50 book challenge: #45, #45.5

#45: Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita. There are some books that you feel obligated to pick up and read because of their status as classics, but which you have been avoiding because you fear they will be dull dull dull. Then, without even getting past the first page you realize that instead the book justifies all the sort of adjectives that are maybe more commonly used for popular literature: a page-turner, unputdownable, laugh-out-loud funny, etc.

For me, War and Peace was like that. The three worst words in the book are its title. They're just so ponderous and vague, which is utterly unlike the actual text and action of the novel, even the more philosophical portions. (Tolstoy should have stuck with his original title, 1805.) Anyway, The Master and Margarita, while not really comparable to War and Peace, was similar. There must be some superficial quality of classic Russian novels that intimidates me, but it's not like I'm reading them in the original language. . . But in fact the Russian novelists that I've read - Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Bulgakov if you include him on the basis of this novel - in fact have a reliably playful quality to them.

So in The Master and Margarita, the devil visits Moscow and wreaks havoc on the city's population. Interpolated are chapters on Pontius Pilate's role in the trial and crucifixion of a man named Yeshua ha-notsri, as related by Satan but also in chapters of a book written by another character known as "the master." Oh, and have I mentioned the trigger-happy black cat the size of a hog, who stands on two feet and knocks back shots of vodka? By the way, prospective readers should note that Jimmy Buffett has nothing to do with the story.

#45.5: James Kugel, How to Read the Bible. Begin at the beginning, continue to the end, then stop. This is a fascinating reference book, but I wasn't about to read it straight through. So I figure I'd treat the portions I did read as about half a book.

Happy Halloween!

 

Shuffling off.

The solution to Buffalo's problems? "Shrinking to greatness," according to Harvard economist Edward Glaeser.

Une folle traversée de la Paris à l'aube.

Le film est C'était un rendez-vous. Le réalisateur est Claude Lelouch (qui a un nom merveilleusement français). Route here. Wikipedia here.

C'était un Rendez vous
Uploaded by ben-j

50 book challenge: #44.

#44: Christoph Peters, The Fabric of Night. German art students on frolic in Istanbul get mixed up with possible assassination of American gem dealer; much weltschmertz results.

And the cradle will rock.

Lullaby adaptations of rock classics: Rockabye Baby.

Metallica's Enter Sandman becomes strangely compelling (mp3).

Gabba gabba goo goo (mp3).

Karma police (mp3).

But is there such a thing as a "lullaby rendition of Coldplay"? How could that be any different from, like, just plain Coldplay? zing!

Yes, you can drink the water.

Breaking: N.Y. Times sends intrepid foreign correspondent to Lawrenceville. Report here.

Not!

If you're browsing a registration-required site like nytimes.com, you should know about bugmenot.com. And if you're buying on-line and would like a coupon, you should know about retailmenot.com, run by the same folks on the same principles.

Both sites do a great job of organizing collective wisdom for the benefit of humanity: namely, me. Oh, by the way: washingtonpost.com, you should know that I'm not an 84-year-old female retired accountant living in Beverly Hills, California. Sorry!

Google Streetview comes to Pittsburgh.

A view of our house is here. Take a walk around the neighborhood! This picture was probably taken in June or July 2007, based on the way the trees look, and also on the fact that Michael Moore's Sicko was playing at the movie theater around the corner (released June 22, 2007).

The Great White Van is visible here, but no children playing outside that I can see.

Benji's (Two) First Birthday(s).

Sarah and Megan realize, to their dismay, that they are outnumbered.














Benjy and Anna, caught planning their insurgency.






















Daniel eyes the trike, Jason asks directions to the Pittsburgh potty, and Benjy begs for a push.

























Behold! The dauphin prepares to eat the royal cupcake!














Simple pleasures.












Benjy figured out right away that the "cake" element is just an excuse for the icing.













Toward the end of the party, pants started coming off. I own the legs on the left.