Libraryster: the slowdown

The libraryster will become less frequent, as this is my last week of freedom. With that, here are some recent gems:

Raymond Chandler - Farewell, My Lovely His second book, and not bad at all. It is not as good as his first, The Big Sleep, which I highly recommend. It is better than his last, The Long Goodbye. Still, it is a good read.

James Joyce - Exiles Joyce's only play, written between A Portrait of the Artist and Ulysses, it is about Irish exiles and their uncertainty at home. It is a quick read, and for me was worth it as I myself am an exile.

Ivan Turgenev - Home of the Gentry I just started this, but usually enjoy the Russian Romantics, so I have high hopes.

I also had a book of George Hurrell's Hollywood portraits. Oooh pretty pictures.

Finally, all the music this week has been a bust, sadly.

Libraryster; enjoy it while it lasts

Hopefully you are able to reap the rewards of reading books, listening to CDs, and watching DVDs for free thanks to libraryster. If so, count your lucky stars. Apparently the people of Philadelphia aren't so lucky:

We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009.

Specifically, the following will take effect after the close of business, October 2, 2009:

• All branch and regional library programs, including programs for children and teens, after school programs, computer classes, and programs for adults, will be cancelled
• All Parkway Central Library programs, including children programs, programs to support small businesses and job seekers, computer classes and after school programs, will be cancelled. We are exploring the possibility of relocating the Philadelphia Author Series programs to other non-library facilities.
• All library visits to schools, day care centers, senior centers and other community centers will cease.
• All community meetings at our branch and regional libraries, and the Parkway Central Library, will be cancelled.
• All GED, ABE and ESL programs held at Free Library branches will be discontinued, students should contact their teacher to see if other arrangements are being made.

Ouch! Where will the hobos go to stay warm in the winter and look at internet porn? Where will the schizophrenic go to shave his head? I shudder to think.

Speaking of which, I found a real gem this week:

Exultate Deo - Masterpieces of sacred polyphony - Westminster Cathedral Choir

Excellent old school part singing. Renaissance type polyphony, sung masterfully. Check it out, if your library is still open.

Libraryster for the week

So Obama's reading list is newsworthy, according to the good folks at Slate? Well if that is the case, aren't you far more interested in what Mr. Booze is reading?

Ian Fleming - Thrilling Cities. The creator of James Bond gives you a tour of the world's most thrilling cities of 1959 and 1960. It is a must read. Some things are timeless, like his praise of Oriental women or why the Chicago Art Institute is the only museum to break his "no museums" rule.

Napoleon Bonaparte - Memoirs. The man who ushered in the Romantic era in Europe and changed the world order for a few years. Great man or tyrant? His own thoughts on that question as recalled during his final years at St. Helena.

J. Christopher Harold - The Age of Napoleon. This is not merely a history of the man, but as much as possible is a history of the era.

Patrick Suppes - Introduction to Logic. I is gonna be a smarty pantz one day. Dis will halp me be is a smart.

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Vol. 1 and 5, John O'Connor piano. This is really a mixed bag for me. I suppose there are only so many ways to interpret the sonata in C# minor (moonlight they call it).

Also, I have on hold Beethoven's arrangements of folk songs from the British Isles. On hold because I could not get the damn CD storage cabinet drawers open.

The library is my napster

My friends and I like to muse about telling grandchildren about the Golden Age of Napster like the old curmudgeons we surely will become. One could download almost any song imaginable. Sure, there were some obscure limits. But I built up a good repertoire of Heavy Metal and Classical songs. Good times.

I haven't tried filesharing in years. I have to hand it to them, the RIAA did a great job of scaring the bejeezus out of me. So no more filesharing? What then? Well, I found the public library to be robust. Sure, it doesn't have the great Metal albums. I'll just save up and buy those. But all those great Classical albums that you've been dying to hear? The library has most of them. I'm not worried about Hayden not getting his royalty checks. And there are so many versions of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, how is one to know which to buy? Definitely if you like Classical or Jazz, the library is the way to go. I've learned to request material from other branches and place holds. The library is my Napster.

Library blues

Today I went to the library, and everything I wanted was checked out.

Portrait of the artist as a young man - out
Fight club - out
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas - out
Vampire Hunter D vol 3 - out



Thus at the hallway of knowledge I find myself confronted with a locked door.