Tuesday, November 22, 2005

womb to tomb

life: a temporary illusion we experience as "individuals"

my seven year old had a facts of life question the other evening. not "where do babies come from?", rather, "where do babies come out?". I didn't have a good answer so just said "out of a woman's privates". being in the full-blown potty humor stage he asked "out her butt!?"...

"no", said I, "another place...". I searched for a good response that wouldn't fuel his seven year old joke generator. 'birth canal' just didn't sound right. luckily he lost interest at that point, a little disappointed that babies don't pop out of ladies butts along with the poo.

later I thought of the word I had been looking for: womb. sure! I could even tell him a little joke about the baby who had a "womb with a view" (which would go over his head and hopefully I wouldn't need to explain what "view" implies). so maybe next time the topic comes up...

anyway, it got me to think more about being in the womb.
that period before separation from the mother must be the most comfortable state I can possibly recall. (though they say it is quite impossible to remember, the habits and patterns started there give us some hint of how comfortable it must be). but before that separation and even before conception, the comfort of being an integral part of whatever energy and matter that is morphing into an eventual new life evidenced by birth (a necessary separation dictated by evolution) -- that comfort level must be heavenly. Imagine all your atoms happily bonded, your electrons snuggly tucked away in their shells. sublime, eh?

so a return to that heaven is, I suppose, as inevitable as death and taxes. and I'm not so sure about taxes anymore :)

Friday, November 18, 2005

top 100 novels of the 20th century (1923 to present)

here's my status on each of the novels:
(btw, I'll email you my .xls version of this list on request)...

Title

Author

Status

The Adventures of Augie March Saul Bellow  
All the King's Men Robert Penn Warren  
American Pastoral Philip Roth  
An American Tragedy Theodore Dreiser  
Animal Farm George Orwell started
Appointment in Samarra John O'Hara  
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Judy Blume  
The Assistant Bernard Malamud  
At Swim-Two-Birds Flann O'Brien  
Atonement Ian McEwan  
Beloved Toni Morrison  
The Berlin Stories Christopher Isherwood  
The Big Sleep Raymond Chandler  
The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood  
Blood Meridian Cormac McCarthy  
Brideshead Revisited Evelyn Waugh  
The Bridge of San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder  
Call It Sleep Henry Roth  
Catch-22 Joseph Heller saw movie
The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger read
A Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess read
The Confessions of Nat Turner William Styron  
The Corrections Jonathan Franzen unfinished
The Crying of Lot 49 Thomas Pynchon  
A Dance to the Music of Time Anthony Powell  
The Day of the Locust Nathanael West started
Death Comes for the Archbishop Willa Cather  
A Death in the Family James Agee  
The Death of the Heart Elizabeth Bowen  
Deliverance James Dickey saw movie
Dog Soldiers Robert Stone  
Falconer John Cheever  
The French Lieutenant's Woman John Fowles  
The Golden Notebook Doris Lessing  
Go Tell it on the Mountain James Baldwin  
Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell saw movie
The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck started
Gravity's Rainbow Thomas Pynchon  
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald read
A Handful of Dust Evelyn Waugh  
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers  
The Heart of the Matter Graham Greene  
Herzog Saul Bellow started
Housekeeping Marilynne Robinson  
A House for Mr. Biswas V.S. Naipaul audio
I, Claudius Robert Graves  
Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace  
Invisible Man Ralph Ellison read
Light in August William Faulkner  
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis read
Lolita Vladimir Nabokov read
Lord of the Flies William Golding read
The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien unfinished, saw movies
Loving Henry Green  
Lucky Jim Kingsley Amis  
The Man Who Loved Children Christina Stead  
Midnight's Children Salman Rushdie  
Money Martin Amis  
The Moviegoer Walker Percy  
Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf started
Naked Lunch William Burroughs  
Native Son Richard Wright  
Neuromancer William Gibson started
Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro  
1984 George Orwell read
On the Road Jack Kerouac started
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey read
The Painted Bird Jerzy Kosinski  
Pale Fire Vladimir Nabokov  
A Passage to India E.M. Forster  
Play It As It Lays Joan Didion  
Portnoy's Complaint Philip Roth started
Possession A.S. Byatt  
The Power and the Glory Graham Greene  
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark  
Rabbit, Run John Updike  
Ragtime E.L. Doctorow  
The Recognitions William Gaddis  
Red Harvest Dashiell Hammett  
Revolutionary Road Richard Yates  
The Sheltering Sky Paul Bowles  
Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut read
Snow Crash Neal Stephenson  
The Sot-Weed Factor John Barth  
The Sound and the Fury William Faulkner  
The Sportswriter Richard Ford  
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold John le Carre  
The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway read
Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston  
Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe  
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee read
To the Lighthouse Virginia Woolf  
Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller  
Ubik Philip K. Dick  
Under the Net Iris Murdoch  
Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry saw movie
Watchmen Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
White Noise Don DeLillo  
White Teeth Zadie Smith  
Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys  
  total read:   12
  total did something with:   27

Thursday, November 10, 2005

boycott sony


here's the details
sign the petition
I wasn't planning on buying a PS/3 anyway... but now nobody should buy 'em! for a while anyway :)

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

where do croissants come from?

see pop'n'fresh doughboy's accident... click on the link in the title because I obviously don't know enough about copying html to get the video to work here (hey you experts, how about helpin' a guy out here - why doesn't it show below? - is the owner of the filename I'm referencing not allowing a download or what?)



