The greatest invention ever

Let us all marvel at this wonder of modern innovation.

Baltic democracy

This afternoon, while deeply engrossed in Anatol Lieven's excellent book, The Baltic Revolution: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Path to Independence, I made a fascinating discovery. In terms of democratic processes and the contesting of free elections, I belong firmly to the Estonian tradition:

The Royalist Party -- an Estonian equivalent to Poland's 'Orange Alternative' -- established as a sort of joke by a group of actors, television personalities and intellectuals, also polled 8 per cent of votes and the same number of seats. Some of the party's leaders are genuine monarchists who believe that a monarchy under a Swedish prince would help to restore Estonian traditional society and avoid vulgar competition for the top state post, but most simply want to liven the Estonian scene. (Lieven 284)

Yup, it seems that the democratic ethos with which I was imbued during my tenure as a life denizen of the People's Socialist Republic of PARC was of Estonian extraction. Creating a political party to jazz up the monotony of another election? Been there, done that.

Stealing away to my ivory tower

I seem to have hit, well, some sort of funk. It's not a malaise, per se. But I definitely seem lethargic in certain ways.

The crux of it is that all I ever seem to want to do these days is to read. Maybe mix in some Czech studying as well, but mainly I'm just interested in spending long hours working my way through the volumes of books on Joe's bookcase. I've made quite impressive progress -- I'm all the way up to Lieven, which isn't bad considering I really didn't get started until about two months ago.

Still, I feel so thoroughly unmotivated to do much else. When I take the train to work in the morning, I try to cram in a half-hour or so of reading. During my lunch hour, I usually try to sneak in another 20 to 30 pages. And on the ride home it's headphones on, nose buried deep in my book. Often I'll read as I'm walking to and from the train, only casually paying attention to where I'm going. (Though I still exercise due caution in crossing the street!)

When I arrive home I usually change into something more casual, fire up my computer, surf the Web for a bit, fix something to eat, then settle back into my rut. It's really kind of a shame. And granted, I don't spend all my evenings or weekends reading, but I'm often tempted by the thought.

It's frustrating because it's becoming dramatically apparent how much I frittered away my time while I was unemployed. Had I exhibited anything resembling discipline, I'd probably be all the way through Joe's bookcase by now, and tackling the many piles of other books on the floor of our map room/library/art studio.

But it goes beyond reading. I really, really need to be more diligent about studying Czech at least an hour a day. And I was doing quite well in this regard until a couple of weeks ago, when Norm came to visit. It wasn't realistic or reasonable or polite to just ignore our houseguest from Luxembourg to keep up with it. Unfortunately, I have failed in resuming my course of study in the week since he left.

And I have other myriad tasks to work on. There's that thesis I'm trying to turn into an article. Or developing this blog into something that vaguely resembles an editorial page column, with well-written and -reasoned essays on important subjects.

Then there's those art supplies I've been neglecting. It'd be a shame not to try to develop my interest, and to waste the box of pastels and sketch pad I bought two-odd months ago.

Plus, I should try to have fun. At least a little. Every once in a while. Or at least to start playing the Sims with enough regularity to get the Novák family (Jan and Alzbeta) off the ground.

But, instead, it just seems like the days, especially the weekends, are never long enough. Maybe this will improve at some point. Or maybe not. But I'm resolving to make a concerted effort again.

First thing tomorrow.

Sartre is smartre

From Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism":

I have lately been told of a lady who, whenever she lets slip a vulgar expression in a moment of nervousness, excuses herself by exclaiming, "I believe I am becoming an existentialist."

Question: Does this make Howard Stern Camus?!?

Mall-wart

Chicago, like many communities around the country, has been faced with the dilemma of allowing Wal-Mart to set up shop within its city limits.

On the one hand, the proposed store on the city's West Side will likely create jobs in a predominantly black and economically depressed area of the city. On the other hand, most of those jobs will be low-paying sales clerk positions without benefits, and the mega-retailer's cutthroat business practices will threaten small businesses in the area.

Ordinarily I'd say I'm against letting in Wal-Mart, prima facie, simply because I think its business and labor practices are immoral and indefensible, even if they do yield rock bottom prices for consumers.

Yet I've recently had an idea for a creative way to resolve this dispute: approve Wal-Mart's request for a building permit, but make its business license contingent on opening up the store to unionization. Make it a closed shop even. But if such an idea passed muster on the city council, it could really mark a breakthrough for the labor movement vis-à-vis Wal-Mart. The corporation needs to learn to play by the rules and to not be militantly anti-union (as in instructing store managers to report any employee's mention of "union" or situations when employees simply converse with each other in groups). If one Wal-Mart becomes unionized, that will only intensify the pressure on the chain to allow other stores to do likewise.

