new york

Credit Jeff Belmonte under Creative Commons licensing at Wiki Commons

I know I've posted a lot today. But I cannot, cannot, resist posting about how perfect straight marriage is.

This NYT piece might be the most amazing of many unbelievable articles I've read in recent days.

The article, by Danny Hakim and Trymaine Lee, begins ...

ALBANY — In an extraordinary news conference on his first full day on the job, Gov. David A. Paterson acknowledged on Tuesday that he had had several extramarital relationships, including one with a state employee, but said he had done nothing illegal and had been faithful to his wife in recent years.

WTF? TMI!!

But it goes on. OH, does it go on. (The bolding is mine.)

Mr. Paterson said no state funds had been used as he carried out his affairs. He said he may have used his campaign credit card for some expenses that he did not detail, but said, if so, he would have reimbursed his campaign for the spending.

OHHHHHHHkaeeeeey....

Neither the governor nor his staff would specify when he stopped having the affairs, beyond saying several years ago.

“Several years ago, and there were a number of women,” Mr. Paterson said during the news conference.

There are really, really important other things to post about. Like Barack Obama's extraordinary speech (I'm sure Chuck, Molly or I will post that soon). Like Linda Burnham's extraordinary calling out of white feminists. But ... but ...

Mr. Paterson said he had had affairs at a time when he “was jealous over Michelle” but later said he “didn’t take the actions because I was jealous; I was just trying to explain how I was feeling.”

“I’m not trying to blame anyone,” he added. “I’m not trying to say I was upset, so you can’t blame me. I was just pointing out that this happens to people.”

I think he means, "This happens to married straight people, except in Massachusetts and a few countries*, where it can happen to teh married gays as well."

*South Africa, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada

New York NEA Fellowship Report, continued!

I heard in my first writing workshop that reviews needed a lead and a clear news peg. So I tried to stick those things into my second review.

Of course, when we had our second writing workshop, Joe Horowitz told me basically the opposite of what Tony Tommasini had told our group a few days earlier.

Tony: A review is a news story; be sure it has a news peg that you follow all the way through the story.
Joe: A review can be a personal essay; don't even worry about mentioning the actual performance.
Suzi: Argh!

I incline toward Joe's position. I do. I'm a grad of the UO's Literary Nonfiction Program, which — though not big in the personal essay realm, unlike other LNF programs, none of which is in a J-school save the UO's — inclined me less to news and more to long narrative forms.

But I also feel that in the EW, we should probably peg the stories to, yes, the actual performance. Sorry, Joe. I mean, if I want to write an essay on 19th century vs. 20th century, romanticism vs. fragmentation or existentialism, I can go back to grad school and finish that long-delayed art history Ph.D. But Eugene readers should probably hear about things going on in our area.

Not that I won't include the context etc. As another paper's critic said to me the other night, "I envy you. You can spend a lot of space on the philosophy." I thank Lois Wadsworth for providing that example in her book reviews and always, always giving historical context in her movie reviews. (And I thank Ted and our owners for backing the arts with so much paper space!)

My review of The Cleveland Orchestra's performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 from October 18 follows the jump.

Feel free to argue with me about Mahler. Apparently, Leonard Bernstein had a more nuanced take on Mahler 2. Shocking, that. Lesson: I need to watch those Norton lectures!

Anyway. More here.

I'm leaving for New York this week. That means I need shirts that don't say "Eugene Weekly" or "Capitalists Do It Ruthlessly." And I need shoes that aren't basically for working out.

Read some personal agonizing after the jump.

1. What crazy ass fools would deny kids health care coverage? Would it shock you if I said the Bushies?

2. Maybe they had health care 14 million years ago. And now we'll be able to see!

3. Ha! Not to insult Prince Hal or anything ... Nice try, people, but we know Bush ain't no Shakespearean hero.
After the 2000 recount, plenty of us hoped - we really had no choice - that Bush would turn out to be Prince Hal in Henry IV, the layabout brat who, on succeeding to his father's throne, finds the maturity to lead. His presidency has indeed turned out to be like Henry V, but in reverse.

4. Health care in Ohio is screwed too, thanks to "the market." The profit motive runs contrary to the best cooperative and Samaritan traditions of medical practice and training.

5. Healthy food Less instantly bad for you food at the Indianapolis State Fair. Oh noes, they has to change the oil more often!

Um, dudes, that's a good thing. However, problem:
And if this meant they could indulge without guilt or have one more helping, so much the better.
No, see, the one more helping thing? You're missing the point.

6. OMG, the West Coast is so ... far ... away ... from East Coast newspapers, that is.

7. But not as far as Iowa, apparently. Not that the farmers help that myth, either.

8. Rain: It's messing with Mexico & Jamaica and killing people in the Midwest. (And freaking me out in Eugene: Give me back my sunny days! Until October!)

9. More disaster and a slow response: Peru needs help.

10. Kids these days! It's the annual Beloit list about entering first-year students, and it's a bit confusing:
62. They have no idea who Rusty Jones was or why he said “goodbye to rusty cars.”
Me neither, dudes.

BONUS: The Remains of the Day Lily
That just hurts. Ouch. Stop it!

1. What has the federal government done for New York lately? Perhaps because of its semi-Republican mayor, NY gets millions to help relieve traffic congestion.

2. Pakistan is 60. Celebrations, confabulations follow.
(Oh, and let's remember Partition, shall we?) That is to say, not everybody is celebrating.)

3. Those are my ancestors, thank you very much! "Bronze Age man was a bit of a boozer."

"There were up to 4500 breweries in Ireland in the Bronze Age, which means it was the most widespread brewing industry in prehistory in the world," Mr Moore said.

4. What's up in Turkey? Looks like a religious-secular clash.
(Plus an interview on "the state of science in Muslim countries," just in case Turkey becomes one.)

5. Holy suitcases stuffed with cash, Batman! International conspiracy between Argentina and Venezuela?

6. Oh yes, let's give a squirming, lying creep control over states' death penalty cases, shall we?

7. Stop buying plastic crap for your kids. Even Mattel says so.

8. After Dick Cheney gets out of the way, what will happen to the dams on the Klamath River? The O weighs in.

9. When good companies go bad. Oh, Jones Soda, we knew you when.

10. Incroyable! Les Français aiment Ratatouille! (Er, the article is in English; I'd link to the one in French, but those bâtardes want 6 € a month. And BugMeNot can't help b/c it's pay-per-view. Zut alors!.)

BONUS: Who's Afraid of Incestuous Gay Monkey Sex?