Nabokov: celebrated novelist and amateur entomologist. Who would have thought?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/science/01butterfly.html
A Leonardo of the modern day, a Renaissance man, in the classical sense. There is also something deeply literary, deeply Romantic about a brilliant writer who spent the proceeds from his art on butterfly quests.
It's humbling to remember that often, literature is but a reflection of a wilder, more beautiful reality.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Viennese Ball, Part II (a.k.a. The Adventure of the Dress)
The second Viennese post, with a picture, as promised:
From left to right: Melanie, myself, Caroline, Julie, Caitlin (yes, the chromatic arrangement was intentional)
So, the Adventure of the Dress (sounds like a Sherlock Holmes story, doesn't it?):
I stayed at Julie's place for a few days at the beginning of Winter Break. (She lives very close to Stanford.) We decided, the day I went over to crash at my uncle's place, to go exploring in San Francisco. We also decided to be extremely girly, and go thrift shopping. Our last stop was at a Salvation Army store. I found a nice sweater, she found a pair of jeans, and then I wandered by the section with ballgowns and out of the corner of my eye, spotted something made of purple brocade.
See, Julie makes no secret of her love of the color purple. So, I pulled out this pretty ballgown and decided that she absolutely had to try it on. So I barge into her dressing room with gown in hand, and proclaim, "I have found you a dress for Viennese!"
She tries it on, but it's just a little too tight and a little too short, which is very sad news indeed. So she decides that I should try it on, and lo and behold, it fits like a glove. The conversation went something like this:
Julie: It fits like a glove! And it's eight bucks! You should get it!
Me: I don't know if I'm going to Viennese; I might not ever wear it.
Julie: You should go to Viennese! Everyone should go to Viennese at least once.
Me: I don't even have a date!
Julie: If I didn't already have a boyfriend, I'd go with you!
Me: Hmm... I could crossdress. I have 1800s black tie menswear in my closet somewhere. But I can't lead.
Julie: I can lead.
Me: It would be interesting and optically confusing for the other participants if you wore a dress and led, and I wore pants and followed.
Julie: But what about this dress? *holds up purple gown*
Me: Oh, right. That.
So I bought the dress. Then I showed it to my sister on Skype, and she said it looked like an apron. Which, given the neckline, was not a completely inaccurate assessment. It really looked a bit like a floor-length qipao mated with a painter's smock (smock top, qipao bottom). So I decided to alter the neckline into something that looked a bit more gown-like. The end result is shown above.
And then I found a date. I asked my friend Remington (or well, I asked him, rather indirectly, if he was planning on attending), and he said no, but then Caitlin and friends pestered him into going, and so he came and asked me, and I said yes. And so I went to Viennese Ball.
From left to right: Melanie, myself, Caroline, Julie, Caitlin (yes, the chromatic arrangement was intentional)
So, the Adventure of the Dress (sounds like a Sherlock Holmes story, doesn't it?):
I stayed at Julie's place for a few days at the beginning of Winter Break. (She lives very close to Stanford.) We decided, the day I went over to crash at my uncle's place, to go exploring in San Francisco. We also decided to be extremely girly, and go thrift shopping. Our last stop was at a Salvation Army store. I found a nice sweater, she found a pair of jeans, and then I wandered by the section with ballgowns and out of the corner of my eye, spotted something made of purple brocade.
See, Julie makes no secret of her love of the color purple. So, I pulled out this pretty ballgown and decided that she absolutely had to try it on. So I barge into her dressing room with gown in hand, and proclaim, "I have found you a dress for Viennese!"
She tries it on, but it's just a little too tight and a little too short, which is very sad news indeed. So she decides that I should try it on, and lo and behold, it fits like a glove. The conversation went something like this:
Julie: It fits like a glove! And it's eight bucks! You should get it!
Me: I don't know if I'm going to Viennese; I might not ever wear it.
Julie: You should go to Viennese! Everyone should go to Viennese at least once.
Me: I don't even have a date!
Julie: If I didn't already have a boyfriend, I'd go with you!
Me: Hmm... I could crossdress. I have 1800s black tie menswear in my closet somewhere. But I can't lead.
