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Thursday September 02, 2010 Started Guy Davenport's collection of essays in The Geography of the Imagination, and a hearty "thank you" to CL for this incredible gift! Have started with an essay that explores Pound's take, more-or-less, on the Persephone (or Proserpina) myth-very interesting...JY Monday August 30, 2010 Interesting summer, both a whirlwind and noticeably languid. I saw I Am Love and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and though both had moments of satisfaction, they seemed to run out of energy and imagination toward the end. Tilda Swinton was impressive, but the script was weak in parts and the soundtrack a bit overdone... I went back to Dostoyevsky (Crime and Punishment) with a friend and held a good discussion with her on the reading. We've decide to move onto to Conrad's Heart of Darkness, perhaps but a different take on the more sinister aspect of man's character. More to come... JY Recent Pleasures- Text- J.M.G. Le Clezio-Terra Amata Jorge Luis Borges-Selected Poetry Wei Ying-Wu-In Such Hard Times(Poetry) Vladimir Nabokov-Lectures on Russian Literature Kenneth Rexroth Classics Revisited Marjorie Garber-Shakespeare After All William Shakespeare-As You Like It Margot and Rudolf Wittkower-Born Under Saturn Baudelaire on Poe Octavio Paz A Draft of Shadows Adventures of Perception-Scott Macdonald Amy Tan-Two Kinds John Updike-Little Lightnings Frederick Douglass Learning to Read Don Delillo- On Writing Woman Writers of Traditional China-Anthology
Friday July 09, 2010 First time in Europe late last month; what an incredible experience! I will always remember the beautiful Spanish coastline and beaches, the old French town with its winding alleyways and hilltop views (life is so much more relaxed, unhurried, here), the savory local foods and delectable table wines, the endless blue sky, the charming local shops and shopkeepers, the train-ride from Barcelona to Madrid, and so much more. Ah, the history of these two nations! Splendid and enticing, I must return soon...JY (photos) 6/14/10- Recent Pleasures- Moving Images- Experimental Film Festival-Silver Spring 35 shots of Rum-Claire Denis A Bright Sunny Day-Edward Yang A City Of Sadness-Hou hsiao-hsien Soylent Green (for class) Richard Fleischer The Housemaid-Ki-young Kim 24 Eyes-Keisuke Kinoshita The Bad Sleep Well-Akira Kurosawa Ikuru-Akira Kurosawa Dodesukaden-Akira Kurosawa The Swimmer-Frank Perry The Exiles-Kent Mackenzie Not One Less(for class) Zhang Yimou La Jetee (for class) Chris Marker Nanook of the North-Robert Flaherty Silent Light-Carlos Reygadas Little Big Man-Arthur Penn Will Penny-Tom Gries Notes from an Unfinished Piano Player-Nikita Mikhalov Trace Elements-Robert Robertson La notte bianchi-Luchino Visconti The Maginificent Ambersons-Orson Welles
Friday May 07, 2010 Great opening night program at the Takoma Park FF-excellent job putting it together, CL! -JY Thursday April 08, 2010 Went hiking last weekend in Shenandoah National Park. It had been a while since I'd been on any trails, but I felt the calm and relaxation return immediately once I stepped foot into the woods. The running brooks and streams and waterfalls were absolute delights. I hadn't experienced such peace in a long time, and it was nice to have to rely on a map to navigate the trail. I'm looking forward to getting back outside more this spring and summer...JY (photos) Thursday March 25, 2010 Sometimes she recedes, and when she returns, I cannot tell if she is the same or somehow changed...JY Sunday March 14, 2010 Went to see a production of Lysistrada the other evening and I have to say that it was quite disappointing. The "modern" rendering was more caricature than interpretation, with all the trimmings of high school inanity. I do appreciate fresh interpretations of classical works, but I have to wonder why it was necessary to perform Aristophanes with such apparent disdain and daftness. Can a troupe go too far in the name of accessibility? After all, such dumbing down threatens to push the audience away (and I don't necessarily mean only the purists here) rather than draw them into the spirit of the text. True, Aristophanes' work is blatantly sexual and even crass, but it is "redeemed" by the pragmatism and sensibility of its message. This performance was solely concerned with being puerile and offensive, and sadly, it was successful in this endeavor ...JY 2/28/10- back into swing...
