2 27 2021

 Fun fog covering the land.  It's not particularly thick, just some atmospherics -- pun accepted. 

Some night sawing

 Working toward a two string instrument that I can actually play with frets instead of requiring a slide. 

I cut the neck out from a bigger piece.  Did the whole process with a handsaw, using masking tape on both sides of the line to create my guides. 

2 25 2021

 The sunrise was quite pastel.  The weather was nice enough to be out in it.  I did some horizontal pulls (like pull ups, but for weaklings) in the direction of the sunrise.  

Cat Fish

 This morning's musing was when it is time to feed the cats, they wish around like they are fish in a narrow pond.  We have four cats, all of different coloring, so the effect is really something. 

They are cat fish in those moments. 

An essay, to me is . . .

 An essay, to me, is an honest to attempt grapple with a topic without an anxiety about being exhaustive.  

The essay is a ground between the "hot take" and an academic speciality.  Hot takes are by definition ignorant, and really are exercises in branding.  On the other hand, forcing someone to be an academic in the subject to able to write word one is too stifling.  It just takes too long to acquire the knowledge to exhaustion -- everything everyone has ever said about the thing -- let alone the credentials.  

Some more thoughts on essays: 

• I need to have thought about the subject for at least a week (though the line of thought can percolate for months, even years, before being put down to text).  
• If I am not drawing from my own life experience, reading one book is enough to be playful in a space, three books to be confident.  
• When only marginally confident of an idea, this should be expressed.  "Weasel words" are our friends and should be an important to our discourse.  The required mode of confidence is wrong, at least for true essays. 
• The best essay to write is one where I know some things that might be of potential interest, but give me an opportunity to think of something new as I am writing.  While this is a very difficult window to formalize, I think a certain few can be developed.

2 24 2021

Almost warm enough at sunrise to stay outside to watch and listen -- almost.  I was out for a moment and was treated to birdsong in profusion and even some sights of birds in flight.  

They seem to agree: that last bout of cold weather we had was the end of winter.  A little later than it has been in some years.  It got up to 70 degrees (American) yesterday after having been in the negatives last week.

2 23 2021

 Sunrise.  Overwhelmingly yellow, washing out most of the sky. 

===

Sunset?  Lil' bit.

2 22 2021

 I saw the sunrise today.  I don't think I was fully present for it mentally/spiritually (whatever).  I am trying to adjust my sleep back.

I am paying the price for that today. 

Nam June Paik -- artist, visionary, crazy uncle

 

 Just one of those hyper-weirdos with an insatiable appetite for novelty.  

He was classically trained in piano when he was young, but took his inspiration from John Cage, in ways Cage was not always happy with -- most likely Cage was least happy the time Paik left the stage and attacked him with scissors, cutting up his tie.  

Notes from The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr

Notes not in order.  

• Subtitle: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket -- that is great. 
•  His previous book was on Yoga, particularly guru scandals, and was called "Hell Bent"-- that title is also great.
• He noticed that those who felt more and more capable through Yoga channeled it into more Yoga, not helping others or anything like that
• Decline in % of budget that goes to food: 1900 = 40%, 1950 = 30%, now = 10%
• Around 1812, 90% worked in food production, now 3% (I'm not sure this one is an apples to apples comparison. . .) 

2 20 2021

 I saw the sunset.  

