I never really decided to stop writing this blog.\u00a0 It just sort of happened.\u00a0 But I\u2019m back!\u00a0 The plan is to have it up and running for when the fringe tour starts this summer (!), so my continuing travel adventures can be documented.\u00a0 But before I actually start to piece together life events of the last half-year from pictures and agenda entries, I thought I would get things started again by listing all the books I\u2019ve read since last I posted.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like Oprah\u2019s Book Club if she only had a show every six months or so\u2026and I think we can all agree that would be a far better world.\u00a0 In order of reading:<\/p>\n
Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger<\/strong><\/p>\n Alright, so I\u2019m a broken record.\u00a0 But I finished this book, and it was great.\u00a0 Probably mandatory reading for humanity.<\/p>\n How to Rig an Election, by Allen Raymond<\/strong><\/p>\n I quite enjoyed this, but I live for this crap.\u00a0 It\u2019s an autobiographical retelling of a Republican operative\u2019s rise through the party machine and all the dirty tricks he committed along the way, until he finally ends up being scapegoated and thrown under the bus by even more vicious tricksters.\u00a0 (Spoiler alert:\u00a0 He does time.)\u00a0 Dirty politics and gamesmanship fascinate me, so if you\u2019re like me and actually prefer when political operatives are upfront about and aware of their amoral (at best) behavior, then well worth the read.<\/p>\n Now I Can Die in Peace, by Bill Simmons<\/strong><\/p>\n A series of articles by Bill Simmons put into book form, it\u2019s about Bill Simmons\u2019 experience as a Red Sox fan in the run-up to them finally throwing off the so-called Curse of the Bambino and winning the World Series.\u00a0 I don\u2019t particularly care about the sport, and as is often the case with books culled from articles, you definitely get more repetition of ideas than you would otherwise, but still a good read and definitely a good writer.\u00a0 (He\u2019s got a new basketball book which I\u2019m eagerly waiting for the library to get a hold of.)<\/p>\n The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho<\/strong><\/p>\n A little inspirational for my tastes.\u00a0 But hey, millions of people can\u2019t be wrong, can they?<\/p>\n The Corner, David Simon<\/strong><\/p>\n More required reading for humanity.\u00a0 Definitely for politicians.\u00a0 It follows the life of a Baltimore street corner and its inhabitants over the course of a year, interspersed with essays on the realities of life in the American inner cities.\u00a0 And yes, the David Simon of The Wire<\/span> and Homicide<\/span>.\u00a0 I love that guy.<\/p>\n America<\/strong> (The Book): A Citizen\u2019s Guide to Democracy Inaction, by the Daily Show staff<\/strong><\/p>\n So brilliant.\u00a0 It makes me sad that there can be a group of satirists so consistently brilliant and yet the fair and balanced forces of ignorance manage to be completely unaffected.\u00a0 But at least it allows you to laugh about it and reminds you that you\u2019re not alone. Medicine for my Parkinsonesque fist-shaking.<\/p>\n I\u2019d Rather We Got Casinos and other black thoughts, by Larry Wilmore<\/strong><\/p>\n Some very clever and funny stuff, but the individual pieces probably weren\u2019t variegated enough for my tastes.\u00a0 Or maybe I just shouldn\u2019t have read it as fast as I did.\u00a0 Definitely some gems though.<\/p>\n The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations with Entertainment\u2019s Most Enduring Outsiders, by Onion A.V. Club<\/strong><\/p>\n Strangely, I felt the same way about this one.\u00a0 At some point, the interviews seemed to bleed into each other.\u00a0 After all, there are only so many ways for people to talk about their art.\u00a0 But I enjoyed it, and it was fun just to see who they chose to interview.<\/p>\n Free-Range Chickens, by Simon Rich<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Ant Farm: and Other Desperate Situations, by Simon Rich<\/strong><\/p>\n This is why there are libraries.\u00a0 Both these books were very funny, but so short I would never have allowed myself to justify buying them.\u00a0 He\u2019s definitely one to watch!\u00a0 (See my upcoming post on my visit to New York for some Simon-Rich-and-me trivia.)<\/p>\n Make Your Own Damn Movie, by Lloyd Kaufman<\/strong><\/p>\n The head of Troma sounds off on how to make the indie movie.\u00a0 I\u2019ve forgotten most of the actual advice (though I did make a point of jotting down how to make and spray fake blood), but I tried to draw inspiration from the DIYness of their approach.\u00a0 And it was funny, though I wonder if I was to meet the cast of characters if I\u2019d be too scared to be amused.<\/p>\n Bunny Bunny, by Alan Zweibel<\/strong><\/p>\n Alan Zweibel\u2019s tale of his friendship-plus with Gilda Radner.\u00a0 Probably as close as I\u2019ve been to crying from a book in a long time.\u00a0 (Quite possibly I cried.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember.\u00a0 But you probably will, whoever you are.)<\/p>\n The Partly Cloudy Patriot, by Sarah Vowell<\/strong><\/p>\n I fall in love.\u00a0 Well, deeper, at any rate.\u00a0 Mental note: Must think of a pickup line smoother than \u201cCan I buy a Vowell?\u201d<\/p>\n Shake \u2018n\u2019 Bacon\u2019s Cartoon Cabaret, by Michael Kupperman<\/strong><\/p>\n So weird.\u00a0 So very, very weird.\u00a0 As I discovered with the second book of his, it\u2019s clearly meant to be read in the bathroom.\u00a0 There, it\u2019s gold.<\/p>\n Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich<\/strong><\/p>\n More required reading for humanity, definitely for politicians.\u00a0 This is my latest thing, \u2018required reading.\u2019\u00a0 It occurs to me there should be a minimum threshold of knowledge to hold certain opinions and be taken seriously.\u00a0 For instance, if you support \u201cThe War on Drugs,\u201d you should at least have to read The Corner<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are just so many things that have been disproved by study after study, like the efficacy of abstinence-only sex education and the deterrence effect of capital punishment, that continue to be used as justification.