2/8/10 Winter serenity, back to Nature... 2/4/10-Just finished Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's Dictee-Memory fragments and suffering explored through various voices-Transcendental.CL
A truly extraordinary filmmaker- He will be missed. I was considering doing A VHS memory on A Tale of Springtime-still recall that sensation of viewing something totally magical and yet philosophical. More on this soon.
listening to the night
what a winter so far... Wednesday December 30, 2009 Ah, another year has passed, along with another decade. So many things compressed into the span of 10 short years--it's often hard to believe. CL, thanks for your comments, and I would like to express my appreciation for your creative gifts and for the many excellent conversations during the past year! I look forward to many more in 2010! Here are a few noteworthy faves of 2009: Film: Adoration (Egoyan); Money-Driven Medicine (documentary); films from Utopia '09 (experimental landscapes program); Storm in Siyang and A Winter's Tale (Lynn); A Woman in Berlin (Max Färberböck); The Last Detail (Ashby); The Westerner (Wyler). I saw Thirst and Antichrist this year as well, but was disappointed in both, especially von Trier's film. Music: Paris Match (Passion 8, Voice, Type III, Flight 7, Our Favourite Pop); The Go Find (Stars On the Wall); Hope Sandoval (Through the Devil Softly); Lee Hazelwood (MGM tracks); The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Live at Carnegie Hall); Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (soundtrack); The Jesus and Mary Chain (Darklands); The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses); Harold Budd (A Song for Lost Blossoms); Camera Obscura (My Maudlin Career); Stan Getz (The Best of Two Worlds featuring Joao Gilberto-vinyl) JY Sunday December 13, 2009 Last Wed I attended a great local concert, featuring a wind quintet playing pieces by various composers, at the neighborhood library with a new friend. It was fantastic to see such a turnout as was present and the music, of course, was absolutely delightful! The colder weather as of late, especially at night, has been refreshing and exhilarating. The snow last weekend was especially lovely in the setting city sky...(must take more photos) I've revisited Kundera and have picked up so much since that first reading almost 14 years ago. A speaking of revisiting, recent viewings include George Stevens' A Place in the Sun and Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. I'll have more on these later, perhaps on the VHS page, since these were first viewed on that medium. I'm hoping this winter will spur some literary creativity....and more reading and viewings...JY 12/10/09- Recent pleasures- Tea on the roof- Winter swims Text: Reading the amazing Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby (some of the most lyrical prose of the twentieth century) Reading Emerson's Nature again Reading Barnett Newmann's notes on art Reading Peter Akroyd's Poe Reading Buson's poetry Visual: Oshima interviewing Kurosawa Gloria by Hollis Fampton The Landlord by Hal Ashby
Visions in Meditation 2-Stan Brakhage One Potato Two Potato by Larry Peerce Anne Truitt Exhibition at the Hirshhorn Clyfford Still's Paintings Streaming Film Festival 5th edition. Sounds: Bill Evans/Stan Getz English and Italian Madrigal Music Kevin Drumm Imperial Horizon Bach Arias and Songs Kraftwerk remastered series OOIOO Armonico Hewa Harmonia and Eno Track and Traces Yoko Ono Between my head and the Sky Lambchop live Sakamoto playing the piano Mitsuko Uchida playing Mozart Brahms Cello Sonata Luigi Nono-Fragmente-still Field Notes by EMP artist Charles Ives Central Park in the Dark My own McDaniel Piano Improv recording and Field Recordings Philosophy Bites on Pascal
12/7/09-Incredible winter swim in a heated pool this afternoon-thinking about Gatsby and the lecture yesterday by P.Adams Sitney. Thursday October 15, 2009 The more I listen to Wagner's music, the further I become fascinated by his genius. I at one time dismissed his music as overdone and perhaps even hyperbolic, but now feel much differently. After listening to Lohengrin all the way through, I realize that this man was able to marry the grandeur of myth and legend with music of commensurate presence like no other composer. However, the aspects of his music that I've come to appreciate more than in the past are his moments of tenderness and sheer lyricism, be they subtle or obvious. Though he was somewhat tortured by a great many things in life, his music certainly was not. Just listen to that caressing, enticing, yet soaring sound and you'll know to what I am referring...JY
