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Immature Poetry Appreciation
And now it's time for a juvenile look at words and expressions that have not aged well since the 18th century. I know what you're thinking -- "He's just found unfortunate uses of the word 'gay'" -- but, in fact, it's nothing of the kind. The humor here is purely scatological.
( But perfectly work-safe. ) -
True (Manhattan) Story
Last Friday, Kendell and I had plans to meet friends for dinner after work. Owing to some bad communication on all sides, I ended up getting the address of the restaurant wrong, which I realized when I arrived there and the hostess said she couldn't find our reservation ( Read more... ) -
LESP, Part 9
I've been collecting this latest batch for a while now. One day (maybe) I'll provide a single list of all the specimens caught so far. And a Wiki-style website where people can add new ones. In the meantime...
( Here's more ) -
Does Ridley Scott dream of electric unicorns?
Earlier this summer, I saw Bladerunner for my fourth or fifth time. Could it be my favorite movie of all time? It's certainly up there. Anyway, after seeing it, I did something I'd always meant to do: I bought and read the book it was based on, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
( Major spoilers within ) -
"One-upmanship" Quotes
Uh, so I accidentally posted some of the below last night when it was only meant to be a work-in-progress. Oops. Anyway, now for the explanation of what it is.
I recently finished reading One-upmanship: How to Win Life's Little Games without Appearing to Try, written by an Englishman named Stephen Potter and first printed in the Fifties. It's a ( Read more... ) -
Anthologizing an anthology
I recently finished the first volume of a battered four-volume set of Victorian poetry anthologies I bought years ago for a couple bucks: Ward's Poets. Interestingly, it was no coincidence that the great literary critic Matthew Arnold wrote its introduction: turns out he was Thomas Humphrey Ward's "uncle-in-law". And Ward's wife, Mary Ward, also ( Read more... ) -
LESP, Part 8
People! The world is filled with literal English surnames. I will soon quit my day job, grow out my hair and beard, and clip these precious names out of newspapers and paste them on the rough-hewn boards that line my fifth-floor walk-up Lower East Side garret.
( Read more... ) -
At The Algonquin
Earlier this week, I happened to find myself in Midtown proper for the first time in a while. I was on the north side of 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, to be precise, and I happened to walk by an awning that said "The Algonquin ( Read more... )