My library my bedroom #party

Classicist wins Nobel in Literature 🏺 Anne Carson, professor of classics for 30 years. Her writing is often inspired by Greek literature, and her translations give a modern twist to the ancients The Trojan Women: A Comic:

We had steak in Camberwell. It was good. Nicaraguan venue, Argentine beef. Limited menu choices.

Party prep Everything in three litre celebratory bottles. We have traditional drinks too. Irish Poitín. Nigerian Ogogoro. Ghanaian palm Aphro. South African Bayab gin. US Jack. French Grey Goose and Red. Only we miss Ugandan Warigi, outta stock London. Red, Champagne and Jack in Jeraboams.

Dr. Patricia McCabe, 96, reading about the Great Tapestry of Scotland At this grand age, Dr. Patricia is unsurprisingly not 100% physically fit, nor in terms of short term memory. So it's energising to see her in a productive art-history learning mode. She's at work. Doing her day job. At 96.

Austin and I, two days on south coast stayed Worthing, west of Brighton. #Dog loved it. Beaches weren't his fave tho, most loved the pier, spent hours going up every possible stairs and taking in the view. Shuddered in disgust at a lobster, refusing to eat seafood when he realised where it came from

Dubourg, Remains of Ancient Buildings in Rome, 1st ed 1820, 2nd 1838 printing - first has colour wash borders Unaffordable when good, found in breaking condition, I'll rebound Classic in coloured aquatint technique, combining stippling in the engraving fields with delicate hand watercolour finish

36mm Grand Seiko slimline hand wound with textured cherry blossoms in snow dial, a many stage silver and gold plating process, just the slightest shade of pink 🌸

Excitedly anticipating a full set of Dubourg's aquatints of ancient Rome, 26 large etchings with a grainy, dot-like surface pattern used in intaglio printmaking to create soft, tonal areas that look like watercolor washes, with hand watercolour finish. Binding needs repair but a steal at under 1k

This arrived by surprise today. Presumably bought 3am after some wine. No recollection but the invoice says £199 so v.keenly priced. 1675 numismatic Suetonius with superb illustrations, edited by Charles Patin. Vellum binding. VGC and about 50 pages with coin illustrations or decorations.

Circus Performers, by Walt Kuhn, 1978, 📸 via @marisakabas.bsky.social

new in my library today. George Sandys, the first American classicist, on the journey he made to the eastern Mediterranean 1610 Sandys Travailes: containing a History of the Original and Present State of the Turkish Empire, sixth edition, 1658

shoe section, where I go to find a Man Seat whilst my family wastrels are shopping on my Amex. Passed by the kids section on the way to Man Seat to procure a toy for Austin so he can endure the wait since he can't browse his phone. Austin personally chose this teddy from a range of options #dogs

I am pleased with how my betta fish dish came out. I’m having a lot of fun playing with the glaze on these fish!

100-41 of NYTs best series of 21st c gift link: I've watched or don't wish to watch, most. My own best: - Happy Valley - Halt & Catch Fire - Good Wife - Thick of It (Iannuci; better than Veep) others I loved beta be in the 40-1 list! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Silver

Martin Rolfe should be pushed to resign by the government or sacked. I was caught up in last week's mess. It took 36 hours to travel from Dublin to London. I'm again caught up in this week's mess on another flight. #NATS

Tanks are cute* *don't worry I've not suddenly turned into a military fetishist. This post is nerd-bait. Awaiting replies.

More. The amount of damage one country can do to the world 😡 "You can definitely start sending stuff back to the countries who donated it now,” Mr. Grenell to Josef Palermo, a curator he hired. “Figure out everything you don’t want and just send it back A.S.A.P.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...

How President Trump Broke the Kennedy Center (Gift Article)

Internal emails and documents demonstrate the political capture of the institution, including how officials once pursued a plan to unload much of the art collection.

nytimes.com

Andrew McCabe@andrewahala.bsky.social · 3w ago

The Kennedy Centre was a gift from the world 3700 tons of white marble from Italy tapestries by Matisse woven by the ancient des Gobelins factory in France silk stage curtains woven by Japan Orrefors glass lighting and chandeliers from Sweden Not paid for by the US, gifted by us to honour JFK

I'm not alone in hating the Equal Earth projection map adopted by UN. I'd have voted against it because of the distortion in shapes. Here's two I prefer - Chinese mapmaker Hao Xiaoguang’s vertical world map - The Goode homolosine projection and a discussion: www.theguardian.com/science/ng-i...

The Kennedy Centre was a gift from the world 3700 tons of white marble from Italy tapestries by Matisse woven by the ancient des Gobelins factory in France silk stage curtains woven by Japan Orrefors glass lighting and chandeliers from Sweden Not paid for by the US, gifted by us to honour JFK

"In some places Rome does not fall at all. In others, such as Italy, there are multiple, sometimes repeated farewell parties, where the guests do not want to leave and the host does not switch the music off." How do we think about the Fall of Rome today? www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Towards and beyond the ‘Fall’: rethinking Rome’s end | The Journal of Roman Studies | Cambridge Core

Towards and beyond the ‘Fall’: rethinking Rome’s end

cambridge.org

It's pretty damn impressive how much ground Mayor Mamdani has been able to cover after only nine months in office on a wide range of basic quality-of-life issues in NYC. I was reading through the numbers this morning, and they're kinda astonishing. (thread)

While I'm travelling, a spy has told me that this previously unknown activity is what's going on in my kitchen. I guess men must have their secret hobbies.

my OysterDate now in rotation for next week after a long absence from my wrist. Running well, perfect timing. 1970s, 14k case and oyster bracelet. Excellent condition, few except hairline marks. Rivet bracelet. Size is just right, pretty bright given it's oyster braceleted, larger would overwhelm

Austin yawning 🥱 #dogs

Historical Account of Irish Coins with related Statutes, Proclamations, Patents, Acts of State and Letters. 1749. Eight good plates, beautifully bound, bookplate of Earl of Donegall 100 pages on Statutes etc from 1339, Latin initially, English from 1447, is most interesting, eg on O'Reyley's money

. @heyculligan this email below shows the customer service shambles your company represents If you looked into the content of the emails you'd be even more embarrassed. Or maybe not. Bad service is your thing

my first catalogue of leads. 64 plates plus 40 pages with large decorative devices. I don't understand the rock in 2nd image Love binding. Raised dark leather spines with gilt letters and marbled paper boards were usual by 1740. This inked vellum looks 1600 but style continued in Italy to 1820s

@heyculligan.bsky.social is a fraudulent company who does not fulfill the water orders they accept and does not refund customers. I have many email exchanges and phone calls with them. On the phone they locate my undelivered order and offer to refund, but then by email deny I had any order.