Seriously.

Remember a few weeks ago where I wrote wistfully of how you could feel autumn in the air.

That was dumb.

It is crazy hot.  My cat is just laying on the floor epitomizing misery.  Our very existence right now is an onomatopoeia, all sizzling sounds and wavy lines radiating off of both of us.  I’d grab the laptop and head to a cafe with AC but then that’d be abandoning her, and I leave no one behind.  Go on brave blogger.

Anyways, after a touch and go July I’m happy to be back here at the desk, heat be damned.  I know you deserve better than that meager little Round-Up you got last week and I hope I can deliver.  So with that…

On the Arts side of town It Cannot Be Trivial took the week off, but Helldriver @helldriver was here opining on the end of the orchestra.  I had mixed feelings about this one and should probably take it over to the comments but since I’m here…  I understand that, as popular entertainment,  few of us are pulling on the wingtips and having a night on the town, but I wonder if we can say that as a mode or aesthetic the orchestra is near its end.   If anything I think it’s interesting that we’ve come to a place culturally where orchestras are reserved for only the most pronounced forms of aural emoting.  The hero returns to his home, lovers meet, a mother dies – orchestras in popular culture seem to be the privileged mode of music for the archetypal ‘big moment’ in much the same way that any action that takes place in a church is almost exclusively the domain of the Catholic variety; all big arches and marble floors.  We might not be disagreeing at all,  I just wonder if it’s fair to say that orchestras are less like dinosaurs and more like constellations.

I was nervous.  A few weeks ago I had high praises for Jane Cramer @Janec and  GovDocs I Love and I Hope You Will Too and then it went quiet.  I was afraid I ran it off, but this week it’s back with a ton of info and resources available to anyone looking for economics information.  After that blog I also can’t help but picture a dinner party where a grip of librarians (a murder, an unkindness, a pack?) surround a lone economist and shake him down for resources.  Everyone already knows not to mess with librarians.

Speaking of new blogs, Amalia Torrentes @Atorrentes  announced  Accessible New York – a social networking and review site for people who want to stay on top of accessibility in New York City.  I think it’s a grand idea and you should definitely forward it along to friends.  The link is here.  Please keep updating us so we can watch it grow.

What else, what else?

Aaron Kendall @akendall has returned from Iceland and is back to blogging about what went down there.  Turns out that the dig was a success and the undergraduates that showed up had a good time.  I thought it was funny to read how crestfallen they sounded at finding a stone wall from 800 years ago.  I mean I get it, it’s not the epic sword I had rooted for in the beginning, but I still think it’s awesome to dig around and then find something that someone made that long ago, regardless of what it is.  I assume it’s an uncanny feeling, to see a wall doing the same thing that our walls do today.  We still build walls to keep the trash in one place.  I don’t know, maybe you get over it, or maybe I’m just easily impressed but the idea that a couple of guys in Iceland 800 years ago being like, “Hey we need to build a wall to keep that trash in.”   Thanks again for blogging about that whole experience and I’m looking forward to the wrap up.

Finally this week, we welcome back Boone Gorges!  Boone @boonebgorges was out in the sticks working on some secret stuff for the government.  Turns out the secret project is Anthologize, a WordPress plugin that allows bloggers to transfrom online content into an eBook format, and just like Oprah, if you look under your seat you’ll find that you (will soon) have your very own just as soon as we get up to speed with the WordPress update.

And before I take off – fellow Commoner Kristina Huang @KristinaHuang has an awesome interview up with Richard Ledes over at SocialText.   If you’re interested in film or just some curious about the subtext behind Haiti in American cinema go check out the video and her interview.  I’m always eager to hear about what everyone is up to, even if it’s off-site.  Book signing coming up?  Featured work somewhere?  Tell me about it!