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Mark Twain - Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 898
A collection of related and unrelated Twain writings. He has a (generally) amusing, approachable style. His approach to the Bible, written from the POV of an incredulous Satan watching half-witted mankind declare themselves the sum of all creation, the Apogee, the end-all be-all, and offering up praise to the Lord for every plague, pestilence, war, is funny as hell, but I doubt seriously that he believes that the bible is all that, or all that alone, rather I prefer to think that he's making fun of those literalists that take it's every word as gospel truth. More poking fun at the rubes of middle America (and Alberta), the kind of right-wing bible thumbing Baptists and Evangelicals who want everyone to read a book they but poorly understood themselves.
There then follows the diary of Eve, of Methuselah, and reading it and discover (again) that all our new problems are the same as the old ones, the periodicity; overpopulation, pestilence, hunger, dreams of a techno-utopia thwarted by villainous plutocrats, etc, etc.
These "biblical" stories are followed by a few on different other themes, science fiction, children's tales, and - what amused me most of all - his reviews on travelling abroad - especially when he sees the Albert Monument in London, or St. Paul's, and declines to review the interior (it's in every guide book), but instead writes a few very relatable pages on the courtyards around it, a very modern send-up of the travel review.
Anyways, very much enjoyed but glad it's over. Now what to feed the mill...
Pinocchio - Guillermo del Toro
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 872
Watched this last night. The animation - good, a bit "uneven" in styling - plot, well, a slightly "contemporized" version of Pinocchio, better, I am assured by the reviews, by far than the newest Disney Version - but - overall - just "Meh".
Guillermo del Toro - by and large great on effects, not so good on plot, theme or dialogue.
Netflix specials - with the exception of "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", tend to be watered-down off-brands of your favorite directors. The ideas seem a bit hasty, dialogues poor - nothing ever comes off to the hype. Which I find disappointing, given the labor required to make even a bad stop-motion film.
For god's sake people, hire a writer!!!
On Christmas and 2nd Hand Booksellers
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Link of the day
- Hits: 918
2 longer reads for today:
First, the surprisingly interesting world of Xmas Tree Vendors in New York City:
Link: https://www.curbed.com/article/christmas-tree-trade-secrets-gregs-trees-nyc.html?utm_source=digg
The second, a few excerpts from the predictably droll life of an English 2nd Hand Bookseller:
If either of the above links don't work, try "incognito mode". I find that I read so much online pretty much everything has to be opened "incognito" otherwise I'm prompted for free - or paid - subscriptions. Ad nauseum.
And - the second article made me remember the tale of UK 2nd Hand Booksellers, told from the other side of the counter:
Link: Driff's guide to all the secondhand & antiquarian bookshops in Britain
Which is every bit as hilarious, more so even, given the eccentric character of the narrator.
His Love for "Smocey" and a jacket with F-holes
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Dreams
- Hits: 1021
Napping, 2 dreams, odd:
1) That I'm working in a fine bar, I have notice that there will be a couple of important customers. An anniversary. And they show up, her, beautiful, refined, elegant. And him - good looking, long hair, a bit of a "dude", friendly, jocular - still they seem mismatched, and he introduces her as "Smokey", but for some reason it's spelled "Smocey".
I'm trying to get him to decide on a drink, a Gin Collins or preferably an Old Fashioned, but he's indecisive, can't make up his mind...
I go to the back room, sit on my computer while he makes up his mind. And I get an email from him, pleading that I not take his girlfriend/wife away, he's so in love with her, "SmOCEy"...
Fucking peculiar, and I end up googling OCE, wondering why this misspelling in the dream, but can find nothing....
2) That I'm in the thrift shop, not thrift shop, it's supposed to be where I volunteer but it's not. Nobody is there. In the back, a warehouse, more like an antique shop, and on the wall in my area there's a beautiful man's suit jacket, with f-holes printed on the lapels, and I'm thinking how sharp (#) it would look with a printed necktie of violin or cello strings, maybe a finely detailed white shirt with musical notes on it...mother of pearl peg cufflinks...In front of it hangs a mid-sized cello, the two f-holes, the one on the lapel, the other in the cello, I want to buy them, but they're hanging there to be appraised...
And, yes, fucking peculiar again. My subconscious is taking me on a little stray adventure...
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