tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31239743595106962642024-02-21T08:25:09.897-05:00Eschatological Psychosis"We have no time now to hear your philosophy. Don't you know that the end of this world is coming and the judgment of God is at the door?"Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-33712205728375693872012-07-07T02:32:00.000-04:002012-07-07T02:32:39.146-04:00Intersubjectivity's just another word for nothing left to lose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Don't worry, I'm still putting together more posts, but in the meantime:</div>
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Contrary to popular perception, the cause of the eclipse of myth as a way <span style="background-color: white;">of knowing reality and hence as a path to wisdom is not the contrast </span><span style="background-color: white;">between <i>mythos</i> and <i>logos</i> as epistemological instruments, the former allegedly naive and archaic and the latter critical and scientific. <b>It is now </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>widely recognized that the epistemology of empirical sciences, for all its </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>vaunted claims to objectivity and exactness, is deeply metaphorical.</b> Even </span><span style="background-color: white;">the rise of Greek philosophy—the discovery of <i>logos</i>—did not come about </span><span style="background-color: white;">by leaving <i>mythos</i> behind.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Indeed, Greek myths such as those in Hesiod’s </span><span style="background-color: white;">Theogony already contain a striking degree of rationality, as is testified by </span><span style="background-color: white;">the fact that among the gods there are personifications of concepts such as </span><span style="background-color: white;">wisdom, right, lawfulness, justice, and peace. Whereas it is true that Heraclitus and Xenophanes explicitly attacked the accepted mythologies, Sophists such as Protagoras and Prodicus made use of myth as an explanatory </span><span style="background-color: white;">tool. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Plato himself regarded myth as an ally in the working out of a </span><span style="background-color: white;">philosophy. For him, myth not only offers illuminating insights into realities that elude precise explanations but also is particularly appropriate for </span><span style="background-color: white;">expressing changing features of the world of becoming.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
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It is true that the distinct form of <i>mythos</i> is narrative and that of <i>logos</i> is <span style="background-color: white;">discursive reasoning. However, this difference did not of itself lead to the </span><span style="background-color: white;">depreciation of <i>mythos</i> as a way of knowing. Rather <b>this was due primarily </b></span><b><span style="background-color: white;">to the move from orality to literacy. With the rise of writing and literacy, </span><span style="background-color: white;">orality through which myths and stories are transmitted declined and as the </span><span style="background-color: white;">result of this decline the way of thinking in abstract terms and the tendency </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><b>to viewing the world in mutually exclusive terms increased substantially.</b> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Not only the knower became separated from the known, but also the </span><span style="background-color: white;">literate from the illiterate. With Gutenberg’s invention of the printing </span><span style="background-color: white;">press, this separation became vastly exacerbated...</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
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The invention of the printing press aided and abetted the rise of modernity. In return, modernity favored reading and writing over storytelling and <span style="background-color: white;">listening; information and proofs over stories; texts, preferably portable </span><span style="background-color: white;">(e.g., pocket edition and paperback) that can be read in private and controlled over the free and unpredictable to-and-fro of conversation; the </span><span style="background-color: white;">written contract over an oral agreement. The printed text becomes the </span><span style="background-color: white;">privileged path to knowledge and wisdom.</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>The truth is now inscribed and </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>located in the text, and because it is written down, the truth remains unchangeable and permanent.</b> <b>Indeed, unless recorded in texts, nothing is </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>reliable, authoritative, and true, as is suggested by the expression “as it is </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>written”</b> (today, the equivalent expression is “as seen on TV”!). Furthermore, those who can read texts are “authorities” and have power over the </span><span style="background-color: white;">illiterate. The latter are dependent on the former to know what the text </span><span style="background-color: white;">says, or more precisely, what they say what the text says.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
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In the process, the written text itself becomes the channel of truth and <span style="background-color: white;">wisdom and the source of power and privilege. <b>Coming to know the truth </b></span><b><span style="background-color: white;">is made possible only though an objective and scientific interpretation of </span>the text</b>, especially classics and sacred scriptures. As a consequence, truth <span style="background-color: white;">becomes a commodity at the disposal of the intellectual elite and the powerful class, and <i>logos</i> is an instrument for reasoned and discursive argument.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;">By the same token, oral myth-making and storytelling are considered </span><span style="background-color: white;">an inferior, imprecise, primitive guide to truth and wisdom. It is no accident </span><span style="background-color: white;">that since the 19th-century myth has often been sharply distinguished from </span><span style="background-color: white;">history which alone concerns with reality. <b>Mythic consciousness is judged </b></span><b><span style="background-color: white;">to represent an inferior and primitive stage of mental development incapable of expressing an abstract philosophical truth which should now be </span><span style="background-color: white;">made accessible by means of demythologization.</span></b><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
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Even though <i>logos</i> as a path to knowledge and wisdom is in practice <span style="background-color: white;">reserved for a few, it is thought by modernity to be universal, at least </span><span style="background-color: white;">potentially, since everyone can be taught how to read and hence have </span><span style="background-color: white;">access to texts. Furthermore, when wedded to technology, <i>logos</i> became </span><span style="background-color: white;">principally instrumental reason, and <b>out of this marriage was born the myth </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>of progress.</b> But as has been hinted, the child has become totally unruly and </span><span style="background-color: white;">unpredictable, and its future, to judge from the havoc it has played on the </span><span style="background-color: white;">human family in the 20th century, remains under threat.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> - Peter Phan, "<a href="http://www.ts.mu.edu/content/62/62.4/62.4.3.pdf">The Wisdom of Holy Foolishness in Postmodernity</a>"</span></div>
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Hard to keep from quoting the entire paper. Highly recommended.</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-24443910946692014552012-07-06T16:17:00.000-04:002012-07-06T16:58:22.685-04:00BLESSED XENIA PETERBURGSKAYA: The Mad Widow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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First: <i>love</i> the <a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/2012/07/tse-holiness-or-heresy-evolving-models.html?showComment=1341164213458#c8137379926660435257">questions and comments</a> my last post got! Please keep 'em coming; just because I take forever to respond doesn't mean I've forgotten or don't care.
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Now to business! <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/evetushnet/">Eve</a> asked a great question: "<b>Were there ever married holy fools?</b>"
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I started writing this hours ago and it's turned into a beast of an answer, so I'm going to break it up into a series of meandering posts. Because I'm doing this for my edification as well as yours, I'm letting myself go off on tangents (within reason)-- I'll try to include a <b>tl;dr</b> summary at the beginning of each post and a master one at the end when I've exhausted the ten different essays I'm going to write in the course of answering this question.</div>
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<b>TL; DR Version of "The Mad Widow"</b></div>
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- St Xenia became a fool-for-Christ following her beloved husband's death, possibly in an attempt to "compensate" for the fact that he died suddenly with neither Confession nor Communion</div>
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- Xenia's adoption of her husband's name and clothing after his death can be read as a harbinger of her <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis_(Eastern_Orthodox_theology)">theosis</a>; in taking on aspects of his life she empties herself and obliterates her ego (think about that next time you see a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_in_the_Eastern_Orthodox_Church#The_Crowning">crowning</a> at an Orthodox wedding!)</div>
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- that Xenia's love for her husband is a driving element of her narrative makes hers an unusual vita; most female vitae include <span style="background-color: white;">virginity chosen at a young age,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> forced or abusive marriages, or say very little about the husband at all</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- love of the poor and love of man-made beauty need not preclude one another (hiya <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulative_principle_of_worship">Calvinists</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- Orthodox glorification isn't exactly the same as Catholic canonization but I won't tell you why til you're older</span></div>
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<b>Essential Russian!</b></div>
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<i>iurodstvo </i> - holy foolishness</div>
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<i>klikushestvo </i> - a shrieking ailment indicating witchcraft/sorcery-induced demonic possession </div>
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<b>BLESSED XENIA PETERBURGSKAYA: The Mad Widow</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Transliteration note: </b>in my opinion "Kseniya" makes <i>much </i>more sense than "Xenia" (from the Russian </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ксения)</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">, but "Xenia" is the standard English transliteration, so out of respect for local tradition (read: *<i>search optimization*</i>) I'll stick with that one.</span></div>
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Upon seeing Eve's question, I thought immediately of the widow holy fools, like the famous <a href="http://orthodoxwiki.org/Xenia_of_St._Petersburg">St Xenia of Petersburg</a>.<span style="background-color: white;"> St Xenia</span><span style="background-color: white;"> gave away all of her possessions and wandered the city as a beggar after her husband's death sometime in the mid-18th century. I actually had the great privilege of visiting the chapel built over her grave in Smolensky Cemetery in Petersburg in 2010.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pravsemia.ru/assets/images/photoalbum/2010/pechbytaras/IMG_6576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.pravsemia.ru/assets/images/photoalbum/2010/pechbytaras/IMG_6576.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Часовня Ксении Блаженной, Смоленское Кладбище, Санкт-Петербург<br />
St Xenia's Chapel, Smolensky Cemetery, St Petersburg (<a href="http://www.pravsemia.ru/resources/photoalbum/2010/495.htm">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>"WHOEVER KNEW ME, PRAY FOR MY SOUL THAT HIS OWN MAY BE SAVED"*</b></span></div>
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<b>St Xenia's Chapel</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">Blessed Xenia is the patron saint of Petersburg and is especially beloved among women, who pray to her for intercession in family troubles. While being a wife or mother is never simple, in a country whose gender balance is still recovering from a century of warfare, where less than twenty years ago life was so difficult that male life expectancy plummeted to 56 (and even today is </span><a href="http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/03/24/240310_life.html" style="background-color: white;">ten years below</a><span style="background-color: white;"> that of western European countries), where alcoholism kills </span><a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/02/alcoholism-is-killing-off-russian-men/17768/" style="background-color: white;">millions every year</a><span style="background-color: white;">, and </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/26/russia.nickpatonwalsh" style="background-color: white;">children begin drinking</a><span style="background-color: white;"> heavily before high school, the cross women bear as the rock of family and society must be especially heavy. </span></span></div>
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When I was there, the line to simply touch the walls of the small chapel was incredibly long-- women, young and old, all in head scarves, some with children, some with canes. I remember one woman posing a sickly young boy on crutches in front of the chapel for a photograph-- I can't know because I didn't ask her, but if she'd been documenting a pilgrimage for her parish I wouldn't have been surprised; many people travel from great distances to visit the shrine. Many light candles, some leave prayer notes-- I have been to few pilgrimage sites, and don't know whether that is common practice in Orthodoxy, or a particularity of supplication at St Xenia's Chapel (my instinct suggests the latter).</div>
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From the parish <a href="http://www.hamburg-hram.de/letopis/palomnichestvo-na-russkij-sever-den-vtoroj-sankt-peterburg-arxangelsk/1099.html">blog</a> of the Righteous St John of Kronstadt Orthodox Church**:</div>
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"В советские времена в часовню нельзя было попасть – доступ поклонникам был закрыт, но люди все равно шли, прикладывались к ограждению с верой. С тех пор сохранилась традиция – поклонники обходят здание часовни с молитвой, прикладываются и целуют стены."<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Translation mine, proceed with caution.)</span><br />
"In the Soviet era, it was forbidden to go into the shrine - access was closed to worshippers, but people went all the same, venerating at the fence [<i style="background-color: white;">built by the Soviets to keep people from the chapel -TKB</i><span style="background-color: white;">] in faith. Since then the tradition has been preserved - worshippers go around the chapel building to pray, venerate, and kiss the wall." </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Not every saint gets her own chapel, much less before she's been officially glorified (see below), but it is an honor perhaps especially worthy of St Xenia, who herself assisted with the construction of a church in the very cemetery in which she would later be buried. At night after the workmen had gone home, she would either bring large stones to the construction site, or carry the stones meant for the highest levels to the top of the scaffolding (depending on which vita you read). I like this story in particular because it illustrates that asceticism and appreciation of beauty need not contradict one another-- she herself went about in rags, ate little, and gave constantly of herself, but also dedicated her energy to building a new house of God in a city already full of them. Extremism in the pursuit of beauty is no vice!</span></div>
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<b>PRECIOUS STONES ADORNING THE RAIMENT OF THE BRIDE</b></div>
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<b>On Orthodox Glorification</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Entire essays could be written on this alone, but for now I'll say simply that </span><i style="background-color: white;">overall</i><span style="background-color: white;"> the Orthodox approach to numbering the saints is more decentralized and less defined than that of the Catholics. I was shocked when I first found out that Xenia hadn't been glorified until 1988 (to be fair, in 1978 by ROCOR, but that, too, is quite late). Her figure has loomed large over Russian history and culture since not long after her death around 1800; pilgrimages to her grave site began in the 19th century, and attachment to her was so strong that not even Soviet Leningrad could erase her from the hearts and memories of the faithful. I haven't looked into her case specifically, but from what I've read about the institutional glorification of other saints, the Church seems content to observe "local" veneration for quite long periods of time before beginning any official proceedings. Unexpected blessing of this approach: we can watch </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7kxDl-nXpA" style="background-color: white;">scenes</a><span style="background-color: white;"> from St Xenia's 1978 glorification service on Youtube!</span></div>
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<b>FOR HIS SAKE:</b> <b>Sacrificial Foolishness?</b></div>
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Unusually for a female saint, the vitae are very clear that she loved her husband very much; some even imply that her holy foolishness was prompted by mad grief. Even more curiously, she responded only to her husband's name (Andrei Feodorovich); some stories say that she went about in his clothes. While she was not glorified by the Russian Church until 1988, veneration of her among the people is said to have begun even during her lifetime. We do know that by the end of the 18th century, locals referred to the street on which she and her husband had lived as Petrov Street, which was her husband's surname.</div>
