Crossing

Courage is crossing a starting line.

~ Amy Burfoot

- - - - -

Crossing things can be important. Crossing things off a to-do list. Crossing that bridge when you get to it. Crossing your Ts (after dotting your Is, of course. Well, you can cross your eyes, too but that isn't what this is about. Unless I stop writing now. Then it IS what this is about.)

 

Robot

We're fascinated with robots because they are reflections of ourselves.

~ Ken Goldberg

- - - - -

The tin man in the Wizard of Oz was a robot. He wanted a heart. I don't think most robots want a heart. I think most robots don't really want anything. They don't try new things. They just do the things they were programmed to do. Like the robot Yoda who was programmed to say "Do. Or not do. There is no try."

Waffle

Who has more fun than people?

~ Jim Frazier

- - - - -

Based on the image above, waffles are happy and have fun. Or, perhaps, in nature when threatened, waffles wave their arms and legs and open their mouths in what is meant to be a threatening manner.

(pause)

I'm not going to lie. I am not threatened by this waffle.

(pause)

However, another not lie is that if this little waffle showed up at my house, I would probably run screaming away from it. I mean, who expects that of a waffle?

 

Sharp

In nature there are few sharp lines.

~ A. R. Ammons

- - - - -

In nature there are many sharp people. Sometimes they just get dulled not from use of their sharpness, but from being forced to be dull by those around them. I don't know why some people don't love to see others shine... Stupidheads.

Pardon my language.

Brave

Like timidity, bravery is also contagious.

~ Premchand

- - - - -

Like timidity and bravery, chicken pox is also contagious.

 

Introspection

Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.

~ Eudora Welty

- - - - -

I really, really, really like being at home. Yes. Really. However, I have learned that it is only when I go out into the world that I see how people engage with one another. 

Then I go back home again.

 

Responding

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.

~ Lao Tzu

- - - - -

I have been thinking lately about how the best response to some things is silence. Or walking away. Recently I heard someone say something like their response to some people is, "You clearly are dedicated to not understanding me." That resonated with me. I know that can't always be the way I deal with people, but it can be sometimes.

How sad that they won't get to enjoy my clever responses anymore.

Lily

Sometimes a dog's purpose is just to be a dog.

~ Elisa Weiss Friedman

- - - - -

This photo looks like a painting to me. I looked up a bunch of artists because I wasn't sure whose work I thought it resembled. I finally settled on Rembrandt van Rijn. I'm glad it doesn't look like a painting by Hieronymus Bosch or Caravaggio. Some of their work kind of freaks me out. I don't need a painting of Lily walking out of a giant ear or of her cutting someone's head off.

I guess I'm a bit of an art snob. 

Unlike

I do not like you, Sabidius. I do not know why, but I do not like you.

~ Martial

- - - - -

I read this years and years and years ago. It made me laugh out loud at the time. I still chuckle now when I think of it. 

I originally thought it was Marcus Aurelius who said it. It was not. And in some versions it says "love" instead of "like," but I enjoy the quote regardless. It was written down almost 2000 years ago and still exists. 

I would say "Poor Sabidius" but I don't know the backstory. There probably was some reason Martial didn't care for him.

One

There's only one mind-expanding drug that this man enjoys and that's called school.

~ Dr. Sheldon Cooper

- - - - -

When there is only one of something, we seem to value it more. Scarcity increases value. I wonder how twins and triplets feel about that. I mean, I don't wonder enough to ask them. 

Wonder. ONE-der.

Hm. So much to think about in the world.

 

Love

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

~ Henry David Thoreau

- - - - -

There are as many kinds of love as there are beings able to love. I know that I'm not the first person to say or think that kind of thing. There is the love of dogs or even of one special dog, the love of a grandmother who actively seeks to both create and capture memories for her grandkids, and even the obsessive romantic love of another person that can drive the love-er to do freakishly weird and unhinged things that the love-ee doesn't appreciate one bit. 

Interesting side note, all three of those kinds of loves can make for really interesting movies.

Love

All love shifts and changes. I don't know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.

~ Julie Andrews

- - - - -

You can't be in love all the time because sometimes you're in traffic.

Love

(Photo by someone with my father's camera)

Nice people don't necessarily fall in love with nice people.

~ Jonathan Frandzen

- - - - -

I don't think everyone falls in love. I think some people creep into it, stalking their way into someone's life, squirming and slithering until they have wrapped themselves around the person they are pursuing.

No. Not people. I think snakes do that. Of course some people are snakes. They twist and turn and shed their skins gradually over time and then bite you on the leg when you don't expect it. Don't be with people like that.

Anyway, love is nice sometimes. Supposedly.

Safety

Adult children tend to be more focused on safety, and their parents tend to be more focused on living a meaningful life.

~ Laura Carstensen

- - - - -

Young children seem to be more focused on living a meaningful day (maybe meaningful lives if they are children that think in grander terms) and their parents are more focused on safety. So, basically that middle part where you are living most of your life you aren't really focused on living a meaningful life. 

I mean, not YOU specifically. Just you meaning people in general. I don't know your life. I hope it is meaningful if that's what you're going for, though. And safe, I guess. It can probably be both.

