Author: Lancelot Schaubert
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Journalists: We Seldom Know WHY Something is the Case
It drives me insane when an author titles an article Why something is the case when they really mean “How” something came to be or “What” we’ve decided to call it. labels + instructions ≠ explanations To expound: labeling a thing for your readers or offering them DIY instructions for making or using said…
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Santagonistic : Word of the Day
san·tag·o·nistic /sanˈtaɡənəstik/ adjective noun: santagonist; plural noun: santagonists a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something obsessed with Christmas consumerism; an adversary to Christmas externals, though not necessarily the Christmas spirit per se. Example: “Sufjan Steven’s song Christmas Unicorn is santagonistic to holiday shoppers and Hallmark.” synonyms: adversary, opponent, enemy, foe, rival,…
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Six to Eight Black Men by David Sedaris
In keeping with our tradition here of the Best Christmas Stories, I’m reading Six to Eight Black Men by David Sedaris. I have Andy Nash to thank for showing me this one. It’s a story about how the Dutch dress up in blackface to accompany Santa Claus — and why we too might have such offensive and…
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Best Christmas Stories : Annual Christmas Readings
Every year, I add some more of the best Christmas stories to my backlog of Christmas readings. This year, I’m a little more organized: I’ve streamlined my recording equipment (by which I mean my iPhone uploads a whole heck of a lot faster than that thing which plugged into my old iPod nano as well…
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New York Dictionary : Hand-Held
What New Yorkers think of when they hear “hand-held” :
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Mother of Exiles
Eight-hundred. Their open mouths Similarly sing songs we all know Though know not: their tongues — they show No face cards. Nimble, demure, go ghosts Of the Mind of God, mad sod made sad, Triangle eyelids, squares and trundle sides, But they’re still eyes, you know. Stopping together They see as one. Smell as one though…
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Guantanamera
You sing it. Yourn — they mourn, they Wring it over, ragdolls and wine, Listening somber, listening longer Than anyone else in the “N” train’s crowd. Others ignore you, mothers note the Boredom born in baby faces. Teens spend their braincells as tender On turn-based games in their tiny screens. You sing it. Yourn — they mourn,…
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Our Tools Shape Us
“We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” —Father John Culkin According to McLuhan Galaxy: [This quote] is often mistakenly attributed to Marshall McLuhan. It does NOT appear in “Understanding Media”, as Wilson Miner confidently asserts in the presentation below, indeed it does not appear in any published…
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When We Do Not Like Certain Laws
“ When we do not like certain laws, we do not break the heads of the law-givers but we suffer and do not submit to the laws. That we should obey laws whether good or bad is a new-fangled notion. There was no such thing in former days. The people disregarded those laws they did…
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New York Dictionary : Sunblock
what New Yorkers think of when they hear sunblock :
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sleep requirements : St. Benedict Says Sleep 8 hours
Reading through St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries in my morning study time right now. It’s basically the handbook that monks used throughout the Middle Ages and gives a ton of insight to how they structured their lives and chased after virtue. There’s a super funny piece, though, in chapter 8: On the Divine Office During the Night. Remember…
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Buffalo Flower Laura Burnhenn
My sister Lauren graciously gave Tara and I tickets to William Fitzsimmons last night for Christmas and we discovered the wonderful, moving protest songs of Laura Burnhenn. She played Buffalo Flower for us last night and I don’t think any song in my life — any hymn, any protest song, anything I’ve written only for…