Last year I lived in a city where baseball games featured a race between four US presidents.
(the youtube channel featuring this video is actually DEDICATED to video of the president races. 0_0)
This year I am living in a city where baseball games feature a race between wasabi and two pieces of sushi.
(favorite moment of the video: "this is terrifying.")
Conclusion: Baseball promotions are weird and hilarious. No matter where you live.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
at a loss for words
I just finished reading Anna Karenina last night, a project that has taken about a month and a half. It has been one of the best reading projects I've ever undertaken--even when there was excessive detail about Russian agricultural methods, I was still soaking in the world of the story and as I moseyed my way along, there were so many great things to think about, or moments to enjoy. I'm not sure I've ever read a novel that was so satisfying on so many levels--philosophically, culturally, spiritually, emotionally, linguistically.
If I had to describe the story in one word, it would be: coherent. Tolstoy takes a vast array of material--historical events, cultural images, philosophical and political thought, Russian geography, religion, and his cast of characters--and weaves them all together into one story, in an attempt to convey truth as he sees it. Everything in the story conspires to support the grand conclusion reached by Levin in the last chapters of the book, "Now I say that I know the meaning of my life: 'To live for God, for my soul.'" I'd argue that the real heart of Anna Karenina is not Anna herself, but rather Levin and his intellectual journey from idealism and doubt, to realism and faith.
That said, there is so much to the story that shouldn't be crammed into a thematic box. Anna Karenina is first, and foremost, a novel. Tolstoy's characters are all carefully drawn and very real--sometimes in delightful, sometimes in painful ways. I found myself sympathizing with all the characters, even when I disliked them.
There are moments of humor, sarcasm (Tolstoy's sense of irony manages to come through, even in translation), tragedy, joy, love--the whole range of human emotions. And Tolstoy is very fond of using overt symbolism--the fact that Vronsky and Anna have a significant second encounter in the middle of a violent snowstorm? Not subtle, Uncle Tolstoy, not subtle.
In short, I highly recommend Anna Karenina to EVERYONE. I understand that not everyone may have the patience to slog through all the commentary on Russian culture (even I had trouble with the extended sequence about bird-hunting), but there is so much richness to be mined from the story, it's totally worth the time investment. And if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing, at least read the (very short!) Part 8, which details Levin's conversion to faith and is a beautiful affirmation of life, goodness and belief in God.
If I had to describe the story in one word, it would be: coherent. Tolstoy takes a vast array of material--historical events, cultural images, philosophical and political thought, Russian geography, religion, and his cast of characters--and weaves them all together into one story, in an attempt to convey truth as he sees it. Everything in the story conspires to support the grand conclusion reached by Levin in the last chapters of the book, "Now I say that I know the meaning of my life: 'To live for God, for my soul.'" I'd argue that the real heart of Anna Karenina is not Anna herself, but rather Levin and his intellectual journey from idealism and doubt, to realism and faith.
That said, there is so much to the story that shouldn't be crammed into a thematic box. Anna Karenina is first, and foremost, a novel. Tolstoy's characters are all carefully drawn and very real--sometimes in delightful, sometimes in painful ways. I found myself sympathizing with all the characters, even when I disliked them.
There are moments of humor, sarcasm (Tolstoy's sense of irony manages to come through, even in translation), tragedy, joy, love--the whole range of human emotions. And Tolstoy is very fond of using overt symbolism--the fact that Vronsky and Anna have a significant second encounter in the middle of a violent snowstorm? Not subtle, Uncle Tolstoy, not subtle.
In short, I highly recommend Anna Karenina to EVERYONE. I understand that not everyone may have the patience to slog through all the commentary on Russian culture (even I had trouble with the extended sequence about bird-hunting), but there is so much richness to be mined from the story, it's totally worth the time investment. And if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing, at least read the (very short!) Part 8, which details Levin's conversion to faith and is a beautiful affirmation of life, goodness and belief in God.
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