My Favorite Things... a Blast from the Past

This is a page from my original website (ennyman.com) which I built in 1995 after reading a book titled How to Learn HTML in Two Weeks. Since that time I added a few movies (2, 4, 10 & 12), an author, and my favorite "place" in the world. Everything here is still meaningful to me, but there is probably a lot I'd need to add from the last 25 years to bring it up-to-date.

  My Favorite Things

Quote of the Week
"Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius." ~anon.

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Favorite Movies
1. Educating Rita (Michael Caine)
2. The Dancer Upstairs (Javier Bardem in a film directed by John Malkovich)
3. The Truman Show (Jim Carey) Original, philosophical fun.
4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly  
5. The Trip to Bountiful (Geraldine Page) One of those "I wish I could write like that" movies.
6. Groundhog Day (Bill Murray)
7. The Mission
8. Zelig
9. Chariots of Fire (Inspirational)
10. Vanilla Sky
11. Runaway Train (Jon Voigt as existential hero) 
12. As Good As It Gets
13. Chinatown
14. The Natural

Strictly for the fun of it.
--BeetleJuice (Michael Keaton)
--Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Michael Caine and Steve Martin)

Seven of my Favorite Writers in the 1990s
1. Jorge Luis Borges
2. Graham Greene
3. Andre Gide
4. Elmore Leonard
5. C. S. Lewis
6. Rainer Maria Rilke
7. Par Lagerkvist

Six of my Favorite Writers in Earlier Years
1. Joseph Conrad
2. Ernest Hemingway
3. Thomas Mann
4. Herman Hesse
5. Anton Chekhov
6. Jack London
7. Kurt Vonnegut

Favorite Quotes for Writers

Favorite Short Stories
If I were to assemble an Anthology...
1. The Bet by Anton Chekhov
2. A Piece of Steak by Jack London
3. The Lagoon by Joseph Conrad
4. The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad
5. The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges
6. The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges
7. There Are More Things, again by Borges
8. The Harness, by John Steinbeck
9. Here We Are, by Dorothy Sayers
10. The Doctor & the Doctor's Wife, by Ernest Hemingway

PLUS (Must be mentioned): The Mirror and the Mask, by Jorge Luis Borges

Favorite Novellas
1. The Tenth Man, by Graham Greene
2. Of Mice and Men, by Steinbeck
3. Barabbas, by Par Lagerkvist
4. Theseus, by Andre Gide
5. A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean
6. Isabelle, by Andre Gide
7. Seize the Day, by Saul Bellow
8. Death in Venice, by Thomas Mann
9. The Sybil, by Par Lagerkvist
10. The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis
11. Mr. Majestyk, by Elmore Leonard
12. Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton

Five Novels That Especially Made an Impression On Me When I First Read Them
1. Martin Eden, by Jack London
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
3. The Old Gringo, by Carlos Fuentes
4. Too Late the Phalarope, by Alan Paton
5. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo

Three Novels of Eighty Years Ago That Reveal Remarkable Prescience
1. 1984, by George Orwell
2. Brave New World, by Aldous Huzley
3. That Hideous Strength, by C.S.Lewis

Books on my Shelf That I Started But Haven't Finished Yet
1. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
2. Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust
3. The Agony and the Ecstasy, by Irving Stone
4. The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner

Three Favorite Cities in Mexico
1. Guanajuato
2. Cuernavaca
3. Tepotzlan

Favorite City in the World (at this moment in time)
1. Florence, Italy

Favorite Pieces of Short Classical Music
1. Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28 No. 4) by. Chopin
2. None But The Lonely Heart, by Tchaikovsky
3. On Earth As It Is In Heaven, by Ennio Morricone
4. Adagio opus 11, by Samuel Barber
5. Concerto for Clarinet in A Major K622, by Mozart
6. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, by Chopin
7. Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, No 1 Op. 11, by Chopin
8. Sonata for Piano No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, Pathetique, Adagio, by Beethoven,
9. Elvira Madigan, by Mozart
10. Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, Second Movement

Most Memorable Honeymoon Dinner
J.J. Charlies', Monterrey, Mexico, 1981

Three Favorite Bible Passages
1. Matthew 25:31-45
2. James 1:27
3. Psalm 138:8

Two Turtledoves
And a Partridge in a Pair Tree 

A Dylan Reading List: 12 Recommended Favorites from my Bookshelf

Someone recently sent me a link to a list of 35 Dylan albums arranged from worst to best. As with all lists there's bias, and it always surprises me how low some of my favorite albums get ranked in such lists. For this reason I am not ranking this list of books about Bob Dylan, just sharing the titles. I own more books than I'm listing here.

