Those incorrigible Class of 2006 Princeton University graduates are getting on my last... damn... nerve!!! Princeton, infamous since it was founded in 1746, has recently become a radical breeding ground of academic mavericks, trailblazing giants of knowledge whose towering achievements and undeniable autoritas terrorize the works of past scholarship with total reckless abandonment. I'm so SICK of their roguish, devil-may-care brilliance, as well as their horrid, masterbatory compulsion to break through mere human limitations. Princetonians, indeed, are bloodthirsty intellectual conquistadors, the Princeton education being a weapon of mass destruction that can de-stablize our way of life. Instead of simply getting a good, gentlemanly education like those mental midgets at Yale and Harvard, students who attend the New Jersey-based university do not merely learn facts and gain aristocratic skill sets; they enter into a torrid 4-year long affair of frenzied, earth-shattering sexual congress between genius and potential.

But... as much as it pains me to admit it... the Class of 2006 at Princeton is what you would call a necessary evil. Although they are intimidating, that body of students is a beacon of light in a world of dim-witted Class of 2006 Yale graduates, and perhaps the first AND last line of defense against crippling intellectual atrophy. I confess... I too must recognize Princetonians as the avant-garde of not only the literati, but of humanity itself. But we must remain vigilant when encountering these titillating, academic virtuosos. After all: ipsa scientia potestas est. And unfortunately, power corrupts...

Okay, okay. This isn't actually a rant against Princeton graduates. It's more a poorly-veiled, self-congratulatory oral fart. Needless to say, I am proud that I graduated college earlier this month, and I wanted to write something celebratory, but I feel like I haven't yet been able to truly convince myself that I won't be returning next fall. Graduating college can be a watershed event in a person's life, but so far I am uncertain of how it has affected me. Heck, I've been a graduate for almost a month, and only now am I beginning to realize what it means. So far, I have been confident of my preparedness for bigger and better things... but am I really? What are my regrets about college? Should I even waste time thinking about my regrets? Without hesitation... the answer must be: YES. I was a HISTORY major for Pete's sake, so I should already know not to underestimate the value of retrospection and introspection. Anyway, ironically... my biggest social failure during my college years may be one of the things I must choose not to regret. After years or bordering on insanity, I came out at the end of the tunnel stronger, and, perhaps, even more resilient. But... I continue to sink into denial when it comes to mention of my largest academic failure: my senior thesis. For that alone, I wish I could travel back in time and repeat my senior year. Of course, I didn't really fail my thesis, but how can I say I "passed" when i feel so ashamed at the quality of what is really the symbol of the culmination of my 4-year college education?

Sigh... focusing on stuff like this is so unlike me. It must be some post-graduate stress disorder. Once I start work next month, I won't have time to care about this stuff. It will be a different life, one that will deserve my full attention.

I could be wrong, but what are the chances of that?

Past Rants:
Pedestrians w/ Hands-free Cellphones

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 3:47 PM

Movie Review:
Superman Returns (2006)
Directed by Bryan Singer

Superman Returns is... well... a Superman movie. And by this I mean it's a more-or-less traditional comic book film: plot and story are given little priority in order to allow the director to make way for iconic poses, shiny special effects, fanboyism, and beautiful people. But this will by no means be a negative review of the film. Audiences who go to watch a movie like Superman Returns do not expect competent acting, a compelling plot, or, frankly, anything resembling logic that can appeal to the viewer's ability to reason. Realism altogether is thrown out the window, and instead, Superman (played by Brandon Routh) serves primarily as an allegorical figure; a symbol representing sacrifice, love, and inspiration. When Lois Lane meets the Man of Steel for the first time after his return from an exploration of the remains of his homeworld, Krypton, she spitefully declares that the people neither need, nor want a "savior." Then, after a painfully cheesy - albeit obligatory - scene of Superman taking Lois flying with him, he tells her that she's wrong. Thanks to his alien super-hearing, he can hear people all over the world begging for help everyday. His role as a savior; his sacrifices for the human race and his adopted planet were central themes throughout the story, and were frequently expressed, most memorably in one of the most obvious, yet emotionally and visually stunning moments of the film.

