Props
I've been meaning to mention this for awhile now, but I just have to say that my prize for the most surprisingly awesome lyrical reference of 2005 goes to Carl Newman of the New Pornos for "heads down / thumbs up" in the song "Use It." Love it. Oh, the memories of indoor recess.
While I'm at it, I also have to say that Jim O'Rourke's entire album "Bad Timing" is great, and probably my favorite Jim work. Of course, heaven knows there's plenty I have not heard.
I finished Come Back to Afghanistan last night. I liked it very much. I certainly feel like I know a ton more about Afghanistan, and American foreign policy in general, than I did before. The story is told by Said Hyder Akbar, whose father was Hamid Karzai's press spokesman in the new government that formed after 9/11 and then later became the governor of Kunar province ... but Hyder was raised in California. His is such a unique perspective, and very illuminating. This reminds me a bit of how I felt about Nicaragua after finishing Rushdie's The Jaguar Smile a few years ago - the characters in the book are real people, the settings are real places, the stories really happened, and you can go Google and see what's going on with them all right now. Last night I read a news article I might previously only have skimmed for the headline, about U.S. soldiers killing a bunch of people with a missile attack in Pakistan. I saw the dateline of Peshawar, and I was all, "hey, I know where that is!" and found myself cynically reading the comments by officials and thinking stuff like, "hmmm, unlikely; it's really easy to cross the border there" and "well, maybe it would be better for the situation in Afghanistan if we didn't have such friendly relations with Pakistan anyway..." I'm sure that will wear off soon, but in the meantime, it's kind of fun. Especially because clearly I don't really have any sort of expertise about the situation. Wee!
Now reading: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Weird fact: within the first hundred pages or so, both Kenosha and Racine were mentioned.
While I'm at it, I also have to say that Jim O'Rourke's entire album "Bad Timing" is great, and probably my favorite Jim work. Of course, heaven knows there's plenty I have not heard.
I finished Come Back to Afghanistan last night. I liked it very much. I certainly feel like I know a ton more about Afghanistan, and American foreign policy in general, than I did before. The story is told by Said Hyder Akbar, whose father was Hamid Karzai's press spokesman in the new government that formed after 9/11 and then later became the governor of Kunar province ... but Hyder was raised in California. His is such a unique perspective, and very illuminating. This reminds me a bit of how I felt about Nicaragua after finishing Rushdie's The Jaguar Smile a few years ago - the characters in the book are real people, the settings are real places, the stories really happened, and you can go Google and see what's going on with them all right now. Last night I read a news article I might previously only have skimmed for the headline, about U.S. soldiers killing a bunch of people with a missile attack in Pakistan. I saw the dateline of Peshawar, and I was all, "hey, I know where that is!" and found myself cynically reading the comments by officials and thinking stuff like, "hmmm, unlikely; it's really easy to cross the border there" and "well, maybe it would be better for the situation in Afghanistan if we didn't have such friendly relations with Pakistan anyway..." I'm sure that will wear off soon, but in the meantime, it's kind of fun. Especially because clearly I don't really have any sort of expertise about the situation. Wee!
Now reading: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Weird fact: within the first hundred pages or so, both Kenosha and Racine were mentioned.
Labels: books, Jim O'Rourke, The New Pornographers
posted by BeeKay at 12:23 AM
3 Comments:
hmmm...indoor recess.
good times.
i must say that i totally don't remember the rules of "thumbs up 7-up".
I loved that too.
Help me. If you don't remember...I know my trusty internet will come through for me!
I await your response..
Okay, I'm a little fuzzy on the rules too.
But I think that seven kids would go up to the front of the room, then the "heads down, thumbs up" command would be given, all the seated kids had to hide their heads in their arms and put up their thumbs. The 7 standing kids walked around and each touched one person's thumb. Then all THOSE kids had to stand up and guess who'd touched their thumb, and if they were right, they got to go up to the front and the other kid sat down. I just remember my sister always told me to cheat by sliding my elbow a little bit off the desk and looking at shoes, but I only did it once.
The key strategy if you were one of the seven was to pick a kid you didn't like, or a kid who had a close friend up there with you. Especially if it was a boy, because elementary school boys are dumb.
Yep...that IS how you played. We should get a group together and play!
Now, if only we could locate some desks to use...
Crap. I want to be a kid again!
Except, I could do without seeing Michael Christiansen puking in class all the time.
Post a Comment
<< Home