by Gene Wolfe (1980)

The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories has me torn. Some stories rank among my favorite sci if, while others took me days and days to slog through and left me more confused than satisfied. Author Gene Wolfe is a science fiction writer’s science fiction writer. If you begin to research who inspired your favorite writers, his name is likely to pop up eventually.

Jim just recommended his most admired work, The Book of the New Sun, but I decided to start easier, with this short story collection considering how dense science fiction might get from the mind an engineer and a devoted Catholic. Often times, I felt a bit lost and even ended up skipping over the latter half of The Eyeflash Miracles.

But in a complete opposite reaction, I swooned over the title story (The Island of Dr Death and Other Stories) which displays an incredible combination of moods and genres. The brief tale of a pre teen, angsty boy trying to comprehend the complexities of the adults around him while burying himself in stories of adventure is unlike anything I’ve ever read and it’s tone is haunting.

Another favorite is the last one in the book, Seven American Nights, which shows a future that would be even more terrifying to many today in our post 9/11 sensitivity to our role as a world power. America, once a great country is now fallen, below third world, and the citizens are deformed. The new world is viewed through the eyes of a middle easterner who is daring enough to leave his wealthy, scientifically advanced and comfortable country to brave the ruins of Washington D.C.

I also loved the super short La Befana which imagines that pain-in-the-ass mothers-in-law will still exist even as we find new planets to colonize and aliens to befriend. I also liked Hour of Trust, Tracking Song, and Three Fingers. I’ve never been so divided by one book and I think every reader will find themselves more drawn to some stories over others, but everyone will find something interesting.

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Posted on December 13, 2009

Vengeful Lovely

Full disclosure, I rented Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion for strictly vanity reasons. When I went dark with my hair and got a new brimmed Japanese hat, there was some image in mind that kept popping up. There was a trench coat, ravens, and a sharp knife…

Eventually I tracked down the image and the film series it came from and settled into this wildly stylized exploitation film. I quickly realized, of course, the I look nothing like the stunning Meiko Kaji, being that I am not a stunning Japanese beauty myself, but I can certainly claim her as a personal style icon. The vengeance outfit (trench and brimmed hat) is impeccable, but I also ran out to get liquid eye liner inspired by the perfect dark lids she somehow boasts while hog tied in solitary confinement.

Kaji’s 1973 film, Lady Snowblood was one of the inspirations for the Kill Bill films. Below/after the jump are some of images from the trippy, visually wowzer Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion.

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Posted on December 13, 2009

Utter Cuteness

Ladies and gentlemen, surprise kitty! Too adorable.

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Posted on December 13, 2009

80 Berry Street, Brooklyn

Miranda has been around for a while now, but until recently I had steered clear. Not for any real reason, though I do recall the initial menu may have been too much on the pricey side to lure me in. That’s all changed, however, with the big bang for your buck pre-fixe menu which fills you up with three courses for a mere $25. I opted for a fresh beet and cheese salad, a spicy chicken chipotle gnocchi – which most pleasantly illustrates the restaurant’s seemingly strange but in actuality yummy Italian and Latin fusion flavor – and the coconut flan. The atmosphere is dark (so forgive the less than stellar photography) but inviting and the staff is accommodating.

I was certainly won over and plan to return during the colder nights to come as well as to try their intriguing brunch menu; creamy Polenta and Poached Eggs: wild mushrooms, tomato fonduta and Mangu and Fried Eggs: smashed sweet plantains, crumbled chorizo, pickled shallot being just a few items.

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Posted on December 13, 2009

Math + Observation = Hilarity

I may be late in discovering the wit of Craig Damrauer – the Times has been posting his often hilarious equations in their Freakonomics blog for a while – but, for anyone else that’s missed out on his simple, poignant and funny work (which has since been published in a book) I pass along his website.

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Posted on December 13, 2009