I

“Hyperion”

Ich kam zur heimat: solch gewog von blüten
Empfing mich nie ... ein pochen war im feld
In meinem hain von schlafenden gewalten,
Ich sah euch fluss und berg und gau im bann
Und brüder euch als künftige sonnen-erben:
In eurem scheuen auge ruht ein traum
Einst wird in euch zu blut der sehnsucht sinnen ...
Mein leidend leben neigt dem schlummer zu
Doch gütig lohnt der Himmlischen verheissung
Dem frommen ... der im Reich nie wandeln darf:
Ich werde heldengrad, ich werde scholle
Der heilige sprossen zur vollendung nahn:
Mit diesen kommt das zweite alter, liebe
Gebar die Welt, liebe gebiert sie neu.
Ich sprach den spruch, der zirkel ist gezogen ...
Eh mich das dunkel überholt entrückt
Mich hohe schau: bald geht mit leichten sohlen
Durch teure flur greifbar im glanz der Gott.

—By Stefan George

II

A.
I never developed much of a taste for George, and so it's hard to justify inflicting him here upon the masses. A colleague of mine has for the longest time been working upon a George-themed dissertation, but the most recent news is or was that she has decided to leave us, which is to say, she is no longer enrolled, has not defended, and will just drop off the face of the earth. But I hope this news is faulty, exaggerated, or at least the victim of an unreliable narrator.

A decent introduction to George is offered by Justin Cartwright's Prophet of doom over at the Guardian.

B.
Not all news is bad. Evidence the First: Lordi film ‘gets state funding’: “A horror film by 2006 Eurovision Song Contest winners Lordi has received 300,000 euros (£200,000) funding from the Finnish government, reports say.”

Today it rained. And rained some more; we had the remains of TS Barry above us until mid afternoon, at which point it cleared and I went shopping for pants.

I thought of going to Midtown Comics.

Unsuccessfully.

On my way back I stopped at Labyrinth Books to browse, and while I did stop myself from putting out money for anything, I did pull out my notebook once or twice or thrice to jot down the title and author of a few volumes.

Salon follows the pack and like every other publication put out a brief “summer reads” list; I'm still working on a beach read from two years ago. And last November I read another old beach read. I get them late. In paperback.

The Book of Air and Shadows (Michael Gruber) sounds interesting enough.

Other news is not so good. Take for example Aze Adine Ould Baja: “A family living in a public toilet in Morocco have spent seven years requesting more hygienic accommodation. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, and Aze Adine Ould Baja has had to endure the ignominy of having ‘Sidi toilets’ as the official address on his identity papers.”

C.
Most of my peeves are not pets. I prefer cats and dogs as pets, kittens and puppies. I have a simple request: that your standard, everyday department store carry pants that fit me. I'm not looking for a gigantic waist size; I'm not looking for pants for giants. I'm your standard 6'3" or 6'4" guy and I just want some Dockers™ or similar in a size 36x36 or, alas, currently 38x36. Someday I'll be back down to 34x36, but what you'll notice is that the inseam is not shrinking, and magically and mysteriously cutting off the inseams you sell at 34" when a good portion of the population is my size or taller seems obnoxious, to put it nicely.

When you, stupid department store dimwits, do not sell sizes that major manufacturers do make, I am forced to go to places that cater to so-called “larger” sizes and they, invariably, cost too much. Certain major retailers sell such sizes from time to time, but it means that I can't “go shopping” for pants; whenever I go shopping I just have to be on the lookout for pants that fit and buy them whenever I can, since I don't know when they'll be available again.

The closest Tarzhay™ is only a mile or so away, but in New Jersey, and there is no close bridge between me and the retailer. JCPenney maintains mostly catalog outlets in the city. The local Kmart sells only to midgets and other short people. H&M sells only to sort anorexic people who fancy themselves part of the shiny, happy, pretty elite. Macy's has walls of Dockers™, but not one is longer than a 34.

One obvious solution is to buy online, but for the slight difficulty in knowing based only on waist and inseam whether or not a pair of pants will fit; there is always the matter of “cut” and the fact that most pants seem to be made for people with skinny legs.

JCPenney has various Dockers™ on sale at the moment, some styles come in the right length (others magically stop at 34), and evidently if you buy $125 or more you get a free plane ticket. That won't help me this week but I'll still want new pants in Madison upon my return.

III

“Hyperion”

I journeyed home: such flood of blossoms never
Had welcomed me ... a throbbing in the field
And in the grove there was of sleeping powers.
I saw the river, slope and shire enthralled,
And you, my brothers, sun-heirs of the future:
Your eyes, still chase, are harboring a dream,
Once yearning thoughts in you, to blood shall alter ...
My sorrow-stricken life to slumber leans,
But graciously does heaven's promise guerdon
The fervent ... who may never pace the Realm.
I shall be earth, shall be the grave of heroes,
That sacred sons approach to be fulfilled.
With them the second age comes, love engendered
The world, again shall love engender it.
I spoke the spell, the circle has been woven ...
Before the darkness fall, I shall be snatched
Aloft and know: through cherished fields shall wander
On weightless soles, aglow and real, the God.

—Translated by Carol North Valhope and Ernst Morwitz