Quote
17 June 2006 | Uncategorized | No Comments
“You know an art teacher of mine once said,
‘Never buy a piece of art that you
don’t HAVE to have. Don’t worry
about ‘who the artist is’ or
‘how much its worth’ -
I mean - you have to
live with it every
day- and you
have to walk
by it every
day. You
know you
have to
really
love it,
you have
to really
appreciate
it.”
–Brooke Meyers
confession: we subscribe to Ode magazine
25 April 2006 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
pro tango • pro families • pro exploring • pro wings • pro democracy-at-all-levels • pro organic farming • pro sunpower • pro speaking out • pro morningwalks • pro cuddling • pro compassion • pro revolution • pro openness • pro diversity • pro listening • pro refugees
(I’m not that into tango, but the rest sounded alright by me.)
And from the latest issue:
A few days to live
by Tijn Touber
I knew a man who discovered, as he lay dying, that he had only been on Earth for a few days. He was nearly 70 years old when he died, but according to him, he had only really been alive a few days.
Those several days on Earth were wonderful, to be sure. He saw them in his mind’s eye. He saw one evening when he was with his best friend at the pub and was sure he would change the world. He saw the day he met his future wife and knew for certain that love existed. He saw himself in the middle of his family when felt he was a part of something greater than himself. He saw himself playing soccer with his son and thought, “Isn’t happiness simple.”
If only life were always so simple. More to the point: If only he had always been so simple. If he had always been so fully present with everything he experienced—without holding back, without fear, with out premeditation, without appointment books, without worry, without masks. Simply as it was.
Now at the end of his life he looked back and thought, “I wish I could tell everyone that it’s really only about the days you are truly there.”
He wanted to scream: “Hey people, live! Don’t hold anything back; give it all you’ve got. Give yourself. And receive—receive life fully!” But he barely had the strength to breathe, let alone scream.
And no one had time to listen to him—an old man on his deathbed. He understood that he wasn’t the only one who had barely lived. Most people were in as deep a sleep as he had been. Given his few days on Earth, he had in fact lived a relatively long life compared to many of them.
It was a humiliating discovery, there on that deathbed, but also a beautiful one. For those days on Earth—those few days he had completely been there—were so unforgettably beautiful, he would carry them with him forever.
some pics
29 March 2006 | Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Was looking at some pictures with Ahmad Baik today.
how should we study religion?
13 March 2006 | Uncategorized | 6 Comments
A philosopher and a theologian debate the correct approach to the study of religion.
“And in the meantime, I note that on the matters of morality on which there is something approaching a global consensus, the evidence to date does not show that adherence to a religion—any religion—has a positive effect on the probability that a person behaves morally.”
desktop eye candy
13 March 2006 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
. That’s me this morning.
it’s raining in baltimore
12 March 2006 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
I love quiet darkness with the sound of rain. To quote Tom Waits, sounds like “gravel on an old tin roof” at the moment.
Khomsta, don’t know if you read this – but good to know you’re back. We missed ya. What am I gonna do when one of us moves away? (Besides throw a party. A going away party. In sadness. Only. No happiness. It will be hard. You will be hardly missed. By that I mean missed in a hard way – as in brutally. Welcome back, pal.)
married to the sea
8 March 2006 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Looking over: Married To The Sea, a comic by Drew and Natalie. (I think I’m the only one around here that finds these funny.)
_________________
get smarter guide
5 March 2006 | Uncategorized | No Comments
To file under “not so likely”: This Guardian article says we can increase our intelligence by 40% by doing exercises.
The programme found that a combination of techniques based on healthy eating, physical activity, sound sleep and stimulating your mind through solving puzzles and remembering lists makes people sharper, more confident and better at making decisions.
Example week schedule:
Saturday
Brush your teeth with your ‘wrong’ hand and take a shower with your eyes closed.
Sunday
Do the crossword or Sudoku puzzle in your Sunday paper and take a brisk walk.
Monday
Have oily fish for dinner, and either cycle, walk or take the bus into work.