Notes from Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas

Notes not in book or chronological order

• Marvelous word Anfechtungun for inner battles over faith
•  After Leipzig debate M.L. gets more aggressive and published three books within a year
• From this comes "faith alone" and calling the Pope anti-christ, sometimes back-peddling to Pope as institution is anti-christ
•  Men more extreme than he pushed the movement forward -- notably Karlstadt and Müntzer, but still others claimed to be divinely inspired.  And a strong current of millennialism developed which students to drop out of university at Wittenberg
• Melanchthon was the non-combative, consolatory character of what we now call Lutheranism
• Luther sees Anfechtungun as test if someone is having real visions from God -- it can't all be just peachy keen.  Last part is a quote from the author, not L.
• Karlstadt pushed iconoclasm due to a highly dualistic belief -- nothing should stimulate the senses.
• The humanists had a habit of taking on a new last name to reflect their erudition -- Luther did as well, but I forget it and don't care to look it up
• Luther had already changed his name from Luder, which was a crude word.
• Speaking of name changes, MLK's dad was actually named Michael but changed his name to Martin Luther King after attending a religious conference in Germany, and his son did as well -- those closest to him called him Mike through his life.   
• Author claims that Luther by using pamphlets in German so much essentially created the vox populi 

Theory of stir-craziness

I shoveled snow today, I believe for the first time in my life.  My new theory of stir-craziness is that it is much more likely to occur if you can get yourself to believe that being outside will be pleasant -- at least pleasant enough.  

I was just that eager to get some more printed books from the library.  

H.L. Mencken on Warren G. Harding

He writes the worst English that I have ever encountered. It reminds me of a string of wet sponges; it reminds me of tattered washing on the line; it reminds me of stale bean soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights. It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it. It drags itself out of the dark abysm of pish, and crawls insanely up the topmost pinnacle of posh. It is rumble and bumble. It is flap and doodle. It is balder and dash.

Politicians. . . Yeah, they'll save us. 

Notes from Bridgett's Life and Writings of Sir Thomas More

• In More's letters, he has more than one reference disparaging superstition [1].   One of which says that the historical proofs are only hurt when mixed up with fables.  
• In Praise of Folly was written while Erasmus lived under More's roof.  
• Erasmus and More felt they were taken completely out of context after events exploded and many works they had no intention of publication were leaked. Still More writes that Erasmus was merely indignant at those who treated their vices as virtues. 
• Related: More has a story about a man of the cloth whose real job was just to debate.  A merchant tricked him by making up Biblical passages to the watch the man "gift of gab" around them and make up his own sources of commentaries -- this is the type of man M argues E limits his criticisms to. 
• More is given props for good cheer if not affection in 2nd marriage.  She is described as "one of the most loquacious, ignorant, and narrow minded of women" by an outsider.  Bridgett questions this degree of censure, which the author's prerogative.  
• Just a great letter by More on educating his children.  It is clear that his stance is virtue in a way so more clearer than nearly anyone was capable of before or since.  Virtue, not pride.  Virtue, not consumption.  More sees that few really work on Pride, and they don't start early and systematically, and implicitly teach that praise is the reward of virtue, which makes you study what most people want and ashamed to be part of the few.  The letter in question was copied to his children and several copies come down to posterity. 
• Henry VIII had More's daughters perform a philosophical dispute for his amusement -- seeing the fruit of More's experiment in education.  This was years before he put More to death.
• Mind, Catholic author, but stated that Luther's reply to Henry VIII's The Defence of the Seven Sacraments was such a way a King or Prince had "never" been addressed before, and this is why More wrote such nasty Latin in reply (to the reply, to The Bablyonian Captivity.) 
• Henry could not reply to this, and in fact Luther actually issued an apology for the language at a later date.  Our author characterizes this apology as insincere. 
• "Neither business nor literature, nor the wiles of diplomacy, nor the pomps and pleasures of courts, had robbed him of his mirth or dimmed his vision of eternity."  

Related thing I learned by looking through Bridgett's other works: England was one called her lady's (ie mother Mary's) dowery, a title gained under Richard II. 

[1] I really want to trace the idea of anti-superstition in the West.  This lecture (the series, speaker, and university for giving out free content --  since 1597! -- is great) indicates that the groundswell against superstition came before the Reformation, and so there were built in groups to divide when the schism started.  

2 18 2021

Clear blue sky and the snow looks it has little jewels every direction you look. 

I slept in, so no chance at sunrise. 

