In fact, I'm using language right now.

A lot of rhetorical time seems to be spent emphasizing the insufficiency of language -- that there aren't words for the most important things, that actions speak louder, et cetera. Every once in a while, though, usually in some way to do with my dog, I'm reminded of the obvious fact that language is way better at communication than anything else we have; it's either necessary or a huge timesaver in getting across emotional subtleties, complex abstracts, and organized plans requiring the cooperation of other individuals than the speaker, and without it we'd be a lot more alone. Hooray for language!

Today, a fortune cookie told me, "Your reputation for honesty will bring rewards," and the first thing I thought was, "Oh, good, I have a reputation for honesty." Then I remembered that I had read this in a fortune cookie rather than had it said by someone who actually knew who I was. That's how fortune-telling gets you, I guess, ricocheting off your hopes and expectations.

I have been listening to Leonard Richardson's new album a lot. (Long-time readers, of whom there are very few, may remember that Leonard's example is a large part of the reason I first started having a weblog.) It's like a more focussed version of what first drew me to his older stuff: extremely low-fi, nerdily esoteric, and surprisingly affecting.