{"id":3220,"date":"2009-01-12T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2009-01-12T10:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=3220"},"modified":"2009-01-11T21:32:41","modified_gmt":"2009-01-12T02:32:41","slug":"what-it-is-11209","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/what-it-is-11209","title":{"rendered":"What It Is: 1\/12\/09"},"content":{"rendered":"

What I’m reading:<\/em> I tried Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Unknown Terrorist<\/a>\"\", but quit after 35 pages. I don’t know how to put it exactly, but the prose itself was hateful. I really don’t get the Kundera pastiche in the first 2 pages, either. Anyway, life’s too short for shitty novels, so I’ll stick with Montaigne for the moment.<\/p>\n

What I’m listening to:<\/em> A new Mad Mix I just finished putting together.<\/p>\n

What I’m watching:<\/em> Finishing up season 2 of Arrested Development<\/a>\"\".<\/p>\n

What I’m drinking:<\/em> Blue Point’s Toasted Lager and my above-standard G&Ts.<\/p>\n

What Rufus is up to:<\/em> No hike this week, due to snow! Aaiee!<\/p>\n

Where I’m going:<\/em> Nowhere in particular.<\/p>\n

What I’m happy about:<\/em> Getting birthday wishes from a bazillion friends and my family yesterday. Thanks, everybody! I hope 38 is as fun as 37 was!<\/p>\n

What I’m sad about:<\/em> That my uncle in Israel is likely going to need bypass surgery. This means that Dad and both<\/em> of his brothers have needed this procedure. Looks like I better add red wine to my What I’m drinking<\/em> section. (Oh, and the Giants lost to the Eagles. Grr.)<\/p>\n

What I’m pondering:<\/em> Whether Sting knows how bad he looks.<\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/p>\n

(AP Photo\/NBC,Paul Drinkwater)<\/cite><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What I’m reading: I tried Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Unknown Terrorist, but quit after 35 pages. I don’t know how to put it exactly, but the prose itself was hateful. I really don’t get the Kundera pastiche in the first 2 pages, either. Anyway, life’s too short for shitty novels, so I’ll stick with Montaigne … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “What It Is: 1\/12\/09”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[513,514],"class_list":["post-3220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-richard-flanagan","tag-sting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4C7K-PW","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13077,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/covid-check-in-with-richard-kadrey","url_meta":{"origin":3220,"position":0},"title":"COVID Check-In with Richard Kadrey","author":"Gil","date":"April 5, 2020","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show COVID Check-In: Richard Kadrey \"I've been working at home for 15 years now, but the moment someone told me I couldn't leave, it screwed me up.\" Urban fantasy horror writer Richard Kadrey checks in from San Francisco. We talk about how self-isolation impacts his writing, the history\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "COVID Check-In"","block_context":{"text":"COVID Check-In","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/covid-check-in"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadreycovidcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C561&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadreycovidcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C561&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadreycovidcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C561&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadreycovidcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C561&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadreycovidcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C561&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11716,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-284-richard-kadrey","url_meta":{"origin":3220,"position":1},"title":"Episode 284 – Richard Kadrey","author":"Gil","date":"August 26, 2018","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 284: Richard Kadrey \"The most creative people I know are the ones who figured it out for themselves.\" On the eve of the publication of his 10th (!) Sandman Slim novel, Hollywood Dead, Richard Kadrey joins the show to talk about discovering himself as a series writer,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "literature"","block_context":{"text":"literature","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/literature"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/RK-300-DPI-CROPPED-6x4-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C993&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/RK-300-DPI-CROPPED-6x4-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C993&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/RK-300-DPI-CROPPED-6x4-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C993&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/RK-300-DPI-CROPPED-6x4-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C993&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/RK-300-DPI-CROPPED-6x4-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C993&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15549,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-505-richard-butner","url_meta":{"origin":3220,"position":2},"title":"Episode 505 – Richard Butner","author":"Gil","date":"September 20, 2022","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 505: Richard Butner \"I don't visit my home town that often, and when I do, there's that feeling that takes your breath away. Like the ghost towns that underlie or overlay the town's current state. It's an image and a feeling that I can't get away from.\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/butnercomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/butnercomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/butnercomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/butnercomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/butnercomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12894,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-362-richard-kadrey","url_meta":{"origin":3220,"position":3},"title":"Episode 362 – Richard Kadrey","author":"Gil","date":"February 15, 2020","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 362: Richard Kadrey \u201cI try to tell young writers, \u2018Do not fetishize your world-building.\u2019 I\u2019ve seen writers think they have to be Tolkien, they have to invent Elvish, before they can start the first page of their book.\u201d With his new novel, The Grand Dark (Harper Voyager),\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "literature"","block_context":{"text":"literature","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/literature"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadrey2020comp.jpg?fit=1168%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadrey2020comp.jpg?fit=1168%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadrey2020comp.jpg?fit=1168%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadrey2020comp.jpg?fit=1168%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/kadrey2020comp.jpg?fit=1168%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3933,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/0-ford","url_meta":{"origin":3220,"position":4},"title":"0-Ford","author":"Gil","date":"May 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I refuse to read this article by Richard Ford on the genesis of his character Frank Bascombe . . . because I've never read a word of Ford's stuff! 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