One of my problems with having Superman as a Christ allegory is that the people of the fictional world were virtually reduced to mindless sheep. Humanity had no personality to speak of, and had no role other than to be in unending awe of the alien hero. Their only purpose: to gawk at and be inspired by Superman. Only Lois and Lex dared challenge Superman's "god-hood," and I find that particularly distressing. True, Lex Luthor's intentions were evil, but he also represents the potential of man. The strength of the human spirit, the power of the human brain and human imagination... THESE should be our saviors. No deity of any modern-day organized religion respects a society that depends on miracles lead them into the future. Jor-El (voiced by the late-Marlon Brando), Superman's father, spoke to his biological son about the human capacity to do good, but we see very little of that in this film. All we see is the human capacity to take and take and take. Perhaps this is an accurate portrayal of humanity more often than not, but it certainly shouldn't be depicted as a glamorous existence.

Also, there were a number problems with the movie, I felt, that seem to damage Superman's role as the iconic hero he is meant to be. But airing these relatively small grievances will spoil many of the secrets of the movie, so I will refrain from doing so. Sadly, I do not have the time to say everything I want to say about this movie, but perhaps I will continue at a later date. But despite my laundry list of criticism, it was a mildly entertaining movie, and feast for the eyes. It's missable, but it couldn't hurt to watch it. You might even have some fun. I did. But don't expect a miracle. There was no "acting" to speak of, really. Half the movie was filled with actions scenes, the other half were moments in which Superman and Lois would look longingly at each other. But it was effective, so who cares. B-

Past Movie Reviews:
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
King Kong (2005)
X-Men III: The Last Stand (2006)
Missing Impossible III (2006)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
V for Vendetta (2006)
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 at 4:01 PM

Book Review - Fiction:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003)
by Mark Haddon

"13. This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because I cannot understand them. Here is a joke, as an example. It is one of father's.

His face was drawn but the curtains were real.
I know why this is meant to be funny. I asked. It is because drawn has three meanings, and they are (1) drawn with a pencil, (2) exhausted, and (3) pulled across a window, and meaning 1 refers to both the face and the curtains, meaning two refers only to the face, and meaning 3 refers only to the curtains.
If I try to say the joke to myself, making the word mean the three different things at the same time, it is like hearing different pieces of music at the same time, which is uncomfortable and confusing and not nice like white noise. It is like three people tryig to talk to you at the same time about different things.
And that is why there are no jokes in this book." pg. 8

One day, young, 15-yr old Christopher Boone walks home to discover the dead body of Wellington on the front lawn of Mrs. Shears' home. Wellington is Mrs. Shears' dog, and an old friend of Christopher's. He deduces that foul play was involved, and dedicates himself to solving the murder case and finding the killer using his own peculiar investigative methodology.

Christopher is autistic, although the term "autism" does not appear in the story. We are simply told that he is "special," and it is uncertain whether or not the boy himself entirely understands the implications of the various euphemisms he is told, but he is certainly aware that he is not normal. For this he appears unapologetic, as he does not choose to - or is simply incapable of - empathizing with others around him for frustration he tends to cause for others. Understanding the complexity of human emotions and behavior, he readily acknowledges, is not his strength. This is, perhaps, why his attachment to Wellington and to his own pet rat are so strong. Animals do not joke, they do not use metaphor, and - as far as he can discern - they do not lie. And neither does Christopher.

What he does do, though, is solve puzzles. He is an autistic savant, with calender memory and the ability to rapidly solve complex mathematics in his head. It is with this skill set that he - sometimes comically - goes about his detective work. How was Wellington killed? Why would someone want to kill the dog? Why does Mrs. Shears not want him to ask questions? Where is Mr. Shears? Why is his own father so adamant about stopping the investigation? Christopher ventures off on his own to solve these mysteries, but he inevitably comes to a few roadblocks. Everyone he knows does not want him to discover the truth about Wellington's death, yet he cannot speak to strangers. He does not like to be touched. He cannot recognize the complexities of human language, unless they are explained to him, and the emotions of others are indecipherable.

