Attentively Waiting

We do not obtain the most precious gifts by going in search of them but by waiting for them.  This way of looking is, in the first place, attentive.  The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive the human being it is looking at, just as he is, in all his truth.
—    Simone Weil
.
On This Day In:
2022	Attentively Waiting
2021	Emergent Novelty
	Dancing With Me
2020	A Steep Price Ahead
	Möbius
2019	Eureka!
2018	Learning About My Humanity
2017	Laugh Or Shake Your Head
2016	The Expected Cure
2015	Of Two Minds
2014	Pride And Remembrance
2013	Repeating Bad Memories
2012	No Sooner
2011	Just Cheesy!
	Are You Illin’?

Read Full Post »

Emergent Novelty

The man who is striving to solve a problem defined by existing knowledge and technique is not, however, just looking around.  He knows what he wants to achieve, and he designs his instruments and directs his thoughts accordingly.  Unanticipated novelty, the new discovery, can emerge only to the extent that his anticipations about nature and his instruments prove wrong.
—     Thomas S. Kuhn
From his book:  “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions“
.
On This Day In:
2022	Attentively Waiting
2021	Emergent Novelty
	Dancing With Me
2020	A Steep Price Ahead
	Möbius
2019	Eureka!
2018	Learning About My Humanity
2017	Laugh Or Shake Your Head
2016	The Expected Cure
2015	Of Two Minds
2014	Pride And Remembrance
2013	Repeating Bad Memories
2012	No Sooner
2011	Just Cheesy!
	Are You Illin’?

Read Full Post »

Amazing Or Terrifying?

Do You Love Me?
The video below is owned by “Boston Dynamics” and is located on their YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/BostonDynamics).  I make no claim to the video (which is great) or the song (which is also great)!  I am sharing this because watching it made me happy (and I love the song)…
I found the above video of robots dancing amazing.  It was only when I read some of the comments I realized how “programmed” we (humans) have become to fear the future.  Maybe “Blade Runner” and “Terminator” are not that far away.  For now, I’m amazed and can’t wait until a robot can improvise when dancing.  The robots in the video appear (to me) to be programmed for this song and seem synchronized (timing and distance) with each other.
.
On This Day In:
2022	A Crucial Skill
2021	Our Fate Is Up To Us
	Amazing Or Terrifying?
2020	Still Willing
2019	Another Prayer
2018	After Silence
2017	Are You Looking Forward To A Trump Presidency?
2016	Three Errors From Eureka
2015	Limiting Choices
2014	Praise The Lord And Pass The Hypocrisy
	That Sound
2013	Still Waiting For Answers
2012	Informal Leadership
2011	A Little More Progress
2010	Bec’s Gone Again…

Read Full Post »

At This Moment

How many times in your own life did things come about thanks to accident or circumstance?  I’ll bet happenstance played a part in how you met your partner or chose your career or live where you do or a long list of other character forming events that now make you different from anybody else.  That journey from past to present, full of unexpected encounters and events along the way, has brought you to where you are and who you are at this moment, reading these words.
—    James Burke
From the “Forward” to his book:  “Circles“
.
On This Day In:
2022	In My Defense…
2021	Mike Could Have Saved Us A Bundle On Border Walls
	Is It Too Late?
2020	And Then There Was Yellow
	At This Moment
2019	Sin Less Every Day
2018	Probably Only A Little Easier
2017	Stars Above
2016	Where Do You Stand?
	Health Update
2015	Leaving On A Mid-Night Train
2014	Questioned Faith
2013	At Home In Fire
2012	A Tale Of Two Books
	More Meaning
2011	Back At The Millstone
	To Learn, Teach

Read Full Post »

Aware Some

Be aware of wonder.  Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
—    Robert Fulghum
.
On This Day In:
2022	I Learn Something New
2021	I’m Retired, I Always Have Time For It!
	Just Mice Elf
	That Was A Shot In The Arm
2020	Decide, Support, Vote
2019	Aware Some
2018	Know Any Christians?
2017	The Only Thing I Can Give…
2016	Wiser But Less Cocksure
2015	Not Today
	Wicked
2014	…Am Too
2013	Credible?
2012	Both
2011	Risking Hidden Linkage

Read Full Post »

