what do you mean i should READ before i write a book on the subject?!

NOTE: Never got around to finishing the book. I was getting too frustrated while reading it and it was supposed to be "fun reading" away from my law casebooks. Perhaps I'll take it up again during the summer. But then again, William Gibson's newest is still sitting uncracked on my bookshelf. Here we go.

Only 15 pages in and I already have major problems with Richard Bernstein's methodology in "The East, the West, and Sex." These may be generally filed under the umbrellas of "lack of localizing and historicizing" and "shying away from confrontation with Orientalist concepts." It reads more like a travelogue still touring the "exotic" Other rather than a serious attempt at unpacking the representations undergirding the frisson between Asian and Western.

The first chapter revolves around ChinaBounder and his notorious...

whoa, man

It's been a long time since I blogged. After residing here for almost 2 months, here's my impressions of the ATL.

Driving
You can call what they do in Atlanta driving same as you can say a virus reproduces sexually: only by destroying the meaning of the words. But they do have one thing in common. Coming into contact with either is hazardous to your health.

Music Scene
I like the bands Atlanta attracts. Just this week LCD Soundsystem with Sleigh Bells, the National with Owen Pallett, and the xx with Zola Jesus came through. Last Friday Deerhunter had their cd release party here. Godspeed You! Black Emperor added nearby Athens as one of the dozen or so US tour dates they've had in years. But what I don't like is the quality of people those shows attract. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say the scene here isn't chill like Austin. The venues themselves are great but I wish they made you check your douchebags at the door.

Food
Being a poor law student, I can't afford to sample all the local fare. Still no Atlanta BBQ but I hear Fat Matt's ribs are delish. I've also heard great things about the breakfast / brunch at Flying Biscuit. A few fellow 1Ls and I have started an unofficial burger club to ferret out the best burger in Atlanta. After only two meetings, the consent so far is Vortex but we have a number of places yet to be tried. We've also got a Friday afternoon ritual at a local hole-in-the-wall which shall remain nameless so as not to attract a crowd. Suffice it to say, it's yummy. BYOB, too, and an afternoon beer, great food, and cool company is always the best way to wrap up another week in law school.


On an unrelated note, I finally finished reading Murakami's "Norwegian Wood". Remarkable book. I'm a growing fan of the post-war Japanese writers. This has cleared my pleasure reading calendar for Richard Bernstein's "The East, the West, and Sex" and my expected harsh criticism thereof. Let's see if I can deliver something on a more consisten schedule this time.