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Some vitae say that taking on her husband's name, as though she had completely forgotten her own (and perhaps she had), is an illustration of the depth of her humility (see: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosis">kenosis</a>); others feel less of a need to editorialize. Unfortunately I'm only looking through what's quickly available online, so I can't find out for how long that particular theory's accompanied her vita. I can say the adoption of the husband's name is quite idiosyncratic and not something I've seen elsewhere, although there are many stories of holy women in which either their birth names are not given, or no name is given at all (sometimes, in fact, as a story grows in popularity, an anonymous saint will be <i>given</i> a name, as with the Egyptian monk we now revere as <a href="http://www.synodinresistance.org/Theology_en/E3d5026AgiaIsidora.pdf">Isidora</a>).</div>
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An element sometimes emphasized in Xenia's story is that her husband died unexpectedly while drinking at a party and in a state of sin (without having taken the Blessed Sacrament). Some write that it was Xenia's concern for the state of her husband's soul that drove her to such fervent prayer, others that the suddenness of his death gave her eyes to see the frivolity and selfishness of her life and the strength to change course.</div>
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<b>THE OLD BALL AND CHAIN: Of Witches and Wives</b></div>
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More typically widow saints (as relayed in the vitae) were forced into marriages against their will, or express no particular feelings about their husbands at all-- their deaths are rarely portrayed as joyous events, of course (a subtle tone of relief is sometimes conscioned), but as welcome developments giving the widows the freedom to pursue a more perfect holiness.</div>
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Holy foolishness among women, whether married or not, deserves examination in its own right, particularly in a country some of whose rural populations maintained belief in sorcery past the Revolution. The problem of <i>klikushestvo </i>(the shrieking ailment) in particular<i> </i>comes to mind. As Linda Ivanits explains in <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/Russian_Folk_Belief.html?id=-s36xYcqG1EC">Russian Folk Belief</a>,</i> <i>klikushestvo</i> is "primarily a woman's condition characterized by howling, cursing, and falling to the ground during the liturgy, in the midst of church processions, or in the presence of icons, incense, and other religious objects," and usually signifies demonic possession brought on by malevolent sorcery. It was considered distinct from "hysteria" by peasants and doctors alike, and did not merit the same treatment. </div>
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Not all holy fools were prone to loud outbursts or wild displays in church, but some certainly were. According to Ivanits, <i>klikushestvo</i> was a well-known ailment in villages throughout the Empire, with records of <i>klikushi </i>(shriekers) going back to the 16th century. </div>
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The difficulty of distinguishing holiness from sin is almost definitionally present when studying <i>iurodstvo</i>, but concerns about witchcraft, hysteria, and the suspicion with which female wanderers must have been regarded makes those who were known as holy fools during or shortly after their lifetimes all the more incredible. Even the gift of prophesy, often cited to legitimize the holiness of the fool (and which Xenia, for example, is always noted to have had), was far from universally regarded as one given by God.</div>
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<b><u>COMING SOON</u> </b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">"</span><b><span style="background-color: white;">WILDFLOWERS OF GOD</span><span style="background-color: white;">: </span><span style="background-color: white;">Rebellion and the </span></b><i style="background-color: white;"><b>Iurodivaya</b>"</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;">Potentially but not definitely including some or all of the following (and probably some things not even listed)...</i></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">Hell's Angels? the inherently transgressive nature of </span><i style="background-color: white;">iurodstvo</i></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">All the world's a stage: transvestitism among the saints</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">That ain't a tiara: marriage and martyrdom in Orthodoxy</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Neither Jew nor Greek, neither Cuban cigar nor light cigarette: why aren't there more female saints?</li>
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As always, questions and comments wholeheartedly encouraged!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*"<span style="background-color: white;">Кто меня знал, да помянет мою душу для спасения свой души." - carved on St Xenia's gravestone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">**Didn't even notice the name until I looked to link back! Dear Batiushka John really is everywhere. This is, interestingly, a Moscow Patriarchate Church in Hamburg, Germany, with quite an <a href="http://www.hamburg-hram.de/prihod">interesting history</a>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"In 2004 the Gnadenkirche [Grace church] church in the center of the city came to [converted to; joined] our parish. The miracle of gaining a large congregation in our own home in Hamburg was made possible by longstanding good relations between the Evangelical Church of Germany and the Orthodox Church of Russia. The parish bought the church land in Hamburg and transferred it for a nominal fee - 1 euro." </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(В 2004 г. церковь Гнаденкирхе в центре города перешла нашему приходу. Чудо обретения многочисленной общиной своего дома в Гамбурге стало возможным благодаря давним добрым отношениям между Евангелической Церковью Германии и Православной Церковью России. Приход выкупил земельный участок под храмом у города Гамбурга, а само здание было передано за символическую плату – 1 евро.) </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The story of both this building and the parishes its housed is fascinating to me; remind me to do a post focusing on it soon if I forget!</span></div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-75900480938680411222012-07-01T13:21:00.000-04:002012-07-01T13:21:25.450-04:00[TSE] Holiness or Heresy: Evolving Models of Iurodstvo in Medieval Russia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Notes for the Reader</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Excerpts will be posted unedited; will post my own commentary at the end. All senior essay related posts will be tagged "<a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/search/label/Batiushka%20Ioann" style="background-color: white;">Batiushka Ioann</a><span style="background-color: white;">". Footnotes will appear at the bottom of each excerpt. Prologue </span><a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/search/label/Batiushka%20Ioann" style="background-color: white;">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">.<br>Questions, critiques, and reactions of any kind warmly encouraged; I am looking to strengthen and improve. Please remember that this is essentially a hastily written draft. <br />Writing about theology and Church history as an inexperienced believer for a secular academic audience is harrowing. Don't ignore weaknesses and errors, particularly if they could be interpreted as heretical or blasphemous, but be cognizant of my constraints.</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">II. Holiness or Heresy: Evolving Models of <i>Iurodstvo</i> in Medieval Russia</b>
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The tradition of holy foolishness, a particularly enigmatic genre of sanctity, originates in the Gospel <span style="background-color: white;">itself; Paul of Tarsus mentions a connection between foolishness and the Divine several times in his First </span><span style="background-color: white;">Letter to the Corinthians, but of particular relevance is this passage: “Let no man deceive himself. If any man </span><span style="background-color: white;">among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of </span><span style="background-color: white;">this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">7 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">The lived </span><span style="background-color: white;">tradition of foolishness-for-Christ began in Byzantium, but it was in medieval Muscovy that the practice </span><span style="background-color: white;">became most well-known. The Russian holy fool (<i>iurodivyi</i>) soon took on a particular role: he was not merely a </span><span style="background-color: white;">man conquering pride through madness and humiliation, but “a form of divine control over the state </span><span style="background-color: white;">authorities.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">8 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">This other-worldly rebuke of secular power is famously illustrated in the confrontation between </span><span style="background-color: white;">Nicholas of Pskov and Tsar Ivan IV, in which the fool sends the Tsar a piece of bloody meat to chastise him </span><span style="background-color: white;">for his massacres. Importantly (in legend, if not in historical fact), Ivan repents, and orders the city spared.</span></div>
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By the seventeenth-century, however, the protective aura of dread and wonder that had largely <span style="background-color: white;">shielded the <i>iurodivye</i> from institutional persecution had begun to dissipate. Patriarch Iosif in 1646 barred </span><span style="background-color: white;">them from entering churches, “since their shouting and squealing prevents Orthodox Christians from hearing </span><span style="background-color: white;">the divine chanting, and they come into God’s churches like robbers, carrying sticks…”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">9 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Instructive is the </span><span style="background-color: white;">story of another Sergiev, called Ioann the Big-Cap of Moscow, whose life provides an example of the </span><span style="background-color: white;">interplay between temporal authority and manifestation of holiness.</span></div>
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He was born around 1670 into a peasant family and spent most of his life wandering from monastery <span style="background-color: white;">to monastery. Unlike many holy fools, it seems that he wanted to become a monk. Because of Peter I’s </span><span style="background-color: white;">ecclesiastical reforms, Ioann, as an illiterate peasant, was prohibited from being tonsured—unless he could </span><span style="background-color: white;">convince the highest court to grant an exception and obtain a Synodal dispensation. As Aleksandr Lavrov </span><span style="background-color: white;">notes, “one may well wonder how an illiterate could ever have obtained the latter. For most people, therefore, </span><span style="background-color: white;">the path to monastic asceticism was simply closed. For this reason, in examining religious recluses…we must c</span><span style="background-color: white;">onsider as motives not only a certain sense of footloose self-determination but also the pressure exerted by </span><span style="background-color: white;">the dominant religious culture that forced them to adopt alternative ways.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">10 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Unlike his forbears in <i>iurodstvo</i>, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Ioann rarely ran afoul of authority, and was generally accepting of whatever treatment he was given: after the </span><span style="background-color: white;">signing into law of a new regulation demanding that “there be no truck with anchorites and sanctimonious </span><span style="background-color: white;">men with matted locks,” the Bishop of Vologda ordered him shorn, a castigation to which he meekly </span><span style="background-color: white;">submitted.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">11</span> Nor could he be accused of heresy or schismatic sympathies: he regularly confessed and took </span><span style="background-color: white;">Communion, and in spite of the tumultuous Sobor of 1666-7 in which the Old Believers were anathematized, </span><span style="background-color: white;">he swore that he “recognized no schism” and “crossed himself with three fingers and not with two.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">12 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">It </span><span style="background-color: white;">seems that he was marked as a holy fool only by his heavy chains, iron cap, and aimless wanderings. All this </span><span style="background-color: white;">notwithstanding he was captured in 1733 and “returned to his place of registration.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">13</span></span></div>
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What happened in the 150 years separating Nicholas and Ioann? Despite late Muscovy’s low literacy <span style="background-color: white;">rate (Gary Marker, estimating generously, pegs it below ten percent), highly public liturgical services </span><span style="background-color: white;">combined with mass migration spurred by the Time of Troubles to disseminate tales of <i>iurodstvo</i> throughout </span><span style="background-color: white;">and across cities and villages.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">14 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">As popular veneration grew, the Church became increasingly wary, striking </span><span style="background-color: white;">names from prayer-books and speaking out publicly against the visible and behavioral markers characteristic </span><span style="background-color: white;">of the <i>iurodivye</i>.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">15 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Their renown was beginning to spread beyond her reach, and not in ways she welcomed. In </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond</i>, Sergey Ivanov quotes the testimony of many foreign travelers to Russia </span><span style="background-color: white;">who were surprised by the free reign given the <i>iurodivye</i>; some, like Isaac Massa, openly pitied the Russians for </span><span style="background-color: white;">their gullibility: “…if I was the tsar I would order the last rite for her before it was my turn; but these </span><span style="background-color: white;">Muscovites consider her holy; which is not surprising, since—alas—they are still mired in ignorance. May </span><span style="background-color: white;">God enlighten them!”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">16</span></span></div>
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More serious are scenes from the iurodivye vitae in which they commit unpredictable acts of violence, <span style="background-color: white;">such as Prokopii of Viatka killing an infant “to resurrect it later” and holding a knife to his confessor’s throat, </span><span style="background-color: white;">or Simon of Iurevets strangling a priest with his bare hands.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">17</span><span style="background-color: white;"> While in some sense these stories warn the </span><span style="background-color: white;">faithful of the fundamental incomprehensibility of the fool’s actions, in another they are deeply subversive: </span><span style="background-color: white;">“regardless of how the hagiographer tries to explain it—aggression against the priest is semantically </span><span style="background-color: white;">significant as a sign of rebellion against the Church.”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">18</span></div>
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Here we see the tension between hagiography and mere narrative. The earliest holy fools were <span style="background-color: white;">relatively isolated examples of eccentric holiness, fantastic aberrations that inspired awe and served as a kind </span><span style="background-color: white;">of <i>memento mirari</i>, but as stories of their exploits were collected into vitae and became reified into a particular </span><span style="background-color: white;">model for communing with the Divine, they took on the normativity of other saints’ lives, opening the door </span><span style="background-color: white;">for ever increasing numbers of feral, bullheaded vagrants to roam the kingdom. Ivanov notes that “the </span><span style="background-color: white;">emergence of at least one local <i>iurodivyi</i> almost inevitably called forth a wave of imitators.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">19</span></span></div>
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While the prelates struggled to manage the destabilizing effects of popular <i>iurodstvo</i>, the <i>iurodivye</i> <span style="background-color: white;">themselves were transforming. The first <i>iurodivaya</i> (female holy fool) appeared during the reign of Boris </span><span style="background-color: white;">Godunov (1585-1598); like Nicholas of Pskov, she was wholly unafraid of anyone, including the tsar, and </span><span style="background-color: white;">would often foretell future events.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">20</span> Despite the similarities, the modern observer must understand the </span><span style="background-color: white;">strangeness of an isolated sixteenth-century woman taking on what had been an exclusively male role, </span><span style="background-color: white;">particularly in an era still so concerned with sorcery that an explicit renunciation of it was included in the oath </span><span style="background-color: white;">of allegiance to the tsar.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">21 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Around the same time we also see hermits and nuns counted among the <i>iurodivye</i>—</span><span style="background-color: white;">the inclusion of hermits is especially bizarre, since perhaps the defining characteristic of a holy fool is that he </span><span style="background-color: white;">be among people—whether to humiliate himself, rebuke those around him, warn them of danger, or even </span><span style="background-color: white;">simply arouse in them confusion or astonishment, but he that works to shut himself away from others, </span><span style="background-color: white;">whether sane or mad, cannot properly be named among the <i>iurodivye</i>.</span></div>
