It's snowing!

Just kidding. But it's kind of a let down after you download Doctor Zhivago only to find that it is overdubbed in Spanish.

Stumbling, Extreme Images

Here are some extreme images of storms that are just absolutely phenomenal.

Post #666: Some Prose-Poems From Jason Irwin

OMAR'S DESIRE

Not satisfied gawking at department store display windows
or admiring from afar as women walked past him in the park
where he sat every day for lunch, Omar's desire for women's
shoes soon turned to obsession. He began following these
women home and then robbing them. When the police
knocked on his door, Omar sat encircled by his stolen menagerie
of footware, breathing deep the scent of a pair of Carmen Ho
Penny sandals, as if trying to breathe meaning into his life. "I
couldn't help myself! I was intoxicated! I was in denial!" he
cried from the witness box, the women he robbed staring back
at him in the sun-filled courtroom.

RECESS
In the school yard a group of children are eating insects.
One girl exclaims 'they taste like grandma!" "No! they
taste like bananas!" a boy with dimples counters. Against
the wall the janitor shares a cigarette with a nun. 'Soon it
will be night", he smiles, twirling his mustache, "and then
we can dance."

REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST

I was sitting at the bar at the Lennox Lounge, drinking a Budweiser,
watching a skinny lady with buckteeth talk to a guy with a dice earing
and a red fedora. That's when a drunk stumbled over and asked me
if I was a Zapata revolutionary. Said he'd shoot me dead. I explained
I was there to see the jazz combo, that despite appearances, I was
not Mexican. After buying him a beer we talked for hours like two
long lost friends. he told me how he hated Oprah. I smiled and
thought how much Proust missed out on, sitting in his room.

Being Sean Penn's Son

Last night I had separate dreams with Sean Penn and Stephen Colbert accordingly. The one with Colbert was a little strange. He was naked, but he had had his genitals removed in the name of Patriotism.

But my dream with Sean Penn was really cool. I don't quite remember all of it. But he was acting like he was my dad. I mean not like my actual dad. But anyhow he was pretending to be my dad. Or maybe he was my dad. He was acting real tough like in "Mystic River." At one point he takes me by the scruff of the neck and in barely contained, histrionic, outraged way: "Dan, do you appreciate a good rhythm?"

"What do you mean appreciate?" I asked.

"I'm talking about your life, man!"

And then we laughed and he let me go. "That's a good line," I said. "Yeah, it is," he said. I had to go write it down. And he kept on saying more good lines, and I wrote them all down. But I wrote them down in my dream, not in real life. So they are lost.

But if somebody steals this line, I'm gonna sue them. So I'll take a timestamped picture of this web post.

Wish I could remember the rest of the dream. Wish I could forget the one with Colbert.

Special Affectations

Before we went to see the movie Grindhouse, I remarked to my wife about how I don't get excited about movies anymore. Probably because I spent so much much time and energy being excited for Star Wars, that my youthful energy and optimism for giant hollywood spectacle was waning the heavy weight of responsibility.

But, thankfully, I was wrong.

No time for love, Dr. Jones!

Chico's Sloppy Piano Playing

He's not sloppy. But his technique is not good. When I was studying piano seriously in the university one of my piano teachers told me that if I didn't relearn how to play the piano I might have physical problems with my arms later in life. Well, I didn't really relearn how to play the piano, I just kind of quit. But I have had many problems with my arms since.

But maybe's that's because I wasn't using the horseshoes properly.

In the end, we're still breathing.

I am finding that there comes a time in every young parent's life where you have to stop treating your kid like a very complicated pet and more like a real person...

The Judaism of Blogs

As of now, Steve Jackson's Daily Illuminator is the longest running blog on the net.


(And you playa-haters out there thought I totally sold-out my nerdom. Au contra ire, I sometimes think about dungeons and daggers. I went to the Smurps site to see SJ's take on the whole Cho thing. Btw, the government here in Korea is kinda freakin' out about it.)

Yesterday.

At the mall yesterday, getting my glasses fixed. Every time I’m at the mall, I think of my cousin Halee. While not estranged, we don’t talk. I think of her because I’ve run into her here, twice, both times at the Mac store.
This time, I imagine seeing her walking in the parking garage, as I’m finding the way out.
I wanted to pull up next to her. Say hi, and ask her, earnestly,

“What’s gonna happen when Grandma dies?”

And,

As a good friend asked me yesterday, what do you think of Cho? And I’m proud of myself for some reason, well, I know why because,

As I remarked to my wife, why don’t I feel for the victims of Virginia Tech, why this isn’t surprising anymore, but
Then, almost a footnote on CNN this morning, 157 dead in Iraq.

