While Anhaga has been thinking about how to translate the future -- even how to (as Ursula LeGuin asked) translate from languages that don't yet exist -- Violet Saunders has become quite disenchanted by futurity. She writes: A famous blog repeatedly asks: 'How are we humanists going to to contribute to the sum happiness of the future?' But I have trouble with this. Because I just don't know understand what this Future they keep referring to is. We at In the Middle write: We're FAMOUS??!! OMG, who knew.But then we add that we're not so sure what the future is either, since -- following Brian Greene's reasoned analysis -- we recently had to admit somewhere in the comment section that time is a loaf of bread, and movement through time is the illusion of this baguette being sliced. Only it remains whole. Oh yes, and we probably live on the moldy crust.
Creationists are opening a museum. With dinosaurs. This allows the English to poke fun at dumb Americans. And make us seem scary. Which we suppose we are. We suggest that creationists start reading The Edge, perhaps making a first stop at Stuart Kauffman's commensensical Beyond Reductionism. Kauffman, like we at In the Middle, is a big fan of wonder. So, in a spirit of wonder, we wonder if creationists believe that medieval knights perhaps jousted against Tyrannosauri reges? (We at In the Middle are so snooty about our Latin that we insist on the proper pluralization of "T. rex"). And perhaps these
Speaking of creation, a new medieval blog has appeared (Fiat blogus! Et blogus erat), combining Sarah McLachlan with Yeats and Lacan: yes, Slouching towards extimacy, we get the references. Speaking of a postmodern chanteuse for the masses, Dr. Virago gives us breaking Britney Spears news. Apparently she was married, and now she is not married. Or something. The good doctor's Liberalpalooza post is also well worth perusing (and no, "liberalpalooza" is not the sound a whoopee cushion makes in a Blue State). [footnote: for more on Whoopee Cushions, read this, where at 8:15 you will find a connection between flatulence pillows and the Grim Reaper] Machina memorialis meanwhile seems to be composed by Super Medievalist Grad Student: John Walter presents at conferences, reads blogs, teaches, applies for jobs, works in an archive, dissertates, and blogs about it. Then again maybe that makes him Ordinary Grad Student, these days.
Scott Eric Kaufman's nose is itchy. Scratching it caused a brief eruption of genital-centered conversation at In the Middle. Confessing Mermaid is vacillating between Buffy and Pliny, while ADM keeps using the word NaBloPoMo, which makes our heads hurt and sounds vaguely like profanity (well, NaBloPoMo you too, ADM!). She also seems to be poking fun of our raw and cooked metaphor stolen from Le Bérubé.
Barbarian update: Capital One has yet to respond to our letter. The late payment notices, however, are unaffected.
And that's it from the Tiny Shriner, whose mood has been sunny since Election Day. Please add your feedback to the comments, and let us know what has been missed.
Ah -- NaBloPoMo is short for National Blog Post Month -- I promised to post each day for a month. On nights like tonight, two morning classes, faculty meeting, afternoon class, major student editing session, impromptu meeting with chair, gathering of thoughts, "Ooh! A box of See's candy has arrived on my doorstep from bff and I have three minutes to eat dinner and feed the cats before driving downtown for a lecture", a lecture, chatting after the lecture ... That post per day thing looks like less fun!
ReplyDeletePlease consider this post my subscription to The Tiny Shriner Review--what a brilliant f*&k-ing concept for an In The Middle spin-off/serial! I spent most of the evening [after teaching my night class] visiting all of the links and leaving comments here and there. We've got to hyperlink more--yeah, baby [as Austin Powers might say]. I'm totally behind this blog junket.
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing that up, ADM. I am sorry if I used your acronym as a term of abuse!
ReplyDeleteAs to future editions of the Tiny Shriner Review, let's declare that they will appear as often as Eileen, Karl, Jeffrey and any guest poster who might be interested has the energy and inclination to put them together.
By the way, today's weather in DC is horrendous. The Shriner is grimly bracing himself for the eventual switching on of my office's spa-like water feature.
Liking those tornado warnings, are you? No worries about the NaBlo thing, anyway :-) I'm just pleased you come by!
ReplyDeleteJJC, et al.,
ReplyDeleteI have been seriously behind in my blog reading lately, and am only just seeing and reading, oh, the last 20 posts or so (!). It will take me awhile to catch up and cogitate, but I had to laugh when I read this:
Speaking of a postmodern chanteuse for the masses, Dr. Virago gives us breaking Britney Spears news.
I laughed because at first I thought *I* was the "postmodern chanteuse for the masses." Te-hee!
I love the "Tiny Shriner Review." Sign me up! And thanks for pointing folks to my blathering Liberalpalooza post!
PS -- I have a mad crush on Brian Greene. Just saying.