Word of the Day

My blog is feeling kind of stale and crumbly; it has the texture of feta cheese left on the counter overnight. It's hard to be inspired with that kind of environment. But I did find a neat word today, used in a recent New York Times article.

I debated whether to introduce the context of this word. Maybe you'll understand why. It's from a disheartening article about this contemporary pastor who seems to have discovered the secret formula to attracting large crowds. Hollywood spearheaded the art, and now it is obvious that desperate christian "workers" are now introducing similar trash in their sermons. If you are genuinely seeking God, I am guarantee your time would be much better spent somewhere else. But that's a different story for another day. Here's the context of the quote:

Mark Driscoll is American evangelicalism’s bête noire. In little more than a decade, his ministry has grown from a living-room Bible study to a megachurch that draws about 7,600 visitors to seven campuses around Seattle each Sunday, and his books, blogs and podcasts have made him one of the most admired — and reviled — figures among evangelicals nationwide.

And now, without further ado:

bête noire
  –noun, plural bêtes noires
a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.

Origin:
1835–45; < F: lit., black beast

It's a wonderful life

The Times has an interesting piece this morning about the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life." This is a movie I have never seen, and was recently encouraged to watch. As Wendell Jamieson explains, "Lots of people love this movie of course. But I’m convinced it’s for the wrong reasons. Because to me 'It’s a Wonderful Life' is anything but a cheery holiday tale."

As A.O. Scott explains "Everybody knows this movie as a uplifting, heartwarming holiday tale, but if you look at it again a very different picture emerges. It's a wonderful life is a dark disturbing fable about greed, exploitation, misery, and disappointment."

Here's the link: Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life

I'll probably rent it tonight...

Addendum: And here's another article I just found, along similar lines. It's interesting, but I still haven't been able to rent the movie.

About Alice - Calvin Trillion

While I should be studying for my approaching final in systems accounting, I managed to find an interesting book review. The book, "About Alice" is brilliantly reviewed, and seems perfectly interesting - especially at this hour when compared to data flow diagrams and COSO framework components and ERM evaluations and detective controls and risk assessments and differential backups and, well, you get the point. The book review is also over a year old; don't ask how I found it.
New York Times Book Review

Long distant, alas I return...

Such an enchanting little playlist that I'm running though; it begins with Sigur Ros, transitions to Explosions, and then The Album Leaf.

I'm 70 pages deep into Ivan Panin's "Lectures on Russian Literature," and he blows my mind. He's exhaustingly cerebral and thoroughly analytical, but its a fascinating piece.

This is a refreshing break from my typical readings - the literary escapade was prompted by an essay in the Times, "It's Not You, It's Your Books."