And,
I feel that.

And,
Who’s more important?
Can we choose the dead?
Should we hold useless candles and use them to light the graves of victims or the houses of bombed children?

And I find,

The Iraqi dead are so much more important to me than dead college students.

Because Cho is laughing again in gunman’s heaven with Harris and Klebold and the others!

So,
I can close my eyes and pretend I’m living outside of San Francisco again because gas in Colorado is $3 a gallon.

And I’ll drive,

Because:

My wife still needs to be picked up from work on shitty weather days,
My son needs milk,
My friends need rides,
And I need coffee and beer.

So, I still believe,

Happiness!
We’re All In It Together.

Busan Fever!

I spent a few days in Busan, a city on the south coast. If I come back to Korea, I might try to find a job in Busan instead of Seoul. It's cleaner, mellower, and by the sea.




I have many more pictures on my picture blog. Click here!!!

Dark Times

Call for the brightest of the bright lights to burn their brightest:



h/t to JM.

Passtimes...

Life is no way to treat an animal, not even a mouse.

"I hate the H-bomb and The Jerry Springer Show."--Vonnegut memoirs.

R.I.P.

To the angriest and sloppiest of them all.

Meyer's Bob Dylan Birthday Blog Party!

Happy Birthday Meyer! (Progeny of Amelia and Zentrout!) Here's the promised Bob Dylan Party on A&S:
Here's the Invocation: A great version of Forever Young w/ The Band


Let's get the ugliness out of the way. Don't watch the video, just listen to the song.


Let's really kick it off with the Ballad of the Thin Man:

Bob Dylan gets ziggy with it:

Here's a Bob Dylan imitator doing "Senor." I like this one more because the era of his Bob Dylan imitation is better than the era Bob was in when the song was originally recorded on Street Legal.

The Classic:

Now here's "Weird" Al Yankovic's palindromic take on Subterranean Homesick Blues (Gosh he's so "weird"!)

And last, but not least, here is a The Netherlands' own version of Bob: Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you Armand, singing his biggest hit "Ben ik te min."


---Love, Uncle Dan. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you.

Meyer #1

Happy B.D. Birthday!!!

Murderer! Murderer!

I've been watching the HBO series Rome. I just finished the first season. It's really good!

The screenshot is from a movie called "A Matter of Life and Death," a bizarre, creative movie that Steve recommended to me.

Tomorrow will be Bob Dylan day at A&S, in honor of my nephew's first birthday.

Computerized Translation Experiment #1

I have been fooling around with the altavista babelfish translator. I wrote a little ditty about a conversation between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski talking about the potential of filming Paganini, (this was an idea for a play that I had), and I used the translator to translate it into one language and then back into English again to see if there was any interesting differences. There are lots. I won't post it on this page because it goes on for quite a bit. But go to my experimental photo-blog A METAPHOR FOR I DON'T KNOW WHAT to see the fruits of this exercise. I also did multiple translations, for example, English to Spanish to French to German to English. The more times it translated, the more amorphic (and longer) the text got. Interesting, no?

In other news, I would like the other contributors to send me short bios to put on the sidebar; and perhaps mention your blog specialties. Anyone else who is interested in contributing to A&S, please let me know.

And any interesting experiments with translations you have, send them to me.

English to Korean to English of this blog post:

Electric computer anger one translation test #1 me in altavistababelfish interpretation act foolishly in circumference. It was going out, me with the WernerHerzog regarding the great disaster between the KlausKinski which talks the potential energy of thin shell Paganini small smallness song, (this playing was hazard idea) to be bitter, interpretation when with 1 language under translate, that time there will be a what kind of fun it sees again with English, it used it. There is a swallow. In order hazard to continue considerably me not to arrange it in this page. But goes to my, test photograph blog the hazard metaphor which will carry in order to see the fruit of this motion does not know what. Me also it swelled up in English and the poison it happened and with English.to.spanish many-sidedness translation, for example and and. When compared to this it translate an hour, the amorphic (and it is longer) the original which it gets. Is interest the chisel? Inside different news, in order to put a sidebar above me the contributor who is different in me short bio su it will send and,; And refer your blog specialty probably. The A&S it peels and there is an interest to contribution to peel and who makes troublesome army song that only, the egg which it will carry. And to me which it spreads out is them, the test which what kind of fun to the translation which it sends is.

