010905

"Ain't no half steppin, ain't no... no slippin." - Jay-Z I keep
wanting to pull back, play it safe, etc. But I have to be firm and
bold. It's not my nature but it will become so, because of and in spite
of Machiavelli.
This little cut on my finger is slaying me. It's hard for it to get
better because I type constantly and then I snap my fingers when I'm
writing songs, which is pretty much constantly. But this cut gives me
hope. If a little cut can cause me so many problems, then maybe our
little Bohemian movement can similarly hinder the military-industrial
complex.
The new Shakespeare Professor, Dr. Mohammed, rather impressed me
today. He is a light-hearted man. He saw him in the video store
checking out Will Ferrel's "ELF." My favorite ELF is "Earth Liberation
Front." He's also very intelligent and precise. His memory is
astounding. You can ask him about an obscure literary mechanism and,
off the top of his head, he'll give you a sophisticated and precise
explanation. His politics are liberal and he was truly pained when Bush
was re-elected. His facial expressions are among the oddest I have ever
seen. He's an Arab and one is used to a grave seriousness on such
faces. But his expressions are those of a dirty comedian tempered by
scholarly shame. His "knowledge" about Shakespeare is extensive but he
does not really believe in Shakespeare's genius. Prof. Liz Eckhart and
I are both true Bardologists. I stand my ground, though I confess I
have become more of a religious moderate.

after note: I am watching Richard III, in preparation for a test. I
often doubt my understanding of social relationships, psychology, etc.
But I see so easily how unrealistic such a movie is, where so many
people with "better" social skills buy it all like gulls. No, their
social success lies not in social knowledge but in conformity. My
social failures come as a result of my own greatness, which will not
tolerate being a slave or even a servant. But I also make it my
business not to be overly ambitious. While the worst of the movie comes
from the production, much of the failure does come in the screenplay.
Oh, Shakespeare was great but he was also at times a mere hack hired to
write whatever unbearably cheesy lies the authorities wanted to see on
the stage.