All Consuming : Amissio

Haunting (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:40:04 GMT

by Jean-Dominique Bauby

That’s just it – it’s haunting. I have a loved one in a coma and this book gives me both hope and fear. The human mind is an amazingly complex and subtle bit of machinery, and Bauby captures it in its extremes.

A delightful romp for trivia guys, especially those infatuated with Ken Jennings (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 12:49:33 GMT

Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs

by Ken Jennings

Part auto-hagiography, part history of trivia, this book goes to great lengths to justify being absolutely fascinated with that nebulous grouping of facts labeled “trivia.” Jennings writes in a pretty affable manner that makes the reading very quick, but also is rather strained as he tries to keep up journalistic tones.

A story about "The Castle of Otranto (Dover Thrift Editions)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 16:49:32 GMT

The Castle of Otranto (Dover Thrift Editions)

by Horace Walpole

So, I didn’t actually enjoy reading this book. It’s so cheesey that it’s hard to believe that anyone could actually be moved by it. The supernatural events are knee-slappingly funny (uhh, giant helmet anyone?) when they’re supposed to be slightly terrifying. The characters, well, the characters are mostly just cardboard cut outs. The plot – the only thing that the book actually has in abundance – is absolutely and totally ridiculous. Compound all of this with Walpole’s manic obsession with abrupt changes in topic as well as the lack of indentation to indicate a new line of dialogue, and the book is almost painful to read.

But I still think it was worth it. For all the ridiculousness of it, the book seems to be more of a compressed outline than a novella, which makes it a ridiculously quick read. Most of what I find ridiculous and cliche was actually innovative at the time, and reading the book helps set the backdrop for the genre of Gothic literature of which The Castle of Otranto was the first.

When you read it, prepare for a reading in the history of literature; if you go in expecting good literature you will be disappointed.

How "Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China" changed my life

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:02:44 GMT

Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China

by Jung Chang

I’m in China right now, and I’ve always known that China has had a rough history. I’ve taken a class. I’ve seen the numbers.

But this class really brought home the feelings from that time. I don’t take it to be a true history, but it does show how one life – the author’s – was effected by the upheavals in China in the twentieth century. I can’t say that the facts are correct, but what is important in this book is the emotion that really comes through – emotion that is too often absent when we think about countries on the other side of the world.

The book also hit a chord with me about the legendary Chinese pragmatism. It is said that the most important thing is to live, but that often seems to put one’s life over another’s, which is a calculation easy to make pragmatically; at the very worst, I’ll be able to make up for it later. But after reading this book and seeing how terribly bad that pragmatism can go… I’m not sure I aspire to mastering that Chinese ability to 吃苦.

A story about "The Vulture"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:52:03 GMT

The Vulture

by Franz Kafka

http://www.kafka.existoffend.com/vulturestory.html

Why I like people who have consumed "Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Savall, Zanasi, Figueras, Mingardo, Abete, Turk, Vargas, Bettini, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:48:29 GMT

Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Savall, Zanasi, Figueras, Mingardo, Abete, Turk, Vargas, Bettini, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona

by Brian Large

This opera is not the overwraught Viking singspiel that most people imagine to be opera; it is subtle, it is well sung, and it is amazingly beautiful. The people that consume this opera and that really enjoy it are those that are able to appreciate true aesthetic beauty in this world of overdone plastic charades.

How "Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Dale · Ben-Nun · Larmore · Gerimon · B. Fink · Peeters · A. Scholl · Rivenq · Concerto Vocale · Jacobs" changed my life

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:43:18 GMT

Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Dale · Ben-Nun · Larmore · Gerimon · B. Fink · Peeters · A. Scholl · Rivenq · Concerto Vocale · Jacobs

The toccata is transcendental. Of course the rest of the opera is fantastic, but the toccata is absolutely fantastic. The tune is rather simple, but it is easy to get stuck in your head.

The repetitions though, that’s what really got me.

The first repetition is just percussion and brass, the loudness of the outside world.

And then the artist comes, and produces the next repetition with strings and harpsichord.

And then the two fuse. There is an artistic synthesis, a catharsis, as the percussion and the strings and the brass and the harpsichord come together to create one beautiful whole.

I aim to have this toccata describe my life.

Why I recommend "Vincenzo Bellini: Norma"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:32:53 GMT

Vincenzo Bellini: Norma

Caballe rocks. There is no other way to put it. Her rendition of “Casta diva” is absolutely sublime, and the orchestra is deftly led throughout the entire opera. A complete pleasure for the ears.

Why I recommend "Carmen"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:29:28 GMT

Carmen

by Bizet

Absolutely the best recording of Carmen out there that I’ve listened to. Horne’s voice is strong, both musically and theatrically, and is a true pleasure to listen to. Bernsteins tempi are radically different from the average recording, but they all make sense and add a lot more depth to the opera throughout the recording.

Why I recommend "Bizet: Carmen / Price, Corelli, Merrill, Freni; Karajan"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:27:16 GMT

Bizet: Carmen / Price, Corelli, Merrill, Freni; Karajan

by Georges Bizet

This is the first recording of Carmen that I ever listened to, and thus I am naturally predisposed to liking it. The truth is that Price’s voice doesn’t fit the normal idea of what Carmen should sound like… seeing as she’s a soprano but Carmen should be a mezzo. Nonetheless, the entire recording is fantastic, especially the young(er) Mirella Freni as Micaela. The sound on this one is pretty good, though extremely quiet at key points (beginning of habanera).

Slow, but worth it (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:17:15 GMT

Girl With a Pearl Earring

by Peter Webber

Girl with a Pearl Earring is not a very fast movie. Instead, it is a very fast painting.

The plot is subtle and at first glance doesn’t seem to be there. The scenes are beautifully laid out, a perfect balance of shadow and dark. The music is understated but very effective and evocative.

In the end, the movie achieves the cinematographic exegesis of the works of Vermeer: it is hauntingly beautiful and will stay with the viewer for a long time.

A question I have about "Dragon Fruit"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:25:36 GMT

Dragon Fruit

So, I agree with the entry below. I had a dragon fruit and it was just, well, watery. It was slightly sweet, and the texture was odd, and it was nasty to eat (because I was eating it with nothing but my naked hand and a naked knife). Perhaps I just missed how it is supposed to be eaten.

What is it good with? Any recommendations?

A story about "The Book of Useless Information"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Amissio) — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:54:12 GMT

The Book of Useless Information

by Noel Botham

I love this book, and I never intend to finish “consuming” it. It’s nothing short of an encyclopedia of the inane, a compendium of trivialities, and a Bible for those who find God in the details of life. Every time I’m feeling down, I pick up the book and discover things like “The most common name for a boat in 1996 is Serenity.”

The thing is that a creative person can come up with a use for every single fact in the book. That’s what makes it so fun. Perhaps one day I will meet a man with a boat named serenity. “So, you got it in 1996, eh?”