LOTR & Johnny Cash

This is great!

Poetry Wednesday

It was supposed to be Tuesday but I've decided to make Wednesday poetry day. Today's poem is by Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the US.


Man in Space

All you have to do is listen to the way a man

sometimes talks to his wife at a table of people

and notice how intent he is on making his point

even though her lower lip is beginning to quiver,

and you will know why the women in science

fiction movies who inhabit a planet of their own

are not pictured making a salad or reading a magazine

when the men from earth arrive in their rocket,

why they are always standing in a semicircle

with their arms folded, their bare legs set apart,

their breasts protected by hard metal disks.

I have a new blog

Good evening everyone. My apologies for the lateness of this post, but sometimes the bear eats you (good luck with that one). I have started a new post which you can view at stexeira.squarespace.com. For the next few months I will be commenting on a book I am reading about the future of humanity. I hope that some of you will find it interesting. Fear not oh lovely readers for I will not abandon this endeavor. I promise never to be this late again, and always to have something interesting to say. To make up for my tardiness and brevity, I am including a photo I took recently of our new cat Leo. I hope you like it.

Silent Sunday

This breathtaking patch of sky would be above you were you to stand at the South Pole of the Earth. On the upper left of this image are the four stars that mark the boundaries of the famous Southern Cross. At the top of this constellation, also known as The Crux, is the orange star Gamma Crucis. The band of stars, dust, and gas crossing the middle of the photograph is part our Milky Way Galaxy. Just below the Southern Cross on the far left is the dark Coal Sack Nebula, and the bright nebula on the far right is the Carina Nebula.

Pippin

Pippin was a little upset that Mellifera got to make a movie. He kind of sulked about it for a few days but he wouldn't cooperate and do his own movie. I told him that instead of a movie I'd post a couple of pictures and tell everyone about him.

Pippin (and Mellifera) will be 4 years old on August 22nd. He is a big, handsome cat - he weighs about 14 pounds - and has very soft, silky fur. He is a little bit spoiled. Ok a lot actually. He sort of runs the house. When he was born Jill kept saying I should take one of the kittens. I was a little interested but mostly reluctant as I'm not much of an animal person. Then I saw this little teeny runt with big bat ears and just fell in love. I'm not noted for my ability to be tough with people or cats that I love, which is why when Pippin says jump, I say how high.

You'll notice in the top picture that he is stretched out on my bed. That is one of his favorite tricks. He'll stretch across my bed and when I want to go to sleep just look at me with an expression that pretty much says, get out of here. I gingerly wiggle around and squeeze into the small space left to me. Once I'm all settled, cramped into a space barely big enough for a cat, he'll get up and move. I think he enjoys watching me try and maneuver around him. You'd think at that point I'd be safe for the night. Nope, he waits until 4 or 5 am and decides he wants to eat. I've tried to show him how to open a packet himself but he isn't interested. Instead he walks on me and meows until I get up. Sometimes I think I can outsmart him and pretend that I don't hear. Then he comes up and meows right in my face and bites at my nose. I get up after that.

It's ok though because he makes up for everything by being an incredibly sweet cat. After I take a shower, a lot of days I'll open the door to find him waiting outside. He'll run ahead of me into my room, jump up on the bed and wait for me to lay down and cuddle with him. He purrs and purrs and then curls himself into a little ball with my arm around him and lets me lay my head on his tummy and pet him. See why I'm willing to get up and feed him at 4 am!

So that is my story about Pippin. He has approved everything I've written and I think he is happy now.

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Family Friday

Ok, here is all the news I know this week.

• From Jill - John & I will celebrate the official union of two non-dunderheads (thank you Mom), on Saturday, October 11, 2008. Probably around 12 noon at our house. We eagerly anticipate your attendance. You'll all receive official invitations eventually!
• Stephen & Kiko are traveling to the end of the world in October. (Yeah I know that was a post, I'm desperate for news.)
• Numerous family members will be participating in a 6-mile walk-a-thon on October 12th. I hope you're all walking daily

That's about it. Kindly send me news items before next Friday! You can email them, call me, send me a postcard or try telepathy.

