The Daily Sabbatical
Music, Books, and Assorted Maunderings

I voted yesterday, and despite the long line, I was in and out in half an hour.  FYI, it seems you can vote at any early voting location within your county, just bring your driver's license or a government issued ID.  You can even, it seems, bring a utility bill to verify your id.  The machines are computerized, but easy to understand and not obviously messed up.
GO VOTE!
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I'm not saying the Republicans are stealing the election: it looks like this probably hurts everyone equally. But this is complete bullshit. Read More

I have two episodes before I am done with The Wire, and I am sick.  I already want more.  It might be the best TV show ever made, and though I'm sure I'll rewatch it from start to finish, it just won't be the same.  Still, I can take some heart: the writers for The Wire are out there writing novels, and if Lush Life by Richard Price is any indication, they are almost as good.
As Dennis Lehane says on the dust jacket, Price is one of the best writers of dialogue this country has.  (Actually, Lehane says the best we have ever had.)  His writing… Read More

Think Tonk posts an excellent clip. John Woo, Wes Anderson and Kevin Smith direct McCain ads. Excellent. Read More

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Suite Francaise is worth reading if for no other reason than for the unique perspective it has on the second world war and the French occupation in particular.  The harrowing story of its author gilds the work with both authenticity and poignance.  Irene Nemirovsky was a Jewish, Russian born novelist who achieved great success with novels such as David Golder, which became a play and a movie.  She lived in Paris during the French Occupation, and decided to write a five volume work about what she was seeing.  Before she finished, however,… Read More

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish. Read More

NewsBiscuit: Man freed from ‘logic loop toilet’ by crack team of linguists

Cecil Franks; an Isle of Wight librarian was freed yesterday by a team of skilled language experts following a harrowing ten-hour ordeal trapped in a linguistic dichotomy in the men’s toilets.

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Between illness, an emergency trip to Nashville, and a tenure case, I've gotten completely backed up on work.  I'll hopefully have my head above water soon. Meanwhile, Texans, vote early...vote Obama. Read More

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