Mark Haddon introduces a number of wonderful characters whose pain and sadness seem to come alive on the pages. The prose was simple and beautifully uncommon, its narrative told from the perspective of Christopher himself, mimicking the sequence of logical progression of an autistic person. It is a heartbreaking story, as Christopher's detective work uncovers a dark past in his family, one that will threaten to tear the bonds of his relationship with his father apart. Of course, Curious Incident is both a tragic and inspirational story about living with autism, but much more than that, it is a story about the love and the sacrifice of parenthood. Even though I did not once, while reading the novel, sit back and see genius staring up at me from its pages, I finished the book incapable of deciding whether I was overwhelmed with happiness or sadness at its conclusion, which I feel is the mark of a good story. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is not a great work of literature, or even an important one, but I recommend it for anyone that needs a bit of light reading over the summer. B

Past Book Reviews (Fiction):
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) by Michael Chabon
State of Fear (2004) by Michael Crichton
Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri
Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole

Sunday, June 25, 2006 at 4:28 PM

Book Reviews - Fiction:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000)
by Michael Chabon
2001 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"Having lost his mother, father, brother, and grandfather, the friends and foes of his youth, his beloved teacher Bernard Kornblum, his city, his history - his home - the usual charge leveled against comic books, that the offered merely an easy escape from reality, seemed to Joe actually to be a powerful argument on their behalf. He had escaped, in his life, from ropes, chains, boxes, bags, and crates, from handcuffs and shackles, from countries and regimes, from the arms of a woman who loved him, from crashed airplanes and an opiate addiction and from an entire frozen continent intent on causing his death. The escape from reality was, he felt - especially right after the war - a worthy challenge. He would remember for the rest of his life a peaceful half hour spent reading a copy of Betty and Veronica that he had found in a service-station rest room: lying down with it under a fir tree, in a sun-slanting forest outside of Medford, Oregon, wholly absorbed into that primary-colored world of bad gags, heavy ink lines, Shakespearean farce, and the deep, almost Oriental mystery of the two big-toothed, wasp-waisted goddess-girls, light and dark, entangled forever in the enmity of their friendship." p. 576.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is an exploration of the imagination, brotherhood, and, by more than one definition, the art of escapism. Chabon's story follows the lives, or "adventures," of Samuel Klayman, a Brooklyn Jew, and his cousin from Prague, Josef Kavalier. The latter had "escaped" Europe in 1939, having secretly stowed away in the "coffin" of a dressed up Golem (one of the last few treasures his family had still owned) after his passage to America (paid for in advance by the last of the Kavalieri family fortune) was denied.
Shortly after arriving in America and moving in with Sam and his mother, Ethel, the two young boys enter into a partnership, Kavalier & Clay, to take advantage of the skyrocketing comic book industry (thanks to the introduction of Superman in 1938). Binding together Sam's flare for story-telling and Joe's artistic talent, the two pin their aspirations onto their own serialized superhero creation: The Escapist!

"The Escapist is Tom Mayflower, crippled nephew of escape artist Max Mayflower (who performs under the stage name of Misterioso). When Max is fatally shot while performing onstage, he gives Tom a golden key and a costume. As long as Tom is wearing the costume and the key, he finds that he is no longer lame and can perform amazing feats of escapology. Tom uses his powers to fight crime under the guise of The Escapist, especially against the evil forces of the mysterious Iron Chain."

To the two young men, the character represented more than just a source of income and looming deadlines during the Depression. To Sam, the Escapist embodied all of his hidden desires. Sam's father, the self-proclaimed "Strongest Jew in the World" known in the circus as the Molecule, had left his child and wife soon after learning that Sam's legs would be permanently crippled after a case of polio, developing issues of abandonment and an inferiority complex in the small boy which would persist the rest of his life. The Escapist was everything Sam believed he was not: tall, handsome, athletic, confident, and competent. Feeling a large void in his life, Sam thus sought to live vicariously through the fictional character in his fictional world where finding magical keys could solve all of a young man's problems. To live in this world of amazing feats and beautiful people, Sam immersed himself into his work, that is, until he met Tracy Bacon, the radio voice actor, and virtual clone, of the fictional master of "escapology" himself, with whom he began his own exploration of reality, a reality he would have trouble believing he could ever truly feel like he was a part of. Sam, it would appear, is destined to repeat the sins of his father and abandon the live he constructs after the war. The only questions is: Is he escaping from or to the life he wants?