Anyway, I'm not the boss of you.

Longing

I preferred reading the American landscape as we went along. Every bump, rise, and stretch in it mystified my longing.

~ Jack Kerouac

- - - - -

I love road trips. I like driving and seeing unexpected things. I even enjoy seeing expected things sometimes - cornfields in Iowa, mountains in North Carolina, towns, cities, and silos on the horizon - depending on where you are.

Last year my summer was not filled with as many roadtrips as I had expected, but it was a journey. As I think back to that time, there are parts of the trip I don't want to take again. AND those same parts of the journey are adventures for which I am grateful.

But, seriously, a lot of those things I don't need to do again.

 

Frolic

vrolijk: Dutch - merry, cheerful

- - - - -

If you don't know how to frolic, watch a happy dog and then copy said happy dog. Don't worry if people are watching you. Unless, you are at a dog park without a dog. I personally think people without dogs should go to dog parks to get some dog time since not everyone can have a dog in their lives. Other people aren't as enlightened as I am. Yes, it is a burden, but I'm okay. I have a dog.

 

Disguise

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered about which may be the true.

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

- - - - -

Sometimes we have to conceal ourselves to pass through dangerous situations. During those times it is best to adopt wise guise.

 

Barometer

The arts are an even better barometer of what is happening in our world than the stock market or debates in congress.

~ Hendrik Willem Van Loon

- - - - -

Aurora and Ezra both like to make art. They both draw really well. They are creative thinkers. Their little sister Rosa Jean doesn't draw very well at all. Mostly because she's a baby, I think.

Grief

There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

- - - - -

I was listening to a show about grief. There was a researcher named "George Banana" who talked about his own experience and his scholarship. I thought, "It must be a challenge to talk about grief with a name like 'George Banana' who sounds like a standup comedian, a children's birthday party performer, or a boyfriend for Jan Brady."

I found out later that his name is actually, "George Bonanno." That is probably better.

I miss George Banana, though.

Gratitude

I always believed that the elders in my family are the reason for my success.

~ R. Madhavan

- - - - -

We should definitely thank our elders when we find success. We literally would not be here without them. And when we do thank them, we should yell loudly because they might not hear us otherwise.

 

Photos

Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's more interesting than reality.

~ May Ellen Mark

- - - - -

This is one of my favorite childhood photos. Seated from left to right are Andrea, me, Old Cowboy Statue Thing, Duane, and Erik. I do not know who that child with the ice cream cone is. I like to think that somewhere, that child's parents have this same photo maybe from a slightly different angle.

(pause)

I know they probably don't have this photo. I just like to think that they do.

Barns

Barns act as a bridge between the present and the past.

~ Eddie Daggett

- - - - -

Another thing that bridges things for us is a bridge. 

 

Helper

I get by with a little help from my friends.

~ John Lennon

- - - - -

Lily likes to help with things. However, since she didn't know a three letter name of a New Zealand parrot that can solve logic puzzles, she wasn't able to help me with the crossword.

 

Happiness

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

~ Henri Matisse

- - - - -

If you're happy and you know it, keep quiet because some people are trying to sleep around here.

Shoes

Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.

~ Marilyn Monroe

- - - - -

I threw Aurora's Croc under the picnic table when we ran outside for the head-to-head battle. Ezra took off one of his Crocs so that he and Aurora would appear as a solid front in their roles as teammates in the battle. Good thing he did or it would have been difficult to tell who was on whose team.

Communication

People may hear your words but they feel your attitude.

~ John C. Maxwell

- - - - -

This note is a cute little exchange Leslie and I had a while back. Our schedules don't always align, so sometimes we have to leave one another notes. 

Communication is fun.

Snow

A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder.

~ Susan Orlean

- - - - -

There is little more exciting than a snow day. To have your plans disrupted in a way that obliges us to stare out the window in wonder, what a gift. 

(pause)

Of course, you might not like this gift for 29 days in a row any more than you'd like getting the same book as a gift 29 times, but that isn't my point.

Gates

Still round the corner there may wait, 

A new road or a secret gate.

~ J. R. R. Tolkein

- - - - -

It probably is too late when you are standing at the gate. Unless you're a gate inspector.

 

Needs

Don't forget: beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies.

~ Paul Coelho

- - - - -

I want you to take a moment and think about what you need. What are you sacrificing to social pressure or negative self-talk or by putting others needs and wants before your own needs? 

Don't tell me about it. I don't have time to help you with that. Just think about it.

Clouds

The clouds - the only birds that never sleep.

~ Victor Hugo

- - - - -

The clouds are also the only birds that never poop on your windshield. Although maybe emus don't do that very much either. Or apteryxes. 

Happy

I'm delighted with how my career unfolded.

~ Margo Martindale

- - - - -

I don't know if we are supposed to be pursuing happiness in life or peace or enlightenment or what. I don't know if we are all here to pursue the same things to begin with.

I do know that an awful lot of us are looking for a really good pork tenderloin sandwich, though. At least that's what it seems like.

 

People

Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.