Wednesday October 07, 2009 Hope Sandoval and Warm Inventions: Through the Devil Softly Paris Match: Voice The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Live at Carnegie Hall Great autumn music! JY Wednesday September 30, 2009 The smoke drifted up listlessly into the restless, yet calm night air. A thousand thoughts run through my mind as I sit outside on the back porch, half-listening to the faint sounds of Beethoven breaking through the windowpane... 9/29/09- Amazing run- thoughts of Kurt Schwitters and his psychological collage sound poetry-Anna Mezbau and the genius of unfinished work.... 9/7/09- Diminishing Light, Autumn near, alone in the pool. Monday August 24, 2009 Lying on the bed and looking at photos of an erstwhile you. Bach was playing in the background, the aria, slow, melodic, longing. I was moved by both you and Bach. I wanted to reach through time to touch you and to become infected with the brilliance of your smile and that soft expression frozen in time on your tender, lovely face. From where did you come that you should upset the world of men? You wield a power too great, too volatile. You think that you're in control of it, but you cannot possibly know that you're not. No, first you must gain the experience of time, and only then can you begin to understand...JLY Monday August 10, 2009 As we lay there on the floor watching the Resnais film, the sudden realization dawned on me that I was yearning to touch her like he was touching her, as if memory was already beginning to fade, the eyes going first. What a bittersweet elixir happiness is. We drink and drink without realizing that its effect is wearing away as soon as the cool liquid touches our lips and we discern the taste...JY
Wednesday July 22, 2009 You notice the ironic calm while seated on the city stoop. The still, evening air opens you to the mundane sounds of cars and doors and voices and footsteps, all blending into a quiet rush of wind that breathes through the tree leaves, creating a hypnotic, soothing melody. Who could have imagined such an oasis amidst the aging brick, stone and concrete? JY
Thursday June 18, 2009 The cool night air is welcome. So much to reflect upon, especially since the performance last night. LaBute's BASH as performed by a dear friend. Intense... It was great to be back, to visit Artomatic again after so long, but I'm always revisiting in my mind. I've really never stopped returning year after year. CL's comment below regarding Melville resonates with me. I will continue to ponder this. And I've embarked upon Hemingway again, partly inspired by nostalgia, but I've never read For Whom the Bell Tolls. Will I feel the same after so many years? I don't know. Poetic films by CL, so much to write here; I will return to this with much ardor! The new Camera Obscura is endearing...JY 6/13/09- Evening swims in the pool have been lovely... Reading Melville again-some more thoughts- Budd-Aquatic, Pagan, Orphan, natural? Veer-Order, law, Christianity...they both perish in the end- Clagett-social outcast, envious, maybe Veer should have reached out to him? Is Clagett responsible for his own death? Melville's floating world is in peril...see podcast 51 Sunday May
31, 2009 Much to ponder, to write, to discuss...A whirlwind spring which I hope will settle into a serene, easy summer. Looking forward to a great many things ahead...JY 5/23/09- A few thoughts- Nice swim and run today...Summer is here! Reading Robertson's book on Eisenstein-some amazing discoveries The New Jarmusch film was a total surprise...enjoyed it immensely Really like the new Tortoise video-reminds me of Dominic Angerame's work. The new disc( What I heard so far) is one of their best.CL 5/11/09 More amazing Films- RR-James Benning Night and Day-Hong Sang-soo Treeless Mountain-Kim So-yong The Seashore Village-Kim Soo-yong Death by Hanging-Nagisa Oshima Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence-Nagisa Oshima Buffalo Bill and the Indians-Robert Altman Astrea and Celadon-Eric Rohmer 5/6/09- Reading Pierre Reverdy late night... Immanuel Kant during afternoon hours William Carlos Williams on metro trains Robert Robertson's Eisenstein and the Audiovisual in the classroom Wang Wei and George Berkeley in the morning 4/8/09 Lovely run yesterday in the spring rain- Thoughts on George Berkeley while gazing at the evening sky... more amazing films- 24 City-Jia Zhangke Cry Me A River-Jia Zhangke Violence at Noon-Nagisa Oshima The Man who Left His Will On Film-Nagisa Oshima Dear Summer Sister-Nagisa Oshima Gohatto-Nagisa Oshima The Ceremony-Nagisa Oshima The Red Detachment of Women-Xie Jin
Thursday March 19, 2009 Late night conversation over wine in an old town pub...talked about life, God, the mysteries thereof, the transcendent nature of art and why this is so important for man's happiness. Life seems to be a never ending attempt to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable... The time went by unnoticed. Did it for you too? JY 3/15/09- Seen some amazing films lately-here is a list- Assualt on Time-Robert Robertson Sing A Song of Sex-Nagisa Oshima Boy-Nagisa Oshima The Pleasures of the Flesh-Nagisa Oshima Blaise Pascal-Roberto Rossellini Louis XIV-Roberto Rossellini The Silence Before Bach-Pere Portabella Warsaw Bridge-Pere Portabella Cuadecuc Vampir-Pere Portabella Entre Les Murs-Lauren Cantet The Elephant Man David Lynch 2/21/09- Afternoon Run-lovely light thoughts on Descartes Meditations- how incredible was it to limit the Judeo-Christian narrative when discussing the existence of God- Thought is existence Reminds me of Joyce, "Energy in thought" cl 2/19/09- Amazing outdoor swim in the heated pool- witnessed a sublime sunset Enjoying the Films Of Pere Portabella recently and his innovate use of classical music... Reading Descartes' Meditations and Shakespeare's Hamlet again... Also the historical films of Roberto Rossellini and the music of Masahiko Togashi... Rediscovering the magical taste of Earl Grey Tea... 1/31/09- Reading- The Poems of Li ShangYin Raul Ruiz's Poetics of Cinema Plato's Republic Shakespear's The Winter's Tale The Epic of Sundiata CL
