American Robin: media consumption Archives

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Adaptations (November 18, 2007)

I am watching Notes on a Scandal, which is a very fine film adaptation of a novel I read a few years ago. The movie features two of my favorite actresses: Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. Movies I will... ... (continued)

The 48-Hour Film Project (June 08, 2006)

My friend JR participated in this year's 48 Hour Film Project. The 48 Hour Film Project is just what it sounds like: teams are given a prop and a character that must be included in the film, they draw their... ... (continued)

we can rebuild him ... at half the cost of other major retailers! (September 18, 2004)

So six million is too much, but three million francs is like, a totally reasonable price for a bionic man. ... (continued)

teevee (May 28, 2004)

So, we bought a television. ... (continued)

special request (July 03, 2003)

I've checked out a lot of books from the Library. It works like this: Sitting at my computer, I look the book up in the online catalog, and make a request. I track the status as the book is found... ... (continued)

(n)one for the road (June 19, 2003)

On the second day of our weeklong roadtrip in Mali, I read all of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (which E had already read) and E read all of Life of Pi (which I had already read). Then we... ... (continued)

I rarely watch television (April 22, 2003)

But last night I had to watch two shows at the same time: 1. The Practice. A friend's brother has appeared in a few commercials, played Joseph on a Wayans brothers Christmas special, and delivered pizza to Jennifer Love Hewitt... ... (continued)

happy Earth Day ()

Happy Earth Day!... ... (continued)

don't know much 'bout geography (April 16, 2003)

I've been playing this map game obsessively. The first time, I could barely name a quarter of the countries. I've improved markedly since then, although I still have trouble with the smaller countries near Saudi Arabia, and I sometimes swap... ... (continued)

an argument against prescriptivism (April 09, 2003)

Language bullying -- or prescriptivism, as it's more politely called -- is conservative in the worst sense. It advances a stuffy and old-fashioned view of language, the rules of which it considers set by supposed experts, such as the authors... ... (continued)

trick question (April 07, 2003)

What do a late-career pop song by an American diva and the first novel of a major British author of literary fiction have in common? Find out on the updated books page.... ... (continued)

Russia, or, Africa with snow (April 05, 2003)

African and Russian themes may seem a strange mix, but that's what dominates my reading these days, when I can't stand war news anymore. The books page has been heavily updated.... ... (continued)

why stop with Freedom Fries? (March 14, 2003)

Today on scree.hm, Aly lists other words that are non-non now that we're on the rocks with Chirac, and offers alternatives: lingerie | “freedom skivvies” au naturel | “freedom from skivvies” . . . more on scree.hm . . .... ... (continued)

Anna Karenina progress: page 527 (March 04, 2003)

'But in what am I to blame?' Alexei Alexandrovich said to himself. And this question always called up another question in him—whether they feel differently, love differently, marry differently, these other people, these Vronskys and Oblonskys . . . These... ... (continued)

plug ()

A while ago I mentioned I was working on a couple projects. One of them, a brand-new group weblog called Scree, is now live. Scree is where seven of us discuss events and issues of interest, often at the intersection... ... (continued)

temping (February 28, 2003)

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive seeks a news producer for the Iraqi War Desk: "This contract position is expected to last three months." What, exactly, do they expect to be over in three months? The buildup to the war, or the war itself?... ... (continued)

won't you be my neighbor? (February 27, 2003)

Goodbye Mr. Rogers. I learned two important truths from him: a person can be honest about the difficulty and complexity of life, and, without letting it get him down, still be gentle and caring and wise; and he loves you... ... (continued)

underground (February 25, 2003)

Do Washington, DC, and New York City really need another writer to compare them? You'd think not, but they keep coming in regardless. I blame New Yorkers, whose hometown usually comes out on top, who can't get enough validation, while... ... (continued)

"Nothing’s sexier than someone with a heightened state of awareness." (February 14, 2003)

