Giuseppe Zangara

C'MON MAN

John Updike could be a very, very funny writer, a side of him that tends to be overlooked whenever people consider his (massive) body of work. As great as the Rabbit novels are, a good, non-Rabbit place to start is The Complete Henry Bech, or, if you can't find that collection, then Bech: a Book, which was the first book in the series. Of the Farm is also worth reading, a concise little novella that serves as one of his finest moments. That one was also one of David Foster Wallace's favorite Updike books, if that means anything to you. Of course, the Rabbit novels are wonderful, too. My favorite is Rabbit Is Rich, but you should just start with Rabbit, Run and read the rest in order.

You live out all the way out there, huh.

Is that Mandarin High?

Axe. Fucking. Body Spray.

I like both Young Americans and Station to Station. A couple of songs aside, I don't care much for Diamond Dogs, which, along with the other two albums, constitute what's sometimes considered his cocaine records. That one's not a Thin White Duke album, though.

You mean Different Class, right.

I rarely ever make lists, so, when I do, it is carefully considered. My favorite-album list only changes whenever it is warranted, which isn't very often.. EDIT: Removed "every few years" to "whenever it is warranted, which isn't very often," as the latter is more accurate.

I hear they just post pictures of their cocks.

The other thread is cooler, but I didn't listen to any metal today. Since I was left mostly alone at work, so I got a lot of music listening done:

So I'm reading Ada, or Ardor. It gets off to a rough start since the first ten or so pages is just Nabokov throwing a bunch of Russian names at the reader, but once the story starts I like it well enough. That said, it's about as overwritten as his other books and his love of puns is a bit exhausting.

Is a fatpack like a fupa?

What's wrong with just having the book thread? It saw more action on its own in General Chat that any serious-lit thread in the Comics folder ever did.

Oh, when drunk, I sometimes try to recite from memory as much of the Pale Fire poem as I can. I never get past the first four lines.

I like Nabokov, but am unable to love him. He sometimes writes very beautifully and is occasionally very funny (there are some screamingly hilarious moments in Pale Fire, which, hey, I guess there's another writer who's made me laugh), but there's something mannered about his prose that I find off-putting. He's also a word-drunk. So, if I were so set on reading something by him, perhaps I should've picked something other than the 600-page epic that a number of his admirers consider to be one of his lesser works.

White pants are never a good idea. Also, hoodies, I guess there's comfort and practicality to them, but I can't get it out of my head that it's the number-one piece of clothing for Hatebreed-listening mooks.

Though I could do without subzero-degree weather, I wouldn't mind living in a climate where I could wear sweaters more than a couple of months out of the year.

Aging did play a part, actually. I probably should've stopped wearing them long ago, but what can you do.

I once had a prof who absolutely loved Ada, his favorite Nabokov by far and one of his favorite books ever. I've taken note of the decidedly mixed response it's gotten elsewhere. We'll see how it goes! I should probably throw that Forster somewhere in the mix. I need a shorterish book; the novel I'm currently reading is 900 pages long. The Nabokov is 600 pages and the Bellow is 500 pages.

Judging from your previous post, I don't think you and I have very similar taste in fashion.

I recently decided to remove T-shirts from my daily wardrobe. Short sleeve button-ups are fine, but no more new T-shirts, unless it's a solid-color shirt that will look good underneath a sweater. I still have a few T-shirts in my closet that are in perfectly wearable condition, so I still put on one occasionally, but that's it. This change was inspired by my decision to no longer wear band T-shirts and it sort of grew into a "hey, why not say no to all T-shirts," which itself is not unlike the time I went several years without wearing denim because I decided I never wanted to wear blue jeans again. Anyway, as it happens, the rare occasion I put on a T-shirt it's usually a band shirt, like this Flight of the Conchords shirt a friend gave me a year or so back. It's also the only article of clothing I presently own that moves strangers to comment on it. "Hey, cool shirt!" and the like. I suppose I shouldn't give the impression as if I'll never buy/wear one again. I probably will, much like how I caved in and started wearing blue jeans again. I mentioned sweaters. I have a couple of lightweight sweaters that I really like. I'm wearing one of them right now. Bulky sweaters have their place, yes—I have a cream-colored one I wore just the other day—but I really like these sleek and stylish ones.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news...-top-for-warner That there exists a compilation featuring Against Me! covering the Replacements and the Used cover Talking Heads and neither being the most horrifying thing in the collection.

That's a lot of books I haven't read! Though I've longed toyed with reading A Passage to India. Currently reading Peter Matthiessen's Shadow Country. Once I finish that, I'll either start Saul Bellow's Humboldt's Gift or Nabokov's Ada or Ardor.

Too Fast for Love is one of my favorite album titles. I like the album itself, as well.

Well, I probably ran her off by being an asshole. Which, for the record, I kinda feel bad about. This is what getting old feels like.