Monday January 26, 2009
Thursday January 22, 2009 Beautiful program last night at the Peabody...I can still feel Schumann's Andante Cantabile movement coursing through me. The building and concert hall testaments to art as well. A cold night, but music as this was meant for such nights...JY Friday January 16, 2009 Awesome opening discussion on Dante's Inferno, Cantos I-V! Is pity warranted, among other questions? Looking forward to this semester's ensuing conversation on this beautiful, epic masterpiece. Beethoven quartets in the background...JY Wednesday January 14, 2009 Though it is shameful to admit such a slip of memory, I must confess that I had all but forgotten the charm of Schubert's two piano trios and quintet. Wonderful music that warms the heart and soul, especially on such a winter's night...and I have endeavored to read Flaubert's The Temptation of St. Anthony in between Aristotle, Plato and Dante. JY Saturday January 10, 2009 Finishing up Roth's The Dying Animal. I'm really looking forward to delving into the Divine Comedy this semester. It's been nearly 20 years since I've done a close reading of Dante's masterpiece. I read through some spines the other day: Gide, Eliot, Calasso, Flaubert...my appetite is whetted. Reacquainting myself with Schumann (piano music)and Haydn (Seven Last Words) too. Winter is a month for rediscovering, and venturing forth...JY 12/9/08-A totally inspirational concert-Five Directions: A Jazz Excursion at the Freer-A combination of traditional Korean music with modern jazz-the link is here....I plan to investigate this a little further and write some more notes -but this was far and away the best show I have seen in a number of years...look for more soon. CL 12/6/08- Wonderful time last night...strolled around the city in the chilly air ...I was able to catch this, which was very poignant and poetic...Ah yes, love this time of year, especially when it is this cold... 11/27/08- Heated pool-swimming outside in the cold air-exhilarating...CL Monday November 17, 2008
Sunday almost didn't happen, so to speak. Sat in the sunshine at the window-table, the city outside was cold, but warm on the inside. Lovely walk through this quiet pocket of the city; so this is what it is to be happy and in confusion with what it all means? The sun began to set on the architecture as we left the museum and walked the streets once again. Running fingers through the colors of a man-made rainbow not yet conceived. The sun, once warm and inviting, was heeding a call elsewhere as the blanket of nightfall began to spread over us...JY 11/17/08-
amazing weather yesterday......CL. Wednesday November 12, 2008 Listening to a lot of Mercury Rev these days; theirs is the perfect music for the fall season. The semester's winding down, but during it I've happened upon new discoveries, new feelings, new sensations, all of which at time overwhelm my senses. The sudden onset of nightfall always brings back memories of time and places not too far from me presently...JY 11/9/08-
Sunday October 26, 2008 A gray, unseasonably warm morning yesterday, driving into the city, areas unknown...Arriving at Utopia, great films! Explorations in landscape cinema, internal and external, painterly, measured, alive, remembrances. Each year, the program grows richer and more varied, challenging and changing, exciting and vibrant. Lunched in Fells Point, against a rainy, windy backgroung, dreaming of life at sea during raging storms. Sitting and talking; no, more like basking in life and its myriad beginnings and affirmations. Nighttime, something totally new, fun, a blur of colors and sounds. More exploration along empty, silent streets. A day I will gladly always remember...like that glance and then that motion... JY 10/17/08- Long walks today... beautiful drive home last night...full moon
10/7/08- Reading- Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Sailing to Byzantium by W.B. Yeats Godard-by Colin Macabe Contemporary Chinese Poetry Excerpts from the Rigveda Serve the People Yan Lianke Reading American Art-A collection of articles
9/25/08 At the height of summer-feeling Autumn...TU Fu 9/13/08 Wednesday September 10, 2008 Ahhh, a beautiful late-summer night! Reading Rousseau, working through some Euclidian propositions, Liszt opera transcriptions playing, a cool, fragrant breeze floats through the open window. I begin to think of other evenings like this. What was I doing this time, 10, 20, 25 years ago? The nostalgia for those memories must have been embedded in the sweet, inviting night air...JY Thursday September 04, 2008 The beginning of a new semester: reading Euclid, Lucretius and Rousseau. Seeing everyone again has been invigorating! The campus during the fall is especially beautiful. Soon, though, time will pass over all these things and life will assume a different shape… Watched a couple of great films this weekend. I hadn’t seen Butterfield 8 in years, but to re-watch it was a treat. I’ll write further on this rendering of John O’Hara’s novel in another section on the site.
