3,2,1 ... done.

the semester is officially over. emailed my last paper at 11:55. it'd probably be good to write up some 'reflections on the philosophical endeavors of spring 2009', but they'll have to wait. 'cuz right now ... right now i'm going to drink beer and watch harry potter.

piled higher and deeper

perhaps you, dear reader, like me, are a student ... again. or perhaps you love someone like us, people who can't get enough of books and papers and academic turns-of-phrase (turn-of-phrases? turns-of-phrases? help!). if you identify with either of the above categories, look here and enjoy.

cheers, world. back to finals.

fatter, faster, bigger, cheaper

only seen the trailer so far, but i want to publicly register my interest in food, inc. when it comes to food, i'm willing to excuse some scare tactics and the-end-is-near soundtracks, even willing to get a little preachy. food is important. eat local. eat well. eat for your life.

i wish you way more than luck

i'm usually the last person on the interwebs to find out about these sorts of things, but on the off chance that you, in fact, are the last person, have a read and a think about the commencement speech by DFW. thanks to whoever transcribed it.

reading it, i kept thinking of this, from azar nafisi's reading lolita in tehran:

"In class, we were discussing the concept of the villain in the novel. I had mentioned that Humbert was a villain because he lacked curiousity about other people and their lives, even about the person he loved most, Lolita. Humbert, like most dictators, was interested only in his own vision of other people."

"This respect for others, empathy, lies at the heart of the novel. It is the quality that links Austen to Flaubert and James to Nabakov and Bellow. This, I believe, is how the villain in modern fiction is born: a creature without compassion, without empathy."

yosemite stats, or, "yes, i do know where i can stick that camalot"

bluejays - 1
bears - 2
bears in camp - 1
old school tradsters chasing bears in camp - 1
eager squirrels - many
marching bands - 1 (how often does that happen in camp 4?)
beanied boulderers hungry for v-hard - countless
manky/terrifying old school anchor sightings - 2
big wall headlamp sightings - 2

my camera batteries died. we forgot half our food. my body aches. we came home a day early. but it was fantastic.

happy, tired, newly minted trad climbers - 1

it's just like you, but automated.

they had me for a second. glad it's april 1. google autopilot by CADIE. it better be a joke.

the soloist

it won't be in theaters until april, but when you can, go see the soloist. it's based on a true story. the articles by steve lopez are here.

on the spiritual formation of children

"the sheep song" is not how to do it. i remembered this song today. i used to sing it as a child, unusually tall and thin in the second pew at bible club meetings. do you see why i have problems?*

The Sheep Song

1. I don’t want to be a Hypocrite
I don’t want to be a Hypocrite
Cause a Hypocrite's not hip with it
I don’t want to be a Hypocrite

2. I don’t want to be a Sadducee
I don’t want to be a Sadducee
Cause a Sadducee is sad, you see
I don’t want to be a Sadducee

3. I don’t want to be a Pharisee
I don’t want to be a Pharisee
Cause a Pharisee's not fair, you see
I don’t want to be a Pharisee

Chorus: I just want to be a sheep, baa baa!
I just want to be a sheep, baa baa!
I just want to be a sheep, baa baa!
I just want to be a sheep, baa baa!

*this is not to suggest that i have anything (in principle) against bible clubs or bible songs or the bible. but i have a lot against "the sheep song."