Thought for the day
by chuckofish
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”
–C.S. Lewis
“Angel of the Lilies” by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst
dual personalities
February 10, 2015
February 9, 2015
When the storm of life is raging / Stand by me
by chuckofish
How was your weekend? We enjoyed a glorious mid-winter weather break this weekend with record-breaking temperatures in the low 70s. Wow. After church the OM and I headed down to Ted Drewes only to find it closed with a sign saying it would be open by Valentine’s Day! Why? I have no idea. Confused and let down, we drove back to our flyover town and settled for Andy’s frozen custard, which was good, but just not the same.
Otherwise the weekend was pleasant enough. I did some more work on the basement re-organization project and went to lunch with some girlfriends. Again, we were thwarted in our plans, due to our chosen restaurant being too busy. Everyone and his brother was out and about this weekend!
Since I had finally gotten the DVD back from the boy, I watched Road to Perdition (2002) and enjoyed it a lot.
I was quite struck by the cinematography, so I looked up the cinematographer, Conrad Hall who, it turns out, won his third Oscar for this movie. I found out that he was the son of James Norman Hall, who along with Charles Nordhoff was the author of Mutiny on the Bounty. He was born in Tahiti and studied filmmaking at USC. Nominated ten times, he won Oscars for American Beauty (2000) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1970) and the aforementioned Road to Perdition, his last film. He was nominated for one of my favorites, The Professionals (1966), but not for another favorite, Cool Hand Luke (1967). Indeed, he was a great cinematographer.
The beautiful musical score is by Thomas Newman, who is the son of the great Alfred Newman (How the West Was Won and many others) and the cousin of Randy Newman. Thomas has been nominated twelve times for an Oscar, but has never won. He composed the music to Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and Oscar and Lucinda (1997) among many others.
Considering that The Road to Perdition is a movie about Irish-American mobsters, there is not an overabundance of violence. (But it is directed by Sam Mendes and not Martin Scorcese.) Bad things happen, terrible things, but first and foremost it is a very low-key film about fathers and sons. Tom Hanks plays the anti-hero who is so screwed up by his upbringing that he cannot escape perdition, but he does the best he can to save his son.
Daughter #1 sent me the link to Bob Dylan’s speech accepting the MusiCares Person of the Year Award. Read the whole thing, because it is quite the speech. Bob is just the Best.
I can not tell you how much I love it that he quotes the old hymn “Stand By Me” in front of all those unbelievers! Testify. When I do the best I can / And my friends don’t understand / Thou who knowest all about me / Stand by me.
The Old Testament reading on Sunday was the wonderful passage from Isaiah 40:21-31:
21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
So do not faint and grow weary, Kiddos. All will be well. Have a good Monday.
February 7, 2015
Here in this little bay
by chuckofish
Taking a cue from my dual personality, I spent some time yesterday sorting through papers, photos, and children’s art. Like her, I found some doozies, some of which I will share later (I give you fair warning, boys and girls). One of the things I found was this poem that son #2 wrote in 5th or 6th grade and which got published in our local paper:
I’m not sure what prompted his style, but we all liked it a lot. Anyway, this put me in mind of a couples weeks we spent in New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy when Chris was roughly the same age as when he wrote the poem. The Bay of Fundy is famous for its dramatic tides. This is the view upriver from our cottage at high tide
and the same again at low tide
Sometimes the fog rolled in and covered everything in mystery.
That didn’t stop the boys, though. They became intrepid explorers. As I recall, they found Atlantis.
And, of course, they got cold (really cold) and wet.
We loved it there and vowed to go back again as soon as we could.
Alas, life swept us along to other destinations and we never did go back. Maybe some day…
In the meantime, I leave you with a thought from Coventry Patmore,
Here, in this little Bay,
Full of tumultuous life and great repose,
Where, twice a day,
The purposeless, glad ocean comes and goes.
As my dual personality has shown with characteristic wit and charm, it’s good to take time to remember and reflect on past adventures (I’m saving the wit and charm for a future post, so tune in next week). [Please note: I’m not sure why the font got small all of a sudden, but I can’t seem to change it]
February 6, 2015
“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.”*
by chuckofish
As Valentine’s Day approaches, I thought I would share some Valentines from days of yore–specifically some I received in 1975 when I was a freshman in college.
You can guess who sent me this one. Isn’t Holly Hobbie great?
Here’s one from my aunt. So seventies.
And here’s one I got from my pseudo-love Chucko who went to Cornell. Funnily enough, the postmark was from a women’s college in Norton, MA.
There is even a naughty poem by John Donne transcribed inside!
I found these cards while going through a box of my mail from freshman year. This chore has been a hoot and a half–especially reading the letters from my sister (and dual personality)–alias soror idiocritus–who was a high school sophomore at the time.
The letters from my DP frequently arrived in an envelope like this.
The return address was always from “Pierre Dumaine’s #1 fan” or “Lumpy Rutherford’s #1 fan” or “Cool Hand Luke’s #1 fan”–or “Old Faithful” or “Guess Who?”
I was kept up to date in minute detail concerning every J.V. hockey game she started in, school gossip, her social life (much fuller than mine), and how her classes were going (badly per usual).
Yes, I am alive. I haven’t broken my hand or even lost my eyesight. No, you’re right those aren’t good excuses–but I do have a good one. I’ve had a nervous breakdown. Ruth [her math teacher] sent me to it. It was the last straw when she made me get up and be a point on a line–I was -A (that’s negative A). Actually, I probably could have stood that, but when she put her arm around me and breathed on me…I thought I would faint!…I’m not going to be able to stand a whole year of her!
As it turned out, it was the teacher who did not make it through the year. The replacement, according to my sister, was even worse. But then, according to her, all her teachers were pretty terrible and all had a very low opinion of her and were always accusing her of never working.
(I’m sure they were all shocked when she got into Smith College and then got a a PhD from Yale. Are nine out of ten high school teachers always clueless?)
Well, these distant days are indeed gone with the wind. But it is fun to visit them via letter and look back, isn’t it? I am reminded of many things that I had totally forgotten. It is also a fascinating window into the world at home and all the Life that went on without me. It did, really.
In conclusion: “You’re all wool and a yard wide!”
Have a great weekend. Find something to laugh about.
*Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
February 5, 2015
Give the devil his due*
by chuckofish
Have you ever heard of this clapper bridge, Tarr Steps, over the River Barle in Exmoor? I first came upon it here. (There are many more good pictures, so check it out.)
This is so cool! I mean the bridge may date to around 1000 BC! (Its age is unknown–several theories claim that Tarr Steps dates from the Bronze Age, but others date it from around 1400 AD.) A clapper bridge, you will recall, is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of Devon (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom.
The stone slabs weigh up to 1-2 tons apiece. How were they moved? According to local legend, they were placed by the devil to win a bet. The bridge is 180 feet (55 m) long and has 17 spans. Half of this bridge was washed away by the river during heavy rains in December 2012. Thankfully the bridge has now been re-assembled.
The aforementioned myth has it that the Devil built the bridge at Tarr Steps and still has sunbathing rights on its stones. Supposedly the devil swore he would kill anyone who tried to cross his bridge. The terrified locals got the parson to face him. A cat was sent over the Bridge but was vaporised in a puff of smoke. The parson then set off and met the Devil midway. The Devil swore and intimidated him but the parson reciprocated equally and finally the Devil conceded to let people pass except when he wants to sunbathe.
These photos were taken in 1953 by John Gay. You can see more here.
I’ve no doubt that my dual personality has probably been to Tarr Steps, but this provincial girl has not. If I ever get back to merry old England, I will definitely try to check out Exmoor’s National Park!
Wonderful.
*English proverb
February 4, 2015
Way Back Wednesday: we are but flowers
by chuckofish
Little Mary in Worcester, MA, circa 1931
These are thy wonders, Lord of love,
To make us see we are but flowers that glide;
Which when we once can find and prove,
Thou hast a garden for us where to bide;
Who would be more,
Swelling through store,
Forfeit their Paradise by their pride.
–George Herbert, from “The Flower”
February 3, 2015
“O hear us when we cry to thee For those in peril on the sea”*
by chuckofish
Today is the annual “Four Chaplains Day,” established by an act of Congress in 1988. It is also observed as a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church.
Four Chaplains Panel–Sacrifice for Freedom Window, Washington National Cathedral
Who, pray tell, were the The Four Chaplains you ask? Sometimes referred to as the “Immortal Chaplains” or the “Dorchester Chaplains,” they were four U.S. army chaplains during WWII who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel as the troop ship USAT Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943, having been torpedoed by a German U-boat. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out. The chaplains joined arms, said prayers and sang hymns as they went down with the ship.
The Four were Lt. George Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander Goode, a Jewish rabbi; Lt. John Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; and Lt. Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister. Although their backgrounds, personalities and faiths were different, it should be noted that Goode, Poling and Washington had all served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.
They died for God and Country and we salute them. You can read more about them here.
Holy God, who didst inspire the Dorchester chaplains to be models of steadfast sacrificial love in a tragic and terrifying time: Help us to follow their example, that their courageous ministry may inspire chaplains and all who serve, to recognize thy presence in the midst of peril; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
*William Whiting
February 2, 2015
“You will call your walls, Salvation, and all our portals, Praise”*
by chuckofish
Well, another weekend is over. This one was filled with sifting through old, dusty boxes of papers and correspondence. I made a lot of progress! And the OM made guacamole!
Among other things, I found piles of my father’s old book reviews.
He wrote them for the Boston Sunday Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Post Dispatch, and various smaller papers through the years. He had a column for awhile called “Bookshelf Browsing,” which was an easy-going, chatty review of new books as they appeared in the mid-1950s. We learn that he preferred Hemingway to Fitzgerald, liked John Buchan and General MacArthur and making sweeping statements like,
It is a rare thing these days to find a novel that is full of wit, humor and whimsy at the same time, and to have all three written by an author who does not belabor them.
He goes on to pronounce The Honor of Gaston Le Torch by Jacques Peret,
A delightful book that might be made into a wonderful film, if Hollywood could, for once, be sane…
Does he sound familiar?
I think our pater would have really liked writing a blog–perhaps one with the catchy title: Bookshelf Browsing. In fact, I’m sure he would have become obsessed with the internet had it been available to him. He certainly would have loved email–all his correspondence with his collector friends all over the world would have been much easier and faster!
However, I’m pretty sure he would have hated everything else about the 21st century.
Have a good Monday!
*from the Sunday Canticle
January 31, 2015
Meet Maureen
by chuckofish
Our new (2012) Honda Fit
It seemed appropriate to name her after another feisty redhead.
What with my dual personality’s recent purchase, and the fact that our brother also bought a new car today (what a coincidence!), can you imagine what it would be like if we got together?
We might be fast and furious,
Fast and Furious
out for revenge (and money)
or rebels in search of a cause (even at our age).
In any case, we’ll have appropriately cool rides when we go “out for a rip” (as the Canadians say).
Have a great weekend!
January 30, 2015
WWDD
by chuckofish
How is it that I missed this wonderfulness?
And this:
Do you have big plans for the weekend? My only scheduled event is an annual church dinner which raises money for the youth mission trip in June. It is billed as “The Elegant Italian Dinner,” but it is anything but that.
Last year’s big event
They hang twinkly Christmas lights around Albright Hall, turn the lights down very low and serve lasagna. The youth group members wear bow ties and are the waiters. The cool dads serve as the bartenders. (This is an Episcopal Church–there is always a bar.) You get the picture. But it is always fun and the OM even goes.
I’m sure Dolly would too.
Besides this special event, I will be forging on with the basement clean-up. The OM cleaned off his workbench last weekend. Onward and upward.
Friday Movie Pick: Last night TCM featured movies starring Rod Taylor who died earlier this month.
They showed The Time Machine (1960), The Birds (1963), The Glass-Bottomed Boat (1966) with Doris Day, and a few other movies of his. My favorite Rod Taylor movie is, of course, the original 101 Dalmations (1961).
Rod Taylor was the voice of Pongo! I loved that movie! My friends and I in kindergarten “played” it during recess for a long time. Everyone wanted to be Pongo. I would watch it tonight, but I only have a VHS copy!
Oh well. I have a solution. Rod, who was good friends with John Wayne, made one movie with him: The Train Robbers (1973).
Rod is the one in the red kerchief.
It isn’t a particularly great movie, but it works for me! (And, yes, I have it.)
Have a great weekend, y’all!
