Author Archives: Kyle Kimberlin
where the wild things may be, indeed
Publishers Weekly reports on a new project for Dave Eggers, whose book A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, amazed the hell out of me, a few years back.
One of the more significant and highly anticipated literary collaborations of recent years isn’t even a book—it’s a movie. Where the Wild Things Are, based on Maurice Sendak’s classic picture book, is slated for major motion picture release in mid-2009. The collaborators on the screenplay are director Spike Jonze and author Dave Eggers, though the pair consulted with Sendak throughout the screenwriting process. And the film will carry a blockbuster of a tie-in—and it’s not the book the film is based on: it is a solo novel, written by Eggers (working title: The Wild Things) inspired by Sendak’s iconic tale, to be published by Ecco Press.
that being said
That’s enough of politics for now, the sun still being up and all. As this is a literate – if not literary – blog, here’s something completely different but still apropos of the day.
Apropos of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.S. Lawrence:
Let us prepare now for the death of our present “little” life, and the re-emergence in a bigger life, in touch with the moving cosmos.
It is a question, practically, of relationship. We must get back into relation, vivid and nourishing relation to the cosmos and the universe. The way is through daily ritual, and the re-awakening. We must once more practice the ritual of dawn and noon and sunset, the ritual of the kindling fire and pouring water, the ritual of the first breath, and the last. This is an affair of the individual and the household, a ritual of day. The ritual of the moon in her phases, of the morning star and the evening star is for men and women separate. Then the ritual of the seasons, with the Drama and the Passion of the soul embodied in procession and dance, this is for the community, an act of men and women, a whole community, in togetherness.
And the ritual of the great events in the year of stars is for nations and whole peoples. To these rituals we must return: or we must evolve them to suit our needs. For the truth is, we are perishing for lack of fulfilment of our greater needs, we are cut off from the great sources of our inward nourishment and renewal, sources which flow eternally in the universe. Vitally, the human race is dying. It is like a great uprooted tree, with its roots in the air. We must plant ourselves again in the universe.
It means a return to ancient forms. But we shall have to create these forms again, and it is more difficult than the preaching of an evangel. The Gospel came to tell us we were all saved. We look at the world today and realise that humanity, alas, instead of being saved from sin, whatever that may be, is almost completely lost, lost to life, and near to nullity and extermination.
independents: voting problem reported
E-mail just in from Obama campaign:
Californians have reported problems voting as “Decline to State” voters, commonly referred to as “unaffiliated,” “independent” or “non-partisan” voters.
Please read this email for clarification of how “Decline to State” (DTS) voters can vote in today’s election for Barack Obama. Even if you’ve already voted, please make sure this information gets to as many voters as possible.
DTS voters have the right to vote for Barack Obama in the Democratic Presidential Primary.
DTS voters must identify themselves as DTS or non-partisan voters and ask to vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary when they arrive at their polling location. They will get instructions from a poll worker on how to vote in the Democratic Primary. If a voter gets into the voting booth and finds that he or she does not have an option to vote for Barack Obama, the voter should not cast his or her ballot. Instead, he or she should return the partially filled-out or unmarked ballot to the poll worker, and ask the poll worker to seek clarification from the supervisor at the polling location or from the County Registrar of Voters.
In Los Angeles County, DTS voters will be given a non-partisan ballot which they must take into a “Democratic” booth. They must mark both the “Democratic” bubble and the bubble for Barack Obama.
If you or anyone you know has any problems voting today, please contact the local County Registrar of Voters or one of our election protection hotlines at:
Los Angeles:
310-801-9546
310-779-0816San Francisco/Bay Area:
415-606-6043Oakland/East Bay Area:
510-520-5025San Diego:
619-770-7105Or email electionprotection@obamaca.com
get results
vote early and often
Well tomorrow is Blooper Tuesday. I just finished filling out my sample ballot. Are you ready to rock-n-roll?
GoBama!
the fox’s teeth
Today is the birthday of British poet Gavin Ewart, who wrote:
“For nursery days are gone, nightmare is
real and there are no god Fairies.
The fox’s teeth are in the bunny
and nothing can remove them, honey.”
And I guess that’s right, isn’t it?
best friends
The amazing friendship of a cat and a crow
hopeful developments …
Hollywood’s striking writers and major studios have reached the outlines of a new employment contract, resolving key sticking points over how much writers should be paid for work that is distributed over the Internet, people familiar with the negotiations said Saturday.
A final contract could be presented to the Writers Guild of America board as early as Friday, according to three people close to the talks who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential.
The 3-month-old strike is expected to end once the board approves the contract.
a public service announcement
Superbowl kickoff time is 3:18PM PST.
Go to Superbowl.com to watch a countdown clock click your life away, while you prepare snacks.
Never let it be said I passed up an opportunity to spend an afternoon semi-catatonic, watching football and commercials. Or than I missed a chance to wax existential.
Cloud
“We speak of life as an oboe
speaks, in Summer colors
stirring the orchards
playing the windchimes by the door.”
Hey, look what I learned how to do.
I learned how to make a Web page in MS Publisher, a program I didn’t know I had until I stumbled across it i my Start menu today. More importantly, I learned how to use Windows Explorer to open and upload to an FTP site. This is just a simple little sample test page, with a poem I wrote a long time ago. I still have a lot to learn about the program’s features.
I’ve used Front Page and Dreamweaver before (I’ll let you google them), but I don’t have them anymore, and have no inclination to buy such expensive software right now. So for a long time, I’ve been using Yahoo’s Pagebuilder, since my site is hosted by Melborn via Geocities, which long ago was bought out by Yahoo.
Well, Pagebuilder simply sucks; it’s nothing. Complaints to Yahoo, shaming them for not updating a Web app that dates to the latter part of the last century, fall on indolent ears.
Publisher is included with my copy of MS Office. So now I can create Web pages in Publisher, upload via FTP, and I’m good as gold. I rock. (Golf applause please.)
most focused
Los Angeles Times endorses Barack Obama:
“Democrats preparing to vote in Tuesday’s California primary can mark their ballots with confidence, knowing that either candidate would make a strong nominee and, if elected, a groundbreaking leader and capable president. But just because the ballot features two strong candidates does not mean that it is difficult to choose between them. We urge voters to make the most of this historic moment by choosing the Democrat most focused on steering the nation toward constructive change: We strongly endorse Barack Obama.”
A very well-written, succinct, and compelling editorial.
Metaphor 