Julie: I can lead.
Me: It would be interesting and optically confusing for the other participants if you wore a dress and led, and I wore pants and followed.
Julie: But what about this dress? *holds up purple gown*
Me: Oh, right. That.
So I bought the dress. Then I showed it to my sister on Skype, and she said it looked like an apron. Which, given the neckline, was not a completely inaccurate assessment. It really looked a bit like a floor-length qipao mated with a painter's smock (smock top, qipao bottom). So I decided to alter the neckline into something that looked a bit more gown-like. The end result is shown above.
And then I found a date. I asked my friend Remington (or well, I asked him, rather indirectly, if he was planning on attending), and he said no, but then Caitlin and friends pestered him into going, and so he came and asked me, and I said yes. And so I went to Viennese Ball.
Today
is the 538th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, who surely needs no introduction (but I'll give a brief one anyways). He was a Renaissance astronomer, the first person to form and champion a good heliocentric construction of the solar system. As I'm currently taking a course on Renaissance arts and sciences, I find this to be particularly well-timed.
The Google Art Project
My sister sent this to me last week, and it's just about the coolest thing I've seen in a while (yes, I'm a museum geek):
http://maps.google.com/maps?
An article about it (from The Atlantic):
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/02/the-google-art-project-makes-masterpieces-accessible-to-all/70634/
Basically, it's bringing Google Maps Street View into some of the world's most famous and amazing museums. How awesome is that?
http://maps.google.com/maps?
An article about it (from The Atlantic):
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/02/the-google-art-project-makes-masterpieces-accessible-to-all/70634/
Basically, it's bringing Google Maps Street View into some of the world's most famous and amazing museums. How awesome is that?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
NYTimes: Blog Gives Superheroes and Supervillains Their Day in Court
This is a really cool concept:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/books/21lawyers.html?ref=books
I'm a fan of both urban fantasy and political theory (not as unlikely a combination as one might believe, as evidenced above), so this is awesome. I'd say, any science fiction writer, even those not operating in pseudo-real world conditions, should keep an eye on this; it should aid in creating realistic political systems, not to mention, yielding a plot bunny or two...
Also, Dr. Horrible. Need I say more?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/books/21lawyers.html?ref=books
I'm a fan of both urban fantasy and political theory (not as unlikely a combination as one might believe, as evidenced above), so this is awesome. I'd say, any science fiction writer, even those not operating in pseudo-real world conditions, should keep an eye on this; it should aid in creating realistic political systems, not to mention, yielding a plot bunny or two...
Also, Dr. Horrible. Need I say more?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Cat's Ear Trick
And to lighten the mood a little, some random cute animal fun:
I was amused. Anything is amusing when you're sleep-deprived.
I was amused. Anything is amusing when you're sleep-deprived.
Viennese Ball/Stanford Invitational 2011, i.e. My-Life-is-Crazy-But-Sometimes-Fun Week (and-a-Half)
Not to complain, but it has been brought to my attention that some of you either (a) think I've disappeared off the face of the earth, or (b) are rather concerned for my continued sanity and well-being. I thought I'd share with you this particular slice of my life.
Last weekend, as I've mentioned, I was at a debate tournament. I flew out of SFO on Thursday night, and got back to Stanford on Sunday morning. Seeing as I was home for Chinese New Year, I got absolutely no work done.
Last week, I had two midterms and two papers due. I also somehow got involved in coaching some freshman in an archaeology class for an in-class debate they're having next week.
Last night, I was at Viennese Ball. I took a quarter of Social Dance I last year, mostly because a lot of my friends seemed to enjoy it. I'm not crazy about it like some of them are (I know some really amazing dancers), but I'm competent enough, I'd say, to enjoy a ball. I might put up a picture or two eventually. The dress itself was an adventure.
This weekend, I'm helping run a debate tournament -- that is, the annual Stanford High School Invitational Debate Tournament. If you were ever on the national circuit in high school speech and debate, you know what I'm talking about. It's an influx of over a thousand people on our campus. We work from 7:00am-2:00am on Saturday and Sunday (that's right, am). And then I have a 10:00am class on Monday.