Happy Code Orange Valentine's Day from The Morning News: Love in a Time of Smallpox.... ... (continued)

hankering for more Woody Guthrie? (February 13, 2003)

My fine workplace, the Library of Congress, has an American Memory collection of his very folksy correspondence from 1940-1950 with staff from the Archive of American Folk Song. You can read an essay about his life and times, or you... ... (continued)

heavy rotation (February 12, 2003)

At the top of the charts, Billy Bragg & Wilco's Mermaid Avenue. On it, the aforementioned musicians play songs written by Woody Guthrie toward the end of his career, to new music written by Billy Bragg and Nora Guthrie. The... ... (continued)

the Nitrate Hymnal (January 30, 2003)

Well, I didn't tell you about the Nitrate Hymnal in time for you to see it, but I'll tell you what it was like. One of the highlights was simply going to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which is... ... (continued)

diamonds are for never (January 23, 2003)

Because I have strong opinions, and yet I am inexcusably fearful of confrontation, including the online comment-board sort: I'll let Anil Dash speak for me: diamonds are for never.... ... (continued)

3 movies in 5 days (January 05, 2003)

All of them inspired to varying degrees by true stories. Catch Me If You Can: I am trying not to use the word "romp" but it's so apt for this fun and fast-paced picture. It reminds me that Spielberg may... ... (continued)

reading/not reading (January 03, 2003)

An article about not reading that is really more about reading. {via librarian.net}... ... (continued)

benzilla.com (January 02, 2003)

I need to brag about my friend Ben for a minute. He has a deal with SLG Publishing* to publish a book of illustrated Georgia folktales. Check them out: The Legend of the Coon Monkey, The Georgia Peach, and Thunderstruck.... ... (continued)

best books I read in 2002 (December 28, 2002)

Fiction: The Little Friend (Donna Tartt), Slammerkin (Emma Donoghe), Hope (Glen Duncan), Bilgewater (Jane Gardam), The Ice Storm, (Rick Moody), Mamaw (Susan Dodd), Atonement (Ian McEwan), Bel Canto (Ann Patchett), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon). Nonfiction:... ... (continued)

Art-O-Matic (December 04, 2002)

Art-O-Matic was a disappointment this year. The only real gem was an Artist's Statement proclaiming, "I am attracted to female butts and face."... ... (continued)

can't talk (November 04, 2002)

Playing the Game Neverending!... ... (continued)

but more importantly (October 28, 2002)

I'll write soon about Saturday's anti-war rally (and eventually post photos, once I print and scan them). But for now, two good movies I've seen lately: Secretary, based on a Mary Gaitskill short story, may not be for you. Would... ... (continued)

all Wilco, all the time (September 26, 2002)

First we saw the movie and then we bought the album and now it's all Wilco, all the time. You won't know what you think of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot at first. Sunday afternoon, you'll listen to it a few times... ... (continued)

Colson Whitehead (September 25, 2002)

Yay, Colson Whitehead won a Macarthur genius grant. I read his first novel, The Intuitionist, on a weathered Adirondack chair on the porch of a Nags Head beach house rented by my parents in 1999. It was the most original... ... (continued)

limited times (September 23, 2002)

Yesterday the L.A. Times published a thorough and intelligent article on one of my favorite topics, copyright law. Congress has extended copyright 11 times in the past 40 years, most recently by 20 years under the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright... ... (continued)

narrative tension (August 19, 2002)

When you're reading a book, and you're absorbed in the story, and the tension is building, and something really terrible or horrifying or tension-breaking may or may not be about to happen, what do you do? I read faster and... ... (continued)

Stieglitz / Open City (August 18, 2002)

First we fought the crowds through the Stieglitz show at the National Gallery. One couple, behaving as if they were on a first date, stood out. As they moved through the exhibit, pausing dutifully in front of each print, he... ... (continued)

ooops (August 06, 2002)

