The poem featured in today’s episode of The Writer’s Almanac on NPR is Finding a Box of Family Letters by Dana Gioia. It’s so lovely that, like many of the wonderful things which I find on the web and fear may one day disappear, I’ve decided to copy it here.
Posts Categorized: media
No Children
For a long time I thought How Do You Sleep? by John Lennon was the angriest song I could imagine. Radio by Alkaline Trio gives it a run for its money, though. And lately No Children by the Mountain Goats is my go-to song when I’m in a bad mood. And I’m currently in a… Read more »
iTunes + Twitter
It seems to me that it would be a no-brainer for Apple to update iTunes so that I could easily post a song to my Twitter account. The app could automatically insert a link to purchase the track in the iTunes store (or not, if it’s a song that doesn’t exist there).
Across the River and into the Trees
My son is almost a week into his nineteenth month, and — if I could somehow ignore the times when he has scared the ever-loving [redacted] out of me — I am still awestruck at how much I love him. We’re currently reading Across the River and into the Trees, our fourth Hemingway book, at… Read more »
A Better Son / Daughter
Every now and then a song is just perfect, and it slaps you in the face. A Better Son / Daughter by Rilo Kiley is that song today. These lyrics … Damn.
Tom Bergin’s on Justified
One of the best shows on TV right now is Justified on FX. It stars Timothy Olyphant as the Elmore Leonard character Raylan Givens and it has quite a cult following. If you’re not watching it, you really should be. The show is set in Harlan County, Kentucky, but — like almost everything you watch… Read more »
My Favorite Irish Music
The Dirty Glass – Dropkick Murphys Goodbye, Mrs. Durkin – The Irish Rovers Finnegan’s Wake – The Tossers Seven Drunken Nights – The Kilkenny Brothers The Unicorn – The Irish Rovers Black Velvet Band – The Irish Rovers The Orange and Green – The Irish Rovers Pat of Mullingar – The Irish Rovers
Ernest Hemingway’s Favorite Books
“In a 1935 piece for Esquire magazine … Ernest Hemingway listed seventeen books that were among his favorites.” — via kottke.org
A New Hope
Hey, hey, Hollywood. I’ve got an idea. Instead of re-releasing the craptacular and uninspiring Clash of the Titans in 3D, why not re-release Star Wars: Episode IV in its original format? (i.e. no walking Jabba, no Greedo shooting first) In fact you really should simply do this every five years or so. Get on that,… Read more »
A Paradox
For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I’ve no desire to be disloyal, Some person in authority, I don’t know who, very likely the Astronomer Royal, Has decided that, although for such a beastly month as February, twenty-eight days as a rule are plenty, One year in every four his days shall be reckoned as… Read more »
Pre-Recorded Late Night
During my morning commute lately I’ve been eschewing NPR one day each week and instead listening to Pre-Recorded Late Night, an improvised comedy podcast with “fake” guests. It’s sort of like The Daily Show, except it’s entirely improvisational. Imagine a typical late night talk show … there’s a desk, a couch, a host and a… Read more »
Top Five Christmas Movies
A Christmas Story Die Hard Love Actually Tie: Christmas Vacation / It’s A Wonderful Life Tie: The Ref / Home for the Holidays