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Blog Post Schedule

I've been thinking about creating a posting schedule for quite some time, at least an hour. So here is what I came up with.

Sunday: Silent Sunday
Monday: Stephen
Tuesday: Poetry Day
Wednesday: OPEN
Thursday: Mystery Thursday (for 10-12 wks)
Friday: Family Friday (Oh that is so clever, I was going to say Family Updates & Family Friday just came to me. Sometimes I can't stand myself I'm so clever.)
Saturday: OPEN

You'll notice that 2 days say OPEN. That means that I would be very, very, very, very, very happy if someone volunteered to post on those days. Otherwise I'll just post whatever strikes my fancy or leave them blank.

This is not to imply that you shouldn't post whenever you want. PLEASE post anytime you feel like it. It would be great to have days with 2 or more posts!

Note Family Friday (clever huh?). On Friday I'm going to post all the news I know. It would be really great if people sent me things they'd like to share but don't want to post themselves. If no one sends anything & I don't know anything, I'll just pick a victim family member and make up something about them!

There you have my plan. Feedback is appreciated!

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Raymond Chandler

Today is Raymond Chandler's birthday. Bet you all thought he was dead didn't you? Actually he is, but if he were alive he'd be 120 years old today. I most sincerely hope that none of you are saying, Who is Raymond Chandler?

Chandler was the creator of Philip Marlowe and, along with Dashiell Hammett, responsible for crafting our idea of the hard-boiled private detective. His novels include The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. If you haven't read any of his work, I'd recommend it. How can you resist lines like these:

It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window. (Farewell, My Lovely)

A dead man is the best fall guy in the world. He never talks back. (The Long Goodbye)

The plants filled the place, a forest of them, with nasty meaty leaves and stalks like the newly washed fingers of dead men. (The Big Sleep)

My favorite quote from Chandler is not from one of his novels but from an essay he wrote called The Simple Art of Murder:

But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor -- by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.

Words to live by folks, or at least write a book by. If you have nothing better to do today, read Raymond Chandler.

Update: She's killing me. Jill I mean. She said, Who is Raymond Chandler? Then she said well she had heard of him and didn't he write the Perry Mason books. Then she thought he wrote about Dashiell Hammett. In case anyone else is confused, no, he did not write the Perry Mason books. That was Erle Stanley Gardner. And he didn't create Dashiell Hammett either. Hammett wrote The Maltese Falcon and created Sam Spade. The things I have to live with. I was apprehensive but I forced myself to ask her if she'd heard of Agatha Christie. Fortunately she said yes.

If you're interested in private detective mysteries but think Chandler or Hammett is to out of date for you, I can make some suggestions. Actually if you are interested in any type of mystery I can make suggestions. In fact I think I'll write a post about this later. Aren't you all excited?

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

We're going to the end of the world

My apologies for the lateness of this post. I just realized that it's Monday. Kiko and I just spent a couple of hours planning our trip later this year to Patagonia. We are leaving near the end of October and will be gone for almost three weeks. We are going to fly to Buenos Aires and from there to Ushaia, the southernmost city in South America. Then we are going to work our way back up north via bus and boat, trekking along the way and generally having a good time while we try to stay warm. With the changing climate that we are all aware of, places like Patagonia and Ushaia are going to be hardest hit and first hit. So, if you ever thought you might want to go, go now because in 10 years it's going to be a completely different place. Anyway, I don't have a whole lot else to say, as I'm too excited about planning for this trip to think of anything else. 

Speaking of trips, if there are any of you out there who are interested (or if there are any of you out there at all), take a look at my pictures from my trip to Central Europe last month. You can see them at stexeira.smugmug.com.

Okay, talk to you all again soon. 

Silent Sunday

I got this fuchsia for my birthday from Jill & John. It has a lot of flowers on it!

LOTR

Today in History

1954

The first part of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was published in the UK. The Fellowship of the Ring begins the story of Frodo Baggins and his journey to Mordor to dispose of the One Ring. You WILL like this book! Although I'm sure you've all read it at least once?

If I had to compile a list of my favorite books it would be pretty long. But if I could only choose one book it would have to be LOTR. Even though it was published in 3 volumes it is still one story so the whole thing counts as one book. I just wanted to clarify that for everyone. I've read it, I don't know, maybe 12, 15 times? I'm not really sure. I had a plan a few years ago to reread it every December (that is when the movies came out) and I did for a couple of years. Unfortunately the last couple of years I haven't read it. I'm thinking that to make up for that I'll read it now & then again in December. Pretty clever aren't I?

If you haven't read it, I'd suggest getting a copy TODAY. I have numerous copies and am happy to lend you one if necessary (I was in a bookstore once and saw a copy of The Return of the King (wow - this copy has Vigo on the cover - I need this!) sitting by itself on a shelf. I bought it because I thought it looked lonely). Anyway it is best to buy your own copy as you'll want to re-read it often and I keep scrupulous track of how long people have my books!

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Mellifera's Movie

This is the movie that I made with Mellifera. She had been playing with her spring toy and I wanted to get pictures. Of course as soon as I pointed the camera at her she stopped playing. I risked serious damage to my foot attempting to get her to play but she is very stubborn. Hence the music accompanying the video! I took the pictures & then made a movie in Windows media and uploaded it to YouTube. I'm pretty impressed - I think I have a new career ahead of me.

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

July 17th

Many, many things happened throughout history on this date. Since this is such a momentous day I thought I'd share a few of them with you.

2008 - Robin turned 51
1997 - F.W. Woolworth company closed after 117 years in business
1988 - Highest temperature ever recorded in San Francisco, 103 degrees
1974 - John Lennon is ordered to leave U.S. in 60 days
1967 - Monkees perform at Forest Hills, New York, Jimi Hendrix is opening act
1959 - Dr. Leakey discovers oldest human skull (600,000 years old)
1957 - I was born!!!!
1957 - An Air Force RB-47, equipped with ECM gear (electronic countermeasures) was followed by an UFO for over 700 miles
1955 - Disneyland opened
1947 - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall born
1936 - Spanish civil war started
1917 - British Royal family changes its name from Hanover to Windsor
1889 - Erle Stanley Gardner born (cool, I didn't know that!)
1881 - Jim Bridger died
1861 - Congress authorizes paper money
1850 - Harvard Observatory takes 1st photograph of a star, Vega
1790 - Thomas Saint patented the first sewing machine
1585 - English secret service discovers Anthony Babingtons murder plot against queen Elizabeth I
1203 - 4th Crusade captures Constantinople

And in case you are wondering, this is what 1957 looked like in the United States:

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Vice President: Richard M. Nixon
U.S. Population: 171,984,130

• There are 47,200,000 TV sets in use in 39,500,000 homes.
• Leave It to Beaver premier's on CBS, ushering in an era of television shows that depict the ideal American.
• Top Movies: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Twelve Angry Men, Sayonara, Peyton Place, Witness for the Prosecution, Around the World in 80 Days, Friendly Persuasion, Giant, The King and I and The Ten Commandments
• Top Books: James Agee, A Death in the Family; John Cheever, The Wapshot Chronicle; Noam Chomsky, Syntactic Structures; Lawrence Durrell, Justine; Jack Kerouac, On the Road; Denise Levertov, Here and Now; Bernard Malamud, The Assistant; Robert Penn Warren, Promises: Poems 1954-56
• General Foods Corp. introduces TANG breakfast beverage crystals.
• The 13-year-old Bobby Fisher becomes a chess champion.
• You'd find 2,974 AM radio, 530 FM radio and 471 TV Stations.
• Eveready produces "AA" size alkaline batteries for use in "personal transistor radios."
• Cost of first class stamp - 3 cents.
• B-52 bombers begin full-time flying alert in case of USSR attack.
• One thousand computers are sold. And not one of them had a Windows operating system.
• Wagon Train debuts on TV.
• American Bandstand goes national on August 5, 1957 with Dick Clark as the host.
• The average American production worker is now making $82.32 a week.
• 5,000 new products will hit the supermarket shelves, including frozen pizza.
• Introduced in the fall of '57 for the '58 season, the Edsel came into the world with a big fanfare and lots of hoopla.
• NYC ends trolley car service
• The publication of Jack Kerouac's On the Road introduces the words "beat" and "beatnik" into the American popular consciousness and gives a name to a generation.
• Theodore Geisel writes Cat in the Hat as Dr. Seuss!
• There is a 51.7% business failure rate.
• Unemployment is 4.3%
• U.S. GNP (Gross National Product) is $460.7 billion
• Perry Mason debuted on TV
• Average monthly rent was $90
• A gallon of gas cost 24 cents
  