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To more thoroughly understand how the holy fool changed throughout the seventeenth-century, it is <span style="background-color: white;">instructive to break him down into his constituent parts. As previously established, he must be among people</span><span style="background-color: white;">(“the world would rather have nothing to do with this madman, but he keeps on imposing himself on the </span><span style="background-color: white;">world,”), he must be fearless (although he need not be aggressive or violent), and he may have special powers </span><span style="background-color: white;">of prophesy, which he will use to warn the faithful, rebuke the sinful, prompt all to repentance, and, upon the </span><span style="background-color: white;">fulfillment of prophesies, build confidence in his special relationship with God.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">22</span> His is a curious, worldly </span><span style="background-color: white;">asceticism—he is almost always utterly impoverished and completely reliant on the charity of those around </span><span style="background-color: white;">him, often rejecting it even when offered. He may starve himself, walk about naked or in chains, or incite </span><span style="background-color: white;">violence upon himself. Typically he does not form close relationships with anyone, but he may have a </span><span style="background-color: white;">spiritual confessor in whom he trusts and around whom he is at peace (though, as noted earlier, there’s no </span><span style="background-color: white;">guaranteeing the safety of such confessors). He may wander across entire regions or stay within a particular </span><span style="background-color: white;">village, but he does not own property, and incredibly rarely would he have any rank to speak of. He may or </span><span style="background-color: white;">may not be schismatic; he may or may not be literate (though the latter is admittedly quite rare).</span></div>
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In short, he bears within him elements of the charismatic, ascetic, monastic, pastoral, apocalyptic, <span style="background-color: white;">thaumaturgic, martyric—all that seem to be missing are the hermetic and the hieratic, curiously enough two </span><span style="background-color: white;">opposite poles themselves, and yet their marked absence circumscribe who may or may not be called a holy </span><span style="background-color: white;">fool. Now when in the seventeenth-century </span><i style="background-color: white;">iurodivye</i><span style="background-color: white;"> adopt the wearing of fetters, a particular Russian </span><span style="background-color: white;">modification to the tradition, we can contextualize the innovation somewhere between wholly irrelevant and </span><span style="background-color: white;">paradigm shattering. Ivanov writes, “Byzantine holy fools did not wear fetters. That fetters came to seem </span><span style="background-color: white;">necessary is a measure of the fading of that special aura which had earlier surrounded indecency and </span><span style="background-color: white;">hooliganism in themselves. Thus later holy foolery sought new forms of legitimation.”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">23</span></div>
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That a holy fool might not only desire legitimation, but consciously hit upon how to secure it, might <span style="background-color: white;">reasonably elicit no small degree of suspicion about the whole enterprise. However, when understood in light </span><span style="background-color: white;">of, say, his prophetic role, it makes sense that somewhere he maintains a sense, not of dignity, but of whether </span><span style="background-color: white;">and to what degree he is fulfilling his purpose.</span></div>
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Just as the <i>iurodivye</i> may seek irons to brace their message and purify themselves for their mission, the <span style="background-color: white;">hagiographers understand that they, too, must bear the responsibility of effective communication, instead of </span><span style="background-color: white;">hoping dumbly that they will be understood. Thus is explained, for example, the replacement of archaic </span><span style="background-color: white;">names with more familiar ones in the seventeenth-century reprinting of a particular story about a monk and </span><span style="background-color: white;">the Archangel Michael.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">24 </span><span style="background-color: white;">Archbishop Feofan (Prokopovich) of Novgorod, Peter I’s chief apologist, likewise </span><span style="background-color: white;">understood the potentially subversive power of the saints: hoping to marginalize what he deemed </span><span style="background-color: white;">unacceptable models, regardless of existing traditions of veneration, he “ridiculed not only the holy fools of </span><span style="background-color: white;">his day but even those already extolled by the Church as having been pleasing to God.”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">25</span></div>
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And so the reader of the hagiography is not one, but at least three conceptual steps from the saint <span style="background-color: white;">himself—his idea of the saintly model is <i>based</i> on the text, but colored by his own associations and biases; the </span><span style="background-color: white;">text is whatever happens when the hagiographer’s particular knowledge, abstract ideal, and writing skill </span><span style="background-color: white;">intersect, and alone of the three that particular knowledge itself is nothing more than the memory of how the </span><span style="background-color: white;">saint chose to present himself, he himself mediating his holiness through his preconceived ideas of piety, </span><span style="background-color: white;">sanctity, and the good. Throw in hundreds of years between subject and scribe, or thousands of miles, or </span><span style="background-color: white;">both; let the writer be ineloquent, uneducated, and myopic—or selfish, manipulative, and bright, or anything </span><span style="background-color: white;">but a saint himself, and one might wonder how it is the Church has consistent models at all not drawn </span><span style="background-color: white;">directly from Scripture (not that that isn’t fraught either, as some Protestants will attest). Hieromonk </span><span style="background-color: white;">Makarios of Simonos Petra explains:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">But the life of a saint cannot be reduced to an article in a Dictionary of Biography or to a </span><span style="background-color: white;">chapter in Church History; it is a <i>verbal icon</i> of the saint that, while telling the story as </span><span style="background-color: white;">accurately as possible, lets the hidden aspect of the work of the Grace of God in the saint </span><span style="background-color: white;">shine through. Just as an icon can only be venerated in the context of worship with the </span><span style="background-color: white;">appropriate dispositions, so the life of a saint can only be read <i>in</i> the Church with the eyes of </span><span style="background-color: white;">faith and not according to the criteria of secular scholarship. … Although in the life of </span><span style="background-color: white;">ascesis and inner prayer (<i>noera prosevchi</i>) all forms of imagination are excluded, our tradition, </span><span style="background-color: white;">seeing how strong imagination and representation are within our nature in its fallen state, </span><span style="background-color: white;">makes its own their power, which for man without God is a source of division, and </span><span style="background-color: white;">transfigures them in iconography and in hagiography, so that they become a genuine means </span><span style="background-color: white;">of entering into communion with God and with His saints.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">26</span></span></blockquote>
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The Church therefore protects her models, but does so through active contemplation and <span style="background-color: white;">consciously particular forms of veneration. Archimandrite Justin Popovich calls the lives of the saints </span><span style="background-color: white;">“applied dogmatics… In reality they are the testimonies of the Acts of the Apostles, only continued </span><span style="background-color: white;">throughout the ages.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">27 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Veneration of a saint takes many forms, as Hieromonk Damascene (Christensen) </span><span style="background-color: white;">writes, “Besides our private prayers for them, the Church offers us many other ways of communing with </span><span style="background-color: white;">them as our friends and honoring them as our preceptors. We sing their troparia, we venerate their icons, we </span><span style="background-color: white;">perform services to them, and with a blessing from a Bishop we can even compose services in their honor.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">28</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The lowly parish priest, however, has rarely been recognized as one of the “gold and precious stones </span><span style="background-color: white;">that adorn the raiment of the Bride.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">29 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">If he is considered it all, it is only in light of the necessity of his </span><span style="background-color: white;">function. He is a man with a job, in fact, a man constituted solely of his job—one that is sometimes </span><span style="background-color: white;">sacerdotal, sometimes pastoral, but nothing of particular interest. The historical Orthodox white priest is </span><span style="background-color: white;">reduced broadly to the political and ecclesiological regulations circumscribing his sphere of influence and </span><span style="background-color: white;">setting the boundaries of his quality of life. The much-noted absence of glorified white priests prior to Father </span><span style="background-color: white;">John’s certainly contributes to this—there are no vitae, no folk stories. But what did the priests themselves </span><span style="background-color: white;">make of their vocation, particularly if, as (Saint) Justin Popovich explains, “the Lives of the Saints contain in </span><span style="background-color: white;">themselves Orthodox ethics in their entirety,”?<span style="font-size: xx-small;">30 </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">The intense debates surrounding the nature of the clerical </span><span style="background-color: white;">caste beginning in earnest in the early nineteenth century show a church wrestling with the nature of the </span><span style="background-color: white;">sacerdotal genre: trying to overcome its lowly status, arrive at an agreed upon mission and purpose, and make </span><span style="background-color: white;">of a hodgepodge of canon law and worldly regulation a relevant and inspiring model.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">7. <span style="background-color: white;"><i>The King James Bible</i>, I Cor 3:18-19.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">8. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 285.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">9. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 311.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">10. <span style="background-color: white;">Lavrov, Aleksandr. "Witchcraft and Religion in Russia, 1700–1740." <i>Russian Studies in History</i> 45.4 (2007): 23.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">11. <span style="background-color: white;">Lavrov, Aleksandr. "Witchcraft and Religion in Russia, 1700–1740." <i>Russian Studies in History</i> 45.4 (2007): 26.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">12. <span style="background-color: white;">Lavrov, Aleksandr. "Witchcraft and Religion in Russia, 1700–1740." <i>Russian Studies in History</i> 45.4 (2007): 24.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">13. <span style="background-color: white;">Lavrov, Aleksandr. "Witchcraft and Religion in Russia, 1700–1740." <i>Russian Studies in History</i> 45.4 (2007): 26.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">14. Marker, Gary. "Literacy and Literacy Texts in Muscovy: A Reconsideration." <i>Slavic Review</i> 49.1 (1990): 89, Moon, </span><span style="background-color: white;">David. "Peasant Migration and the Settlement of Russia's Frontiers, 1550-1897." <i>The Historical Journal</i> 40.4 Dec. </span><span style="background-color: white;">(1997): 859-893.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">15. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 309-311.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">16. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 312-313.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">17. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 324-327.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">18. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond.</i> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 326.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">19. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond.</i> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 318.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">20. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond.</i> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 312.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">21. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanits, Linda. <i>Russian Folk Belief.</i> Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, Inc, 1992: 87.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">22. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond.</i> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 357.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">23. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond.</i> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 344.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">24. <span style="background-color: white;">Ivanov, Sergey. <i>Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond.</i> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006: 332.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">25. <span style="background-color: white;">Lavrov, Aleksandr. "Witchcraft and Religion in Russia, 1700–1740." <i>Russian Studies in History</i> 45.4 (2007): 27.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">26. Makarios of Simonos Petra. <i>The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church.</i> Vol. 1. Chalkidike: Indiktos <span style="background-color: white;">Publishing Company, 1998. 6 vols.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">27. <span style="background-color: white;">Popovich, Justin. <i>Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ.</i> Belmont: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 1994.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">28. <span style="background-color: white;">Christensen, Damascene. "The Place of Lives of Saints in the Spiritual Life." <i>The Orthodox Word</i> 37.6 Nov. (2001): 261-</span><span style="background-color: white;">281.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">29. Makarios of Simonos Petra. <i>The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church.</i> Vol. 1. Chalkidike: Indiktos </span><span style="background-color: white;">Publishing Company, 1998. 6 vols.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">30. Popovich, Justin. <i>Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ.</i> Belmont: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 1994.</span></div>
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<b>Commentary</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">These notes serve two main purposes: to remind me what to fix when I go back and edit, and to seek your input on specific issues of concern to me. They will not always be interesting. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- I could read and write about holy foolishness all damn day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- draw parallels between "popular" religion of (some) of the holy fools and Fr John's "populist" liturgical style?</span></div>
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- dissemination of tales of <i>iurodstvo</i> contra various forms of press coverage as Fr John gained nororeity?</div>
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- Do I footnote too obsessively? I was never really taught any norms on when <i>not </i>to footnote.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- </span><i style="background-color: white;">Every bloody time </i><span style="background-color: white;">I read this sentence I have to read it twice to get it right: "</span><span style="background-color: white;">Despite late Muscovy’s low literacy </span><span style="background-color: white;">rate (Gary Marker, estimating generously, pegs it below ten percent), highly public liturgical services </span><span style="background-color: white;">combined with mass migration spurred by the Time of Troubles to disseminate tales of iurodstvo throughout</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">and across cities and villages." Need to just rewrite it already.</span></div>
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- really like the idea of exploring the tensions between hagiography and narrative/folklore and/or biography. revisit later in paper, expand, something?</div>
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- proud of coining the phrase <i>memento mirari</i>. just saying.</div>
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-<i> </i>holy fools bred imitators, Fr John (unwittingly) spawned cultist devotees. explore/theorize about difference? social status, press, liturgical role, rural v urban, thaumaturgy.</div>
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- parallelism: break down what an Orthodox priest <i>is </i>later in the paper in the way a holy fool is broken down here? not enough focus on what the <i>priesthood</i> is, not enough of a sense of how the paradigm is broken in later sections.</div>
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- still love that the wearing of irons is a specifically Russian mod.</div>
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- do I veer too much into apologetics?</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />- should I explain what </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">sainthood</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> means in Orthodoxy? probably.