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Saturday, November 05, 2005

just for yucks...


I posted a pic of me self on HOT or NOT.
let's see if others think I'm as hot as I think I am. feel free to vote!

Friday, November 04, 2005

perfect male scents...



since I accidently broke my (amost full) bottle of Obsession,
I tracked down some replacement recommendations which I will share here:

Perfect? I love Romeo Gigli Cologne by Romeo Gigli... and Fahrenheit by Christian Dior but whether they are perfect for men...

Fiona 4/4/2004 6:09 AM
allessandro dell'aqua for man is my best for now. it's very organised and i feel it's like bracing air. i like moderate ones for men.

Frederique 4/5/2004 12:50 AM
what about... Aqua di Parma?

Taner 4/6/2004 2:47 PM
Well I just put on some Venezia -Uomo while reading forum, I liked it very much for the first few seconds so why not.
I would say Very Sexy from Victoria Secret is also very tempting, not same kind of alchemy though.

Lobna 4/7/2004 7:41 PM
D&G has one that smells... intoxicating.. i love it- but i dont know what its called -one of my guy friends had it on

Frederique 4/8/2004 1:21 AM
D&G... Does it come in a silver top bottle, with a light greenish colour perfume?

Does it smell fresh, lemony and musky at the same time?
It could be D&G Masculin.

Indeed it is lovely.

Do you also know Déclaration by Cartier?
I'm sure you'd like it.

Carla 4/11/2004 7:33 PM
Definetly Chaleur D'Animale for men,it's devine!The best male scent ever!

Lobna 4/12/2004 7:31 PM
that sounds like it, i mainly remember that it was strong- reminded me of aramis

Anna 5/19/2004 3:06 PM
I really like Angel for Men. My husband uses that exclusively ever since it came out.

5/24/2004 1:12 AM
i still have to turn my head and follow the scent with my nose when i recognize it in any man in the street,Kouros, my unique, great and lost love's perfume (although he used it in excessive amounts and gave me headaches :OP)
here are my favs: 6/12/2004 9:01 PM
1) Kenzo pour homme (to DIE for)
NOTES: Marine, Cloves, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Vetiver

2) Dior - Fahrenheit
NOTES: Hawthorn, Sandalwood

3) Dolce & Gabbana - pour homme
NOTES: Orange, Lemon, Bergamot, Lavender, Sage, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Cedar.

J. 6/23/2004 11:21 AM
Angel for men & Xerius Rouge Givenchy

Celso Issey Miyake 6/23/2004 4:27 PM
The best male scent is definetly L'eau D'issey by Issey Miyake, it's like THE parfume!!

Raquel 6/23/2004 8:59 PM
My favorite one is Boss in Motion- Hugo Boss...... it´s outstanding.
I also really like Ferrari Black and 212

Katrin 6/25/2004 4:07 AM
Laura Biagotti "Roma"...uhh it makes me crazy:)

Cha L´Eau d´Issey 6/28/2004 4:36 AM
That´s my favorite.

Juan 6/28/2004 11:24 PM
"Envy" by Gucci!

Cha Found out.... 7/2/2004 12:53 AM
that the "brand new" Polo Blue is really gooooooooooooooooooood!

Marta GREAT ONES 7/2/2004 9:26 PM
i love Mont Blanc (but just a few men wear it) and also a MOSCHINO, just don't know exactly which one...

L'eau d'Issey - Issey Miyake 7/8/2004 3:43 PM
simply wonderful!...

Le Male! 7/9/2004 7:21 AM
I idolatre "Le Male", from Jean-Paul Gaultier... I just LOVE that one... geeeeez, it seems to me that i feel that fragrance in the air...

Leonardo 7/10/2004 6:08 PM
Definitly the best parfum is Escada

Roberta 7/12/2004 7:43 AM
I simply love Carolina Herrera 212 for Men and Hugo Boss Elements. Polo Blue is also amazing! They are very sexy fragances...

Heloisa 8/12/2004 3:15 PM
It depends..... Herrera for men -by Carolina Herrera

DKNY for men - Donna Karan

Armani pour Homme - Giorgio Armani

Fendi- Uommo

CK - Calvin Klein
it depends who is wearing it!