Tuesday
Select unfamiliar words from the dictionary and work them into conversations.
Wednesday
Go to yoga, Pilates or a meditation class, and talk to someone you don’t know.
Thursday
Take a different route to work; watch Countdown or Brainteaser.
Friday
Avoid caffeine or alcohol; memorise your shopping list.
the book of love
2 March 2006 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
While at a good friend’s wedding recently, I heard something familiar. It was lyrics from “The Book Of Love”, which by an obscure and quirky band called the Magnetic Fields (from their 69 Love Songs album) who I thought no one had heard of besides me. Looks like Peter Gabriel heard of them also, and made a cover of the song. Did a nice job of it, too.
I think I’m gonna hold on to this one for a while.
how to fold paper into a secret note square
10 February 2006 | Uncategorized | No Comments
If only I knew how to make these in junior high. I could have written everyone. And been the most popular kid. Ever.
“Some people have trouble opening this type of note, so it’s perfect for passing secret notes to your friends.”
zefrank does valentines_day
9 February 2006 | humor | 1 Comment
a short film by zefrank
love letter to condi
29 January 2006 | Uncategorized | 4 Comments
He’s got talent, and he sings from the heart.
saw your face in a crowded place
29 January 2006 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
i emailed a suggestion and they agreed. and that was it. what a wonderous thing, life is.
…and always (121700)
13 January 2006 | Uncategorized | 7 Comments
Today was a great day for a run. I jogged until I saw the big old oak tree that is kitty corner to the small bakery which is down the street from Simmones mechanic shop that is on that dirt road next to where all the sheep and cows graze.
Today, though, was a day to keep on jogging.
Depeche Mode Concert
1 December 2005 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Saw Depeche Mode last night. Great show. I’ll try to get pictures posted sometime soon.
killer russian squirrels
1 December 2005 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Squirrels usually just want peanuts from me. I am trying to imagine a pack of evil squirrels attacking and biting away at the flesh of a dog, as this BBC article insists. [story]
“Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report.”
surrealist and other beautiful games
8 November 2005 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The Surrealist games page, inspirred by A Book of Surrealist Games.
“Of great value to teachers, comedy writers and other problem-solvers, this is an illustrated compendium of ways to be inventive, humorous or absurd through irresponsibility or ‘planned incongruity.’”—Ballast Quarterly Review
what do you get if you cross a search engine with an encyclopedia?
7 November 2005 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Factbites searches for matches on the basis of your whole topic area, not just your keyword.
Wabi Sabi: From the sixteenth-century Japanese tea master and Zen monk
31 October 2005 | Uncategorized | No Comments
“
:. Wabi-sabi — deep, multi-dimensional, elusive — is the perfect antidote to the pervasively slick, saccharine, corporate style of beauty.
:. Get rid of all that is unnecessary. Wabi-sabi means treading lightly on the planet and knowing how to appreciate whatever is encountered, no matter how trifling, whenever it is encountered. “Material poverty, spiritual richness” are wabi-sabi bywords. In other words, wabi-sabi tells us to stop our preoccupation with success — wealth, status, power and luxury — and enjoy the unencumbered life.
:. Simplicity is at the core of things wabi-sabi. The essence of wabi-sabi, as expressed in tea, is simplicity itself: fetch water, gather firewood, boil the water, prepare tea, and serve it to others.
:. The simplicity of wabi-sabi is best described as the state of grace arrived at by a sober, modest, heartfelt intelligence. The main strategy of this intelligence is economy of means. Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry. Keep things clean and unencumbered, but don’t sterilize. (Things wabi-sabi are emotionally warm, never cold.) Usually this implies a limited palette of materials. It also means keeping conspicuous features to a minimum. But it doesn’t mean removing the invisible connective tissue that somehow binds the elements into a meaningful whole. It also doesn’t mean in any way diminishing something’s “interestingness”, the quality that compels us to look at that something over, and over, and over again.”
Language Corner
30 August 2005 | Uncategorized | No Comments
All the language rules you wondered about, put plainly and nicely.