Sunday August 24, 2008 So much to write about this city. It's raining now (Sunday morning) and the temp. is on the cool side. The walking, seeing, experiencing becomes heightened and you know something has changed within you because of it all. There's something to be said about walking down a city street and being able to behold the majestic face a rising mountain peak just beyond the metal and glass. The man-made and natural world don't collide, but are in harmony. Breathtaking...JY
8/9/08- 1. Dripping sweat in Peoples Square, Shanghai... Confucius Temple in Nanjing .... Intense Thunderstorm, rain and wind entering the classroom... Evening walks...fireworks...sound of cicadas The reading room, tea ceremonies, hotel lobby, 5:45 A.M, lovely greeting. A run through Si Yang. 8/5/08-Drinking tea-reading Shu Ting's poetry...This place (home) seems a bit empty and strange-need to readjust I suppose... 8/1/08-Back from my travels-too many thoughts still drifting and surfacing...Saw incredible things-made some intense, beautiful connections-traveling, teaching, collecting sounds and images...living Monday July 28, 2008 Great conversations over the past couple of weeks; meeting some new students who will be around into the fall semester. Talks about Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Liszt, Wagner, and books too, Eugenides, Nabokov, Rilke. Some you speak with are right before you; others reach out to you unexpectedly and connect via some movement that is strange, yet fascinating...Must write more extensively on this. Others inspire this need, too. Loving Roth and his tortured protagonist Coleman Silk. The man, in Gatsbyesque fashion (wholly tragic), is reaching for something that has already moved far beyond his grasp. What is the cost of such a "romantic readiness"? Perhaps it cannot be measured. But if so, why are we so willing to bargain with this specious currency? More soon, for it's been too long...JY Wednesday June 25, 2008 This break has certainly been welcome, but I feel myself drifting as of late. I cannot pinpoint the exact cause of this feeling; I just know it's within me. I suddenly feel intellectually (and physically) lethargic to a degree, though I'm eager to motivate myself back into productivity. I have been thinking of France 1 quite a bit and will be writting on this beautiful film within the next several days. I need to keep myself active, but I sometimes struggle for words, the ones seemingly at my disposal suddenly disappear from my imagination and I am left with nothing. Perhaps it's just weariness-I don't know. But I know a break is sometimes warranted, if for nothing else but to reinvigorate the placid spirit once again. JY
Notes-Incredible colors in the sky... Sunday at the NGA-One of the Giants of World Cinema paid a visit to Washington D.C. to talk about his life in film- A true Classic. He actually sat directly behind me during the screening of this film, laughing occasionally; it was another amazing performance. Really curious about the book now. An Fantastic event all around. Stepped out into another thunderstorm. Earlier in the week-listening lounge...Great audio Paid a visit to an embassy for my Visa (Hint Track 4 Fictioneering The Day is all your own) Poolside-Swimming in late afternoon, watching the sun slowly set...Summer Solstice. Reading-Phillip Larkin's Poetry. Thomas Cole's "Essay on American Scenery" and Silence. VHS memory-Sergeant Rutledge. I plan on writing a longer piece on what is clearly one of Ford's neglected poetic works. cl 6/5/08- Long, brutal run this morning, but a extended break is near- Some lines: Sylvia/silence/nightletter/ Notes from an imaginary studio. That Bright Planet (reconstructed voices from room 146) Reciting lyrics in the car (strong winds persist) more soon. CL Thursday May 29, 2008 "A Cinematic Translation." So I went to see MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, Wong Kar-Wai's American-film debut, this past weekend, and I have to say that I was disappointed, though not unexpectedly so. CL and I have had discussions about this venture, and after having seen this work I can say that our reservations were not unfounded. Kar-Wai's poetic mixture of oriental/occidental sensibility that is so beautifully nutured in IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) and 2046 (2004) does not translate well into this piece that primarily details the emotional journey of a peripatetic, lonely young woman. Though the film exhibits fine performances from Weisz and Strathairn in supporting roles, the principals are uninspiring. Kar-Wai's often impeccable slow-motion frames used to capture and relish the poetry of human movement falters here; the technique is overused and conveys nothing of the director's artistry or brilliance. This is not to say that audiences unfamiliar with the director's previous work won't find this film to their liking. For them, his style adds something new to the landscape of traditional American summer cinema (there are brief flashes of Kar-wai's signature directing). But for those who know the art this amazing director is capable of producing, they may find themselves wondering, "Why?" JY 