When I was really young (6 or 7?) a tornado ripped through our street. It tore the windows off our porch, downed some trees and basically just missed flinging us over the rainbow (or at least so I thought, not knowing a small tornado from a big one and only hearing the howl, the rattle, the scream... only seeing the strewn wreckage, oddly tilting cars, garden of broken screens).
Right around this time, for years afterwards, I would have a recurring dream.
Kitchen table, kids around a lemon cake in the center, bright yellow walls circa 1900 with a burnt out 60's era mod stove, pot of cooking grease on the counter and cabinets that never closed (taking out the eyes of wayward wanderers, slammed for effect, a place to hang a hand when engaged in light banter).
Gloomy day, wind whipping through the windows, darkness leaking into the corners of the now dank space. Rattle, then knock, then pound, on the back door.
I answer. I'm 5.
Wind now teaching the trees a new more violent dance, rain spattering my face, a shadow standing in the doorway, I can't see who it is, no face, just a questioning stare, begging me to answer, I lean out and suddenly I'm grabbed by the arms of the tornado, screaming but have lost my voice, I scrabble for hold somewhere on the door frame, lose it, edge of porch slips by, last moment I find a bit of railing, nails digging in, I'm horizontal now, legs slamming into each other, bruises leaking out across my skin, I'm screaming but my voice is gone, no breath, no energy, struck dumb, the door shuts with a bang, they can't hear me, candles lit on cake, birthday verse echoing in the distance off key and snatched away by the presence that is now coming for me.
I try to negotiate, I try whispering, I try pulling myself back onto the porch, the shadow of my worst childhood enemy stands at the doorway looking out, I plead with my eyes before they are blasted shut by pebbles, rocks, debris. I'm crying. Hiccuping, coughing, shuddering, weak, muscles losing grip, sapped of strength.
I wake up. Remember the last time I had the dream was a year back. Wonder what it means to have it once a year for years and years.
Realize it means something, nothing, practice for a rainy day, cautionary tale, means the promise of death, of silent words, of crushing force, of people looking out and souls looking in, something, nothing.
Happy day.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Books 'n' stuff March 07
Appetizers
"Dresden Files book 1" by Jim Butcher. about a very bad, drug running wizard. Fun, fast reading if you can stand fantasy, wizards, chicago, and sam spade. Not as bad as the scifi show.
"Dresden Files book 2," about the different flavors of werewolves. Pretty much the same as above, except with wolves. Think American Werewolf in London meets a grimy detective novel and gets its teeth knocked out.
Timothy Zahn's Star Wars book "Outbound Flight" was another aperitif. He's an excellent writer of space opera/tactical thrillers. I'm not sure how I feel even saying I read Star Wars novels, but for Timothy I'll admit it. Just wish he'd get back to writing pure novels.
Specials
"The Jennifer Morgue" by Charles Stross, is Casino Royale meets the IT Crowd by way of Perdido Street Station. Read it now. Especially if you want something fun, geeky, and somehow about math geniuses opening up gateways into very bad dimensions with their geekery. Probably going to be very dated to read in a few years, but just plain good book reading. By the author who brought us Accelerando and The Atrocity Archives (really good reading one and all).
"Why Geography Matters" by Harm de Blij was an interesting book that focused on understanding geography to understand how cultures work. It's thesis centered around 3 major challenges that we face in the new millennium; climate change, the rise of china and global terrorism. Its a sprawling study of the world as viewed by a geographer who was also an editor for the National Geographic Society. His point is that history and culture should be viewed from a spatial as well as a temporal aspect, his other point is that America in particular has lost any awareness of the geographic implications of its actions due in part to a lack of geographic educational programs in our premier universities.
"You Don't Love Me Yet" by Jonathan Lethem is not as big and deep as his previous outings but I just like reading Mr. Lethem. The book revolves around a group of misfits trying to make it in a makeshift band and their brush with fame through one night of art house spontaneousness. And oh yeah, a mysterious stranger, a piece of performance art, and sex.
"Love is a Mixtape" by Rob Sheffield is like High Fidelity but heavier. The true story of a guy who fell in love, got married, suffered a crushing loss, and made it through by listening, making, trading, mixtapes. If you grew up in the 80's, 90's or just love music you'll resonate with this one. Not really long or deep but really good.
"Mimzy Were the Borogoves" by Henry Kuttner was one of Henry's great short stories (now a kid's movie). There is a recent book out with a collection of his art called "The Last Mimzy," worth reading for classic scifi goodness (though not only scifi). He is another one of those titans of storytelling and ideas that nobody really remembers. Mimzy is about a child's godhood toy tossed back in time and found by a child of the 50s.
See "Meet the Robinsons," with a child if you must but see it. Its Disney's new foray into 3d pixarness (and when I say 3d I mean you get glasses if you go to the right theaters and it's clearly a play towards a new kind of movieness that Disney is trying to corner). Its about invention and inventing and accepting failure and not stopping. Take Ritalin before going though. Special bonus is that they show a disney short from walt circa mid-century that was also created in 3d. The trick (for those who are interested in 3dish stuff) is to keep the effect within the frame, when it breaks the frame it collapses. Robinsons does it well. You can feel John L. from Pixar making inroads into the Disney realm in this one, good to see.
