The Magic Mountain

I read The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann, this last quarter. I found it long and fairly difficult, but also rewarding and intriguing. It's the sort of book where nothing really happens, in the Hollywood sense, but the characters are well-developed and the book delves into some really interesting philosophy. I especially liked the way the book dealt with time as a subjective phenomenon. This occurs as the visit of the book's protagonist, Hans Castorp, to an Alpine sanatorium prolongs itself from an initial visit of a couple of weeks to months, then years. The first days and weeks are described in great detail, in pages of impressions, character development, and scenery. As time goes on, the book moves more quickly, with entire years passing by almost unnoted. This parallels the way that time seems to move slowly at first when one enters a new situation, then speeds up as routine sets in.
I received the book from my high school debate teacher, then waited 6 years to finish reading it (see "long and fairly difficult"). It was worth it.

Scientists in Taiwan have genetically modified 3 pigs to glow green. Even their internal organs are green. Now that's what I call a green revolution.
By the way, Fluorescent Pork would be a great name for a rock band.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

That's fear of Friday the 13th and also my new favorite word. How would you like to have a psychologist (or is that a psychiatrist?) diagnose that one?

Iron Lion Zion--Why?

Iron Lion Zion is one of my favorite Bob Marley songs because
1. It's catchy, mostly because of the repetition of Bob being "Iron like a Lion in Zion" and the grooving backup singers.
2. It reminds me of Utah, which is, of course, Zion to every believing Mormon.
3. It succeeds in rhyming Iron and Lion. This only works if you are Jamaican.
4. It has great lines like "I am on the rock and then I check a stock/ I have to run like a fugitive to save the life I live/ I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion." Come on, what does that mean anyway?

Ten things I like about Stanford

#1. Stanford has helped me discover what my favorite bird is: the Western Scrub Jay. I had noticed the bird several times on my way to class and had enjoyed watching it. The eighth-grader I tutor helped me find it in his Encyclopedia of North American Birds. I especially like the WSJ's (that's not the Wall Street Journal) white eyebrow marking; it gives it sort of a sardonic look.