arse poetica

The Sun is Still Sunny

Dave reminded me about the wonder and the glory that is Les Concerts a Emporter.

Screen capture from the Dean and Britta post. Mmm.

Wordy, But I Like It

Okay, so it sounds exactly like what I listened to when I was 14. That's a given. And, yes, it is practically identical to 99.99% of my iTunes inventory. Sure. And so it's a little twee. Is that so wrong?? ^_^

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart--Doing All the Things That Wouldn't Make Your Parents Proud (mp3)

Get your hipster tunes--of wider/broader/more adventurous sensibility than mine--here: Stereogum mp3s! [via]

[photo credit: ae | 09.08.07 | Winston-Salem, NC (at a Wake Forest football game where, inevitably, WFU blew it in another of a long string of shoulda-wons)]

Theatre Notes from Jonathan Franzen

A Q&A in New York magazine w/ Jonathan Franzen, a wonderful writer whose public commentary I think vacillates between gleeful, often thoughtful, snark and pompous windbagery. Hey, you can't win 'em all, and he's a helluva writer, so maybe I should just stick to his books.

There are other interesting bits in the Q&A but Franzen's theatre recommendations got my attention.

Q&A With 'Spring Awakening: A Play' Translator Jonathan Franzen.

Is there anything you really loved recently in the theater?
I actually saw The Drowsy Chaperone twice. I love it. Twice I came out just bursting from laughter, really in physical pain.

Great! I've put that on my mental checklist of Plays To See.

Anything you’ve hated?
If you want an example of what I think theater should not be, Embedded is a good example. I practically came out of Embedded ready to join the Republican Party.

Dear God! What is this wretched mess that makes intelligent writers consider aligning w/ the forces of evil?? Ohhhh...I see. Well then.

Killer Weenie

Why does this crack me up so much?

Diabolical Hot Dog by Britton Walters.

Because it's summertime! And I'm unfettered! And my mind can roam! And silliness is deeply necessary when governments are up to this kind of shit.

Maison Tropicale

Ooooooooooooooooooh. This would fit perfectly in my backyard.

From Africa to Queens Waterfront, a Modernist Gem for Sale to the Highest Bidder.

Tomorrow, the Maison Tropicale, a small aluminum-paneled house built in 1951 by Jean Prouvé, a French designer and the current court favorite of well-heeled contemporary art and design collectors internationally, is being opened to the public for preview in Long Island City. Christie’s, the auction house, will offer it for sale on June 5. The presale estimate is $4 million to $6 million.

It’s cash and carry. The structure is a kit of metal parts, like an Ikea piece, but bigger. It was conceived by Prouvé as a utopian prototype for prefabricated housing for French colonial officials working in Africa. Eric Touchaleaume, a French antiques dealer, bought the house and two others in 2000 — the only three produced, andwhich actually made the plane trip to the Congo and Niger in the 1940s and ’50s. He then took them apart and shipped them back to France.

Mr. Touchaleaume has said he is selling the Maison Tropicale reassembled in Queens to finance a Prouvé museum, which will travel in another of the three Maisons Tropicales. The house’s riverside preview site, directly to the south of the Queensboro Bridge, is owned by Silvercup Studios and is being developed as a $1 billion complex with two towers of luxury residences — a more New York kind of utopia.

The Maison is also plug-and-play: there was never any plumbing, and it is wired for electricity. It ships in six containers. Christie’s is compiling a short list of potential bidders with substantial properties in Mustique, Antigua, the Hamptons — name your playground — who might like a 59-foot-by-32-foot--by-16-foot-tall folly/outdoor sculpture/guesthouse/vintage metal toy to park on the lawn, with a designer label attached.

Shh, Don't Tell db

I'm getting him this t-shirt. I laugh every time I look at it. The look on Paper's face is priceless. HA!

Excuse Me, What?

I'm sorry, I can't hear you. I am rocking out to Office (the band): "Possibilities."

This'll cure whatever ails you this fine Monday morn.

Anybody Got Time to Figure This Out?

I like Douglas Coupland's brain. I'm not sure if I knew he had a blog at the Times.

Time Capsules - Too Good - Douglas Coupland.