==

I'll tell you I was not be sorry to have a time when my eyes don't burn from looking out at the snow at the wrong time.  This lends support that I am so overjoyed with snow because it is a novelty. 

2 17 2021

 It is difficult to get over the rare treat (for me) of snow coming down on blankets of snow already on the ground.  

Such a lovely aesthetic experience. 

===

I'm in such a dilemma.  I love how tea makes me feel.  It is much better than the jaggedness of coffee. I am as happy as I can possibly be laying here in bed, surrounded by books and with my tea. . .  But anyone who has passed a kidney stone -- and all I passed was two minuscule flecks -- will understand that I am hesitant to go full in to the tea lifestyle for the risk of kidney stones.  

Oh well, I will make another pot today.

Notes from Henry VIII by Tracy Borman

• Henry VIII as "the spare" was raised in his mother's household.  
• After Arthur's death, Henry VII floated marrying Catherine of Aragon -- locking up the dowery was that important. 
• Henry VII fell gravely ill after Arthur's death and the book questions whether succession would have been really stabilized in that case.
• The tradition was for the next monarch to attend his or her predecessors funeral.  
•  Thomas Cranmer was married twice before becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The second time was shortly before being appointed to Archbishop Henry VIII (who did not know).  Reformation was in the air.
• Cranmer was modest and contrast to Henry VIII's other advisors.  
• Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell carefully laid the ground work England's religious shift.  Cromwell on the legal side, Cranmer the ecclesiastical. 
• The eventual Cardinal Thomas Wolsey partied hard with the King during the early years of his reign and wasn't some heavy downer person to the King's way of life.  As almoner he became the go-between with the King and his cabinet

2 16 2021

 I made myself present for the dawn.  I am glad I  am maintaining the practice of waking up early.  

. . . As I was typing those words our power went off for a little over two hours.  We snuggled under blankets and I got some reading in as the reflection off the snow was enough to light our house. 

===

Snow coming down on snow!  A sight so rarely seen here. It's beautiful. . .  

No sunset to be seen, though. 

2 15 2021

Beautiful blue sky out today -- which has been a rarity as of late -- with temperatures in the teens keeping the pristine sheet of snow intact.  It's been a pretty picture all day. 

===

Ah, finally a sunset again.  And it was pretty good. 

2 14 2021

 I'd say that watching snow fall is at least some conciliation for this streak of no sunrises or sunsets. 

G.K. on the balance for fun

Man must have just enough faith in himself to have adventures, and just enough doubt of himself to enjoy them.

Zone of proximate defined.  

2 12 2021

 No, still too much coverage for sunrises and sunset, but watching gentle snow flurries has become the joy of my life (for now). 

Optimist or pessimist? Wrong question (Chesterton)

The point is not that this world is too sad to love or too glad not to love; the point is that when you do love a thing, its gladness is a reason for loving it, and its sadness a reason for loving it more. 

And (!)

All optimistic thoughts about England and all pessimistic thoughts about her are alike reasons for the English patriot.  Similarly, optimism and pessimism are alike arguments for the cosmic patriot. 

Would be nice to live in a place where people were like that, rather than the world of infinite groundlessness and choices, where we are everywhere and nowhere at once.  But that's the rub to Chesterton.  First sacredness, then civic possessiveness, then invest in community:  

If men loved Pimlico as mothers love children, arbitrarily, because it is THEIRS, Pimlico in a year or two might be fairer than Florence.  Some readers will say that this is a mere fantasy.  I answer that this is the actual history of mankind. This, as a fact, is how cities did grow great. . . Men did not love Rome because she was great.  She was great because they had loved her.

2 11 2021

 Still just gloom rather than sunrises. But there was a dusting of snow, and that creates a novel visual effect, at least in these parts. 

So I should correct it to say it is gloom in the sky, but jewels everywhere on the ground.  A joy to watch the world wake up in that state. 

===

Different degrees of snow flurries through the day.  I appreciated the very, very gentle dustings for their subtleness [1]. But when a good flurry is going, that's just winter magic.  

