From the Salmon

A little bit of this. A little bit of that.

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I finished Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow the other night. It’s a science fiction novel that is both anthropologically fascinating and theologically challenging. Think C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet, but much darker. The narrative structure is a little difficult to get into at first, and it was uncomfortable reading at times. But it’s an excellent book.

I particularly enjoyed Russell’s sense of humor, which was crucial in a book this dark. And the thought that 50 years from now, we’ll still be fondly quoting The Princess Bride made me grin.

Has anyone read the sequel, Children of God? How about her most recent, A Thread of Grace?

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Having finished that one means that it’s finally my turn with Harry6. I’m 200 pages in, so don’t tell me anything.

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Let’s see. Other stuff…

Don’t have much to say about the Supreme Court right now. I know very little about law and next to nothing about Roberts, so I’ll wait to read more and until the hearings to really form an opinion.

Orrin Hatch, on the other hand, thinks Roberts is, um, like Jesus:

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) put it more colorfully. “It’s a little bit like biblical Pharisees, you know, who basically are always trying to undermine Jesus Christ,” he said on Fox News. “You know, it goes on the same way. If they can catch him in something, they can then criticize and the outside groups will go berserk.”

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Star War: The Backstroke of the West!

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Dar Williams has a new album coming out on September 13. Rolling Stone reports that she covers Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” with backup vocals by Ani DiFranco:

“Back in the Sixties and the Seventies there was this interesting synthesis of these guys who did some really deep rock stuff in combination with trying to make poetry and look at their feminine sides,” says Williams. “I just thought that by doing it to the best of my ability ��� which is through my voice and my interpretation — and taking the guitar out of it, you get to see the song’s deeply feminine side. I don’t mean to overly identify what is feminine and masculine, but for a woman to do it in this focused soprano makes it a very different song. And Ani DiFranco — what she did was beyond what I actually expected: It’s a song about being disembodied, and she added a disembodied harmony.”

Could be amazing. Could be scary. We’ll have to wait and see.

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McSweeney’s has a few jokes that sound like people I know in Berkeley:

This guy walks into a bar carrying a small poodle in one hand and a bowling ball in the other. The guy says, “I’d like a glass of milk for me and a whiskey for my poodle.” The bartender says, “Yeah? Well, I’d like an impartial and independent judiciary, but try telling that to Bush, Frist, and the rest of the GOP!”

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Trailers! Here are a few upcoming movies I’m excited about....

The Constant Gardener — by the director of City of God
Shopgirl — Steve Martin, Claire Danes, & Jason Schwartzman. Wow.
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride — Can it be as good as Nightmare?

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Roger Clemens, almost 42 years old, has a 1.47 ERA with less than half of the season left to play. There is little doubt that he is the greatest pitcher to pitch in my lifetime. (Sorry, Pedro). And, not that we didn’t know this, there is little doubt that Dan ”Twilight” Duquette made a huge mistake.

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That’s about it for now. Sorry no Random 10 this week. Why don’t we just pretend that I did post a list and that it contained nine amazingly diverse, kick-ass songs and one somewhat embarrassing one, like, say, Stephen Curtis ChapmanSTYX or something. (Sorry, Nicole, couldn’t resist.)

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Harry beckons. Have a great weekend.