Literary Allusion as Weapon

I’m not sure why I just thought of this, but it made me laugh. You probably won’t give a damn, but this blog post is for me, not for you. I remember playing with literary allusion in an English class during my junior year of high school. I reached a little bit, just to feel like I was putting to work some of the reading I was doing outside of class. Well, my teacher noticed and mentioned in passing that he actually researched them to make sure I was using them correctly.

Big mistake. His, not mine.

When I realized that he had to go on this “fact-checking” excursion, I amped up my efforts, looking for the bizarre, remote and difficult to verify. He toiled silently for weeks before finally begging me to stop. I think he figured out what I was doing.

Score one for the student!

What I’m Reading, What I’m Smoking

I haven’t hit on this in a while. Again, day job was bogging me down. Lately, I’ve been switching between De La Concha house cigars (Toro-sized) and my pipe (Key Largo tobacco from G.L. Pease). Both have been keeping me happy and inspired.

Right now, I’m reading Don Quixote (by Cervantes). I’ve never read it, and that’s bothered me for a while. I know that it is among the books that one must read, and I’ve wanted to get to it for a while. I’m now incredibly happy that I picked it up. It is hilarious and quite readable (thanks in large part to the translator). Picasso’s work with Quixote– and Julio Aguilera’s as well– now makes more sense.

So, I recommend all of this. Smoke Key Largo in your pipe or a De La Concha house cigar while reading Don Quixote. It’s a nice combination … and one I hope to enjoy for another 700 pages.

Is News Dead? Um, Yeah

Everyone’s talking about the death of print. How about the death of news?I just saw that Rev. Wright is not writing a book about Obama. Seriously, is this fucking news?

Well, I’m not writing a book about Obama either. In fact, I don’t think I can improve upon the Rev’s statement. He put it so well that it has to be newsworthy:

“Nope. I’m not publishing anything. I’m not going on any book tours.”

Thanks for the words, Rev. I suspect the world will remain at ease, knowing that I’m not planning anything nefarious. You may now return your attention to Michael Phelps.

What I’m Reading

I’m slogging through Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him. It’s something of a Devil Wears Prada for the New York art scene. This normally wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’m reading it as research for a story I’m working on. For what it is, not bad.

What I’m reading, what I’m smoking

About to start Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography, by Dominic Streatfield

Smoking a Partagas Serie D (Cuban)

What I’m reading right now

I just finished Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs and absolutely loved it. Kloster has a sick mind, and it works for me. I’m now reading Spook by Mary Roach; it’s about finding evidence for life after death. Pretty interesting stuff. The last time I was on vacation (Quebec, in October), I read one of her other books, Stiff, which deals with how cadavers are used to advance medical knowledge. Fun stuff!

What I’m reading now

I just finished Stolen Innocence, by Elissa Wall. She successfully escaped from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (polygamists) and an abusive marriage. It’s an interesting read, especially if you’re as interested in fringe religions as I am.

I’m about to start Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. I’ll probably crack it open in a few minutes.