[1] I bundled up at one point and went out in once such subtle dusting to enjoy the world gone silent.  There was the gentlest of cracking sounds, a beautiful aural landscape that made my environs realer.

Experiments in Pilish

 I think if I am going to write in Pilish, I am going to need to tools, and it looks like I need to code them if I am going to have access to them.  

It'd be a fun excuse to dust off Python again.  

I think the way to go, at least at this phase, it to generate several possible lines and then select from them.  I imagine I could get to the point where I just know the length of a lot of common words and get decent at sticking the landings in different sentences -- this is what it would mean be "fluent in Pilish" -- but for now I have a spreadsheet, random.org, and a word finder open.   It would be better to have these functionalities integrated.

Using these, I made the following:

Dao: a love, a twist, tiptoeing in cosmic jokes, and minor delights, localized utopias; Mysticism -- wei wu wei.

I'd be remiss not to also add this:

Yes, I went a while abounding to Narnia. 

Which, believe it or not, is as long of a string as the type of Pilish that you can find "out in nature."   

To continue to test out my methods with these resources, I choose the topic of this years Brooklyn Nets:

Can I show a Kyrie bellyache?  My, Durant, James, and Kyrie function perfectly -- average. Timebombs fed by ego, meriting this streak of losses. . .   Nash may see disaster now.

===

Eh.  Experimenting with this makes me see why the prose is always going to end up stilted.   It is hard to imagine a situation where Pilish is the game I most want to play. 

Duchamp with the grave troll

 Marcel Duchamp's grave epitaph: 

"D'ailleurs, c'est toujours les autres qui meurent" ("Besides, it's always the others who die").

2 9 2021

 So I have learned that gloomy weather seems to basically preclude sunrises and sunsets.   I have still been making my life present to watch as the light changes the view of the world. 

I have been getting more out of bird song lately.  Today, I opened the window and even endured some cold blasts to hear the birds more clearly.

Tips from the OG Mr. 14-19-28-47-61 on Pilish

Catching the link. 

 http://www.cadaeic.net/pilish.htm

Another "do when I have more time" project.

These wacky ideas are spinning off from reading the biography of John Cage and doing some reflection on the nature of art.

The founder of the mother of wheat

 My stray thought was that "Aaron Aaronson" would be the first book in a library's collection, so I thought maybe it would be a source of common pseudonyms.  

I had not seen the movie Hot Fuzz, so I didn't know that character, now I do. 

But of more interest to me is an opportunity for a weird wiki find.  Uhhh. . .

Aaron Aaronsohn (Hebrew: אהרון אהרנסון‎) (21 May 1876 – 15 May 1919) was a Jewish agronomist, botanist, and Zionist activist, who was born in Romania and lived most of his life in the Land of Israel, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Aaronsohn was the discoverer of emmer (Triticum dicoccoides), believed to be "the mother of wheat."

And. . . 

Aaron Aaronsohn was born in Bacău, Romania, and brought to Palestine, then part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, at the age of six. His parents were among the founders of Zikhron Ya'akov, one of the pioneer Jewish agricultural settlements of the First Aliyah. He had two sisters, Sarah and Rivka. Aaronsohn was the first car-owner in Palestine and one of the first to own a bicycle, which he brought back from France

Emphasis added by me. 

 

Birdsong, preliminary google searches

 I thought to myself, what do we humans know about birdsong?  How does it fit in music theory?  I'm not even sure I want to follow the leads right now, but I'll make a first pass. 

First internet search was "academic study bird song," hoping there some 

Sort of a jackpot overview: 

https://courses.washington.edu/ccab/Baker%20-%20100%20yrs%20of%20birdsong%20research%20-%20BB%202001.pdf 

Another article: 

https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/the-development-of-birdsong-16133266/

Here is a Florida State group going in the weeds: 

https://birdsong.neuro.fsu.edu/publications

Next I went "bird song music theory" but it came up with too much that seemed too confident, yet contradictory, so I will such search that another time when I have the time and interest. 

