caroljane

Adam, When you're hot, you're hot. Prudishly, Carol

However, this is a civil service position that I would take if it was limited to me working with out female citizens. Adam Always willing to make the sacrifice for my country right or wrong especially when it is this kind of wrong You are a truly evil man. You force me to report that up here, in the bastion of respectability which I stanchly uphold, a photo of a penis, allegedly that of one of our politicians, has appeared on the internets. The story is murky.The phone was stolen, says the owner of the phone on which the photo was taken. Stolen after a gathering where I was "shaken and jostled" by a crowd. The photo if it is of me was taken by the shaking and jostling action in my pocket where my phone was. One of my favourite legislators, Peter Korman, took the opportunity to propose a motion to the provincial parliament: "That the Speaker forthwith ban all Blackberries from the legislative chamber, for the privacy of the members." Down here, no pun intended, we have "Wienergate" wherein a left wing Jewish Congressman [is there any other type?] allegedly had his Twitter feed hacked and a picture of his "package" in an underwear setting was mysteriously sent to a buxom African American coed in the State of Washington. Having seen the image of the package, most African American men instantly knew that is had to be a hoax since the Congressman is a left wing Jewish man and clearly "could not measure up" to the expectations of the Afro American coed. Additionally, the minor Weiner had recently married one of Hilary Clinton's staffers and it is well known that he would have to be a sissy boy metro sexual eunuch who was a little short in the pants and therefore it must have been a hacker. Adam lol. Our unfortunate Mr Lepp is in something of a quandary however, he is a Conservative and must naturally outmeasure everybody.

However, this is a civil service position that I would take if it was limited to me working with out female citizens. Adam Always willing to make the sacrifice for my country right or wrong especially when it is this kind of wrong You are a truly evil man. You force me to report that up here, in the bastion of respectability which I stanchly uphold, a photo of a penis, allegedly that of one of our politicians, has appeared on the internets. The story is murky.The phone was stolen, says the owner of the phone on which the photo was taken. Stolen after a gathering where I was "shaken and jostled" by a crowd. The photo if it is of me was taken by the shaking and jostling action in my pocket where my phone was. One of my favourite legislators, Peter Korman, took the opportunity to propose a motion to the provincial parliament: "That the Speaker forthwith ban all Blackberries from the legislative chamber, for the privacy of the members."

Solopassion tops this weeks crop of victors, with two awards going to Lindsay Perigo. We could combine them and just give him one, but that would be petty and small of us, and we are physically and psychologically incapable of getting any pettier and smaller. BACKPATTING AWARD: Linz generously shares his fanmail with the world. A nice rest from having to make it up himself. WAY TO GO CAREER MOVE: Linz is now propagandist-in-chief for a political party in New Zealand. We don't know if it's a paying gig or not but we hope it works out for him. INVECTIVE THREE-WAY AWARD; Darren, Olivia and some other guy on Solopassion (ongoing series). Well, obviously its not that solo. Other awards - SHAME ON YOU YOU YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AN OBJECTIVIST WRITER AWARD: Ed Cline, Rule of Reason Blog Either Mr Cline does not respect the trademarked intellectual property rights of Go-Kart, or he cannot spell it. "OFT WAS THOUGHT BUT NE'ER SO WELL EXPRESSED" Award Ba'al Chaatzaf, Objectivist Living "The government has no business down our crotches."

That's nothing to what her reaction would be picking up a copy of Atlas Shrugged and seeing that Peikoff had slapped an Introduction onto it. --Brant I hate to say this, but I suspect that Rand would not have disagreed with or objected to virtually anything that Peikoff has done, said, or written since her death. Ghs That's as damning an indictment of Rand as I've ever seen. Shayne I don't regard my remark as much of an "indictment" at all. Rand was an authentic genius, and what is genius, in the final analysis, except a type of intellectual eccentricity? Rare is the genius who is "normal" in other respects. You choose your words carefully here. Yes, genius can be described as a type of intellectual eccentricity. Or, a genius is a human being , some aspect of whose humanity is distorted. Yet regular non-geniuses all have our eccentricities and distortions, and contrive to conceal or adapt them to be "normal." Or to exaggerate them to flout the "normal"-- or we just think we are normal, since they are our own characteristics, and everybody else is weird. Your second sentence also is dubious. History abounds with geniuses who were otherwise normal - Mozart and Austen come to mind; though I believe it is true that extreme eccentricity and outright mental illness are more common in geniuses and their families than in the general population. Still, I don't think your conclusion that we should judge Rand by different standards bears out.In her normal interactions with other people,except maybe the geniuses, we should judge her by normal standards.

