Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Saturday, June 30, 2012
My Old Friend
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
Chinese proverb
*******************
Hello Frosty
*******************
For me, one of the most poignant moments in all of grand opera is in the last act of Puccini's "La Boheme." Four men live together in a cold attic apartment in Paris. One of them, Colline, decides to go out and sell his overcoat to buy medicine for his roommate's very ill girl friend in the hope of keeping her alive. He sings a short but sad farewell to his coat, the friend who has kept him warm and whose pockets always carried the poetry and philosophy that he loves. "Addio. Addio."
It brings a lump to my throat every time I hear it.
A few times in my life, for various reasons I have had to abandon my library. I love books and I hope that wherever mine have ended up they are loved as much I loveed them. But there is one book I have never parted with. It sits at my elbow when I am at my desk. If I go anywhere for more than a day it goes with me in my back pack or suitcase. It is one of my dearest friends.
I bought it brand new from a bookstore in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1957. It's almost as old as I am. I paid $6.50 for it. You can barely read the price, written in pencil on the inside. I wrote my name underneath the price in red ink which is still quite visible.
It's a small volume, very small considering what it contains. It's 7 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches and 1 inch thick. In all the bookstores I've been in over the years, I've never seen another copy of it. It was printed by Oxford University Press in 1947.It is in very threadbare condition due to age and use. I've taped the inside of the hard cover to the pages, but the tape on the outside spine is coming loose again. The pages are very thin India paper and fortunately I haven't torn any of them.
What is it? It's my complete Shakespeare. And it is complete; all the plays and all the poems, including all the sonnets, in one small volume. Shakespeare is a divine gift to the human race, and no matter what English professors and stage directors do to it, it remains a rare treasure, recognized the world over.
This book has been a continuous inspiration to me for 55 years. I need a magnifying glass to read it now, but, so what? Falstaff, Lear and Juliet still come alive whenever the book is opened. I would never part with it. If, heaven forbid, I had to move suddenly this book would be one of the first things I would grab.
I love it. It's my old friend. It's the garden in my pocket.
Dana Bate - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
------------------------
Friday, February 10, 2012
Books
It's quiet here in hell tonight, for now. The echoes are still around but only I can hear them. I see the lonely street lamp outside in the cold night sharing its light for the traffic. There is no traffic but it will share the light anyway.
I went through my books and separated out two of my favorite catagories: history and biography. I removed my book marks and saw that they had their dust covers on, They are going to a new home in the public library. I love those books but they had to go as it is impossible to carry them with me any longer. The library will share them with others to read. Will those who read them love them as much as I do?
It is a terrible thing to give away the books you love. But not quite as tragic as to give away the person you love. Oh, the pain.
----------------------------------------------
What is this need to share? Why share a light, a thing, a dinner, an experience, an adventure, a life, a love, with the unworthy, with the worthy, until there is nothing left, and years later you become someone's story, or someone's joke. Oh, oh, the pain.
----------------------------------------
Why don't I learn my lesson. Don't buy a lot of books. You will never settle down. You will never have a home. You've been a vagabond since you were 6 years old and it hasn't changed. You live in a world of strangers, trusting the untrustworthy, depending on the undependable, hoping for the gentle hand that never reaches out, or reaches out with hidden barbs. OH, the PAIN
--------------------------------------------------------
You've always been alone, vagabond, facing the terrors of the days and nights by yourself. You've had a few, very few, visitors, but no one moves in. They have a family to go back to, they have a home. You tried to make a family out of the artists you worked with in the theatre, but they all had families and homes. You got your heart broken.
But you didn't learn. You tried once again when the gentle hand was reaching out. But you didn't see the hidden part until it was too late. And now again your heart is broken. Oh, Oh, OOOH. THE PAIN. ! ! !
------------------------------------
Stop looking for a family and a home. Own only those books you can carry on your back and beware the gentle hand.
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.,
***********************
I went through my books and separated out two of my favorite catagories: history and biography. I removed my book marks and saw that they had their dust covers on, They are going to a new home in the public library. I love those books but they had to go as it is impossible to carry them with me any longer. The library will share them with others to read. Will those who read them love them as much as I do?
It is a terrible thing to give away the books you love. But not quite as tragic as to give away the person you love. Oh, the pain.
----------------------------------------------
What is this need to share? Why share a light, a thing, a dinner, an experience, an adventure, a life, a love, with the unworthy, with the worthy, until there is nothing left, and years later you become someone's story, or someone's joke. Oh, oh, the pain.
----------------------------------------
Why don't I learn my lesson. Don't buy a lot of books. You will never settle down. You will never have a home. You've been a vagabond since you were 6 years old and it hasn't changed. You live in a world of strangers, trusting the untrustworthy, depending on the undependable, hoping for the gentle hand that never reaches out, or reaches out with hidden barbs. OH, the PAIN
--------------------------------------------------------
You've always been alone, vagabond, facing the terrors of the days and nights by yourself. You've had a few, very few, visitors, but no one moves in. They have a family to go back to, they have a home. You tried to make a family out of the artists you worked with in the theatre, but they all had families and homes. You got your heart broken.
