First, I think that this . . . well, frankly I don’t know what to think. I’ve been looking at it on amazon for the better part of a week now and just can’t decide how to feel about it. Obviously this is a giant leap in the advancement of human development. Don’t get me wrong, I am completely repulsed by this, but its sheer existence says something. I’m not sure what. I’m tempted to click “buy” out of spite but don’t think I’d be able to watch it to make a more formative analysis. This really is a case for someone like Chuck Klosterman (and I grew out of my need to ape his writing quirks a couple years ago… at least I hope I did).

Next, as I mentioned yesterday, this week’s book club was of the usual mind blowing variety. A smaller crowd than usual, but I have a feeling the book pushed back against many of our usual attendees. If anything, I’m now left with a feeling of envy that us western folk are relegated to kick around phrases “magic” and “spirits” simply because we need to label that which isn’t natural to us. That is, concepts of spirituality and spells and magic are foreign to commofidied, “proper” Yanks. We give these concepts fancy terms to show we don’t believe they happen, even though Taussig argues they not only happen but they essentially help run or propel the happenings of the ever ubiquitous and undefined “state.” I’d have more to say on this except for the fact that I’m reluctant to say I fully understood the text…which I also suspect was intentional on the author’s part.

Spent a good deal of my afternoon watching this and the other linked exhibits. Just great.

Spent a good deal of the morning subjecting my students to the new Saul Williams album. While I’m not as smitten with it as Ms. Rogers, it is a remarkable album. Wish the album had more Thavius and less Trent…sacrilegious? Probably.