I arose to open to my beloved,and my hands dripped with myrrh,my fingers with liquid myrrh,upon the handles of the bolt.–Song of Solomon, 5:5 Read more

IF YOU STOP PAYING A SURROGATE MOTHER, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FETUS? I should really make you guys go to MarriageDebate for this stuff, but I thought this would be of interest: If you’re angry about the AIG scandal or Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, check out what’s happening to the infertile couples and surrogate mothers involved in a California womb brokerage. It’s a familiar tale of vanishing funds and defaulted obligations. But this time, the potential loss is bigger than... Read more

NOT AN APRIL FOOL’S JOKE…. Hey guys, if you tried to go to Saran Malene M’s show at Twins Jazz tonight, I really apologize–I had no idea the place was closed! It looked like they lost their liquor license or some similar problem. If I can find info about her next show I will let you know about that. Again, my apologies if you got rained on…. Read more

TELEBIBLICAL: So I just watched the first three episodes of Kings off IMDB. Some thoughts. (Keep in mind that if I don’t mention something specifically, I probably didn’t like it! I was a real hard sell on this one.) This post is written on the assumption that you a) have seen the episodes or b) don’t care about spoilers (including, you know, stuff that isn’t in the Bible). Executive summary: Wow, a show about a contemporary/alternate-universe King David is a... Read more

BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER: Comic Art Indigene. The National Museum of the American Indian has an exhibit on Native Americans and comics, up through May 31st. It’s… it’s scattershot. There are about three examples of everything the exhibit wants to talk about. Three examples of traditional art forms done with comic-book motifs and themes (the pottery where the deer hunt uses imagery possibly taken from Krazy Kat was pretty awesome); three graffiti-influenced artworks with Indian characters; three... Read more

THOSE WHO CAN’T DO, SCHOOL: My God–other than the obvious, is there anything Amy Winehouse can’t do? No, really, anything? Read more

WHERE I WILL BE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. Saran Malene M. performs at Twins Jazz at 8 pm, 1344 U St. NW. Saran is an amazing singer–I haven’t heard her in several years, but seriously, she is mind-blowing, and I can’t wait to hear what she is doing now. Back in high school her music was what I think a marketing department would call Huggy Bear soul, or “Nina Simone Presents: The Fabulous Stains!”. I hope to have a less-reductive description for... Read more

SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL: So while we’re kicking around gay-marriage compromises, we get this one: That brings us to our alternative proposal: The revisionists would agree to oppose the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), thus ensuring that federal law retains the traditional definition of marriage as the union of husband and wife, and states retain the right to preserve that definition in their law. In return, traditionalists would agree to support federal civil unions offering most or all... Read more

FACEBOOK MEME: BOOKIE. 1) What author do you own the most books by? Probably Shakespeare–? I have a lot of Nietzsche (possibly all Nietzsche?), Angela Carter, and Agatha Christie. If we’re counting comics, definitely Los Bros. Hernandez. 2) What book do you own the most copies of? Two each of The Secret History and Story of O. 3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? Nah, I’m easy. 4) What fictional character are you secretly in... Read more

When I travel out of the country for any length of time, including professional visits, I take one precaution against losing my presence of mind and emotional balance while I am a tumbleweed in an alien landscape: I make certain to take along the books I have been reading prior to my departure.–Kenzaburo Oe, Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age!, tr. John Nathan Read more