John Cole uses my favorite word; The Politics of Insanity; Medical Metaphors; Self-described Not-a-hipster

In a useful way to summarize NYT op-eds.

Very nice.

I'm STILL waiting for my Visa. The gods have spirited an ethereal nimbus of gloomy limbo upon my being. I wait. I wait. I wait.

Someday, again, I will teach.

In the meantime, I can catch up with how horrible everything is.


The Clash sell-out, but only in earbuds. You can sell-out too. For whatever reason(s), these two articles really disturb me. I can't put my finger on it. Somehow I feel I'm being implicated. So what, I like The Clash, and it's played in Star Bucks. Can I live with that? Yes. The real strange music will never make it.

Last week I organized my links, and, as you can see, on the right (isn't it weird that I don't have to tell you if it's your right, or my right, okay, it's not) I have added friends. If you want to be a slop friend, just make a comment or email me. I have to say I have been reading Liz Von Uhl's blog, and her last post has sort been sticking in my brain. I went to grad(?!) school with her, and we reconnected through facebook. She's a talented poet, and I think she writes fiction too. Anyhow, it's this post about the absurd. I really like the way she explores ideas, and find her way with language intoxicating. But I often get into terrible arguments with poets. I can see what she means about metaphor being inextricable with absurdity, and especially in the context of teaching students about them. Lis in my experience is a no-nonsense person, and so I would say she might have a better perspective on all this. Metaphors, absurd? Okay, I go along with that. They are exaggerated comparisons, I suppose. I have to say I have a sinking feeling that this is a reduction--and the great satan knows I think reductions are necessary for teaching! The concept of the absurd is the notion of ridiculousnessness of everything--and isn't it all absurd? I think metaphors are absurd, but not making metaphors is more absurd! Our language is threaded inextricably with metaphors; it seems to be a process that our brains take to more naturally than something, like, say, multiplication. Again, that's my abstracted, space-case view of the world. Anyhow, Lis, I consider you a fellow, raging soldier against The Abyss, so I hope no offense is taken. If you read this.

Okay, I feel a little happier. Oh happiness, sanitize my melancholy blood.

Here's one.

Here's one.

Here's another.