Poignant. I remember the guy on our street when I was six who gave me a ride on his motorcycle. Died in Korea in an accident on the unloading docks. I remember my SF classmate Robert Johnson who got his legs blown off at Con Thien whose last words, full of IV tubes waiting for a medevac, were, "I'm sorry." I remember John Mayo who got a chest full of bullets. I remember David Boyd who got a bullet almost right between the eyes. Bullets whistle or they crack or they hit you. I think the close ones crack on their way to hopefully, nobody, that SOB, nobody. --Brant I remember the boy I played Jeopardy with, who could have been Robert or John or David.

Uh, OK. Sure. You do know that if I should lose this bet,I would absolutely pay up, unless I didn't happen to have any money eh, right?

Which novels did you have in mind? Some novels may be autobiographical, but most are not. The fact that novelists typically draw from their own experiences does not make the books they write autobiographies in any meaningful sense. Consider We the Living. This novel obviously has some autobiographical aspects to it, but it is not an autobiography of Ayn Rand. Rand's other novels, such as Atlas Shrugged, lack even these autobiographical features, for the most part. Ghs I meant not a standard-type autobio but the novel as an expression of the novelist's psychology and intelligence. --Brant We the Living was her best novel. Qua novel, as she would have said.

Dang, what did I miss? Actually, a G-rated avatar pic that Brant uses from time to time. It's ready for a return, I figger. If you mean, what sweetness and innocence might you have missed in Brant, well, we see it here: in his real-life encounters with other humans he has been a soldier and a care-giver, a family man with deep loyalties and an individual in the maw of a war dragon. His instincts are to peace and order without coercion because he has seen the blade edge of coercion and he did not like it. His impulses are humanitarian and thus innocent of a thirst to revenge or punish, thus actually sweet and peaceable in personal devotion to his human values. I would definitely elect Brant as Sheriff of New OL-istan! Sorry Brant, you are now a Sacred Iglovian. It doesn't hurt, honest. Ask Tony and Adam, whatever you think about his epistemology, trust him on pain.

I agree with you. Whatever else we may think, she is walking her talk. And whatever else we may think is so much fun.

Carol, Did this actually happen? I know that Canadians can do strange things, having lived with one for 10 years, but lugging the carcass of a deer into a kitchen seems a bit much. Ghs George, it did not. What happened was, she brought in the deer, or most of it, which verifiably she had shot herself, somewhat cut up and wrapped in newspaper. I also remember her dressed in her late husband's plaid hunting shirt, cap and pants, after a hunt. And in various of his other garments. That I chose (unconsciously at the time) to write the incident this way, is what set me thinking about the self-truth issue. PS If you lived with a Canadian for 10 years you may be eligible for some form of pension. Us taxpayersare happy to pay.

What, no takers? You force me to expand into the market of, "Onair News Reports we Ought to see": "Mrs O'Hanlon,or as you have invited me to call you Bunty, shortly after being diagnosed with terminal synaesthesia, you lost your entire family in a tragic accident, every last person. Can you tell us how that felt?" "Yes I can Meredith, there are so many words that describe exactly how I felt, and still feel now... I remember them all"

Cousin Philip? My cousins are named Claude and Eustace, and those are your sons, you fiend in human shape! Or have you forgotten them, having banished both to South Africa just for getting expelled from Eton? Bertie EDIT: well I'll be...I was about to lecture you about how if you're going to do Wodehouse characters you'd better get your facts right, and according to Wikipedia Claude and Eustace aren't Aunt Agatha's actual progeny. I'm going to check the stories, I'm really surprised I got something like that wrong. It is Aunt Agatha who orders Bertie to house the miscreants before their ship sails for South Africa, I'm sure of that much. Coulda sworn she was the mother of those hounds from hell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatole_(Jeeves_character)#Claude_and_Eustace_Wooster We may need the help of Tony (WHYnot) in this delicate matter. Although he has been exiled for many years I am sure he has not entirely gone native, the blood of the Woosters is stouter than South African Stout.

I'm sure Jeeves will have contrived to destroy the shirt before chapter 15 commences. You wouldn't believe what he did with my purple socks! Bertie Indeed I would believe it. Your Cousin Philip told me what Jeeves did to his red socks before he was banished to the Colonies. He was only an Under=Butler then. Impertinence I called it at the time, and impertinence I call it now. Aunt A

They're all big names, with recordings, videos etc. except the second to last one, haven't heard of him (he played Masetto). Mattila's really big at the Met, doing Manon Lescaut and Salome. I saw her in Jenufa there, a while back. She's good looking enough to really do such roles justice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pstGxMFaR8M 'm guessing that Ildebrando (the real one) played Leporello. Yes/no? Incidentally when I saw Ewa Podles she played Caeser. Carolia divisia in partes tres, she/he conquered all three of them.

