GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: Notes

  • Dao De Jing, Laozi, (Ursula K. Le Guin) and Zhuangzi, (Thomas Merton)

    With my recent dive into the Dao De Jing and the Zhuangzi I’ve been been reminded that some authors are just better at writing in english than others.

    Admittedly the goals of these different translations were divergent – some of them are actual translations while others are only renditions.

    Not surprisingly however, the books that gave up fidelity to the original text gained the freedom to really write fluently in the new language.

    I’m certain the imprimatur of a famous author didn’t hurt my reception of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Tao Te Ching or Thomas Merton’s Chuang Tzu. But then again higher expectations often lead to greater disappointment.

    In these two cases, they did not disappoint. Their years of writing for a popular audiences prepared them with the subtle tools to excel in their craft, and it shows.

  • Saturn, Sleeping at Last, 2016

    You taught me the courage of stars before you left.
    How light carries on endlessly, even after death.
    With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite.
    How rare and beautiful it is to even exist.

    I couldn’t help but ask
    For you to say it all again.
    I tried to write it down
    But I could never find a pen.
    I’d give anything to hear
    You say it one more time,
    That the universe was made
    Just to be seen by my eyes.

    excerpt from Saturn, by Sleeping at Last

    Maybe I was just in a maudlin mood, but I came across the lyrics and it just hit me hard.

    Not so much for me, but as something to tell the kids.

    However, I’m not sure I would. Maybe these sentiments are better left unspoken. They see themselves as the center of the world already.

    Maybe like sex, drugs, and rock and roll, there will be a time and place for them to learn about this, but not now.

    Hopefully I’ll be there to tell them, when it’s time.

  • Every Frame a Painting, Taylor Ramos & Tony Zhou, 2014 – 2016

    I just finished watching the now concluded youtube channel Every Frame a Painting.

    You can ask only so much out of this free internet world and we were lucky to be given these little five to ten minute video essays from the perspective of an editor.

    I’m not a film buff, but each of those 27 videos were great to watch. Now I gotta figure out what to watch while I take my blood pressure in the mornings.

  • Faith in a couple hard drives

    All my photos are essentially on two hard drives plus whatever is uploaded to carbonite.

    Technically that meets the 3-2-1 rule, three devices, two different types, one off site.

    But still, it does seem a little bit too much faith to put into technology.

    But as a parent of two kids, when would I make time to print these out? What would be the opportunity cost of that?

    As always, trade-offs.

  • Starter

    The good thing about a sourdough starter is that it forces you to make bread on a regular basis.

    Or does it? You could just make pancakes or noodles instead.

    But yeah, it’s been busy and I hadn’t been keeping up with the breadmaking.

    So when I made a loaf today, it felt like relearning how to ride a bike.

    You know how it should all work together, but the body and mind isn’t flowing smoothly.

    Practice. It’s the game. Even when you got it down pat.

  • Discovery Museum, Las Vegas

    The other day, we went to a free event at the Discovery Children’s Museum.

    A couple years ago we had a membership to this museum, so it was intensely nostalgic to watch our daughter in the same space we used to frequent regularly, just a couple years older.

    It seems to be a frequent theme on this blog, but it’s worth repeating. Single days crawl slowly, but time disappears fast.

    As for the trip, the girl had just as much fun as before, but we found the place equally boring as before. We still prefer Springs Preserve.

  • Chase Bank Parking Lot, Arroyo Crossing, Las Vegas

    When you live in an area for an extended period, mundane places begin to pick up the residue of various experiences.

    Last year (just around this time) we sold our little Mazda that we owned for nine years. I met the buyer outside of this bank because he was pulling his cash out from this branch.

    This year, I met my new tenant to sign the lease and transfer the rent and security deposits between our two accounts.

    Looking at it, you’d never anticipate major exchanges would happen in this little parking lot.

    Until it happens.

    Twice.

  • Therme Vals, Switzerland

    We once visited the Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals which is a free standing structure spa in the Swiss mountain side.

    Which is technically true.

    But its also in the middle of a little resort town and surrounded by boring old hotel towers on all sides.

    The photographs of the building are honest, this is an gorgeous structure, interior and exterior. But if the camera was shifted even a millimeter one direction or the other, the exterior shots wouldn’t look nearly as pretty.

    Razor Thin.

    Hanging out at the baths felt like standing on a mountain vista with litter in the foreground. However awesome the expanse, you are also burning a little mental energy to not think about the messy context.

  • Row, row, row your boat

    Over the years, I’ve given my daughter rides between the bedroom and laundry in a bin full of clothes.

    Yesterday I gave my boy his first ride in the bin.

    Halfway there, she saw him in her bin and decided to jump in as well.

    So the three of us did a couple loops around the house.

    My heart was full.

  • Tao Te Ching, Laozi

    As you may have noticed, I’ve been dabbling with reading the Tao Te Ching, borrowing all the copies available at the library and reading the liner notes and introduction.

    After all, the Tao Te Ching is somewhat impenetrable.

    And then I had this sudden inspiration, let’s start buying copies of this book! I’ll start a collection!

    Old habits die hard.