• Average yearly wage was $4550
• Average cost of new home was $12,220

Happy Birthday to Me!

Robin, the lonely (and feeling very old) blog mistress

Not Really A Post

Just a few odd ramblings from my slightly warped brain.

I'd like to begin by pointing out that I haven't posted anything since July 6th. Today is July 16th. One would assume that given such a lengthy absence I would have an email box full of questions such as: Where are the exciting posts we are used to? Are you ill, can I bring you food? Did the exercise finally kill you? We miss you, please, please post! I would like to say that such emails are crowding my box, alas that is not the case. Now you see the relevance of the quote from Eeyore to the right.

On the bright side, I've succeeded in one of my goals which was to keep my active email box to 20 or fewer emails. This is quite an accomplishment since the last time I let it pile up I had 300+ emails. That was about a month ago and since then I've been keeping it down. Pretty impressive isn't it!

I know very little that is going on around me in life (again, refer to quote from Eeyore to the right). I did hear today that Elizabeth had dental surgery on Monday and had a swollen face. Apparently I knew this but given my advanced age and senility, I had forgotten. Anyway you can all think positive thoughts about Elizabeth and hopefully that will ease her pain.

I went to Petsmart today and spent $79 on cat food. That is quite a bit of money for cat food. Actually I also bought a toy (1.75), a brush (5.99), and 2 new bowls (3.99/4.99). All the rest was food. Pippin only eats Friskies packets (beef, turkey, chicken or salmon - no tuna) so when they have his food I buy all the boxes so I don't have to run around to other stores looking for it. I live in fear that they'll quit making this. He is an extremely stubborn cat - I've tried repeatedly to get him to eat something else but he never gives in. I bought them new bowls because they were cute and I bought the brush because I want to start brushing Mellifera. Her fur feels funny & I decided it needs to be brushed. I tried when I got home but she ran away and won't come see me now.

Oh what else? I started the South Beach diet yesterday. For the first 2 weeks you don't eat any carbohydrates. So far it is going fine - of course this is only day 2. If you are interested in my progress you can check out my Accountability blog.

Right now it is 4:40 pm and Jill already has her pj's on. She is pretending to be sick. I hate sick people. Earlier she came home with something in a Trader Joe's bag and said it was my birthday gift. It was moving so I'm a little worried.

I received my copy of The New Yorker today with the cover mentioned by Monday's poster. I'm wondering if some day it will be worth a lot of money.

I bought myself a birthday gift which arrived today - Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen - this is a 4-hr Masterpiece Theatre presentation. I watched it a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it so I decided to buy it. I also bought The Uncrowned Kings of England: The Black History of the Dudleys and the Tudor Throne. This is a really good book and I think you should all read it. The author, Derek Wilson also wrote another book called Sweet Robin: A Biography of Robert Dudley. For some reason that book is only available starting at $69. It is also a good book but I really can't figure out why it is so expensive. Anyway you can check it out from the library if you want to read it but only from the Berkeley Public Library, Alameda County doesn't have it. Just as an aside, did you know that you can get a FREE library card from the Berkeley library even if you don't live in Berkeley? Pretty exciting isn't it? I love libraries.

That's pretty much my life - fairly boring but I had nothing else to say!

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

The New Yorker

Have you seen the cover of the New Yorker for next week? If you haven't, it is shown below. The New Yorker is a relatively liberal publication that prides itself on the depth, subtlety and intelligence of their writing, their cartoons and their satire. Next week's cover shows a turban-wearing Barack Obama standing alongside Afro-sporting, machine-gun toting Michelle Obama in the Oval Office. Burning in the hearth is an American flag, and above it, a picture of Osama bin Laden. In a statement from the New Yorker regarding the cover, they say that, "Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover." 

What do we call satire when it misses the mark to such a degree? When it simply reinforces ignorant, misinformed and hateful lies? I'm not absolutely certain, but in this case, I think we're going to have to go with racism. The editors at the New Yorker may think that they are being clever and painting an absurd picture of the Obamas to highlight how foolish such stereotypes are, but in this instance, their subtlety has escaped everyone, including themselves, and they have strayed from social critique into just plain bad judgement and foolishness. 

I have to wonder, wasn't there anybody in the room who questioned the emperor's new clothes? Or was everybody so in love with their own cleverness and cutting edge political satire that they didn't realize the cover is just plain stupid?

And for those out there who cry "free speech," and there are many already doing that, this isn't about free speech. I'm not suggesting that the New Yorker doesn't have the right to publish this image, or that they don't have the right to think that they are being all cool and progressive and insightful by doing so. I'm just saying they're wrong. They are free to keep publishing images like this. The only repercussions will be that some people will cancel their subscriptions and other people will start new ones. And then, bit by bit, they'll have to stop pretending that the images are being perceived by their readers as satire and accept that they are pandering to hate mongers. Go get 'em.

We now return to our regular programming

Greetings patient readers. My humblest apologies for my unavoidable absence last week, but the lungs were not working the way they're supposed to. Enough about me, however, did you miss me?

I'd like to spend some talking about recycling today. A subject near and dear to all our hearts. The future of our planet depends on it, right? Maybe. But then again, maybe not. We've got cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, newspapers, colored paper, recycled white paper, scented paper, milk cartons, plastic packaging, organic food scraps, non-organic food scraps. The array of items that must be recycled in the name of our planet is truly dizzying. But shouldn't we take a minute or two and ask ourselves if all this work is really good for the planet after all? Let alone good for the economy or good for our mental well being.

Let's start with paper, that's easy. "Save a tree," people are always saying when they don't take a shopping bag from the grocery store or they toss their newspaper in the recycling bin. But are they really saving a tree by doing that? Are they making the Earth healthier? I don't think so. Think about it. Right now there is more forest coverage in the United States than there ever has been in the history of our country. Why? Because we are planting more trees. What are we planting more trees? Because trees are a renewable resource; they're a crop, just like corn. Planet a field of trees, let it grow, and then a 12-15 years later, come along and chop it down and plant some more. Simple. If we use more paper or wood without recycling it, we simply plant more trees. In fact, every time you recycle your paper, that means that fewer trees are being cut down and therefore fewer trees are being planted. That means that less carbon is being taken out of the air and global warming is increasing.  

So you can see that recycling paper not only doesn't save trees (quite the contrary, it means fewer trees), but also it leads to more global warming. This doesn't taken into account the amount of carbon monoxide spewed into the air by all those trucks picking up bins of paper from sidewalks all over America. I think we can all agree that's bad for the planet without a lengthy analysis, yes. The other thing it doesn't take into account, the fact that recycling paper produces more and worse pollution than producing new paper.

Now before one of you out there starts throwing around phrases like "old growth forest" and "ecosystem," that's a different issue. Recycling or not recycling has nothing to do with whether greedy developers and regulators make bad decisions or not. Sure we all want to keep old growth forests (though the issue is not as clear cut as you might think, pun intended), but the fact is that recycling or not recycling paper has no bearing on that issue, and shouldn't enter into that debate.

Well I had planned to address the other recyclables in this posting, but I see that I've gone on far too long, so I'll have to leave cans and bottles for another time. See you then.

Silent Sunday

4th of July

The United States Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration was a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

If you'd like to read the full text you can visit the Library of Congress website. Not a bad idea to read it periodically. Or if you'd prefer just look at fireworks! Hopefully you'll do both - I plan to.


