Nashville Track I Cannot Stop Listening to

I love this track. Love it!

I got into Nashville form the first year of release.

Plus, I have a soft spot for Tennessee. Even though I have only briefly visited the Southern state, I know people from there who, invariably, are all interesting.

Plus, Sam Palladio makes me think of my friend Liam, also a musician. So, here's to you, Liam!

The Difference between Ambition and Drive

I had an opportunity the other day to engage in a conversation where I found myself compelled to make a semantic distinction between ambition and drive. The last time I really thought about the lexeme 'ambition' was when Gladiator came out, the summer of 2000. That summer I was at university, teaching a summer course on the nuances of the German language as opposed to heading to Germany with my then significant other for the Summer. But, I stayed put. My inner sense of 'drive' I suppose dictated that I stay behind and zero in on words every day. I stayed in a scorching hot Utah, agreeing to teach a Summer Course on German Existentialism instead. But I just digressed again. I reckon, it's context.

Anyway, the film Gladiator came out in 2000 and to escape the unbearable heat, which I cannot stand by the way which is why I always privilege colder places as a result, we would go to the movies. The extreme AC felt good. I remember going to see Gladiator repeatedly with my friends and the word I fixated upon was "ambition." The quote that stood out to me was the one where Commodus gives his take on ambition to his father whose affection and attention were happily placed on someone else.

Commodus notes: "You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: Wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but... there are many forms of courage."

I remember consulting the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) then to get to the core of the noun 'ambition.' And I hung on to the definition. Plus, I have this curse of a memory that doesn't let me forget what I read quite so easily. And the word ambition is coming up with more frequency now, for some reason.

I never quite knew how to verbalize where I stood on the ambition/drive scale, till I mentioned in passing conversation that some people, I suppose myself as well, are driven by way of how they are genetically wired. One cannot help but be motion-centric, driven. And while ambition is defined by specificity in goals, drive is a general force that compels one to propel one's self forward, to always be on-the-go. Because movement is the only option or rather the raison d'être of one. And lack of movement goes against nature, thus the two cannot co-exist.

Also, as I was reviewing Cheryl Sandberg book again this week, Lean In, especially as it pertains to her discussion on ambition. Sanderg 'genders' her take on ambition and, prior to entering the business field and in the days when I was a pure theoretician in higher academia as I kept pontificating on gender, I would have disagreed with her take. I actually would have dismissed it. But I can see now what she means when she says that: "ambition is perceived as a negative quality in a woman when it would be positive in a man."

It is actually amusing to me that I find myself hearing the word 'ambition' with the frequency that I'm hearing it. And in every case I automatically go to the other lexeme: drive. To me, drive encapsulates things better than ambition. So, I suppose, Sandberg is sort-of-right. Even though semantically there's nothing problematic or 'negative' about the word ambition, when affiliated with a woman it sort of, kind of comes across as, well, not so positive. 

PhD's as Fashion Models?

This is an interesting bit. 

The article states:

"When you look beyond the ranks of the professionally beautiful, photography becomes a lot more fun. Our designers cooked up a collection of smart fashions for spring, so why not display them on the bodies of women with really big brains?"

Not necessarily a new idea but good to see it revisited. Content needs to be accompanied by the right form. Aesthetics is never inconsequential. And I reckon it makes sense that the setting be in California. After all the UC system has enough campuses throughout the state to provide the talent pool.

Here's one example of a dress worthy of a PhD-er, I suppose:

http://www.betabrand.com/womens/spring-collection/womens-lightweight-summer-dress.html

You can read more here.

Why I Love Danny, Dakota & the Wishing Well: "Guy Plays Guitar the Way You Talk."

I love the music of an Alt Rock British band called A Silent Film. I love their music. Love, love, love it! Their pace of sound makes me want to move even faster than I'm compelled to. And I feel at ease. I feel aligned with something else. Their music does that to me.

The other night, one of my best friends called me to catch up on the week. And then we got to talking about music as we always do and he brought up A Silent Film.

He said: "Guy plays guitar the way you talk." I got a kick out of his sentence. But then I got curious. So, I checked out the track. Closely. For some reason, I'd lavished other tracks from this band with attention and this one had somehow fallen through the cracks. The one that got away.... Well, not for long. That's why I got the friends I do. 

For years now I've written here about how much music informs anything and everything of substance and levity that I've ever done. And every time that statement rings true. I used to be puzzled, annoyed even, at the fact that I'd not approach the day with the same exuberance as I would when I knew I had a great new album to check out or a new live show to see. You know that feeling of waking up filled with excitement because you're doing something special that day? Yes, that's the feeling.

And I always think of Nietzsche's brilliant point about the blind, music-loving Socrates' notion of music being the most perfect 'language' of them all. And how right he was. Is.