English to French to German to English:

Automated experience #1 of the translation I had rear-been issued over with the translator of babelfish from Alta Vista. I a small Liedchen regarding a maintenance between Werner duke and Klaus Kinski wrote, which speaks about the potential of pelliculage Paganini (an idea for a play which was I had), and I the translator used, in order it into a language and again into English to translate then, in order to still see, if there were interesting differences. There are fates. I will not communicate it to this side, because she continues for completely a little. But Versuchsblog, a METAPHOR FOR me NOT KNOWING go seeing the fruits of this exercise to my photo. I likewise made repeated translations English Spanish for example at the Frenchmen at GermanEnglish. More translated it periods, amorphique (and longer) the received text. Don't interest? In other messages I that other contributing me bios send runs would like, in order to place that sidebar above; and perhaps your blogspezialitaeten mentions. Everyone otherwise, which is interested to contribute to A&S please communicate to me. And all interesting experiences with translations, which have you them, send me.

English-Portuguese-French-Dutch-English-Chinese-English:

Experienced Computarizada #1 the translation I translator to deceive with altavista the babelfish. I have written a young song in a conversation between Werner Herzog and Klaus falo in the movie Paganini potential chin ski, (a this time idea has for me), it used and the English with I translator traduziz in the language to have other times then to look at some interesting difference for back the match. There its party. I in this page introduced because for completely makes a piece is. But fotoque experimentally goes to the mis metaphor in order to I is not WEET any sees this exercise fruit. I and have made many translations, is the example, English to spanjaard to the French to duitser to the English. The lake time has translated, the lake starts the amorphism (and is longer) by the text. Interest, N.s? In another observation, another taxpayer happily must transmit my their biology live element route to invest sidebar I; And perhaps blog mentions specialized them. Everybody stays behind is interested to the A&S contribution, I if he seek pleasure the knowledge you. And some interesting experimentings the translation which has by your meas, the transmission.

Reflection: Going back to Beck

I still don't like him.

A Bargeful of Pictures, March and April, Gyeong-ju, Cherry Blossoms, Last Day of Classes

I got a 2GB stick for my camera, so now I've been taking billions of pictures.


Here are some last day of class photos. First one is with me and my Korean mother, Sue, who has been in a few of my classes. She's a great lady. Everyday for class she brings me food because she was a teacher once and knows how hungry we get. Here we are at our favorite restaurant, eating ssambap (not shown, but is on video somewhere.) Afterwards we went to coffee, treated by Ji-Young, shown two pictures down.



This was later that night. I met Jong-min and company for a few or four drinks. They thought I was a brave man, but my boss was in the other wing of this bar and I suddenly became paranoid and nervous. I was a disappointment. Anyhow, the blurry guy, Jongmin, helped me set up the trip to Gyeong-ju. Nice guy. Ernest and strange.

Jongmin, Hye-won, and Ju-hyun, my 7 o'clock am 1B class.

The following were my writing classes. No matter how boring it got, they always came. (By the way, the "peace" sign is not a peace sign, it is a "V" for victory. Koreans are quite competitive folk.)



Both want your bucks, but this one's cheaper:

Here's a random assortment of Gyeong-ju pictures. Gyeong-ju is about 5 hours away from Seoul on bus, and a sort of the tourist-must-go of Korea. This was the first real touristing I've done. I went with some Pagoda teachers, Estella from Indiana and a lot of other places, Amy from I forget where, Eric from NY (along with his boyfriend from Kazakstan, Roman,) Steve from South England, along with Estella's student Claire acting as our half-interested guide. (She's the one kissing the golden pig. I have footage of myself kissing the pig. I have to put it into a video.) The first shot is from the night we rented little motorbikes and terrorized the locals with our blind speed. There are few photos from that because it was hard to steer and take photos at the same time.






Steve and I got existential at a coffee bar while the girls were climbing mountains.



Blurry shot of archetypal "Ajumma." Ajumma means middle-aged woman in Korea. They are referred to as "the third sex."

Burial mound:



Oldest astrological observatory in the Far East:








A few of the fellows that greet you at the Bulguksa Buddhist temple (Sir Steve the Knihilist Knight is to be found in the lower right):











Here's downtown Gyeon-Ju. I stayed an extra night while the everyone else went back to Seoul (they aren't on vacation like I am Ha-ha.)



We stayed at an enduring, mustily magnificent relic of the 70's, the Hotel Concorde. I loved this hotel, from the must to the carpet, to the abandoned discotheque to the abandoned singing room, to the abandoned souvenir shops, to the spider-infested scale model of Bulgaksi temple, including its parking lot. I took a lot of video of it, very few pictures. Someday I'll cobble together a video tribute.

Cherry blossoms were out in full.