To Joe (with some guilt, Josef chose to Americanize his name to be a reflection of his new life), the comic book medium represented not only a means to money for the purpose of buying his family's safe passage to New York, but also (in the short term) an opportunity to generate support among the American public for enterring into the war against the Axis Powers, particularly Germany: the oppressors of his homeland and the principle villains of his stories. The preoccupation with "escapism" originated in Prague, where Joe had come under the tutelage of Bernard Kornblum, a world-reknowned Houdini-esque escape artist and magician, who eventually became one of the inspirations for his and Sam's amalgam creation. Despite his obsession with his work and his desire to see his family again, Joe met and fell in love with Rosa Saks, an eccentric young artist, and became conflicted over his guilt for no longer spending every waking moment working to save the family that had sacrificed everything they had for his ticket to America. Gradually, he began to think of his family less and less, and began to make a life of his own in his adopted country, at least, until everything he had been workings towards had crashed down upon him, after which he succumbed to his own grief and escaped into the war to try to kill Germans for real.

Drawing parallels with the twists and turns in the lives of the two comic book creators, Chabon wonderfully traces the early history of the comic book industry's golden age, it's unimaginable success, and it's downfall. But above all, it is a story about two men who grew up amidst the Depression, WWII, and the subsequent decline of the superhero genre, but somehow were able to not let go of their boyish dreams. Picking up the book, I could never have imagined how poignant and insightful this story turned out to be, and I would recommend it to anyone, including those who are unfamiliar with comic books. A-

Past Reviews:
State of Fear (2004) by Michael Crichton
Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri
Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole

Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 9:23 PM

You scored as James Bond, Agent 007. James Bond is MI6's best agent, a suave, sophisticated super spy with charm, cunning, and a license's to kill. He doesn't care about rules or regulations and somewhat amoral. He does care about saving humanity though, as well as the beautiful women who fill his world. Bond has expensive tastes, a wide knowledge of many subjects, and his usually armed with a clever gadget and an appropriate one-liner.

James Bond, Agent 007

67%

Indiana Jones

63%

Maximus

54%

El Zorro

50%

Neo, the "One"

50%

Batman, the Dark Knight

46%

The Amazing Spider-Man

46%

William Wallace

46%

The Terminator

42%

Captain Jack Sparrow

42%

Lara Croft

29%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 11:30 PM

Sardonicus' Rant #1: Pedestrians w/ Hands-free Cellphones

Wearing a hands-free phone earpiece while driving: quasi-responsible. Wearing a hands-free phone earpiece while walking around inside the mall: ultimate douche-baggery. What in the world do these people need the use of both hands for? So they can hand out communist pamphlets twice as fast? Do they find it more effective to pick both nostrils simultaneously? Perhaps it serves as a display of solidarity to their fellow sufferers of severe learning disabilities? Regardless, one should not be completely ignorant of the threat these devices pose to the delicate social fabric of America, one that is already under attack by products from America Online, reality television, and the culinary institution of the spork.

Of course, some of you may wonder: Hart, what is it about these small, grotesque gadgets that offends you so? Although wearing such abominations outside the circumstance of driving demonstrates appallingly poor judgment, are not these individuals only harming themselves and their own social prospects? And to those I say nay! NAY THEE! To simply ignore or forgive such atrocity is not the American way, especially when we see it on our own beautiful soil!

As wonderful a concept as attaching a phone to the side of your head may have been in its early stages of design, we now know that hands-free phones actually do NOT lower the risks of phone-related accidents while driving. The primary distraction is the conversation, not the inconvenience of having to hold something to your ear. The same is true when driving while holding a conversation with someone in the passenger seat. Though if a hands-free phone did indeed add to the safety of driving, the irony of the matter would be astounding. After all, those who wear such monstrosities are implicitly also those that are least deserving to live.

