recent additions still:

Herman Hesse: The Glass Bead Game
The Gift: Lewis Hyde
Aleksandr Pushkin, more of...
Guy Martin: Toute la Cuisine
Glenn Gould's 1981 Goldberg variations
Benoit Delbecq: Nu-Turn
Ella and Louis: once again...
Felix Valvert: everyone loves Felix Valvert
The score of Ligeti's 1st string quartet
A sneak preview of Richard Fairhurt's new trio album
Playing the shruti box for a while in the concert of a friend
Marco Ferreri: La Grande Bouffe (!)
Not too many films lately
But some art instead...
The Bauhaus and also the Bilderträume (private collection of Max Ernst, Dali, Magritte, Fini, Calder etc etc) exhibitions in Berlin are both amazing.
Liepnitz See is the most beautiful Berlin lake for swimming in.
I have a local Italian deli with the most incredible pecorino and salami with fennel I've maybe ever tasted. Good for a day out at Liepnitz See.
In the news:
The sickening sickening news about the Trafigura oil waste in Abidjan made me sad.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/16/trafigura-african-pollution-disaster)
But ever on the up...
Fresh ravioli containing pumpkin, ricotta, parmesan, amaretti biscuits
Served with a sage butter
OK, I knew about it already, but it was the first time I tried to make it.
Foie gras inside a fig (sorry I know it's wrong
but somehow also oh so right)
however was a real genuine first.
Fresh pasta with half semolina and half tipo 00 is better than 100% semolina.
And while we're talking percentages, finally, that chocolate brownies benefit from a shot of espresso, plus the chocolate content should be divided into 100g 70% cocoa + 50g 99% cocoa (Lindt)
The 99% cocoa Lindt chocolate bar comes with a graph showing you how to appreciate the flavour, and warns that you must start at 70% and work your way upwards to appreciate the 99% in it's full glory.  I'm not sure I'm there yet. 
But we got to aspire to something now, haven't we?

Best best best
Tom

Belá Tarr
Matthias Pintscher (strings + accordian stuff on Winter and Winter)
Sven-Ake Johanssen/Axel Dörner/Andrea Neumann (Barcelona Series, Hat Hut)
Los Glissandinos (Stand Clear, Creative Sources)
Julio Cortázar (Raguela (Hopscotch))
that Mangal Ocakbasi is still the best Turkish restaurant
Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard) in German
all that glistens is not gold

a recent revelation makes me think my aims are more in line with those of the applied social anthropologist than the professional musician

some thoughts on qualities and aspirations in attitudes to music-making

honesty
clarity
intimacy
sincerity
balance
space
consideration
interaction

the role of an artist is to encourage understanding of the world we live in and the various relationships that constitute our existences. in addition to the representation and exploration of what this existence currently is (or has been), the artist may also create in sound, words or space structures that suggest what it can be. in these ways, and on whatever scale, the responsible artist may exert at least some positive influence.

and now, lunch.

Some recent discoveries and enjoyments:

Anthony Braxton / Taylor Ho Bynum - Duets (Wesleyan 2002)
Climates - http://www.nbcfilm.com/iklimler/iklimler.php?mid=1
Bamako - www.bamako-film.com
Basquiat Strings + Seb Rochford - out now on the F-IRE label
Jean-Luc Godard - Alphaville
My Name is Albert Ayler
Ran - Korean restaurant on Great Marlborough Street: skate sashimi with sweet chilli sauce
Tried to cook an octopus but was relatively unsuccessful