1. Thinking of 50s-era educational shorts this week made me wonder: they're usually described as 'cheesy' or 'corny'. What does this mean? What constitutes corn? The heirs of Webster define it as "mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental". Fair enough, but what is the positive contrary? Up-to-date, sophisticated, and rational, I suppose. Though that … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Corniness and ‘Shadows on the Rock’
Books
Some Thoughts on ‘Anne of Green Gables’
I sometimes think that English teachers and professional writing gurus don’t read much, given how it seems that most of the great enduring classics eschew much of the advice they give. That is, unless they ever remember to say “make it interesting.” Rule one of martial arts is ‘don’t die’, rule one of writing is … Continue reading Some Thoughts on ‘Anne of Green Gables’
Friday Flotsam: Life Stuff and ‘Merchant of Venice’
1. Talking with my counselor this week, we discovered that I may underestimate my own productivity. I'm not sure about that myself, but I'm starting to track it. Supposedly, the act of tracking behavior alone tends to lead to improvement, sort of a Heisenberg-Maximized-Potential Principle. 2. A couple weeks ago some idiot ran into my … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Life Stuff and ‘Merchant of Venice’
Friday Flotsam: Illness, History, and Poirot
1. I'm not sure, but I think I got a touch of food poisoning yesterday. This resulted in one of the more miserable night's I've experienced in recent memory as I was repeatedly up and, ah, clearing the pipes at both ends, so to speak. While I no longer feel like my internal organs are … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Illness, History, and Poirot
Lovecraft at C365
Just posted another essay at Catholic365, this one about why Catholics should read H.P. Lovecraft: There is no question in my mind that Mr. H.P. Lovecraft is one of the great American writers. Certainly he is one of the most influential; there has hardly been a horror or science-fiction tale since that has not owed … Continue reading Lovecraft at C365
Friday Flotsam: Done With the Job, Men’s Conference, and Louis L’Amour
1. Today was my last day at the Job. Mostly a matter of putting things in order. It's such a relief to be done at last. 2. What happens next is, of course, the big follow-up question, but I have time to worry about that. There are a few avenues I might pursue, but mostly … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Done With the Job, Men’s Conference, and Louis L’Amour
Thoughts on ‘G.K. Chesterton: A Criticism’
This is really one of the most valuable books on Chesterton that I think I have read. Coming from a loving, but clear-sighted brother, it avoids the two errors that many people fall into regarding GKC; that of overpraising him as an infallible or only semi-fallible prophet and of simply dismissing him as an out-of-date … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘G.K. Chesterton: A Criticism’
Friday Flotsam: Mental Health and Recent Reading
1. It’s been a rough week; at work we had one support person out on vacation and another got fired. Which meant it was just me and one other person on the phones. Working the phones is not at all my skill set. The long and the short is that I ended up with a … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mental Health and Recent Reading
‘The Best of the Planetary Anthology Series’ is Now Live!
As most of you know, Tuscany Bay's Planetary Anthology series is now no more, save in audiobook form. However, Mr. John M. Olsen very graciously took it up and composed a "best of" anthology, taking what he regarded as the best two stories of each book and compiling them into a plump volume of 22 … Continue reading ‘The Best of the Planetary Anthology Series’ is Now Live!
Friday Flotsam: Lent and Reading
1. So another Lent begins. This year I'm focusing on purgation, clearing out habits that have been a drag on my mind and attention span. In particular I'm giving up most video media: no perusing YouTube, no movies, no shows, etc. I'll still work on my own videos some, and still use 'ambience' videos (which … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Lent and Reading
Serpent's Den 