I've been thinking and writing a lot about epideictic rhetoric over the last few days which is, in very few words, the rhetoric of display. I read this cool article that basically claims that the most successful occasions of epideictic kind of stick around in a community's and even society's memory. We use those pieces of discourse as proverbial dots--culturally defining moments--and connect those dots to create for ourselves workable histories. These histories are never complete and maybe even do more to obfuscate the actual realities of what occurred. Nevertheless, they help us imagine our pasts, and therefore also help us imagine ourselves.
Anyway, I saw this cool ad today and it made me start thinking about this all over again. Media is one way that we do the work of history reconstruction:
www.onlyanything.com is a project with basically these same ends. Reconstruct the past using the pieces of discourse that have persisted (in both artifact and memory).
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Punch Brothers
I haven't said much here about my burgeoning love of bluegrass (or maybe I have)--so I'll say it: I'm starting to really dig bluegrass--especially from more contemporary artists.
One of the most amazing musicians in the genre is Chris Thile. Formerly of Nickel Creek, Chris (who plays mandolin) currently heads the amazing, progressive, pseudo-classical "Punch Brothers." I got to see them play last week and was completely blown away. This is not your typical pop group. These dudes are consummate musicians.
Here is just a little taste of the show:
"The Eleventh Hour"
One of the most amazing musicians in the genre is Chris Thile. Formerly of Nickel Creek, Chris (who plays mandolin) currently heads the amazing, progressive, pseudo-classical "Punch Brothers." I got to see them play last week and was completely blown away. This is not your typical pop group. These dudes are consummate musicians.
Here is just a little taste of the show:
"The Eleventh Hour"
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Las Vegas days
What two posts in one day! Believe it.
I lived in Las Vegas for 4 years between my 8th and 12th year and before moving to Tucson in 1990. I had some close friends there, all of whom I have lost contact with... until this weekend!
Over the course of 48 hours, I reconnected (thanks to the magic of Facebook and blogging) with my two best Vegas friends (keep in mind that I haven't spoken with these guys in 20 years!).
One friend, Mark L., went from the little league field where I saw him last... ...to just finishing up med school. He has a lovely wife and beautiful daughter. We used to collect baseball cards and swim in his backyard pool. I had a crush on his older sister. Older sisters have a special kind of mystique, don't they? Especially when you are 10 and they are 12. Woo-woo!
Another friend, Charles M., who was my best best friend in 5th and 6th grade, and I connected because I did a seach on Google for his name (Chuck) and found his wife's blog. We exchanged emails and then he called and we spoke for a half an hour about what we have been doing for the past 20 years. The funny story here is that on vacation the year after we moved, we went to his old house and found it empty. And that was it! I never saw him again. Turns out, that he and his family had gone to California for the summer and moved back into a different house very nearby. I just never knew it. Chuck is now a police officer and business owner in Vegas, and has kids nearly the same age as mine. So cool.
It was fun to chat with Mark via Facebook, but really fun to actually talk to my old friend Chuck. It just goes to show you that childhood friendships are the stuff of gold. There is nothing more pure and enduring. I feel like Chuck and I could get together and literally pick up where we left off 20 years ago... we might need a package of Black Cat fire crackers, but it would be easy easy.
I lived in Las Vegas for 4 years between my 8th and 12th year and before moving to Tucson in 1990. I had some close friends there, all of whom I have lost contact with... until this weekend!
Over the course of 48 hours, I reconnected (thanks to the magic of Facebook and blogging) with my two best Vegas friends (keep in mind that I haven't spoken with these guys in 20 years!).
One friend, Mark L., went from the little league field where I saw him last... ...to just finishing up med school. He has a lovely wife and beautiful daughter. We used to collect baseball cards and swim in his backyard pool. I had a crush on his older sister. Older sisters have a special kind of mystique, don't they? Especially when you are 10 and they are 12. Woo-woo!
Another friend, Charles M., who was my best best friend in 5th and 6th grade, and I connected because I did a seach on Google for his name (Chuck) and found his wife's blog. We exchanged emails and then he called and we spoke for a half an hour about what we have been doing for the past 20 years. The funny story here is that on vacation the year after we moved, we went to his old house and found it empty. And that was it! I never saw him again. Turns out, that he and his family had gone to California for the summer and moved back into a different house very nearby. I just never knew it. Chuck is now a police officer and business owner in Vegas, and has kids nearly the same age as mine. So cool.
It was fun to chat with Mark via Facebook, but really fun to actually talk to my old friend Chuck. It just goes to show you that childhood friendships are the stuff of gold. There is nothing more pure and enduring. I feel like Chuck and I could get together and literally pick up where we left off 20 years ago... we might need a package of Black Cat fire crackers, but it would be easy easy.
my schedule (and that crazy confusing Communication community)
I had a pretty intense week. I felt tricked by Labor day, because even though it meant I didn't have to teach, my other responsibilities were unchanged. So, after playing for most of Monday, I clicked into panic mode and didn't really click out of it until after my Thursday afternoon seminar.
My classes this semester are going to be pretty good, I think. One, from afore mentioned favorite person on campus, on Aristotle promises to be challenging, but fundamental. It is my largest seminar to date, with something like 16 people in it from several disciplines. Should be good.
The other class I am taking is called "Communication in Context" and should also be good. We started by discussing genre theory--which was kind of fun, because I have studied it before and felt less lost than I typically do at first.
It's funny: my community college experience was in Speech Comunication, but neither rhetoric or Aristotle were ever mentioned. (Ha!) Then, for my first degree in "Communication"--which I chose because of "communication" in speech communication--was only tangentially related to the communication I was introduced to in CC--and I ended up studying the social science instead of the discourses of communication (i.e. rhetoric) that I may have found more interesting. But, I was clueless. I just wanted a degree. Only now, finally, and after two more degrees in English, are the treads that originally interested me in Communication crossing back over (and by now, I mean in the last several years).
I mean, the English field has some disciplinary issues, but holy cow: Communication? I mean, Speech Comm here at the U of I just dropped the Speech and folded itself back into the conglomeration that is Communication studies... how do they keep their action straight? (All that was to say that I think that my Comm class is going to be great--and right in line with my interests over in Writing Studies.)
My classes this semester are going to be pretty good, I think. One, from afore mentioned favorite person on campus, on Aristotle promises to be challenging, but fundamental. It is my largest seminar to date, with something like 16 people in it from several disciplines. Should be good.
The other class I am taking is called "Communication in Context" and should also be good. We started by discussing genre theory--which was kind of fun, because I have studied it before and felt less lost than I typically do at first.
It's funny: my community college experience was in Speech Comunication, but neither rhetoric or Aristotle were ever mentioned. (Ha!) Then, for my first degree in "Communication"--which I chose because of "communication" in speech communication--was only tangentially related to the communication I was introduced to in CC--and I ended up studying the social science instead of the discourses of communication (i.e. rhetoric) that I may have found more interesting. But, I was clueless. I just wanted a degree. Only now, finally, and after two more degrees in English, are the treads that originally interested me in Communication crossing back over (and by now, I mean in the last several years).
I mean, the English field has some disciplinary issues, but holy cow: Communication? I mean, Speech Comm here at the U of I just dropped the Speech and folded itself back into the conglomeration that is Communication studies... how do they keep their action straight? (All that was to say that I think that my Comm class is going to be great--and right in line with my interests over in Writing Studies.)
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