Archive for July, 2010
Friday, July 30th, 2010
On On Beauty, Summertime, and Dangerous Pursuits
During the last two weeks (and after abandoned the dreadfully monotonous Desert), I have dug into my roster of books by finishing Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, Coetzee’s Summertime, and Laila Lalami’s Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits. I enjoyed them in the reverse order. Here are my brief thoughts:
2 Comments » - Posted in literature by eric
Friday, July 30th, 2010
MO: Metro, Plane and Train
I have a developed a system, a pattern of behavior, an M.O. for my habitual weekend trips to visit my wife in Paris. Delays notwithstanding, the voyage takes me roughly five hours from door to door. Here is my story:
7 Comments » - Posted in Digressions by eric
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Comfort Food
It may not be Jif Extra Crunchy, but Peter Pan Creamy will do the trick. The other day, out of sheer coincidence, I came across a nice stash of Peter Pan peanut butter in a local neighborhood shop that I almost never go into. I was so delighted that I gave the shop owner a […]
No Comments » - Posted in Digressions, Friends / Family by eric
Monday, July 26th, 2010
A Decade and a Half
Today Raul Gonzalez announced that he was leaving Real Madrid after sixteen years with the first team. I have never been a big Raul fan, mainly because during the last decade (since I have lived in Madrid), Raul’s performance was consistently discrete, having lost his unique spark of the 90s. Nevertheless, I fully recognize that […]
No Comments » - Posted in Digressions, Living la vida española by eric
Monday, July 26th, 2010
RIP to Politics
It’s like a drug. I keep promising to quit, and then I go ahead and write almost exclusively about politics. But if you have noticed, I have been fairly silent over the past few weeks, and one of the main reasons is that I am simply exhausted by the total lack of seriousness and intellectual […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Essays, Obama 44 by eric
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Top Secret America
I have pretty much had it with out political discourse. After eight years of policies where we did just about everything wrong, leaving the country in ridiculous shambles, two futile wars, and bending over the corporate and military complex, it is embarrassing to witness how the 2008 movement for change has dissipated completely and been […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Essays, Obama 44 by eric
Monday, July 19th, 2010
What If the Tea Party Was Black?
I have already written about our hypocritical, romantic vision of the Second Amendment. Now imagine the Tea Party was Black.
1 Comment » - Posted in Essays by eric
Sunday, July 11th, 2010
San Iker
After one of the tensest finals in recent memory, Iker Casillas gives us the best play of the entire World Cup.
No Comments » - Posted in Living la vida española by eric
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Revenge
I am re-posting this most remarkable poem entitled “Revenge” by Taha Muhammad Ali:
Revenge
At times … I wish
I could meet in a duel
the man who killed my father
and razed our home,
expelling me
into
a narrow country.
And if he killed me,
I’d rest at last,
and if I were ready—
I would take my revenge!
*
But if it came to light,
when my rival […]
