March 2011
55 posts
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“He can’t imagine himself reading to his household; he’s not, like...”
– From Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.
“He” is Thomas Cromwell, the first Earl of Essex, a powerful minister to Henry VIII, and the protagonist of this novel. Which is absolutely breathtakingly good. The prose is so beautiful that it makes me want to cry.
February 2011
62 posts
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NY Times - Frank Buckles, Last World War I... →
He drove an Army ambulance in France in 1918, worked for steamship companies, was imprisoned by the Japanese when they occupied Manila in 1941, and ran a cattle farm where he was still driving a tractor at 104. Hell of a life that guy had.
More than eight decades after World War I ended, Mr. Buckles retained images of his French comrades. And he thought back to the fate that awaited them.
...
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secretpamplemousse:
acciofez:
LOOK WHAT I...
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Gallifrey One 2011: Davison, Daleks, and Fans, Oh... →
So if you’re on any of my other social networks, you’ve seen this already and I’m sorry for spamming you. Welcome to the first post of my new writing gig! Next time I’ve got something there, I’ll try and consolidate my posts, or something.
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Political Unrest in North Africa and the Mideast -... →
I do enjoy that they’ve tastefully greyed out Mubarak and Ben Ali.
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Alamo Drafthouse servers learn to be quick on... →
Behind the scenes at the Alamo Drafthouse.
I’ve always thought that staff was a cool, hardworking bunch of folks and I tip pretty generously, though I now feel like an ass for having never written “thank you” or anything like that on my order card, and will start doing so forthwith.
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Colin Powell demands answers over Curveball's WMD... →
From In the Loop (2009, dir. Armando Ianucci):
Malcolm Tucker: We have got the fucking intelligence. Simon Foster: I haven’t seen it. Malcolm Tucker: The intelligence we’ve got is so deep, so fucking hard, it’ll fucking puncture your kidneys. Simon Foster: Where’s it coming from? Malcolm Tucker: There is an informant. Ice Man. Simon Foster: Ice Man? Malcolm Tucker:...
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Bollards of London →
A blog devoted solely to the traffic-control protrusions known as “bollards”, familiar to anyone who’s been to London.
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immlass:
Americanized sushi is Americanized. While I respect the drive to make a more authentic cuisine and experience for those who want it, he’s not going to stop people eating old fish in spicy sushi rolls dipped in a soy-wasabi slurry any more than I’m going to stop people putting beans in it and calling it chili. Recognizing the real deal for what it is and separating it from...
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“SUSHI 101
Tyson Cole said that the average person doesn’t know what to...”
– Quoted alongside “Uchi: Turning Sushi Into Art”, in the Houston Chronicle.
…if I get started on my gripes with the article, I’ll be here all day, so I’ll just leave you with this bit, Tyson’s sushi FAQ. Because it’s worth knowing.
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PJ Harvey's Universal Soldier →
therichgirlsareweeping:
tomewing:
Best thing I’ve read so far on this record (which is exceptional).
Seconding, thirding, fourthing the recommendations. This piece is great.
What they said. Well done, Mr Lynskey.
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“Its opening night has been pushed back five times and most major US...”
– Hadley Freeman reviewing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark in the Guardian.
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Rockets & Rayguns: Mixtape RAR001 →
rocketsandrayguns:
Rockets & Rayguns Mixtape RAR001
Here’s the first Rockets & Rayguns mixtape. I’m not planning any specific themes for these, just a mix of whatever I’m currently thinking about and listening to (and have had a chance to rip onto my computer).
Check it out. Follow the title link for the full track listing and notes and stuff.
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Hugh Bonneville & Steven Moffat on Twitter, 12 Feb...
Hugh Bonneville (@hughbon): Thanks to @steven_moffat & the brilliant #DrWho crew for a fantastic fortnight on the high seas. #BeardGone #ColdFace
Steven Moffat (@steven_moffat): @hughbon What, you've shaved ALREADY?? What if we've forgotten a bit??
Hugh Bonneville: @steven_moffat Too bad, land-lubber! Mwahahaha *sets sail for horizon*
Steven Moffat: @hughbon That's not the horizon, shipmate. That's the CONVENTION CIRCUIT.
Hugh Bonneville: @steven_moffat yikes!
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“STAR POWER: AN EVENING WITH KYLE MACLACHLAN & ANIMAL RESTAURANT
Courtyard...”
– Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival
The effort it’s taking me to get my head around this listing is what you might call CONSIDERABLE. (However, Pursued By Bear is probably one of the best names for anything, ever.)
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“W.C. HOGG BUILDING, #2 East Mall
Criminal Trespass Warning: A non-UT subject...”
– UT Campus Watch, 8 Feb, 2011
(Wikipedia entry on Charles Whitman, for anyone not up on this appalling and still distressing piece of Austin history.)
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“Directed by Julie Taymor, who wrote the show’s book with Glen Berger, and...”
– Ben Brantley, reviewing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark in “Good and Evil, Hanging By a Thread” in the NY Times.
Friggin’ ouch.
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Drink recipe nattering
So I’m currently running some spare cycles right now trying to come up with a drink menu for an Oscars party. I’ve decided on a selection of classic cocktails and new ones, largely centred on a movies theme—not necessarily the ones that are up for awards this year (or have ever been), but just movies in general. My own idiosyncratic taste in films figures heavily.
For the...
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First Listen: PJ Harvey, "Let England Shake" →
Listening to this right now and loving it. It’s some kind of crazy hybrid descendant of 1960s British folk by way of post-punk, synth-pop, and at least half a dozen other musical forms I’m not smart enough to list.
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