But you didn't learn. You tried once again when the gentle hand was reaching out. But you didn't see the hidden part until it was too late. And now again your heart is broken. Oh, Oh, OOOH. THE PAIN. ! ! !
------------------------------------
Stop looking for a family and a home. Own only those books you can carry on your back and beware the gentle hand.
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.,
***********************
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Windmills
To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend, to read it a second time is to meet an old one.
Selwyn Champion
******************
Hello Ally
******************
In Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme" there is a short but poignant aria in the last act. Colline is going off to sell his overcoat to buy some medicine for his roommate's girl friend, Mimi. He sings a farewell to his coat which has been his friend for years, with philosophers and poets living in its pockets. That sad aria has always had a special place in my heart.
Thank heaven I never had to sell my overcoat but when I lived in New York City I never went out without a book in my pocket. Most of the time in was "Don Quixote" by Cervantes. Even though I had read the book through, it was a pleasure to dip into it again at odd moments, waiting for a subway, or sitting at a table having lunch.
Sometimes it was a different book, but it was always and old friend. People who knew me knew there was always a book in my pocket and would sometimes ask what it was. "What's in the pocket, D.?"
An important book must be read more than once, even more than twice sometimes. Each time, like an old friend, it reveals more of its secrets, its mysteries and its love.
Now I'm retired, live alone and rarely go out. But when I do there's Aristotle's "De Anima" in my pocket. Otherwise I'm surrounded by books. I've never counted them but there must be over a hundred. They've all been read or partially read. I am surrounded by friends, new and old.
I still have that "Don Quixote." It's just over there, under "The Dead Sea Scrolls."
Dana Bate - The Vagabond
(Never Give Up)
*********************
Here you go.
This is an invitation for anyone and everyone to post a entry of their own on my journal, Vagabond Journeys http://vagabondjourneys.blogspot.com/.
The end of the year holidays are soon upon us and since it is a time for celebrations, remembrances, resolutions and plans for the future I know that people have a lot to say.
Not to take away from the postings on your journals, but to add to the joy of my own celebrations is why I invite you to write for mine.
I want to read what your thoughts are about this magical time of the year. This invitation is open to everyone: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, Agnostics, Atheists and the Uncertain.
Tell me your thoughts on Chanukah, Christmas, Ashura, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, New Years Eve. or any subject you want or is associate with this holiday season.
There are no limits in regard to length. The only limitation is that, for reasons so far unexplained to me, my blog does not take photographs, animations, videos or pictures of any kind. I deal in words.
Please accept my invitation. Send your entry to my email address dbdacoba@aol.com I will copy and paste it into my journal and it will be displayed promptly. You may sign your name or not as you wish, and you may leave a link to your blog or your email or not, as you wish. I will do NO editing or censoring. Eloquence is not necessary, mind or heart or both is all.
All are welcome. Admission is free.
DB
***************************
Selwyn Champion
******************
Hello Ally
******************
In Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme" there is a short but poignant aria in the last act. Colline is going off to sell his overcoat to buy some medicine for his roommate's girl friend, Mimi. He sings a farewell to his coat which has been his friend for years, with philosophers and poets living in its pockets. That sad aria has always had a special place in my heart.
Thank heaven I never had to sell my overcoat but when I lived in New York City I never went out without a book in my pocket. Most of the time in was "Don Quixote" by Cervantes. Even though I had read the book through, it was a pleasure to dip into it again at odd moments, waiting for a subway, or sitting at a table having lunch.
Sometimes it was a different book, but it was always and old friend. People who knew me knew there was always a book in my pocket and would sometimes ask what it was. "What's in the pocket, D.?"
An important book must be read more than once, even more than twice sometimes. Each time, like an old friend, it reveals more of its secrets, its mysteries and its love.
Now I'm retired, live alone and rarely go out. But when I do there's Aristotle's "De Anima" in my pocket. Otherwise I'm surrounded by books. I've never counted them but there must be over a hundred. They've all been read or partially read. I am surrounded by friends, new and old.
I still have that "Don Quixote." It's just over there, under "The Dead Sea Scrolls."
Dana Bate - The Vagabond
(Never Give Up)
*********************
Here you go.
This is an invitation for anyone and everyone to post a entry of their own on my journal, Vagabond Journeys http://vagabondjourneys.blogspot.com/.
The end of the year holidays are soon upon us and since it is a time for celebrations, remembrances, resolutions and plans for the future I know that people have a lot to say.
Not to take away from the postings on your journals, but to add to the joy of my own celebrations is why I invite you to write for mine.
I want to read what your thoughts are about this magical time of the year. This invitation is open to everyone: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, Agnostics, Atheists and the Uncertain.
Tell me your thoughts on Chanukah, Christmas, Ashura, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, New Years Eve. or any subject you want or is associate with this holiday season.
There are no limits in regard to length. The only limitation is that, for reasons so far unexplained to me, my blog does not take photographs, animations, videos or pictures of any kind. I deal in words.
Please accept my invitation. Send your entry to my email address dbdacoba@aol.com I will copy and paste it into my journal and it will be displayed promptly. You may sign your name or not as you wish, and you may leave a link to your blog or your email or not, as you wish. I will do NO editing or censoring. Eloquence is not necessary, mind or heart or both is all.
All are welcome. Admission is free.
DB
***************************
Friday, November 25, 2011
Write That Book
Everything in the world exists to end up in a book.
Hosea Ballou
****************
Hello Stuart
****************
Now don't get me wrong. I like books. No, I love books. I own a lot of books on many subjects and I read from some of them everyday. I want to read them all and buy some more. I'm currently into authors such as Nietzsche, Dickens, Durrell, George Washington, Plato, Shakespeare and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What makes me wonder is how some books get published and how some don't. Dickens and Dostoyevski had trouble publishing their novels at first, but simple romance novels with no particular message will roll off the presses in surprising numbers.
And the world of non fiction is even stranger. People not only write but publish books that say things like "The Deployment of Mules During the Crimean War" or "How To Use the Torque Converter in Manufacturing Wheel Chairs" or "The Most Effective Use of Amber Gels in Footlights" and, Wham!, the book hits the shelves.
Here I've written two novels and a bunch of short stories, but none of them are in print. I'm thinking of writing a cook book called "Recipes From The Ghetto." It will probably sell like hot cakes (or cold cakes, in that case).
I recently donated a book to the local library on human and animal anatomy for the artist. I was almost embarrassed to give it to them, it's such a third rate book. However did it get published? I have other books on the same subject which are 10 times better than that one. And to think I actually paid money for it.
So if you want to be published write a book on the history of street lights in your town, or how to build a spinning wheel, or the evolution of the buggy whip, and you're sure to be published. Some agent will pick it up and sell it to a publisher and you'll all get rich.
A band leader once said that no matter what tune you play someone will come out to dance. I guess it's a question of where I play my tunes.
DB - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
********************
Hosea Ballou
****************
Hello Stuart
****************
Now don't get me wrong. I like books. No, I love books. I own a lot of books on many subjects and I read from some of them everyday. I want to read them all and buy some more. I'm currently into authors such as Nietzsche, Dickens, Durrell, George Washington, Plato, Shakespeare and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What makes me wonder is how some books get published and how some don't. Dickens and Dostoyevski had trouble publishing their novels at first, but simple romance novels with no particular message will roll off the presses in surprising numbers.
And the world of non fiction is even stranger. People not only write but publish books that say things like "The Deployment of Mules During the Crimean War" or "How To Use the Torque Converter in Manufacturing Wheel Chairs" or "The Most Effective Use of Amber Gels in Footlights" and, Wham!, the book hits the shelves.
Here I've written two novels and a bunch of short stories, but none of them are in print. I'm thinking of writing a cook book called "Recipes From The Ghetto." It will probably sell like hot cakes (or cold cakes, in that case).
I recently donated a book to the local library on human and animal anatomy for the artist. I was almost embarrassed to give it to them, it's such a third rate book. However did it get published? I have other books on the same subject which are 10 times better than that one. And to think I actually paid money for it.
So if you want to be published write a book on the history of street lights in your town, or how to build a spinning wheel, or the evolution of the buggy whip, and you're sure to be published. Some agent will pick it up and sell it to a publisher and you'll all get rich.
A band leader once said that no matter what tune you play someone will come out to dance. I guess it's a question of where I play my tunes.
DB - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
********************
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Bon Appetit
A house without books is like a room without windows.
Horace Mann
****************
On September 8 I wrote in this journal that I sometimes say I don't read books, I eat them. Even with bad eyesight, books are a great pleasure in my life. During my career I didn't do as much reading of books as I would have liked to because I spent so much time reading scripts, the same scripts over and over again. There was no time left for literature of the fiction, non fiction variety.
When I was a child, due to the poor and often squalid living quarters, there wasn't much of interest to see out the windows, so I was a reader. Someone gave me a book of poems by Robert Leuis Stevenson which I loved. I soon found he had written a novel called "Treasure Island" so I read that.
I made ample use of the local library. The librarian was a very nice spinster who, even into her 60's, rode her bicycle back and forth to work. When she saw that I enjoyed "Treasure Island" she recommended Jules Verne to me. So I read many of the Verne novels beginning with "Mysterious Island." They gave me a taste for science fiction and prophesy, as some of those novels have come true (submarines, rapid air travel and the moon landing).
During my career I worked part time, when I was available, recording books for the blind, under a grant from The Library Of Congress. I recorded over 25 books, mostly fiction, with some philosophy. Because it was for the Library everything had to be correct, mistakes were not allowed. As a result I read every book carefully, painstakingly, as much as I would read the script of a play I was going to perform, because recording the book was a performance.