Of course, it's also entirely possible (even probable) that attaching such conditions will cause Wal-Mart to abandon the project altogether. But if that's the case, isn't it then obvious that our concerns about its labor practices are justified, and that we are wise to want to keep it from our neighborhoods?

Mwahahahaha!

I am messing up Scott's blog!!!!!!

Sweltering

It's currently somewhere in the neighborhood of 85°, which is far too hot. It was considerably cooler just a few days ago, and it's supposed to drop below 60° later in the week. I am thoroughly unprepared for this weather. While I'm happy that it's warm enough for me to ditch the jacket and long pants, I'd rather it were less warm so that I'm not forced to consume gallons of iced tea in an effort not to break a sweat while sitting around doing nothing.

That said, it's not terribly hot, not yet. I know that in a few months, at the height of summer, the temperatures will creep closer toward triple digits, and worse still, the relative humidity will be off the charts, which means the only way not to perspire profusely will be to sit in a tub of ice cubes with a few fans going. It'll be even worse here, since we lack air conditioning. At the moment we just have several windows open, but when it gets warmer, our only recourse will be to run our relatively puny fans full blast, and probably to sit around indoors in our underwear until it cools off late at night.

So I'm really not looking forward to going to work in the summer, when I'll have to wear a buttoned-down shirt and slacks during the week. I'm reasonably confident our office has decent A/C, but I don't think that'll be enough, and it certainly won't help any for my commute. Even if I take to wearing shorts and a t-shirt to and from the office, I'm still going to have to contend with walking several blocks and riding very crowded trains. Fun stuff.

On the bright side, this will the first and last Chicago summer I'll have to endure. And then I'll get to move to the nice, temperate climes of the Pacific Northwest, where I think the temperatures really suit me and my comfort level.

Not-so-good eats

Squirrel kebab.

Tour de force

In anticipation of Chicago Critical Mass' upcoming May Day Ride, which will be a little more than eight miles (plus another five to 10 miles riding to and from the starting and finishing points), I decided to go for a little ride today.

It is my great pleasure to report that I successfully biked about 17 miles today, making the round trip between my North Side apartment and central Evanston in less than two hours (despite stopping at the grocery store a few blocks from home in that time).

Yup, I think I could really get into this biking thing. I have great plans. If only I didn't have to wear ridiculous business attire, I'd seriously start biking to work.

But at least since getting the old bike our neighbor gave us in working order yesterday, I'm mobile.

Plus, my sudden fascination with cycling has been encouraged by the Kraftwerk album I bought this week, Tour de France Soundtracks. It's superb, and it makes me want to cycle.

Because sometimes, the headline says it all

"Hooters Air ready to nest at Gary airport"

Good day

Today went swimmingly well.

At work our freelancer, who specializes in restaurants, gave me a gift certificate to the upscale seafood restaurant we have as a client. When she said she'd give me a gift certificate, I assumed it would be one of the Tax Day promotional ones for $10.40 (get it?), and was thinking of how I might angle to get a couple of extra so I could afford to take someone else. I never expected it to be for $75. That should more or less cover dinner for three people, so I think I'll take Joe and Norm next week.

And it kept getting better at work. Yesterday morning, the president of the firm sent out an e-mail encouraging everyone to work hard so we could all leave early Friday. I didn't quite know what to make of this. I thought by leaving early we might get to leave a little before 5, possibly in the 4 to 4:30 range. Nope. I was out the door and to the train by 3, and home by 3:30. I was so taken by this impossibly good luck that I felt an overwhelming urge to go to my brewpub of choice, Goose Island, for some celebratory libations and half-price, "Hoppy Hour" specials. Their baked pretzels -- both the traditional variety served with Düsseldorf mustard and the stuffed pizza one with cheese and marinara sauces -- are scrumptious. And the two beers I tried, a German-style bock and a Dublin stout, were good (though the potently smooth bock did make me feel a bit woozy).