Samara 8/12/2004 5:03 PM
oh I just LOVE Hugo Boss #1 and Angel for men

Berit simply the best.. 8/17/2004 5:08 AM
...perfume for men is carolina herrera 212, mmmmm all time favourite:P

Paula One of the best! 8/17/2004 11:10 AM
In my opinion, one of the best male scents is XS, by Pacco Rabane!

Cavanhaque HUMNN... 8/17/2004 11:16 AM
Aqua di Giò pour homme and Kenzo!!
:-)

Onaiza 8/21/2004 10:13 AM
Issey Miyake !!!!!!!! and ice berg isnt bad too !
perfect for the ones who seek for perfection!;)

Le Male is Incontestable !!! 10/20/2004 10:54 AM
Le Male by Gaultier is the best male scent in the "world of parfums" !!!

Will 12/16/2004 9:56 PM
MY TOP 4 cologne picks as of now ******
#1 . Aqua di Parma/BLU/Mandorlo di Sicilia

#2. Himalaya ( House of CREED )

#3. Comme des Garcon INCENSE series #3
"Avignon" it smells just like
a catholic church after they burn the Frankencense !!!! Totally UNIQUE !!!!!

#4. L'Occitane Vetiver !!!! YUM.
earthy but classy .

Gustavo 12/17/2004 9:04 AM
i dont know.. i really like my fahrenheit...

but.. this thing is not very exactly as we want it to be... each perfume has an unique smell for each person... not even talkin about personal taste...

dont you think?

Usama 212 rocks 12/18/2004 3:06 PM
212's the best ................
coz its soo strong so gd so awesome..........i mean u just have to smell it to fall in love wit it
TRY it seriously

Carla 12/19/2004 7:01 AM
Escada Magnetism, Jill Sander, Chemistry by Clinique and Marc Jacobs for men.
platinum egoiste and d&g 12/22/2004 3:33 PM
chanel egoiste platinum! i can't tell if it's better than chanel egoiste non plat (which is harder to find, and more of an older man smell). platinum works well on guys who don't naturally have much smell of their own. (or in my experience- tall, skinny guys). it is SO YUMMY.

oh and d&g masculin is very good too. but i always associate it with this one guy i'm not attracted to- i think this works best on those that are a bit on the trashy side (with pretensions of elegance).
1/27/2005 5:01 AM
platinum egoiste by chanel and 1881 by cerutti!

Monica Safari, by Ralph Lauren 1/28/2005 2:52 AM
For me, Safari´s scent is unbeatable.If only all men could smell like this one! Pity I cannot have it always around - my husband is allergic to perfumes...

Le Male and Joop! (the red one) are second best. But not for men - I wear them!
I like... 1/28/2005 11:56 AM
Dolce & Gabanna pour homme
Mont Blanc Individuel pour homme
Herrera for men by Carolina Herrera
what do you think about l'instant pour homme? 2/15/2005 2:12 AM
i was just wondering about whether some of you or your partners are using the new guerlain l'instant pour homme... i thought it was surprisingly very sweet...


Jazzmin I just love it... 2/16/2005 7:28 PM
the best male scent is and always will be aqua di gio..... =)

Stephanie 2/19/2005 10:02 PM
I Think D&G
and 212

Suzanne 2/20/2005 11:59 PM
another vote for acqua di parma

i wear the classic one myself...

HELENA-REET For Men 3/22/2005 1:07 PM
I like Chanel "Platinum Egoiste"!

Patricia 3/23/2005 1:26 PM
Lolita Lempicka for Men, top best...sexy...delicious...

Ulli 3/26/2005 2:23 AM
For men..there's nth better than Higher Dior and Aqua Di Gio.I really love them!

Arsalan 3/26/2005 5:02 AM
Aqua Di Gio and hugo boss i like them

Sarah 6/8/2005 7:17 AM
HhhMmmm.... I really like

1. curve (liz calirborne)
2. very sexy (victorias secret)
3. armani (armani)

seriously, any guy who uses these perfumes, automatically looks hot..lol!

Usman hummm 6/14/2005 11:40 PM
1 . Aqua di Parma
2. safarai...

Wen KenzoAir 6/19/2005 10:47 PM
i am wearing it myself, i love it!

Shama 6/21/2005 4:43 AM
Safari.....
and and and
Blue Jeans

Zuraida 6/21/2005 5:15 AM
HUGO red for men and another all time fav is cool water by davidoff

Carlinha 6/23/2005 9:21 AM
Hugo Boss and 212 Men...
issey miyake! 6/25/2005 7:50 AM
i think itz da best

...so I gave my wife the list for her to choose what she likes best on me. I'll find out on Christmas. in the meantime, feel free to share your opinions with a comment below...