It is disappointing that our society has deteriorated to the point in which everyone needs to be, more-or-less, a cyborg to function. With our ipods, cellphones, laptops, blackberries, etc., can we even call ourselves human beings anymore? Do we make our own decisions, or are our actions determined by what our technologies order we do? Are we living in a sci-fi movie, and have the robots already won? Sadly, it appears they have. Autonomy is a thing of the past.

I could be wrong, but what are the chances of that?

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at 7:35 PM

South Korea tied France 1-1 this past Sunday in their second match of the opening round robin of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Currently, South Korea stands atop Group G with 4 points, but they barely tweaked out a tie against France, and although they are ranked higher than Switzerland (whom they play on Friday), the Koreans are likely still considered to be the underdogs. Korean soccer still has a long way to go before it can play consistently at the level of most European teams, but we'll probably have to wait a couple of generations before anything like that can happen. The sport is still too young in the country, and for the time being seem to be able to struggle by with ugly short passing and a hard work ethic. But there's probably reason to be optimistic when it comes to soccer/football in Asia. It's only a matter of time before China decides to allocate considerable resources to fielding a good national team, Japan seems to be improving steadily, and a number of Asian players are gaining experience abroad, playing against a level of physicalness and talent that has not yet developed at home.

But for all the training, experience, and talent South Korea lacks compared to many other teams, they may possibly have the best fans. It appeared that French fans outnumbered Korean fans at least 2-1 on Sunday, yet the Korean fans seemed to overwhelm the stadium towards the end of the game. This, I attribute to organized, coordinated cheering, something that is woefully lacking the in the United States. Nothing... NOTHING pisses me off more than being at a baseball game and sitting next to a guy who can't synchronize his clapping or his cheering. To those of you: Have you no shame?! Have you no decency?! Are we not civilized?! How much effort must it take to listen to a rhythm and adjust your own behavior accordingly? And if you can't do that, at least FAKE competence! Such lack of ability should not go without punishment in our society; it only breeds idleness and the atrophy of society.

The Sopranos: Season Two (HBO)
Another dive into moral relativism, the glorification of violence, and the veneration of criminals, the sSopranos finally succeed in creating an illusion of progression in its second season. The story pretty much picks up where it left off: Uncle Junior is under indictment, and is placed under house arrest, leaving Tony to assume his place as the acting boss. The additional responsibility, though, doesn't seem to agree with Tony, as his trouble with anxiety reemerges, and his sessions with his psychiatrist eventually resumes. After refusing to continue treating Tony for most of the first half of the season, his female psychiatrist finally changes her mind, after realizing that she had become somewhat obsessed with the thrill of tackling on the psychological woes of a mobster.

Tony's visits to the doctor finally seem to be paying off. In the first season, their scenes had little purpose other than to explain to slow viewers every single instance of literary device, and as a way to flesh out Tony's character so as to create a sympathetic, tragic figure. Not to sound too much like a moral absolutist, I'm getting annoyed - and at least a little discouraged - at how, in today's society, no one is said to be bad, only misunderstood. No one is ever at fault for their own actions, they're simply products of their upbringing, right? Individual responsibility is at an all-time low, it seems. Indeed, it almost seems as if people in America today believe that the government should be a GUARANTOR of protection... protection of a person from THEMSELF. Of course, enough people have subscribed to this idea and have virtually strong-armed their politicians to making the United States one of the most excessively managed societies in the history of the world. Eh... I'm digressing. I'll go into that some other time.

Back on topic... a lot of new interesting characters. Some I love to love, some I love to hate. Furiouso (sp?) has been a fun addition to the "family," as well as two of Christopher's stock-broker underlings, Tony's sister, Janice, and, of course, Richie. The stories were relatively compelling, but one of my chief complaints has been that the resolutions to all of the story-arcs are anti-climactic, or too convenient. Still, the basic premise, the series' high concept, is still somewhat appealing, and I'll likely pick up the third season soon. B-

Past TV Reviews:
Sopranos: Season One
24: Season Two
Lost: Season Two
24: Season One

Thursday, June 15, 2006 at 11:16 PM

State of Fear (2004)
by Michael Crichton

"I can't continue this," Ann said. "You enjoy arguing. I don't. I just want to make the world a better place. I'm going to go read a magazine now." She went to the front of the plane and sat down, her back to Kenner.
Sarah stayed where she was. "Her intentions are good," she said.
"And her information is bad," Kenner said. "A prescription for disaster."
. . .
"I think you're being harsh," Bradley said, in his presidential tone. "Why should you call someone like Anne a 'a prescription for disaster?' She cares very much about these issues. She has devoted her life to them, really. She cares."
"So what?" Kenner said. "Caring is irrelevant. Desire to do good is irrelevant. All that counts is knowledge and results. She doesn't have the knowledge--and, worse, she doesn't know it."

