Narratology

A runner's reflection on the Boston Marathon tragedy

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:30:15 -0400

A runner's reflection on the Boston Marathon tragedy:

“And for so many of us who take to the roads, paths and trails, the essence of running is freedom; our freedom to step outside, stretch our legs and fly along the ground wherever we choose for as long as we please. It is a celebration of human ability and excellence. It is a struggle. It is a triumph. And this was an attack on all of that….”

“I know as sure as I breathe that in all the depressing, bewildering hours since the attacks, that this has been the answer from runners all across our land.

They have strapped on their shoes, stepped outside and in silent tribute they have run. They have run in defiance of those who would presume upon our freedom. They have run in respect for those who died or who were hurt cheering on this silly sport we love. They have run as we’ve always run, to test the limits of human possibility; not to defeat others, but to improve ourselves.

They have run as I will run…for Boston.”

10 centuries of music in 4 minutes of a-capella combining...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:29:00 -0400

10 centuries of music in 4 minutes of a-capella combining Beethoven, the Beatles, and the Black Eyed Peas… So seamless.

via explore-blog

"Defeat? I do not recognise the meaning of the word."

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:30:19 -0400

“Defeat? I do not recognise the meaning of the word.”

- Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)

"Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence..."

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:44:43 -0400

“Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.”

- Bertrand Russell (via explore-blog)

Song discovery of the month: “Lessons Learned” by...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:48:59 -0400

Song discovery of the month: “Lessons Learned” by Cary Brothers ft. Rachael Yamagata (original by Matt & Kim)

The Next Superpower

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 12:21:55 -0500

On the much-publicised full moon
festive youths and families gorge

on overpriced moon-cakes
to celebrate mid-autumn. How

very poetic. Not all that far away
the plants’ wastes flow

to choke the Yangtze. I can’t
appreciate the taste of the cakes,

their severe sweetness. The Chinese
cherish the stuff. This, they say,

is a beloved tradition. I can’t
remember ever loving anything

resembling one. You can’t finish
yours, and stroll onto the balcony

to view the fireworks. I’m worried
about the colossal dam cracking

and the River devouring this stuffy,
miasmic city. Will nature

ever know what to do with
humans? Will humans surpass words

like “nature”, “river” and “moon”?
The cake, I’ve been told, grows

every year in price. China swells
every year in wealth and power. I’m

frankly terrified of an ecological
armageddon. You seem bored with

the festivities and utterly finished
with the West. We left Australia

for an ancient culture. How
perturbed we are to discern

this country’s gargantuan
industrialisation. I leer at the remnants

of the pungent cake. The West
has traded its soul for a few dollars. Will

China remember the Opium War or
keep eating the impossibly rich

sweets? Am I being simply
disrespectful? What

of it? Glaciers melt and, yes,
this autumn is hotter than summer. So

Capitalism won; the cadres swapped
their gray Mao-esque suits

for the latest Armani. Indeed
your ennui and my disenchantment

match. We’re in love, two ex-pats
struggling to finish our moon-cakes

in the furnace of “the next Shanghai”.
.

Ali Alizadeh
from Eyes in Times of War

vintageanchor: “Bookstores, like libraries, are the physical...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:40:27 -0500

vintageanchor:

“Bookstores, like libraries, are the physical manifestation of the wide world’s longest, most thrilling conversation.”
— Richard Russo

Hurtgen Forest (or Hemingway’s Green Hell)

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:30:25 -0500

Green patches and trembling songs

thinly cover blood-drunk fields

of undetonated bombs -

A haunted forestry of

blast-echoes and dreams deferred

marked by unnamed white crosses -

A near-perfect panorama

marred only by a newly

emptied bottle by the road.

-June 2010

This is my favorite cover of Of Monsters and Men’s...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:30:09 -0500

This is my favorite cover of Of Monsters and Men’s “Little Talks.”

Half the Sky airs on PBS tonight

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:02:56 -0500

Half the Sky airs on PBS tonight:

If you’re passionate about human rights and/or women’s issues, you should tune in to PBS at 10 tonight for Half the Sky. It was produced by Nick Kristof (whose work I read regularly on the New York Times) and Sheryl Wu Dunn and documents an international, transmedia project focused on sex trafficking, gender-based oppression, and maternal mortality.

"In America The highway runs too fast For men to feel the ground underneath; The mirage..."

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:30:09 -0500

“In America
The highway runs too fast
For men to feel the ground underneath;
The mirage does not have time
To look like water:
And too many rainbows
Strangle the clouds.”

- Femi Fatoba

Prelude in C# Minor (“Bells of Moscow”) by Sergei...

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:30:29 -0500

Prelude in C# Minor (“Bells of Moscow”) by Sergei Rachmaninoff

My piano teacher always assigned me angsty, dramatic pieces, the perfect musical outlet for my angsty high school self. It’s definitely a little rusty, but I’m definitely proud to still have this piece in my repertoire.

Al Gore on How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think - The Atlantic

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:30:07 -0500

Al Gore on How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think - The Atlantic:

Our societies, culture, politics, commerce, educational systems, ways of relating to one another — and our ways of thinking — are all being profoundly reorganized with the emergence of the Global Mind and the growth of digital information at exponential rates…

Al Gore, The Future (2013)

If one sinks deep enough there is surely company waiting. Otherwise, if one does not have a home and...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:30:30 -0500

If one sinks deep enough there is surely company waiting. Otherwise, if one does not have a home and has not sunk into self, and seeks company, the company is lonesome.

Walker Percy, from The Second Coming

“All these dreams inside of me I swear we’re gonna...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:30:29 -0500

“All these dreams inside of me

I swear we’re gonna get there

Sooner or later, we’re gonna make it”

A song I sometimes use to get me going in the morning… Here’s to chasing dreams and turning them into reality.

Everyone’s a little hipster… Great video on...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:30:17 -0500

Everyone’s a little hipster… Great video on “hipster-dom” and cultural capital in the digital age

pbsarts:

Are You A Hipster? | Idea Channel | PBS

We all hate hipsters, right? They seem so smug and arrogant, with their ray bans and scarves and ironic t-shirts. Even those who CLEARLY ARE hipsters still recoil at the label. Embracing irony over earnestness, the key to hipsters is not just what they enjoy, but how they enjoy it. Borrowing from other subcultures, (see: Handlebar mustaches and flannel shirts), hipsters reappropriate these fashion elements as their own. But don’t we all do that? Our own fashion came from SOMEWHERE, and certainly has been refined. Do we all have a little bit of hipster blood in us?

Freefall...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:30:00 -0500

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
free fall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

Denise Levertov, “The Avowal”

Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:30:00 -0500

Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of [our founding] words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.

-President Obama’s Inaugural Speech, January 21

Thankful for the chance to witness this live on Monday.

“M79” by Vampire Weekend Someday I’m going to...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:30:32 -0500

“M79” by Vampire Weekend

Someday I’m going to visit New York City and spend a day retracing the places referenced in this song. The hook (strings) is amazing.

My Tumblr, Reloaded

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:48:04 -0500

I first joined Tumblr to journal about my senior year of college. I’ve had limited success, blogging and re-blogging on a pretty irregular basis.

As part of a commitment to writing more this year, I’ve decided to update this blog at least 3 times a week. I’ll share a mix of music and writing that I like, as well as a fair amount of my own commentary and reflection. I’ve also given the blog a visual refresh.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any suggestions on topics or posts, or any tips on using Tumblr. I look forward to sharing with you throughout 2013!