Category Archives: Uncategorized

The NY terrorist who blew himself up today with his own bomb sounds suspiciously like Stevie who’s ‘not all there’ and blows himself up at Greenwich Observatory in Conrad’s The Secret Agent (1907), a classic so much ahead of its … Continue reading →

What Trump drinks. Enough caffeine to keep him going in his 70s. He also watches 4-8 hrs. of tv a day, looking for references to himself. He gets uptight when he doesn’t see his name on air much. for days. … Continue reading →

“Context is all” said John Updike. If you ever hope to have perspective on anyone or anything, it is context information that is basic and necessary. My mother was a hard-working farm girl existing in a typically poor, large Northern … Continue reading →

The Bishop’s Wife, 1947, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven with Monty Woolley and James Gleason in strong supporting charming roles. This is the tale of a bishop (Niven in one of his best-ever roles) who is obsessively … Continue reading →

c.f. Donald Duck cartoons.

“Ventura Highway” will never feel the same with all the fires there now. Plus all the other songs about California. Odd, LA has long geared itself for The Big One in the form of an earthquake, not wildfires.

The recurring thematic patterns of his serious novels: Early mistakes in life usually based on passion Secrets and Guilt–trying to make a new better life Information (many characters’ chief motivation and fears) Control and manipulation of others (often via knowledge … Continue reading →

“I will begin the world…”–Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House “Begin the World…”–added finale spoken by Esther Summerson to Mr. Jarndyce as she hands him Ada’s baby son Richard; BBC tv series of Bleak House (1985)

(in Dickens’ Bleak House) Hope Joy Youth Peace Rest Life Dust Ashes Waste Want Ruin Despair Madness Death Cunning Folly Words Wigs Rags Sheepskin Plunder Precedent Jargon Gammon (deceptive nonsense, humbug; many preceding words also refer to Chancery) Spinach The … Continue reading →

Old woman sitting forlorn on this hospital bed gulping green pills left by a nurse Sedated and lost you don’t know my name and call for someone else (Circumstance does not permit us much clarity) Once I pretended you were … Continue reading →