Reading this novel by Michael Crichton, I could not help but be reminded of the Da Vinci Code. But instead of targeting organized religion and the destructive potential of crusading religious militants, State of Fear is aimed against beauracratic environmental organizations that have, in the past couple of decades, deteriorated into quasi-religious, brainwashing propagandists that effectively dictate the environmentalist movement based on misguided "faith" in their ideals rather than hard science, and without the appropriate concern for the consequences of their lobbying.

To some degree, I find the deconstructionist method of "Everything-you-know-is-wrong"-storytelling (such as in the Da Vinci Code) to be the mark of a weak, condescending writer, but I do have to admit that Crichton was able to bring me towards his side of the "global warming" debate. To his credit, his research was extremely thorough, and I was particularly impressed with how he was careful to include footnotes that referenced articles from various, respected scientific journals. Having followed up on a few of these references, Crichton is guilty of, in many cases, overly simplifying the results of complex research to fit his views, but that only made the inclusion of those articles a testament to his sense of responsibility to his readers.

Again, I do not want to go into the issues of the book too thoroughly, because the villains of the story are far from obvious, and even knowing the details of the threat in the novel would effectively spoil many of its most surprising and finest moments. State of Fear is the equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster in novel form, and is mostly driven along by action and suspense, written as simply as possible. Readers expecting Dickens will be disappointed, and at times the book was close to unbearable (I dropped the book in disgust a number of times due to its style), but ultimately it was a rewarding experience that answers (or at least discusses) a lot of questions. What is global warming? What are its symptoms? Have the average global temperatures been increasing due to human activity/carbon dioxide emissions? Are there alternative explanations? What do studies show is happening to the world's climate? Are natural disasters increasing, on average, in intensity? Are we seeing more extreme weather patterns?
Somewhat recommended, but no need to fall over yourself to buy it. B

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 at 11:20 PM

South Korea beat Togo 2-1 yesterday in their first match of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Togo scored early in the first half, but SK was able to equalize it early in the second half and was able to score a short while after. Fortunately, they were aided considerably by a one-man advantage after to a Togo red card. As relieved as the Koreans are to have pulled through this first match, they have a lot on their plate to worry about. True, they currently stand atop of their group with three points (France and Switzerland each recieved one point for their tie), but unless the team steps up, they will have absolutely no chance against France, and may likely lose to Switzerland as well. It's always so frustrating for me to watch the Korean team play, because even though they appear to try so hard on the field, their striking ability seems to generally be inferior to most other teams from other countries that have a longer soccer tradition. Korea's next match is on Sunday, I believe, against the French. I'll definitely try to find some place to watch that. LET'S GO COREA! DEH-HAN-MIN-GUK!!

The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Directed by Ron Howard for Columbia Pictures

You know, I heard a lot of crap about this movie, and I enterred the theater prepared to criticize everything humanly possible... but gosh darnnit... I really like the movie. There were weaknesses, naturally, but most of them- I believe- are simply matters of preference regarding which scenes from the novel should have been played up that weren't. This is a common problem (at least for me) when I watch a movie based on a novel, but I'm willing to acknowledge the difficulties of scripting, directing, and editing a movie. The final product seemed to be somewhat of a compromise on the part of the director, perhaps in order make the movie appear less controversial by making the story move along... diplomatically. Still, the essence of the novel was preserved (although it has been quite a while since I read the novel and I am not sure about a lot of parts), so I would happily recommend this movie, as long as you're willing to take it with a grain of salt. But I think it's unfortunate there is so much controversy surrounding this book and movie, because it takes away from the enjoyment. It's not great literature, but it's fun and action-packed. Furthermore, it's informative. Now, of course, the "information" cannot be proved, but I think that's partially the point. The possibility Dan Brown proposes cannot be proved... BUT it can also not be disproved. Perhaps the lesson is that you should be open to a variety of possiblities. We, after all, have these wonderful brains for a reason.

