January 24th, 2017 → 5:07 am
“Truth’s a dog that must to kennel.
He must be whipped out, when Lady Brach
may stand by th’ fire and stink.” – King Lear
This is Trump’s approach to the truth, that it must be whipped and beaten like a dog, while falsehood (Lady Brach) gets to stand pride of place by the fire and stink the room up. Ugh. So depressing that there is a history to this.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People
January 16th, 2017 → 5:41 am
“And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.” – Hamlet
Opining on the end of the Obama presidency, author Ann Wroe wrote in The World in 2017 about Obama’s speech patterns and his excessive use of pauses. Apparently, people have written entire dissertations on the length and number of Obama’s pauses – who knew? It’s an interesting essay on his thoughtfulness, but also his sometimes damning hesitation.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
January 12th, 2017 → 6:24 am
“Restoration hang
Thy medicine on my lips.” – King Lear
I’m feeling a bit under the weather right now. Here’s hoping things get better soon!
Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life
January 8th, 2017 → 8:15 am
“How much more elder art thou than thy looks!” – The Merchant of Venice
I’m at a work conference right now, and in the elevator last night on my way to the ceremony where I was sworn in as president of the august and venerable Transportation and Public Utilities Group (TPUG), a young man turned to me and asked, “Are you headed to a job interview?” It took all I had not to laugh out loud. I know I’m small and I look young, but that young? Lovin’ it!
Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life
January 5th, 2017 → 6:06 am
“Meet the time as it seeks us.
We fear not.” – Cymbeline
Stefan Zweig opened his memoirs with this line (at least, the first line), before he committed suicide in 1942. He was trying to understand, and face, Nazi Germany and all the upheaval happening in Europe at the time. It seems fitting today. 2016 was such a tumultuous year, and we don’t know what 2017 will bring. But let’s face it, and try to fear not.
December 5th, 2016 → 5:46 am
“Jack shall have Jill
Nought shall go ill;
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Let’s hope so!
As the holiday season comes upon us I’ll be taking my usual blogging break, from now until the beginning of January. See you in 2017 and until then, take care and Happy Holidays!
November 27th, 2016 → 6:08 am
“You are not worth the dust which the rude wind
Blows in your face.” – King Lear
I hadn’t posted an insult in awhile, and Shakespeare has so many good ones, too! This is said to a truly annoying/evil woman who thinks she’s “worth the whistling.”
Filed under: Blog & Stupid/Evil People
November 22nd, 2016 → 6:55 am
“Presume not that I am the thing I was;
For God doth know, so shall the world perceive,
That I have turn’d away my former self;
So will I those that kept me company.” – Henry IV, Part II
I just re-watched Henry IV Parts I and II, of the amazing Hollow Crown series. In this set of plays we watch the future Henry V go from being a brash, licentious, dissolute youth, to a king who renounces his former ways and his former lowlife companions to become a better person. The plays end with the newly crowned King Henry V stating that he is a changed man, a better man, and that he will put from him the delinquent acquaintances of his youth. Wouldn’t it be nice if Trump did the same thing? Now that he is President-Elect, disavow his former scandalous self and his former villainous friends and become a more honest person. I’m pretty sure it won’t happen, but, wouldn’t it be nice?
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People
November 17th, 2016 → 5:34 am
“Truth shall nurse her,
Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her;
She shall be loved and feared.” – Henry VIII
Shakespeare wrote this about the first Queen Elizabeth, of course, but I’ll project it onto the second. Just watched Netflix’s new series The Crown and found it both interesting and entertaining. We all have such varied, difficult, and surprising lives to lead, royalty included.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art & Politics/Politicians
November 13th, 2016 → 7:27 am
“I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame the earth seems to me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.” – Hamlet
I look back on my last post, on the morning of the U.S. election, and am amazed at its prescience. I had meant that the end of the campaign season was at last at hand, but I ended up predicting that the end of decency had come to America. God help us.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians