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Now on to some self-indulgent, focused-on-my-enthusiasms, hey-it’s-my-birthday-so-deal-with-it, stuff…

WORK

“Snow Storm”

Tumult, weeping, many new ghosts.
Heartbroken, aging, alone, I sing
To myself. Ragged mist settles
In the spreading dusk. Snow skurries
In the coiling wind. The wineglass
Is spilled. The bottle is empty.
The fire has gone out in the stove.
Everywhere men speak in whispers.
I brood on the uselessness of letters.

—Tu Fu (translated by Kenneth Rexroth)
—from One Hundred Poems from the Chinese

WORD(S)

WEB

1. The Book Arts Web (aka Philobiblon) is the hub for bookbinders and book artists with great stuff for everyone from novices to amazing master craftspeople. You don’t have to make books to appreciate some of the amazing work connected here. At least check out the (lamentably discontinued) online magazine, The Bone Folder.

2. The Origami community has exploded with video tutorials on the web, but a few artists are head-and-shoulders above the rest: Sara Adams (who pioneered many new presentation techniques), Leyla Torres, Tadashi Mori, Jo Nakashima and Evan Zodl. The best discussions to be had are on The Origami Forum and the Origami-L Mailing List.

3. I love lists. You should too. Some links for listophiles: Umberto Eco’s heavily illustrated book Infinity of Lists, the Lists of Note blog, the Book(s) of Lists, the Listography books and site, Christopher Smart “on his cat Joeffrey”, Gregory Orr on accidentally shooting his brother, and Todoist list management software.

4. Today in 1970, Chris Lott is born. Read some epitaphs he is considering. Hear him butcher two of his favorite poems. See the most popular image he’s shared (500,000+ views, what?), his most popular origami fold and the (inexplicably) most popular original flickr photo. See the first image result for “Chris Lott” (definitely not him). Read the last poems (or poem like things) he’ll ever write. He burned the rest of his web stuff down a year ago. He may or may not rise again. Until then, move along, there’s nothing to see there.

5. Also on this day in history: Brutus commits suicide, Johnny Carson & Robert Bridges & Weird Al are born, Richard Lovelace (who wrote the poem I named my daughter after) and Zane Grey died, Bork was Borked, Clarence Thomas was sworn in, a suicide bomber killed 243 Marines in Beirut, the first iPod was introduced, according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher the creation of the world began (in 4004 BC) and Dumbo is released (the film, not my birth).

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

• Thanks for the birthday wishes, Reader A., Reader C., Reader K., Reader V., and others.

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