One of Binswanger’s tales, I don’t recall where I read or heard it, is that he used to play Scrabble with Ayn Rand late in her life. He says that she was completely uncompetitive, and that she would play in a kind of collaborative way, making suggestions to her opponent, and not trying to win. Ninth, I was assuming the scrabble reference was a lead-in for his vignette on family dynamic which followed. The postscript was obviously a quote, which I didn't happen to recognize. In translation my post reads "Brant, I don't know the context here, but this is a fine post which I enjoyed reading." His reply about the burning insulation I took to mean "Thanks". Sorry if I pitched a cropper here, and mucked up your pleasant little chat. I was just trying to help out a bit, but you know what they say, no good deed goes unpunished. I'll just slink away now, with an upbeat what ho! I should certainly think you would. Get yourself to the Manor before cocktails, and for heaven's sake change that shirt, what is Jeeves thinking of? --Aunt Agatha

Over on another thread, misspelled. I think I remember which thread, but I probably don't.

Accepting congrats again. The Saint John Sea Dogs have won the Memorial Cup, which at age 102 is older than the Stanley Cup. In junior hockey terms it is the equivalent of the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series this year, for the first time...ever. After a century the Atlantic Region has won the championship, so it now is truly a national award. Icing on my personal cake, Saint John is a few kilometres from my hometown in the gallant province of New Brunswick. The day before the final game, one of the star Sea Dogs learned that he had been drafted by the senior league. Not to the Canucks or Redwings in the NHL though. The Russian senior league. As yet untrained in Meathead Media Relations, the unfortunate lad spoke to the press. "I don't want to go there, that's for sure," he said.

You inspired me to pull out the program (it's in a file cabinet next to the computer, so not such a big deal). October 19, 2004 Bryn Terfel Karita Mattila Susan Graham Ildebrando D'Arcangelo Kurt Streit Isabel B Kyle Ketelsen Andrew Davis And yeah, it was as good as it looks. The tenor, Kurt Streit, actually got the biggest ovation, and deserved it. Yum, yum, yum. I've never heard any of them except Terfel (quadruple yum), Graham and Davis. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo! Could he ever have become anything but an opera singer with such a name? Maybe he didn't even want to be. Imagine him at fourteen: Papa, try to understand, I'm going to apply to dental school.I want to be a dentist, not a bass-baritone! Papa: Aieeee!! (Whap, whap). Shuddup your mouth. I didn't hear those words, your Mama! She be here now and not dead you kill her. Ilde: I'm sick and tired of voice lessons! The guys at school make fun of me, the girls won't go out with me, Professor Carabinieri has bad breath. P: (Whap) Carabinieri the finest teacher in this part of the city. What we go through to make him take you, you never know...nevermind those stupida kids, they no laugh when you headline at La Scala. And girls they go out with you plenty, beautiful ones not like that puta Tracy next door with the tattoos and never no clothes on. Maria Callas she like you, they laugh at her and she was fat, but when she an opera star, Aristotle Onassis he go out with her. I: Who..that ugly old Greek guy? P: His billion dollars no so ugly! Ildebrando, Ildebrando... that name for the headlights in Milan, London, New York, not some lowrise with a big tooth on it in Moose Jaw! I: But Papa... you never listen to me, you don't care what I want... P: I listen plenty when you singa good. And I know what you want,the same thing I want, you wanna get to the Conservatory for your lesson on time for a change. Where your music? Why can you never leave it on the piano where it supposed to be? (Whap)

One of Binswanger's tales, I don't recall where I read or heard it, is that he used to play Scrabble with Ayn Rand late in her life. He says that she was completely uncompetitive, and that she would play in a kind of collaborative way, making suggestions to her opponent, and not trying to win. Ninth, I was assuming the scrabble reference was a lead-in for his vignette on family dynamic which followed. The postscript was obviously a quote, which I didn't happen to recognize. In translation my post reads "Brant, I don't know the context here, but this is a fine post which I enjoyed reading." His reply about the burning insulation I took to mean "Thanks". The quote is a quote or close paraphrase for one of the closing lines in Fargo in which the one-step behind but persistent female cop is expositioning to her prisoner whom she had shot in the leg. In other words, rather than play Ayn Rand (or anybody, but especially her) Scrabble, I'd take a walk in the park--or the subway to The Cloisters. --Brant It's getting like Rashomon around here.

One of Binswanger’s tales, I don’t recall where I read or heard it, is that he used to play Scrabble with Ayn Rand late in her life. He says that she was completely uncompetitive, and that she would play in a kind of collaborative way, making suggestions to her opponent, and not trying to win. Ninth, I was assuming the scrabble reference was a lead-in for his vignette on family dynamic which followed. The postscript was obviously a quote, which I didn't happen to recognize. In translation my post reads "Brant, I don't know the context here, but this is a fine post which I enjoyed reading." His reply about the burning insulation I took to mean "Thanks".