A great track can make a day. The lack of a great track can make one lose perspective. Ergo, there's nothing trivial about music. Not to me.

Because without it, I make no sense. And as measured and analytical and focused my daily existence is, without a great track or a few minutes of music, nothing makes sense. It can all go out of focus. Very quickly.

Another older track of theirs: You Will Leave a Mark is something I've heard thousands of time as well. Especially while living out West and driving along the ocean. Those were the days. It's funny how you never think of "ah, those were the days" when you're actually in them, living them. Nostalgia is never a picture of accuracy. But the current days I'm living could very well be "the days' as well. I do have some good music today. That's a good first step.

Let's look at a live version of Danny, Dakota, and The Wishing Well:



I know why I am attracted to this. It's fast. It's full of motion. The sound is vibrant and it matches a fast walker's natural pace. You will see the same pace on You Will Leave a Mark. It speeds up beautifully.



So, enjoy the music of A Silent Film as you explore them as well.

And if you have not seen them live, find a way to do so. My friend is right. He does play guitar like I talk. A fast pace is a good thing. It better be. It's all some of us know.

House of Cards, Season II: A Review - All about Claire

Seasons Two of House of Cards was released on the 14th of February.

If you're not finding some time to watch, you are missing out. But, word of warning, if you find yourself watching the first episode, you will be hooked.

I have an unforgiving schedule, but I found time to watch it: start to finish. I was compelled to. This is the sort of season one needs to plan for and make time for.

Yes, it is that good!



At the end of the first episode of Season Two, Frank turns his gaze on us, the viewers, reminding us that he's not forgotten about our all-watching eye. Coldly and sentiment-free, he says (Hint: the quote will contain a spoiler alert.):

"Did you think that I'd forgotten you? Perhaps you hoped I had. Don't waste a breath mourning Miss Barnes, every kitten grows up to be a cat. They seem so harmless, at first, small, quiet, lapping up their saucer of milk. But once their claws get long enough, they draw blood. Sometimes from the hand that feeds them. For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: Hunt or be hunted. Welcome back!"

And one is compelled to obey and jump on the subsequent episode.

After completing the second season, it becomes clearer that Frank cannot be Frank without Claire. Claire, in all of her Lady Macbeth-like froideur, is the reason why Frank seems to always be two steps ahead of everyone. Devoid of sentimentality, and fully subservient to pragmatism and calculation, the really scary force in this narrative is not Frank. He's very much puppeteered by Claire. Claire's emotion-free delivery, her utter detachment from her former lover, Adam, whom she doesn't think twice to throw under the bus when it comes to protecting her own path, her disgust of conventional human attachment make her a dangerous force to be reckoned with. Impeccably dressed, well-spoken, and free of aesthetic blemish, she is unapproachable and rightly so. 

When Frank says about Claire: "I love that woman. I lover her more than sharks love blood," one should understand one thing about Claire. That she is substantive. That she dictates Frank's own path. She can match whatever he brings to the table and she even surpasses his ruthlessness.

Whatever Frank has to say, Claire can say it better.  While standing on some killer Louboutins and rocking impeccable Burberry. She's not just a privileged Texas-born girl who's moneyed and a product of a privileged background. Claire is flawlessly educated, aesthetically superior, calculatingly fit, held in high regard, and admired. First and foremost, she is feared. Frank fears her. This is why he concedes to her as easily as he does. After all, Frank knows his limits. And he knows that someone else, besides him, knows his limits. And this is why he is smart. This is why he works. He succeeds, fundamentally, because of this. He is skilled at surviving. because of Claire.

Why Seeing Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock Is an Aesthetically Rewarding Experience

I quite enjoy Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock.

I only gave the series a try after one of my best friends who came to visit me from Ohio a few weeks ago encouraged me to do so. And since I tend to share similar aesthetics with my close friends, I figured I'd enjoy it. And I did.

One of the things I quite appreciate about friendhsip is that it saves one a lot of time when it comes to selecting the right form of entertainment. And I am painfully picky about the latter.  Friendship is a good enforcer of efficiency. Ok, but why am I engaging in a non sequitur already? I'm not even past the third paragraph!

Alright, let's look at the trailer first and see if it suits your fancy:



I get a lot of work done usually with a particular episode of Sherlock in the background. I create a lot of work strategies as Cumberbatch utters the great script. The episode is called Scandal in Belgravia and it has replaced my quotidian dose of Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys.

Aesthetically, this episode does something for me. I reckon I know what that is but it's far more interesting to talk about other things here. Like, the appeal of deduction. The big picture comes to light most beautifully in the end and the details are nicely delineated one by one as Sherlock deduces away.

