I am but a Silhouette in my own Masterpiece Theatre

I am just toodling along, preparing for class, continuing to grapple with the job market (I am staving off worry about the tenure-track jobs I haven’t heard back from by applying for a bevy of post-doc and visiting positions), and generally trying to catch up on all the wee life issues I let slide while I was manically working on that full length draft I submitted to my advisor a week ago. Meanwhile, my advisor is a man of superhuman ability and kindness and he has already read the whole monstrously long thing and returned it to me with his notes. So it is time to leap back into the dissertation fray once more.

Meanwhile, since I haven’t finished reading or watching anything of late (although I think I might owe you some reviews from a while back), a few notes on things I have found interesting as I have dipped my toe in the waters of internet goodness after many months away:

Michael Billington (all too briefly) enters into an age-old debate about whether fiction (and specifically the novel) is better than drama. (The battle that emerged in the comments section is also particularly engaging.) Must we rank our pleasures, people??

This is my favorite Carolina moment of recent memory, sent to me by D to cheer me up amidst my work woes: our star player, Tyler Hansbrough, had leapt acrobatically into our own bench after a loose ball, twisting in midair to fling it back onto the court before it was officially out of bounds. In the process, he managed to sit his enormous form directly on Coach Roy Williams’ lap. The looks on every single face in this shot are so highly characterized that they recall Kabuki makeup. Really, even if you think you aren't interested in basketball, take a look. It is like a Hogarth print (Hogarthian sample - from "The Rake's Progress" - conveniently provided at the right).


Last, but certainly not least: Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre (courtesy of 50 Books). It combines the sensibility of LOLCats with the macabre archness of Edward Gorey. Flock ye to it most speedily!

5 Responses so far.

  1. Anonymous says:

    The link to the Silhouette Masterpiece Theater was exactly what I needed to brighten my otherwise kind of crummy day. Well, that and the pic of the Carolina player. (Which made me even happier when I realized that March Madness is right around the corner!).

    Good luck with the diss work and job situation! :)

  2. Must we rank our pleasures, people??

    I've never understood the point of that. Just enjoy them!

  3. I am glad you also found them day-brightening, Sarah! It is proving to be a long, hard week without Carolina basketball. I too can hardly wait until March Madness is upon us.

    Heather: I too have never understood the point of pleasure-ranking. Surely it is apples and oranges: not all aspect of life or culture bring the same things to us, so how can we compare the quality of what they bring in these quantitative terms?

  4. Anonymous says:

    Well, this blog entry encapsulates the reasons I love to read Sycorax Pine: that you could equate the picture of Tyler Hansford with the Hogarth - and make me laugh out loud - is worth the price of my monthly internet connection!
    Thanks (and now I'm back to re-watch Tyler's happy dance after the long shot - another great moment in instant replay history)

  5. Gracie, you are the nicest; you always boost my self-esteem at a particularly crucial moment. I am glad you are enjoying my account of the Tyler-saga (and I hope that the saga continues for the next week or so).

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