Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Things I learned this weekend: 
It's easier to defrost the fridge if I use a hammer. and screwdriver. 
there are people WAY geekier than me in the world. and they were sitting behind me at the LOTR "Live" show on Saturday.
it's not good to sit in the front row if seeing a play "live" in HD. 
the chairs at the Skirball Center @ NYU are really comfy & red & plush
some lit critics need to take a deep breath, or a vacation, or a valium...

things that annoyed me this weekend:
too many photos of people's children
the trains. all 18 lines being under construction at the same time. not good planning.
my neighbors smoking. 
the veggie burger made of wet glue I had at random restaurant pre-Radio City.

things I enjoyed this weekend: 
SLEEP. although I did not get enough of it. sadly.
hearing live music & seeing LOTR on a really really big screen.
seeing some Brit Shakespeare...even if it was only on a movie screen.
raspberries. as always.

why is it that so much of what's on tv these days is what one of my prof's called "torture porn"? I mean - do we really need to see the full details of ever crime made up by bored screenwriters for every crime show? I guess I could just shut of the tv or watch any of the insanely bad sitcoms but no, I'd rather just complain...been busy this month so far (how is already october??)...just read part of an article in the times about a Veteran's Writing Workshop.  This one has famous types teaching writing to returning vets. It's nice they got coverage but would've been nicer still if they'd expanded their coverage to include the work IAVA is doing & the work NYWC is doing. But then, we're not celebrities. oh well...other stuff keeping me busy this month? when to see Emmanuel Ax at the Philharmonic (nice follow up to seeing the film "In Search of Beethoven") and saw "All's Well the Ends Well" - National Theatre "live" in HD at NYU (that was okay - not fabulous) and also saw LOTR with full live orchestral/choir accompaniment. It was pretty awesome although over priced.  Still plugging away on the thesis - despite the MIA status of my thesis advisor. There's so much criticism that I still need to plow through although I've at least started to write the thing. Hope to have a first full draft by the end of the month.  Finishing up Joe Meno's latest - took me forever to get to it & only averaging about 1 chapter a day.  I did get the new Sherman Alexie "War Dances" & read that right away. It's got some very strong writing (especially some of the poetry) but read "light" to me somehow.  Maybe I've just been bogged down in too much criticism/theory & that makes everything else seem a lighter read.  Also re-reading "Indian Killer" and "Reservation Blues" (both for purposes of the thesis).  Trying to read Louise Erdrich's "the Bingo Palace" but not getting far & re-reading some David Treuer.  As for the thesis statement itself? not completely sure anymore on that but at least I know what doesn't work. which is moving in the right direction, no? It's hard to move it away from just writing about Alexie - so few of the other so-called "Native" writers work with the ideas I'm interested in & so many of them have had so much written about their work.  I guess that's true of Alexie's work too although much of what I've read seems really to be missing the point.  Anyway, exhausted & being incoherent. time for some bad tv & then off to read some more joe meno. I'll finish it yet.