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I started Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog this week and quickly fell in love with it. I also have a copy of the 1988 Russian movie that I hope to watch this weekend. For anyone not familiar with this short novel, it “tells the story of a scroungy Moscow mongrel named Sharik. Thanks to the […]
“I’m feeling thankful for the small things today” While I was gone from home the boys developed colds, the dog tried to have puppies, and I am overwhelmed by the emails and voice mails that are piled up at work. Be that as it may, I will still celebrate the start of my 50th year […]
Sergey Larenkov has overlaid recent photographs of St. Petersburg with pictures taken during the Leningrad siege of World War II. In keeping the same location and perspective, the juxtaposition can be eerie and moving. Not all the combinations work, but the ones that do are a fascinating blend of past and present. Part One Part […]
Picture source The first of several summer family trips will keep me away from the computer over an extended weekend. Withdrawl pangs start in 10… 9…
In 249 BC the Roman consul Publius Claudius Pulcher—a man variously described as being mentally unstable, an arrogant snob and a drunk—decided to launch an attack on the Carthaginian-held port of Drepana [on Sicily]. The mission got off to a rocky start when the sacred chickens used to gauge divine favour went off their feed, […]
The lack of recent posts is tied to summer fun with the family and too much work, not to lack of reading. Hopefully I’ll be able to post on the following books/chapters before an upcoming trip: Book 4 of The Histories–the Scythian chapter, or Darius invades Europe. After finishing this chapter my first time through […]
I have wanted to mention The Classics Circuit‘s current focus on imperial Russian literature, so I’ll do that now. Having recently read and enjoyed some of the books that will be reviewed I look forward to seeing others’ comments on them as well as adding more books to my “To Be Read” stack. I will […]
Published in 1965, the scans from The Recently Deflowered Girl at Bitten Nails Design & Illustration brought back memories of several upscale, tongue-in-cheek “racy” books from the ’60s. Not that I was old enough to understand the few I saw, of course. For a fun diversion, check out Mel Juffee’s….I mean Hyacinthe Phypps’ advice and […]
Work has been overwhelming lately (just finished a round of funding and an audit starts next week), which has meant almost no time to read. Hopefully things will slow down in a few weeks. In the meantime and to mark his passing, here are a couple of scans from Art Linkletter’s book. My favorite moments […]
Someone put this up at a bus stop near where I work. I hope they know it causes a smile every day: Bus StopSanta Clara, California