October 28, 2007
don't worry about the government
It's been gloriously rainy in Columbia this week and I've been living on tea and toast this week, besides occasional visits to the local restaurants (I have a great neighborhood). Finally it's cold and now I remember why I live here, because cold isn't too fun. Makes you tense.
Hope came over here last night, to see the Dracula ballet. It was ridiculous, but hilarious. Lots of synthesizers, not much clothes, which seems pretty common for vampires. Also, apparently tossing one's hair is de rigueur for the women of the undead. After the ballet we went to see the new Elizabeth movie (we had to do everything all at once since Hope went home after church today). I liked it, the historical story and the subplot. Part of that might have been the costumes, but Cate Blanchett was amazing, and Samantha Morton as Mary Queen of Scots. And I have a weakness for stories of court intrigues. I honestly don't remember the first movie so I really can't compare them. I wonder if they'll do a third and bring in Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare and the dudes. Those were the good Elizabethan times.
And yes, we saw Stephen Colbert this morning. It was crazy at the horseshoe (USC's quad), so many people up so early. There was no stage or anything, so it was hard to see. People were climbing trees and steps to get a better view. People were holding signs, someone had one that said "I skipped mass for Colbert." They played The Battle Hymn of the Republic like twenty times, it seemed a little strange to me for South Carolina, but I think it was for the "his truth is marching on" part. There was a lot of call and response shouting in preparation for Colbert's appearance, but most of it just turned into "Go Cocks!" Then he came out and, after being named South Carolina's favorite son (today is officially Stephen Colbert Favorite Son day in South Carolina) and given a key to the city, he regaled us with his plans for when he becomes president. He will apparently crush Georgia, and Tennessee for good measure, and South Carolina will take it's rightful place as peach capital of the world (somehow he worked in shrimp capital of the world, too, but I can't remember where that came from). "South Carolina" he said, "in the 19th century they were the first to secede, in the 21st century they will be the first to succeed." "First to secede, first to succeed. I'm reserving the rights to that phrase, if you want to use it you have to pay me royalties." In closing he said, "I want to leave you all with our state motto--" "Go Cocks!" someone shouted. "I can't improve on that," he said, "Go Cocks!"
October 26, 2007
I like living in South Carolina, it pays.
So I just got this email:
Wanted to let you know that the Mayor invited Stephen Colbert, of The Colbert Report (seen on Comedy Central) to come to Columbia. If you are familiar with him, he is a political satirist/comedian, who has announced his intentions to run for President in South Carolina, his home state (he is from Charleston). He accepted the Mayor's invitation and will be here this Sunday, October 28th for a couple of events. The one we are involved with will be held on the USC Horseshoe at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The Mayor will be presenting Stephen with a proclamation and key to the city and "introducing him to voters". It should be interesting and entertaining. We would love to have a big crowd there so please try to come if you can! Please feel free to share this message with others.
Brilliant. Anything that involves the mayor, Stephen Colbert, and my school sounds like a good idea. Also, keys to the city. Getting out of bed that early on Sunday morning . . . might be worth it.
P.S. I'd still go Obama/O'Brien before I'd vote for Colbert and anyone, especially because I have the sneaking suspicion that it would be Ron Paul. And I'm getting pissed off at the wooden spray-painted, painted bedsheet, etc. home-made material of your choice Ron Paul signs everywhere. Why don't these people just move to Montana. I though Y2K was supposed to rid us of the libertarians. They were all supposed to go into their basements and stay there, for like the next thirty years.
October 19, 2007
October 14, 2007
the basement of meaning theory
We've read several articles by Jerry Fodor in my Philosophy of Language class. His style is probably how we'd all like to write if we could get away with it as gracefully as he does. This quote is from the introduction of "Why Meaning (Probably) Isn't Conceptual Role" (coauthored with Ernest Lepore):
Accordingly, this paper is about not semantics but the philosophy of language. Some of us have been poking around in the basement of meaning theory, and we seem to have discovered a large, nasty crack; as far as we can tell, one of the foundation stones is coming unstuck. We thought we'd better tell you about it before things get worse.
We'll proceed as follows: First we'll try to say where in the foundations the problem is located; then we'll try to say what the problem is; and then we'll make a suggestion or two about what to do about the problem. The first part of the discussion will be very broad; the second part will be rather more specific; the third part will be practically nonexistent.
Here goes.
October 5, 2007
dancing like maniacs
I just spent about two hours this morning watching Talking Heads videos on YouTube. This is amazing, I haven't really listened to Talking Heads before, but man yeah! and check out those dance moves! I'm having flashbacks to Rock-er-cize. This is the most amazing thing ever! I just want to get Stop Making Sense and a big screen in a big room with a lot of people and have a crazy crazy dancing time.
Once In A Lifetime:
Burning Down the House/Life in Wartime (the second song has the craziest dancing):
Girlfriend is Better: