the search for panties (solid color; pink, white, or black; $5; and, of course, a size and cut to suit Chris's tastes), and bras had to be forgotten.

But not for long. Thumbing through the newest edition of The Week when I got home, I found a tidbit lifted from this bit in New York's Daily News:

Elle's shock over 'Body' double Klum

Is Heidi Klum a 'Body' snatcher?

Fellow supermodel Elle Macpherson, who's been known as "The Body" ever since Time magazine dubbed her that in a 1986 cover story, has every reason to think so.

This week, Klum has been claiming the title for herself in a saturation Victoria's Secret ad campaign for The Body bra. "They call me The Body—and now I have a bra named after me," the German hottie claims in TV commercials.

But not so fast, Fräulein Klum!

"We saw that and were like, Oh my god!" Elle Macpherson Intimates spokeswoman Melissa Edwards told Lowdown yesterday. "We were initially flabbergasted."

Now it's a battle of the supermodel moguls—Macpherson, the 42-year-old, 6-foot Aussie mother of two, against Klum, the 33-year-old, 5-foot-9 mother of two (with one on the way).

Elle's flack, Edwards, invoked the 1986 Time cover and added: "We have numerous press clippings in the office referring to her as 'The Body.' Everything from Harper's Bazaar to Vogue to the recent Sports Illustrated calls her that. In terms of public record, that name belongs to Elle."

Macpherson markets her own skin-care line, "Elle Macpherson The Body," along with a lingerie brand and a fitness video titled "The Body Workout." Klum—who was once called "The Body Two," in deference to Elle—is a relative Heidi-come-lately, and didn't hit the United States until the late 1990s. Both Klum and Macpherson have been favorites of the Sports Illustrated annual swimsuit issue, and both appeared in the mag's latest.

But what's up with "The Body" doubling? A spokeswoman for Klum and Victoria's Secret didn't respond by deadline to detailed messages.

This had me really confused, because I was absolutely certain that "The Body" referred to retired Navy SEAL, ex-professional wrestler, and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura! This led me to recall his expressed desire to be reincarnated as a 38-DD bra. I momentarily panicked, but Wikipedia says he's still alive. Whew. I need sleep. I never thought a trip to Victoria's Secret would have me in such a tizzy.

Good News Wasn't New By The Time I Realized It Was Good

I've had Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News on my computer for over a year now. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but that savagely delightful track "Satin in a Coffin" kept me coming back. Now the whole album is sounding good. I'm usually slow to warm to the albums I like the best and the longest, but this has been an unusually long thaw. Maybe my disdain for bad news stood in the way. Have you listened to this well crafted piece of music? Let me know. Maybe we can get a half dozen responses.

Indirect deposit

I'm trying to arrange a direct deposit of my TA stipend to my checking account. My initial attempt was foiled due to a shortage of forms at the TA Information Fair. Fortunately, I was told by the guy running the payroll table, I would be able to take care of the whole thing online at myslice.syr.edu. Unfortunately, I discovered today, I don't have access to employee on-line services for reasons unknown. Fortunately, I was able to find a printable PDF of the direct-deposit application which will serve the same purpose. Unfortunately, my printing account in the Warehouse has been deactivated until the school year begins, and there are no buses up to the main campus until that same time.

I've also been informed that the wireless network may be deactivated here in the Warehouse for the entire remaining week. I'm praying that doesn't happen, because I have no idea what I'll do if I'm without furniture, transportation, internet, and a grocery store for a whole week.

Spanish For 'Cacophony'

Working on the fifth-floor of the Warehouse I was listening to a new track from the Mars Volta when a raucous chorus of honking cars from outside overwhelmed the music in my headphones. I looked out to see the visible portion of Fayette Street filled with cars draped in Puerto Rican flags and dozens of go-carts weaving in and out down the line. A bit of Googling led me to the most probable source of the commotion. Let's hope that the noise I heard was not the end product of the one-hundred thousand dollar grant from the New York State Music Fund.

3,289 Pages Later...

I'm back in Syracuse after spending my summer as a lifeguard and bookworm. I'll be returning to Moby-Dick, which I left on the shelf for the months I had access to the the Hennepin County Libraries' collection. During that time I read:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
On Writing by Stephen King
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke

Hemingway's book was the least recommendable. I found that the word-for-word translations of Spanish phrases and the awkwardly omitted obscenities stifled the simple and elegant story. I'm hesitant to declare Clarke's book my favorite, but I will say I had the most fun reading it. I didn't quite get around to reading the Domesday Book, despite its new availability online.