Also be afraid because there is a sequel to "The Nightmare Before Christmas" coming... and its in 3d (now if they had just not made it a musical and/or had someone succeeded in kicking Danny Elfman out of his groove... I would go).
Reviews coming soon... (since I'm reading or trying to read these things)...
"The History of the Battle of Lisbon"
"I Am a Strange Loop"
"Against the Day"
Not Fully Recommended by Chef
"Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules" is a short story collection edited by David Sedaris and if you like David Sedaris you may like this too but I didn't. It is quite a collection of classic short stories from the last century but they were hard for me to enjoy. They all seemed fatalistic or too clever for themselves or too too for my taste.
Heavy Rotation?
Marie Antoinette Soundtrack, Arcade Fire, and oddly enough Cold Mountain's soundtrack (by T Bone Burnett maker of all things Oh Brother like)
"Dresden Files book 1" by Jim Butcher. about a very bad, drug running wizard. Fun, fast reading if you can stand fantasy, wizards, chicago, and sam spade. Not as bad as the scifi show.
"Dresden Files book 2," about the different flavors of werewolves. Pretty much the same as above, except with wolves. Think American Werewolf in London meets a grimy detective novel and gets its teeth knocked out.
Timothy Zahn's Star Wars book "Outbound Flight" was another aperitif. He's an excellent writer of space opera/tactical thrillers. I'm not sure how I feel even saying I read Star Wars novels, but for Timothy I'll admit it. Just wish he'd get back to writing pure novels.
Specials
"The Jennifer Morgue" by Charles Stross, is Casino Royale meets the IT Crowd by way of Perdido Street Station. Read it now. Especially if you want something fun, geeky, and somehow about math geniuses opening up gateways into very bad dimensions with their geekery. Probably going to be very dated to read in a few years, but just plain good book reading. By the author who brought us Accelerando and The Atrocity Archives (really good reading one and all).
"Why Geography Matters" by Harm de Blij was an interesting book that focused on understanding geography to understand how cultures work. It's thesis centered around 3 major challenges that we face in the new millennium; climate change, the rise of china and global terrorism. Its a sprawling study of the world as viewed by a geographer who was also an editor for the National Geographic Society. His point is that history and culture should be viewed from a spatial as well as a temporal aspect, his other point is that America in particular has lost any awareness of the geographic implications of its actions due in part to a lack of geographic educational programs in our premier universities.
"You Don't Love Me Yet" by Jonathan Lethem is not as big and deep as his previous outings but I just like reading Mr. Lethem. The book revolves around a group of misfits trying to make it in a makeshift band and their brush with fame through one night of art house spontaneousness. And oh yeah, a mysterious stranger, a piece of performance art, and sex.
"Love is a Mixtape" by Rob Sheffield is like High Fidelity but heavier. The true story of a guy who fell in love, got married, suffered a crushing loss, and made it through by listening, making, trading, mixtapes. If you grew up in the 80's, 90's or just love music you'll resonate with this one. Not really long or deep but really good.
"Mimzy Were the Borogoves" by Henry Kuttner was one of Henry's great short stories (now a kid's movie). There is a recent book out with a collection of his art called "The Last Mimzy," worth reading for classic scifi goodness (though not only scifi). He is another one of those titans of storytelling and ideas that nobody really remembers. Mimzy is about a child's godhood toy tossed back in time and found by a child of the 50s.
See "Meet the Robinsons," with a child if you must but see it. Its Disney's new foray into 3d pixarness (and when I say 3d I mean you get glasses if you go to the right theaters and it's clearly a play towards a new kind of movieness that Disney is trying to corner). Its about invention and inventing and accepting failure and not stopping. Take Ritalin before going though. Special bonus is that they show a disney short from walt circa mid-century that was also created in 3d. The trick (for those who are interested in 3dish stuff) is to keep the effect within the frame, when it breaks the frame it collapses. Robinsons does it well. You can feel John L. from Pixar making inroads into the Disney realm in this one, good to see.
Also be afraid because there is a sequel to "The Nightmare Before Christmas" coming... and its in 3d (now if they had just not made it a musical and/or had someone succeeded in kicking Danny Elfman out of his groove... I would go).
Reviews coming soon... (since I'm reading or trying to read these things)...
"The History of the Battle of Lisbon"
"I Am a Strange Loop"
"Against the Day"
Not Fully Recommended by Chef
"Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules" is a short story collection edited by David Sedaris and if you like David Sedaris you may like this too but I didn't. It is quite a collection of classic short stories from the last century but they were hard for me to enjoy. They all seemed fatalistic or too clever for themselves or too too for my taste.
Heavy Rotation?
Marie Antoinette Soundtrack, Arcade Fire, and oddly enough Cold Mountain's soundtrack (by T Bone Burnett maker of all things Oh Brother like)
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