Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 93
June 28, 2015
A simple social tip
If you are contemplating doing something in a group gathering or a public area, and you find yourself thinking, "I wonder if it would be rude for me to...", the answer is almost always, yes.
June 27, 2015
Seasons, love, me
In 1969, the Zombies' big hit, "Time of the Season," garnered widespread pop culture awareness and entered my listening life. I knew nothing of love, but I had crushes, and girls were a glorious mystery that made every day both better and more frustrating. I loved the spooky sensuality of the opening, the lyrics I did not understand, and, most of all, the promise that someday there would be a season for loving.
In 1996, I saw Rent on Broadway with its original cast. My life had been nothing like the lives of its characters, yet watching that show tore open my heart. Its take on seasons and love made the then forty-one-year-old me realize how profoundly short our lives are and how important it is to give all the love we can, realizations that only deepen with every passing year.
Stuck in my head tonight, these two songs.
June 26, 2015
About time
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled that states cannot ban same-sex marriage.
It's about time. This is a long overdue victory for civil rights, for equality, and for love.
It's a good day in politics, so enjoy it; they are few and far between.
June 25, 2015
A wonderful scene of friendship from The Boat That Rocked
Long-time readers will know that I absolutely love this Richard Curtis movie, so much so that I watch it once a year. Tonight was the 2015 viewing, and it reminded me how much I love this dialog-free scene of friendship and consolation. The Leonard Cohen song only makes it better.
Enjoy--but ignore the dumb promo stuff right after the scene ends.
June 24, 2015
You know you want a special leather-bound
I have good news for you: You can have one. You won't miss out on the beautiful Donato cover art or the nifty new photo of Dave; both will be inside on special color pages. You will get Dave's signature; that's a cool bonus all on its own.
A mere thirty-five bucks will snag you this lovely limited edition.
If you want this version of the book, definitely pre-order it. Supplies are limited (hence the whole "limited edition" bit), and way more than half of the planned copies are already accounted for.
I very much look forward to seeing this book. Dave deserves this tribute, and I'm happy for the part I was able to play in making it happen.
June 23, 2015
Sometimes, I need this song
I almost never know why, but then I'm playing it, over and over, as I write or do other work.
Today, tonight, that happened, so now you have it, too.
June 22, 2015
Where I need to be
Yes, I have Internet access again, and that is a good thing, but a better thing would be to be at the beach.
Soon coming.
June 21, 2015
No tubes, no blog
I'm still living la vida no tuba, so I'm putting the blog on pause until my intertubes return. With luck, that will happen tomorrow night.
June 19, 2015
(Almost) Living the pre-Internet life
A thunderstorm brought a great deal of sound and fury to my neighborhood Thursday night, and as it was winding down it ran away with all Internet and cable TV access at my house. My provider of these services, Time-Warner Cable, decided that no one could fix my house until Monday at noon at the earliest.
So, I am (almost) living the pre-Internet life.
Frankly, it sucks. No email. No Web browsing. No cable TV. I never think much about how heavily I count on all of those, particularly the first two, until I am without them.
Okay, I must admit that I can do email and browse at slower speeds and on a smaller screen on my phone, but am I a savage, to be reduced to this? Surely not.
I eagerly await the return of the intertubes. Until then, if you email me, don't be surprised if I take a long time to answer.
(For those wondering, I'm writing this away from home, because doing a blog entry on my phone would be barbaric.)
June 18, 2015
What's your favorite line from The Big Lebowski?
A group of us went to the Colony Theater last night to catch the latest in its Cool Classics series: The Big Lebowski. The film is so full of great lines and wonderful performances that I have trouble picking a particular favorite, but I'm in a sarcastic mood, so I ended up settling on the Dude's comment to the thug who drops his bowling ball:
Obviously you're not a golfer.Tied for second for me are two quotes from Walter:
You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me.and
Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax....The Coen brothers were definitely at the top of their weirdness game when they wrote this one.