To top it all off, I won't have to fork over most or all of my next paycheck to pay our gas bill. Through a variety of quirks, oddities and other strange happenings, we've only paid $100 toward our gas bill since we moved in last September. In large part this owes to the gas company, Peoples Energy, failing to send us a bill till December. So for three months we hadn't the foggiest idea how much gas we were evidently using, and how much they were charging us for the privilege. So, by the time we got a bill, not only was it high because we weren't being as energy efficient as we could be (namely, we weren't leaving the heat off for most of the day), but it was astronomical because we had nearly three months' worth of bills coming due. We balked at this, we bitched about it, then we tried to rectify it. We began severely limiting our gas use and even went to the trouble of enrolling in LIHEAP, a program that helps low-income folks pay their utility bills. Since I wasn't working at the time and Joe was making a pittance, we seemed good candidates to qualify for at least something. And they told us we'd find out about getting assistance for 30 days. That was nearly two months ago. We paid $100 to help placate the gas company, but all the while we've been waiting to find out if we'll get any relief for our bill. Then, yesterday, we received notice that our gas would be shut off on the 19th unless we anted up. And at this point, it isn't pretty. I estimated that to cover my half of what we owed, I would essentially have to hand all but a pittance of my forthcoming paycheck to the gas company. So, I began to resign myself to a lot of belt-tightening over the next couple of months. But today Joe finally talked to someone at Peoples Energy who gave us some answers. Among these was that LIHEAP had gone broke. No help there. But, mercifully, we won't have to pay our entire outstanding balance next week, just our current month's gas bill, plus a calculated portion of our balance per the terms of their payment plan. It'll still be a big hit, but a more manageable one. Really, I was just happy about the prospect of not having to spend so much money at once. And I think it'll work out OK in the long run since, presumably, our gas bill should decline significantly as summer approaches and the temperature rises. We leave the heat off most of the time anyway, so hopefully it won't be too painful to pay.

With any luck, tomorrow we'll score tickets to see Billy Corgan's first solo performance. That would be smashing.

Unsafe at any speed

I'm strongly considering voting for Ralph Nader. It's true. I voted -- with tremendous pride -- for Ralph in 2000, and I'm leaning heavily in that direction this time around.

The irony of it is, the Democrats, who on some level I want to be able to support this year just to oust Bush, are driving me away.

For most of the campaign season (dating back to last year), I accepted the line of reasoning that the most important thing was regime change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And I still think it's necessary. It's just that I no longer buy the argument that the Democratic candidate, whoever it might have been, is automatically that much better than Dubya.

More accurately, I certainly don't believe that the anointed nominee for the Dems, Sen. John Kerry, is a great choice to represent the country, especially if we're talking about the shape I'd like it to take.

Back in the days leading up to the primaries, when it was still a relatively wide-open race, I recalled having my preferred candidates (Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich), then a tier of candidates with more realistic chances of winning the nomination whom I could tolerate (Howard Dean and Wesley Clark). Beyond them, there were a few Dems whom I just flat out didn't like, and was hoping would lose spectacularly so I wouldn't face such a dilemma.

Naturally, John Kerry was one of those. And naturally, he won the nomination.

What irks me about Kerry is, well, everything. In part it's that he's a self-proclaimed "fiscal conservative," which strikes me as ill-conceived and irrational. And in great measure it's because he flip-flops, or at least takes positions way toward the center-right, in an effort to woo "swing voters," "moderates" and "disillusioned Republicans." Not exactly apt descriptions of myself.

I guess the long and short of it is that once the Kerry freight train started to run away, I began contemplating my options. I could somehow try to stomach my disdain for the man and vote for him regardless, which seems like a cop-out to my principles, or I could follow my conscience and simply not vote. I have to think the latter was the likelier course.

But that process of contemplation became a lot more academic when Nader threw his hat into the ring. At least now I know there will be one candidate on the ballot (fingers crossed) who represents me and my ideas extremely well. This is the man who, all else aside, appears most deserving of my vote. Still, there are potentially important considerations to keep in mind, like unceremoniously tossing Shrub to the curb with the rest of the garbage. And I was (and am) still willing to listen to well-reasoned arguments for sucking it up and voting for the Dem.

However, I have to thank Democrats everywhere for eschewing such logic and giving me absolutely zero incentive to consider Kerry this fall.

Yup, as anyone could've predicted, the moment Ralph decided to run was the moment Democrats started getting in a snit and calling for him to drop out so people wouldn't deign to vote for someone other than not-Bush, which could only mean Kerry. They trotted out the same arguments they used four years ago that equated a vote for Nader with a vote for Bush, yada yada yada.

