KITCHEN ADVENTURES: OH, BLENDER, WON’T YOU HELP A FIRST OFFENDER? Two things I’ve eaten recently. Sorrel thing: The idea here was to make a sorrel soup, but that didn’t really work. I think as a condiment, for example a sauce for chicken or (in a smaller quantity) salmon, this might be perfect. On its own it was thick and, more importantly, unbalanced: too tangy. Anyway, I chopped up a bunch of fresh sorrel, a small tomato, and maybe three medium... Read more

“HERE IS WHAT I THINK OF YOUR PLAN.” Read more

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF BEINGCAKES. Whoa. I was pacing anxiously just now and thought to myself, “Have I spent the past ten years obsessively arguing that language is the house of being, and that every attempt to understand that phrase without a Jewish or Christian theological grounding ends up in Heidegger’s Rektoratsrede?” This is what I think about after watching a lot of late ’80s men’s figure skating, apparently. The majestic hair must do something to my brain. “I did study... Read more

Although its roots are traced back to the ancient world of mythology, the real birth of figure skating occurred in Stuart England.–James R. Hines, Figure Skating: A History Oh LOL, of course I would fall for the Restoration-era sport! …And the one whose motto seems to be, “Girls, Lisa. Boys kiss girls.” (edited to fix quote and tags) Read more

“HE RIGGED UP HIS WHISK TO HIS DRILL.” Read more

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHNNY WEIR. Here, have a planet. (Do I have any readers who love figure skating? I haven’t been posting about it because I have nothing to say other than things like, “Look, another amazing performance from Lucinda Ruh! Is she part-orchid or what?”, and similarly unprofessional flailing for various other skaters. But why not email me about your favorite programs etc? I’ll post links if you’ve got ’em.) Read more

Valkenburgh: You spoke about philosophy with a simple girl? About what Plato thinks and what Aristotle thinks? Spinoza: No, about what I think and what she thinks. Plato and Aristotle? You start listening to them and before you know it you’re believing in rabbits out of hats, or the Virgin Birth!–David Ives, The New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch Spinoza Lines from memory, almost certainly wrong in several places, and I admit they come across as a bit on-the-nose on... Read more

THE THREE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORDS. I note that Captain Kirk’s version would also work! Read more

DISCO PURGATORIO: I have finally listened to all of Janelle Monáe’s Metropolis: The Chase Suite, and I can tell you what I was pretty sure I’d tell you: You need this. Monáe is an opera-trained lady nerd who’s created an amazing pop album centered on the story of an enslaved android who falls for a human, endangering both their lives. “Many Moons” is still the standout, unstoppable song. You can get a taste of the song, with amazing video, here;... Read more

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC: In which I ramble about three adaptations of, respectively, “The Little Match Girl”; Revelation; and the Gospel of Luke. First, a disclaimer which is actually an apology: I know nothing about this kind of music whatsoever. I have no vocabulary for it. I will be throwing out random analogies and metaphors and people who actually know what they’re talking about here will probably laugh until they cry. On the other hand, that means that if you are... Read more