George, thank you. Please keep trying. I gave up trying years ago, and that someone of your abilities would undertake the task is an honour I do not deserve. Apologies for the sloppy editing. I just noticed the extra m in the topic title and a missing word in the post. The m is one of the letters still missing from my keyboard and it disappears and reappears at will. I would never actually write a memoir,(except micromini like this one) though as I said on PM recently I think everybody should write one, and I think that's worth saying again on the the board. I don't say everyone should publish one. But everyone should write their own life story, it's good for us. The old saw that everyone should write a book, have a child, build a house , and (what's the other one? I'm sure there are four of them), to live a full life, I think like most cliches has a metaphorical truth that is adjustable for the time you live in. You should tell your own story. You should have a connection with the generation after you, through the body or through the spirit or the mind. As to the house, I don't know what you should do, though. Maybe just go camping once in a while. George, I haven't checked, but my impression is that you are writing a memoir or autobio. judging from some of your reminiscences here that I have come across, it should be jaw-droppingly interesting, to borrow an adjective from one of my favourite publications, the National Enquirer. In seriousness, I've been thinking about the process of writing the internal story from memory, and how complex it is. "In the beginning I was born" is about the only absolutely true, incontrovertible sentence one can ever write, it seems to me. And it's already been written. If you've had any stray thoughts along this line, please share. I discussed my plans for an autobiography -- Sex, Drugs, and Philosophy: In Pursuit of a Hedonistic Life -- in the plagiarism thread; and though I wrote some fragments and notes at that time, I realistically don't know if I shall ever complete it. The main problem here is failure of nerve. There would be no point in writing such a book unless it were brutally honest -- unless, that is, it contains both the pros and cons of the type of life I decided to live while in my early twenties -- and dredging up all those memories would mean reliving some very painful events. Writing an autobiography is a tricky matter. Unless you are so famous that enough people are inherently interested in your life, most people don't really care about what you did. Autobiographies are typically apologies (in the sense of a justification or defense of one's actions), and this has led some historians to claim that autobiographies should not even be classified as "history," given how unreliable and biased they are. I tend to agree with this, to a point, but I would argue that the best autobiographies are largely internal accounts. That is to say, they largely focus on the thoughts and emotions of the writer; and, when well done, they can qualify as good, or even great, literature, if not as accurate history. An internal autobiography requires a certain type of mind, namely, one that is intensely introspective. Relatively few political or military figures have developed this ability, which is why I usually find the autobiographies they write to be boring. Among the writers who did have this ability, and who were able to translate their memories into writing, I would include Augustine, Rousseau, Thomas De Quincey, J.S. Mill, Herbert Spencer, and George Orwell. (Victorians tended to write excellent autobiographies, probably because many of them were pathologically introspective, which is a trait I identify with.) Herbert Spencer pinpointed the basic problem in the preface to his massive, two-volume work, An Autobiography. An autobiography, Spencer wrote, is necessarily "egotistic, because it exhibits a person who is "continually talking about himself" -- which means that it will be "inevitably defective as lacking facts of importance, and still more as giving imperfect or untrue interpretations of those facts which it contains." Spencer concludes: "The reader has to discount the impression produced as well as he can." Another writer who was acutely aware of the problems involved was J.J. Rousseau, in The Confessions. He was brutally honest about himself to a degree that few if any modern writers would dare to be; e.g., he discusses his obsession with being sexually dominated by a woman and his compulsion to expose himself. Rousseau notes that, even as an adult, he was "still a child in many ways." He further observes that "objects generally make less impression on me than does the memory of them," which is why the events of his childhood were more relevant to explaining his character than the events of his later life. Rousseau continues: More, much more, could be said on this topic, but I don't know how much interest OLers have in autobiographies and the problems involved in writing them. I will therefore stop for now. Ghs Thank you for this response. Many things strike me. Of the ones you cite , I have only read two of them, Augustine and Orwell. Orwell I revere, he seems incapable of writing an untrue sentence. Augustine, I am glad that God made him good after he had had his fun. Another is the brutal honesty reference. That is really the heart of it. Honesty is brutal, and writers if they choose to write must also choose on whom to inflict the brutality, or rather, how to distribute it- on their loved ones or on themselves, if they essay autobiography. I'd never dare.

re the extra wives, do you like Big Love? I think it's great. Loved it. I thought it treated the poly issue as intelligently as possible. I agree. For me it is still a contuing series, I am getting reruns on HBO. My favourite wife is definitely Nikki, though I kind of hate her.

re the extra wives, do you like Big Love? I think it's great.

Just thinking about being in Hawaii is reducing my stress level, which I didn't have in the first place.