It's just such a stale and truly flawed line of rhetoric that I can't but instantly tune out the Dems. I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying what you're selling. Had I not voted for Ralph four years ago, I more than likely wouldn't have voted at all. Or I would've voted for David McReynolds, the Socialist candidate. Or some other minor-party candidate. Like a lot of other Nader backers, I voted only because Ralph excited me and motivated me in a way that Gore never could. It was Ralph or nothing, as far as I was concerned. Yes, I am that jaded and disillusioned with the political process in this country.

And yet, after seeing how Nader apparently (though not really) cost Gore the election, have Democrats learned from their previous follies? Have they tried to reach out to the Naderites and bring them back into the party fold? Of course not. They're too damn arrogant and self-righteous for that.

It's incredibly sad. All I need is some compelling reason to back the Dems. I mean, I'm practically screaming for an excuse to do it. But it has to be legit. It has to carry more weight than "we have to get rid of Bush." To me, and to a lot of others, it's not enough just to replace the bastard if we're just going to have a different bastard in charge. Carried to it's logical extension, I would be just as justified in voting for Nader, or Pat Buchanan, or whomever the Libertarians are running, while reciting the mantra of not-Bush.

No, what I want is a candidate who not only is not Bush, but who also reflects and affirms my own values, principles and ideas. Someone whom I can support for purely positive reasons, like having a good platform, that are irrelevant to the not-Bush characteristic.

So, naturally, Kerry and the Dems turn their backs on me. That's right, they're leaving my cheese out in the cold.

If I've learned much of anything (and holding a degree in political science, I probably have) from observing the last two presidential elections, it's that the Republicans are a hell of a lot better at rallying and motivating their base of support. And I mean the whole spectrum. I'm sure there are a lot of far-right, ultra-reactionary types who think Bush is a little too left for their tastes. But despite that, you'll always see W and the GOP reaching out to this lunatic fringe. Whether it's backing implicitly racist measures like an end to affirmative action or something more openly repugnant and degrading like a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, Dubya will do what it takes to get that segment of the spectrum to turn out for him in November.

You just don't see that kind of outreach on the other side.

Quick, tell me how often Kerry has embraced universal, guaranteed health coverage? Never. Or how many times as he said that the War in Iraq was absolutely unjust and that we never should've been there in the first place. None (unless we count when he voted against the First Gulf War). On these or any number of other measures that matter to me and other Nader supporters, you just don't find any sort of concurrence, even a wink and a nudge, with Kerry. Instead of trying to mobilize this group of voters, he's too busy moving further to the right in a vain and futile attempt to court Republicans. It seems like terribly ineffective political strategy, and if he loses the election, a lot of the fault should be placed on this very tactic.

Instead, we get any number of Democrats urging Ralph Nader to drop out. Their contention that he takes votes from the Dems is so arrogant and offensive that I honestly don't think I'll be able to ally myself with them, even for the strategic purpose of defeating Bush. To claim that Nader voters would otherwise automatically vote Democratic is ludicrous. It's preposterous. It's an insult to our very independence and intelligence. My blood boils and I seethe with anger at such presumptuous logic. No Democrat will automatically get my vote. Kerry, like Nader and everyone else, has to earn it. But I just don't see that happening, and thus Ralph will remain the only deserving candidate in my mind.

Look, I'm sorry if this irritates a bunch of liberals. But, dammit, I'm sick of being told that I'm throwing my vote away or helping Bush or any number of the awful, terrible things Democrats like to say about Naderites. We should be allies in this campaign. Really. We ought to be able to work together for a common cause. But until the Dems actually reach out and offer us something tangible, until they give a little, we won't compromise. Because I'd rather vote for Nader, or not vote at all, than to throw away my vote on a candidate who doesn't give a rat's ass about me.

Miscellany

My acceptance to UW is all official, more or less. Wednesday night I e-mailed my adviser-to-be to inform him that I'm definitely accepting. Thursday evening I received via e-mail attachment a letter from the Department of History indicating my acceptance and the offer of funding. Friday morning I printed it out, signed it and returned it. Now this afternoon I received an official letter from the dean of the graduate school (yes, I got mail on a Sunday, because our landlord dropped off the mail that had erroneously been delivered to the downstairs apartment) saying that they've approved the History Department's recommendation to admit me, etc. So that's resolving itself....

