Anti-Climacus

DIDN'T I HAVE A CATCHY NAME FOR THIS AT SOME POINT?

or

I HEARTILY ENDORSE THIS EVENT OR PRODUCT, oh, let's say VI:


* Jacob Levy responds to criticism of his use of disposable coffee cups. One of the hardest things to get used to when teaching, at least for me, is the idea that there are a bunch of people basically just staring at you for 75 minutes. I find the idea of being criticized for something like that unnerving.

UPDATE: Jacob Levy explains (at the link) that it's not exactly how it sounded, but a continuation of a running bit from class. That moots a lot of my concern, but I still think it's odd to have 36-ish people watching me for 75 minutes twice a week. Perhaps the oddest thing is that it's so rarely noted.

* I'm at best an amateur follower of the business world, but this seems really bad.

* Helen pays me a nice compliment and, in the comments, ranks some of her early-80s music preferences. I'll defend early R.E.M. against all comers, but maybe I just haven't heard the right DBs album.

* The musical theme for the fall, insomuch as I ever stick to one, is "post-punk alientation"/"party like it's 2005." Hence Spoon and The National have given way to Bloc Party and the first Interpol album. In 2004, I saw a lot of bands that wanted to be Interpol, which was annoying at the time. I've since come to the opinion that there are many worse bands to aspire to be. Seriously: when your influences are Joy Division and Gang of Four, you're already on pace for something interesting.

* Time? Who has time? In the next 48 hours I will: prep for class, teach, get my various dry-cleaning tasks done, search the stacks for the famous missing book, attend a meeting with a visiting speaker which now may be me presenting my dissertation to her and various other faculty members (no pressure), attend the visitor's lecture, go to music practice, and then head off for this weekend's wedding. Thanksgiving's road-trip to Kansas can't get here fast enough.