‘Cause It Makes Me Feel Happy

Some songs just make me feel happy…
Send Me On My Way
Performed by:  Rusted Root
Songwriters:  James Di Spirito, James Donovan, Jenn Wertz, Jim Dispirito, Jim Donovan, John Buynak, Liz Berlin, Michael Glabicki and Patrick Norman
[The group was asked about the lyrics to this song and Glabicki said some non-sense sounds / phrases were used as placeholders until real lyrics could be added, but the song sounded “right” the way it was, so they produced the song without replacing the sounds with real words / lyrics.  Chaos theory at its best!    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2022	True Measures
2021	Moments With You
	I Remember I Told My Sorrow
2020	A Post-Valentine Thought
2019	A Little Magic
	‘Cause It Makes Me Feel Happy
	The Mark Against Your Name
2018	Nice To Meet You
2017	All Nations & Religions
2016	Given The Choice
	Why Is He Wearing Red?
2015	Within The System
2014	None But…
2013	Obviously Longer
2012	A Childhood Poem
	Who Are You Callin’ Leather-Faced?
2011	In No Particular Order
	The Need For Proof

Read Full Post »

Something Else

I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.
—     Franklin Pierce Adams
.
On This Day In:
2017	Courage
2016	Don’t H8! — I’m With Her!!
2015	$20 Anyone?
2014	And Yet I Still Study
2013	Use Your Own
2012	Strengthen Freedom
2011	Attrition = A Lack Of Imagination
2010	Mind The Fire, Love
	Just Beyond My Reach…
	Even A Life Of Quiet Desperation!
	Acts Of Courage

Read Full Post »

Playing Makes Sense

As it turns out, however, to make sense of new and strange phenomena, one must be prepared to play with ideas.  And I use the word “play” advisedly:  dignified people, without a whimsical streak, almost never offer fresh insights, in economics or anywhere else.
—    Paul Krugman
From the introduction to his book:  “The Return of Depression Economics“
.
On This Day In:
2021	Let Yourself Soar In 2022
	Where You’re Concerned
2020	The Most Dynamic Link
	Looking Forward To 2021
2019	A Proud Assertion
2018	Ask #45 About Anything
2017	Playing Makes Sense
2016	And Fathers, Sons
2015	My Suspect Confidence
2014	Disguised Blessings
2013	Be
2012	The Only Way to Win
2011	Honest Writing

Read Full Post »

About Change

The following is a quote which recently caught my attention and which I think (somewhat humorously) describes my blog (so I’ve added it to my “About” page):
“A Miscellany is a collection without a natural ordering relation;  I shall not attempt a spurious unity by imposing artificial ones.  I hope that variety may compensate for this lack, except for those irreconcilable persons who demand an appearance of unity and uniform level.“
—    John Edensor Littlewood
From the introduction to his book:  “A Mathematician’s Miscellany“
.
On This Day In:
2022	Historians, Not Librarians
2021	Inshallah
	Leave No Doubt
2020	A Choice
2019	Fill It Up
2018	Can We Talk About Me?
2017	About Change
	Gordian
2016	Are Your Prayers Functioning?
2015	Expressing Love
2014	Cyclical Attitudes
2013	Footprints
2012	Broken Resolutions
	Bin It

Read Full Post »

Three Errors From Eureka

The result of a mathematical development should be continuously checked against one’s own intuition about what constitutes reasonable biological behavior.  When such a check reveals disagreement, then the following possibilities must be considered:
a.)	A mistake has been made in the formal mathematical development;
b.)	The starting assumptions are incorrect and / or constitute a too drastic oversimplification;
c.)	One’s own intuition about the biological field is inadequately developed;
d.)	A penetrating new principle has been discovered.
—    Harvey J. Gold
From his book:  “Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems“
—    As quoted by James Gleick
In his book:  “Chaos: Making A New Science“
.
On This Day In:
2022	A Crucial Skill
2021	Our Fate Is Up To Us
	Amazing Or Terrifying?
2020	Still Willing
2019	Another Prayer
2018	After Silence
2017	Are You Looking Forward To A Trump Presidency?
2016	Three Errors From Eureka
2015	Limiting Choices
2014	Praise The Lord And Pass The Hypocrisy
	That Sound
2013	Still Waiting For Answers
2012	Informal Leadership
2011	A Little More Progress
2010	Bec’s Gone Again…

Read Full Post »

The Critical State

But if chaos teaches physicists that the truly simple can nevertheless look complicated, the critical state teaches them that the truly complicated can behave in ways that are remarkably simple.  … The basic organization of any substance poised in the critical state between two phases depends very little on the precise nature of the elements involved.  There is a profound universality at work, which makes it possible to understand literally thousands of utterly different collectives in terms of simple mathematical games that share the same skeletal logic.
… One of the deepest discoveries in physics of the past two decades is that in nonequilibrium systems the critical state often arises on its own.
… It does not seem normal and lawlike for long periods of calm to be suddenly and sporadically shattered by cataclysm, and yet it is.  This is, it seems, the ubiquitous character of the world.
—    Mark Buchanan
From his book:  “Ubiquity“
.
On This Day In:
2022	Vision Test
2021	Or These Days, On The Internet
	There Goes My Heart
2020	Find An Antidote
2019	Take A Few Minutes To Remember
	Start By Doubting
2018	You Cannot Pretend
2017	A Long Shadow
2016	Learning, Experience, Chances or Money
2015	The Critical State
2014	Dawn, n.
2013	Ouch!
2012	Just Lookin’ Around
	Still Growing
2011	But Do You Want To?

