What I've been reading.

Atmospheric Disturbances, by Rivka Galchen. A gripping tale of a
psychotic mind, a psychiatrist who takes on aspects of a patient's
deluded fantasies. Elements of Enduring Love, Lolita, Sound and the
Fury, the Jimmy Stewart movie Harvey. Highly recommended.

JDRF ride update.

All went well. I don't know how fast I rode, since my bike computer
kept randomly quitting without my noticing, but it was a pretty fast
day. The weather was perfect, and the terrain was a lot like Western
Pa. so I felt right at home.

Thanks again to all who donated. This is an inspiring event to take
part in, and I couldn't have done it without you!

Mortgage crisis triumphs where Sauron failed.

The shire has gone into foreclosure.

What I've been reading.

Legal Language, by Peter Tiersma. I liked the first few chapters on the historical development of law talk best - Law French, etc. The chapters on present characteristics and possibilities for reform were, I guess, a little too familiar to be interesting, but it was helpful to have them taxonomized on the page. Tiersma maintains an updates page here, and that is a very commendable thing by an author.

Sedulous banality?

A former adjunct professor (grad student? I'm not sure) in Harvard's social studies department unloads with both barrels:

Should I say I am grateful for the chance to teach at Harvard? I am. Should I acknowledge the many fine exceptions it was my privilege to instruct? I do, with pleasure. But the sedulous banality of the rich degrades teaching into a service-class preoccupation whose chief duty is preparing clients for monied careers. The liberal flattery of the student is both sentimental and irrelevant. If youth is wasted on the young, is teaching wasted on students?

Teaching on the part-time staff at Harvard is a little like visiting Disney World. The magic dust induces a light narcosis. The mind goes incontinent in the presence of paradox and conflict, and it is tough to tell how much fun you are having from how much you are having to pretend. The important thing is never to become the screamer who ruins the ride for everyone. The line is long.

The comments are worth reading.

What I've been reading.

The Rider (De Renner), by Tim Krabbé. By the Dutch author of The Vanishing. The semi-fictionalized story of a 150k bike race in 1978, this book absolutely captures the truth about cycling. Plus it's very short. Highly recommended.

How Fiction Works, by James Wood. This certainly takes the right approach; ends up being more convincing in the details sometimes than presenting any overarching explanations. That's probably as it should be.

What I've been reading

The Dud Avocado, Elaine Dundy. American girl abroad in Paris in the
1950s has a riotous time. The voice is a treasure of the upbeat.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of the delightfully
dissipated.

What I've been reading.

Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin. This is a book I would like to spend a year with. Tremendously imaginative - sort of a steampunk New York. The writing was a little too florid at times, but overall the exaggerations seemed like the best way to capture New York.

Michael Moritz, Heroic Saver of Babies

I am too proud of him not to note that my brother-in-law, Dr. Michael Moritz, saved this baby's life. He alone among the doctors who had treated this baby -- for two months at another hospital! -- realized that the baby was being poisoned. He called child protective services and ordered a 24-hour watch by the baby's bedside, which is how the mother was caught.

--Jeanne

But Who's Your Daddy?