An actual update.

Last night, chai and talk at Sacred Grounds with Marcus and Rew. A good time was had by... me at least.

At some point between August 5th and August 10th there will be a giveaway party at the Tree House. That is, I want to see all my friends before I leave, so come to the party. I bribe you with things I can't keep because of moving. Come to party.

I am making up the guest list. If you for some reason don't hear from me and are capable of it, come anyway. Claire says she will organize for me, which is ideal because I can't organize my own arse in the dark with both hands.

Must clean, sort, and pack.

Detachment.

Today has been a day of detachment. I'm not quite sure what's been up with me, but whatever it is, it hasn't had very much to do with real life. I've got a couple of damp-heat related health problems going on, which hopefully I can clear up soon. Other than that, I'm just packing and preparing for major life-changing event after major life-changing event, nothing special. Do you suppose I could be stressed?

Again?

Oh for fuck's sake.

London Doesn't Hurt. London is Vaguely Annoyed.

Warren Ellis' blog had this story: Americans are saps. Londoners respond, "Thank you for all your good wishes. Now FUCK OFF!"

Which really does describe what so many love about that city.

No.

Stop fucking blowing up cities and killing people you tired fucks.

The Master and Margarita

Finished reading The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov a long while ago now. This was an important moment because it was the first occasion upon which reading a work of Russian literature was a relaxing, enjoyable experience for me. That includes reading the "great books in comic book form" version of Great Expectations when I was ten, at my father's behest.

I shouldn't comment too much on the use of language, since I was reading in translation, but if the translators (Diana Burgin and Katharine Tiernan O'Connor) accurately represented the text at all, it is beautifully written. The imagery is captivating. The stories are a reinterpretation of the Faust story, interwoven with a Pontius-Pilate's-eye-view of the crucifixion. The Jerusalem story is initiated by a character known as Woland, who is revealed to be the Devil, as he begins telling the tale of Jesus' meeting with Pontius Pilate to two skeptical Soviets. Throughout the book, the Jerusalem story interweaves with the Moscow story in interesting ways, sometimes as reflections and sometimes as distortions of one another. This novel defies both Soviet and religious propaganda, and can perhaps best be thought of as existential magical realism.

And this will mark the beginning of a habit I wish to make of reading thought-provoking books and posting brief reviews. Let us call this:

1. Bulgakov, Mikhail. The Master and Margarita. Translators Diana Burgin and Katharine Tiernan O'Connor. ISBN 0-679-76080-6 Tags: fiction, literature, magical realism, political satire. Recommended.