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">- the enthusiasm of this quote always makes me smile: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: -webkit-auto;">We sing their troparia, we venerate their icons, we </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: -webkit-auto;">perform services to them, and with a blessing from a Bishop we can even compose services in their honor." Is it wrong to picture a hieromonk jumping up and down at the thought of writing a service for a favorite saint, or even while reflecting that his Church might <i>allow</i> him to? Took restraint not to make that period an exclamation point.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: -webkit-auto;">- do I need to explain that "glorification" and "canonization", and sometimes "veneration", in context of discussion of saints, mean the same thing? is it on me to explain how Orthodox theology of sainthood differs from the Catholic understanding? ergh. the differences aren't even constant across decades and Churches. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-50201797782918632712012-06-29T16:25:00.000-04:002012-07-01T11:55:40.064-04:00[The Senior Essay] Introduction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Notes for the Reader</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Excerpts will be posted unedited; will post my own commentary at the end. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">All senior essay related posts will be tagged "<a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/search/label/Batiushka%20Ioann">Batiushka Ioann</a>". Footnotes will appear at the bottom of each excerpt. Prolo</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">gue </span><a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/2012/06/senior-essay-prologue.html" style="background-color: white;">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Questions, critiques, and reactions of any kind <i>warmly encouraged; </i>I am looking to strengthen and improve. Please remember that this is essentially a hastily written draft.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Writing about theology and Church history as an inexperienced believer for a secular academic audience is harrowing. Don't ignore weaknesses and errors, particularly if they could be interpreted as heretical or blasphemous, but be cognizant of my constraints.</span></div>
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<i><u>Icon & Iconographer</u>:</i></div>
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<i>Father John of Kronstadt and the Emergence of Sacerdotal Sanctity in Late Nineteenth-Century Russia</i></div>
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<b>I. Introduction</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">In Dionysius of Fourna’s eighteenth-century iconography manual, one finds a curious instruction: “Draw a monk crucified on a cross, clothed in a tunic and a monk’s hat, barefoot and with his feet nailed to the footrest of the cross; his eyes are closed and his mouth shut. Just above his head is the inscription: ‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.’”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1</span> He continues, describing the monk’s chest, stomach, legs, and so on, at each point specifying a different prayer (“Create in me a clean heart… Prepare your feet in the Gospel of Peace…”), before explaining how to depict “the all-devouring Hell,” the “Maker of lust,” “Death and the grave,” and finally Christ Himself, above the Cross. “Then write this title: The life of the true monk.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">It makes for a striking icon, not just because the monk is in place of Christ, but because he is no particular monk at all. He is a cipher, an image to which all monks must aspire (and indeed this icon is most commonly found just outside monastic refectories). More than most this icon highlights the monastic genre of holiness—it is a didactic icon, not meant for veneration of and communion with any individual saint, but for contemplation of and instruction in the ways of a particular model of sanctity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">It is commonly heard among Orthodox Christians that saints are living icons, and in fact it is with this idea that Nadieszda Kizenko begins her recent biography of John Sergiev, the renowned “Father John of Kronstadt”, who was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1964, and by the Russian Orthodox Church herself in 1990.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span> He is now remembered best as a sort of latter day defender of “Orthodoxy, autocracy, and nationality,” the reactionary cultural program championed by Tsar Nicholas I and his Minister of Education Sergei Uvarov, so counter to the revolutionary atmosphere that surrounded Father John in the last years before his death in 1908.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">4</span> Yet to reduce the complexity of his life to a flat religious conservatism is to ignore his greatest “creation”, as Kizenko puts it: the salvation of his own soul.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">5</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As the son of a sacristan and a graduate of the St Petersburg Theological Academy, Father John was certainly familiar with the communion of saints and the depth and variety of holiness manifest thereby—despite this, he seems to have forged his own path to sanctity, eventually becoming the first parish priest to be venerated by the Russian Church.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This together with his many other idiosyncrasies (matrimonial virginity, living thaumaturgy, ascetic priesthood) has contributed to the idea that he is </span><i>sui generis</i><span style="background-color: white;">, or at least something approaching the founder of a new genre of sanctity. In 1909 Archbishop Nikanor (Kamensky) of Kazan wrote of him that “because people are different now, they need to be acted upon in new ways that are peculiar to them.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;">6</span> Even within his own era he was widely recognized as a breaker of established categories of religious life, and the wonder and confusion attendant on his ‘boldness before paradigm’ continues to this day. Yet a historical examination of the evolution of other genres of blessedness reveals that Father John’s trajectory was actually quite in keeping with the meta-tradition of expressive flexibility present in the Church since her founding. Genres of holiness, like icons, are didactic, and evolve, reify, and dissolve in response to the unpredictable contingencies of human society—they are models to be appropriated and internalized by the faithful, not for the sake of </span><i>orthopraxy</i><span style="background-color: white;">, but to guide them towards the fullness of </span><i>right belief</i><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">1. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Dionysius of Fourna. <i>The 'Painter's Manual' of Dionysius of Fourna</i>. Torrance: Oakwood Publications, 1990.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2. <span style="background-color: white;">Dionysius of Fourna. <i>The 'Painter's Manual' of Dionysius of Fourna</i>. Torrance: Oakwood Publications, 1990.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3. <span style="background-color: white;">Kizenko, Nadieszda. <i>A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People</i>. University Park: The Pennsylvania </span><span style="background-color: white;">State University Press, 2000:1.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <span style="background-color: white;">Pipes, Richard. <i>Russian Conservatism and Its Critics</i>. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005: 99.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5. <span style="background-color: white;">Kizenko, Nadieszda. <i>A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People</i>. University Park: The Pennsylvania </span><span style="background-color: white;">State University Press, 2000:183.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">6. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Kizenko, Nadieszda. <i>A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People</i>. University Park: The Pennsylvania </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">State University Press, 2000: 184.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Commentary</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">These notes serve two main purposes: to remind me what to fix when I go back and edit, and to seek your input on specific issues of concern to me. They will not always be interesting. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">- I hate the title. The paper was already a few days late when I wrapped it up, so I put down the first thing that came to mind and ran it over to the Slavic Department. My working title was "Living Icons, Dead Saints", but that sounded vaguely blasphemous to me.</span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNbKc8j8O5djJp2z3RSGJqv6SPtIK8f6_9mKSBB_WCAajawVqrScjvMHcKQeFQ3FHbDf-UpkqwwTNZnTTCW-OjcFFw-6rBUfRHWdt_qMSYmTENiWL2MAp-h5b7cG2OtSxoozfbGEXlTs/s1600/monk.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNbKc8j8O5djJp2z3RSGJqv6SPtIK8f6_9mKSBB_WCAajawVqrScjvMHcKQeFQ3FHbDf-UpkqwwTNZnTTCW-OjcFFw-6rBUfRHWdt_qMSYmTENiWL2MAp-h5b7cG2OtSxoozfbGEXlTs/s320/monk.png" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">СТАРЧЕСТВО ДОСТОЙНОЕ ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- Came upon the monk icon entirely by happenstance: I was in the stacks rummaging about for books on the rural clergy and found a big gorgeous book almost entirely of full color illustrations of icons and liturgical art. It was in Russian, but I checked it out anyway. I'd flip through it when I wanted a distraction and stopped short the first time I saw the crucified monk. An ingenious friend of mine found a high quality PDF of the entire book online despite not speaking a word of Russian, and weeks later, when I was struggling to think of a hook to get the essay started, the crucified monk came back to me. Read more about this kind of icon <a href="http://iconreader.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/the-crucified-monk-icon-of-the-monastic-life/">here</a>, and <a href="mailto:p.adeliae@gmail.com">email me</a> if you'd like a larger version of the image to the right.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- I usually like to have clever subheadings for each section.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- There are many formatting/style issues. Inconsistencies off the top of my head: whether and where to capitalize words like saint, icon, communion, church, and pronouns referring to God; how to refer to clergy; transliteration of names and words left untranslated; whether to translate names.<b> Input from anyone with experience writing about the Church concerning academic writing conventions will be </b></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">much</span><span style="background-color: white;"> appreciated.</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- Don't like the word "founder" here: "</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">at least something approaching the founder of a new genre of sanctity". Something like "herald" or "vanguard" is closer.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">- Overall this is a very vague introduction and doesn't actually explain much about the essay (this will become clearer as you read more chapters). This is because I myself didn't know much about the essay when I wrote it, but once the rest of the essay is swept through and edited, it can be fixed.</span></div>
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</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-17144396993658427382012-06-29T13:26:00.000-04:002012-07-01T04:06:54.780-04:00[The Senior Essay] Prologue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've been kidding myself since I submitted my senior essay to the head of my department in <i>April</i> that I'd go back and fix the many, many problems with it, but at this point I think the best approach is to make things...<i>interactive</i> (Academia 2.0).</div>
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Before we begin, some back story: as a Russian and East European Studies major, I was required to write what's called a "year long senior essay". That means that in both the fall and spring terms there's a spot on my transcript called "The Senior Essay"-- it's worth as many credits as a normal Yale course, but instead of going to lectures I was expected to research, write, and consult with an adviser of my choosing on my topic, culminating with the submission of "a substantial article, no longer than 13,000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography."</div>
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A few words about my major: there are essentially two Russian majors at Yale-- mine, and the actual Russian major. This is something of a relic of the Soviet era, when there was both more of an interest in and demand for Russianists with strong backgrounds in history, politics, and the social sciences. <a href="http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/russian-and-east-european-studies">My major</a> requires courses in Russian history and social science focusing on Russia and/or eastern Europe, and at least four years' worth of language study. In my department, one's language proficiency could in theory be in a language other than Russian (Polish, Czech, Serbo-Croatian, etc), but because those languages are taught rarely or not at all very few people take that route. <a href="http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/slavic-languages-and-literatures">The other major</a> requires only literature courses-- a lot of them-- at least two of which cannot be in translation (which, I'll point out, are not courses my Russian would've permitted me to take at any point in my Yale career).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am the only person I know who picked a major her very first semester in college and never once entertained switching-- I briefly fantasized about doubling in history, but Yale is made very uncomfortable by double majors, and I didn't have the discipline for it. Why REES over Russian? The emphasis on history and politics was very attractive to me-- in fact it was sitting in the very first lecture of "Russia from the 9th Century to 1801" freshman year that I decided to be a professional academic Russophile-- and the less stringent language requirement didn't hurt either. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Good thing, too, because over time REES became my own self-styled Orthodox theology/Church history major. While Yale does have a religious studies department, it's not any kind of place to study traditional Christianity, and I had little interest in courses like "The Sociology of Religion" or "World Religions and Ecology". Because it's such a small department (5/3021 in 2012, I believe) my Directors of Undergraduate Studies (they rotated often; kind of a Defense Against the Dark Arts type deal) were pretty flexible about allowing courses outside the department to count towards the major. "The Rise of Christianity: East and West?" I remember one saying. "Sure, it's foundational." I didn't end up taking that course, nor did I need the flexibility-- by the time I left there were very few Slav history or poli-sci classes I <i>hadn't</i> taken. Still, my professors knew that I had a strong interest in the Orthodox Church, and it was a comfort and a kindness that they didn't try to push me into a more conventional focus.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Typically responsible students start thinking about the topics of their senior essays toward the end of their junior years, to approach professors about being their senior advisers, if nothing else. One's relationship with one's senior adviser ought be relatively close-- not only ought he have some degree of expertise in the proposed topic, but he ought be someone with whom one either already has or can build a dynamic of comfort and mutual trust.