Hence, now I treat every book with the same meticulous care, and instead of reading them, I eat them. Meaning I read, reread and return to the books I love and remember. Every time I return to a book the landscapes are different, the dynamics have shuffled and the characters have all grown up. To open a book leads me into a strange and unexpected universe where I am an invited guest into the author's imagination. It is a journey into and through small towns, city streets, deep forests, across shifting dunes and into outer space. I go in front and beckon, take the author's hand or walk behind and follow every footprint. I look where the author points and see things I never see. I hear the silent sounds and taste the fruit. I have hundreds of windows stacked up under my windows, waiting to be eaten.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
********************
SUMMER QUESTION
The end of Summer is fast approaching, people.
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
21 interesting answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
***********************
Horace Mann
****************
On September 8 I wrote in this journal that I sometimes say I don't read books, I eat them. Even with bad eyesight, books are a great pleasure in my life. During my career I didn't do as much reading of books as I would have liked to because I spent so much time reading scripts, the same scripts over and over again. There was no time left for literature of the fiction, non fiction variety.
When I was a child, due to the poor and often squalid living quarters, there wasn't much of interest to see out the windows, so I was a reader. Someone gave me a book of poems by Robert Leuis Stevenson which I loved. I soon found he had written a novel called "Treasure Island" so I read that.
I made ample use of the local library. The librarian was a very nice spinster who, even into her 60's, rode her bicycle back and forth to work. When she saw that I enjoyed "Treasure Island" she recommended Jules Verne to me. So I read many of the Verne novels beginning with "Mysterious Island." They gave me a taste for science fiction and prophesy, as some of those novels have come true (submarines, rapid air travel and the moon landing).
During my career I worked part time, when I was available, recording books for the blind, under a grant from The Library Of Congress. I recorded over 25 books, mostly fiction, with some philosophy. Because it was for the Library everything had to be correct, mistakes were not allowed. As a result I read every book carefully, painstakingly, as much as I would read the script of a play I was going to perform, because recording the book was a performance.
Hence, now I treat every book with the same meticulous care, and instead of reading them, I eat them. Meaning I read, reread and return to the books I love and remember. Every time I return to a book the landscapes are different, the dynamics have shuffled and the characters have all grown up. To open a book leads me into a strange and unexpected universe where I am an invited guest into the author's imagination. It is a journey into and through small towns, city streets, deep forests, across shifting dunes and into outer space. I go in front and beckon, take the author's hand or walk behind and follow every footprint. I look where the author points and see things I never see. I hear the silent sounds and taste the fruit. I have hundreds of windows stacked up under my windows, waiting to be eaten.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
********************
SUMMER QUESTION
The end of Summer is fast approaching, people.
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
21 interesting answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
***********************
Thursday, September 8, 2011
doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah
Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.
Maxwell Maltz
********************
I once said to a friend that I don't read books, I eat them. I can't remember the last time I read a book all the way through once that didn't deserve to be read even once. The books I read and love continue to provide me with layers of fascination. wonder and entertainment every time I go back to them.
In these days of Google, Wikipedia, Kindle and email will books ever die. I don't think so. A book is a beautiful thing, it looks great sitting on a shelf or the coffee table and feels very nice to hold in one's hand. But it doesn't mean a thing until you open it.
It takes courage to open a book, especially one you don't know. To open a book takes you into a foreign land, where there are people, events and ideas you may be discovering for the first time. What dangers, discoveries and challenges await you when you open a book and start to read? What is it about a book that it can fill your thoughts, occupy your mind and even change it?
I think it's the same with life. You wake up feeling okay, look at yourself in the mirror, brush your teeth, clean yourself up, get dressed, make yourself a cup of coffee and then what. Will it be an adventure or the same old hum drumity? Will you clean up the mess you made yesterday or will you leave it there? Will you deal with the problems looking you in the face or will you avoid them? Will you stick to your daily routine or will you try something new? Will you seek out the dangers lurking in the corners and face them down or will you hide? Will you be satisfied with your life the way it is or find ways to make it happier?
Life is the great experience that most of the time we take for granted. Life deserves to be lived to it's fullest and most joyous level of wonder, fascination and joy. It deserves to be taken by the covers and opened up. Otherwise what is life about? Or as Duke Ellington put it:
"It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing."
----------------------------------------------------
DB - of the true Vagabond Journeys
Never give up.
*********************
SUMMER QUESTION
The end of Summer is fast approaching, people.
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
21 interesting answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
************************
Maxwell Maltz
********************
I once said to a friend that I don't read books, I eat them. I can't remember the last time I read a book all the way through once that didn't deserve to be read even once. The books I read and love continue to provide me with layers of fascination. wonder and entertainment every time I go back to them.