Tonight I cooked a veritable feast. I made some delicious artichoke dip, courtesy Laura's fabulous recipe, then cooked spaghetti with red sauce and Italian sausage. I also made garlic bread myself. It all turned out very well, though it also reminded me how overwhelming it feels to be cooking multiple dishes at once. The garlic bread may well have been burned to a crisp had I had the oven very hot (instead it turned out just fine). But, I still find the whole process harrowing, despite the fact that I prepared most everything in advance so that I wouldn't have to be frantically chopping onion or opening cans or preparing a spread in a rush. It truly amazes me how a lot of people seem to handle cooking several things without appearing too fazed by it all....

Daylight savings time really sucks. More accurately, losing an hour bites. I can't tell you how much better my day would be if I had the extra hour we lost in the middle of the night. I would've gotten up at a much more respectable hour and accomplished quite a lot, and I would still have another hour before I should get to bed, which would give me enough time to wind down the day and be good and ready for sleep. Instead, I'm either going to have to cut it short abruptly or be tired in the morning or both. We really just need to do away with it. There's no compelling reason for us to have it now (and I'm not sure there ever was one in the first place), so it'd be best to just to stop making people screw up their routines, even if it is only twice a year....

I seem to be the literal embodiment of Sartre's self-taught man. For those of you who never read Nausea, he's a minor character who goes around reading all the books in the library in a systematic fashion, except that his system is to read them in alphabetical order, as opposed to by any sort of general subject, or in a purely random way. I'd like to think I at least have a compelling reason for this. Joe has chosen to organize his books alphabetically by author, and I'm making an effort (perhaps a vain one, but I'll try nonetheless) to read all of the books in our apartment (which includes a few that are my own, a lot that are Joe's and a lot we inherited from Dick Schwarzlose) before I move out at the end of the summer. So, I've been going along shelf-by-shelf, left-to-right, reading books at the rate of three or so a week. I think I shouldn't have much trouble getting through my books (I have only a couple of my own here left to read), and getting through Joe's books (at least the ones in the bookcase I haven't already read and have much interest in reading), which is roughly about 40 more to go. But tackling the large number of books piled on the floor in our map room/library/Che room is a major challenge. There are probably at least another 50 books, and about the only way I could possibly finish them all would be to read about one book a day. That's possible with some books, but certainly not all of them, so I'll just have to try to get through all I can. Not to mention, I forgot to count the few Central European books Colleen lent me, which are hiding behind my computer. Still, it'll be fun to try.

Going the way of the Expos

Perhaps I'm not going to Seattle after all...

Only a fool would consider moving the UW to Puerto Rico

Peter Callaghan
The Tacoma News-Tribune

SEATTLE - The University of Washington said Wednesday that it will move to another state unless it receives more money from taxpayers.

The announcement stunned the state's political and educational establishment even though the university had been complaining about money for decades. While it is the first such move by a major research institution, given the condition of college funding it might not be the last - especially if it works.

Taking a page from the playbook of such business leaders as Paul Allen and Howard Lincoln, the UW board of regents said its "decision was final" but subject to change.

"We must remain competitive. But we have determined that without more support from taxpayers it just doesn't pencil," said Gerald Gripengrin, president of the board, in front of a fleet of moving vans.

"Many states would be thrilled to have an institution of this caliber. It makes a state big-league," he said. The captain of industry ended the announcement with a poignant message for his granddaughter Montlake, a big Huskies fan.

"I'm sorry, but we tried our best," he said, fighting back tears before high-fiving special assistant to the president Norm Sharkins.

New UW President Mark Demerit was unavailable for comment after meeting with Louisiana State University to ask for his job back.

A source close to the regents said they might reconsider if certain conditions were met: The Legislature must double its UW appropriation, reporters must stop asking all those questions about the athletic department, and "the students need to sober up and get to class for a change."

Reports out of North Dakota, Delaware and Puerto Rico strongly suggested all three would be in the bidding should the UW go on the open market.

"I feel badly for Washington, but we feel our citizens deserve a big-league university," said a spokesman for the governor of Puerto Rico.

"We would be willing to offer incentives and a first-class facility to attract a school that would put North Dakota on the map," said whoever answered the phone in Bismarck. "OK, we're already on the map. But I mean, on the map, like, you know, 'on the map.'"

The Delaware bid could be hampered by the fact that the current UW campus is larger than the state. One solution would be to use Pennsylvania for student parking and the Med School.

Students were shocked at news they might have to switch time zones to finish their degrees.

"It's a business like any other, but I sort of thought they'd, like, be more loyal to us," said seventh-year senior Brendon Greekrow. "I guess it's OK as long as they don't raise tuition."

Legislators were scrambling - not to find money to retain the UW but to escape political blame.

