Whatcha reading?

[Dr. Medulla]

That book would be better titled the first Dixiecrat, considering Hayes capitulation on reconstruction.

The book's about Garfield, tho, whom the author believes was the last notable Republican who still believed in its civil rights roots, rather than its service to the emerging plutocrat industrialists.

[Silent Majority]

That book would be better titled the first Dixiecrat, considering Hayes capitulation on reconstruction.

The book's about Garfield, tho, whom the author believes was the last notable Republican who still believed in its civil rights roots, rather than its service to the emerging plutocrat industrialists.

Oh, that is fair, duh. Garfield seemed to be a pretty solid guy and the bullet and the doctors have given him one of the best legacies of any President.

[Dr. Medulla]

That book would be better titled the first Dixiecrat, considering Hayes capitulation on reconstruction.

The book's about Garfield, tho, whom the author believes was the last notable Republican who still believed in its civil rights roots, rather than its service to the emerging plutocrat industrialists.

Oh, that is fair, duh. Garfield seemed to be a pretty solid guy and the bullet and the doctors have given him one of the best legacies of any President.

The author's intro mentions that to the average person, knowledge of Garfield goes no further than that he was assassinated and he had a beard. I do like this passage from Sarah Vowell's wonderful Assassination Vacation:

If there is a recurring theme in Garfield’s diaries it’s this: I’d rather be reading. That might sound dull and perfunctory, but Garfield’s book fever was a sickness. Take, for example, the commencement address he delivered at his alma mater Hiram College in the summer of 1880. Traditionally, these pep talks to college graduates are supposed to shove young people into the future with a briefcase bulging with infinitive verbs: to make, to produce, to do. Mr. Loner McBookworm, on the other hand, stands up and breaks it to his audience, the future achievers of America, that the price of the supposedly fulfilling attainment of one’s personal and professional dream is the irritating way it cuts into one’s free time. He tells them,

• It has occurred to me that the thing you have, that all men have enough of, is perhaps the thing that you care for the least, and that is your leisure — the leisure you have to think; the leisure you have to be let alone; the leisure you have to throw the plummet into your mind, and sound the depth and dive for things below.

The only thing stopping this address from turning into a slacker parable is the absence of the word “dude.” Keep in mind that at that moment Garfield was a presidential candidate. The guy who theoretically wants the country’s most demanding, hectic, brain-dive-denying job stands before these potential gross national product producers advising them to treat leisure “as your gold, as your wealth, as your treasure.”

[Dr. Medulla]

Finished two books today. The Garfield book is, meh, whatever. The author works at the Garfield library(?) so he has a command of the material, but perhaps that encourages a missionary ambition to correct what he sees as a historical oversight. Maybe? I know very little about these political figures so I can't judge. On the other hand, Duff's Foreground Music is superb, something I think everyone here would adore. Without any serious concrete evidence to support my view, I think hanging out with Graham Duff would be like hanging out with our James Murphy. There's a lovely open vulnerability and passion and basic amity on the page that reminds me of reading SM's longer posts. Anyway, I'm going to assign this book in the next iteration of my rock class. It's a means of discussing audience and music, plus I like to assign one non-academic text.

Up next:
Audio

I've read the title essay a few times over the years, but our present circumstances seem to justify revisiting, and consider the other essays.

Tub

This is by the guy who got me to think I could do this history thing, back when I was his undergrad student for several courses in US history, as well as to appreciate that the written word should be beautiful not just functional. I've already read the dissertation on which this is based—it alternately delighted and irritated me with is playfulness—but I decided to throw him a few royalty pennies by buying the book.

[Kory]

If there is a recurring theme in Garfield’s diaries it’s this: I’d rather be reading. That might sound dull and perfunctory, but Garfield’s book fever was a sickness. Take, for example, the commencement address he delivered at his alma mater Hiram College in the summer of 1880. Traditionally, these pep talks to college graduates are supposed to shove young people into the future with a briefcase bulging with infinitive verbs: to make, to produce, to do. Mr. Loner McBookworm, on the other hand, stands up and breaks it to his audience, the future achievers of America, that the price of the supposedly fulfilling attainment of one’s personal and professional dream is the irritating way it cuts into one’s free time. He tells them,

• It has occurred to me that the thing you have, that all men have enough of, is perhaps the thing that you care for the least, and that is your leisure — the leisure you have to think; the leisure you have to be let alone; the leisure you have to throw the plummet into your mind, and sound the depth and dive for things below.

The only thing stopping this address from turning into a slacker parable is the absence of the word “dude.” Keep in mind that at that moment Garfield was a presidential candidate. The guy who theoretically wants the country’s most demanding, hectic, brain-dive-denying job stands before these potential gross national product producers advising them to treat leisure “as your gold, as your wealth, as your treasure.”

This is my president.