So. I'm very sorry that I haven't really been hanging out with people lately. It's not you, it's me. :)
Last weekend, as I've mentioned, I was at a debate tournament. I flew out of SFO on Thursday night, and got back to Stanford on Sunday morning. Seeing as I was home for Chinese New Year, I got absolutely no work done.
Last week, I had two midterms and two papers due. I also somehow got involved in coaching some freshman in an archaeology class for an in-class debate they're having next week.
Last night, I was at Viennese Ball. I took a quarter of Social Dance I last year, mostly because a lot of my friends seemed to enjoy it. I'm not crazy about it like some of them are (I know some really amazing dancers), but I'm competent enough, I'd say, to enjoy a ball. I might put up a picture or two eventually. The dress itself was an adventure.
This weekend, I'm helping run a debate tournament -- that is, the annual Stanford High School Invitational Debate Tournament. If you were ever on the national circuit in high school speech and debate, you know what I'm talking about. It's an influx of over a thousand people on our campus. We work from 7:00am-2:00am on Saturday and Sunday (that's right, am). And then I have a 10:00am class on Monday.
So. I'm very sorry that I haven't really been hanging out with people lately. It's not you, it's me. :)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
R.I.P. Brian Jacques
He passed away three days ago. He was a bestselling children's author most famous for his iconic Redwall series, a formative part of my childhood. I've read pretty much every Redwall book that came out before 2004, and I'm sure my sister has read all the ones published afterwards. Sure, they got repetitive after a while, but I didn't notice that back then. I thought they were cute and swashbuckling and absolutely magical.
A short obituary from Locus Magazine:
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/02/brian-jacques-1939-2011/
In addition to his stories, he was known for his work with blind children. Indeed, he wrote many of his stories to entertain the students at Royal Wavertree School for the Blind (in Britain). Writing for the blind is said to have influenced his descriptive style.
He will be missed.
A short obituary from Locus Magazine:
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/02/brian-jacques-1939-2011/
In addition to his stories, he was known for his work with blind children. Indeed, he wrote many of his stories to entertain the students at Royal Wavertree School for the Blind (in Britain). Writing for the blind is said to have influenced his descriptive style.
He will be missed.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sporcle
Maybe it's a testament to the nerdiness of my friends, but I have noticed phases of addictive Sporcle usage -- if it weren't preposterous, I would say they were linked to the phases of the moon, or the instructional dances of bees, or some other random natural phenomenon. Anyhow, I have found Sporcle to be eminently useful in real life.
For those of you unfamiliar with the website, Sporcle is a repository of interactive trivia quizzes. One of the most popular categories is geography.
I am taking a course this quarter on global human geography, and I have a midterm on our Europe unit in about seven hours. There's a map section. I'm playing a lot of Sporcle tonight.
For those of you unfamiliar with the website, Sporcle is a repository of interactive trivia quizzes. One of the most popular categories is geography.
I am taking a course this quarter on global human geography, and I have a midterm on our Europe unit in about seven hours. There's a map section. I'm playing a lot of Sporcle tonight.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Clerk Foils Robbery Attempt with Katana
The title, methinks, is pretty self-explanatory, but if you're curious, the news story is here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20029060-504083.html
Sword > gun? Believe it.
Sword > gun? Believe it.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
NYTimes: The Art of the Noodle
Noodles as a performance art:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/dining/26noodles.html
I'm going to be home for New Year's, for the first time since I started college, and it will probably be the best meal I will have had in three years. Nothing beats good Chinese home-cooking, and it's never better than on New Year's.
And of course, there will be a riotous number of people at our place. Fun!
Edit: I forgot to mention that the only reason I'll be in New York at all is because I'll be attending the NYU debate tournament. Two birds, one stone, eh?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/dining/26noodles.html
I'm going to be home for New Year's, for the first time since I started college, and it will probably be the best meal I will have had in three years. Nothing beats good Chinese home-cooking, and it's never better than on New Year's.
And of course, there will be a riotous number of people at our place. Fun!
Edit: I forgot to mention that the only reason I'll be in New York at all is because I'll be attending the NYU debate tournament. Two birds, one stone, eh?
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