Proposals

Over the past week, I've seen calls for:

• More/better gun control
• More/better mental health treatment 
• Less violence in the culture (movies, TV, video games)
• Less/different coverage of mass murders 
• Legalization of recreational drugs (less "drug control")
• More guns in schools (i.e., arming teachers)

The first four involve, ultimately, restrictions on freedom; the latter two do not.

I don't know whether any of these proposals would have actually prevented the particular incident which has dominated the headlines and op ed pages over the past week. They strike me, for the most part, as well-intentioned but ultimately opportunistic advancement of pre-existing political agendas. I can't help thinking that one's conclusions on these issues are very heavily influenced by one's starting assumptions and personal predilections.

The one political agenda I have not seen advanced anywhere (yet) in response to the incident is home schooling. It is not a "universal" cure, by any stretch of the imagination. But for those parents who are willing and able to homeschool their kids, this strikes me as a highly effective way to steer clear of the danger. First, their kids are not in a large group of children, so they are a less attractive target. Second, their kids are not on government property (which is generally required to be at least semi-open to the public) but on private property, so their kids are less accessible to sickos. Harder to find, harder to access.

UPDATE| Just a few hours after I posted this, I saw Peggy Noonan's op ed in the Wall Street Journal weekend edition. She points out (among other things) that homeschooling could become more popular in the wake of the incident. So now I know for sure that I am not the first or only person to see this particular connection!

Not Quite There Yet

My favorite coffee place still has a red sticker on it, meaning the structure has not been deemed fit to enter. This could mean the structure is unsound--but at least one restaurant on the same block has yellow stickers (ok to enter and get stuff but not to use and occupy), and one place has actually passed all the hurdles and re-opened (presumably on generator power). The buildings on the block do not appear to be fundamentally distinct, so my guess is that the coffee shop folks have abandoned or terminated their lease.

There are five Duane Reades on or below Wall Street (i.e., a few minutes' walk from each other). The one on Water Street was closed for quite a while, but is back up and running. The one on Beaver Street has not yet reopened, but it seems likely that they are renovating it so it will as nice as the others.

My office building is still on mobile generators. We lost power this afternoon and were evacuated.

Many shops remain cash only. Long lines at several food and beverage places at lunch time, though, which is a good sign of a return to normal.

Hobbit Movie Anticipation

Critics may complain about the allegedly "bloated" treatment of Part 1 of the Hobbit trilogy, but I, for one, am looking forward to intensive, real-time coverage of the preparation and consumption of breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.

Interspersed with that perennial favorite, Tolkien's much admired packing scene, the lovingly re-created meal scenes will doubtless be of great interest to foodies and hungry movie-goers alike; cultural anthropologists and amateur psychologists will be mesmerized by the cross-cultural bonding between Bilbo and Bombur on this subject.

Marketing Campaign, NYC

When I ventured uptown recently, the very visible (and presumably expensive) marketing campaign in Times Square and Columbus Circle took me by surprise -- I really haven't seen any ads for this downtown.

A presence in Times Square, both above-ground...

... and below.

But they really went to town (so to speak) in the Columbus Circle subway.  Five stairwells had the trompe-l'oeuil poster slivers on each step:

The main entrance of the subway station has a huge tunnel -- and a lot of wall space...

Both sides of the long hall, around corners...

Each dwarf identified by name

The contract is a little more complicated in the film.

There's also a bank of videos in the tunnel, continuously looping trailer(s).  

Here's a little video tour:

Entertainment This Week

I feel like I'm slowly reconnecting to NYC.  Maybe.  Here's what was on this week:

Survived a much dreaded presentation in White Plains, then somehow caught "The Heiress" on Broadway (recommended by Time Out NY) on my way home.  This was really good, although I had a bit of shock of recognition/empathy with the socially awkward heroine.  The 1948 movie was highly recommended to me, so I've requested it through the public library.

Small group (aka home fellowship group) - last week, I provided dinner (another variation on chickpea masala), this week I just attended and enjoyed the taco/fajita DIY. 

"If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet" on Broadway -  I took a chance on another 5-star recommendation from Time Out NY, and was underwhelmed.

Patricia's Christmas party - this was nice.  Managed to escape the talent show though.

Hiking in Beacon - 10.5 miles (including 4 miles road walking to and from the train station).  Very foggy, so not much in the way of views.  But good.  I listened to Tolkien Professor podcasts.  Let's not talk about the mile I walked up the wrong path (one of those well-trodden and poorly marked trails that are not part of the formal trail system) and slipped on the slick leaves and fell and bruised the back of my left thigh.  That will just be our secret, OK?

9am service at Trinity Wall Street, followed by some progress on my "Songs of Peril" paper for an upcoming conference, and then Handel's "Messiah" at 3pm.  Which was really good. Although I was surprised to see how many "female" singing parts (alto, and even soprano) were taken by men.

Just saw "Meet Me In St. Louis" for the first time. Funny.  And very sweet. Absolute treacle. But also with a side of weird violent child fantasies that would probably never make it into a modern movie.  It's also weird to see a movie in which the key point of optimism is the decision NOT to move... I'm speaking as one who moved every 3 or 4 years throughout my childhood.  There are some "surprising" innuendos (surprising only to those who assume that the 1940's were a more innocent time).  Of course, this was a 1940's movie set in the 1900's...already self-consciously nostalgic.  

