Monthly Archives: May 2007

RANDOM MUSIC (COMMENT).

Posted on May 25, 2007 by Philip

RANDOM MUSIC (COMMENT). Mary Jane and I were walking through Grand Central yesterday evening, and she said that the movement of people through the space was “like random music.” I have captioned this as a comment on this post on … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | 1 Comment

A DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT IS GOOD NEWS.

Posted on May 24, 2007 by Philip

A DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT IS GOOD NEWS. During the first week of this blog, I posted on the reaction of diplomats to the murder in the United Kingdom of a Russian dissident. I was concerned by the sentence in the New … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

ALL LIFE STORIES ARE INTERESTING.

Posted on May 23, 2007 by Philip

ALL LIFE STORIES ARE INTERESTING. Dan McAdams, who has in the course of his research read hundreds of stories that people have told about their lives, says that, “In all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve heard maybe one … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 2 Comments

TELLING THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE.

Posted on May 23, 2007 by Philip

TELLING THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE. This article describes a branch of psychological research that I was unaware of. The research is based on analyzing two-hour interviews in which people tell their life stories. One conclusion is familiar: that it … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Theater | 1 Comment

GRAND CENTRAL STATION.

Posted on May 22, 2007 by Philip

GRAND CENTRAL STATION. The interior of Grand Central Station reminds me of Saint Marks Place in Venice, with human figures taking their angled paths across the giant space, continually changing the space. The two levels are an engineering triumph. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | 3 Comments

MY FIVE FAVORITE BUILDINGS.

Posted on May 21, 2007 by Philip

MY FIVE FAVORITE BUILDINGS. This is how I voted: the Chrysler Building (# 9), Grand Central Station (#13), Sever Hall (#77), the Rookery (#128) and the Carson Pirie Scott store (#145). There is a personal element to these votes. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | 4 Comments

MY VOTES–THE FLATIRON BUILDING (#72).

Posted on May 20, 2007 by Philip

MY VOTES–THE FLATIRON BUILDING (#72). I will start with my sixth vote, partly because I am still feeling bad about leaving it off the list of five when I voted. It is the Flatiron Building by Daniel Burnham. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, History | 1 Comment

PARKINSON’S LAW.

Posted on May 19, 2007 by Philip

PARKINSON’S LAW. Kids, you should know Parkinson’s Law, actually Parkinson’s First Law, which was more famous in the sixties than it is now. Instapundit at 10:31 yesterday morning linked to this excellent explanation of Parkinson’s Law and Robert Conquest’s Third … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Leave a comment

WHITE SOX AND CUBS.

Posted on May 18, 2007 by Philip

WHITE SOX AND CUBS. The Chicago City Series begins today. The White Sox –Cubs hatred is greatly exaggerated. This is not European soccer. And it couldn’t be. The fans have the same experiences. Both teams are ultimate underdogs. Every White … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | 5 Comments

FAVORITE BUILDINGS.

Posted on May 17, 2007 by Philip

FAVORITE BUILDINGS. Lee Bryant sent me this wonderful site which has a ranking and pictures of the favorite 150 pieces of architecture in America (as voted in some kind of poll). The list included, I am glad to say, bridges … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | 4 Comments