The List ( #2)

Book: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera). As I am only partially through this fairly philosophical novel, and thus have yet to sufficiently grasp its themes, I will say very little of my own about it but will instead extensively steal quotations from it (much like writing a book report in high school). In short, The Unbearable Lightness of Being revolves around the Nietzschean concept of "eternal return," that the universe is eternally recurring. If a person lives but once, actions have no real significance, and that life is "like a shadow, without weight, and whether it was horrible, beautiful, or sublime, its horror, sublimity, and beauty mean nothing." On the other hand, Kundera continues in the book's opening pages:
"If every second of our lives recurs an infinite number of times, we are nailed to eternity as Jesus Chirst was nailed to the cross. It is a terrifying prospect. In the world of eternal return the weight of unbearable responsibility lies heavy on every move we make. That is why Nietzsche called the idea of eternal return the heaviest of burdens (das schwerste Gewicht).

If eternal return is the heaviest of all burdens, then our lives can stand out against it in all their splendid lightness.

But is heaviness truly deplorable and lightness splendid?

The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in the love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfillment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to earth, the more real and truthful they become.

Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into the heights, take leave of earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant.

What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?"


Music: Ys (Joanna Newsom). There are two things about this recent release that made me a bit uncomfortable. The first is the medieval aura infusing the album (beginning with, but certainly not limited to, the album cover), which highly suggests that it would be appealing to those involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism. If you're unfamiliar with this group by name, they're often seen in your local park attired in armor and waving broadswords at each other. They definitely make me uncomfortable. The second thing is Ms. Newsom's voice. I've not heard anything quite like this before, and for the first few listens I unsure whether I found it infectiously beautiful or annoyingly grating. As a result of my initial skepticism, then, I was somewhat surprised to find myself so quickly taken in by this album. Newsom's unique voice (I soon decided it falls into the "infectiously beautiful" category) lilts and flows magically over her own harp playing and a lavish orchestration (arranged and conducted by 60's folk icon and producer Van Dyke Parks) to create an album that defies categorization (folk? classical? indie? . . . yes). The album's five songs are lengthy, ranging from seven to seventeen minutes, and they all lack a traditional pop song structure (i.e., little in the way of recurring choruses), which Newsom effectively employs to accentuate her significant lyrical ability and storytelling talent. While some (perhaps most) will find it an acquired taste, Ys is an exceptional piece of art, well worth the work of acquiring a taste for.


Drink: Unibroue Trois Pistoles. As previously mentioned, this dark ale was a gift (much appreciated). Rich, a little fruity, and 9%, this went down smoothly. A pleasant accompaniment to a winter storm (see the Dec. 4th post) . . .


Food: After the acorn squash exposé, I'm a bit hesitant to say much about what I'm eating for fear of having my bubble burst again. Fortunately, due to a rapidly defrosting freezer brought about by our six day lack of power, Jess and I have been eating a lot of previously frozen items. Not much of a bubble to burst there. And not much to wax eloquent about either.