| | The view from inside my head
1. ENDINGS
I just finished the "History of Love" by Nicole Krauss. What a let
down. Totally bullshit ending. I mean, you fall in love with the
texture and depth of her characters, you read 200-plus pages, and the
conflicts that took that long to build are resolved in like 3 pages,
certainly not enough time to satiate a reader's sensibilities.
2. ELITISM
I attended a daylong seminar on international reporting at UC Berkeley
on Saturday. Several observations on this event. One, I never want nor
do I need a graduate degree in journalism. There's totally an elitist
attitude surrounding that grad school program, which while perhaps
legitimate, is utterly frustrating, especially because journalists are
supposed to be humble and empathetic and graceful listeners for whom
preconceived notions evaporate during said listening. Also, I realized
upon hearing from these incredible journalists who have reported from
Tunisia and Iraq and Uruguay and Mexico and China that what I don't
know about journalism can only be learned by doing, not by sitting in a
classroom for hundreds of dollars per credit hour.
3. THE WORLD IN MEGAPIXELS AND HTML CODE
International reporting is a very cool thing to learn about from the
reporters who've been kicked out of countries or jailed in Libya or
snuck across the border from Guatemala to Mexico. It's also interesting
because the Internet -- a high-tech creation, no doubt -- has made it
possible for people around the world to learn about countries that are
underdeveloped, or developing, or in crisis. So much innovation, and so
much room to continue to explore how the Internet will help human
beings understand their brethren in other hemispheres. I think if the
Internet could figure out how to be less schizophrenic (like
momentarily you could click on this link, my favorite site I learned of
this weekend, and bye-bye blog, hello something else). And then that
site will link to something else, and you'll go there, and so on and so
forth. It's unfortunately harder to be absorbed by something online,
unless it's really mind-blowingly compelling. I think this is a problem.
Some people probably love the interactivity of it all. I do, sometimes.
But usually I don't.
4. CREAKING FLOORBOARDS
I love it when my roommates aren't home. Love, as in: I am gloriously,
radiantly overjoyed when I have the place to myself for an evening. Or
two. Yes folks, for two evenings in a row I've had the whole place to
myself. This is because Jon's worked last night and tonight, Emilie's
out of town, and Jason has been at his girlfriend's. I wish I could
have this experience more often (though don't get me wrong, I love my roommates). Last night and tonight I just enjoyed
the sounds of the wind and the creakiness of our wood floors. I didn't
even play music until I sat down to write this.
5. SOMEONE ELSE
I have a new TV show on which I've almost instantly become hooked. It's
called "The Riches" and it's on FX. I read about it, then I told
the DVR to record it. I hardly ever watch TV, so if I'm hooked on
something, that says a lot about the quality of the show. It's
delightfully creepy, funny and irreverent, but also psychologically
twisted and entertaining. The concept sounds a bit crazy, but
essentially, this white trash family happens upon a fatal car accident,
discover the couple were on their way to a new home in a Florida cul de
sac and then assume the dead people's lives. Wayne and Dahlia become
Charlene and Doug Rich. That was the pilot episode. I think I missed
the second episode, but the third, I caught, and it focused a lot on
the emotional complications of their new life. Recommended.
6. GUNS
A week and a half ago our street filled with police cars, ambulances,
fire trucks, and then the dreaded County Coroner's van. We stared out
our bay window for like 3 hours, watching, and wondering what crime
could have occurred that the victim wasn't rushed to the hospital. The
10 o'clock news told us that a 14-year-old girl had allegedly and
accidentally shot herself in the face. Then, today, I learn that 33
people died in the deadliest random shooting spree in U.S. history.
Tragic. So so sad. So senseless. That's the worst part, really. There's
simply no way to reason or rationalize the Virginia shooting. You get
up, you get your coffee, you walk across campus and sit down at the
wooden desk and get out your notebook and Bic and then. Bam. Gunshots.
This is why civilians should never have been allowed to have guns in
the first place. Since it's completely unrealistic to change the second
amendment and illegalize guns, we should at least have tougher gun
laws. The fact is, crazy people and children get their hands on guns.
You should have to pass through strict channels before you can get a
gun.
7. PRESIDENT
I hate George W. Bush.
8. NEW THINGS TO SHAKE UP MY ROUTINE
My new goal is to do at least one new thing each week. So far, since
making this goal, I have done the following: Museum of the African
Diaspora, American Conservatory Theater's "After the War," checked out
Modern Times bookstore, saw a movie at the famed Red Vic theater, went
to the journalism conference at Berkeley and ran from my house to Ocean
Beach (about 6 miles).
9. SLEEP
I don't get enough of this. I'm ending this entry now so I can try to get more.
10. LINKS
Since I need to go to sleep I'll make links for this entry at a later time. Promise.
|
| | Posted 4/16/2007 11:16 PM - 22 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
- recommend
  - recs0
- share
- email
 - sent0
|
