50 Page Friday: The Abyss Beyond Dreams
10 years ago
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Introverted traveling
I tend to consider myself an "introvert with extrovert tendencies"(Myers-Briggs usually gives me an I rather than an E, but I'm borderline), so it was very interesting to consider how differences in personality affect how a person travels. (via kottke)
Roberto and Dante
Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni (also famous for his exuberance at the 1999 Oscars) brings his stand up Dante act (Tutto Dante, here in Italian) to the US. He begins by reciting a canto (from memory) and then humorously interpreting it to our modern day. (sound familiar?) He will be in the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC this Saturday. Other cities on his eight show tour include Montreal, QC (two shows); Boston, MA; Toronto, ON; and and Quebec City, QC, before concluding on June 12 in Chicago, IL. (Review from the NY Times)
His words at a recent interview really encapsulate the power of Dante's Comedia, as one of the greatest works ever written: “We need to have the nerve to understand why a man with a big nose 700 years ago had the heroic shamelessness to write. Really this is the most daring, bold poetry ever. In 2,000 years of Christian poetry they never surpassed this. They never produced such a scandal of beauty. Never, never, nobody.”
Benigni recites the very beginning of the Comedia with the first lines of the Inferno.
His words at a recent interview really encapsulate the power of Dante's Comedia, as one of the greatest works ever written: “We need to have the nerve to understand why a man with a big nose 700 years ago had the heroic shamelessness to write. Really this is the most daring, bold poetry ever. In 2,000 years of Christian poetry they never surpassed this. They never produced such a scandal of beauty. Never, never, nobody.”
Benigni recites the very beginning of the Comedia with the first lines of the Inferno.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Tasty (or not so tasty) Books
For laughs: Bad Eating Makes for Good Reading
Why am I suddenly reminded of those elaborate feasts described in the Redwall novels that I read as a kid? (Always including deeper'n'ever pie, watershrimp, and elderberry wine of course!)
Why am I suddenly reminded of those elaborate feasts described in the Redwall novels that I read as a kid? (Always including deeper'n'ever pie, watershrimp, and elderberry wine of course!)
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Most Livable City in the World
Just this past week, Mercer officially granted Vienna the title of 2009 Best Quality of Living, passing Zurich from last year... in other words, Wien is *the* BEST city in the world in which to live! (More details of the study here).
Of course, anyone who has lived in this beautiful imperial city could tell you that. ^_^ To celebrate, here's a smattering of my photos of this "very livable" city:
Of course, anyone who has lived in this beautiful imperial city could tell you that. ^_^ To celebrate, here's a smattering of my photos of this "very livable" city:
A Proper Introductory Post
Returning from my month-long hiatus, I think it best to start afresh; namely, after more than a year of postings, it's about time that I properly introduce this blog.
Waltzing Matelda began in January 2008 as a standard study abroad journal. Initially, I simply chronicled life abroad in Vienna, Austria. But the writer in me enjoyed the process so much that I wanted to do more than chronicle my story--I wanted to share the Austrian culture, landscape, and history as I experienced it. I wanted to provide a fresh perspective but also share what I had learned with those around the globe.
Since then, Waltzing Matelda has grown from a mere travel journal to encompass a whole range of other topics, including commentary on books, recipes, germanic (pop) culture, current events, and more. Rather than focusing only on one specific topic, I prefer to explore all my interests, providing varied and diverse reading and sharing a myriad of fascinating information.
Disclaimer: Many of the images on this blog exist thanks to the talents of others photographers or artists. Posts tagged with "photos" highlight some of my personal photographs. The banner's background is a personal photograph of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
What's in a name? A number of people have asked me about this. Yes, it is Matelda with an "e". The name may originate from the Australian national folk song, but the different spelling and the subtitle pay tribute to the travels of one Dante Alighieri, arguably one of the greatest travel writers. Even if his travels were fiction (don't tell that to Italians in the 14th century!).
What comes next? At its heart, Waltzing Matelda remains a travel journal, in that I am constantly exploring new places, topics, languages, books, and ways to expand my world-view. Whenever I travel to a new place, I attempt to provide a clear, unbiased perspective and chronicle interesting facts or things to do. My recent journeys have included living in the following cities:
Spring 2008: Vienna, Austria
Summer 2008: New York, New York, USA
Summer 2009: Washington, D.C., USA
August 2010-2011: Poznań, Poland
And traveling everywhere in between. What comes next, I can't say for certain. But that's part of the adventure.
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
Waltzing Matelda began in January 2008 as a standard study abroad journal. Initially, I simply chronicled life abroad in Vienna, Austria. But the writer in me enjoyed the process so much that I wanted to do more than chronicle my story--I wanted to share the Austrian culture, landscape, and history as I experienced it. I wanted to provide a fresh perspective but also share what I had learned with those around the globe.
Since then, Waltzing Matelda has grown from a mere travel journal to encompass a whole range of other topics, including commentary on books, recipes, germanic (pop) culture, current events, and more. Rather than focusing only on one specific topic, I prefer to explore all my interests, providing varied and diverse reading and sharing a myriad of fascinating information.
Disclaimer: Many of the images on this blog exist thanks to the talents of others photographers or artists. Posts tagged with "photos" highlight some of my personal photographs. The banner's background is a personal photograph of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
What's in a name? A number of people have asked me about this. Yes, it is Matelda with an "e". The name may originate from the Australian national folk song, but the different spelling and the subtitle pay tribute to the travels of one Dante Alighieri, arguably one of the greatest travel writers. Even if his travels were fiction (don't tell that to Italians in the 14th century!).
What comes next? At its heart, Waltzing Matelda remains a travel journal, in that I am constantly exploring new places, topics, languages, books, and ways to expand my world-view. Whenever I travel to a new place, I attempt to provide a clear, unbiased perspective and chronicle interesting facts or things to do. My recent journeys have included living in the following cities:
Spring 2008: Vienna, Austria
Summer 2008: New York, New York, USA
Summer 2009: Washington, D.C., USA
August 2010-2011: Poznań, Poland
And traveling everywhere in between. What comes next, I can't say for certain. But that's part of the adventure.
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
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