There sure are a lot of Dylan books in the world. For fans who enjoy reading and not just listening to the music, here are some volumes that I own, a relatively small collection compared to some bookshelves I've seen.

Based on comments that I've heard, or read when I reviewed one or another of these, I already know there will be some naysayers that will scratch their heads on one or more. I share these because I myself got something out of each. So in no particular order, let's begin.

Bob Dylan in America by Sean Wilentz 
Wilentz is a Princeton historian who provides a deep dive into Dylan’s influences, historical sources and insights to many of the songs that have defined who he is.

Dylan’s Visions of Sin by Christopher Ricks 
Ricks is a literary critic and scholar who is intimately acquainted with Dylan’s work, who as a past president of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics offers the fruit of his lifetime of study to shine an original light on the lyrics and writings of this man whom he considers a contemporary genius.

Chronicles, Volume 1
Bob Dylan Not a chronology, Dylan’s autobiographical memoir features insights from key touchstones in his life. Inventive and entertaining, with surprising revelations.

No Direction Home by Robert Shelton
Shelton was a British music critic who helped launch the career of a young Bob Dylan. When published in 1986 it was declared the definitive unauthorized biography.

Behind the Shades Revisited by Clint Heylin 
Heylin is another English author who offered up this in depth bio 15 years after Shelton’s in time for Dylan’s 60th birthday.

The Dylanologists by David Kinney 
Kinney is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who turned his lens on Dylan’s fans and followers. Gets close to home, as in Dylan’s homes here in Duluth and in Hibbing.

Bob Dylan: The Never Ending Star by Lee Marshall 
Lee Marshall's book on Dylan is an examination of the meaning of stardom and its impact. Bob Dylan happens to be the organism under the microscope here.

Restless Pilgrim: The Spiritual Journey of Bob Dylan by Scott Marshall 
Marshall’s book highlights the threads from Dylan’s various songs and interviews that show the vibrancy of his faith, which remained inseparable from the message of his life.

One More Night: Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour by Andrew Muir 
Muir's book documents the Never Ending Tour in a manner I have not yet seen. A good read for fans.

A Simple Twist of Fate by Andy Gill & Kevin Odegard 
Gill, a British music journalist, and Odegard, a Twin Cities session musician, collaborated to present the backstory on the making of Blood on the Tracks, considered by many to be one of Dylan’s great recordings, with Minnesota players very close to home.

Performed Literature by Betsy Bowden
Bowden argues that Dylan is a singer-songwriter whose art, as collected and documented by his intended audience, is the live performance. I've met a few folks who dismiss her views but she's done some homework and given an original perspective that I found interesting.

Like a Complete Unknown by John Hinchey
Hinchey wanted to write about something that would interest him for a very long time and he chose to analyze the songs of Bob Dylan as poetry. His first book deals with the songs from Dylan's first decade, and I assumed he would continue but have not seen anything since. I like the book as a reference source to stimulate idea when I write about Dylan's early songs.

* * * *
I own quite a few more than are listed here, but thought I would throw in books that I enjoyed and that bring something more than just another overview of his life. There are quite a few of those.

If I' had more time, I would have included links to reviews from my blog and to where you can find them on Amazon. Since we all pretty much know how it work, ask Google.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Engage it.

PS: Check out my Dylan-themed pins here. It's a start anyways. 

25 Random Things About Ed Newman

Yesterday I was "tagged" on Facebook. I just started a Facebook page about six weeks ago and it is a mixed blessing. Every one of these variants of Web 2.0 involves a little bit of time commitment, yet I see why some people like Facebook... If you are going to hang out in a social network, you might as well hang where some of your real friends are.

A week or two ago I think I was tagged by someone else, but didn't know what it meant... but yesterday John Heino tagged me and I sort of got it. You write 25 random things about yourself, then share this list with 25 "friends" on Facebook. Yes, it is a lot like a chain letter, but I like the exercise better because it is more free form. There are some of those email chains that ask you all these questions. You are locked in by someone else's design. I like coloring outside the lines, so this feels much more natural to me.

Here's my list, then. And if you want to post a random list about you in the comments... or somewhere else on the Internet, have at it. And if I am lucky, maybe I'll also figure out how to tag a few people on Facebook, too.