My 10-year-old nephew is going crazy because in my new novel I put a list of all 972 three-letter words legally allowable in Scrabble plus one invented word which isn’t allowed. He refuses to cheat and check online or elsewhere. Perhaps you, dear reader, might be interested in finding the word yourself. Herewith, 972 words plus one fake, and for what it’s worth, my spell check rejects most of them:

AAH AAL AAS ABA ABO ABS ABY ACE ACT ADD ADO ADS ADZ AFF AFT AGA AGE AGO AHA AID AIL AIM AIN AIR AIS AIT ALA AL B ALE ALL ALP ALS ALT AMA AMI AMP AMU ANA AND ANE ANI A NT ANY APE APT ARB ARC ARE ARF ARK ARM ARS ART ASH ASK ASP ASS ATE ATT AUK AVA AVE AVO AWA AWE AWL AWN AXE AYE AYS AZO BAA BAD BAG BAH BAL BAM BAN BAP BAR BAS BAT BA Y BED BEE BEG BEL BEN BET BEY BIB BID BIG BIN BIO BIS B IT BIZ BOA BOB BOD BOG BOO BOP BOS BOT BOW BOX BOY BRA BRO BRR BUB BUD BUG BUM BUN BUR BUS BUT BUY BYE BYS CAB CAD CAM CAN CAP CAR CAT CAW CAY CEE CEL CEP CHI CIS CO B COD COG COL CON COO COP COR COS COT COW COX COY COZ C RY CUB CUD CUE CUM CUP CUR CUT CWM DAB DAD DAG DAH DAK DAL DAM DAP DAW DAY DEB DEE DEL DEN DEV DEW DEX DEY DIB DID DIE DIG DIM DIN DIP DIS DIT DOC DOE DOG DOL DOM DO N DOR DOS DOT DOW DRY DUB DUD DUE DUG DUI DUN DUO DUP D YE EAR EAT EAU EBB ECU EDH EEL EFF EFS EFT EGG EGO EKE ELD ELF ELK ELL ELM ELS EME EMF EMS EMU END ENG ENS EON ERA ERE ERG ERN ERR ERS ESS ETA ETH EVE EWE EYE FAD FA G FAN FAR FAS FAT FAX FAY FED FEE FEH FEM FEN FER FET F EU FEW FEY FEZ FIB FID FIE FIG FIL FIN FIR FIT FIX FIZ FLU FLY FOB FOE FOG FOH FON FOP FOR FOU FOX FOY FRO FRY FUB FUD FUG FUN FUR GAB GAD GAE GAG GAL GAM GAN GAP GA R GAS GAT GAY GED GEE GEL GEM GEN GET GEY GHI GIB GID G IE GIG GIN GIP GIT GNU GOA GOB GOD GOO GOR GOT GOX GOY GUL GUM GUN GUT GUV GUY GYM GYP HAD HAE HAG HAH HAJ HAM HAO HAP HAS HAT HAW HAY HEH HEM HEN HEP HER HES HET HE W HEX HEY HIC HID HIE HIM HIN HIP HIS HIT HMM HOB HOD H OE HOG HON HOP HOT HOW HOY HUB HUE HUG HUH HUM HUN HUP HUT HYP ICE ICH ICK ICY IDS IFF IFS ILK ILL IMP INK INN INS ION IRE IRK ISM ITS IVY JAB JAG JAM JAR JAW JAY JE E JET JEU JEW JIB JIG JIN JOB JOE JOG JOT JOW JOY JUG J UN JUS JUT KAB KAE KAF KAS KAT KAY KEA KEF KEG KEN KEP KEX KEY KHI KID KIF KIN KIP KIR KIT KOA KOB KOI KOP KOR KOS KUE LAB LAC LAD LAG LAM LAP LAR LAS LAT LAV LAW LA X LAY LEA LED LEE LEG LEI LEK LET LEU LEV LEX LEY LEZ L IB LID LIE LIN LIP LIS LIT LOB LOG LOO LOP LOT LOW LOX LUG LUM LUV LUX LYE MAC MAD MAE MAG MAN MAP MAR MAS MAT MAW MAX MAY MED MEL MEM MEN MET MEW MHO MIB MID MIG MI L MIM MIR MIS MIX MOA MOB MOC MOD MOG MOL MOM MON MOO M OP MOR MOS MOT MOW MUD MUG MUM MUN MUS MUT NAB NAE NAG NAH NAM NAN NAP NAW NAY NEB NEE NET NEW NIB NIL NIM NIP NIT NOX NIX NOB NOD NOG NOH NOM NOO NOR NOS NOT NOW NT H NUB NUN NUS NUT OAF OAK OAR OAT OBE OBI OCA ODD ODE O DS OES OFF OFT OHM OHO OHS OIL OKA OKE OLD OLE OMS ONE ONS OOH OOT OPE OPS OPT ORA ORB ORC ORE ORS ORT OSE OUD OUR OUT OVA OWE OWL OWN OXO OXY PAC PAD PAH PAL PAM PA N PAP PAR PAS PAT PAW PAX PAY PEA PEC PED PEE PEG PEH P EN PEP PER PES PET PEW PHI PHT PIA PIC PIE PIG PIN PIP PIS PIT PIU PIX PLY POD POH POI POL POM POP POT POW POX PRO PRY PSI PUB PUD PUG PUL PUN PUP PUR PUS PUT PYA PY E PYX QAT QUA RAD RAG RAH RAJ RAM RAN RAP RAS RAT RAW R AX RAY REB REC RED REE REF REG REI REM REP RES RET REV REX RHO RIA RIB RID RIF RIG RIM RIN RIP ROB ROC ROD ROE ROM ROT ROW RUB RUE RUG RUM RUN RUT RYA RYE SAB SAC SA D SAE SAG SAL SAP SAT SAU SAW SAX SAY SEA SEC SEE SEG S EI SEL SEN SER SET SEW SEX SHA SHE SHH SHY SIB SIC SIM SIN SIP SIR SIS SIT SIX SKA SKI SKY SLY SOB SOD SOL SON SOP SOS SOT SOU SOW SOX SOY SPA SPY SRI STY SUB SUE SU M SUN SUP SUQ SYN TAB TAD TAE TAG TAJ TAM TAN TAO TAP T AR TAS TAT TAU TAV TAW TAX TEA TED TEE TEG TEL TEN TET TEW THE THO THY TIC TIE TIL TIN TIP TIS TIT TOD TOE TOG TOM TON TOO TOP TOR TOT TOW TOY TRY TSK TUB TUG TUI TU N TUP TUT TUX TWA TWO TYE UDO UGH UKE ULU UMM UMP UNS U PO UPS URB URD URN USE UTA UTS VAC VAN VAR VAS VAT VAU VAV VAW VEE VEG VET VEX VIA VIE VIG VIM VIS VOE VOW VOX VUG WAB WAD WAE WAG WAN WAP WAR WAS WAT WAW WAX WAY WE B WED WEE WEN WET WHA WHO WHY WIG WIN WIS WIT WIZ WOE W OG WOK WON WOO WOP WOS WOT WOW WRY WUD WYE WYN XIS YAH YAK YAM YAP YAR YAW YAY YEA YEH YEN YEP YES YET YEW YID YIN YIP YOB YOD YOK YOM YON YOU YOW YUK YUM YUP ZAG ZA P ZAX ZED ZEE ZEK ZIG ZIN ZIP ZIT ZOA ZOO