Read Full Post »

Intricate And Subtle Order

Cosmos is a Greek word for the order of the universe.  It is, in a way, the opposite of Chaos.  It implies the deep interconnectedness of all things.  It conveys awe for the intricate and subtle way in which the universe is put together.
―    Carl Sagan
From his TV Show:  “Cosmos“
.
On This Day In:
2022	Completely Reasonable To Worry
2021	Seeking Happiness
	Check Your Watch
2020	Expectation For The Near Future
2019	Indian Myth
	Did He Even Have The Courage To Ask?
2018	Nothing
2017	Approval First
2016	In Search Of Words
	Day 2 – Blending
2015	At What Price?
2014	Intricate And Subtle Order
2013	Attention To Detail
2012	Aequanimitas!
2011	Consider This

Read Full Post »

Bruises Before Bed (Or Why You Didn’t Answer)

This week I was driving to work, bored with sports and political radio, I switched over to some easy listening and lo and behold heard two great songs!  One I’d heard before and the other I don’t remember hearing before.
Anyway, they were both so terrific I immediately committed to remembering their catch lines (not all that easy for someone who’s getting on in years) and wrote them down when I got to work so I could listen to them when I got home.  (We are not allowed to listen to internet music at work…)
The two songs are:  “Bruises“, performed by Train (featuring Ashley Monroe) and “Should’ve Gone To Bed“, performed by Plain White T’s.  They are both easy listing cross-overs between Pop and Modern Country sounds.  Very enjoyable with ear-candy / stick in your head hooks.  Bruises is another classic song about boy and girl meeting ten years later and asking about what’s been happening.  The interesting thing is although there is an obvious “connection” happening in the song, both are “once burned, twice shy” and nothing may happen except the “promise” to keep in touch.  My favorite verse is:
These bruises Make for better conversation Loses the vibe that separates It’s good to let you in again You’re not alone and how you’ve been Everybody loses We all got bruises We all got bruises
The second song (“Should’ve Gone To Bed“) is the new one for me.  On the radio, it sounds as if it’s a song about regrets and calling some number of “Ex’es” after the relationships are over.  In the “official” video, it appears to be a song about a man who’s afraid to tell his girlfriend how he feels until he’s on the verge of losing her.  …And then they make up (to presumably live happily ever after).  It surprised me to come away with the two completely different reactions to the same song depending on if you were listening to it, listening to it and following the lyrics, or watching the official video.  I guess the line which strikes me is most of us have broken up in our relationships, tried to move on and then when there’s a problem (or were just feeling lonely), we pick up the phone and call the “Ex”.  Sometimes they answer and the cycle starts again.  Sometimes they answer but the cycle doesn’t restart.  Sometimes it ends just as badly as before;  and sometimes everyone is spared the drama because the other party just doesn’t answer the phone or return the call.  Being human, we assume it’s because they don’t want to talk to us anymore.
Someday the geezer’s among us will be telling the kids how (in our day) people didn’t have caller ID or voice mail or home answering machines, and sometimes relationships didn’t work out – not because one or both sides didn’t reach out to the other to make up – but simply because one party wasn’t there to answer the call.  The concept seems “funny” in this age of always-on connectivity…  Sometimes things just happen (or don’t happen) for no particular reason.
As always, check out the lyrics off of my Poems page, then go listen to the recordings – and in this instance, make sure you go find the “official” video for “Should’ve Gone To Bed“.  Let me know if you got the same reaction to the lyrics versus the song versus the video.  And remember to support the Arts in your local community.
.
On This Day In:
2012	Extra Gears
2011	Say What?
2010	Hello Frogs…

Read Full Post »

