New post about a local Christian cult is up at Suscitatio Incendia.

And, because my former roommate got hitched and moved to Oklahoma to go to grad school and become... God knows... an astrophysicist or something, here's a cartoon that came across my radar today.

Liberal Arts Student Blinded By Science

As a frequent debaucher without regard for mortality, a respect for the artist's infinite infectiousness, an unconquerable affinity for the insubstantial wishy-washy nature of the humanities, I've always considered myself--and other students and professors would agree--fairly intelligent. A senior in college, I'd blown my English and Psychology classes out of the water; state the facts and your golden, exercise your rhetoric a little bit and you're the star of the show (i.e., ENGL 4463 or PSYC 2517 or the like).

Last semester, all that changed. Sacrificing my soul for a science-based degree, I signed up for the most sciencie classes I could push myself into (Evolution Psychology and Evolution-BIOL), I was determined to become a neuro-scientist. Two weeks in, I'm downing books on genetics, The Origin of Species, documentaries on the nature of, well, nature. I love it and I hate it. In the arts, you deny there is a god and then debate the relative nature of deism, constructed reality, and theology. In biology or chemistry or physics, you get to the bit about divinity, shrug your shoulders, and keep studying Mandelbrot sets

EG

(from WikiEducator: 

http://wikieducator.org/images/9/90/Mandelbrot.jpeg)

There's certainly a compelling reality that seems completely disconnected from what I've studied up to this point. I've always considered myself this great mind exploring the avenues of academia, but aside from the occasional documentary or nonfiction article, I realize how little I know about the scientific community. It's challenging to make the mental leap from Faulkner to Watson and Crick, but I feel it's also important to break free of that system of self-aggrandizement, the safe lull of the MLA format and dive into the Council of Biology Editors style.

The Grand Design

Suscitatio Incendia

So I've started a new blog. It's supposed to be a way to journey along with me as I explore my spirituality. I've been planning to start this for a while, and so finally, I've bitten the bullet and begun.

So... first post is up. Check it out. Share your stories. Be something beyond yourself. Even cynics are welcome to read along.

http://suscitatioincendia.blogspot.com/

T

Posting online about how much I hate my job is so last season. So I won't. But I do.

One of the major purposes of South Village was to address how we in this area are actually not ridiculous, backwards, barefoot sister-screwing hicks. However, I think it undercuts some of society to make such blanket assumption assumptions. I don't know that everyone outside the American south thinks that we're all illiterate bastards. Furthermore, this is the land of Faulkner! Recently Patton Oswald tweeted that the south is America's Ireland: it's literary and alcoholic and dysfunctional and mythical all at once. I think this is one of the most astute observations that I've heard about the south as an entire region in a long time. One thing that's true of the south, though, is that we like to find new and creative ways of bitchin'-and-moanin', especially about the heat. And the humidity. We love to hate humidity. And I've never grown tired of saying things like, "It may be 100 degrees out, but it's the humidity that's killer!" I'm sure Faulkner would have said such things, only sideways, and if I had more time, I'd research that and give you a pithy Faulkner quote about how the fish swim backwards through the water above the ponds or somesuch.

Nevertheless, I'm southern AND literate. So I'm bandwagoning and reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's ok so far, but I must admit that it's a bit too John Grisham-y (I know, another southerner) at this point. I am hopeful that it will pick up, though. I'd still recommend it, but with some reservations.

Anyway, it's humid. Go read something. Your Kindle is getting lonely!

T

Growing Up, Moving Up, Throwing Up?

So, great big world of readers, I have an announcement to make. I have sent out a resume for a big boy job at a really awesome organization. I realize this is ridiculously long-shot-ed, just given the actual position, the specifics, and my particular credentials, but I think it is a step. And thus, I think, I should probably send out about 500 more such resumes and then throw a party with Jell-o shots just to subvert the possibility of becoming too much of a grown-up.

It isn't so much that I feel any real likelihood of getting this job, though it would be amazing. It's just that I'm proud of myself for finally sending out a resume to someplace that is legit, and not just waiting for the people who cruise Monster.com to call me and try to make me into a telemarketer. No offense to my multiple telemarketing friends, but I'm looking for a job that actually notices that I have a degree and international experience and skillz.

All that said, today I'm going to shop at the Goodwill for a vest to complete my ensemble for a wedding this weekend. I guess growing up and shopping at Banana Republic and having a car with air conditioning and having health insurance are all steps that are in the future. Maybe the future is coming on.

T

A recipe

History Channel

2 cups Nazis
1 cup Jesus
1 1/2 Tbs. Nostradamus
juice of a pseudo-scientist "expert"
dash non sequitur reality tv
sprig of Egyptology (to garnish)

Mix all in a large bowl, let rest while consuming wine and HotPockets, then bake at 350 until you awaken in a drunken stupor with an irrational fear of the year 2012. Enjoy alone.

T

Man and Superman + next Victorian Book Club selection

Fantastic meeting for Man and Superman. Greg, for his creative project, composed a beautiful poem entitled "The Pomegranate Paradox" (posting tk) and b_kronos created a delightful work entitled "In Fate's Eye of the Needle" embodying the themes discussed by Don Juan, his lost lover (Ana), Ana's father, and Lucifer himself in Hell.

Now, for our next book, we're doing something super interesting: Pick a Bronte! That's right, just what you've always wanted. A plethora of Bronte all in 6 or so weeks. Now, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre have already been taken, but you can feel free to read them as well. However, if you want to go out on a limb and read one of their less popular books (eg, The Professor or Villette) or even a poetry collection, we congratulate you!



So here's to happy summer reading of Victorian lit. in the South, y'all!!!