Points to Ponder: The profound thoughts of Alex W________g aka Simon DelMonte

About Peter Schjeldahl

sdelmonte — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:11:53 GMT

Peter Schjeldahl is dying.

You have probably never heard of him unless you read The New Yorker or live in that weird place known as the art world. He is the art critic for The New Yorker, and widely considered to be the best art critic of our time. I have known of him for 30 years, and have met him a handful of times. He is not the chummy sort with us mere publicists, but he is always unfailingly friendly and courtly. And if you read Steve Martin's novel about the art world, Schjeldahl's cameo in the book is spot on perfect.

Peter wrote a long, rambling, heartbreaking, beautiful reminiscence for the new issue of The New Yorker. It's a bit of a rough sled, but it really gives a good glimpse into the critic everyone knows and the person I suspect few of us suspected was there all along.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/23/the-art-of-dying

I doubt I will meet Peter again. The exhibitions coming up at my museum don't seem like his sort of thing, even if he has the strength to make a visit. But I am glad that I got to meet him and that there has has been at least one art critic of his caliber in my world and our world. I hope that your last days are comfortable, Peter, and that you find one last work of transcending beauty before you go.

Shana Tova

sdelmonte — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 15:07:02 GMT

Dusting off the old blog to wish all those that ovserve a shana tova, a good new year as the Jewish year 5779 rolls over into 5780. May the old year and its curses end. May the new year and its blessings arrive.

Hope everyone out there is hanging in, I am pretty much the same as I have been for a while, just not using Dreamwidth much (who is?).

Jewish Museum HYPE: New Audio Guides

sdelmonte — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 14:22:49 GMT

And now you can listen to them at home, using any device, and no longer need to get any sort of rented MP3 player.

Tours.TheJewishMuseum.org

Enjoy.

Housefilk June 30 in Queens, NY!

sdelmonte — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 23:48:18 GMT

Greetings fans of filk! There will be a housefilk on Sunday, June 30 at the home of Josh Kroenengold and Lisa Padol, 39-20 52nd Street, Apt GD in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, NYC.

Please RSVP to me at this blog or to Josh at mneme@labcats.org, and spread the word to any other filkers or potential filkers.

If you have concerns about accessibility, the apartment is on the ground floor, but the entrance is up 4 steps. If they is an issue, call ahead and someone can meet you near 39-40 52nd Street and let you into the side entrance with no steps. Number is 646-361-3257.

Directions:

By subway: Fastest: Take the 7 to 52nd street, turn north (towards Cafe 52, away from the Filipino place) and walk to, cross, Skillman; turn left and walk back to 52nd Street, the entrance is on your left.

Less Fast: Take the R to Woodside, walk south, then make a right at 39th Avenue and a left onto 52nd Street. Destination is on your right.

Also less fast, but sometimes necessary: Take the 7 to Woodside. Get out and go to ground level. Walk west (numbers go down), turning on to Skillman. When you get to 52nd Street, turn right and walk along 52nd Street until you get to the place (on your left).

Please check MTA.info as sometimes one of these lines is rerouted on the weekend.

By LIRR: Take the LIRR to Woodside. Follow directions as "7 to Woodside" above.

By car: Go to the neighborhood. (Northern Blvd is probably the ticket, but you likely have a GPS that will give you something better). Find somewhere to park (not entirely trivial, but possible, usually by driving around the nearby park until something turns up). Then go to the apartment.

Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything Coming to the Jewish Museum

sdelmonte — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 19:35:44 GMT

The show opens April 12. And tickets are on sale today.

https://thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/leonard-cohen-a-crack-in-everything

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvByIUbHc3Q/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Cons in Our Future

sdelmonte — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 03:03:57 GMT

If all goes according to plan, we will be at HELIOsphere, the new-ish NYC-area con that is trying to be the replacement for Lunacon, the first weekend in April. The guest filker will be the one and only Tom Smith, among other notables attending.

And then we are looking towards Balticon on Memorial Day weekend once more, where last year's D&D-style LARP will continue.

Hope to see of you at either or both.

Social Media Alternatives?

sdelmonte — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 14:49:57 GMT

So as some of you know, I have a Facebook account that I use very sparingly, and don't plan to start using it more. And a Google Plus account that was never of much use and is about to go away. So I wonder what people use that isn't FB and isn't DW. i do have an Instagram account for work purposes, and not averse to adding anyone who one to my list, but I don't plan to post there much either. Are there social media sites that you use that are not the big ones? Should I be using them?

Going to Boskone

sdelmonte — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 20:32:21 GMT

Greetings and felicitations fannish types and Bostonians. Batya and I will be attending Boskone next month. As I know many of you attend Arisia instead, I figured it would be a good idea to give you a head's up that we will at the other con. If you like to meet up with us, regardless of whether you are attending the con, please give up a shout. But be aware that Batya is slated to do a concert on Friday night, and you might want to attend..

Hope we get to see at least some of you soonish.

