Alan's comments (member since Jan 08, 2008)

Alan's comments from the Constant Reader group.

I am pleased the group chose Homage. It and Down and Out in Paris and London, as well as Burmese Days, are great personal books by Orwell, I think much better than 1984 and Animal Farm. He is critical and self-critical, certainly critical of Britain, and not so much one of a "set" that has ideas as entertainments.

Always sad to hear a poet has died. It's nice to have the words on the journey out, and the journey home.

Maybe in the days of Blackberry and cell this wouldn't be written. But here is Faith, Hope and Charity arrayed against Folly, Fortune, the Impossible, Daemon, Asylum, and of course, the mailman. Are we waiting yet to see what cards -- or postcards, are yet to be dealt? Will we beforgiven, enlightened, or or exalted by a reading?

I heard it again today -- "homage to" in reference to the movie Fountainhead. It sounds too pretentious.

Also thoroughly sick of "resonate wiht" -- what am I, a bell? and "narrative" instead of story, or account.

At least "let me put it to you this way" and "at the end of the day" seem to have fallen out of favor.

Ten Thousand Waves is enjoyable.

I concur on walking up Canyon Road toward El Farol. There are dozens of galleries to poke your head in, and the smell of pinon fires will be enchanting. If you go near Christmas, you'll see the farolitos.

El Meson is another tapas bar.

Also suggest Josie's Casa De Comida downtown on Marcy for the best Mexican lunch -- the chile rellenos set the standard. Tomasita's is also good. The Plaza cafe is fun for the hustle and bustle especially at breakfast. A more elegant breakfast is served at La Posada, further away from town on Palace. Cafe Pasqual's near the Plaza is good.

Santa Fe is a walking town -- you can follow your nose.

I was disappointed by my last Pink Adobe dinner, and never really liked Palace, Steaksmith or Bull Ring although each has been there forever.

La Casa Sena, in Sena Plaza off Palace Avenue is wonderful for lunch or dinner -- I was there for Thanksgiving one year after a long time away.

In Taos we always at Apple Tree for dinner, Michael's Kitchen for breakfast.

If you like Indian arts, don't miss the Millicent Rogers museum -- it's near the Taos Gorge, and you might want directions since it isn't in an obvious location. They have some very good pueblo blackware, as well as jewelry and weaving.

I think I read all of his books -- I was living there in Santa Fe shortly after his first Leaphorn book came out, and knew Anne there, where she worked on the newspaper.

Always looked forward to his latest, and regret his passing.

I was once in the St. Francis auditorium at Museum of New Mexico when there was a meeting about the Indians who sold on the Plaza, and protests about vendors who weren't "real Indians." One of the most vocal was from upstate New York, admittedly of real Iroquois ancestry, but not the expected Pueblo, Hopi, or Navajo.

A friend in Santa Fe used to sit down at some of the vendors places so they could go to the restroom or diner. Tourists would talk and she would answer in whatever language -- she was reasonably fluent in French, German and Italian. The tourists would ask about it, and she would reply that all of the Indians there were quite well educated. She had gone to Harvard, but most had gone to "good" schools like the Sorbonne.

Litline has a good index of print and online journals.

For print, Granta is good. I get American Scholar which has a literary component. The print stuff is expensive.

Also read Diary of a Heretic, a writer's blog/serial novel. Author has links to some other sites that are good.

I treasure libraries, and there have been days when I hit two or more, ending up with a bigger stack than I could read within the borrowing period. Visits were a stress reliever.

We had the books for one new library stored in our basement, and my mother, brother, and I all worked at the library in the 60s.

Also love bookstores, and found Gilboy's in Rochester, Potter's in Santa Fe, Book Stop in Albuquerque run by my friend Jerry Lane, Books Strings in Blacksburg, Powell's and Selected Works in Chicago, Abacus in Lancaster, and now Book Alcove in Rockville to be great.

For the last 12 years I lived where the used bookstores closed one after another and none of the independent stores were convenient.

Amazon and Alibris got quite a bit of business. I could order and receive something before I would find the time to go look for it. This always made me feel a little guilty.

Have moved and the new libraries are unfamiliar. New books at this library are 7 day -- too short. Like Sherry, I borrow the audio books, in my case for the car.

When I was a kid I worked at Rochester Museum doing models for education division, and I go back there at least once a year to see the exhibits that my mentor there put together. His office was cluttered with all the clay figures that hadn't made it into a diorama, and unsuccessful pieces for the wonderful grist mill he put together by hand. I loved the old city scene made out of paper (and showing its age) years before I was born, depicting the Gennessee river frozen in the mid-1800s, and also loved the wildlife and undersea dioramas.