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As some of you may know, after my junior year I was forced to take a year off, and while I could've thought ahead and contacted professors about my senior essay during my time off, I was too worried about being readmitted at all to take such a bold step. In August 2011 I <i>was</i> readmitted, though, and come September I was in quite a pickle-- there aren't too many Russianists at Yale, and even fewer with anything beyond a rudimentary knowledge of the Church. I hadn't thought anything through very much, let alone done any preliminary research, when my DUS called me in to ask how the adviser search was going. Everyone I'd asked (read: everyone who knew anything about Russian history) was already booked and couldn't take on any more advisees, and I couldn't very well <i>not</i> write about Russia! Owing to my unique circumstances my DUS agreed to "advise" me until our head honcho Russian historian (who was really ideal for me to begin with) got back from sabbatical the next term.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Suffice to say I did no work at all that first term, BS'd a two page long "prospectus" in December in which I babbled about Ober-procurator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Pobedonostsev">Pobedonostsev</a> and the Holy Synod to avoid an F on my transcript, and had nothing at all to show my actual adviser when we first met in January. He rather promptly threw out the Pobedonostsev idea and told me that if I was going to research primarily in English, and wanted to write about the Church, I was essentially limited to Father John of Kronstadt or Vladimir Soloviev. I'd heard of them both, but knew more about Soloviev, so I started with Nadieszda Kizenko's biography of Father John, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Saint-Kronstadt-Religious-Experience/dp/0271019751">A Prodigal Saint</a></i>. I finished it in about three days and never really looked back-- sorry Volodya!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While I did a reasonable amount of research, the essay itself I wrote over the course of a very strung out week, with the bulk of the writing happening in a 72 hour period. The more I read, the less it seemed there was to say about Father John-- whatever I was looking for, I wasn't finding, and entire books I'd read as background and taken heartbreakingly extensive notes on became completely irrelevant and unusable. By the end I was near constantly fantasizing about running off and wandering the country reading tarot for cigarette money. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eventually I did vomit something out, and I think there's a bit of potential tucked away in here somewhere. Let's find out together, shall we?</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-27048188978128688872012-06-29T07:51:00.001-04:002012-06-29T17:11:42.893-04:00Because you know you want a drink<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I have a confession to make: I didn't plan to follow yesterday's SCOTUS announcement very closely. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I suppose I'm cynical enough to look suspiciously on even the most conservative ruling, and modest enough to admit that I have sufficient knowledge of neither Constitutional law nor the legislation itself to contribute meaningfully to any conversations.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">But already by 9am, from the obscurity of my sad little bedroom in suburbia, I'd been infected with the feeling of some kind of holiday-- mind you, my circle is pretty overwhelmingly politically minded, so I don't presume that everyone had this experience, but without seeking it out I was bombarded-- in my inbox, on Facebook, even on Tumblr-- by people reading, reflecting, raging, rejoicing. I knew that I could've started an unprefaced conversation about anything from the 10th Amendment to Citizens United with anyone on my gchat contacts list and he would've been right there with me. Maybe it's because I'm starved for civilization and human contact out here in Suffolk County, but I found that kind of unspoken shared awareness refreshing and even exhilarating. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">B</span><span style="background-color: white;">efore I knew it I was flipping through an ever increasing number of tabs, scanning liveblogs, collecting hashtags, and, of course, silently judging those friends who hadn't thrown themselves headlong into the rumbling tsunami of analysis and speculation as I had.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I didn't emerge with nothing but salt and a ringing in my ears, but I'll save my own spurious musings for another time-- for now, I thought I'd express myself a bit more creatively: in drink. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<b>The ACA-Tax</b><br />
<div>
Because some types of inactivity are party fouls. <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1.5oz Fleischmann's* vodka, warm</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Offer to everyone, force those who don't empty their shooters to pay.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">*Other bottom shelf vodkas such as Dubra, Popov, and Poland Spring may be substituted. Embarrassing American attempts to imitate Swedish brands preferred. The truly daring and/or spiteful may use </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/taste-test-jeppsons-malort,2529/">Malört</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<b>The Marbury v Madison Twist</b></div>
<div>
It'll get you drunk, but not in the way you'd hoped-- and the strength of your liver will never be the same.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1.5oz tequila</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1.5oz gin</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1 oz club soda</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1/2 oz lime juice</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
Shake over ice, garnish with lime spiral, run in the opposite direction.</div>
<br />
<b>The Chief Justice</b></div>
<div>
This foxy number isn't easy to read.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1oz sweet vermouth</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1oz dry vermouth</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">dash Fee's Old Fashion bitters</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Shake vermouths separately to chill, mix in glass, top with bitters, drink til you're sure that Roberts privileged judicial restraint over a solid originalist reading-- or that he championed dual sovereignty by succumbing to judicial activism-- or...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://themoderatevoice.com/wordpress-engine/files//2012/06/chief_justice_john_roberts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://themoderatevoice.com/wordpress-engine/files//2012/06/chief_justice_john_roberts.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man has <b>one</b> facial expression, and <i>it's this</i>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Randy Barnett</b></div>
<div>
Activity tonight, inactivity tomorrow!<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1oz absinthe</span></li>
<li>1oz vodka</li>
<li>2.5oz Red Bull</li>
</ul>
Believe me, you'll know the difference (even if you won't remember why).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lysanderspooner.org/images/mn_5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://www.lysanderspooner.org/images/mn_5.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cards on the table, I involuntarily<i> aaaaw</i>'d when I saw this photo.<br />
(Randy Barnett at Lysander Spooner's grave.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b>The Commerce Clause</b></div>
<div>
It'll let you be what you want to be and do what you want to do.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">2oz vodka</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1/2oz blue curacao</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1.5oz pineapple juice</span></li>
</ul>
<b>The National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius</b>*</div>
<div>
Interesti-- wait, what the hell is going on? I... oh, fuck it.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">3/4oz Irish whiskey</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1oz red wine</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1/2oz Tuaca</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">1/4oz lemon juice</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">two dashes Bitter Truth Creole bitters</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Drain a coconut, dry on roof for 23 hours, disinfect with boiling orange flower water, let dry in slightly warmed oven. Pour in whiskey, wine, Tuaca, and lemon juice. Shrink wrap coconut, cook <i>sous vide</i> at 50°C for 14 minutes. Still in airtight plastic, bring to Congressional baseball game. From pitcher's mound, thrust coconut in the direction of home plate. After the second out, pierce plastic and strain into a chilled rocks glass with one large spherical ice cube two inches in diameter. Serve to Vice-President Biden.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Loosely inspired by "<a href="http://medicinalmixology.com/cure-cocktail-bar-in-new-orleans-cocktails-you-must-try-before-you-die/">The Twee Barber</a>", courtesy of Nick Detrich at New Orleans's notorious <a href="http://www.curenola.com/">Cure</a>.</span></div>
</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-80772850033898634262012-06-27T19:57:00.000-04:002012-06-27T19:58:05.365-04:00Mission Brewery Shipwrecked Double IPA Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;">From the </span><a href="http://missionbrewery.com/?page_id=27" style="background-color: white;">website</a><span style="background-color: white;">:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
San Diego Style Double India Pale Ale<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">A amazingly balanced and hoppy beer, yet finishes as smooth as silk with no hint of high alcohol hotness usually associated with strong double IPA’s. Super citrus and grapefruit aromas and flavors from the generous use of Cascade, Magnum, Centennial and CTZ hops.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAijz2eEiwwjg922A-Qv60SHhzbNTaAExxPH_DC5JbWYS6nDQCESbhgnEC3GPP3HVyfXwWSqYZM81iS2SJIEpC1IoRyWW3y9dz8JTFUdAMAPhCRpFfiRpnD-bgPaoWEbG3PUJdBTXtS68/s1600/shipwreck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAijz2eEiwwjg922A-Qv60SHhzbNTaAExxPH_DC5JbWYS6nDQCESbhgnEC3GPP3HVyfXwWSqYZM81iS2SJIEpC1IoRyWW3y9dz8JTFUdAMAPhCRpFfiRpnD-bgPaoWEbG3PUJdBTXtS68/s320/shipwreck.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9.25% ABV. 75 IBU. 12 SRM.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Booze hound that I am, I'm a total sucker for double IPAs (also known as imperial IPAs): take a tasty, sophisticated IPA, up the ABV and the IBUs, and you've got yourself a double. If you don't like the hop bitterness in your typical IPAs, steer clear of this style-- to balance out the booze and hops there will sometimes be a malty sweetness, but this is first and foremost a bitter style.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9NusfhpD5Hefg3brWZr2MX2CqyKQ4CkP6Il1r6HPsF6rgJ3cj1PMSKz0DWUkYDfg86Yqc6YlrOE0r-4r8qVZkmqLA1pqiL_ESvpcJNwvmcikMNAILJsSvKqjcB8rIzSj2EDq_DxbBcs/s1600/smalltulip.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9NusfhpD5Hefg3brWZr2MX2CqyKQ4CkP6Il1r6HPsF6rgJ3cj1PMSKz0DWUkYDfg86Yqc6YlrOE0r-4r8qVZkmqLA1pqiL_ESvpcJNwvmcikMNAILJsSvKqjcB8rIzSj2EDq_DxbBcs/s1600/smalltulip.png" /></a>This is my first Mission beer, and I wasn't too disappointed. Once again I don't have the right kind of glass-- I'd recommend a tulip for this one-- this is one of the best smelling beers I've had lately (more on that in a second), and it benefits from warming up a bit-- tulip glasses allow the warmth from your hand to wake up the flavors as you hold it. They're also gorgeous, allow you to fully appreciate your beer's color, and maintain the head better than would a pint glass.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, back to the smell: <i>incredibly</i> sweet, but not in some kind of lambic beat-you-over-the-head-with-fruit way. It's just damn inviting-- the hops are there, but you really can't smell those 75 IBUs. When I was drinking this a few weeks ago I wasn't a huge fan-- maybe because I've been having a lot less beer lately I can appreciate this more, but when I took a whiff of this today all I could think was that every time I've just really wanted a beer, this is the smell I had in my head.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's stronger on the tongue than the nose-- the bitterness jumps out pretty strong, but for a double IPA the hops are surprisingly subdued (note that this does not mean they're not very prevalent! just not as prevalent as I'd expect). This is actually a <i>very</i> balanced double-- the malt cuts against the hop bitterness in a very pleasant way, making for a very drinkable brew. The carbonation's about what you'd expect-- I like my IPAs bubbly, and this one just about hits the sweet spot-- I have occasionally come across craft beers that go too far in the frothy direction, and for my money the Shipwrecked gets it just right.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As it warms up the citrus blooms a bit but overall it maintains a pretty clean finish. If you don't like IPAs, you won't like this one, but if you do, and want to break into the imperials, I can't think of anything better. So far as strong beers go, this'll treat you better in the summer than a stout, and the sweetness definitely helps, but I can never really put my finger on what season I think IPAs belong in.</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-32102460738345679312012-06-26T11:47:00.003-04:002012-06-26T11:47:27.183-04:00Bezyaitstvo's Revenge: Crepe Success<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Because once I just <i>knew</i> I could salvage the <a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/2012/06/bezyaitstvo-heretical-blinwich.html">frankenblin recipe</a> I tried this morning, I went ahead and tweaked the proportions, made another batch, and got very different (much improved) results.</div>
<br />
<b>Original recipe:</b><br />1/2 cup skim milk<br />2/3 cup water<br />1/4 cup butter, melted<br />2 tablespoons vanilla extract<br />1 cup all-purpose flour<br />1 tablespoon white sugar<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br /><br /><b>What I did (approximately):</b><br />
2/3 cup milk<br />
1 3/4 cup water<br />