5/25/08-Cycling early this morning and walking around Great Falls this afternoon.... Summer is nearly here. More soon CL Wednesday May 07, 2008 "Saturday and Sunday" For some reason, the short time I spent with you has weighed heavily on my mind, though certainly not in a negative sense. Quite the contrary, I derived an enduring pleasure from that time with you that I could have hardly predicted, much less hoped for. Saturday night: Clumsily trying to order the "perfect" drink, commiserating over the state of things, talking about music. Your eagerness over this latter subject captivated my attention... Sunday afternoon, though short, was endearing... Sitting with you in your quiet room, the late afternoon still warm and alive with activity outside, sharing a drink while Bach, then Chopin, played. And as serene and peaceful this moment was, I knew that it would never be repeated, for how could it? I am left to ponder Bolkonsky's fate in WAR and PEACE: What's the use of happiness if it cannot be enjoyed? But perhaps I place too much emphasis on the time element. Isn't eternity merely the sum-total of transience? JY Wednesday May 07, 2008 "One Down, One to Go..." I have been thinking a lot about the close of this semester. There are a number of people who I will never see again because they are graduating and moving forward with their lives. It's rather a funny, exhilarating and sad process of acquaintanceship we undergo as students. We exchange ideas, a few humorous moments, a little (or a lot) of ourselves, and then we move on. Will these impressions left become indelibly imprinted on the surface of our souls, or are they merely as transient as the moments of our meeting and departure? Nevertheless, it has all been a gratifying experience and I look forward to the next academic year, though a break is certainly welcome...JY 4/21/08-Caught in the rain this afternoon....Thinking about Rilke,
Joyce, Kawabata. Strange to teach Joyce and Rilke, two towering
figures in my imagination. I think I was fortunate to discover them when I
did (early twenties). The students really liked Rilke, which I did not
suspect at all. We talked a bit about history, but it is really the
language that they respond to- and the idea of Object Poetry. I am now
teaching some short stories by Kawabata, which are just amazing. I
recognized some similarities between him and Joyce, which I may explore
for a future post. 4/4/08-Deep into Wordsworth these days-teaching him has led me back to his works-especially Lyrical Ballads. Actually, I have covered a wide range of writers I find inspiring this year, which has been a pleasant surprise: Kafka, Rilke, Tolstoy, Achebe, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Heine, Soyinka, Paz. Anticipating Joyce and Kawabata for sure. I had a wonderful conversation on Baudelaire and the purpose of Art the other day-World Lit is nice. Tuesday March 25, 2008 Spent the past two Monday evenings after class in deep discussion with a fellow student about the difficulties associated with faith. We have begun to open the gamut of questions that naturally derive from such an abstruse topic, delving in with both relish and uncertainty. Regardless of the struggle, though, we both agree that it's a comfort just knowing someone else is grappling with the same issues in much the same manner. The journey should be interesting, illuminating and perhaps even inspiring. We shall see... Sitting outside on the steps of the building from which we just emerged/ It's still cold outside, but we don't mind that, for we're compelled to talk/ Where have we been, where are we now and where will be going?/ Have another cigarette if you please and perhaps another drink/ The light from above falls gently on the cold steps/ Is God listening to our words as we try to talk through an understanding of such things/ It won't be easy, these questions of ours demand so much, but of whom?/ We shouldn't separate or surrender our intellect in the name of faith, should we?/ I'm starting to shiver a bit/ Are you feeling a bit cold too?/ We'll keep moving forward toward that which we are yet to know...JY 3/15/08-Finished Macbeth with the students. They did some amazing projects with the play. I will try to post or maybe do a podcast on some of the material....Lots of reading to catch up on...Also hoping to launch Traces 2 soon, we shall see. Some words: The Silence of love (poetry and tea) Sat evening. Coming and going-grief spasms Dimming landscapes return serene-spread the thought of beauty again pulsations-measured and precise 3 compositions Brown leaves cafe conversations rhetoric of images lyricist inward rain touching working at an uncertainty. CL Monday March 10, 2008 Into David Hume's AN ENQUIRY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING along with the other reading. Spring is around the corner... Remembering the stage and Turn of the Screw, a brilliant adaptation of the Henry James novella. A small, local theatre (The Everyman) put this on to great effect. The actors were incredible! Re-aquainting myself with some music not listened to in a long time: Mozart Piano Concerti (nos. 20,21,27); Beethoven's