~ Voltaire

- - - - -

I hate the Q & A section of lectures. If you talk for more than a minute, you aren't trying to ask a question, you are trying to get attention and grandstand. I didn't come to listen to you talk, Bernard. 

Games

There are more important things in life than winning or losing a game.

~ Lionel Messi

- - - - -

Games are fun, but sometimes the thing that is more important than winning or losing is letting GoGo get to bed. She's tired.

Tiger

A tiger does not shout its tigritude, it acts.

~ Wole Soyinka

- - - - -

When you say something it doesn't mean you have done anything. When you do something, however, it says a lot. Especially if the thing you do is to throw pickled herring at the person who is saying something and doing nothing. 

Incidentally, the robots say "There is no universally recognized Pickled Herring Day" in 2025. 

The robots also say, "No. Tigers do not eat pickled herring."
 

Happiness

Being happy is a revolutionary act; I think it spreads, like ripples in a pond.

~ Orson Bean

- - - - -

Are dogs the happiest beings on earth? Do they pursue joy and bring love to those around them? Are they really trying to show us the way to living a good and full life?

I don't know. Why do you ask me these things?

Shadow

Some people seemed to get all the sunshine, and some all the shadow...

~ Louisa May Alcott

- - - - -

It's not great to get all the sunshine or all the shadow. It's great to get some of each. Unless you're a fern. Fern would also be a good name for a character in a book who is in the shadows while her sister gets all the sunshine and attention and love. And then at the end of the novel you find out that Fern wasn't the other woman's sister at all. Fern was just a plant.

In case I write that novel, I should probably share that this post contains spoilers.

Pupil

Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

- - - - -

The pupil who decided to make balloons out of rubber (Michael Faraday) instead of animal bladders... Well, thank you from a lot of parents and birthday planners, Professor Faraday.

Marketing

Drinking on trains, whether it's a can of beer on a short commute or a more elaborate set up for a longer journey, often evokes a sense of freedom and relaxation. It's a way to mark the transition between locations, and to savor the journey itself. The act of drinking on a train can be seen as a small rebellion against the rules of everyday life, especially in places where drinking on public transport is restricted.

~ A.I.

- - - - -

I love that these were marketed side by side. It is as if the company thought, "Well, if someone needs one of these, they are bound to need the other!"

Quiet

Modern luxury is the ability to think clearly, sleep deeply, move slowly, and live quietly in a world designed to prevent all four.

~ Justin Welsh

- - - - -

I was in a doctor's office not that long ago. I was able to get my mind to a place where it was quiet. I was able to reflect on things that I didn't expect to be able to reflect on in that space. 

Then the doctor came in and told me to get out of her office. 

 

Camping

What on earth would I do if four bears came into my camp? Why, I would die, of course. Literally shit myself lifeless.

~ Bill Bryson

- - - - -

First, I would never camp at a place called "Doll Mountain Campground." Second, "Doll Mountain Campground" would make an excellent title for a horror film. 

Young

Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.

~ Margaret Mead

- - - - -

The young are not watching that kind of thing on TV, Margaret. Although they may be watching South Park, so I stand corrected.

Who am I kidding?

I don't stand when I type.

 

Sleep

A well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

- - - - -

Life surprises you sometimes. For example, a few summers ago, I was surprised by a number of things at Camp GoGo. One particularly memorable example is how I was amazed I could sleep through the clothing optional Barbie pool party that took place.

Eyes

Tears come from the heart and not from the brain.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

- - - - -

I know that Leonardo da Vinci was supposed to be pretty smart, but I know for a fact that tears come from the eyes.

Happy

We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same.

~ Carlos Castaneda

- - - - -

Sometimes I think people expect happiness to just happen to them. Or they look at others and think that the others - who appear happy - are luckier than they are. I would suggest that maybe those others have worked harder at being happy. Maybe they have made it a priority. 

Of course I wouldn't say that to those unhappy people because they are such a bummer I'd rather not be around them.

Fun

In order to have fun, I have to be able to not be buttoned down.

~ Margo Martindale

- - - - -

If you want to have fun, spend time with kids. Especially little kids. You can beat them at almost any game. Seriously. Try playing Monopoly with a three-year-old. You will win. Winning is fun.

 

Television

I love television because it's the most alive, because you don't know how it's going to end. It's a living thing. Sometimes the writers are watching you to see how things will unfold. Sometimes the writers have written it, and you come to it, and they have to change their way of going because of what you've done.

~ Margo Martindale

- - - - -

I have watched a lot of television in my life. At this point, I realize that television is watching a lot of my life, too.

It's my own fault. I invited these robots in. 

(pause)

I hope they find me interesting.

 

Like

If people don't like you, it's okay. You only need to be concerned if dogs don't like you. Then it's time for some self-reflection.

~ Tiny Buddha

- - - - -

I like most dogs. Most dogs like me. 

(pause)

So, I've got that going for me.

Performance

I've always learned in show business, you take the job.

~ Margo Martindale

- - - - -

I know a lot of things. Some are useful. Some are true. That said, I have no idea how you tell if someone is good at rhythmic gymnastics or not. 

Mysteries are good.