Now that I've moved to DC area, the museum choices abound. I do like the US Naval Academy, and the Corcoran. Smithsonian is overwhelming. Am planning to go to the train museum up in Harpers Ferry, and maybe one in Baltimore.

All-time favorite is Mystic Seaport, followed by Shelburne and Williamsburg. I liked the little museums around Lancaster, PA, and Winterthur.

I did visit Metropolitan with my daughter, who has a great interest in art, and I agree that the Frick is a good visit, as are the Whitney and Guggenheim.

Toronto Science is outstanding, probably better than Chicago Science and easily better than Franklin Institute, but all are great.

Was always happy to see the boats -- and I've been on Victory, Cutty Sark, Constitution, Bounty replica, Mayflower replica, and more modern things. And I went through lots of forts, too -- Niagara and Ticonderoga the best remembered.

Yes, it's worth cultivating a local museum and visiting often.

I was a frequent visitor to the Albuquerque museum, and to Santa Fe's Fine Arts and Palace of the Governors, as well as to Norton in Palm Beach.

SF elevation is in 7000 to 8000 foot range, higher than Denver or almost any city in the US except Jackson Hole. The altitude does bother some people.

Perhaps it's changed, but SF taxis were somewhat theoretical. Not exactly there for the flagging down.

There is enough museum, gallery, bookstore, eating and shops within six short blocks of the plaza to keep anyone busy.

A car is certainly helpful to go to Museum Hill, St. Johns, Ten Thousand Waves, the opera (closed but you might want to see it), to any of the pueblos, or up to Los Alamos/Bandelier or Taos.

True, you don't need it downtown or to go up Canyon Rd, and parking is a minor challenge. You could probably arrange a rental in town for when you need it if you prefer to take the shuttle fromt he airport. I actually like the one hour drive up I25. If you go that way, take the St. Francis exit and skip the Cerrillos experience (fast food strip). Or, if you're brave, go through Madras on the old Turquoise Trail, which is a windy mountain road that connects back up to I25 after you pass the penitentiary.

Some of my favorite local Santa Fe restaurants:

Sena
Pink Adobe
Palace
Tomasita's
The Shed
Josie's

Restaurants come and go -- places like Coyote Cafe are relative newcomers, originating elsewhere. Sadly, La Tertulia closed.

As someone suggested, a walk up Canyon Road and poking your head into the shops and galleries that interest you is very leisurely. Toward the upper end is El Farol for a drink.

The Folk Art museum is up Old Santa Fe Trail, with Wheelwright and Anthropology. Very interesting, but a hike.

It's always worth going into LaFonda on the Plaza and having breakfast or lunch in the courtyard.

September after Zozobra isn't so busy. The Opera and SFCMF are over, and many of the summer people will have moved on. The weather is quite good, but you may still get gully washing afternoon rains. Don't get caught in one unless you like the drowned rat look.

I had the privilege of managing the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for a couple years, where rehearsals were open, and I enjoyed sitting and listening to them work out a piece more than the concerts. Of course, I got to know the artists themselves, driving them, finding lost luggage and missing formal ties, that sort of thing.

I concur on McCourt. His Teacher Man was a great reading.

Please also consider Lawrence Block if you like murder mysteries. His readings are much better than those I've heard from Hollywood guys taking Block's books.

I remember listening to Riverhorse on audio, and it was OK. Blue Highways was better because it felt more original. River seemed to be part of "create an adventure for the purpose of writing a book" genre. It coincided with Lewis & Clark bubble. I read Prairyerth or however it's spelled, but I confess to little memory of it. Didn't hate it or love it.

I added Reserve and Blindfold to my Amazom order. Light Years I'll grab from my shelf, a book read aloud more than 20 years ago. Killing Mr. Watson might be worth a look for me.

Three Cups I think has been overdone. Do negative votes count? The school and library have read it, and I've heard him speak on CSPAN and NPR. Worthy, perhaps, but it doesn't have the "find" character of many of the offerings.

On the curmudgeon note, maybe enough of Coetzee and Auster?

Also wary of alcoholic father and bad times in Nigeria.

I am too late for the voting. Whether or not Light Years gets discussed, please consider reading it. (I didn't want to shout with capital letters). It isn't a book with a message, but it is lyrical.

I hated Boomsday on audio. It came across to me as contrived, written from the powerpoint that was used to get the book advance. I lived near Boca at the time.

Movies that should be on DVD

I've seen the comments on Enchanted April.

When will "The Grey Fox" and BBC "Double Helix" get on DVD? The VHS is joining cassette tapes and LPs as only good for those who have held on to dusty, ten or twenty or thirty year old technologies.