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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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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