my virtual notebook

Tuesday, September 25, 2007: Things on top of the file cabinet: Project 365: #332

Things on top of the file cabinet: Project 365: #332
Originally uploaded by cathie.

Hang on to your ego if you know the answer!

I was just listening to one of my favorite recent i tunes purchases - the classic Beach Boys album Pet Sounds. I really really like it!!! One song is called "I know the answer" and here's what I found out about it on the wik  -- here's the link to Hang on your Ego, which I suppose in our Tolle-esque/Oprah-esque times should perhaps be re-titled as "Let go of your ego..."

We're off off off on our Michigan adventure today after lunch and we are doing the thumb! (Tomorrow).

In case you were wondering...

So I'm sitting here trying to stay warm (its cooold here in Michigan!!) and working on my syllabei and  Cat Powers' great version of "Salty Dog" came on the itunes...so I of course had to check what exactly a "salty dog" is....: Salty Dog meanings  hmmm so there you go! I love Cat Powers, she's great..

Wednesday 03/14/07: Project 365: #135

Wednesday 03/14/07: Project 365: #135 
Originally uploaded by cathie.

I really like this CD--Amazon kept telling me I would like them and I do! I ordered it through itunes. This is a shot of the lyrics I printed off--gone are the days of Cd's and jewelcases! (More or less).

I should be working and I am but...

I just happened upon a really cool web site that "maps" music groups: music map -- its really pretty cool--at least I think so.   Now back to Naturphilosophie and Bettina... (ok I'll admit I was googling interesting music groups like "The Decemerists" and one of my ol' favorites that I never heard much about "Shelleyan Orphan") now it is indeed back to the paper...

Zizek?!?!?!

Rather than doing something useful or productive (work on the article, class prep, take down christmas decorations etc..) I have been stuck at my computer importing  my CD's to itunes (in alphabetical order...I'm at "S" right now and have had fun re-listening to various "The Smiths" CD's, the one Michelle Shocked CD we own (Arkansas Traveller) and now a fun if rather adolescent German punk?/pop group called "Die Schröders" and of course surfing the web. 

On wood s lot I found a reference to what must be a new movie about Slavoj Zizek, plus a "blogosphere controversy" which took me back to my days as a graduate student...ah yes it is nice to be able to read about these issues/people but not feel all that close to it.  I should probably go read some Zizek, since I am about to embark on an extended stint of reading about Schelling/Nature philosophy/German Idealism/Romanticism etc etc in preparation for the paper/article I am wriitng about the concept of nature as it relates to Naturphilosophie in Bettina von Arnim's first three epistolary novels.

Apropos of not much

While preparing  fairy tale class I was trying to find out more about a 60's pop song I'm going to play for them tomorrow called "L'il Red Riding Hood."

As it turns out the group, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs has quite the cult following! 
Their biggest hit was  "Wooly Bully."

Here's a link to page with a lot of info: Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs
And here's  salon article on "Sam the Sham"

Questions that came up in German class today

1. When did Alexander Fleming discover penicillin?

Wann hat Alexander Fleming Penicillin entdeckt?

2. When did Beethoven compose the 9th symphony?

Wann hat Beethoven die 9. Symphonie komponiert?

cryptic note to sis: I'll get to the geneology stuff soon, hoffentlich!

Singing chewing-gum and Fingerspitzengefuehl!

Getting ready for the school year to begin. I've been having fun with our new course web system MOODLE, which seems very easy to use. Today we're off on our adventure to Ann Arbor's Trader Joe's, which will be fun.

Last night we watched "Virgin Suicides", which I really liked. Sofia Coppola is great! After having read Eugenides newer book "Middlesex" I was surprised at how similar in style/narration this movie seemed. Plus the Michigan nostalgia made it even more interesting to someone who just recently moved here. I also really liked the music, even the little video at the end, which featured "singing chewing gum". (I think the group is called "Air").

Just heard NPR's take onthe German Laurel and Hardy movie...it just makes my morning hearing to Scott Simon totally wrangling a German word like "Fingerspitzengefuehl" (=literally finger tip sensitivity, i.e. a sensitive, light touch vis a vis any "touchy" issue)!