Arnie’s book should have been entitled: Stating the Obvious: Using Statistics to Draw Natural Conclusions. My god, I cannot believe the world praised this book as a breakthrough. God I am so fucking angry right now. And I don’t even … Continue reading
Blog Archives
Escaping the Delta – By Elijah Wald
Very eye-opening look at Robert Johnson and why he has become, wrongly so as Elijah surmises, known as the “King of the Delta Blues.” The book is based on a tremendous amount of research into the music scene at the … Continue reading
Grand Illusion
Jean Renoir’s, The Grand Illusion has blown a large portion of my mind away. Living in the perspectives of a Frenchman must have been fun. Even during the first World War. They were so cordial, so civil, to appreciative of … Continue reading
Travelling Music – Neil Peart
When I was thirteen a Saturday morning ritual for a few weeks was hopping on my bike and riding into town to Abbie’s Pizza. Not because Abbie flung the best pizza in town, but because Abbie had a jukebox. And … Continue reading
The Crash
There have been many times while biking, where I thought it would be fun to have a video camera along for the ride. I’ve covered a lot of ground in the back woods up and down the east coast, from … Continue reading
The Gormenghast Novels – By Mervyn Peake
All two and a half inches of this epic trilogy of 1000+ pages had been teasing me for ages on the shelf of my bookcase. It was there so long I forgot what review or wormholing reference inspired me to … Continue reading
World’s End – T. Coraghessan Boyle
Many books are written for the sole purpose of imparting knowledge. Other books are written to simply be read. And still others are written to induce a guilty pleasure, like a second helping of apple pie a la mode that … Continue reading
Because It Was There – Mount Washington, New Hampshire
Now, when considering hiking to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the highest mountains on the east Coast, I envisioned before me a long, arduous challenge. Which is precisely why I choose to do this thing I suppose, … Continue reading
Wisdom Teeth Removal… All Five of Them
I have just returned from having my five wisdom teeth removed. As I sit here and type, the lower half of my head is completely numb. I cannot feel my lower lip at all, nor chin, nor can I swallow … Continue reading
Acts of the Apostles – By John F. X. Sundman
A friend gave me this work of fiction on my birthday last year. He met the author while travelling and started a conversation with him. The book centers on technology and in their conversation, the name of my computer mentor, … Continue reading
Dead
Hi. My name is Ambrose and I’m dead. And as I can still communicate, I thought that this posed a unique opportunity to vent my recently deceased opinions. As I look at my name in the newspaper, listed as one … Continue reading
Dream is Dead
What will I do…now that the dream is dead? Because, after all, I am a firm…okay…a sometimes believer, no, that’s not right either. I am a frequent believer (?), that we are pulled forward through life. Want for more, is … Continue reading
Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television & the First Amendment – Newton N. Minow and Craig L. Lamay
Typical of my wormholing (i.e. following one reference to a particular topic, then another this references, then yet another, deeper and deeper and deeper.) this book perfectly echoes my utter disgust of television. However, where my opinion and argument ends, … Continue reading
Infestation
I don’t know what to do with them infesting my house. They crawl, low down, to the ground from room to room. Not quite so low as the mice. But close. And they nibble too. Crumbs stick to your bare … Continue reading
World Trade Center – Part II
As I walked down the concreted canyons of the New York financial disctrict, stepping through soot-laided streets, past armed militia and police barracades, breathing dusty air and catching glimpses of the broken skeletons of what was once the World Trade … Continue reading
World Trade Center – Part 1
Well, its been awhile since a rambling, stream of consciousness monologue has flowed out of my head, but I seem to have caught myself in a moment between moments, like I slipped on the One True Ring, and wish to … Continue reading
A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
Not only was this one of those rare books that has you from the opening pages promising greatness at ever turn of the phrase, it delivered on its promise. I started it unintentionally in an inopportune time, for I was … Continue reading
Father Joe – The Man Who Saved my Soul – By Tony Hendra
Remember the film This is Spinal Tap? (How can you not!) Remember the band’s manager in the film, the blonde British bloke? That is Tony Hendra. He is probably better known as the editor of National Lampoons, but neither here … Continue reading
The Crusades – By Zoe Oldenbourg
If ever there was a book written which one could call “glorious”, this is most certainly it. Zoe Oldenbourg has composed a book, based on historical documents, poems and the various memoirs of many historians of the time about the … Continue reading
The Bear Comes Home – By Rafi Zabor
The Bear Come Home stars Bear, the main character. He is a bear. A real life, walking talking brown bear. He lives in NYC with his master Jones, who won Bear in a card game when he was just a … Continue reading
Bourbon Street – New Orleans, Louisiana
Remember college days? Remember the dorms and the off campus apartments and the courtyards and the free-flowing kegs of beer and the booze and the drugs and the utter, exhilarating fun of being amidst a sea of like-minded individuals ‘in … Continue reading
South Street Seaport – New York, New York
The Perfect Storm was a bad movie. Bad acting, poor writing and in this day where technology allows us to archive every conceivable vision, horrible special effects. But as I try to remind myself often, even bad movies have their … Continue reading
Psychiatry and the Cinema – By. Krin Gabbard and Glen O. Gabbard
What I knew before even opening this book, was that even though it was written in the late eighties, the authors chose to focus on the films of the fifties and sixties. In discussing the introduction, the exploration, then the … Continue reading
Last Supper – Bar Harbor, Maine
My last evening on my trip, I find myself in Bar Harbor. Due to an extremely, extreme hike up and down Mt Katahdin, I find that my legs are quite and utterly useless. I cannot walk, not well anyway. Thus … Continue reading
