English language word of the week: Numinous

nu·mi·nous   [noo-muh-nuhs, nyoo-] Show IPA
–adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or like a numen; spiritual or supernatural.
2.
surpassing comprehension or understanding; mysterious: that element in artistic expression that remains numinous.
3.
arousing one's elevated feelings of duty, honor, loyalty, etc.: a benevolent and numinous paternity.
Origin:
1640–50; < L nūmin- (s. of nūmen) numen + -ous
Dictionary.com Unabridged

Surpassing comprehension or understanding---Oh I like that!!!!!

Art by Lichtenstein

English language word of the week: Nihilism

ni·hil·ism (nī'ə-lĭz'əm, nē'-)
n.
Philosophy

An extreme form of skepticism that denies all existence.

A doctrine holding that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated.

Rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief.

The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement.

also Nihilism A diffuse, revolutionary movement of mid 19th-century Russia that scorned authority and tradition and believed in reason, materialism, and radical change in society and government through terrorism and assassination.

Psychiatry A delusion, experienced in some mental disorders, that the world or one's mind, body, or self does not exist.


[Latin nihil, nothing; see ne in Indo-European roots + -ism.]
ni'hil·ist n., ni'hil·is'tic adj., ni'hil·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source



Medical Dictionary

ni·hi·lism definition
Pronunciation: /ˈnī-(h)ə-ˌliz-əm, ˈnē-/
Function: n
1 : NIHILISTIC DELUSION
2 : skepticism as to the value of a drug or method of treatment
ni·hi·lis·ticPronunciation: /ˌnī-(h)ə-ˈlis-tik, ˌnē-/
Function: adj
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
nihilism ni·hil·ism (nī'ə-lĭz'əm, nē'-)
n.

The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement.

A delusion, experienced in some mental disorders, that the world or one's mind, body, or self does not exist.

The systems are thoroughly empty and false. The term is from the Latin nihil, meaning “nothing.”

Out to Lunch: Sue Mengers Culture: vanityfair.com

Out to Lunch: Sue Mengers Culture: vanityfair.com

Fascinating brief article about 70s super agent Sue Mengers. I was reminded of her existence in Hollywood history watching a great documentary about Dominick Dunne.

English language word of the week: Leitmotif. SUrprised at it German origins.

jack and jill Nursery will be the leitmotif of my film. When I saw the Dad picking up his daughter and saying Hello Squirt, Every afternoon I would watch him there to pick up his daughter.


Leit·mo·tif also leit·mo·tiv (ltm-tf)
n.
1. A melodic passage or phrase, especially in Wagnerian opera, associated with a specific character, situation, or element.
2. A dominant and recurring theme, as in a novel.
[German Leitmotiv : leiten, to lead (from Middle High German, from Old High German leitan; see leit- in Indo-European roots) + Motiv, motif (from French motif; see motif).]

Notorious vs. Infamous

no·to·ri·ous   [noh-tawr-ee-uhs, -tohr-, nuh-] Show IPA
–adjective
1.
widely and unfavorably known: a notorious gambler.
2.
publicly or generally known, as for a particular trait: a newspaper that is notorious for its sensationalism.


infamous [ˈɪnfəməs]
adj
1. having a bad reputation; notorious
2. causing or deserving a bad reputation; shocking infamous conduct
3. (Law) Criminal law, (formerly)
a. (of a person) deprived of certain rights of citizenship on conviction of certain offences
b. (of a crime or punishment) entailing such deprivation
infamously adv

Laconic, Timorous, English language vocab. of the week

la·con·ic (l-knk)
adj.
Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.

Aitch's cultural observations are laconic.

la·con·ic (l-knk)
adj.
Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.


Timorous [ˈtɪmərəs]
adj
1. fearful or timid
2. indicating fear or timidity
[from Old French temoros, from Medieval Latin timōrōsus, from Latin timor fear, from timēre to be afraid]
timor

Already have timorous somewhere on the blog but can't find it so here it is.

Laird Cregar

Laird at his heaviest---I think. He loathed being a character actor and was trying to break into leading man roles. He thought losing weight could achieve this. He did lose weight and it was evident on his last film Hangover Square--what wasn't as obvious was he was abusing speed for the weight loss. This affected his heart and mood. He argued with the director of the film John Brahm apparantly toward the end of his life . Also director of Cregar's famous film, "The Lodger." Cregar had a heart attack and died. Another part of his body image complex was his inner conflict about being a homosexual. I wish there was a biography of Laird Cregar. The best information I get is the commentary on The DVD's I can't imagine where these historians are getting info. about Cregar. There is a glaring absence of biographical material on the man

I feel like Mina in 51 Birch Street

My mind wandered a lot. My mind wanders a lot. Particularly on marijuana. Mind seems to speed up and every thought gives birth to a new thought and on and on and on. It's like the world of art and ideas and creating, is so exciting and passion filled. God I sobbed for that woman in 51 Birch Street. She was who the Feminine Mystique was about. She now has minor fame from the film. But she could still get out at night if she were alive. But since she passed this is not an issue, however her son filmmaker Doug Block and the rest of his family do have 15 minutes worth of fame.

Female Sensibility, Sense and Sensibility, female POV

What do I mean by the female sensibility? I first paid attention to the word in relation to Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. The movie of course with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet; directed by Ang Lee. It is akin to the word POV for starters.
Teasing, prolonging, yearning, the building of sexual tension, is more intrinsically female. More women find these types of things erotic than women who do not. I think it is more of the female sensibility to want "romance" in the erotic stories they read or films they watch. Not necessarily referring to sappy- sighing- romantic- sentimental bullshit here. But that is how the term Romance has come to be disparaged. Somehow it is not manly.

There is an enormous variety of erotic novels for women on the market. Some are way into S&M or anal sex. Some have only chaste romance and marriage. So obviously women in our society have very many many levels of what expresses thier sexuality or artistry. However I feel that what I said above basically holds true. If more women were honest with themselves, like I was eventually, one can see that there is nothing inferior or inherently wrong with the feminine or female sensibility. When it comes to not being oriented to jumping in the bed and fucking upon first meeting some one, most women are not really into that, some sure, most not. What is inferior about that?

Then to go beyond that, as an adult I realize that those moments of orgasmic bliss are only fleeting. It is a transcendent experience. It provides the same euphoria as a mood/mind altering drug. In fact Orgasm works very much like a drug. You can certainly get addicted to its feeling.

No flights in or out of Europe in the Age of Technology, digital tech. and such...

MOther Nature is bringing down technology. And modern day transportation is brought to its knees. Ponder that baby.