Missa Solemnis; Mahler's Second Symphony; Vaughan Williams's Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. All beautiful music... Longing to sit down to a film soon; it's been too long. Talked about Locke and Hemingway the other night with a good friend over dinner and wine. Quiet moments...on a cold night...JY Monday February 18, 2008 France 1: The Divers of St. Malo is an observer’s presentation of the natural world as an embodiment of human spirituality. Aural cues, visuospatial positioning and vibrant color schemes all contribute to the method by which the filmmaker has transformed beach-front images of merriment and relaxation into metaphors for more substantive human interaction and existence. Reading Descartes' Meditations has had some influence in shaping my reading of this beautiful film, an examination I will certainly develop later. JY Saturday February 02, 2008 I've been basking in the gorgeous pop of Rachel Goswell's WAVES ARE UNIVERSAL along with ample doses of Chopin. (CL, glad you are enjoying the Nocturnes! They are lovely, aren't they?) I always seem to come back to the sadness of his Ballade No.1 (G minor), for I sense within me a need for consolation that only this piece can impart. For no particular reason, I love and am forever drawn to this music, with its tenderness, strength, stillness... Moving forward in Tolstoy, Aristotle's METAPHYSICS and The Gospel according to St. Matthew. I'm looking forward to Augustine's CONFESSIONS in a few weeks' time. Perhaps I will happen upon some of the answers to questions I've been asking for the past several years, but I don't know. Last Monday was nice: a few drinks and cigarettes shared after class. A nice group of friends and classmates, discussing, sharing laughter, reciting monologues...images and sounds that will turn into cherished remembrances. JY 2/1/08-Rain and Chopin's Nocturnes today...Also a few chapters of Hawthorne and discussions on Shakespeare's Ghosts... 1/20/08-Yesterday was epic! Joycean epic in a way... A day of words, sounds, images, puzzles, tea, old, Chinese poetry, near misses. A celebratory finish... There is a poem in there, a film, a musical piece. Need to plunge like the divers... Today Japanese improv, brilliant sunshine with artic air, coffee...cl Tuesday January 15, 2008 Reading poems by Richard Brautigan late at night, sipping the remnants of a warm red and gingerly holding that slow-burning cigarette. The words seem to slow in the cold, night air, as if they were walking from me to you, anticipating their welcome, lamenting their still fresh departure...JY Friday January 11, 2008 Reading Tolstoy is like listening to Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, for both sweep you up in a grandeur that is unmistakably Russian without displacing the nuances of detail. Remarkable! JY 1/9/08-Beethoven symphony no. 7 in the classroom today-a bit of Schulman as well- bliss. CL Sunday December 30, 2007 Much reflection on '07: Back to school, meeting awesome people, expanding and refining the site, new job (a life/career) once only imagined...I do look forward to 2008 and its potential. Capped the year in similar fashion to '06: went to the AFI with a few friends just before Christmas to see THE THIRD MAN on the bigscreen, which was an amazing experience to say the least. Check out CL's writing on this in the "Text" section, for it brilliantly captures the collective mood of the audience community that gathers for such an event. I wish I could view all films from the 40s this way! I was saddened to read about Deborah Kerr's passing in October. For me, she was the quintessential actor's actor, elegant, strong, gentle, alluring, sexual, honest. Each performance was an experience to behold. The way she developed her characters and transformed raw emotion into an relevant, "tangible" feeling spoke volumes of her talent and sensitivity. I recently re-viewed TEA AND SYMPATHY (1957) and fell in love with her presence all over again. She will be sorely missed... Many films captured my eye and filled my mind with further wonder and awe. Though several are not from this year per se, I viewed them for the first time during '07 and thus include them in the list: My Own Private Idaho-Gus Van Sant Music: The Field; Thomas Fehlmann; Kahimi Karie; Underworld-Oblivion with Bells; Dot Allison-Exaltation of Larks; Mojave 3-Spoon and Rafter and Ask Me Tomorrow; Mew; Budd/Guthrie; Set Lists by CL; Audible Landscapes by CL Books:: Chekov: The Cherry Orchard; O'Neill: Mourning Becomes Electra; Aeschylus: The Orestia; Sophocles: Oedipus Rex and Oedipus At Colonus; Poetry of Blake, Stevens, Hopkins, Shakespeare. Happy New Year to all! JY
12/28/07- Some ruminations on 07- Reading Paz on the train to a screening- Muddy shoes and fog in Normandy...New Year in France Long run around the tidal basin...Spring, Summer, and Birthday... Thoughts of antiquity, classroom discussions... painted sun in classroom, tea Japanese style Summer air-trains of Quebec. IGA Coffee St.Lawrence clouds- artic swim... The swell of summer glory-St. Malo. Audible Landscapes...website-podcasts- collaborations. Arboretum walk with the moon so present pints at Franklin's-conversations... more Films/videos/ projects/sounds/text/life always some disappointments-to be expected Rainfall in old Church...CL