25 Random Things About Ed Newman

1. My internet “handle” since 1994 has been “ennyman” which was a variant of my initials (e.n.) blended with the concept of Everyman from French Revolution, which fascinated me when I was in junior high school.
2. I also liked the Alamo in junior high school and built a model of the Alamo for Mr. Capetta’s seventh grade social studies class.
3. I am currently reading a book called Polk, who was president of the U.S. during the Mexican War. He was the second president from Tennessee.
4. My favorite president was U. S. Grant. Mark Twain published his memoirs, which I was reading in the hallway when my wife Susie was in labor the day my son was being born. I have read the Memoirs of U.S. Grant twice and the fifty dollar bill is my favorite. I have several other books on Grant and recommend Grant Win the War to any Civil War buff, especially Grant fans.
5. I’ve been tagged a couple times already but didn’t know what it meant. Without resorting to a 2 x 4 across the side of the head, John Heino explained it better, hence I am following through this time.
6. I have published more than 250 articles and 600 blog entries and 535 Tweets as of Feb 2, 09. (You can follow me on Twitter at ennyman3)
7. My original website looked like this: http://www.enewman.biz/ and was created in 1994-95 using Adobe Pagemill and some html I taught myself from a book, which is handy to this day.
8. I like learning new things. I tried podcasting when it first started, started a blog to learn what it was about.
9. I was one credit short of being an art major in college. Got a B.G.S. instead.
10. My grandmother encouraged my mom to enroll me in art classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art when I was about five or so. She told me I never scribbled when I was a toddler but was fascinated by tracing things through the paper and stuff like that.
11. Having an art background has helped my career. I am currently Director of Advertising at AMSOIL INC. in Superior Wisconsin. Some samples of my work can be seen here: http://www.amsoil.com/adslicks.aspx
12. I moved to New Jersey when I was twelve.
13. I went to college at Ohio University in Athens, 1970-74
14. In 1976 I came to Minnesota to go to Bible school at Bethany Fellowship where I met my wife Susie.
15. Ich spreche ein bischen Deutsch, pero hablo Espanol un poco mas.
16. I’ve been a Mac guy since 1987, but had to learn how to use PCs at the office, so you might say I am ambidextrous, if you catch my drift.
17. My ties rack is an antler which is fastened to the side of a shelf in my home office. In a white shirt business suit culture the tie is your one means of making a statement. Use it.
18. I own about thirty Dylan albums and CDs and have quite a few books about Dylan including his Chronicles, Volume 1, which I have read twice.
19. I have been listening to audio books for nearly ten years whenever I am in the car and have probably listened to hundred of them…
20. I like reading favorite books or stories over and over again. I used to do this in second grade and both the librarian and my teacher commented on it. Favorite books, favorite music, favorite movies… their like good friends that you never get tired of.
21. Today was Groundhog Day, and Groundhog Day is also one of my favorite films along with Educating Rita, Truman Show and Paths of Glory.
22. Life is amazing. If you’re bored with life, the fault lies within.
23. When it comes to politics I like to read both sides of issues in an effort to develop my own perspective. I strongly dislike being told what to think or how to think about it.
24. I agree with Francis Schaeffer’s first sentence of Whatever Happened to the Human Race? When he wrote, “Cultures can be judged in many ways, but eventually every nation in every age must be judged by this test: How did it treat people?”
25. The Twin Towers came down on my 49th birthday. It was not my best birthday.

Borges, The Bet and A Piece of Steak

SHORT STORY MONDAY

In a departure from the usual fictions I share here on Mondays, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite short stories and one of my favorite authors.

Fourteen years ago, when I built my first website, I included a page of lists of my favorite things, including favorite movies, favorite writers, favorite music... and favorite short stories.

Because tastes change and we change, I am sure that any list of favorite things will develop new contours as it morphs with our own personal evolutions. And I am certain that were I to assemble a new list from scratch, it would probably include some alternates to these here.

Nevertheless, for the sake of this Short Story Monday I will leave the original list unaltered. And, a special feature of this list is that now, fourteen years hence, the first two stories on the list are also available in total on the web. So, instead of my own story today, please take a few minutes to visit with these masters.

The Hemingway story made this list because I had to tip the hat to Mr. Hemingway for his impact on modern literature. I chose The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife because of the incredible tension he was able to create with such spare use of language. It's mystifying how deftly he works emotional wonders with such simple words. Pow! Slam.

You will also see three stories here by Borges, who influenced me mightily as a younger writer. Click on his name to find a website of labyrinthine wonderment devoted to these remarkable creative genius. Or click here for a fascinating essay which originally appeared in Christianity Today on this Argentine luminary.

Enjoy!

1. The Bet by Anton Chekhov
2. A Piece of Steak by Jack London

3. The Lagoon by Joseph Conrad

4. The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad

5. The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges

6. The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges
7. There Are More Things, again by Borges

8. The Harness, by John Steinbeck

9. Here We Are, by Dorothy Parker

10. The Doctor & the Doctor's Wife, by Ernest Hemingway

The End

EVERY ENDING IS BUT A NEW BEGINNING