In these days of Google, Wikipedia, Kindle and email will books ever die. I don't think so. A book is a beautiful thing, it looks great sitting on a shelf or the coffee table and feels very nice to hold in one's hand. But it doesn't mean a thing until you open it.
It takes courage to open a book, especially one you don't know. To open a book takes you into a foreign land, where there are people, events and ideas you may be discovering for the first time. What dangers, discoveries and challenges await you when you open a book and start to read? What is it about a book that it can fill your thoughts, occupy your mind and even change it?
I think it's the same with life. You wake up feeling okay, look at yourself in the mirror, brush your teeth, clean yourself up, get dressed, make yourself a cup of coffee and then what. Will it be an adventure or the same old hum drumity? Will you clean up the mess you made yesterday or will you leave it there? Will you deal with the problems looking you in the face or will you avoid them? Will you stick to your daily routine or will you try something new? Will you seek out the dangers lurking in the corners and face them down or will you hide? Will you be satisfied with your life the way it is or find ways to make it happier?
Life is the great experience that most of the time we take for granted. Life deserves to be lived to it's fullest and most joyous level of wonder, fascination and joy. It deserves to be taken by the covers and opened up. Otherwise what is life about? Or as Duke Ellington put it:
"It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing."
----------------------------------------------------
DB - of the true Vagabond Journeys
Never give up.
*********************
SUMMER QUESTION
The end of Summer is fast approaching, people.
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
21 interesting answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
************************
Friday, August 19, 2011
Liberty Up To A Point
Claiming for ourselves liberty of conscience, liberty to worship, we shall see to it that every other individual enjoys the same right.
James Larkin
*********************
Mine is the true religion. We have freedom of worship in this country so you can go on wearing your strange clothes and doing your silly rituals, even though God is not listening to you. And no, you are not welcome to build your "house of worship" or whatever you call it, in our community.
------------------------------------------
Hi, I'm Jack from the Neighborhood Association. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you're going to have to remove that American flag and the flag pole from your property. We have rules against such things.
----------------------------------------
He: "Excuse me but does this book store have any books on Judaica?"
She: "Yes. I think we have a few."
He: "Where would I find them?"
She: "In the occult section."
----------------------------------------
Buddy, you better remove that "Smith for Congress" sign or I'll remove it for you.
------------------------------------------
"He was safe. My son was safe. Why did you call him out? Change the call. No? Here's my fist in your face, maybe that will improve your eye sight.
-----------------------------------------
Folks, I have a list of authors and some books that are inappropriate and offensive. I have a court order to have them removed from the town library. Meanwhile my Co-Chair is checking through the school libraries and the local book stores. If anyone of you would like to read some of these awful publications to see what I'm objecting to, they will be in my office.
-----------------------------------------------------
This gay rights nonsense has gone too far. Those queers are everywhere. Now they even let them in the military, smearing the reputation of our good fighting men and women. Next thing you know they'll be wearing green berets. Won't that be cute. They are getting married to each other. What a laugh. Homosexuality is a sin. It goes against the Bible, the Constitution and everything America stands for. I wouldn't let my son near one of those faggots. As a Scout leader I can assure you absolutely, there is no homosexuality in the Boy Scouts.
---------------------------------------
We certainly don't want Smith representing us in the legislature. So I suggest a recount, and during it we can make some minor adjustment in the results so this voter mistake won't affect anything.
----------------------------------------------------
Why did you bother rechecking those figures? It doesn't matter if they're not 100% accurate. Send them through anyway. You're wasting the company's time.
-------------------------------
"The Doctor amputated that patients leg."
"What was wrong with the leg?"
"Nothing. They gave the Doc the wrong X-ray to look at."
-----------------------------------
Now children, before we start there will be no wearing of scarves in my class. Isaac take off the little beanie, and Maria put away the cross. OK class, now we can begin.
---------------------------------
No Miss, you are not going to that civil rights demonstration. I don't care about your politics or your feelings, no daughter of mine is going to be seen with a bunch of loud, dirty, ass pinching anarchists.
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
**********************
SUMMER QUESTION
Summer is moving along, people.
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
15 answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
************************
James Larkin
*********************
Mine is the true religion. We have freedom of worship in this country so you can go on wearing your strange clothes and doing your silly rituals, even though God is not listening to you. And no, you are not welcome to build your "house of worship" or whatever you call it, in our community.
------------------------------------------
Hi, I'm Jack from the Neighborhood Association. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you're going to have to remove that American flag and the flag pole from your property. We have rules against such things.
----------------------------------------
He: "Excuse me but does this book store have any books on Judaica?"
She: "Yes. I think we have a few."
He: "Where would I find them?"
She: "In the occult section."
----------------------------------------
Buddy, you better remove that "Smith for Congress" sign or I'll remove it for you.
------------------------------------------
"He was safe. My son was safe. Why did you call him out? Change the call. No? Here's my fist in your face, maybe that will improve your eye sight.