Remembering, Yet Again

I’ve been thinking about today, and what I could say to you.  It suddenly occurred to me that one of the last speeches you will hear in college will be this one.  That scared me half to death.
I mean, what can I tell you?  I never finished high school. I never, sadly, attended college.  As a youngster, I was traveling the length and breadth of the British Isles, singing my head off in the Music Halls — a theater brat, with a freaky four-and-a-half-octave range.
You might assume that after a life in theater and film, I wouldn’t be nervous in a situation like this, but I can assure you that I am or was, before your very warm welcome.
Today is about celebration, but despite that, you might just also be feeling a little nervous — and, perhaps even fearful.  Believe me, feeling nervous is par for the course.
I remember saying once to my husband, Blake, on the eve of my return to Broadway after a 35-year absence, ‘You know, I’m really feeling VERY frightened about this,’ and I began to tear up.
He simply replied, ‘Darling, did you actually expect to feel anything else?’
I remembered — yet again — that fear is a part of life.  The trick is to recognize it and then press on anyway.  In fact, the real trick is to stop focusing on oneself and start focusing on others.
There was a time in my late 20s when I worried all the time what audiences thought.  Will they like me?  Am I up to par?  And it suddenly dawned on to me that everyone in the audience had paid good money to come see a show they really wanted to see, and possibly, they were there after a day of dealing with a lot of stress.  Maybe it was tax time, perhaps someone had a family member who was ill, or had a fight with a loved one — I could think of a hundred scenarios.  I realized that I was in a position to brighten their day, to make a difference, to give them three hours of surcease, of transcendence, and hopefully, joy.
From that moment on, I began to develop a mindset of giving.  I stopped looking inward, I began to grow up and I started looking outward, with an eye toward making a difference wherever and whenever I could.
Today, I invite you to start looking at life the same way.
There are so many opportunities for giving in this world.
Don’t engage in random acts of kindness; engage in planned acts of kindness.
Use your knowledge and your heart to stand up for those who can’t stand.
Speak for those who can’t speak.
—   Julie Andrews
At the 2013 commencement ceremony for Colorado University
Found at:  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130527/brian-urlacher-peter-king-monday-morning-quarterback/#ixzz2UYnJ2Ova
.
On This Day In:
2012	Something Of Value
2011	Sleep All Day

Read Full Post »

Defining Maleness

What Every Boy Should Know
I love reading great lessons that mothers should impart to their sons!  My college roommate has 2 boys older than our son, and she has often shared her advice to me.  She insisted her sons always ring the doorbell when picking up a girl, rather than the texting method most used by teenagers these days.  And as the mother of 2 girls, I must say that would have been refreshing.  So not only for the sake of your son, but also for the sake of the girl who captures his heart, teach him well.
1. Play a sport.
It will teach you how to win honorably, lose gracefully, respect authority, work with others, manage your time and stay out of trouble. And maybe even throw or catch.
2. You will set the tone for the sexual relationship, so don’t take something away from her that you can’t give back.
3. Use careful aim when you pee.
Somebody’s got to clean that up, you know.
4. Save money when you’re young because you’re going to need it someday.
5. Allow me to introduce you to the dishwasher, oven, washing machine, iron, vacuum, mop and broom.
Now please go use them.
6. Pray and be a spiritual leader.
7. Don’t ever be a bully and don’t ever start a fight, but if some idiot clocks you, please defend yourself.
8. Your knowledge and education is something that nobody can take away from you.
9. Treat women kindly.
Forever is a long time to live alone and it’s even longer to live with somebody who hates your guts.
10. Take pride in your appearance.
11. Be strong and tender at the same time.
12. A woman can do everything that you can do.
This includes her having a successful career and you changing diapers at 3 A.M. Mutual respect is the key to a good relationship.
13. “Yes ma’am” and “yes sir” still go a long way.
14. The reason that they’re called “private parts” is because they’re “private”.
Please do not scratch them in public.
15. Peer pressure is a scary thing.
Be a good leader and others will follow.
16. Bringing her flowers for no reason is always a good idea.
17. It is better to be kind than to be right.
18. A sense of humor goes a long way in the healing process.
19. Please choose your spouse wisely.
My daughter-in-law will be the gatekeeper for me spending time with you and my grandchildren.
20. Remember to call your mother because I might be missing you.
Found at:  http://www.tropicalspiceliving.com
The original posting is at:  http://www.tropicalspiceliving.com/?p=4114
[This is not a blog I follow, but it’s a posting I enjoyed stumbling on.    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2022	Happy Meeting Day 38 (And Counting)
	9 (40) – Done
2021	Happy Meeting Day 37 (And Counting)
2020	Happy Meeting Day 36 (And Counting)
2019	Happy Meeting Day 35 (And Counting)
2018	Happy Meeting Day 34 (And Counting)
	Storytelling
2017	Happy Meeting Day 33 (And Counting)
2016	Picture Perfect
2015	Life Showed Compassion
2014	And Then I Met Her
2013	Defining Maleness
	The Run Continues
2012	All Set
2011	Not Always

Read Full Post »