Kirk Israel's commonplace and blog. Quotes and links daily since 2001.
2024.10.15

This lyric/title ("More Than This") came unbidden into my head this morning - I had to look up the song, and it was never part of my music collection.

Like wikipedia says "The song's narrator is hopeful about the existence of something more but is vaguely melancholic about there not being so", so, like, mood.

Actually more than "mood", strong sharp jag of sad.

Open Photo Gallery


2024.10.14


Just watched Love Story. It's sweet (if very sad) even if some of the early romance feels unearned. Interesting glimpses of late 60s Cambridge. You know, stuff like "snow". (Also I always appreciate the chance to inject a Tom Lehrer "Fight Fiercely, Harvard!")

They had a line that that to rent four rooms for 8250 a month 9in Cambridge) is absolutely impossible. took me a second to realize they meant $82.50. (~$670 these days, which at least 2-4x what I'd say now, if not more.)

(IMDB'ing around I see Ali MacGraw also played a Radcliffe romantic interst in "Goodbye, Columbus". Though that's the city and not the lost spice mongering slaver dude.)

It's funny how much I resent "rate this movie" features on streaming services and IMDB. And for my own records, I have no trouble ranking stuff 1-5 stars (heavy on the 3s and 4s; 2s are some what disapointing, rare 1s I despise, 5s are like all time greats for me - and it's curved by my expectations for it) but being called to being part of a big consensus judgement goes against my sense of the world.
Today I watched Love Story and Goodbye, Columbus. Neither were super fantastic but I feel empowered.
2024.10.13
2024.10.12
I don't want to defend what Woody Allen has done, but I think it's sometimes ok to separate the art from the artist. (Though maybe it's even a little tougher with Allen... all his dialog is so distinctively him)
Kleinmann: I've never paid for sex in my life.
Prostitute: Oh, you just think you haven't.
Woody Allen, Shadows and Fog

"If I thought that there was nothing except this, I'd kill myself."
"I've thought of it. Believe me, there have been many times when my brain has said 'Why not?' I mean, there's no point to anything. But somehow my blood always said ''Live! Live!''...And I always listen to my blood.
Shadows and Fog

There's only one kind of love that lasts, that's unrequited love. It stays with you forever.
Shadows and Fog

second time this week, better to be lucky than good.

Wordle 1,211 2/6

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(spoiler: ADIEU to STAIN)
I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he's a total fascist
Gen Mike Milley on Trump

covfefe.
2024.10.11
Gen-X Humor be like - ok, first of all 10,000 is way too many spoons. And have you tried using the side of a spoon to cut maybe?
Charlie's Kitchen must be the most underrated place in Harvard Square. from the beer gardens to the street side seating to the good well priced food to the big extent of beers, it's great. I don't understand why it's less packed than the other places.
2024.10.10
I feel like some day I should try to gain a LITTLE more proficiency in all things cooking. I know it ain't rocket science, though it does take a certain intuition and comfort with ambiguous judgements that I have never liked. (Not to mention, since I've always been more about textures than flavors, my concepts of spice are extremely limited.) I should be more willing to experiment, but I guess I'm too worried about ruining food or cookware.

I kind of like this article on good ideas from Trader Joe's, which is exactly the kind of thing I hoped this nutritionist I met with once or twice would come up with - pragmatic (and grocer store based) specific options, not just generalized "here's nutrition guidelines now work out an action plan for yourself"
My latest bit of bachelor-boy-ish cuisine is some kind of quick cook rice with torn up leafy greens, and then maybe a bit of some kind of dressing (Heh - maybe I should add it onto my previous "bachelor boy" food list I made in 2002) And maybe I should thrown an egg on that? Or go back to Chicken Sausages, though I've been steering away from them a bit.

Actually here's a promising cooking for newbies from back in quarantine days. I do admit, "Assume it will take you 60 to 90 minutes to prepare and clean up after any meal that's not scrambled eggs." is probably that I hate to admit is right; mostly I would like to cook to not appear incompetent to others and maybe for special occasions, more so than caring about eating something interesting, and 90 minutes is a hunk of time.
Everyone will not just

If your solution to some problem relies on "If everyone would just..." then you do not have a solution. Everyone is not going to just. At no time in the history of the universe has everyone just, and they're not going to start now.


fry an egg and put it on that and it almost looks like i know what I'm doing
2024.10.09
Bath Cat
People in North Carolina and probably soon Florida are gonna pay for these sins of disbelief and bullshittery.

But oh here we go, let's start pretending it's vast weather control conspiracies.


For whatever struggles I'm muddling through I'm grateful not to be in a hurricane path or war zone right now.


Just watched "Drive My Car" which got the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2022 - A long but really moving adaption of a Haruki Murakami story.

(I may go on a kick of checking out the "best movies on HBO" Wired has).