Public Domain Poetry

sdelmonte — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 15:22:33 GMT

Let's welcome the new year with this classic poem no longer under copyright.

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

So where were we?

sdelmonte — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 19:57:06 GMT

Greetings. If you haven't left Dreamwidth and are among my regular readers, glad to see you. If you left DW and are returning as the Tumblexodus begins, welcome back. As you may have noticed, I have been posting a lot less. Some of that is because DW has been quiet overall. But of late, it's because I broke my scapula. Here's my story.

Out for a walk on November 11, as I often do on Sunday mornings. Dunkin iced tea in one hand, the drug store two blocks away and ready for me to make a pickup. I trip. I fall. I lose the iced tea. I land on my hands, as one does. I am in a lot of pain. A lot more than from a routine trip. I slowly stumble to a small park a block a way, land on a bench, and make phone calls to the volunteer ambulance service and to Batya. Soon enough we are both at the nearest hospital, and I am in the devil's own pain. It is incredibly hard just getting my shirt off for the x-ray. It is not fun.

One x-ray later, and it's determined I broke my scapula (shoulder blade). This is not an easy thing to do, as scapulas are well padded by surrounding muscles, tissue, etc. I have no idea how I did it, but I did. Go me. I come home, make an appointment the next day with an orthopedist, and begin the long process of recovery. Which meant two weeks out of work, three weeks of typing one handed, and six weeks of wearing a sling when I slept and a lot of time when I am awake. Lots of Advil and icepacks. Physical therapy twice a week. And slowly starting to do all the things I suddenly couldn't do.

Seven weeks later, I am at about 75 percent of "what I used to be able to do." I can't reach out or up. I can't lift anything beyond a certain weight. I am still in pain a lot, albeit manageable pain. I have only just begun to wash dishes again and use a knife. And I am appreciating every little thing that I am once more able to do again. I honestly missed doing the dishes.

There is a long road ahead yet. But the doctor says I am where I should be at this point. And it's kind of amazing that bones can grow back, isn't it?

So that is one reason I have not been posting much. Longer stretches of typing are still a bit uncomfortable, and I need to save that for work. But I am getting there. And I totally recommend that you should avoid breaking your scapula.

PS: This is also why I didn't say anything about Stan Lee's death. But by now, I doubt I have much to add.

Much Sadness in the World

sdelmonte — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 03:44:25 GMT

Came out of shabbos to hear about the passing of our filker friend Harold Stein, and the hideous attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh. I have no words about the latter, only angry and grief. I have words about the former, about Harold, but I will save them for now, perhaps till the memorial circle for Harold at Philcon.

i have no words but I must scream

sdelmonte — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 16:32:50 GMT

I rarely get political in my posts. But this is not politics. This is about human decency, and the lack of it.

Trump Administration Eyes Defining Transgender Out of Existence
https://nyti.ms/2R9W1jB?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Okay, it is also politics. For the love of human decency, vote!

Testing

sdelmonte — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 04:07:08 GMT

I almost never post anymore. But Google Plus is going to go away soon, so I might start posting again. But is it even worth it?

Still, I have no interest in Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, or anything but Dreamwidth and Google Plus. I fear that the social medial revolution is over for me, and my side lost.

Shana Tova

sdelmonte — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 22:02:53 GMT

Hey, I still have a blog. I should use it on occasion.

Wishing all a shana tova as the Jewish New Year of 5779 starts. May the old year and its curses leave. May the new year and its blessings arrive.

Hi from Balticon

sdelmonte — Mon, 28 May 2018 05:11:04 GMT

Coming to you from open filk. Just came from the LARP, which Batya joined in and which was awesome. And to be continued next year.

I was a bard. Got to sing and tell a story I made up from scratch. That was awesome too.

Housefilk May 6 in Queens!

sdelmonte — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:54:20 GMT

Hullo out there!

There will be a housefilk on Sunday, May 6, in Kew Gardens Hills in Queens, New York, at the home of Alex and Batya Wittenberg. The festivities will run from 1 pm to approximately 5 pm. The address is 144-32 71st Road, accessible from the LIE and GCP, and by subway and bus.

Interested? Reply to this post, and let us know. And spread the word!

Need directions? Feel free to ask as well.

RIP Stephen Hawking

sdelmonte — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 08:56:50 GMT

Here's to a man whose achievements in cosmology were matched by his perseverance in his long battle with ALS.

The Future Has Arrived

sdelmonte — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 22:12:10 GMT

Today, SpaceX successfully test-launched the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket since Saturn V. 27 engines on a core and two boosters worked perfectly, as did a second stage rocket. After which, the two boosters landed back at Cape Canaveral AT THE SAME TIME! It was an awe inspiring sight, the stuff of science fiction made real. (The main rocket's landing seems to have been the only failure of the day, but no word has come from SpaceX yet.)

And now there is a Tesla Roadster with a dummy dressed in a SpaceX spacesuit on its way into a Mars orbit. And the car is sending back streaming video.