"This is just what we've been going on about," said Senate GOP Leader Funky Winkerbein. "Because of the Democrats, Washington is no longer competitive with other states in taxes, regulations and the number of Republicans elected."

Democrats met for six hours in closed-door caucus before emerging to blame Tim Eyman.

Gov. Wary Lock said he would ask Boeing what to do before forming a task force and holding some rallies.

"That's all I got," said the lame duck. "I said I was the education governor, not the higher education governor. There's a difference. Really."

Alumni and business leaders reeled at the news that their Tyee Club dues wouldn't mean squat if the football team relocated with the university, which appears likely. One of the stars of the team, however, was unfazed.

"Ya mean there's a school here?" asked linebacker Roid N. Hanced. "Where?"

Miss the boat?

In case you missed it, and you almost surely did if you read the American press, a story broke this week about a speech Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser, was originally scheduled to make on September 11, 2001.

The upshot of it is that Rice's speech demonstrated how out of tune the Bush administration was to the threat of terrorism:

The Rice speech argued for the need to confront "the threats and problems of today and the day after, not the world of yesterday", and then went on implicitly to criticise the Clinton administration's preoccupation with terrorist groups at the expense of building defences against ballistic missiles.

That's right, we needed to be wasting billions of dollars on Star Wars instead of trying to monitor al-Qaida and make sure they didn't do something drastic, like hijacking four airplanes and crashing them into skyscrapers and defense headquarters.

Effete snobbery

Around the office I'm developing a reputation for being a man of high culture. However, this erudite, elite, intellectual image my co-workers have developed seems skewed by relativity.

It all begins with the way I ordinarily choose to spend my lunch break, namely, nose buried in a book. And the fact that I seem to have a different book every couple of days or so. And certainly the highfalutin quality of many of the tomes in which I'm ensconced myself, from Camus to Václav Havel, exudes a certain (false) air of sophistication. At least in their minds.

To a lesser extent, I think I'm set apart by my interests. Beyond reading, I of course want to become a professor of Eastern European history. Pretty heady stuff, they think. Maybe this is a sign of a certain sophistication (I'd like to think so), but I think it's more a product of them sharing in sort of the cultural detachment and aloofness vis à vis Eastern Europe that is an American pandemic.

It also didn't help matters earlier in this week when I decided to style myself a feudal lord in reference to the office copier, and began describing it as "my own personal fiefdom" and then demanding tribute, namely 80 percent of the grain harvest, from the office manager to permit her to use it. But that's more just a particular quirk of mine.

What really distinguishes me from the rest of the office seems to be my blissful ignorance and latent contempt for pop culture.

This became truly apparent during lunch yesterday. The conversation turned to the previous evening's television shows, which isn't terribly atypical. But yesterday the talked turned to Fox's "The O.C.," mention of which prompted a sly smirk to come across my countenance. Now, they didn't realize initially why "The O.C." in particular inspires a certain amusement in me; few of my co-workers seem cognizant of the fact that I was born and raised in Orange County, Calif., and lived there up through high school, where I knew and knew of several teens who fit many of the stereotypes depicted in the Fox drama.

Still, this misunderstanding made for some levity, when one of the senior staff members, noticing my sudden state of bemusement, demanded to know what I was reading, just for comparison. I explained that it was a book by a New Yorker writer, which certainly heightened the contrast. Though it would've been worse had this been earlier in the week, when I was indeed reading Camus' The Rebel.

And, to my credit, I didn't try to play up my apparent cultural arrogance, though I easily could have. For, while much of the office was watching "The O.C." the night before, I happened to be at the local classic movie house taking in a German film, "Good Bye, Lenin!"

Nonetheless, I don't do much to give lie to their impression of me. It's true that I generally disdain pop culture, especially TV. But I don't avoid it strictly. I seldom watch television, yes, but I'm a huge fan of "The Simpsons," and I am moderately conversant in a lot of pop cultural phenomena of the day. Reality TV is a glaring exception, and one I strictly adhere to on principle. But I've seen a fair number of popular films (though not lately), and I've even read the major works of Dan Brown (but mainly because my mom got them for me at Christmas).

So I'm not totally out of place at these conversations. Nor do I think less of my co-workers for escaping into pop culture. And I'm not trying to position myself as a sophisticate. Quite the contrary; I think my secondary education was rather provincial, and in matters of high culture I feel like a dilettante. However, if they want to think of me as being truly refined, I'll take that.