[Dr. Medulla]

If there is a recurring theme in Garfield’s diaries it’s this: I’d rather be reading. That might sound dull and perfunctory, but Garfield’s book fever was a sickness. Take, for example, the commencement address he delivered at his alma mater Hiram College in the summer of 1880. Traditionally, these pep talks to college graduates are supposed to shove young people into the future with a briefcase bulging with infinitive verbs: to make, to produce, to do. Mr. Loner McBookworm, on the other hand, stands up and breaks it to his audience, the future achievers of America, that the price of the supposedly fulfilling attainment of one’s personal and professional dream is the irritating way it cuts into one’s free time. He tells them,

• It has occurred to me that the thing you have, that all men have enough of, is perhaps the thing that you care for the least, and that is your leisure — the leisure you have to think; the leisure you have to be let alone; the leisure you have to throw the plummet into your mind, and sound the depth and dive for things below.

The only thing stopping this address from turning into a slacker parable is the absence of the word “dude.” Keep in mind that at that moment Garfield was a presidential candidate. The guy who theoretically wants the country’s most demanding, hectic, brain-dive-denying job stands before these potential gross national product producers advising them to treat leisure “as your gold, as your wealth, as your treasure.”

This is my president.

Ewww, Republican scum.

[Kory]

If there is a recurring theme in Garfield’s diaries it’s this: I’d rather be reading. That might sound dull and perfunctory, but Garfield’s book fever was a sickness. Take, for example, the commencement address he delivered at his alma mater Hiram College in the summer of 1880. Traditionally, these pep talks to college graduates are supposed to shove young people into the future with a briefcase bulging with infinitive verbs: to make, to produce, to do. Mr. Loner McBookworm, on the other hand, stands up and breaks it to his audience, the future achievers of America, that the price of the supposedly fulfilling attainment of one’s personal and professional dream is the irritating way it cuts into one’s free time. He tells them,

• It has occurred to me that the thing you have, that all men have enough of, is perhaps the thing that you care for the least, and that is your leisure — the leisure you have to think; the leisure you have to be let alone; the leisure you have to throw the plummet into your mind, and sound the depth and dive for things below.

The only thing stopping this address from turning into a slacker parable is the absence of the word “dude.” Keep in mind that at that moment Garfield was a presidential candidate. The guy who theoretically wants the country’s most demanding, hectic, brain-dive-denying job stands before these potential gross national product producers advising them to treat leisure “as your gold, as your wealth, as your treasure.”

This is my president.

Ewww, Republican scum.

A lot of problems with republicans could be solved with more leisure time. Work destroys the soul.

[Dr. Medulla]

If there is a recurring theme in Garfield’s diaries it’s this: I’d rather be reading. That might sound dull and perfunctory, but Garfield’s book fever was a sickness. Take, for example, the commencement address he delivered at his alma mater Hiram College in the summer of 1880. Traditionally, these pep talks to college graduates are supposed to shove young people into the future with a briefcase bulging with infinitive verbs: to make, to produce, to do. Mr. Loner McBookworm, on the other hand, stands up and breaks it to his audience, the future achievers of America, that the price of the supposedly fulfilling attainment of one’s personal and professional dream is the irritating way it cuts into one’s free time. He tells them,

• It has occurred to me that the thing you have, that all men have enough of, is perhaps the thing that you care for the least, and that is your leisure — the leisure you have to think; the leisure you have to be let alone; the leisure you have to throw the plummet into your mind, and sound the depth and dive for things below.

The only thing stopping this address from turning into a slacker parable is the absence of the word “dude.” Keep in mind that at that moment Garfield was a presidential candidate. The guy who theoretically wants the country’s most demanding, hectic, brain-dive-denying job stands before these potential gross national product producers advising them to treat leisure “as your gold, as your wealth, as your treasure.”

This is my president.

Ewww, Republican scum.

A lot of problems with republicans could be solved with more leisure time. Work destroys the soul.

Conservatives are big believers in leisure time, reliant on the labour of others. The ones who are work obsessed do it for the joy of acquiring and ruining others.

[Kory]

This is my president.

Ewww, Republican scum.

A lot of problems with republicans could be solved with more leisure time. Work destroys the soul.

Conservatives are big believers in leisure time, reliant on the labour of others. The ones who are work obsessed do it for the joy of acquiring and ruining others.

The ones I've met are definitely not believers in leisure time. The cult of work runs deep. So many of them see work as a virtue, or "need" to work and would "get bored" without it, and of course they hate people that don't work.

Give me automation and UBI.

[Dr. Medulla]

This is my president.

Ewww, Republican scum.

A lot of problems with republicans could be solved with more leisure time. Work destroys the soul.

Conservatives are big believers in leisure time, reliant on the labour of others. The ones who are work obsessed do it for the joy of acquiring and ruining others.

