Spineless Yes-men

Years ago, a musician friend confided that he always wanted to name his band "The Spineless Yes-Men." I've always liked the sound of that phrase.

News from Far Away

There is a verse in Proverbs that goes, " As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." I think this speaks to our love of receiving word from friends and family (be it by snail mail, email, text or twitter) and the popularity of travel writing (one site we particularly like is The Insider Travel Guides).

"We should count time by heart-throbs"

So wrote Philip James Bailey in his voluminous poem, Festus. There is a phrase, common on plaques and t-shirts, that is similar in meaning: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away." I like Bailey's version better.

A Question of Character

With all the talk about the economic collapse and the possible reasons behind it, I can't help seeing all the finger pointing and thinking, as George Elliot wrote, "character is destiny."

Let Go of Anger

Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone; you are the one who gets burned. -- Buddha

Friendship

No one who has ever had a favorite pet can argue with George Elliot's assertion that "animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."

The Boys of Summer

As baseball season approaches, I think about former commissioner of baseball A. Bartlett Giamatti's comment about the sport:

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."

Born Again

Having recently read Philip Roth's American Pastoral I can't help but imagine that many folks would have said of Merry, "It was a pity he couldna be hatched o'er again, an' hatched different" as George Eliot wrote in Adam Bede.

The Meaning of Aloha

Paul Theroux wrote, "Hawaii is not a state of mind but a state of grace." We couldn't agree more. The sense of Aloha that permeates the islands contributes to this, of course (note that Aloha, in addition to being used as a way to say "hello" or "goodbye," is also defined as love -- of self, of others, of celebration, and of the natural wonders that Hawaii offers.

Narcissism

Don't we all know someone, of whom it can be said (in George Eliot's words), "he was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow?"