2.5 tablespoons butter, melted (1/4 cup is 4)<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Basically all I did was decrease the butter and increase the other liquids, especially the water, and man, what a difference! The batter was much runnier, which it's supposed to be for a thin blin-crepe-thing, and in fact if I did it again I might put in even more water. They still cooked fast and flipped quickly, and I still think I overgreased the pan-- I have this bizarre fear that they're going to stick to the pan and tear apart, even though that hasn't even come close to happening once. Because the batter is thinner it spreads out in the pan very nicely, and I've also perfected my ladling wrist so that they come out pretty damn circular every time (seriously, use a ladle, not a spoon-- huge difference, both in shape and how they cook).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Because they were thinner they were much more flexible, like actual blini, so I was able to fold them over and make nice little sandwiches for my father and I. Same deal as last time-- slather in horseradish, put on some swiss and turkey or roast beef, cook in pan till cheese is gooey. MUCH better-- the overpowering stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth quality is totally gone, and the blin frames its contents instead of dominating it.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage2.instagram.com/79306e14bfa411e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://distilleryimage2.instagram.com/79306e14bfa411e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so I still have to work on aesthetics with these, Constantinople wasn't built in a day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In my opinion it wasn't "chewy", which is a complaint I've heard about eggless pancake-things, and while I haven't tried these with eggs yet, I'm not sure why I'd bother (when I get around to making real buckwheat blini, of course, that's another story).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My long suffering father is used to me inflicting the results of my kitchen experiments on him, and because he is kind he always pretends to like what I plate up, but I could tell he actually liked these-- when I told him there were more in the kitchen he didn't even wait for me to leave to get up to fetch more. Cheap, fun, quick, simple, delicious, very customizable-- what more could you want? Definitely going in my regular rotation.</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-80914229274950598222012-06-26T08:48:00.000-04:002012-06-26T09:09:58.004-04:00Bezyaitstvo: the heretical blinwich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Got a ridiculous craving for blini this morning and decided to try my hand (I've never made them before, somehow). Unfortunately, we had no eggs, so I went with <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggless-crepes/">this</a> "eggless crepe" recipe-- a far cry from my intention, but when you get a drunk desire to cook at 5am, well, you cook.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I skipped the vanilla extract but otherwise followed it as written. I think that the batter was much too thick and I definitely consistently overgreased the pan (I was using a "vegetable oil spray" instead of actual vegetable oil, which probably didn't help), but all things considered, as a first attempt, things went okay. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm not sure what the point of eggless crepes are, since they're still not vegan, but if you're wondering whether they're edible-- most certainly! Mine came out very thick in that stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth way; I'll find out once I buy eggs whether their addition would've prevented that. Because the batter was so thick it was a huge pain to get it to spread thinly enough in the pan, which meant the pseudo-blini-crepes were thicker and had a smaller diameter than is ideal. They also didn't fold the way they should-- I put some peach jam into one and folded it over for my father, and while it didn't break in half, it did crack pretty ugly.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I ended up making myself a little breakfast sandwich with 'em, since they were all relatively small: spread a decent amount of horseradish sauce on one side, put on a couple slices of deli sliced turkey and a slice of swiss cheese, top with another horseradish'd "blin", cook in pan on medium heat til cheese is melty and the turkey warm (flip if you think the bottom blin is getting overcooked), and voila-- incredibly filling breakfast.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7W7t5MGMLvPAcQ0HwO4c6LEhkHkqVi9lkqL266a8LLHOW-KyDpoFB4bTy0l2ZZ6VV6w3nnkAUA-23TR8DpGxb8ip3hmxNLBm2_N6HnpP9xHlf-MtxCO_dyBI0zwaiaC8UeDWgdE_cL0Q/s1600/blin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7W7t5MGMLvPAcQ0HwO4c6LEhkHkqVi9lkqL266a8LLHOW-KyDpoFB4bTy0l2ZZ6VV6w3nnkAUA-23TR8DpGxb8ip3hmxNLBm2_N6HnpP9xHlf-MtxCO_dyBI0zwaiaC8UeDWgdE_cL0Q/s320/blin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">heretical blinwich</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So, again, far from ideal, but if all you've got is flour, butter, and milk, you've got a lot more than you think!<br />
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<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking">Here</a> is a legitimately interesting rundown of ways to substitute eggs in various recipes-- worth reading just to give you a better sense of the many different functions eggs serve in different dishes, even if you have no interest in cooking without them.</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-27919442992009148382012-06-26T02:04:00.000-04:002012-06-26T02:23:00.446-04:00Never trust a skinny tie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Been back on Long Island for about a month now, and have come to the deeply frustrating conclusion that there are no good bars within a half-hour of my parents' house. Despite this, I decided to go bar hopping with a friend of mine from high school in Port Jefferson on Saturday--<span style="background-color: white;">I figured a nice area like Port Jeff must have at least one or two joints with a decent selection of </span><i style="background-color: white;">something.</i></div>
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I'm not going to name the bar I'm about to complain about, because I don't want to be one of those bitchy Yelp people, and when all's said and done, I got what I ordered, and didn't pay nearly what I should have for it. But my experience there really... funny? disappointing? Another excuse for me to write about alcohol?</div>
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<b>Disclaimer</b>: This is a bar snob post. I am going to sound very pretentious. I'm particularly judgmental of sub-par bartending because it's a dream of mine to pour someday, so it irritates me when I see others do it worse than I think I could. I didn't tip the guy badly, if it makes you feel any better.</div>
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It was around 9:45pm on a Saturday night when we walked in. The place seemed like your typical not-quite-sports-bar: heavily lacquered wood framed by television screens and bar stools; nothing very distinctive.</div>
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My friend and I grab a seat at the bar, and I get up to see what they've got-- given the decor my expectations weren't very high, and I don't mind a simple bar, but sometimes places can surprise you. First thing I notice: about fifteen different flavored vodkas (and we're talking Smirnoff Raspberry Twist, here, not a respectable <a href="http://vangoghvodka.com/van-gogh-our-vodkas/double-espresso-flavored-vodka/">Van Gogh</a>); not very encouraging. Then I see a bunch of whiskeys I don't recognize and quickly realize it's because they're all Irish (sorry, Jameson fans). Beyond that it's all your typical stuff. I'm trying to decide whether I want to settle for a Jack and (diet) coke or the bland IPA they've got on tap when two things catch my eye: on a lower shelf, cloaked in shadow, sit bottles of Pernod and St Germain. My standards for this bar immediately go up-- no one would carry stock they don't know how to serve, right?</div>
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It's pretty crowded so there are three guys behind the bar: two of them are dressed casually in ill-fitting polos and shorts, but the third was wearing a dress shirt, skinny tie, and proper trousers-- he's the one who took our orders. "Awesome," I thought, "we got the guy who knows what he's doing."</div>
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My friend orders a beer and I ask for a Pernod rocks. The beer he gets right away, but he spends about two-and-a-half minutes scanning the shelves trying to find the Pernod (I thought it'd be pretty obnoxious for me to point it out to him). When he finally finds it, he grabs a rocks glass, shovels in some crushed ice, and then completely fills it with Pernod-- way more than I was expecting to get, and not how I imagine it's typically served, but what the hell, I wasn't about to complain about that, and I wasn't really expecting proper ice at that kind of bar.</div>
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Normally when bar-hopping I like to switch after one drink, but I couldn't leave before having something with the St Germain.</div>
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"Could I have a gin and tonic with St Germain?"</div>
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"You want a single or a double?"</div>
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"Uh... double, sure."</div>
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"What kind of gin do you want, rack?"</div>
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And that's when I knew this guy had no idea what St Germain was. Personally, if I'd been tending and someone asked for that, I'd probably suggest a couple of our top brands, but certainly wouldn't assume they wanted the absolute worst thing we carried. For those unfamiliar with bar lingo, "well" or "rack" booze is the default you'll get served if you don't specify a preference, and usually means the stuff that's too cheap to display; they're often literally kept beneath the bar, hence the names.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2196/2110293352_c9c9f57035_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2196/2110293352_c9c9f57035_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Germain and the kind of gin one one ought actually mix it with.</td></tr>
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St Germain is a relatively expensive, high quality (notoriously delicious) liqueur, so a patron ordering that probably doesn't want to ruin it with a crap base liquor. They're also probably looking for some balance in their cocktail, so while I'm an alcoholic and will never shy away from a double, it was a pretty strange question to ask, especially because I'm a relatively petite young woman, and he'd just given me heaven-only-knows how many shots of Pernod (although maybe once he saw how I knocked that back he made some [correct] assumptions).</div>
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Still, because I am awkward as hell and didn't want to waste his time while I mulled over my gin options, I agreed to the rack gin. I also kind of figured it couldn't have been <i>that </i>bad. Hoo boy.</div>
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He grabs one of the mason jars they serve their beers and mixed drinks in (a cute touch, I'll grant), scoops in some ice, pulls a bottle of gin I have never before seen in my life from beneath the bar, pours in about two-and-a-half shots, and just about tops it off with tonic. Then he stares dumbly at the shelves behind him again for about two minutes before giving up and <i>going into the back</i> to find someone who actually does know where the St Germain is (again I was too awkward to just point it out for him). For all I know he didn't even know what it looked like. He pours maybe 3/4 oz on the top, squeezes a lime wedge over it, shoves it on the rim, throws in <i>a bendy straw</i>, and without giving it so much as a swish pushes it across the bar to me.</div>
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A lot of that I could forgive given the nature of the bar, but between not stirring it even once and the straw I sincerely had to keep my mouth from gaping. Who puts a straw in <i>any</i> kind of high ball? And what kind of bartender is in such a rush they can't stir a damn drink, especially when he's making it <i>directly in front of the patron</i>? I also found the lime distracting given the elderflower, but some folks will take a lime with their St Germain g&ts, so I can't really complain about that.</div>
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The rack gin was so flavorless that it let the elderflower really take the lead, which I didn't mind at all, so it did work out, but for goodness sake, bar owners: <b>don't stock shit your staff doesn't understand</b>.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">He only charged me $8 for each of the drinks, which is actually a phenomenal deal, all things considered-- I don't know whether he was being nice or really had no idea what he'd served me, but, like I said, I tipped him well. I wouldn't have been half as nitpicky if they hadn't carried such nice things! I guess they just bought them to look nice on the shelf. A dangerous game, my friends.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">In other news, I've decided that if I can't be a bartender, I'd be a great mystery drinker. Hire me to assess your bar! I'll do it for free if you catch my tab.</span></div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-88365501920648759102012-06-23T05:09:00.000-04:002012-06-23T05:09:05.251-04:00Toxicological Anthropology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Came across this while digging around the internet for something the other day-- it's an article on childhood alcoholism from the <i>Revue Internationale de Médecine et de Chirurgie</i>, translated from the French in No 1, Vol 40 of the Pacific Medical Journal, published in January 1897, available for your perusal online <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/Pacific_medical_journal.html?id=871XAAAAMAAJ">here</a>.</div>
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M. Lancereaux, at a recent meeting of the Academy of Medicine, reported two very important observations showing the pernicious influence of alcoholism in children upon their development. One case was that of a girl between thirteen and fourteen years of age, whose parents were drunkards, and who had been accustomed to drink half a litre of wine daily ever since she was three years old. She had the appearance of a child of eight years. ... The other case was likewise that of a daughter of alcoholic parents. ... From an early age she had habitually drunk wine diluted with water, from her seventh year she was accustomed to drink chartreuse and other liquors, "to fortify her stomach." ...she showed manifest signs of a neuritis with atrophy of the lower extremities. Laboratory experiments upon the young of rabbits have fully confirmed this action of alcohol upon the growth, and this special effect should be remembered and included with the influences of alcoholism upon the increase of crime, idiocy, and insanity.</blockquote>
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I've often said that if I couldn't have been a Russian and East European Studies major, I would've gone to the American studies department because it's the only place I could imagine writing a senior thesis on what I've dubbed "tobacco anthropology". As I get older I find this fascination with the cultures, norms, etc, that grow up around poisons extending very thoroughly to alcohol. </div>
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I was trying to think of a name for the study of histories, mythologies, and cultures surrounding popular poisons but didn't get much farther than toxicology, which quite stupidly has already been claimed by something much less interesting. I also came to the unfortunate realization that if I went around calling myself an amateur toxicologist people would get all kinds of wrong ideas.</div>
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In any case, I come bearing tidings of yet another new diversion of mine, somewhat related to the above: <a href="http://thedrunkshoe.tumblr.com/"><b>the Drunk Shoe</b></a>. It's a very simple project, and the idea wasn't even my own: pair up alcohol and shoes, take a picture. It's been a lot of fun for me thus far, so I hope you check it out.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYdQKMA5FFHPsEeoPsySafqT6nQ8Cqm89J92qCq7bbBRADWL5CJHo1n7J1E4UWJq1hHMfA4s5VSptNBwcay6Kkaihx9t1ksspuYGUuPDn34Jhf16e_3L0mPB3Ip-6UZb-7uYpLZC_ZS8/s1600/jack3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYdQKMA5FFHPsEeoPsySafqT6nQ8Cqm89J92qCq7bbBRADWL5CJHo1n7J1E4UWJq1hHMfA4s5VSptNBwcay6Kkaihx9t1ksspuYGUuPDn34Jhf16e_3L0mPB3Ip-6UZb-7uYpLZC_ZS8/s320/jack3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glare on this one drives me mad (working with a very...low tech set-up), but I do love that owl.</td></tr>