Accidentally deleted my reading list from the books page. Oh well. I just picked up a few new ones anyway. I got them from the Cleveland Park branch of the DC public library, which is kinda funny, because I now... ... (continued)

happy birthday, dad! (July 06, 2002)

Visit #1 to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Mongolian wrestling, Chinese opera, Indian puppet show. Calligraphy and two camels. One old man tottering over, saying "Do they have any snakes? Big snakes? That's my favorite part!" Visit #2: Music featuring a... ... (continued)

papa (July 02, 2002)

"On this day in 1961, Ernest Hemingway committed suicide, at the age of 61." 1994: I graduated from a respected liberal arts college with a B.A. in English without ever having read a word by Hemingway. 1997: A syndicated radio... ... (continued)

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) (July 01, 2002)

The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat): A This 3-hour Inuit saga is a great antidote to the summer fluff. The story, based on a folktale, involves several generations of Inuits but focuses on Atanarjuat, his wife Atuat, and his rival Oki. See... ... (continued)

Big Love ()

My only complaint about my experience at Big Love (the Woolly Mammoth's final production for this season) is that some so-called grownups think it's okay to talk when no one else is talking, for example, when there's a break in... ... (continued)

Sunday around town (June 23, 2002)

Also: "Edward Weston and Modernism" at the Phillips, and Minority Report: All the slickness you expect from Steven Spielberg, and none of the smarminess.... ... (continued)

DCCD (June 20, 2002)

Did you know that in Barnes and Noble's music department you can now listen to any song on their listening stations? I mean, any song, digitally, on demand. This is long overdue* and a valuable service. I still don't like... ... (continued)

because people have a need to glue things to other things (June 09, 2002)

The upholstery on the interior of my car door is peeling off and flapping around. How can I fix it? This to That to the rescue! Now I know how to glue fabric to plastic.... ... (continued)

NYC bloggers (June 05, 2002)

This is cool: DC bloggers, shall we organize? Hello? Hello?... ... (continued)

Shakespeare Free-for-All ()

We picnicked at Carter-Barron on hummus, lentils, homemade lebna, tomato-cucumber salad, black and green olives, and mango lassis, then watched this year's Shakespeare Free-For-All play, Two Gentlemen of Verona, in the amphitheater. Kerri had just finished saying how much she... ... (continued)

recently consumed (May 29, 2002)

Spider-man - A. Tobey Maguire is the perfect Peter Parker, good-hearted and shy. How could anyone have doubted him? He and Kirsten Dunst, despite her dyed red hair, make the most adorable couple ever. The movie is the most fun... ... (continued)

freaky Friday (May 10, 2002)

Wings: Dr. Joe Rosen "believes in all seriousness that within five years he will be able to graft wings on to a human being's body: 'If I were to give you wings, you would develop, literally, a winged brain.'" Rats... ... (continued)

telly (May 08, 2002)

My parents did not allow me to watch much television when I was a kid. Thirty precious minutes of PBS per week, if I recall correctly, was my allowance, which I saved for the Friday edition of 3-2-1 Contact, hoping... ... (continued)

happy Poetry Month (April 02, 2002)

Happy Poetry Month. In honor I post the poem Dr. Harry Thomas assigned us to memorize for Modern American Poetry class at Davidson College. The lesson, which I learned well, was about the importance of reading poetry out loud, or... ... (continued)

like playing tennis without a net (March 28, 2002)

In art -- poetry writing, painting, filmmaking, cooking -- you must learn to obey the rules before you can break them. When Robert Frost said that writing free verse is like playing tennis without a net, he meant something like... ... (continued)

currently consuming (March 26, 2002)

Listening to: - Monsoon Wedding soundtrack - Count Basie on minidisc (thanks Kim!) - Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, VH1 Storytellers - Gram Parsons, GP/Grievous Angel Watching in the comfort of my own home: - Great Expectations: The Ethan Hawke/Gwyneth... ... (continued)