-----------------------------------------
Folks, I have a list of authors and some books that are inappropriate and offensive. I have a court order to have them removed from the town library. Meanwhile my Co-Chair is checking through the school libraries and the local book stores. If anyone of you would like to read some of these awful publications to see what I'm objecting to, they will be in my office.
-----------------------------------------------------
This gay rights nonsense has gone too far. Those queers are everywhere. Now they even let them in the military, smearing the reputation of our good fighting men and women. Next thing you know they'll be wearing green berets. Won't that be cute. They are getting married to each other. What a laugh. Homosexuality is a sin. It goes against the Bible, the Constitution and everything America stands for. I wouldn't let my son near one of those faggots. As a Scout leader I can assure you absolutely, there is no homosexuality in the Boy Scouts.
---------------------------------------
We certainly don't want Smith representing us in the legislature. So I suggest a recount, and during it we can make some minor adjustment in the results so this voter mistake won't affect anything.
----------------------------------------------------
Why did you bother rechecking those figures? It doesn't matter if they're not 100% accurate. Send them through anyway. You're wasting the company's time.
-------------------------------
"The Doctor amputated that patients leg."
"What was wrong with the leg?"
"Nothing. They gave the Doc the wrong X-ray to look at."
-----------------------------------
Now children, before we start there will be no wearing of scarves in my class. Isaac take off the little beanie, and Maria put away the cross. OK class, now we can begin.
---------------------------------
No Miss, you are not going to that civil rights demonstration. I don't care about your politics or your feelings, no daughter of mine is going to be seen with a bunch of loud, dirty, ass pinching anarchists.
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
**********************
SUMMER QUESTION
Summer is moving along, people.
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
15 answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
************************
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Under Cover
Angels and gods huddle in dark unopened books.
Charles Simic
*********************
Hello Aboisso Ivory Coast
***************************
I love books. I have an apartment full of books. They're piled up against all the walls in the other room. They're stacked under my desk, in and on the milk cartons next to my desk and there are a few on the table next to my computer. I have books on art, biography, history, philosophy, religion and science. I even have a few novels. I just ordered three more biographies.
But in spite of all this paper weighing down the floor and taking up space there are still many books I want.
The grandfather of all my books is, of course, my complete Shakespeare, which I have mentioned ad nauseam. I bought it brand new off the shelf at the Harvard Coop for $6.50. It was the first book I ever bought with my own money that wasn't a school textbook. It's almost as old as I am and is falling apart, like me. It has been with me through in and out, up and down, rain and shine, thick and thin.
These days it is more likely that people get their literature from a computer screen and I must admit that I do too, sometimes, but the truth is I would rather have my hands on a book than a mouse.
That there are angels and gods huddled in my books is undeniable. Every now and then when I go through the stacks looking for something I come across a book I had almost forgotten about, open it and am taken away into the visions of some other world. Those gods and angels are waiting for me. The writings found on your computer page are easily dispensable with a click, the books stay around to fill my life and my mind with ideas, facts and inspiration without any interference from any electronic orneriness.
As some wise person said, if you have some money, wear the old coat and buy a book.
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
***********************
SPRING QUESTION
(This is not a contest)
Come on. 11 diverse and interesting answers so far. Where's yours?
NASA has planned to send a two man mission on an 18 month trip to the planet Mars. It would take 6 months for the astronauts to get there and after 6 months of exploration another 6 months to return.
Should they do it and why, and if not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
******************
Charles Simic
*********************
Hello Aboisso Ivory Coast
***************************
I love books. I have an apartment full of books. They're piled up against all the walls in the other room. They're stacked under my desk, in and on the milk cartons next to my desk and there are a few on the table next to my computer. I have books on art, biography, history, philosophy, religion and science. I even have a few novels. I just ordered three more biographies.
But in spite of all this paper weighing down the floor and taking up space there are still many books I want.
The grandfather of all my books is, of course, my complete Shakespeare, which I have mentioned ad nauseam. I bought it brand new off the shelf at the Harvard Coop for $6.50. It was the first book I ever bought with my own money that wasn't a school textbook. It's almost as old as I am and is falling apart, like me. It has been with me through in and out, up and down, rain and shine, thick and thin.
These days it is more likely that people get their literature from a computer screen and I must admit that I do too, sometimes, but the truth is I would rather have my hands on a book than a mouse.
That there are angels and gods huddled in my books is undeniable. Every now and then when I go through the stacks looking for something I come across a book I had almost forgotten about, open it and am taken away into the visions of some other world. Those gods and angels are waiting for me. The writings found on your computer page are easily dispensable with a click, the books stay around to fill my life and my mind with ideas, facts and inspiration without any interference from any electronic orneriness.
As some wise person said, if you have some money, wear the old coat and buy a book.
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
***********************
SPRING QUESTION
(This is not a contest)
Come on. 11 diverse and interesting answers so far. Where's yours?
