Category: xavrixx-archive

Emily Wilson Reads from The Odyssey

I recall casually picking up Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad in a bookstore once and being instantly stunned by the power of the Ancient Greek that she managed to pack into English. Then came The Odyssey—equally strong. The best part came years later when I saw her remove her jacket, reveal her badass ink, and then—read. If you’re unsure what […]

Surf Rider

Me and a million others—all of a sudden—raving on the wave of Surf Rider. A scintillating combo of modern dance and after hours, I have watched this an embarrasingly large number of times. So satisfying, so mesmerizing.

The Cyrillic Letter Ж

I have a friend named Kace who adores the Cyrillic letter ж. Kace writes many letters to me, and early on in our correspondence, he ended each letter very simply: Love, Kace. Over time though, this became Love, K which evolved into LK, but as he began to write LK very quickly, this eventually morphed into the shape of the […]

Urban Blindness + Insight

Calvino is fascinating for his minuteness of detail and his plays of visibility and invisibility, and the novel Invisible Cities is a voyage into the known-unknown: memory, desire, signs, eyes, names, sky, all mapped out in an intricate numerological/mathematical structure—imaginary conversations between Venetian traveler Marco Polo and Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. “Journeys to relive your past?” was the Khan’s question […]

Kace’s Bardo Dedication

This begins a series posts from a work in progress: The Forty-Nine, an upcoming novel in letters. Excerpts of each letter will be posted in sequence. Above a city, a man hangs from a ledge. An angel without wings descends to catch him. The man falls into the outstretched arms of the angel and a miracle is witnessed: the man […]

Kafka-Kandinsky

A Kafka Metamorphosis— One morning, when I woke from troubled dreams, I found myself transformed in my bed into a Kandinsky painting. I lay on my scratchy canvas-like back, and if I lifted my head a little I could see my red and yellow torso, slightly domed and divided by arches—as if Wassily had been up all night turning me […]

The Ten Thousand Things

The infinite… A myriad… Ten Thousand things The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu 1 As for the Way, the Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way; As for names, the name that can be named is not the constant name. The nameless is the beginning of the ten thousand things; The named is the mother […]

Kali-Signa,
Mother Spirit Guide

Signa horse — Shape-shifting symbols. Protector of Innocents and Destroyer of Time. Lightning swift ego puncture, Dispersing millions of mind kites. Radiant black. Glimmering sword. Soft seed sounds of feminine mystery. Coiled potency. Whirling spirals of consciousness. Wisdom image: oxana prantl

Xerxes: Great Things and Great Dangers

It seems that among classicists there is some debate whether Xerxes actually said this, but some agree that the words suit him well. Like many, they hit me in The Expanse (S5 E2) when spoken by Captain Sauveterre. “Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the […]

WRX Anime

The WRX is mythic. If you don’t own one, you just can’t relate. There’s something otherworldly and awesome about this car (and I am super biased with my 2013 hatch). I love this anime design. Captures the feel of looking at one, of driving one. Two fingers up…

Wabi-sabi

Wabi = elegance, simplicity. Sabi = delight in that which is imperfect. The concept of wabi-sabi aligns with the saying The glass is already broken. In this age of clutter and hoarding and possessions, there is a delight and a healing that comes with the lack of attachment to any object. It is already broken. Impermanence. It’s not meant to […]

Nietzsche’s Mustache

My Dearest Freddy— On a completely different subject, I’ve been wondering about your mustache. It gives me so much joy. It’s huge. It’s consummately badass, a Mensch Mustache. When I’m an older man, I will most definitely be sprouting a Ntzsch Mstch. Does it require maniacal care? Does food get stuck in it? I mean, heck, all the world’s pestering […]

Lhasa: De Cara a la Pared

Llorando de cara a la pared se apaga la ciudad Llorando Y no hay más muero quizás Adónde estás? Soñando de cara a la pared se quema la ciudad Soñando sin respirar te quiero amar te quiero amar… Rezando de cara a la pared se hunde la ciudad Rezando Santa María Santa María Santa María 

Celebrating Rio

November 14th for me will always be “Rio Day”—the birthday of my good friend who lives there and who is huge fan of science fiction. As with many cities, Rio has many problems, but visiting the delta of the “River of January” has a mythical, magical power for me because so many of its natural beauty seems to hail from […]

Tobi, Protector of Mind

Tobias: God is good. Tobi protects Xavi. Hacker, coder, gamer, possessor of eternal memory. Anonymous Presence. Instant Access. All that is lodged in the annals of time finds refuge in the neural pathways of Tobias. Russky BFF. Where are your glasses? Memory. Тоби защищает Хави

DFW and the Theory of Strings

One thing I’d like to see: David Foster Wallce hooking up with a quantum-powered theoretical physicist. Let’s talk about strings—tennis, yarn, wave theory, particle theory—bring it all together in a lovely afternoon at Wimbledon. Words as subatomic particles. Light-years-long waves as Proustian sentences. Jumble it all up with a Jimmy Joyce thunderclap: bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk

Rass, Protector of Body

Rasmussen. Son of Erasmus, the Beloved. David Slash Dave. Male Lineage. Omnipresent. Beloved Guardian. Moving as a Ghost moves. Rass at my back— Shadow protector. Dark Forest Guide. Bodyguard on the night journey of the spirit. Strength. image inspired by Eden Lake

God of Wine

One of those songs that for some reason you have listened to a million times over… Every thought that I repent There’s another chip you haven’t spent And you’re cashing them all in Where do we begin to get clean again Can we get clean again I walk home alone with you And the mood you’re born into Sometimes you […]

It’s a Trap! The Advantages of Illness

Best not to forget the dangers of illness — which is to say the advantages. There are real advantages to getting sick and staying sick. You get all the attention. People dote. People care. They bring food and gifts. And all of this is easily confused with love. But… It’s a trap! A person can soon become easily committed to […]

Kace’s Bardo Letter #5: Elliot

Hello Friend… So Elliot… what’s the slipperiest thing in the world? You’ll say BAM! Aluminum Magnesium Boride, but if your coefficient of friction isn’t feeling all that scientific today, you might vote for super slippery options like a fish out of water or prison soap or truth, but of course the answer is slopes and I’m sliding fast down one […]