novels, comets, movies
My son recently read a kids' edition of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine," and our house has been busy with this story in various forms. I read the novel some 15 years ago and it remains a favorite. I've also seen both of the major adaptations, from 1960 and 2002, and my son and I … Continue reading The Time Machine
The following things about Louisa May Alcott's “Little Women” have surprised me: it’s a very Christian work; it’s ridiculously funny; and tremendously erudite. The movies of “Little Women” that I’ve seen don’t give a sense of the following things: it’s a very Christian work; it’s ridiculously funny; and tremendously erudite. (To be more precise, it’s … Continue reading Little Women
I knew nothing about this story going in. I thought it was going to be some sober, artsy-fartsy thing. It’s actually filled with sex, much of it surprisingly explicit and even erotic. The sex is painted real, meaning it’s only occasionally a joyful thing and more often: sad, boring, painful, calculating, stolen, paid for, animalistic … Continue reading The Last Picture Show
Kim and Penn Holderness have had us laughing all throughout quarantine, and God bless them. If you know their videos, you know that their first book just came out: "Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better At It?" I enjoyed it from start to finish, just gobbled it up. It starts off like a conventional … Continue reading Everybody Fights
I've finished Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations." Daily Stoic has a terrific review (see end of post) which is a meditation, in its own right, on what this Roman Emperor jotted down in notes that were never intended to be seen by anyone other than himself. Reading the private thoughts of an actual Emperor of Rome is … Continue reading Meditations
December 15, 2020 I'm reading this now for the first time. What stands out most for me may be the swiftly changing Spirit of Christmas Past. It's like an anomaly-entity from modern sci-fi, but soft-voiced and ominous like the representation of Satan in The Last Temptation of Christ movie. (Overly Sarcastic Productions was reminded of … Continue reading A Christmas Carol
September 2, 2020 I am struck by some parallels between two battles -- Gaugamela and Austerlitz. I wonder in fact to what degree Napoleon copied Alexander’s tactics. My son and I have enjoyed watching these videos and it's great fun to think about these things, though comments, clarifications and corrections are more than welcome here; … Continue reading Gaugamela and Austerlitz