Jeff A, I'm counting on you, sweets. You're the Scrabble champeen 'round these parts.

Behold!

All hail the Tax Free Weekend!

[L] Check out the booty! It is positively embarrassing how not anti-capitalist I am when it comes to beautifully designed (Apple) electronics. This company had better not club any baby seals or poison Cambodia or something, because I'm not sure I'd be able to take it. [P.S. We did not actually buy all this. It was rebate city over there!]

[R] Even their packaging is swankalicious, and isn't db a fine product presenter? Vanna White's got nothing on him.

[L] Oooh, it's so pretty. And so clean. Take a look now, cos it won't be this clean ever again. I hope it's not allergic to dog hair.

[R] Accoutrements. Shiny, happy accoutrements. I think I'm actually purring.

It's been dueling laptops in here since we got home. Aww, the modern family. And I thought I'd be cleaning out my closets this afternoon -- HA!

Asheville: Looking Up

It's been so long since I've been to Asheville that it's like I'm discovering the city for the first time. I'd forgotten that Asheville has interesting architecture. Not talking Dubai here, but lots of Art Deco, Arts & Crafts, and Neoclassical to go around. Asheville has a nice, classic downtown but one that looks as if it didn't fall into disrepair only to be gussied up and homogenized by gentrification; rather, it's as if the city has gently evolved and grown into itself, so the building styles aren't jarring and incoherent. Very comfortable, very walkable, very European, really, in its sidewalk cafe culture.