I daresay, today I feel like the future we have been waiting for has arrived. Or is at least closer today that it was yesterday.

And as it happens, I had the day off and was able to watch the whole thing. It was really nerve wracking, since there was always a good chance the 27 engines and the vibrations thereof could have done something untoward. But everything went fine, and I got to watch history. Yay!

For the record...

sdelmonte — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 22:37:55 GMT

Neither Batya or I were in downtown Manhattan today. Doesn't mean I am not freaked out some.

Hoping everyone else I know is okay, but still sad, and scared, and angry, about this.

Hugs to all who need.

Shanah Tovah

sdelmonte — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 20:30:25 GMT

May the old years and its curses end. May the new year and its blessings commence.

Best wishes for a joyous new year to everyone!

Housefilk Coming Sept 3!!

sdelmonte — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:08:15 GMT

Hear ye, hear ye!

There will be a housefilk on Sunday, September 3 (the Sunday of Labor Day weekend) in Kew Gardens Hills in Queens, New York, at the home of sdelmonte and batyatoon. The festivities will run from 1 pm to approximately 5 pm. The address is 144-32 71st Road, accessible from the LIE and GCP, and by subway and bus.

Interested? Reply to this post and let us know. And spread the word!

Need directions? E-mail me at simondelmonte @ gmail.com.

The Dark Tower Goes to the Movie

sdelmonte — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 21:37:06 GMT

i liked it. It;s not a great film, it has its flaws, and it is a gloss on the books and totally not an adaptation. But the acting, especially Matthew McConaughey, worked, and the story keeps moving and it certainly has the spirit of the novels to some degree. I am not sure that non-DT fans will like it as much, but at the very least it made for a good afternoon at the theater.

Adam West RIP

sdelmonte — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 02:27:11 GMT

I don't remember when I first watched what's now called in fandom "Batman '66." But it was a lot time ago. When i was a kid. I ate it up with a spoon. I didn't know it was making fun of Batman. I think most kids didn't. We just watched the kinetic, frenetic actions and bought into the square jawed hero.

That was my first Batman, before I read a single comic, before I watched SuperFriends or any of the other cartoons, before Burton and Dini and Nolan. If my love of Batman started anywhere, it started with the BIFF POW BAM and with "old chum" and with the Batusi.

Adam West embraced his place in pop culture history. He had a lot of fun playing off being that Batman. But he was also a pretty good actor, and for one season in the 80s he voiced Batman at the end of the SuperFriends era, and did it really well. He was also The Gray Ghost in a memorable episode of the 90s animated series.

But above all else, he was Batman. Not the best. Just my first. Thanks, old chum.

Back from Balticon, and Onwards to Shavuot!

sdelmonte — Mon, 29 May 2017 22:44:20 GMT

No rest for the weary as we got home from Baltimore by 4 pm and were shopping for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by 5 pm. Lots to do to get ready, but as I tend to have too much vacation time, I am off tomorrow and can get ready a bit more properly. Of course, this means a one day work week on Friday, and rushing to get ready for shabbos, and a week of altered sleep schedules. But we knew this going into Balticon, and Balticon was just so enjoyable that it was worth it.

For me, for the fourth time, Balticon meant some filk here and there, and the weekend-long LARP. This time around, the game consisted of equal parts characters from books come to life in the real world and original characters with some sort of superpower. As a long time veteran of that pan-fandom online RPG called Milliways, this was nearly second nature to me, with the added bonus of people were allowed to recognized famous literary figures. Such as Dr. Watson. my character for the LARP. (Alas, no Holmes but there was a Moriarty so secret that I had no idea he was in the game). It was immensely fun trying to play a very meta Dr. Watson in both the setting of the game and in the 21st century. I think it took a while to get exactly how to play him, but getting there was part of the fun.

And it's really hard not to have fun with a felllowship of Watson, Scheherazade, Molly Weasley, Allan Quatermain, and an original character with superpowers racing on the back of griffins to throw the One Ring into Mount Doom reborn in Scotland. While a crazed MI6 agent who is secret a Hellspawn is trying to kill us. (Spoiler: we won. And that was nowhere near the end game.)

Some other time when I am less tired I might talk about the interesting dynamics of this LARP. Suffice it to say, I came away wanting to reread some of the original Holmes canon.

Anyway, time to steer away from the con and towards Shavuot. More to come...

Upcoming Cons in My Future

sdelmonte — Sun, 21 May 2017 20:53:12 GMT

Greetings all!

1. Next week is Balticon, and we expect to be there (though we are bugging out a bit earlier than usual Monday as Tuesday night is Shavuot). I will once again be devoting much of my weekend to the LARP, though you will can also find me in the filk room/concerts from time to time, and maybe in the con suite early in the day.

2. Contata, the annual northeast floating filk convention, will be June 23-25 in Morristown, NJ. There are several important updates about the con on its Facebook page, including news regarding hotel rooms. I will be in the con suite most of the con.

Hope to see some of you at at least one of these cons.