Tag Archives: man

25-APR

Lifetime

Shroud Of Turin <- YouTube

In a dark sea of centuries wherein nothing seemed to flow, a lifetime was only a brief eddy, even for the man who lived it. There was a tedium of repeated days and repeated seasons; then there were aches and pains, and finally Extreme Unction.

And a moment of blackness at the end – or at the beginning, rather.

For then the small shivering soul who had endured the tedium, endured it badly or well, would find itself in a place of light, find itself absorbed in the burning gaze of infinitely compassionate eyes as it stood before the Just One. It would be hard to believe differently.

A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959) by Walter Miller

23-APR

Gaskin

Rodeo Bronco

The gaskin is the part of the horse between the stifle and the hock.

So, now you know.

Update April 16, 2023: Things are looking up because the Lidocaine Patch relieved my back muscle pain from the bicycle accident of April 3rd , 2023, enough to allow me to finally get a good night’s sleep.

And life is beautiful, because nature can be beautiful no matter the fearsome forces at play.

17-APR

Synonyms

Thought: concept, cogitation, consideration, deliberation, estimation, idea, imagination, reflection, consideration, speculation, supposition.

Think: ponder; muse; cogitate, deliberate, esteem, imagine, reason, reflect, seriously consider; speculate, suppose.

14-MAR

SpaceX

Falcon 9 (MAR 04 UTC) Crew-8
  • Psychological safety is the enemy of urgency, progress, orbital velocity.
  • Musk’s preferred buzzword is hardcore.
  • Discomfort is a good thing, a weapon against the scourge of complacency.
  • Vacations, work-life balance, days of mental rest, are not his thing. Let that sink in.

No other natural substance has such a complex aroma associated with so many contradictory descriptions; however, it is usually described abstractly as animalistic, earthy and woody or something akin to the odor of baby’s skin.

wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk

12-CENT

Science

“Ignorance has been our king. Since the death of empire, he sits unchallenged on the throne of Man. His dynasty is age-old. His right to rule is now considered legitimate. Past sages have affirmed it. They did nothing to unseat him.

“Tomorrow, a new prince shall rule. Men of understanding, men of science shall stand behind his throne, and the universe will come to know his might. His name is Truth. His empire shall encompass the Earth. And the mastery of Man over the Earth shall be renewed. A century from now, men will fly through the air in mechanical birds. Metal carriages will race along roads of man-made stone. There will be buildings of thirty stories, ships that go under the sea, machines to perform all works.

“And how will this come to pass?”

He paused and lowered his voice. “In the same way all change comes to pass, I fear. And I am sorry it is so. It will come to pass by violence and upheaval, by flame and by fury, for no change comes calmly over the world.”

A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (1959)

23-BARF

Freshness

At the time I now write of, Father Mapple was in the hardy winter of a healthy old age; that sort of old age which seems merging into a second flowering youth, for among all the fissures of his wrinkles, there shone certain mild gleams of a newly developing bloom–the spring verdure peeping forth even beneath February’s snow.

Moby Dick, the White Whale by Herman Melville

21-JECT

Houyhnhnm

Language Expressed Passions
Two horses intrigued by a human.
J. J. Grandville 1803-1847

I could frequently distinguish the word YAHOO, which was repeated by each of them several times: and although it was impossible for me to conjecture what it meant, yet while the two horses were busy in conversation, I endeavoured to practise this word upon my tongue;

and as soon as they were silent, I boldly pronounced YAHOO in a loud voice, imitating at the same time, as near as I could, the neighing of a horse;

at which they were both visibly surprised; and the gray repeated the same word twice, as if he meant to teach me the right accent;

wherein I spoke after him as well as I could, and found myself perceivably to improve every time, though very far from any degree of perfection.

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

25-DENT

A man can’t cross a hundred thousand light years, mostly in other people’s baggage compartments, without beginning to fray a little, and Arthur had frayed a lot.

Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams