Author: DBreitenbeck
Detective Philosophy at ‘The Everyman’
My latest essay (first in a little while) is now up at The Everyman, this one critiquing our tendency to insist that this, that, or the other fact 'doesn't matter' by applying the analogy of detective literature. I read a lot of detective fiction (I also write it, though I’ve written much less than I’ve … Continue reading Detective Philosophy at ‘The Everyman’
Friday Flotsam: Some Reading and Some Thoughts
1. Read classic noir pulp short Angel Face by Cornell Woolrich, about a savvy stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold trying to save her loser of a brother from a false accusation of murder with help from a sympathetic detective. Really exactly what you want in this kind of thing: snappy dialogue and narration (“One of them was kind of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Some Reading and Some Thoughts
Scene Dissection: Rattlesnake Jake
Gore Verbinski’s Rango, starring Johnny Depp, is a very strange and uneven film. On the surface, it’s weird and creative, but at its core it follows a fairly strict and by-the-numbers formula, with mostly pretty flat characters living in the service of the jokes. It’s not a bad movie by any stretch, and it’s become … Continue reading Scene Dissection: Rattlesnake Jake
Thought of the Day: On Breaking Laws
When you break the law, you do not in fact find chaos. You find older, stronger laws. This is true whether the law be of man, God, or nature. All created things that we know of are composite beings, formed of smaller natures set in a particular relation to each other. A car, for instance, … Continue reading Thought of the Day: On Breaking Laws
‘Uncharitable’ is the Preferred Term
Uh, X is actually considered an offensive term for Z-types. It’s okay for other Z-types to calls us that, but not for someone else to. Y is the preferred term. “Ah. Do you speak for all Z-types?” Well… “So, as I understand it, X is the most common term. It’s been in use for time … Continue reading ‘Uncharitable’ is the Preferred Term
Poetry – “Veni Creator Spiritus
Creator Spirit, by whose aidThe world's foundations first were laid,Come visit every pious mind,Come pour Thy joys on human kind;From sin and sorrow set us free,And make Thy temples worthy Thee.O source of uncreated light,The Father's promised Paraclete!Thrice holy fount, thrice holy fire,Our hearts with heavenly love inspire;Come, and Thy sacred unction bring,To sanctify us … Continue reading Poetry – “Veni Creator Spiritus
Words of the Saints: A Prayer of St. Bede
(A little late on this: taken from this excellent article on the Saint by my sister, which I recommend you read) Lord God almighty,open wide the door of my heartand illumine it with the grace of the Holy Spirit,that I may seek what is pleasing to your will.Guide my thoughts and my heart,and lead my … Continue reading Words of the Saints: A Prayer of St. Bede
A Digression on Mortgages and Race
Found this article at mpamag.com (my work website links to them, since it’s a mortgage company), which rather amused me in a dark way. I won't go through the whole thing, suffice to say it's about a new 'equitable housing plan' being put forward by Fannie Mae (one of the two major housing authorities) to … Continue reading A Digression on Mortgages and Race
Friday Flotsam: Cars, Alignments, and Age
1. I am thinking I am going to have to find creative ways to avoid driving places for the near future. $70 for a full tank is rather much. Looks like I may be self-identifying as Albanian for a while (there’s a very beautiful, but also very ethnically definite Albanian church within walking distance of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Cars, Alignments, and Age
Serpent's Den 