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</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-72156994012353960472012-06-21T18:17:00.000-04:002012-06-21T18:24:15.258-04:00With a pint of Green Chartreuse, ain't nothin seem right<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"There's a reason there so few photos of Marlissa and me," she said. "For Marlissa, the explanation is fascinating, but sad, too. For me, though, it's just ego plain and simple. I'm a proud old broad who can't stand the way she looks, especially when compared to the way I used to look. Ego, pride."</span></span></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhIYTzjVGJS1aTSiC6yR8Chi0dXiZmK4ElDU_X31-dqvznO6caMCC3_Rxve6ummlqmBWfg62XNXJOw_8PcOrTkSCC9G-xna6We1fOmB45WwBV2y9mj0nnVnoytSJn8dQHpyjzqvb9AcU/s1600/chartreuse3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhIYTzjVGJS1aTSiC6yR8Chi0dXiZmK4ElDU_X31-dqvznO6caMCC3_Rxve6ummlqmBWfg62XNXJOw_8PcOrTkSCC9G-xna6We1fOmB45WwBV2y9mj0nnVnoytSJn8dQHpyjzqvb9AcU/s320/chartreuse3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://telephonecigarettes.tumblr.com/post/25569566718/shoes-and-chartreuse-my-favorite-shoes-and-booze"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">More?</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">She wagged her eyes and took a sip of her drink--chartreuse and soda, an exotic liqueur unfamiliar to me. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"Name a conceit. I delude myself that it's okay because I admit that I'm vain. I haven't reached the age where my body only embarrasses others. Why advertise what you've lost and can never recover?"</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">- <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=9tEGRBAGEwUC&pg=PA131&dq=drink+chartreuse&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Q37jT8jSHobx0gHM8vDGAw&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q=drink%20chartreuse&f=false">Dark Light</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">It is a novel, I confess, I have not read (and am not sure I have any interest in reading), but I couldn't keep this passage to myself once I came across it earlier today.</span><br /><br>I am still alive-- I won't promise to write for you soon, much as I'd like to, because it seems that for me to make such a vow is to assure several weeks of unbecoming silence. In the meantime do visit my latest diversion <a href="http://telephonecigarettes.tumblr.com/">the telephone's out of cigarettes</a>, which I can promise is full to bursting with all manner of oddity and spectacle such as inspire your humble bloggess.</div>
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</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-83667416512636229532012-06-13T22:23:00.004-04:002012-06-13T22:36:21.089-04:00In which pretension takes many forms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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1. I finally gave in and started myself a <a href="http://telephonecigarettes.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://static.productreview.com.au/pr.products/chartreuse-green_4cd0e2625a7c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://static.productreview.com.au/pr.products/chartreuse-green_4cd0e2625a7c2.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
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2. I realized that all the creaky nuts and bolts in my brain that start turning when I cook also rev up when reading about proper cocktails. I fear, o my brothers, that I am becoming a liquor snob. To that end, here's my current bar (limited, of course, by my budget):</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Ruskova Vodka</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Green Chartreuse</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Leroux Creme de Cacao</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Paolo Lazzaroni & Figli Maraschino</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kraken Black Rum</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kahlua*</li>
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Some cocktails I've enjoyed with that bizarre collection of bottles (NB: when I mean juice, I write juice; if not assume the real thing):</div>
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<b><a href="http://ohgo.sh/archive/final-ward-cocktail-recipe/">The Final Ward</a></b></div>
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Courtesy of Phil Ward at Death & Co, a bar I <i>almost</i> had the pleasure of visiting a few weeks ago when I was in the East Village. <u>Rye, green chartreuse, maraschino, and lemon juice</u>-- had to sub in Jack for the rye, and while it was still incredibly delicious, the sweetness of the Jack was really too much. Still, one of the best cocktails I've had recently-- go for it.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2010/11/30/6030-12-16-four-drinks-with-chartreuse-and-chocolate/">Pago Pago</a></b></div>
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What it's supposed to be: <u>gold rum, pineapple, lime juice, green chartreuse, white creme de cacao</u>.</div>
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What I drank: that, with regular creme de cacao instead (was lucky enough to be with a friend who had some gold rum on hand at the time).</div>
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I am always pretty skeptical of creme de cacao and bought it only because I've heard it can work wonders with chartreuse, so expect some experimentation on that front. This one, at least, was pretty good.</div>
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<b>"<a href="http://www.cocktailremedy.net/2011/05/22/pineapple-julep-with-ginger/">Pineapple Julep with Ginger</a>"</b></div>
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Put this one in quotes because I'm not sure how fair it is to call this a julep, but hey, I had some ginger beer laying around I'd been meaning to get rid of, so why not? <u>Bourbon (used Jack), simple syrup (skipped it), ginger beer, pineapple, and mint</u>. I didn't have any mint, and man was I sad-- this is a perfectly passable summer drink as is, but I think the mint would've leveled it up.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/drink_recipes/the-black-pearl/">The Black Pearl</a></b></div>
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This sounded fascinating right from the start: <u>black rum, light rum, pineapple juice, balsamic reduction, and ginger beer</u>. I wanted to try this just to see how the balsamic reduction fit in, but by the time I got to it (I was at a friend's showing off my new shaker that night) I was too lazy to whip some up. So, minus the balsamic, and with gold instead of light, it's certainly tasty, but nothing particularly interesting, and I can think of better things to do with the Kraken. I do intend to mix it up proper at some point, though, so stay tuned.</div>
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With all that in mind, what do you suggest? I know, I know, I need to get my hands on some gin if I really want to mix with chartreuse, and probably pick up some blood orange bitters-- but if you have suggestions, fire away!</div>
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*I like Kahlua in espresso "martinis", sometimes. There, I said it. Your disdain has no power over me.</div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-89055302772935634752012-06-07T15:19:00.000-04:002012-06-07T15:25:30.028-04:00Founders Imperial Stout (Review)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxugT0vIplHAp2Kk8q_5eb37DY4w7nIs44snc5XcmsXX1RK4SSH7fqtyhkh4VWVwwSatRxfoktoAMXwIQsbrghKuzNlvz7XSDF5cl5vTka-4KXVOtAQSwENCEbtWOApvURjbgUHZTtjiA/s1600/founders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxugT0vIplHAp2Kk8q_5eb37DY4w7nIs44snc5XcmsXX1RK4SSH7fqtyhkh4VWVwwSatRxfoktoAMXwIQsbrghKuzNlvz7XSDF5cl5vTka-4KXVOtAQSwENCEbtWOApvURjbgUHZTtjiA/s320/founders.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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I've always been more of a defender of book cover-judging than most, but especially when it comes to beer. The first beer I ever liked was North Coast's Russian Imperial Stout <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/112/412">Old Rasputin</a>, which I ordered solely because of its name. The double headed eagle on this gorgeous Founders Imperial Stout similarly heralds glad tidings.</div>
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Since the exquisite <a href="http://thecaskrepublic.com/about">Cask Republic</a> opened in New Haven in early 2011 I've been spending ever more of my bar budget (read: the contents of my wallet not earmarked for other poisons) on imperial IPAs, since they tend to have a lower price-to-ABV ratio than my beloved dark beers. Now that I'm back on Long Island for a bit, I visited the local beer distributor and picked up a pack of these babies, having had only the best experiences with Founders (the <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/7463">Dirty Bastard</a> in particular comes to mind).</div>
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Like going back to vodka after a semester of bourbon, my very first sip reminded me why my heart lies far east of the Rhine*.</div>
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This stuff pours like motor oil-- some dark elixir of bitterness meted out in small vials during the reign of Richard III, flowing like an endless silk handkerchief from a felled magician's sleeve into the glass. I didn't have the proper glassware for it (something more akin to a brandy snifter is more appropriate), but I didn't mind, since the smaller circumference of the glass kept the head alive for quite a while. This thing is chewy and resilient; the head's got a deep caramel color to it and looks so solid I could float a wafer on it (actually, I probably could have).</div>
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With <b>90 IBUs</b> this stout isn't for the faint of heart-- I've never had a beer so bitter I didn't like it, so I was in heaven. Have you ever had a really strong dark chocolate, like 70 or 80% cocoa? If you didn't like that, I'm not sure you'd like this. It's <b>10.5% ABV</b> so if you're used to weaker beers, prepare yourself-- it goes down pretty easy, although as it warms up in the glass the ethanol does assert itself a little more. Beers like this <i>should</i> be served at what's called "cellar temperature" (50-55 degrees), so if you're looking for something to cool yourself off in these June days go find a pilsner or something (I've always found a nice maibock works well, personally).<br />
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Make sure you give this a proper smell (this is where the brandy snifter is helpful)-- as any wine or beer snob will tell you, scent strongly affects taste, so if you just go at it without acclimating your olfactories you're missing out.</div>
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There's not much carbonation here, in keeping with its overall weight, and this isn't a beer to rush through, or to accompany food. If you think Guinness is heavy, well, you're downright mistaken-- I can tackle a Guinness and a burger easily, but this one's gonna demand your full attention, and you won't be sorry to give it. Particularly toward the end it almost recalled some barleywines I've had in terms of mouth feel, so if you like a poppy beer this brew's not for you. If you like Guinness, you might still enjoy this beer, but be warned: dry and/or Irish stouts are lighter in about everything but color (lower ABV, less bitter, less heavy), so while I'll never sway anyone from trying an excellent beer, you might want to work your way up to this one.</div>
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In 2010 this beer took home the bronze for American-Style Imperial Stouts in the World Beer Cup, in case it's pedigree you're after. I read it described somewhere as "a contemplative beer", and I can't say I disagree-- it's a lot to take in, and while I've had more than one in a sitting before I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. The flavors and weight can get overpowering after a while, and now that I'm on my second six-pack of the stuff in two weeks I think it's best when balanced out by a nice simple ale, or even cider.</div>
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Happy drinking, folks-- maybe next time I won't review something horribly out-of-season.</div>
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PS: For those curious, I did graduate. Onward and upward, I suppose.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*"Russian Imperial Stouts" come from England. <i>Also</i> this is technically an American-Style Imperial Stout, but I won't say anything if you won't.</span></div>
</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-73108679273063902592012-04-05T20:26:00.000-04:002012-04-05T20:26:34.157-04:00"The unassumed is unhealed."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">A second glimpse is given us at the Crucifixion, when Christ cries out with a loud voice, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). Once again, full weight should be given to these words. Here is the extreme point of Christ's desolation, when he feels abandoned not only by men but by God. We cannot begin to explain how it is possible for one who is himself the living God to lose awareness of the divine presence. But this at least is evident. In Christ's Passion there is no play-acting, nothing is done for outward show. Each word from the Cross means what it says. And if the cry "My God, my God..." is to signify anything at all, it must mean that at this moment Jesus is truly experiencing the spiritual death of separation from God. Not only does he shed his blood for us, but for our sakes he accepts even the loss of God.<br />
<br />
"He descended into hell," (Apostles' Creed). Does this mean merely that Christ went to preach to the departed spirits during the interval between Great Friday evening and Easter morning (see 1 Pet. 3:19)? Surely it has also a deeper sense. Hell is a point not in space but in the soul. It is <i>the place where God is not</i>. (And yet God is everywhere!) If Christ truly "descended into hell", that means he descended into the depths of the absence of God. Totally, unreservedly, he identifies himself with all man's anguish and alienation. He assumed it into himself, and by assuming it he healed it. There was no other way he could heal it, except by making it his own.</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: right;">- Metr Kallistos (Ware), <i>The Orthodox Way</i></div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-37085829220111686302012-04-01T01:43:00.000-04:002012-04-01T01:43:27.492-04:00First Kiss - Tom Waits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WdroLgszVcQ" width="420"></iframe></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">She drove a big old Lincoln <br />
with suicide doors<br />
and a sewing machine in the back<br />
and a light bulb that looked like <br />
an alligator egg<br />
was mounted up front on the hood<br />
<br />
and she had an Easter bonnet that had been signed <br />
by Tennessee Ernie Ford<br />
and she always had saw dust in her hair<br />
and she cut two holes in the back of her dress<br />
and she had these scapular wings<br />
that were covered with feathers and electrical tape<br />
and when she got good and drunk<br />
she would sing about Elkheart, Indiana<br />
where the wind is strong <br />
and folks mind their own business<br />
<br />
and she had at least a hundred old baseballs <br />
that she'd taken from kids<br />
and she collected bones of all kinds<br />
and she lived in a trailer under a bridge<br />
and she made her own whiskey and gave cigarettes to kids<br />
and she'd been struck by lightning seven or eight times<br />
and she hated the mention of rain<br />
<br />
and she made up her own language<br />
and she wore rubber boots<br />
and she could fix anything with string<br />
and her lips were like cherries<br />
and she was stronger than any man<br />
and she smelled like gasoline and root beer fizz<br />
and she put mud on a bee sting <br />
I got at the creek<br />
and she gave me <br />
my very first kiss<br />
and she gave me <br />
my very first kiss<br />
<br />
talking 'bout my little Kathleen<br />
she's just a fine young thing<br />
someday she'll wear my ring<br />