NASA has planned to send a two man mission on an 18 month trip to the planet Mars. It would take 6 months for the astronauts to get there and after 6 months of exploration another 6 months to return.
Should they do it and why, and if not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
******************
Friday, September 11, 2009
Xenophilic Xylograph 9/11/09
We are all still in elementary school.
DB - The Vagabond
****************
Come in and join the party.
____________________
I want to know everything there is to know. I read the newspaper because I want to know everything there is to know. I subscribe to a number of different magazines and journals because I want to know everything there is to know. I own a huge 2,230 page dictionary of the English language because I want to know everything there is to know. I have a large and varied collection of books about: early Scandinavian history, Medieval Spanish philosophy, horse racing, World War II Russian military tactics, the psychology of revolution, Civil War weaponry, stock market investing (as if I had any money), Roman Stoicism, Native American Tribal history, the rise of Nazism, Chinese mystical traditions, astrophysics, human anatomy, the Dead Sea scrolls, the journey of the Mayflower, contemporary gang warfare, biographies of several American Presidents, calculus and cooking, just to "scratch the surface" because I want to know everything. And what do I know? I know that if I lived for a thousand years I would still not know everything I want to know.
Unfortunately, or maybe not, the small family I grew up in was not intellectually curious. I tried in vain to get my mother to consider ideas that were outside of her tidy little mental box. She simply refused. What was worse is that if I was reading a book on Buddhism, let's say, someone would remark "Oh, I suppose you're becoming one of them now." I often felt I had to hide whatever I was reading under the mattress as if it was pornography.
During my career I became very frustrated with actors who were so involved with their own emotional lives they never took the time to do any research. I once did a public reading of a play in which the title of a Wagnerian opera was mentioned several times. The other members of the cast called it "Tanhowser" instead of "Tahnhoyzer" which is as near correct as English speakers are going to get it. Ironically, I was the only actor in the play who didn't have the word in my script. I tried to give them the right pronunciation but no one believed me.
Einstein once said that he wasn't all that smart but he was just very curious. Well, I beg to differ, Al. If it was just curiosity that made a genius I would be there with the Nobel Prize around my neck.
Some people dive down and scoop up what's in the ocean, some go digging in the desert, some go peering through telescopes. I never had the luxury to do any of those things. So, instead, I go poking my nose into books. It's about discovery, expansion, realization, improvement, satisfaction. I want to know something today that I didn't know yesterday. To know it, not to say I know it.
I admire people who can make a garden flourish, who are masters of a musical instrument or who can figure out the income tax. I respect people who know things I don't know and if they write a book about it I'll read the book and enjoy it.
Some people still scorn my curiosity. They think I'm being presumptuous, or playing trivia games, or something. If a fact fascinates me then it's a fascinating fact and I don't care what someone on a mental chain gang has to say about it.
Every bit of knowledge, understanding and wisdom you have is yours. You own it and it's a valuable possession. Stock up, I say.
DB - The Vagabond
*******************
May you always be blessed with amiable companions.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
SUMMER QUIZ
This is not a contest.
A young man out west just took home 88 million dollars from the lottery.
Whether you play the lottery or not, if you suddenly had 88 million dollars, or the equivalent of whatever your currency is, what are the first three things you would do with it?
You have all summer to answer if you wish.
21 responses so far.
DB
DB - The Vagabond
****************
Come in and join the party.
____________________
I want to know everything there is to know. I read the newspaper because I want to know everything there is to know. I subscribe to a number of different magazines and journals because I want to know everything there is to know. I own a huge 2,230 page dictionary of the English language because I want to know everything there is to know. I have a large and varied collection of books about: early Scandinavian history, Medieval Spanish philosophy, horse racing, World War II Russian military tactics, the psychology of revolution, Civil War weaponry, stock market investing (as if I had any money), Roman Stoicism, Native American Tribal history, the rise of Nazism, Chinese mystical traditions, astrophysics, human anatomy, the Dead Sea scrolls, the journey of the Mayflower, contemporary gang warfare, biographies of several American Presidents, calculus and cooking, just to "scratch the surface" because I want to know everything. And what do I know? I know that if I lived for a thousand years I would still not know everything I want to know.
Unfortunately, or maybe not, the small family I grew up in was not intellectually curious. I tried in vain to get my mother to consider ideas that were outside of her tidy little mental box. She simply refused. What was worse is that if I was reading a book on Buddhism, let's say, someone would remark "Oh, I suppose you're becoming one of them now." I often felt I had to hide whatever I was reading under the mattress as if it was pornography.
During my career I became very frustrated with actors who were so involved with their own emotional lives they never took the time to do any research. I once did a public reading of a play in which the title of a Wagnerian opera was mentioned several times. The other members of the cast called it "Tanhowser" instead of "Tahnhoyzer" which is as near correct as English speakers are going to get it. Ironically, I was the only actor in the play who didn't have the word in my script. I tried to give them the right pronunciation but no one believed me.