By way of offering more context, Sherlock has a website called Science of Deduction and, funnily enough, the creators of the show have actually created a bona fide site that reflects what they mention in the series. Seriously, this series is so quirky it is bound to make one chuckle a few times. And Cumberbatch has some phenomenally gripping lines like: "Sherlock Holmes: Oh, enjoying the thrill of the chase is fine; creating the distraction of the game, I sympathize entirely but sentiment! Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side," or "'You look taller in photographs.'" - "Take the precaution of a long coat and a short friend." Or my favorite: "stop boring me and think!"

This is a fun series. I'd recommend the second season over the first and the current third. Cumberbatch has an Asbergers-like delivery of lines that is quite something to watch. I didn't use to be a fan of his but after seeing him in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy I started to change my mind. I quite enjoy him now. And if you're looking for something fun and smartly written, give Scandal in Belgravia a try. It's available on Netflix as well as iTunes.

You might just keep revisiting it and use it as a background soundtrack too.

Harry: You look taller in your photographs.
Sherlock: Take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/sherlock/series-two/a-scandal-in-belgravia/#sthash.8iyzCoYD.

Harry: You look taller in your photographs.
Sherlock: Take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/sherlock/series-two/a-scandal-in-belgravia/#sthash.8iyzCoYD.dpuf

Harry: You look taller in your photographs.
Sherlock: Take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/sherlock/series-two/a-scandal-in-belgravia/#sthash.8iyzCoYD.dpuf

Harry: You look taller in your photographs.
Sherlock: Take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/sherlock/series-two/a-scandal-in-belgravia/#sthash.8iyzCoYD.dpuf

Harry: You look taller in your photographs.
Sherlock: Take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/sherlock/series-two/a-scandal-in-belgravia/#sthash.8iyzCoYD.dpuf

I'm Back: Why Absence and Presence Reflect Each Other

It took losing my site due to neglecting to renew it to really make me appreciate it. I did move it to another domain as well to preserve the multi-year content but still I knew I didn't have it here and it started to bother me. At first, I paid no attention as I was too busy and distracted to notice. But then, as it usually is the case, an idea or phrase would come at me and I'd want to write. And I'd think of the medieval background of the site and I'd feel what some would call melancholy.

And so I started on the quest to get what I want. It took a litany of emails and this and that and bing-bang-boom, the site's back.

We all seem to understand when someone says you don't know the value of something till it's gone.

So, here's to hanging on for a little longer. Still here.

Why I Love Verdi and Why Novelty Needs to be Peppered with Familiarity

Ever wonder why we keep coming back to some things over and over and over again? I think it's because it's the best, if not only way, to cope with the novelty that existence throws at us. And that's ok. Everyone needs to find ways to cope with novelty. It's a chronic condition from which we all suffer. There's some universal comfort in that thought, I find.

I remember having a conversation with someone to whom I used to assign a lot of importance at one point in time who, alas, never really understood why habits matter and why nobody can escape them, sort of like death and taxes. I suppose there's always someone out there who thinks they're impervious to what eventually ends up applying to all of us.

I love Verdi. I've been in love with Verdi's music since I was 5. I've seen many of his operas and every time I'd be overcome with a kind of emotion and thought that would transport me to places that nobody and/or thing ever could. Such power I have yet to feel doing anything else or being with anyone and I've always wondered why that is. I think this has something to do with the fact that I've loved him, Verdi, for such a long time that I'm, in a way, accustomed to having him as opposed to not. It's always been the place to which I could always go and find comfort in. Sort of like my already memorized lines from Dante and Goethe and Shakespeare. They also feed me. Regardless of what I'm accomplishing and where I'm going. They're always there and I can always withdraw from that account. I've never stopped loving Verdi's music. And I've stopped loving a lot of other things. Boredom eventually swallows all else, regardless of how significant they are at the get-go. But Verdi, and Dante, and coffee, and writing, and music, I never did. Stopped loving, that is. The more I think about this, the more comfortable I get with this natural tendency I have to be introspective.

And, even though I lead a mercilessly busy life, I always have time to pop in some Verdi, as I clickety-clack away on the computer, get more and more work done, but deep down feel like I've never left home. I make sense. All else that never had any meaning to begin with, leaves the way it came in the first place: too easily. And that's good. Nobody like Verdi to put things in perspective for me.

And, if you'd like to get a quick taste of Verdi, check the following out from YouTube. Even better, invest in some great recordings and you will be so much the richer as a result. Everyone needs a little "Marcia Trionfale" in their life to make it all better. It's 49:41, by the way.

Assorted Links

1) Mistakes in German architecture:

Read more here.

2) Photos of amazing places. See here.

Coachella, Technology, Ah, and Short, Brown Hair

The hair was short for about a minute. And brown.

And then I discussed the text of Coachella. And young professionals. And technology.
And then I lectured on medieval philosophy.
Till I moved to the Northwest. To talk about technology instead. Not with brown hair. You've got to let a bad decision go as easily as you make it, I suppose.