The Daily Sabbatical
Music, Books, and Assorted Maunderings

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Graham Greene was never a show off.  He was not the sort of writer that shot off flares with every sentence or attempted to change the way language worked.  He is best known, in fact, as a writer of suspenseful, twisting tales of intrigue with a sprinkling of wry humour and subtle irony.  He was, however, a master, a complete, undeniable master, and for proof look no further than The Power and the Glory. Published in 1940, The Power was the pinnacle of the novels… Read More

The word is out: even conservatives are beginning to bemoan Senator McCain's choice of a vice-presidential candidate. They no doubt feel betrayed. I know I do. Even though I am a strong supporter of Barack Obama, when McCain won the primary I was relieved. Sure, he offered the best chance for a Republican victory, but who cares? He seemed a very tolerable downside. He seemed reasonably moderate, very experienced, full of integrity, and honest. So, even if he won, at least it would be a huge step up from the disaster of the Bush years. And then came Palin. Suddenly the downside is very, very far down. Suddenly I see a future where I pine for the… Read More

Turns out that inside the McCain camp, the absurdity of his pick is being realized.  See the Huffpost report here. Read More

This song and this video are the complete shit. Check out the rollerskating! Right on! Thanks to DJ ZOO for exposing me to this one!  Read More

By any rights Sarah Jaffe will soon be famous.  She's too good to continue as an opening act for tours through Dallas.  That's not all she does, of course, but it was in that capacity I saw her.  I don't recall whom she was opening for, because she is the one I recall.  She's somewhat folky, if a bit too dark to be granola, and she plays a mean guitar in front of a truly powerful voice.  Seriously: this is a voice that stills a room.  All this wouldn't mean a damn thing if her songs were weak, but her… Read More

One of my favorite bands of all time is back playing live shows.  First the Pixies, now My Bloody Valentine?  What have I done to deserve this?  Now, if only Slint would reform for a live show...oh wait, they did. It's silly to think MBV can be captured on video cam, but someone tried it and it doesn't sound all that bad.