my little Kathleen </blockquote></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-77224773037684331252012-03-28T15:30:00.007-04:002012-03-28T15:37:58.623-04:00Beats, Blood, and the Bourgeoisie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">Text of my speech on <b>Resolved: I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness </b>at the annual Yale Political Union Party Prize Debate last night. I spoke in the negative. I with my teammate Alex Fisher took 2nd Place (<a href="http://sublimitynow.blogspot.com/2011/04/blessed-are-those-that-mourn.html">again</a>, blech).</div>- - - - -<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I cannot say, ladies and gentlemen, that I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, for to say that something is destroyable is to suggest that it was created, that it <i>lived</i>. With sadness I admit that I can say no such thing about my generation. What I have seen, Mr Speaker, is a generation of still births, of children born into a desanguinated world to leech away her last drops of blood and beauty, to make perpetual her torpid afternoon of the soul.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I pity my generation because it seems we were never given a chance. Like an unholy Hegelian synthesis of the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers, we are both practical minded and narcissistic, risk averse and self-indulgent, mature enough to spurn the recklessness of Woodstock and the Beats but frivolous enough to maintain a cultured bourgeois adolescence until our 40s.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unlike some others tonight, I do not define madness as “that which I like” (or dislike, as the case may be), and so while the defining traits of my generation bewilder and sadden me I cannot name them lunacy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Man is by nature a petty and fearful creature, for in the recesses of his mind and depths of his soul he knows, in the way the moth knows light to be beautiful and the vine knows to grow toward the sun, that he is insufficient, he is incomplete. His carnal fear perverts this knowledge into a veneration of, and sacred duty to protect, that which is immediately perceivable, attained, and obviously his. We have made an idol of our fear, but no longer do we name it God: now we bend before the altars of comfort, security, health, and success, and tell ourselves in the wordless dialogue of our souls that we are responsible to something nobler than our own inescapable mortal terror.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is the mad ones who have the wholly unjustified courage to give themselves over fully to the arbitrariness of life, who know that, as Don Colacho says, “everything in the world rests on its own final ‘just because.’” The mad ones know their fear is just, and give themselves over in faith to whatever may be. Zorba the Greek says that he lives as though he should die any minute, in contrast to the old man he meets planting an almond tree, who lives as though he should never die. The mad ones reject modernity as described by Colacho, that collection of things which “seem to allow us to escape the human condition.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is common to associate madness and extremism, and not unreasonably so, but it is not against mediocrity or smallness of ambition that I speak. I concur heartily with Chesterton when he says that “mere existence, reduced to its most primary limits, is extraordinary enough to be exciting.” On the contrary, it is the pietistic devotion to certainty and the self-drawn maps of our lives that sterilizes and blinds us to the beautiful absurdity of the world, which, as Chekhov and Kafka have shown us, can be found even from a census bureau or insurance office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will not lie and tell you that the prism of madness, of looking upon all things in wonder and with sacred awe, of spurning the well-considered boundaries and protections that have grown up through centuries of civilization, comes without a price. Madness is that which unites Eros and Thanatos in communion with the beautiful, the good, and the true. In Eastern Christendom this is known as kenosis, the paradoxical idea that we can only be filled once we have emptied ourselves, just as Christ, in death, fulfilled His nature, and conquered death thereby. It is the madness of martyrs, the call from heaven not all of us have yet been given the grace to hear; yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a call to destruction. But none that I will dare call <i>best</i> ignore its sonorous ring.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who will be the martyrs of our generation, ladies and gentlemen? Has our culture given us the courage to say, “I know that there is more within me than breath”? Standing as I am on the precipice of adulthood I do not know, and so, foolishly, madly, I hope.</div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-85764697108100042742012-03-27T03:24:00.000-04:002012-03-27T03:24:47.667-04:00Freeze or rot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Been reading so many wonderful things lately! But for now, this:<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">Is it not dreadful and humiliating to think that Moses went up upon Sinai, the Greeks built their lovely temples, the Romans waged their Punic Wars, Alexander, that handsome genius in a plumed helmet, fought his battles, apostles preached, martyrs suffered, poets sang, artists painted, knights shone at tournaments--only that some French, German or Russian bourgeois garbed in unsightly and absurd clothes should enjoy life "individually" or "collectively" on the ruins of all this vanished splendor?</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: right;">- Konstantin Leont'ev</div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-69917590133936043192012-03-21T18:06:00.002-04:002012-03-21T18:07:53.394-04:00The best collapsitarianism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">"For to passion, as to crime, the assured everyday order and stability of things is not opportune, and any weakening of the civil structure, any chaos and disaster afflicting the world, must be welcome to it, as offering a vague hope of turning such circumstances to its advantage."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- <i>Death in Venice, </i>Thomas Mann</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am trying and failing to think of things about my life and ideas that this does not explain.</div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-13139191689365147872012-03-21T01:47:00.000-04:002012-03-21T01:47:17.793-04:00Who needs swords<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">"One of the more attractive features of Orthodox education was the rich musical heritage of the church. Thousands of parish choirs were formed in the 1890s with special funds from the Synod to enhance the worship and cultural life of the masses and to impress the non-Orthodox and non-Russian populations of the empire. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">Synod Education Commission authorities were gratified to see Old Believer populations in the Urals and along the Volga gradually ceasing to resist official liturgies connected with school affairs and to see thousands of Catholic and Lutheran children enroll in Orthodox schools in the western and Baltic provinces, attracted by the opportunities provided by choral singing societies."</blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">- James Cunningham, <i>A Vanquished Hope: The Movement for Church Renewal in Russia, 1905-1906</i></div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-38431627569655181022012-03-20T21:06:00.001-04:002012-03-20T21:19:15.814-04:00What led you here?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Search keywords that brought folks to my blog this <b>week</b>:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>soviet realism art</li>
<li>slavic rus</li>
<li>snake candelabra</li>
<li>obama wallpaper 2012</li>
<li>rupaul iron fist shoes</li>
<li>albino caucasian</li>
<li>atheist st patrick's day</li>
<li>guinness</li>
<li>guinness logo st. patrick's day</li>
<li>guinness working process</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr "rupaul iron fist shoes", I salute you. I do hope poor Obama wallpaper guy enjoyed his stay. And "Guinness working process"? I have good readers.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Search keywords that brought folks to my blog this <b>month</b>:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>slavic mysticism</li>
<li>soviet realism art</li>
<li>ts icons</li>
<li>slavic magick</li>
<li>lady gaga height</li>
<li>men cigarette holder</li>
<li>slavic beauty</li>
<li>slavic rus</li>
<li>can i smoke while taking a shower</li>
<li>dick scribbles</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm so glad I'm not the only person trying to address the simultaneous tobacco-hygiene practice issue. I got nothing on that last one, though.</div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-65146110959613137932012-03-20T18:51:00.001-04:002012-03-20T18:54:11.036-04:00The Old Catholics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">The Old Catholics, led by Johann von Döllinger, archbishop of Munich, refused to accept the definition of papal infallibility made in 1871 by the First Vatican Council. A small group, confined mainly to southern Germany and Switzerland, broke with Rome, but they were not able to effect a reversal of the doctrine or persuade other Catholics in general. Prior to World War I, Russian church figures such as Alexander A. Kireev and Archpriest Pavel Svetlov, a professor at the Kiev Theological Academy, worked to bring the Old Catholics into union with the Russian church--a kind of reverse Unia. The war ended their attempts, however, and Old Catholicism faded into irrelevance.</blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">- James Cunningham, <i>A Vanquished Hope: The Movement for Church Renewal in Russia, 1905-1906</i></div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-73953369025148013362012-03-19T15:01:00.001-04:002012-03-19T15:24:31.814-04:00People I do not trust<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">-people who do not drink<br />
-people who prefer studio recordings to live ones<br />
-people who don't have a decent amount of experience riding buses<br />
-people who can go days without listening to/performing music and not notice<br />
-people who dislike children as a category<br />
-people over the age of 25 who've never had even a puff of a cigarette<br />
-people whose closest friends are exclusively women<br />
-people who are uncomfortable interacting with animals<br />
-people who say they like all music "except rap and country"</div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-22799402543137775742012-03-13T15:41:00.001-04:002012-03-13T15:42:03.952-04:00My words were of paper, scarcely splashed by a spot of blood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">More <i>Zorba</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"How do you expect to get the better of a devil, boss, if you don't turn into a devil-and-a-half yourself?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;">---</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Yes, you understand with your brain. You say: 'This is right, and that's wrong; this is true, and that isn't; he's right, the other one's wrong...' But where does that lead us? While you are talking I watch your arms and chest. Well, what are they doing? They're silent. They don't say a word. As though they hadn't a drop of blood between them. Well, what do you think you understand with? With your head? Bah!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;">---</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"'It's all because of doing things by halves,' he would often say to me, and 'saying things by halves, being good by halves, that the world is in the mess it's in today. Do things properly by God! One good knock for each nail and you'll win through! God hates a half-devil ten times more than an archdevil!'"</div><div style="text-align: justify;">---</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"That is what a real man is like, I thought, envying Zorba's sorrow. A man with warm blood and solid bones, who lets real tears run down his cheeks when he is suffering; and when he is happy he does not spoil the freshness of his joy by running it through the fine sieve of metaphysics."</div><div style="text-align: justify;">---</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I felt deep within me that the highest point a man can attain is not Knowledge, or Virtue, or Goodness, or Victory, but something even greater, more heroic and more despairing: Sacred Awe!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;">---</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I had rarely felt so full of joy in my life. It was no ordinary joy, it was a sublime, absurd and unjustifiable gladness. Not only unjustifiable, contrary to all justification. This time I had lost everything--my money, my men, the line, the trucks; we had constructed a small port and now we had nothing to export. It was all lost.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, it was precisely at that moment that I felt an unexpected sense of deliverance. As if in the hard, somber labyrinth of necessity I had discovered liberty herself playing happily in a corner. And I played with her."</div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123974359510696264.post-24814375273147732452012-03-12T15:32:00.000-04:002012-03-12T15:32:26.297-04:00Well, you did put the "try" in "try too hard"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div><div style="text-align: justify;">In these winter days of my undergraduate career I find myself with ever increasing frequency bouncing around Youtube like it was some sad nocturnal music festival in the outskirts of Atlanta. I went through a brief <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams_III">Hank III</a> phase one night last week (I think?) but felt uneasy about it even then. He's pretty emblematic of what's known in some circles as "rebel/outlaw country"-- country punk redneck motorcycle gang, if you follow. Here's "Dick in Dixie", to familiarize ya (I don't need to warn you of vulgarity, do I?):</div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wgI4Gl2fS9c" width="420"></iframe><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Well some say I'm not country<br />
and that's just fine with me<br />
'Cause I don't wanna be country<br />
with some faggot looking over at me<br />
They say that I'm ill-mannered<br />
that I'm gonna self-destruct<br />
But if you know what I'm thinkin'<br />
you'll know that pop country really sucks </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">So I'm here to put the "dick" in Dixie<br />
and the "cunt" back in country<br />
'Cause the kind of country I hear now days<br />
is a bunch of fuckin' shit to me<br />
<br />
Well we're losing all the outlaws<br />
that had to stand their ground<br />
and they're being replaced by these kids<br />
from a manufactured town<br />
And they don't have no idea<br />
about sorrow and woe<br />
'Cause they're all just too damn busy<br />
kissin' ass on Music Row</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is, in fact, a more sophisticated example of the genre (I will spare you Whiskeydick's "Drunk as Hell", among other things). Now I have nothing against vulgarity, simplicity, or even lazy songwriting-- there's a very important place in this world for barn stompers, lullabyes, banal melodies sung over a sink full of dishes-- but I just don't believe a damn word he's singing. He's not pop country, sure, and he may in fact be a badass (I've never met the guy!), but, well, as Zorba says: </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">"...I live all those mysteries, as you call them, and I haven't the time to write. Sometimes it's war, sometimes women, sometimes wine, sometimes the <i>santuri: </i>where would I find the time to drive a miserable pen? That's how the business falls into the hands of the pen-pushers! All those who actually live the mysteries of life haven't the time to write, and all those who have the time don't live them!"</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">This might be the long way round to saying "show, don't tell," but the particularly sad thing in this instance is the <i>audience</i> for this stuff. If the "outlaw country" musicians are heavy handedly carving their own one dimensional mythology, the concert goers and juke boxers are even more pitiably alienated from whatever pleather studded, whiskey stained heroism the songs are venerating.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm a 22 year old Yale student (from <i>Long Island</i>) majoring in Karamazov, Crazy, & Christ, and even I, in my feeble alcohol-ism and "hard living" shadow plays, recoil from this as peasants did from Communist agitators preaching the commune's utopian perfection. It rings of cheap tin and something pathetically foreign, and leaves me quite confused.</div></div>Tristyn Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05377685250633624137noreply@blogger.com0