The ones I've met are definitely not believers in leisure time. The cult of work runs deep. So many of them see work as a virtue, or "need" to work and would "get bored" without it, and of course they hate people that don't work.

Give me automation and UBI.

My dad was a workaholic and I've mostly inherited that, at least to the degree that when I have a project to work on, I'm fully committed. But I'm not as good at seeking out new projects once the slate is cleared.

A year or so ago, we had to do some business at the bank, and our banker wanted to talk about retirement. She asked where we saw ourselves in ten, twenty, and thirty years time. I was honest: I'll be doing the same stuff I'm doing now if someone will let me. If they don't, I'll figure out something else to do. The idea of retirement is way too abstract to conceive of.

[Kory]

Ewww, Republican scum.

A lot of problems with republicans could be solved with more leisure time. Work destroys the soul.

Conservatives are big believers in leisure time, reliant on the labour of others. The ones who are work obsessed do it for the joy of acquiring and ruining others.

The ones I've met are definitely not believers in leisure time. The cult of work runs deep. So many of them see work as a virtue, or "need" to work and would "get bored" without it, and of course they hate people that don't work.

Give me automation and UBI.

My dad was a workaholic and I've mostly inherited that, at least to the degree that when I have a project to work on, I'm fully committed. But I'm not as good at seeking out new projects once the slate is cleared.

A year or so ago, we had to do some business at the bank, and our banker wanted to talk about retirement. She asked where we saw ourselves in ten, twenty, and thirty years time. I was honest: I'll be doing the same stuff I'm doing now if someone will let me. If they don't, I'll figure out something else to do. The idea of retirement is way too abstract to conceive of.

I'm definitely a workaholic as well, even if I resent it—we were talking about this a bit a couple weeks ago. If I'm going to do a project, I'm going to get it done and do it right. But for god's sake, please quit giving me projects!

You have the benefit of having an awesome job though. My non-retirement is based entirely on not ever fathoming a world in which I can afford it. I'd do it now if I could, I have too many other things I want to do.

[Silent Majority]

Finished two books today. The Garfield book is, meh, whatever. The author works at the Garfield library(?) so he has a command of the material, but perhaps that encourages a missionary ambition to correct what he sees as a historical oversight. Maybe? I know very little about these political figures so I can't judge. On the other hand, Duff's Foreground Music is superb, something I think everyone here would adore. Without any serious concrete evidence to support my view, I think hanging out with Graham Duff would be like hanging out with our James Murphy. There's a lovely open vulnerability and passion and basic amity on the page that reminds me of reading SM's longer posts. Anyway, I'm going to assign this book in the next iteration of my rock class. It's a means of discussing audience and music, plus I like to assign one non-academic text.

Up next:
Audio

I've read the title essay a few times over the years, but our present circumstances seem to justify revisiting, and consider the other essays.

Tub

This is by the guy who got me to think I could do this history thing, back when I was his undergrad student for several courses in US history, as well as to appreciate that the written word should be beautiful not just functional. I've already read the dissertation on which this is based—it alternately delighted and irritated me with is playfulness—but I decided to throw him a few royalty pennies by buying the book.

Oh, cool. Thanks for the compliment. I think you're going to enjoy my novel if my co-author can finish his share of the pre - critical reader edits before I die.

[Dr. Medulla]

I'm definitely a workaholic as well, even if I resent it—we were talking about this a bit a couple weeks ago. If I'm going to do a project, I'm going to get it done and do it right. But for god's sake, please quit giving me projects!

The anxiety-ridden worm part of me feels that way—please no new work because I will fail at it. The assumption of failure never really goes away, regardless of past accomplishment.

You have the benefit of having an awesome job though. My non-retirement is based entirely on not ever fathoming a world in which I can afford it. I'd do it now if I could, I have too many other things I want to do.

Because you're a musician and have wider artistic ability, I can understand that. I'm basically a technician in life.

[Dr. Medulla]

Oh, cool. Thanks for the compliment. I think you're going to enjoy my novel if my co-author can finish his share of the pre - critical reader edits before I die.

The joys of a writing partnership! A former friend and I co-authored a dumb novel years and years ago. He's a skilled fiction writer who used it as a way of having fun in between the real stuff he was doing. I sweated every damned minute of my time on it, knowing that I didn't know what I was doing and certain I was ruining all the good stuff he was doing. Which is exactly how it turned out, tho he was too kind not to say so.

[Silent Majority]

5) Echoes from the Macabre - Daphne Du Maurier. Audiobook. 1976. A collection of masterful suspenseful short stories, including the ones that became Don't Look Now (audacious twist) and the Birds (far better than the Hitchcock film). Read with a bohemian upper class irony by a very old fashioned voice actor, this was a brilliant collection of fine story telling well read. I'm going to have to read her Rebecca, I think.