Yesterday was my last day of classes as an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo, and much to my displeasure, classes were cancelled due to the so-called ice storm. On a slightly better note, Neil Gaiman posted a message from me on his blog. Scroll down to near the bottom of the April 4th entry.
I’m a big Fight Club fan, and we’ve been reading Rousseau’s work in my class on the history of political thought, and I’ve noticed similarities between the novel and Rousseau’s essays. So of course I got to thinking: if I could fight any author, alive or dead, who would it be? The obvious answer is Hemingway. What better way to test your mettle than pitting yourself against literature’s most celebrated brawler? But then I decided that I would much rather fight David Foster Wallace. After reading A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again I decided that though he is indeed a fine writer, judging from his non-fiction pieces he could certainly use the beating. What author would you fight?
I awoke this morning to find that Scott is now telling us that he lied, and the words at Enlumine (the site I posted about last night) are not, in fact, real words. I beg to differ. First, it was rather obvioius that the words in question were not of the order of, say, “dog”, or “catharsis”. The fact that Scott made them up does not make them any less real. In fact, I had actually thought, based on the contextual examples given, that most of the words were “made up” by authors of fiction (nobody would seriously believe that “osculathe: A machine on which a kiss is held & spun while being shaped by a fixed cutting tool” would be found in the OED, would they?) . I suppose that’s a bit of a compliment to Scott, who is a good writer in his own right. The words are… Continue Reading
Scott David Herman has just launched Enlumine, a site which endeavors to enhance your personal lexicon by presenting words of interest and utility with which you may find yourself unfamiliar. Definitions and contextual examples are included, for your edification and occasional entertainment. The words chosen so far are creative, useful, and amusing. I’m not entirely sure that most of them are in the public lexicon, but that’s part of what makes the site so much fun. I’m looking forward to using some of the words. This one is my favourite thus far.
From chapter 61 of the Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell: When a country obtains great power, it becomes like the sea: all streams run downward into it. The more powerful it grows, the greater the need for humility. Humility means trusting the Tao, thus never needing to be defensive. A great nation is like a great man: When he makes a mistake, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. He considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teachers. He thinks of his enemy as the shadow that he himself casts. If a nation is centred in the Tao, if it nourishes its own people and doesn’t meddle in the affairs of others, it will be a light to all nations in the world.
Tonight was the awards ceremony for the UW English Department Awards. I received the English Society Creative Writing Award for Prose, and read the first three and a half pages of my short story, “A Story With No Title Whatever.” It’s the same story for which I won the Tom York Memorial Award. I wasn’t sure how well it would go over; it was never intended to be read aloud. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so concerned. The reading went extremely well, and everyone laughed in all the right places, and were more boisterous than I could have hoped for. You know, of course, that this is only going to encourage me.
Every year, and lately every term, UW‘s English Society has a student/faculty mixer. It features a pretty good spread of food and an open bar. This term the budget was tight so the open bar became a cash bar near the end, but still: liquor flowed. Not many professors showed up this term, which was a bit of a surprise, but many of those who regularly attend have been rather busy lately. All the same, it was a wonderful event. I met some new and interesting people, and connected with a few of my peers whom I knew, but only vaguely. Several friends who are no longer students came. After the event a number of us wandered to a local pub called Ethel’s, and the good time followed us. I have posted a number of photos from the evening. I did not take them all.
I was informed today that I won the UW English Society Creative Writing Award for prose. I submitted the same story for which I won the Tom York award. The awards ceremony is on Monday afternoon.
I did not know Amanda Davis, but I’ve read some of her work. What I read was lovely, and brilliant, and deserves to be read. She died recently, along with her parents, in a plane crash in North Carolina. She will be missed by those that knew her, and certainly by those of us who knew her work. McSweeney’s has posted a sincere and touching series of statements from some of her friends and colleagues. They will continue to add to it. If you can do nothing else to honour the passing of Amanda Davis, read her books.
George W. Bush, president of the United States of America, issued an ultimatum to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein not five minutes ago. Saddam and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours, allowing troops from the United States, Great Britain, and other countries to enter and disarm the nation, and establish a new regime. If Saddam does not comply, there will be war. There will be war. I do not believe that war is warranted, for many reasons. I have not commented on the war in this blog simply because this is a literary site, and I don’t want it taken over by the war. Laura Trippi has been keeping up with news of the war rather well, and has been exploring certain theories about what’s going on, and why. I recommend that any of my readers who are interested in good, intellectual coverage go there. As the war develops,… Continue Reading