[The title of the post is true. The former if you're in PST or MST; the latter if you're in CST or EST]

The past few weeks have been hectic, non-stop really since our return from Virginia. Our house guests have left and we’re in for a few weeks of relative normalcy and quiet…beginning July 28. Oh well.

In the meantime, here you go:

  • I’ve been listening to podcasts of Ulysses. This is a mixed blessing. I’ve read the book 1.65 times but this is the first time I’ve had it read to me. I got the podcasts from Librivox, which is a neat little site where volunteers record their readings of works in the public domain. It’s great because all those classics that I keep telling myself I’ll read one of these days can fit on my iPod and be read to me in nice chunks as I commute to and from work. It’s easier than trying to keep myself awake on the bus reading at 6:30am. But at the same time, the people who read are volunteers. James Earl Joneses, they are not. A group of (drinking?) frat brothers nearly ruined Ulysses for me, as did the woman who pronounces “Dedalus” DEE-duh-luss (it’s DEH-duh-luss or DAY-duh-luss, thank you). Oh well. Free is free and great stories manage to be just as captivating and entertaining. That said, I still think one must read Joyce’s Ulysses before listening to it. I’m catching a lot more of the jokes and nuance than I did in my first 1.65 readings. Probably my favorite book of all time.
  • I recently finished Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions. Vonnegut strikes me as a mix of Twain and Joyce. Very much the voice of his nation, though more accessible than Joyce and more relatable than Twain (due to the generation each writes about, I think). I thoroughly enjoyed Slaughterhouse-Five (which I finished some months ago) and I plan to pick up Cat’s Cradle as soon as I finish reading Catch-22 and Team of Rivals.
  • I just discovered Built to Spill’s 1997 album, Perfect from Now On. Damn that’s some good music.
  • A few weeks back I lambasted one Phillip Bernier whom I had the misfortune of hearing speak at my sister’s high school graduation. Today, quite by accident, I found out that Patton Oswalt delivered the commencement address at what was my (and my sister’s and my brother’s) rival high school where he’s apparently an alumnus. I think it’s great and I wish I’d've been there to hear it in person.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité.