Photos from Minneapolis, MN

Photos from Minneapolis

RR Crossing

I had the pleasure of pausing to let a train pass not long ago when I was driving on NY-79 between Whitney Point and Ithaca. I took a few photos, of which this is the best. One of the pleasures of working at Maxie's is hearing the train pretty much every day as it hoots its way down the tracks parallel to US-13 in Ithaca.

New Writing Project: Three's Prime

I'm pleased to announce the inauguration of a new blog, Three's Prime, where I'll be working with Stephanie Gehring and Bhisham Bherwani on a meditative and journalistic project. We have the bare-bones up and a few posts, and of course we invite comments.

New Reading Lists

Current:

• How Starbucks Saved My Life (Michael Gates Gill)
• Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert)
• Eros the Bittersweet (Anne Carson)
• Murder at the Chessboard (P.T. Houdunitz, ed.)
• The Pseudo People: Androids in Science Fiction (William F. Nolan, ed.)

Recent:

• Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
• Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon (Joyce Carol Oates, writing as Rosamond Smith)
• The Anti-Death League (Kingsley Amis)
• Grand Hotel (Vicki Baum)
• The White Album (Joan Didion)

(Near) Future:

• Gilead (Marylin Robinson)
• Kitchen Confidential (Anthony Bourdain)
• Dictionary of the Khazars (Milorad Pavic)
• The God Question and The 60-Second Philosopher (Andrew Pessin)

Poems About Horses (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets)

I'm pretty psyched about one of my poems, "A Progression of Scents," appearing in this volume: Poems About Horses (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) by Carmela Ciuraru (Editor).

The Ecstasy of Santa Teresa

Bernini's sculpture draws on S. Teresa's account of her vision: "It was our Lord's will that in this vision I should see the angel in this wise. He was not large, but small of stature, and most beautiful - his face burning, as if he were one of the highest angels, who seem to be all of fire: they must be those whom we call Cherubim. I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it, even a large one. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of his goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying."

Divine ecstasy sounds perfectly sexual, too, and the sculpture poises the angel with his golden spear above the floating Teresa (who was said to levitate).

More photos from today's walk and lecture (with Prof. Jeffrey Blanchard) here:

A Sushi Conveyor Belt in Trastevere

OK, I'd heard of these, but never seen one. I didn't figure I'd see my first in Rome. Pardon the very rough soundtrack editing:

Le Catacombe S. Callisto

A few facts, as reported by our guide through the catacombs: They were used from 2nd to 5th Centuries AD, these by the Christians, but 7 of Rome's ~50 known catacombs were Jewish. Those of S. Callisto are notable for being the most extensive, with >20k of corridors. According to the guide, in the three centuries of use, some 500,000 people were buried there. In a section on the second of its four levels is a room which once held the remains of nine early popes (though they antedate the term "pope"). Not far from there is the traditional grave of St. Cecilia (a 2nd Century martyr) and a copy of Stefano Maderno's sculpture depicting the supposed position of her uncorrupted body when her tomb was opened in 1595. I like the sculpture a lot.

Photos from the day, the walk:
Porta San Sebastiano, which opens onto Via Appia Antica A field of poppies close to the catacombs. The catacomb entrance.

Day in Tivoli

Today we chartered a bus to Tivoli and spent the morning in the gardens of the Villa d'Este.

Afterwards, we explored Tivoli on our own a little bit. Sadie and I found this abandoned factory:

The Keats/Shelley House

This little museum is one of the least interesting in Rome, I'd guess, though it has a certain sentimental value. It also has value as a research library for people who do Keats scholarship. But we just spent twenty minutes poking around here, yesterday.

Having visited once before, I decided to find just a single theme to focus on. I picked the three masks they keep.

This a carnival mask that Lord Byron wore:

This is a copy of Keats's death mask:

And this mask was made of Keats when he was still living: