June 17th, 2012 → 6:24 am
“Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter;
Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honor;
As much as child e’er loved, or father found;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable;
Beyond all manner of so much I love you.” – King Lear
I realize that this speech is disingenuous, said by the conniving Goneril to her unsuspecting father the King. But pretending for a moment that it is real, it could be a nice homage to fathers. And on this father’s day, I wish I could say something as poetic (albeit genuine) to my own father. Happy Father’s Day to all the hard-working, caring, loving fathers out there!
June 5th, 2012 → 7:57 am
“Britain’s a world by itself.” – Cymbeline
I have to admit that though I do not wish for a monarchy in the U.S. (thank you very much for trying Bushs and Clintons), I do enjoy following the British monarchy from time to time. Something about all that pomp and circumstance, I don’t know, maybe it reminds me a bit of the theatre. 🙂 Either way, congratulations on a 60-year reign Queen Elizabeth, and I’m sorry your husband got sick.
May 28th, 2012 → 8:30 am
“I summon up remembrance of things past.” – Sonnet 30
On this Memorial Day I take a minute to remember those that have passed away, both in war and simply in general. Sonnet 30 is, of course, a perennial favorite of Shakespeare’s, perhaps because while it contemplates loss and sad things past, it also ends on a hopeful note of friendship. I love this sonnet, so, I just can’t help it, I’m going to paste the entire thing below:
“When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste;
Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night,
And weep afresh love’s long since canceled woe,
And moan th’ expense of many a vanished sight.
Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o’er
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.”
May 24th, 2012 → 8:15 am
“Mistress, know yourself. Down on your knees
And thank heaven, fasting, for a good man’s love;
For I must tell you friendly in your ear,
Sell when you can, you are not for all markets.” – As You Like It
It’s scary how much Shakespeare sounds like an actual pimp there, isn’t it? Did they have sex trafficking in 16th century England? Sadly, probably…. Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about sex trafficking here in the U.S. It’s unbelievable in this day and age. Absolutely unbelievable. And, frankly, infuriating.
May 18th, 2012 → 8:16 am
“Commit
The oldest sins the newest kind of ways?” – Henry IV
I’m starting to freak out as a mother. Lately I’ve been reading a bunch of articles about how hard it is to protect your children nowadays, mainly due to the ubiquitous internet. Kids can bully each other 24/7 now with Facebook and instant messaging; porn is nearly impossible to screen on mobiles and home computers. Bullying and porn are old sins, of course, but now being performed in new virtual ways. It’s kind of making me freak out a little bit. How will I protect my baby as he gets older?!?!?!?
Filed under: Blog & Other & Self/My Life
May 12th, 2012 → 7:50 am
“Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest,
Set less than thou throwest.” – King Lear
Barry Edelstein, a theater director who has staged more than half of Shakespeare’s plays, asserts that the quote above is an ideal commencement quote. So, in honor of commencements everywhere (and in particular at the University of Missouri-St. Louis this weekend), don’t ever bet all your chips on one roll of the dice (i.e. a paraphrase of the last line of the above quote).
May 6th, 2012 → 7:32 am
“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk;
he trots the air, the earth sings when he touches it.” – Henry V
Congratulations to this year’s winner of the Kentucky Derby: I’ll Have Another.
May 4th, 2012 → 8:10 am
“The jewel that we find, we stoop and take it
Because we see it; but what we do not see
We tread upon, and never think of it.” – Measure for Measure
If you haven’t heard yet, Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” sold for $119.9 million this past Wednesday at Sotheby’s in New York. That’s certainly a fabulous price but I disagree with art critic Holland Cotter who said that it was too much – if I had an extra $119.9 million lying around I’d totally have bid on it. But I do agree with the common complaint that everyday art isn’t appreciated enough. I have a neighbor across the street who is an artist (primarily) and a bookkeeper (to pay the rent). She isn’t famous, as far as I know, but her work really is very good. Too bad it’s so hard for such “unknowns” to make a living.
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Other
May 2nd, 2012 → 6:58 am
“In spring-time, the only pretty ring-time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding,
Sweet lovers love the spring.” – As You Like It
The weather is turning nice (if a bit rainy) and I love it. Happy spring time!
April 24th, 2012 → 6:16 am
“Is this the promised end?” – King Lear
It’s not just me, I can see it in my student’s eyes – “Are we almost there yet? Are there really just two weeks of classes left?” Hello, summer break! Now if I can just get through all this grading…
Filed under: Blog & Other & Self/My Life