Is it really evil...

... to resent someone who was going out with a friend of yours off and on for many years, then hooked up with someone else and has had two kids in a span of 18 months with the new partner? Sigh.  I just feel bad for my friend.  Don't know for sure if she knows about this relationship or either of the kids.

Face in the Marble: Two Views

Aslan, perhaps?

Or a small leonine face atop a large human baby face?

External Power Supply

More than a month after the storm, many buildings in lower Manhattan have generator rental trucks parked outside them.

This Duane Reade has not yet re-opened, although work has begun inside.

Nix on the origin of Abhorsen

NIX: Because the Abhorsens in a way are executioners — they make the dead stay dead. So I went looking for a name that was not particularly well known but that would resonate as an executioner, and I looked through lots of historical sources as well as eventually turning to Shakespeare, and choosing that name from the name of the executioner in Measure for Measure. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/05/geeks-guide-garth-nix/

Snow in Them Thar Hills

On the train ride up, I began making notes for my upcoming paper for Valpo.  Of course, I didn't bring any blank paper, so I was writing in the margins of an outdated train schedule I'd brought with me.  

I got my camera out when we stopped at Peekskill - I was so taken with the metalwork at the station.  

A vine grows in Peekskill.

As we pulled away, I tried snapping a picture of a sculpted diver, but it was really fuzzy.  I put the camera away and settled back to enjoy the ride.

And that's when I saw a bald eagle, perched on a tree overlooking the Hudson River.  So cool!!!  Alas, no photo.

 * * * 

For today's hike, I had very little daylight available to me because I got such a late start.  So I took Washburn (2.3 miles, white blaze) to Nelsonville (2.6 miles, green blaze) for a very simple loop.
Details: It was about 1.5 total miles of road walking to and from the train station.  I actually left the pedometer running the whole day until I got home, and clocked a total of about 9 miles.

The stark winter landscape was softened by fallen leaves...

...and fog 

Toward the upper reaches of the Washburn Trail, I began to see little patches of snow, which soon gave way to bigger patches:

I suddenly remembered a book I read as a kid (Ghost Town Treasure, by Clyde Robert Bulla) where two children find the diary of a now-deceased relative, who had gone out prospecting or something.  Thrillingly, one of the last entries says "Gold in the cave" -- and our hero's family is facing dire economic straits -- so the kids spend most of the book looking for the cave, and eventually find it.  Somehow they figure out at the end that the entry actually said "Cold in the cave."

On Frozen Pond?  Supposedly it was 43 F today.

The road goes ever on and on

Mount Taurus

There were patches of snow on the Nelsonville Trail, even at lower elevations.

I spent most of the trail time listening to the Tolkien Professor podcast, specifically the last few sessions of his Faerie and Fantasy class, where he talked about Sabriel, by Garth Nix.  I had an idea for a paper (comparing Sabriel with Silver Chair), although I'm wondering if there might be a third one to throw into the mix.

Some additional connections came to mind as well - Kerrigor with Rowling's Dementors, for example (because of the attempted kiss). Kerrigor is probably worth some additional thought; he was  apparently seeking to enslave Sabriel rather than to suck out her soul, and the scene is described in a way that actually brings to mind an attempted rape, rendered extra creepy by Kerigor's suggestion of a family relationship between them.

Dr Olsen pointed out some Shakespeare connections I'd missed, particularly the name Abhorsen and Touchstone.  Abhorson is an executioner who appears in a single scene of Measure for Measure; he is offered a bawd as a helper, and insists that execution is a mystery.*  I don't feel bad for missing that one, as I've only seen the play twice and I don't recall seeing that particular scene.  But Touchstone is the fool in As You Like It, and I should have picked up on that.

Dr Olsen also mentioned that Rogir and Touchstone were brothers, one (I assume) legitimate, the other the Queen's bastard, but raised in the same household.  That reminds me, of course, that in Shakespeare, it would be the bastard brother who goes rogue -- but in Nix, it is the bastard brother who is good.

On my way back to the train station, I stopped at Le Bouchon for a salad and a glass of wine.  Bliss.

Just had time to change clothes and go out again for a Camerata Notturna concert.  Wonderful, esp. the Schubert Symphony No. 9.


FN* Provost describes Abhorson to Pompey as "a common executioner, who in his office lacks a helper."  When Provost makes his pitch to Abhorson that Pompey could be Abhorson's helper, the following dialogue ensues:

PROVOST: [Pompey] cannot plead his estimation with you; he hath been a bawd.
ABHORSON: A bawd, sir? fie upon him! he will discredit our mystery.
PROVOST:  Go to, sir; you weigh equally; a feather will turn the scale.

Provost then exits to let the bawd and the executioner speak alone, and Pompey is understandably curious to hear what is so mysterious about execution by hanging:

POMPEY: ... what mystery there should be in hanging, if I should be hanged, I cannot imagine.
ABHORSON:  Sir, it is a mystery.
POMPEY: Proof?
ABHORSON:  Every true man's apparel fits your thief: if it be too little for your thief, your true man thinks it big enough; if it be too big for your thief, your thief thinks it little enough: so every true man's apparel fits your thief.

Measure for Measure, Act IV, scene ii.