Tuesday December 18, 2007 Nostalgia III: I remember reading the Encyclopedia Brown series back in '81, usually late into a Friday night, the radio playing along. And then I'd wake up, read some more, and cast an occasional glance at the windy, chilly, though sunny, fall morning, while planning my day outside. Much simpler, innocent times were those. I long to read on such evenings and mornings again, without the weight of obligation bearing down on me...JY
Tuesday December 18, 2007
Sunday December 16, 2007 Thursday evening marked the end of a great semester. Hung out with fellow students afterward, and even sipped wine during our last preceptorial! The evening was quiet along the well-lit streets of downtown Annapolis, the lateness of the hour having drowned out most voices in sleep. Also, on that day, "Mulholland Drive" arrived in print, so it was certainly a great day. I'll post more reflections on the entire year soon, but for now, the break is welcome...JY
I agree JY-wonderful things to look forward to. Last week was special-the stillness, the rolling white hills, ah snow. Deep into poetry these days... Saturday December 08, 2007 Great time last night w/CL down at the Sackler gallery to see Imamura's Black Rain, a heartbreaking story that follows the lives of those exposed to the fallout from the A-bomb decimation of Hiroshima. A powerful examination of inhumanity that is as pertinent today as it was then. Afterwards, a few pints and some food. The walk in the cold air was refreshing and welcome. Looking forward to the forthcoming site projects/postings. JY Wednesday December 05, 2007 Music for a gentle snowfall: A Mozart opera. Getting reacquainted with Le Nozze di Figaro and Die Zauberflote! JY
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deep into 19th century American art these autumn days...Whistler and
Homer...
Also
saw ELEGY Sunday. Isabel Coixet’s direction is sensitive and poetic; never
is there a feeling of something lugubrious or forced in her direction. I
am not traditionally a fan of Ben Kingsley’s work, for I always found his
characters weak and listless, almost as if neutered. I was never moved to
feel anything but disdain for them. However, in this film he is different.
Yes, his character is still “deficient” in a sense, but he makes no
apologies for his flaws here. For the first time, his strength resolutely
comes to the fore. He is a victim of his own uncertainty and
misconceptions. Penelope Cruz exudes beautiful subtlety as Kingsley’s much
younger lover, Consuela. Even though the age disparity is at the crux of
their difficulties, their chemistry is palpable. Coixet creates such
nuanced images that the emotion contained therein is controlled, yet
affecting. A simple statement, a thinly veiled proclamation, evokes a
sense of loss as pervasive as air, yet singularly unbearable. The
photographs taken by the professor are a paradox in-and-of themselves, for
while they capture and freeze a particular moment in time, the instant is
irretrievable lost at the very moment of its “archiving.” Certainly this
notion echoes the nature of this tragic relationship. But still, there is
something evident beyond this idea of loss that is conveyed through the
construct of images. During what is possibly the most moving exchange in
the film, Kingsley asks his erstwhile student if she remembers the first
day of his class. She turns to him and gently, tenderly answers, “I
remember everything.” Those three words communicate the joy and pain that
comprised the span of their tumultuous relationship. Shared memories
establish and solidify a connection between two people that is more than
just poignant; it's steadfast. Those common remembrances survive intact to
live and breathe and experience the joy of that first meeting, that first
coming together, over and over again…JY 
Watched
MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA (1947), directed by Dudley Nichols. This Eugene
O'Neill tragedy is a penetrating example of misplaced emotion and emptiness.
The Mannon existence is plagued by an underlying sickness that has infected
the family for 200 years. Nichols's adaptation is quite good, remaining
relatively true to O'Neill's words, though the director's casting is
questionable. I knew that Rosalind Russell was in the film, but before
actually seeing it I assumed she played Christine Mannon, the matriarch.
Apparently, she even pressed for the role, but Nichols wanted her for the
much younger Lavinia. Katina Paxinou as Christine is marginal at best. She
doesn't invoke the degree of empathy as does her textual counterpart, nor is
she as haunting. That being said, Sir Michael Redgrave is well-cast as Orin,
playing the role of the troubled, abnormally jealous, son with flair and
sensitivity. I've always appreciated his brilliant work, especially his
portrayals in THE CAPTIVE HEART and THE BROWNING VERSION. And Kirk Douglas
gives the viewer an early glimpse of what would become his trademark style,
angry, disillusioned, heartbroken. Good cinema! JY