Our Office This Morning

The blinds were closed when we got to the office today, which is a first. Frankly, we’re a little concerned. And it’s making us paranoid. Meanwhile, questions run through our head: What is the cleaning staff hiding? Is something buried in the pine straw? SomeONE? But enough about us. Let’s talk to the writer of the moment (courtesy of the Man Booker Prize!), Hilary Mantel. She must have an answer. Or maybe not. After all, even Yale is slightly paranoid. Ann Lauterbach’s poetry helps us deal with anxiety, even if you still want to run away from your troubles. Speaking of which, are you looking for a new city to live in? We’ve got just the book to help you pick the most suitable place. Paranoia aside (we’ll spare you our tangent on our current weaning-off-of-coffee adventures), we’re asking questions, and so is Padgett Powell — in the mighty return of “In Case You Missed It,” Brian Barr interrogates the man, the myth, the legend — Mr. Powell himself. Finally, and after a deep breath, we’ve realized the blinds in our office are closed because they need dusting. Where’s the story there? –Andrew Geer

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Reading: An Eye Squinting Task

Language is our persuasion. And to commemorate our persuasion we present a series of articles on the written word: We may not agree with the writings of William Safire, but he’s proven that a college education is not required for weaving words and avoiding Sheridan’s Mrs. Malaprop. The Boston Globe treads daily in a pool of less-than-viral-words, Wikipedia might not exist without Samuel Johnson’s lexicography, and, in absolutely no honor of Mr. Johnson, Roman Polanski’s Wikipedia page has gone offline. P.J. O’Rourke — the quintessential Woodstock generation sellout — thinks the word “Altamont” defines Woodstock. Finally, In Case You Missed It, a review of strikingly old-century verbiage pits James Joyce in the same corner as The Atlantic . All told, it’s words to chew on. – Andrew Geer

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Our Political Beliefs Are Boring

The publishing debate carries on. We here at DSM say viva print, viva digital. Last night, our president spoke on another divisive issue: health care reform. The U.S. is divided. Intellectuals are a splintered group, but they seem to unite in their antipathy for Google’s book search. Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses exemplified American partisanship. Look at nature, it’ll give you an idea of the empathy we need. Medicine will help. If not now, then in the future. At least it helps us remember that other opinions exist. And, In Case You Missed It, David Brooks lauds National Affairs, a new quarterly examining the morals of the current socio-political atmosphere. Now, posthaste, we merge back into the left lane. – Andrew Geer

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Pay Attention In Church, Or Else

Our supreme leader, and editor, seems to think we contribute a decidedly leftist take on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But this week we’ve got Wednesday, so we’ll avoid politics. Or try to. Instead we’ll talk about another conversational no-no: religion. And since we’re playing Kevin, we’ll start with Catholicism. His name is Murphy, he’s Irish, and he’s from Boston. You do the math. Her name is Margaret O’Brien Steinfels and her mind matured in a Chicago filled with Catholicism and political activity. A man after our heart, Philip Pullman continues to rabble rouse with The Scoundrel Christ. A study of Chinese children debunks any theories that morality is rooted in cultural and religious values. Dr. Frankenstein took a shot at playing God. And R. Crumb’s rendering of the Book of Genesis is finally coming to the bookshelves. In Case You Missed It, here’s an old interview with Mr. Crumb. – Andrew Geer

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Not Messy Enough To Be Our Home

We’ve spent time on the endless debate between print and digital reading. You know our stance. For the most part, we’d rather flip pages than click them. Then we moved. And it took four days. Three were spent on books. 90% of which went straight to the attic. 85% of those will never come out of their boxes. We have trouble throwing things away, and not one of our four copies of Billy Budd will ever leave its box. The attic is a battlefield for the music fight as well. The iPod contains all of our music, but the CDs, tapes and records remain. Like books, we can’t bear to throw them away. Pitchfork offers track reviews as well as album ones. We prefer listening to an entire album. Kid A may have been one of the last. The technological innovation of our media brings White Noise to mind, but Percival Everett is not Don DeLillo, nor is he Ralph Ellison. We wonder which is easier to steal, a physical book or a digital one. Now that the future is here, depression is rising. Need someone who understands? Louise Glück! And, In Case You missed It, here’s Thurston Moore talking about his book, No Wave. Watch for paper cuts. – Andrew Geer

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