Every person who’s fallen under the spell of ideas and history fantasizes about the discovery of a lode of forgotten texts and antiques, covered with cobwebs and protected from sunlight for eons, an archive.
This is a collection of all of the blog posts on this site in the order of publication.
Newly Reading/Viewing January 2023
The New Year January 2023 of reading/viewing with Stendhal’s "Charterhouse of Parma" and Hamaguchi’s 2022 film "Drive My Car"
G.I.Joe and “G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra” (2009): Some History
Idle reflections on the G.I.Joe action figures and comic books as formative influences of my childhood
Conscientiously Reading, Watching December 2022
In December I started a new position as an SEO associate at Sagapixel. In the 45 days that have followed it seems so much like I’ve been unable to raise
Cultural Consumption, 2022-Style! Best of!
The best books and films of 2022, some description thereof, as well as a few of the worst.
Jane Eyre: Post-Colonial Christian Zealotry?
Reading "Jane Eyre" for the second time revealed a quite different— quite Christian and not postcolonial—one from what inhabited my memory (and imagination).
November 2022: Reading, Watching
Some transcendent moments. In reading Brontë, Borges, Sebald, Masters. Watching "The Getaway" and "Breaking Away". Others, not transcendent even a little.
Realism Lite: “Midnight Run” (1988)
Realism lite, how film and television suggest serious violence without actually including it, is exemplified in the 1988 buddy film “Midnight Run.”
Female Friends: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s "Happy Hour" (2015)
Three curiosities about the lovely 2015 Ryusuke Hamaguchi film about female friendship, "Happy Hour"
Pleasures in Reading: Edgar Lee Master’s “Spoon River Anthology”
From the "Spoon River Anthology" by Edgar Lee Masters, excerpts and commentary on the experience of its reading
Odious October 2022: Reading, Watching
Started reading W.G. Sebald, for the first time. Who turned me to "The Hunter Gracchus," by Dr. K. Also, Edgar Lee Master’s "Spoon River Anthology" … okay, perhaps not odious
Tyrannical Imagination: Henry James’ “An International Episode”
A passage from Henry James’ novel "An International Episode" displays the tyranny of the imagination
Suburban Micro-Aggressions: Shirley Jackson’s short story “Flower Garden”
Shirley Jackson’s "Flower Garden" will mystify readers expecting horror, but civil discord is in no short supply
Saturnine September 2022: Reading, Viewing
Greatest hits of September: "Lord of the Rings," "We Are the Best!" (2013), "The Hunt" (1966)—and I finished James Joyce’s "Ulysses"!
August-alia 2022: Reading, Watching
Birthday months are great for watching Antonioni trilogies, Premingers’ “In Harm’s Way,” reading “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Shawl.”
2 Missing Details in Richard Linklater’s Epic Before Trilogy
The Before Trilogy is an elegant, conversational set of romantic films, notably missing some important details.
Strikingly Read, Viewed: July 2022
Mostly mountainbiked during July, enjoyed the refreshing waters of Lake Willoughby Vermont, but also read Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” José Saramago’s “The Double,” and Richard Linklater’s “Before Trilogy”
Peter Weir’s “The Plumber” (1979) Leaves Uncertain
In 1979 one of Peter Weir’s early films, "The Plumber," saw theatrical release. Little indicated his future.
Heatedly Read, Watched: Boring June 2022
Heatedly read and viewed during June 2022, including José Rizal’s "Noli Me Tangere," Don Siegel’s "The Lineup" (1958), and "Wanda" (1975)
“The Mandalorian” Still Stinks in Season 2
A second season has not improved Disney’s popular streaming series "The Mandalorian"
Powerful May Reading, Viewing: 2022 edition
May reading and viewing of Ashley Vaught in 2022. Best of: "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, "Dubliners", and "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy" by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Reading Ulysses’ “Oxen of the Sun” (to oneself, aloud, and just in general)
On the experience, specifically pain, of reading as instanced with reference to the modernist masterpiece "Ulysses" by Irish writer James Joyce.
Upcoming: An Excellent SEO Presentation, Colorado ASMP, Saturday, May 14th
Announcement for the ASMP Colorado event at which I will be giving a presentation entitled "Top 7 SEO Tips for Photographers"
Narcoleptically Read & Watched: April 2022
How do you read and watch narcoleptically? Binging series and reading sparingly, here and there.
March 2022: Read & Viewed, with feeling
All of what was read and watched during the month of March 2022, especially James Joyce’s "Ulysses" and the 1986 Soviet film "Come and See"
“Night Hunter” (2018) is no “Night of the Hunter” (1955)
"Night Hunter" (2018), a weak serial killer thriller, is no "Night of the Hunter" (1955), a film next to "Citizen Kane" (1940) in the pantheon of film history.
Blithely Read Ulysses, Watched et al.: Feb 2022
In February 2022 I started reading “Ulysses” by James Joyce, “Odyssey”, watched “The Killing” (1956) and other things like the Russian film “T-34”
Fragrant Excerpt from Joyce’s “Ulysses”: 5, Lotus Eaters
One of several forthcoming asides on the book "Ulysses" by James Joyce. Lead us not into temptation.
Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing” (1956): Misanthropy Run Amok
"The Killing" makes murder a spectacle, something beautiful, peopled with a group of ne’er-do-wells whose destruction we will undoubtedly enjoy.
Lasciviously Read & Watched: January 2022
Each of books and films lasciviously read and watched (respectively) during the first month of the 2022nd year of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“The Silence” by Don DeLillo: Electromagnetic Pulses and Voiceless Narration
Don DeLillo’s "The Silence," is a strange novel featuring an electromagnetic pulse and empty narration