March 31st, 2017 → 5:49 am
“A kind [hug] he hath. A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind [hug].” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
My son gives the best hugs in all of St. Louis. I’m certain of it.
Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life
March 23rd, 2017 → 5:38 am
“Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy.” – Romeo and Juliet
There was an author in the 1990s that I just loved, Alain de Botton. Somehow, I lost track of his work and simply assumed he’d stopped writing. I discovered this week that in fact, he is still writing, on religion, on love, on aesthetics, and somehow I had just missed it. I look forward to ordering some of his latest books; I only hope they are as good as The Consolations of Philosophy and How Proust Can Change Your Life.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art
March 14th, 2017 → 9:22 am
“Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine,
And thrice again, to make up nine.
Peace! The charm’s wound up.” – Macbeth
There aren’t many quotes in Shakespeare involving numbers, certainly none involving Pi. But in my investigations I did learn that three and nine were considered magic numbers in Shakespeare’s day, where superstitions were common. Here the famous three witches of Macbeth are using 3 and 9 in their spell casting. Happy 3.14159… day!
March 5th, 2017 → 5:37 am
“…the whining school-boy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.” – As You Like It
Shakespeare is apparently more popular in the rest of the world, than he is in the UK, a recent study finds. Apparently that is because the way Shakespeare is taught in the UK (and many other English speaking nations) kills it for most people. How sad! Though I do kind of understand. I didn’t love Shakespeare when I was first exposed to his works in middle school. My love only came much later. At the same time, I have always assumed that early exposure planted the seed; that I might not have grown to love Shakespeare now, had I not been force-fed him earlier. Who knows. Either way, I am glad the bug finally bit, and I feel kinda bad for others who never grew to appreciate the taste of the fruit.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art
March 1st, 2017 → 1:23 pm
“Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long.” – Henry VI, Part I
I found this antique pocket edition of Henry V the other day. Is it not adorable? It’s a bit tattered and worn, but I like it even more for the use. It means someone read it, and possibly even regularly thumbed through it, and didn’t just keep it around for looks. Finding it made my day. Plus, who doesn’t like Henry V, once he’s done being Hal?
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art