Quote of the Day: Hector Berlioz

"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." I have no idea who this guy is but his quote is quite funny if a little on the dark side.


I went on a walk yesterday and saw three signs that vexed me because I couldn't comprehend their textual and sub-textual meanings.

The first one was a handmade sign that said "Found $$ Call 555-5555." Of course, it really didn't say 555-5555. So my question is did someone lose money or find it? Is someone being a good Samaritan or trying to get free money? Maybe they're hoping to lay a peremptory claim on all the money anyone in the Wedgewood area finds. I should note that this sign was stapled to every telephone pole within a five block radius.

I also saw a sign on a reader board outside of an official government-looking building that led to more questions than answers. It said, "Competitive Stroking M, W, F." There was not a pool in sight.

The other weird sign is one that's disturbed me for a while. There's a huge billboard with a words "Go Humans Go" written underneath a picture of the Quaker Oats guy who has a look on his face that can only be described as a leer. For some reason, it creeps me out. Big brother is not only watching but also ogling you.


So I saw the French thriller "Tell No One" recently. I really liked it even if it was so confusing that I am still not a hundred percent on a who killed whom. It doesn't really matter though because the point of the movie is to let the complexity wash over and intoxicate you like a fine wine.


I also read the book The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Herman. It was on a lot of top ten lists last year including James Wood's (the critic not the actor) so I was expecting to be overwhelmed but I am sad to say that I was not. I wasn't really underwhelmed either. I was just whelmed with this immigration story of a Bosnian writer. It was a solid novel from a technical standpoint but I just didn't feel a spark so maybe it's my fault. Maybe the problem is that I just got done reading some Junot Diaz who writes more compellingly about the immigrant experience than anyone else could ever hope to. So don't even try. Luckily, I don't have to because I am as white, middle-class, and American as they come.