August 11th, 2011 → 7:15 am
Henry: “What treasure, uncle?”
Exeter: “Tennis-balls, my liege.” – King Henry V
My husband has woken up at crazy hours all this week to either play golf, or go flying. He’s trying to get the fun in before the weather gets too hot by mid-afternoon, which I understand, but it’s amazing how on a non-sports day I can’t get him out of bed before noon. Boys and their games!
August 10th, 2011 → 6:59 am
“Man’s life is cheap as beast’s.” – King Lear
My heart goes out to the families of the soldiers who were killed in the Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan on August 6. It has been reported to be “the deadliest single incident in the history of the war.” There is no way to say it except that, well, war is terrible.
August 9th, 2011 → 6:52 am
“He that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.” – Othello
Standard & Poor’s downgraded U.S. debt from AAA to AA+. At least they admitted that the call was motivated primarily by political calculations, not economic ones. Still, I think they are just trying to make up for giving such loose ratings before the crash. Basically, I think they are a rather poor rating agency and I wouldn’t put much stock in their opinion.
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money
August 6th, 2011 → 7:09 am
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” – Hamlet
I’m afraid the time has come for me to disagree with Shakespeare. The notion that a person, or even a government, should never borrow or lend is financially ludicrous. Smoothing consumption patterns over time (through borrowing and lending) is much more optimal than living paycheck to paycheck, with unpredictable booms and busts always chasing your heels. The same is true for governments; they should spend more in recessions to prop up living standards, and less in good times to cool the economy and save up for future recessionary spending. The balanced budget amendment Republicans in Congress are proposing is just bad economics, plain and simple.
(Note that if you read the rest of Shakespeare’s quote, it begins to have more validity. The full quote is: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be, For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.” This human component of personal relationships and productive incentives holds more truth than the simplified borrowing/lending quote you usually hear bandied about.)
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians
August 5th, 2011 → 7:13 am
“To know the cause why music was ordain’d! Was it not to refresh the mind of man after his studies or his usual pain?” – The Taming of the Shrew
Recently I was given an H2O audio for my iPod shuffle. It lets you listen to music underwater while you swim. I notice the reviews of the product are hit or miss – some people give it a 5 star, some a 1 star, few a moderate rating in-between – but my H2O audio is great. Listening to music (or, sometimes, podcasts) somehow makes swimming laps lighter, faster, and easier. What is the magic of music that makes this happen?
Filed under: Blog & Other & Self/My Life
August 3rd, 2011 → 6:50 am
“O curse of marriage!” – Othello
It’s not as bad as all that, but my husband and I did have one of our rare, big fights last night. Sigh. Sometimes the one you love most is also the one who aggravates you the most. Why is that???
Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life
July 31st, 2011 → 6:56 am
“Beauty is a witch.” – Much Ado About Nothing
I watched the 1967 movie The Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton last night. It was quite good. Elizabeth Taylor was an exceptional beauty, and quite a funny witch in it. No wonder my mother loved her so much. I don’t normally watch (because I don’t normally enjoy) old movies, but this one really was good; even my non-Shakespeare-loving husband enjoyed it to the end.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art
July 30th, 2011 → 7:01 am
“A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.” – Hamlet
I just like this quote. It reminds me that we are all connected. It reminds me that even kings end up as fishbait. It reminds me that nature is cyclical and our earth a wonder. Happy start of the weekend, by the way!
July 28th, 2011 → 7:02 am
“The blessedness of being little.” – King Henry VIII
Anyone who knows me knows that I am small (less than 5′!), but this quote rang true for me for its applicability to mental ego as well as physical stature. If only there was more humility in the world, then maybe the budget negotiations in Congress wouldn’t be so crazy, maybe the petty fights at work wouldn’t happen as often, and maybe the personal grudges amongst kin would disappear. If only more people were little the world would be, if not a better place, I imagine maybe a smoother place?
July 26th, 2011 → 7:25 am
“Sorrow concealed, like an oven stopp’d, doth burn the heart to cinders where it is.” – Titus Andronicus
My husband and I watched the film Antwone Fisher last night (we both ended up in tears). One of the things it reminded me of was the power of catharsis, often helped along through the aid of a good psychologist (my mother was a psychologist, and the movie also reminded me very much of her). I had a sound disagreement with my Aunt once, who told me that a person should never voice their hurts and their feelings because it’ll just make other people feel bad. I have never disagreed with anything more. As the quote above eloquently states, sorrow concealed only does damage in the end.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art & Other