Evidence is scarce and hard to come by, and those that are available are often conflicting. Are their definite answers? Possibly. One day I would like to see the papal library opened to academia. Simply the fact that virtually everyone but the pope is forbidden to enter the library seems to suggest that there are many documents they simply do not want the world to see. Is it because the information they have will cause more Christians to doubt? The truth is that no one, besides the pope and his high-level aides, have the capability to learn the basis of this secrecy.
Anyway, back on topic, the movie was a lot of fun compared to the average Hollywood blockbuster. Not great enough for me to buy the dvd, but it's definitely a movie I wouldn't complain about having to watch again. Recommended. B

Sopranos: Season One (HBO)
I remember a time (a few years ago) when references to Sopranos was EVERYWHERE. It was the IT tv show, and I have even heard Sex and the City regarded as the "Sopranos for Women." And considering how popular Sex and the City was, I imagine that was intended as a compliment. I didn't have many preconceptions about the series, other than my previous experience with the Godfather movie trilogy. I had imagined the mob lifestyle to be depicted as more glamorous, but the series seems to be stressing the more human and relatable qualities of the mafia. Tony has to battle crippling anxiety and depression, a manipulative mother, and paranoid Uncle, a worsening marriage, as well as the stresses of being a mob captain and constantly having to look over his shoulder. My impression, though, is that the entire first season served little more than a set-up. With the first season finale, I finally got the sense that the story was moving forward, and Tony moving up to boss. By the end of the first season, I became a little impatient with the constant and excessive usage of obvious literary devices to, I assume, have the story appear deep and insightful, but they simply detracted from the story. Aside from the satisfaction of patting myself on the back that I understood the metaphors, but contributing little to my overall enjoyment of the show so far. Still, an interesting start, and I'm looking forward to watching more. B-

Stuff: I actually had a really fun time yesterday in the city. True, I was not able to watch the game when it aired, but I don't really regret it. In the past, I have prided myself in my staunch opposition against hanging out in "groups" in favor of the more more personal, revealing qualitis of a one-on-one conversation, but now I feel like I can better understand how most other kids my age have fun. This is one of the few instances in which I feel sad about some of the things I missed out on when I was growing up and attending college. To some degreenow , I definitely feel envy for the people who seem to be better at enjoying themselves.

Monday, June 12, 2006 at 8:33 PM

Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri
2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
A collection of short stories, Maladies would have been perfect for late-night reading were it not for one thing: it was utterly depressing. Still, it was far from a disappointment. Admittedly, I was a little hesitant to buy this book, because of the Indian themes that I worried I might not completely understand, and although that may have been true, I was quickly relieved to find that although references to Indian customs were prevalent, it was not a book ABOUT ethnicity and ethnic pride. "A Temporary Matter," "Interpreter of Maladies," and "The Third and Final Continent" are to be highly praised and recommended, particularly for their timeless, universal appeal (which many of the others lacked). I was also disappointed in a number of the other stories, though, as they seemed to serve no purpose other than to mimic real life, which is, of course, interesting, but their impact was just as fleeting. Some of them, like "The Blessed House," were quite good and I found myself empathizing with one of the characters of that story to the point in which I could not help but be enraged by the actions of another character, but, alas, I could not help but feel as if I bought an album of 16 songs to find that I only like 3. Lahiri is an extremely mature writer, yet her style is simple; neither condescending nor superfluous. I'd be very interested in re-reading these stories in ten years, or twenty, and see how my perspectives change. I'll definitely have to make a point to do that. Highly Recommended. A-/B+

King Kong (2005)
Directed by Peter Jackson for Universal Pictures
Crap. C-R-A-P. Couldn't even finish watching this. Special Effects seemed to be all right though. But this is King FRIGGIN' Kong! Why was it paced like a Lord of the Rings movie? I was bored half to death! but I haven't even seen the original, so perhaps I just didn't konw what to expect. I wanted a movie about a huge gorilla destroying stuff and fighting. I DIDN'T want a story about a filmmaker, a struggling actress, a script writer, and 20 friggin sailors. What the HECK?!! C-

