Author: Robert Kimberly

Apocalyptic Optimism: Thinking about J.G. Ballard

There”s a lot of talk about how the President and his administration are disconnected from the harsh truths of the world. But while I have always been liberal in my thinking, I’ve never believed that people with liberal ideal have a greater insight into the true workings of the world and people. Strong ideals have the capacity to hide as well as discover the truth.

…blah, blah, blah. The inspiration for this entry has faded. But the following links will give a great taste of the writer J.G. Ballard. It was these sites that got me thinking, and while I can’t turn the thoughts into words, don’t let that stop you from reading about this great, apocalyptic, technological writer.

And thanks to the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System’s website, I’ll be getting some of the books talked about.

“Apocalyptic Optimism?” It comes from the fact that the terrible things that happen to society in his books are so interesting to read about

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Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Age of unreason

Ballardian: The World of J.G. Ballard – Child of the Diaspora: Sterling on Ballard

The Porn that Lives in the Hallway & Yadda Yadda

With my wife’s mom getting married for the third time, I have the apartment to myself until she returns. This mean reverting back to bachelor ways like eating Chinese takeout from Chinese Buddha and peanut-butter and potato-chip sandwiches (healthy and crunchy!)

But what does it really mean to be alone in the apartment?… watching porn. I see it every day, just waiting for me when I come home from work. But then I go inside my apartment and it stays outside. You see, my apartment building’s hallways have been a strange repository of things. The coffee maker and fondue set have disappeared, leaving the bread-maker and coffee table to keep each other company. The newest addition was a DVD that appeared a few days ago under an endtable next to our door. Now living next to us, “Suga Bush vol. 5” When ever I come home, miniature pornstars peek at me underneath that little table.

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With my sweetie being away, I’ve got a list of tasks to work on in her absence. $20 in quarters are ready for laundry, which has been neglected because of a busy work schedule on our part. Fortunately, it’s calming down for the both. G-Tech’s spring break is coming up this week and we hope to do a roadtrip at the end of the week. We had hoped to do the trip earlier in the week, but a jury-duty summons ruined those plans. The court system has decided that both of us need to do our duty and I got a summons for April, which had been shaping up to be one of my busiest months work-wise. Now that is all up in the air as well.

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Random link: “Cénotaphe de Newton” a never-built memorial to Newton. A huge,round sphere with holes pierced throughout forming stars and constellations.

Found on BLDGBLOG, a new favorite site.

Spring is Keeping Me Up: I Miss Sleep

The nice weather is getting our neighborhood blooming. I can’t see the pollen and spores but I can feel them doing their evil deeds. It could be worse, just a simple cough. Maybe once every couple of minutes, all the time, around the clock. Sleep has been escaping me.

I’m trying to use my waking hours either continually cruising the internet or watching tv, all in hopes of exhausting my mind. Its not working. Come Thursday, I’ll be working 9 days straight. I wish I could get some rest before those days.

I’ll try to post something worth reading while I’m up.

They Like Me, They Really Do…

… but, who are you, and why would I want to spend Sunday with you?

In other words, today is the day we let the populist riffraff (with nice clothes) mingle with us. I think I’ll watch Jon Stewart do his thing and hang with my wife at home. Thanks, though for your thoughtful bulk email.

Found Weirdness: At Home and in Town

Weirdness, it’s all around.

A few days after Valentines day I ran up the stairs heading towards the 3rd floor laundry room of our apartment building. At the top of the stairs was this collection of items…

Leather jacket
stuffed rose (just like a stuffed animal)
woman’s bracelet
creative loafing
and a paperback book

On closer examination, the book turns out to be the “South Beach Diet”.

It’s like a presentation that CSI teachers would use to test their students, what can be deduced by looking at the items left at the top of the stairs. Caroline’s deduction was that a breakup had taken place and that items had been chucked out of the apartment. My take on the situation was that a stakeout had taken place, and the object of ones affection had not come up the stairs. The reading material and the leftover token of affection is what seals it for me.

Second strange apartment collection #2, this time right outside our door…

Our hallway is taking on the appearance of a rather nice thrift store. A coffee table, with a collection of small kitchen appliances appeared a little while ago. This evening, new items were added to the small shelf unit that had always lived out there. Tonight’s finds: coffee pot, a bread maker and a fondue set. We cherry picked the fondue set. It’s not as exciting as the strangely large and appealing bird cage that we grabbed and brought inside.

Every day is an opening day and our hallway is adding new stock all the time.

Lastly, for those with a love of breath-takingly bad taste, I offer up this rust-colored, suede covered bedroom set, with built-in lights, and mirror-covered tops. It is in amazingly good shape and the best part is the bed’s built-in AM/FM radio. Could be 8-track, but I can’t be sure.

The bed and dresser were found at 14th Street Antiques (Google Map).

"A Meditation on The Speed Limit Around the Perimeter:" Amazing Video

“55 is too slow for anyone in Atlanta.”

Truer words have not been spoken. But if people drove the posted speed limit, what would it look like?

It would look like the movie (found here at Google Video) that was made by some local Atlanta hooligans who drove the posted speed limit on all 4 lanes of the perimeter (main loop of highway around the metro area.) Along with footage of the actual event, pre-drive video has the participants talking about the inanity of the speed limits. Watch and enjoy, this is low-level civil disobedience at it’s best.

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Picture snagged from Jalopnik’s post Oh Man, Bo Darville Would’ve Dispatched These Guys Right Quick-Like – Jalopnik

And this is Bo Darville.

Motel Palmont: Now Gone

I heard on NPR last night that the Palamont Motor Lodge was getting torn down, and today I managed briefly to stop by and see for myself. I first saw the motel in October and once again in Brook Novak’s pictures.

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CRW_0870, originally uploaded by brookenovak.

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CRW_0871, originally uploaded by brookenovak.

Now it looks to be cleared in an effort to develop Sweet Auburn.

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From the AJC – Historic Palamont Hotel demolished