{"id":5220,"date":"2010-04-19T04:00:11","date_gmt":"2010-04-19T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=5220"},"modified":"2010-04-18T21:34:44","modified_gmt":"2010-04-19T01:34:44","slug":"what-it-is-41910","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/what-it-is-41910","title":{"rendered":"What It Is: 4\/19\/10"},"content":{"rendered":"

What I’m reading:<\/em> Finished that Philosophy of Andy Warhol<\/a>\"\", and read Jim Sturm’s Market Day<\/a>\"\" and Jim Woodring’s Weathercraft<\/a>\"\", along with some stuff from the new issues of the Paris Review<\/a>, Monocle<\/a>, GQ<\/a>, and MacWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What I’m listening to:<\/em> Stop Making Sense<\/a>\"\", Ta-Dah<\/a>\"\", and Oblivion with Bells<\/a>\"\".<\/p>\n

What I’m watching:<\/em> Season premiere of The Deadliest Catch<\/a>, which felt a little too reality-show-y this time around. I’m sure that’ll fall away once they’re out a-crabbin’. I tried watching Julie & Julia<\/a> with my wife, but found the present-day sequences so poorly written that I gave up and went over to my home office to lay out pages for my May ish. One of the big problems, beyond the sheer whininess of the lead character, is that her story seems to be about her travails as she tries to cook her way through all of Julia Childs’ cookbook in a year. But most of the cooking is glossed over in favor of the tenson of trying to keep up her blog and achieve some sort of success. However, we’re watching a movie about the blog and its writer. It’s pretty fucking clear that she succeeded at her project because we’re watching this movie.<\/em> So the focus was utterly in the wrong place and the drama was non-existent. They should’ve focused on the technique of cooking and the revelation of her character through it. Or, as my wife points out, “You can’t really make blogging exciting on film.” But at least the NBA playoffs started this weekend. I’ll let you know how that goes when they wrap up in six months.<\/p>\n

What I’m drinking:<\/em> Not much, as I’m recovering from a sinus infection that led to just about the worst 30-hour stretch in my life. I’m much better now and will shortly commence to drinkin’.<\/p>\n

What Rufus & Otis are up to:<\/em> Getting ready to spend a few days with my pals Sharon & Doug, who promise not to let Otis eat any small dogs while we’re away (except maybe for the yappy one that lives next door to them).<\/p>\n

Where I’m going:<\/em> NYC for the Interphex conference. Several days in a hotel, in suits, inebriated!<\/p>\n

What I’m happy about:<\/em> My alma mater walloped some Navy ass<\/a> at the annual croquet match. Also, I’m not trapped in Europe right now, unlike my production manager and my editorial director.<\/p>\n

What I’m sad about:<\/em> I’ll never be as smooth as John Barrymore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What I’m worried about:<\/em> Ru or Otis will do something embarrassing while they’re houseguests.<\/p>\n

What I’m pondering:<\/em> Why I didn’t become a policeman<\/a>. (Oh, the real reason why is because I can’t grow a mustache. There! I’ve said it! Sob!)<\/em> Also, what I’m going to read during my NYC stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What I’m reading: Finished that Philosophy of Andy Warhol, and read Jim Sturm’s Market Day and Jim Woodring’s Weathercraft, along with some stuff from the new issues of the Paris Review, Monocle, GQ, and MacWorld. What I’m listening to: Stop Making Sense, Ta-Dah, and Oblivion with Bells. What I’m watching: Season premiere of The Deadliest … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “What It Is: 4\/19\/10”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-suburbs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4C7K-1mc","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15678,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-514-jim-ottaviani","url_meta":{"origin":5220,"position":0},"title":"Episode 514 – Jim Ottaviani","author":"Gil","date":"November 19, 2022","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 514: Jim Ottaviani \"He was a terrible husband and a terrible father. And maybe only a so-so friend to most people. At the same time, he did fundamentally change the way we look at the universe.\" Writer Jim Ottaviani rejoins the show to celebrate his new graphic\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\/ottaviani2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottaviani2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottaviani2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottaviani2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottaviani2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16821,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-590-jim-moske","url_meta":{"origin":5220,"position":1},"title":"Episode 590 – Jim Moske","author":"Gil","date":"May 21, 2024","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 590: Jim Moske \"One of the major themes in the book is the dichotomy in the artistic field between fame \u2013 leaving a lasting mark on the culture \u2014 and oblivion.\" With his amazing new book, DEATHS OF ARTISTS (Blast Books), archivist Jim Moske explores art, mortality,\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\/moske2024comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/moske2024comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/moske2024comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/moske2024comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/moske2024comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9688,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-171-jim-ottaviani","url_meta":{"origin":5220,"position":2},"title":"Episode 171 – Jim Ottaviani","author":"Gil","date":"June 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show #171: Jim Ottaviani \"My willingness to pick and choose and throw out stuff that doesn't work for the story may be part of my engineering background.\" Jim Ottaviani joins the show to talk about his new graphic biography, The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded, drawn by Leland\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comic books & strips"","block_context":{"text":"Comic books & strips","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/literature\/comics"},"img":{"alt_text":"jim-ottovianni-03-750","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/jim-ottovianni-03-750-440x293.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9951,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-192-jim-woodring","url_meta":{"origin":5220,"position":3},"title":"Episode 192 – Jim Woodring","author":"Gil","date":"October 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show #192: Jim Woodring \"I have something to live for in the goal of producing this long, fascinating, convoluted, loop-de-loop, metaphysical story arc. And that's the kind of thing that occupies me and makes my days the joyous things they are: living in this screwed-up dream-world that isolates\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\/29738310071_6ba9f7b62f_o.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/29738310071_6ba9f7b62f_o.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/29738310071_6ba9f7b62f_o.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/29738310071_6ba9f7b62f_o.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/29738310071_6ba9f7b62f_o.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12994,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/covid-check-in-jim-ottaviani","url_meta":{"origin":5220,"position":4},"title":"COVID Check-In with Jim Ottaviani","author":"Gil","date":"March 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show COVID Check-In: Jim Ottaviani \"I really don't want to test my introversion and find out where the vein peters out and empties into the magma core of horror.\" Jim Ottaviani, award-winning & best-selling author of graphic novels about scientists (think Hawking, Feynman, Fossey, Turing), provides a COVID\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apes"","block_context":{"text":"Apes","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/apes"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottavianicomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C558&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottavianicomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C558&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottavianicomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C558&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottavianicomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C558&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ottavianicomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C558&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5687,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/who-am-i-4","url_meta":{"origin":5220,"position":5},"title":"Who Am I?","author":"Gil","date":"October 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm the guy who takes his greyhounds on a hike (just about) every Sunday, in\u00c2\u00a0a funny hat and sunglasses. 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