Einstein once said that he wasn't all that smart but he was just very curious. Well, I beg to differ, Al. If it was just curiosity that made a genius I would be there with the Nobel Prize around my neck.
Some people dive down and scoop up what's in the ocean, some go digging in the desert, some go peering through telescopes. I never had the luxury to do any of those things. So, instead, I go poking my nose into books. It's about discovery, expansion, realization, improvement, satisfaction. I want to know something today that I didn't know yesterday. To know it, not to say I know it.
I admire people who can make a garden flourish, who are masters of a musical instrument or who can figure out the income tax. I respect people who know things I don't know and if they write a book about it I'll read the book and enjoy it.
Some people still scorn my curiosity. They think I'm being presumptuous, or playing trivia games, or something. If a fact fascinates me then it's a fascinating fact and I don't care what someone on a mental chain gang has to say about it.
Every bit of knowledge, understanding and wisdom you have is yours. You own it and it's a valuable possession. Stock up, I say.
DB - The Vagabond
*******************
May you always be blessed with amiable companions.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
SUMMER QUIZ
This is not a contest.
A young man out west just took home 88 million dollars from the lottery.
Whether you play the lottery or not, if you suddenly had 88 million dollars, or the equivalent of whatever your currency is, what are the first three things you would do with it?
You have all summer to answer if you wish.
21 responses so far.
DB
Monday, February 23, 2009
Precise Purpose 2/23/09
Wear the old coat and buy the new book.
Austin Phelps
********************************
Welcome back.
-----------------------------------------
In Puccini's opera La Boheme, Colline decides to sell his overcoat to buy medicine in a futile attempt to help prolong the life of his roommate's girl friend. Even though it's an old coat it's deep pockets have held for him the best of poetry and philosophy. He loves that coat. Before he goes off with it, he sings a farewell to it "Addio, addio." It's a very poignant moment.
I used to sing that aria. (No, I used to pretend to sing it.)
One of the minor fears I've always had during my life, is that I would find myself stuck somewhere without something interesting to read. When I worked as a broadcaster in New York my reading schedule was brief and irregular at best. Being a radio announcer is busy and often difficult work and don't let anybody tell you differently. I always had a copy of the New York Times with me. Tucked in amongst the chit chat about the latest crime or political scandal, the war stories, the fashion and entertainment news, the weather information, the stock market quotes and the ball scores, there were stories written by people who had ideas to express. They may be new ideas, old ideas in a new articulation or forgotten ideas recovered and brought to print.
Margaret Thatcher once said that whereas England was formed from history, America was formed by philosophy.
Wherever I went I always had a book in my pocket. My friends knew that. I remember one evening sitting in DJ Moran's on 57th Street in Manhattan having a beer. Three guys came in. I knew one of them. He said "Hey D. What's in the pocket?" I said "Cervantes." The other two guys laughed until I took out my copy of Don Quixote and put it on the bar. They were not very impressed. So what? I didn't carry the book to impress people. I had it to read.
The world is made of ideas. Primarily and ceaselessly of ideas. There is no question about that. So whether you buy the overcoat or not, buy the book. And read it.
DB The Vagabond
--------------------------------
Time to put another stone down on that path you're building to your dream.
Austin Phelps
********************************
Welcome back.
-----------------------------------------
In Puccini's opera La Boheme, Colline decides to sell his overcoat to buy medicine in a futile attempt to help prolong the life of his roommate's girl friend. Even though it's an old coat it's deep pockets have held for him the best of poetry and philosophy. He loves that coat. Before he goes off with it, he sings a farewell to it "Addio, addio." It's a very poignant moment.
I used to sing that aria. (No, I used to pretend to sing it.)
One of the minor fears I've always had during my life, is that I would find myself stuck somewhere without something interesting to read. When I worked as a broadcaster in New York my reading schedule was brief and irregular at best. Being a radio announcer is busy and often difficult work and don't let anybody tell you differently. I always had a copy of the New York Times with me. Tucked in amongst the chit chat about the latest crime or political scandal, the war stories, the fashion and entertainment news, the weather information, the stock market quotes and the ball scores, there were stories written by people who had ideas to express. They may be new ideas, old ideas in a new articulation or forgotten ideas recovered and brought to print.
Margaret Thatcher once said that whereas England was formed from history, America was formed by philosophy.
Wherever I went I always had a book in my pocket. My friends knew that. I remember one evening sitting in DJ Moran's on 57th Street in Manhattan having a beer. Three guys came in. I knew one of them. He said "Hey D. What's in the pocket?" I said "Cervantes." The other two guys laughed until I took out my copy of Don Quixote and put it on the bar. They were not very impressed. So what? I didn't carry the book to impress people. I had it to read.
The world is made of ideas. Primarily and ceaselessly of ideas. There is no question about that. So whether you buy the overcoat or not, buy the book. And read it.
DB The Vagabond
--------------------------------
Time to put another stone down on that path you're building to your dream.
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