Robin, the lonely blog mistress

25 Things You Probably Don't Care About

1. Barbie's measurements (if she were life-size): 39-23-33
2. Coca-cola was originally green
3. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the US Treasury
4. The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters
5. First novel ever written on a typewriter was "Tom Sawyer"
6. There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year
7. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs
8. Men get hiccups more often than women
9. Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better
10. Chances that an American lives within 50 mi of where he/she grew up: 1 in 2.
11. City with the most Rolls Royces per capita: Hong Kong
12. State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
13. Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38
14. Estimated percentage of American adults who go on a diet each year: 44
15. Percentage of Americans who say that God has spoken to them: 36
16. City with the highest per capita viewership of TV evangelists: Washington DC
17. Number of different familial relationships for which Hallmark makes cards: 105
18. Average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000
19. Percentage of Americans who have visited Disneyland or Disney World: 70
20. Portion of ice cream sold that is vanilla: 1/3
21. Portion of potatoes sold that are French-fried: 1/3
22. Percentage of mammal species that are monogamous: 3
23. Only first lady to carry a loaded revolver: Eleanor Roosevelt
24. Only president to win a Pulitzer: John F. Kennedy, for "Profiles in Courage"
25. The youngest pope was 11 years old

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Poetry Day

Louise Gluck is a Pulitzer prize winning poet. She was the US Poet Laureate from 2003-2004. You can read more about her at Britannica Online. I like her poetry quite a bit - hopefully you'll enjoy this one.


Matins

You want to know how I spend my time?
I walk the front lawn, pretending
to be weeding. You ought to know
I'm never weeding, on my knees, pulling
clumps of clover from the flower beds: in fact
I'm looking for courage, for some evidence
my life will change, though
it takes forever, checking
each clump for the symbolic
leaf, and soon the summer is ending, already
the leaves turning, always the sick trees
going first, the dying turning
brilliant yellow, while a few dark birds perform
their curfew of music. You want to see my hands?
As empty now as at the first note.
Or was the point always
to continue without a sign?

Into Great Silence

Down to the Puritan marrow of my bones, There's something in this richness that I hate. ~Elinor Wylie

I know that you all think, based on my exciting posts, that I lead a fascinating life. To perpetuate that myth, I thought I'd share with you what I did on Saturday. I watched a 2 hr 42 min movie called Into Great Silence. It is a film introducing the daily activities of the Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery. They live silent lives, usually speaking only once a week when they go out for a walk. There is some chanting and reading, other than that the only noise is of activities such as sawing wood and fixing food.

Throughout the film the camera periodically focuses on each monk's face for about 15-20 seconds. It is really amazing to see their faces up close and how they respond to looking into the camera for what, while it seems a very short time, must seem awfully long when a camera is pointed at you.

I have to admit that it sounds kind of boring, especially for nearly 3 hours, but it was a really good film. German filmmaker Philip Groning asked in 1984 for permission to film the monks. He was told it was to early, maybe in 10 or 15 years. Sixteen years later they were ready. Groning lived in the monastery following the monks through their daily routines.

The Grande Chartreuse monastery is located in the French Alps and is considered one of the world's most ascetic monasteries. It is the motherhouse of the Carthusian order. The Carthusian order was founded by St. Bruno in 1084. The monks in the order have no active ministry, they spend their time praying on behalf of the church and the world.

I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job of explaining the film. This review from the New York Times might give you a better idea. The review ends by saying: By the end, what you have learned is impossible to sum up, but your sense of the world is nonetheless perceptibly altered. I would agree.

I find it a moving experience to watch something like this. For me, it is partly about religion and devotion to God but also about the devotion and passion people bring to something they believe in deeply. It is about giving yourself up to something, or someone, so completely that truly nothing else matters. I am awed at the commitment the monks in this monastery have made.

A little update: Last night we had company, some friends of Jill & John's, and I mentioned having watched this movie. One of them had also seen it and enjoyed it. I was pretty excited to find someone else who liked it!

Here is a YouTube video of the trailer for the movie: