I would like to note that this is the first time I have ever seen counterpuntal used in a sentence. OK, full disclosure, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen this word. I looked it up, but still not entirely sure I understand it’s meaning. Thanks for always challenging me!
🙂

Have you managed to find Herman Tennessen’s article “Happiness is for the pigs”? Herman was a friend and mentor to me as a graduate student in philosophy at the Univ. of Alberta & I lost my copy.

Jazz, yes, but don’t forget baseball! And when it comes to literature, our country produced the new genre of the short story. It took Europeans to develop it, but most attribute its birth to our side of the Atlantic. Ah, the beginning of the shrinking attention span! But, still, there’s a lot to praise about short stories. I think to restore my patriotism after dismal elections, I go read one now.

I don’t think the USA can claim to originate the short story. I’ve never heard that before and a quick look shows that the genre originates in the gothic tales published in the UK in the late 18th century. Before that of course there was Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Boccacio’s Decameron. But I hope your patriotism is healing. Heh.

Wow – “Grey hair and silver linings” was really good. What a gentle, compassionate view of the passing of years – not only things lost and chances gone, but the opportunity to see ourselves and our world with more patience and perspective. I’ll be passing it on to a few friends!

I also liked what one of the online commenters said: “The world doesn’t care if you’re happy or not. Just get your work done.”

Here is a little reality for you…..
Ever have one of those mornings…..where you wake up a bit late because your cell phone was on silent/vibrate, you go to take a shower and step in cat shit, luckily you have your flip flops on but still get some on you toe, the water is out so you have to wipe your toe and flip flop off with bleach and toilet paper, you have to dry shave and brush your teeth with bottled water which is Corona tap water cold from a reused bottle with a bit of cat hair in it. You continuously sneeze because of allergies all the while and it’s colder than usual out and have to walk a mile to the bus stop which you just barely make the bus after running up and down 3 flights of stairs to get over the train tracks so you start to sweat and you get on the bus and the crazy guy who talks to himself is present and you have to sit near him and he is nervous so is getting louder and louder with “PLEASE STOP CALLING ME SIR!” And you have to prepare to be in front of a bunch of teenagers and parents at a conference you don’t really want to be at and missing the Thanksgiving Day potluck at your work where you know the day will be kick back…..
But….you are grateful to be alive and for what God has given you. Only as much as He thinks you can handle….ever have one of those mornings?
=^|

Is it possible to have an exaggerated sense of significance, while at the same time having an exaggerated sense of insignificance? Cause maybe THAT’S what you’ve got…

Very good. One of the things I have figured out about my own personality is that is one of struggle. I own the struggle. In fact, it’s who I am in many ways. I have a need to examine ideas and situations from many perspectives. This inevitably leads to cognitive dissonance and holding more than one conflicting idea in my head at once. “Living in the future is a lot like having bees in your head.” Firesign Theater

Bizarre. I’ve never understood their reasoning behind going to some folks weddings and not others. And really baffled when Grandma came to ours, but Grandpa didn’t. I’m sure they were making some sort of statement, but I never really understood what the message was supposed to be. Perhaps I’m not meant to know. They have helped me to take things less personally all the way around. When I feel slighted by someone, I’ll often pause and think – maybe it’s them and not me? Maybe.

Hi Dad!

Those organ pics are kind of spooky. And WHAAAT is the first one supposed to be?
Actually, they all kind of weird me out.

I forgot to comment on this one, but thanks for the video of Bill Murray’s speech! “It just doesn’t matter!” <3

My Spiritual Director recommended the Wyman book to me a few months ago. I started it but haven’t completed it. There are some very lovely turns of phrases in it highlighting Wyman’s background in poetry. Because he is talking theology but has no real training in the field, I find him sometimes hard to follow. I sort of have to translate what he’s saying into my own theological framework. But I have enjoyed what I’ve read of it.

See you next week!

How bout that? David Brooks quoted enough to interest me. Looking forward to seeing the fam…

Dear Steve

I am sorry that you feel that no one is looking at your website; I have certainly had a good, and interested, look this afternoon. Although I regularly search for liturgical music, particularly psalm settings, this is the first time I have gone into enough pages of search results to come across your site. There are more than a couple of pieces here that I can see being useful this year, and I will, of course, let you know when I do use them. I hope you are enjoying the fourth day of Christmas, and wish you a happy new year.

Helen Duggan

I’ve been slowly working my way through the rolling stones list (backwards). I was not very impressed with most of them so far 😛 Perhaps you have not seen Jim Carrey’s Saturday Night Live version of the Chandelier dance yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAtaEKrTEE4

love you!

x

California Jenkins saw it (into the woods) and all liked it. My favorite part was when the two Princes were singing together. That was funny. And BTW, Pall Blart Mall Cop rules!
David

You are welcome! It’s a little meandering, but all in all, I liked it quite a bit and thought you might too.
By the way, I’ve been reading through a bunch of those essays on the best of Paris Review site you linked (sitting at home with the kids for days and all…), and there are some really great ones on there!
The stolen snare drum ranked up there for me, though I also enjoyed the one about the Berlin Wall, skateboarding and writing, and the interview of the obit writer for the NYT, to name a few.
Hope you can stay home and read today!

I wasn’t talking about you, silly.
I have a feeling this is more prevalent here in the uk… Along with general classism and blatant shallow judgemental crap. I don’t remember feeling it quite so strongly in america.