Joined a Gold's Gym a few days ago. So far I've been going every day, with the exception of Saturday because I had myteriously hurt my foot running on a treadmill. Still, I've been working out an hour every day, and I would like to promise to myself that I'll be in the best shape of my life by the end of the summer. Maybe I'll start preparing myself now to run a marathon in a couple of years. But who knows what my schedule will be like once I start work. Hopefully I'll still have time (or the desire) to go to the gym regularly.

Next Up in Reviews:
State of Fear (2004) by Michael Crichton (I'm halfway through)
Da Vinci Code (2006) directed by Ron Howard

Recent Purchases:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Paperback, 2001) by Michael Chabon
Atlas Shrugged (Paperback, 2005 reprint) by Ayn Rand
The Fountainhead (Paperback, 1994 reprint) by Ayn Rand
Underworld (Hardcover, 1997 reprint) by Don Delillo
Lolita (Paperback, 1989 reprint) by Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
Gilead (Hardcover, 2004) by Marilynne Robinson

Thursday, June 08, 2006 at 11:08 PM

HIP HIP!
Ra ra ra, Tiger tiger tiger, Siss siss siss, Boom boom boom, Aaah! Oh-Six! Oh-Six! Oh Six!

Old Nassau

Tune every heart and every voice,
Bid every care withdraw;

Let all with one accord rejoice,

In praise of Old Nassau.

[Chorus]
In praise of Old Nassau we sing,
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Our hearts will give while we shall live,
Three cheers for Old Nassau.

Let music rule the fleeting hour,
Her mantle round us draw
And thrill each heart with all her power,
In praise of Old Nassau.''

CHORUS

And when these wallls in dust are laid,
With reverence and awe,
Another throng shall breathe our song,
In praise of Old Nassau.

CHORUS

Till then with joy our songs we'll bring,
And while a breath we draw,
We'll all unite to shout and sing,
Long life to Old Nassau.

FINAL CHORUS

In praise of Old Nassau we sing,
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Our hearts will give while we shall live,
Long Life to Old Nassau.

Thursday, June 01, 2006 at 4:01 PM

A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)
by John Kennedy Toole
Published by Grove Press
1981 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

"The perverted (and I suspect quite dangerous) mind of Clyde has devised still another means of belittling my rather invincible being. At first I thought I might have found a surrogate father in teh czar of sausage, the mogul of meat. But his resentment and jealousy of me are increasing daily; no doubt they will ultimately overwhelm him and destroy his mind. The grandeur of my physique, the complexity of my worldview, the decency and taste implicit in my carriage, the grace with which I function in the mire of today's world--all of these at once confuse and astound Clyde." p. 227

I was awestruck at how soundly my expectations of this book were exceeded, I'm compelled to announce that Dunces has decisively toppled the fortress that was Catch-22 as my all-time favorite novel. This astounding coupe by Toole, unfortunately, was bittersweet. Having committed suicide in his early thirties, the author had, tragically, only produced one other novel: The Neon Bible. Although Dunces can best be described as a whimsical comedy, the inner-monologues of Ignatius J. Reilly, the main protagonist, became only increasingly insightful and imaginative as the story progressed. His interactions with the other outrageous characters -- not to be outdone -- were just as satisfying. I do not wish to go into great detail about the events of the novel; I find that fiction is best appreciated when the reader has no preconceptions about the work, but suffice it to say that it should be on the summer reading lists of all who have managed to overlook it. I can only agree whole-heartedly with the pulitzer juries that awarded the book its most prestigous prize, and therefore have no choice but to grant it my highest grade: A+

Next: Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri

24: Season Two
This show is too addicting... I already feel a number of withdrawal symptoms... I need more Jack Bauer kicking butt... Season two didn't feel as satisfying as the first, but it's still a cool show, and I can't wait to start watching the next season once I get back in a few days from graduation. B

The Collected Writings of Sardonicus

Friday, June 30, 2006 at 12:54 AM