\u00a0 So if people aren\u2019t willing to take the time to read (or believe) actual studies or even do their own homework, they should at the least have to read some non-fiction prose on the subject.\u00a0 I mention all this because I think someone should make that reading list, and I may just have to be the one. \u00a0And this book, with Barbara Ehrenreich taking on and describing the experience of working a series of low-wage jobs (waitress, housecleaner, Walmart, etc.) and living on those salaries, should be on it.\u00a0 Which is my ranty way of saying I liked it.<\/p>\n Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls, by Matt Ruff<\/strong><\/p>\n My least favorite Matt Ruff to date, though I do like my Matt Ruff.\u00a0 I enjoyed the drawing of the world, but at the end of the day, I didn\u2019t care that much what happened in it.\u00a0 If you\u2019re inclined to give him a try, I wouldn\u2019t start with this one.<\/p>\n The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, my love for Sarah Vowell remains strong.\u00a0 But I will take some time here to state a problem I have with the library system.\u00a0 Well, it\u2019s actually my problem.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get enthusiastic about an author and put everything they\u2019ve written on hold all in one sitting.\u00a0 So I end up reading a ton of the same author\u2019s work in a short period of time, which of course kind of ruins it.\u00a0 So I didn\u2019t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous one, but it did have the following passage, which I love wholeheartedly and expresses brilliantly something I\u2019ve been trying to say forever but could never get into words:<\/p>\n \u201cProtestantism\u2019s evolution away from hierarchy and authority has enormous consequences for America and the world.\u00a0 On the one hand, the democratization of religion runs parallel to political democratization.\u00a0 The king of England, questioning the pope, inspires English subjects to question the king and his Anglican bishops.\u00a0 Such dissent is backed up by a Bible full of handy Scripture arguing for arguing with one\u2019s king.\u00a0 This is the root of self-government in the English-speaking world.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Protestantism\u2019s shedding away of authority, as evidenced by my mother\u2019s proclamation that I needn\u2019t go to church or listen to a preacher to achieve salvation, inspires self-reliance\u2014along with a dangerous disregard for expertise.\u00a0 So the impulse that leads to democracy can also be the downside of democracy\u2014namely, a suspicion of people who know what they are talking about.\u00a0 It\u2019s why in U.S. presidential elections the American people will elect a wisecracking good ol\u2019 boy who\u2019s fun in a malt shop instead of a serious thinker who actually knows some of the pompous, brainy stuff that might actually get fewer people laid off or killed.\u201d\u00a0 (214-215)<\/p>\n Pretty please, can I buy a Vowell?!? (Oh, and for those of you who would counter that Obama\u2019s election was some kind of \u201cgame changer,\u201d it\u2019s a pretty easy argument to make that America (and admittedly, this time, the world) once again went for the sexier of two evils.)<\/p>\n Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume One, by Michael Kupperman<\/strong><\/p>\n As mentioned above, once I figured out that these off-the-wall comics were perfect bathroom reading, oh, the times I had!<\/p>\n Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell<\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201ctoo much of a good thing\u201d observation still applies, but for whatever reason, I liked this one better than the last one.\u00a0 Probably the greater personal narrative, plus there\u2019s something about assassination that is just so quintessentially American, how could I not be captivated?<\/p>\n Clothing Optional and Other Ways to Read These Stories, by Alan Zweibel<\/strong><\/p>\n Funny.\u00a0 He\u2019s a funny guy.<\/p>\n More Information than You Require, by John Hodgman<\/strong><\/p>\n Also funny.\u00a0 Also a funny guy.<\/p>\n Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliot Trudeau (Volume One: 1919-1968), by John English<\/strong><\/p>\n Still reading this one, but I\u2019m enjoying.\u00a0 And I keep thinking to myself \u201cWow, would this guy not get elected today!\u201d\u00a0 But we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s what I\u2019ve read.\u00a0 I\u2019m tempted to put all the TV I\u2019ve watched, but that would just be embarrassing, so instead, I\u2019m just going to list a few shows I\u2019ve seen in that time that people should be watching:<\/p>\n Friday Night Lights<\/strong>: Still going, and I will never leave it.<\/p>\n Party Down<\/strong>:\u00a0 Comedy gold.\u00a0 Makes me and doesn\u2019t make me want to move to L.A.<\/p>\n Sons of Anarchy<\/strong>:\u00a0 The closest I\u2019ll ever be to being a biker is watching this show.\u00a0 But I\u2019m going to keep doing it.<\/p>\n Metalocalypse<\/strong>:\u00a0 I\u2019ve been chastised for liking this one.\u00a0 Probably rightly.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why it gets to me, but it cracks me up.<\/p>\n Frisky Dingo<\/strong>:\u00a0 Just funny.\u00a0 And I think I know one of the voices.<\/p>\n Dollhouse<\/strong>:\u00a0 I want to write \u201cJoss Whedon is my crack.\u201d\u00a0 But it doesn\u2019t sound right.\u00a0 Sadly, the only writer I would trust to fix it is Joss Whedon, and that would just be awkward.<\/p>\n Coming up soon:\u00a0 Details of my life outside the mind!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I never really decided to stop writing this blog.\u00a0 It just sort of happened.\u00a0 But I\u2019m back!\u00a0 The plan is to have it up and running for when the fringe tour starts this summer (!), so my continuing travel adventures can be documented.\u00a0 But before I actually start to piece together life events of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions\/221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}