It is not very comfortable to have the gift of being amused at one's own absurdity.
-W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage
Somewhat to my surprise I find that I've been ringing my family and friends in Europe more often than ever ... I kind of miss the old country and its absurdities ... Past seems to occupy a towering presence. Well, towering anyway ... It is a human tendency to universalise the present moment, to assume things were always thus. Central European culture is not immune from this tendency. The present moment is distinctive for its short memories as many extreme elements on the left and the right seem to be getting their way in politics. Still back at my old country, there are many useful things one can make with grains. Bread, biscuits, cakes, however the one true purpose that God intended it for is beer.
Speaking of beer, my brother-in-law Frantisek Pechacek who loves his liquid bread in Prague informs me that River Labe is making a habit of flooding my sister Lidka’s garden as they live on the bank of the River:
The way the water breaks
at this point down
slightly, barely
an arc,
joining two rivers in flow,
the current jumping into
small waves, like hands
pushing the motion along,
frothing fingers to life.
Almost indistinguishable as
smooth lines plummet into thischaos,
a thousand white disembodied
swimmers, pulsing together
before rejoining the inevitable
sprawl of river. If not for this tiny
dam, would there be too much
energy?
There, you see the watermarks
from rising tides, along the abutments,
guarding the few houses.
Here, everything is river.
See how the trees bend their
branches almost so low you'd
think their roots desired
communion with perpetual movement,
hands flapping, creation into warm white life,
before pouring into the black of
the cold river.
The Way the Water Breaks
Art of Living & Literature Across Frontiers: The Happier the Memory, the Deeper it Hurts
It breaks your heart to see the one you love is happy with someone else... but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you. Once you have loved, you will always love. For what's in your mind may escape but what's in your heart will remain forever.
Lucky is the man who is the first love of a woman but luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man. When two friends fall in love they learn they are meant for each other. When they fall out of love they realize they want to keep each other forever.
True LOVE doesn't have a happy ending, that's because true love doesn't have an ending. Men vs. women: Men would rather sacrifice love to conquer the world. Women would rather give up the world just to be with someone worth the sacrifice. 5 Secrets to Staying In Love in 21st Century
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.
- Albert Einstein
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• · From Psychology Today, an article on the hidden side of happiness: Hurricanes, house fires, cancer white-water rafting accidents, plan crashes, vicious attacks in dark alleyways Nobody asks for any of it. But to thei surprise, many people find that endurin such a harrowing ordeal ultimately change them for the better. Their refrain might g something like this: I wish it hadn' happened, but I'm a better person for it ; The Instigation to Suicide Fatal Attachments; Memorable events at the Books of Russia fair included a speech by Vladimir Zhirinovsky and the awarding of the Abzatz anti-prize for the worst book published in Russia Worst Russian books ?
• · · It sounds goofy, but Bertelsmann CEO Gunther Thielen tells Reuters his latest scheme to keep the company's vast network of book clubs relevant in the electronic age is to try and turn them into MySpace for the older generation. "People are getting older ... and older people are getting lonelier and they will need communities where they can share their interests Nothing but Net ; I don’t know about you but I remember all the wonderful hours I spent in the library when I was a kid. Thank A Librarian This Week ; To me a library is an Aladdin's Cave of entertainment and knowledge Do you love libraries?
• · · · Cultures Merging: Economists agree about many things--contrary to popular opinion--but the majority agree about culture only in the sense that they no longer give it much thought A Historical and Economic Critique of Culture ; If Not Now When? It’s Time to Stop Neglecting Heterosexism
• · · · · You can help Massimo Pigliucci write a book on The Meaning of Life, Seriously by commenting on his blog Aristotle: Practice makes virtue ; The shallow bravado of the new book Manliness by Harvey Mansfield cannot cover the fact that the dominant construction of masculinity in U.S. culture (rooted in aggression and a quest for power over others) The pursuit of manliness harms men - and women as well ; As every company knows, employees are its greatest resource: HBS Working Knowledge of getting more ideas on the table Do I Dare Say Something?
• · · · · · Pamuk has told friends that he is caught between two poles. On the one hand, it his duty to write. On the other, he believes that authors must engage with the society around them. Don't bother asking for it in bookshops - the hottest book in the world probably doesn't even exist. Pamuk in the vanguard ; There's fun to be had between the flags in the choppy seas of sexuality: He dries unmanly tears for what's not found in flesh, or anywhere. He lies beside his love, and still alone: mismatched expectations Men and women plot their way with bitter bravado ; We just don't know whether people looking for long-term compatibility are better off with someone like themselves or someone very different Dating's litmus test of love