Page three of the results yielded this gem (I clicked it because I thought it would be the least jargon-chocked): 

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/january-february-2014/dr-emily-doolittle-music-birds

A quote: 

Across cultures, people find the musician wren’s song quite interesting. The range it sings in is much closer to ranges you’re used to hearing in music. Many birds have songs so high that it’s hard for us to think of them in musical terms because they’re above any instrument or voice we listen to. The musician wren also sings slower than other birds of its size, so we can listen to it in real time. The timbre [vocal quality] is very similar to a human whistle. If you were walking in the Amazon and you heard one, you might think there was a person whistling that tune.

2 6 2021

 Raining a bit in the morning, so no sunrise to see, but some very, very beautiful blues developed in the sky between 7:00 and 8:00.  

My wife and I had spent a late night out with company, so I am a bit surprised by how early I woke up without an alarm. 

2 5 2021

I woke up about an hour early.  This let me get today's chore, the litter boxes, done before sunrise, so I drove out to get a better view.  There was a quick pink that took up a huge section of sky, but that died down within minutes.  

Still, it all developed into the golden hour nicely.  

When I got to work, I also saw a garbage truck picking up three large metal dumpsters, and that really was poetry in motion.  The arms of the truck interlock with the dumpster sides and the mechanics of lifting it up an over, with a little pause for a rotation, where just a thing of beauty.  Seeing it sync up with the sounds made those loud thuds into percussion that worked with a dance.  

It sure would be nice to fall in love with the world every day. 

2 4 2021

 Sunrise? Y.  Kind of weird streaks of clouds that stayed blue and looked almost like crystals.

2 3 2021

 Sunrise? Y. 

===

Sunset? Yes, a glorious spread of orange, almost blinding to look -- but as these things tend to -- it died down into something inspiring.  And then it kept going and going.  It was just what my soul needed after an exhausting day .

Chesterton on Gratitude

  The test of all happiness is gratitude; and I felt grateful, though I hardly knew to whom.  Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets.  Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs? 

2 2 2021

 Sunrise?  Y.

I have been more consistent on seeing dawn and sunrise this year.  When it comes to the afternoon, my wife is a real wild card.  She comes it at different times, and so I often miss the sunset rustling up dinner.  

===

Sunset? Y.

Free and Maybe

 A new project where I stack up texts that are online that I might read one day, but have no short term plans to.  Not currently organized in any way. 

The Gospel of Buddha.  Carus.

The Philobiblon.  Bury

Outlines of Mahaŷâna Buddhism.  Suzuki.

The Ego and His Own.  Stirner

History of Florence.  Machiavelli

The Blind Musician.  Vladimir Korolenko

Notes from the Underground.  Dotoesvsky.

Outlines of an historical view of the progress of the human mind.  Condorcet

The History of England.   Macaulay

Travels in Philadelphia.  Morley. 

Blunders and Forgeries.  Bridgett.

Eikon Basilike Charles I

Samuel Pepys, and the world he lived in Wheatley.

Modern Swedish Masterpieces: Short Stories.

Lucian

Erasmus

Bernal Diaz del Castillo

English Works of Thomas Hobbes

Duchamp as lightweight

 According the book I am reading, Where the Heart Beats (Larson, pg 46-47), Duchamp was a "little known light-weight" all the way to the 1950s. 

There is an interesting pattern-similarity here with Son House, who I was interested in late last year.  What we know about is filtered through the next wave of people who were seeking to re-discover, piece together, and collect what they could about another time.  

2 1 2021

 The development from dawn to sunrise was a symphony of color.  

I really enjoyed watching the change over time.  I also picked up a trick that I think will work on the days that the sunrise is more of a dud -- look up at the gradients of blue higher up and watch the lightness move upward between looks.  

===

Sunset?  Indeed.  It was meh.  I think dawn to sunrise was in fact better today.