Lines

Man alive, that mournst thy lot,
Desiring what thou hast not got,
Money, beauty, love, what not;

Deeming it blesseder to be
A rotted man, than live to see
So rude a sky as covers thee;

Deeming thyself of all unblest
And wretched souls the wretchedest,
Longing to die and be at rest;

Know: that however grim the fate
Which sent thee forth to meditate
Upon my enviable state,

Here lieth one who would resign
Gladly his lot, to shoulder thine.
Give me thy coat; get into mine.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)

Prose and Poetry

This blog is titled "Mostly Poetry," but for more than a year now it's been "Mostly Not Poetry."  I simply haven't had time to discover new poets and new poems.  The poetry that has become part of my soul, of which I've shared much here, remains there and informs and shapes my days and my life.  I was happy today to come cross a new poem by one of my favorite poets.  It's about where the line is between prose and poetry.

The timing of finding this was interesting for me because I find more and more as I become busier and busier with work as a tenured professor (not just the busyness of teaching and grading and planning but also that of involvement in the politics and structure of the college, committees, grant work, etc.) that I have to work harder to find ways to make my life poetic rather than prosaic - a hard thing to do when time becomes more and more limited.  

It's interesting as well how these changes in life take place on a spectrum on which it is hard to determine when a change has actually occurred.  More and more in recent months I want to remember how to "fly," and I find I have forgotten.  So this poem has hit me at a number of different levels.

So, without further ado, and whether you asked or not, here it is:

Because You Asked About The Line Between Prose And Poetry Sparrows were feeding in a freezing drizzle That while you watched turned into pieces of snow Riding a gradient invisible From silver aslant to random, white, and slow. There came a moment that you couldn't tell. And then they clearly flew instead of fell. Howard Nemerov

Lyrics, I Thought

While grading today I pulled out some old tunes from my college days - Alan Parson's Project - good stuff!  One of the songs really hit me - seemed to be speaking to a situation I'd dealt with since that time - lyrics I hadn't seemed to catch before:

"Nothing's good that uses bad;
The beat goes on and it drives you mad.
Scornful thoughts that fly your way
You should turn away -- 'cause there's nothing left to say

"You gave the best you have to give;
You only have one life to live;
You fought so hard, you were a slave
And after all you gave there was nothing left to save."

Well, I didn't get it quite right, but it buoyed my spirits while grading nonetheless - and it gave me a new perspective on a difficult time, so it's all good!

Here's a link to the actual lyrics of Alan Parsons Project's "Nothing Left to Lose:"

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/alan+parsons+project/nothing+left+to+lose_20005402.html

Didn't Know How Good I Had It!

 

I love teaching the liberal arts mathematics courses!  They allow me to explore all sorts of ideas with my students.  We're in a geometry unit right now and exploring different ways of defining dimension.  As part of their homework I asked if they thought time travel would ever be possible (time sometimes being considered a fourth dimension).  As I sit here grading the homework now I see a 50-50 split between those who think it will and those who think it will not. 

 

The next question is about whether they would travel to the past or the future if time travel ever did become possible.  I'm getting a lot of interesting answers - again, about a 50-50 split - many people saying they would go to the past and avoid the mistakes they had made.  But I think my favorite answer this year is the following:

 

"I would travel back to the 1980's. I have always loved 80s culture and am kinda bitter I was only around for 3 years of it."

 

WOW!  Given a choice of ANY era from past or future, this person would go to the decade I spent my high school and college years in.  I had no idea how good I had it!!

Wishing!

Tonight Jeopardy! started its "Battle of the Decades" tournament.  I'm so disappointed that I didn't get invited back.  Alas  .  .  .  I guess I'll just reminisce about when I was there  .  .  .

Being questioned by Alex

Daily Double - anybody out there know the answer?

And talking with Alex after the show.  Yes, he really is smart!  It's not just that he has the answers in front of him.  This was quite a conversation!

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds..."

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Stills of New Years Day at K.F.

Knight's Ferry 2014

Caleb's take on our trip to Knight's Ferry yesterday (New Year's Day 2014):

Chippey's 1st Annual Cube Tournament (+playlist)

Caleb documented our tournament yesterday! :-)

(See post below for stills.)

 

First Annual Meyer MTG Cube Tournament

The table is set:

 The cube is ready for drafting:

 The lands are available:

And the gaming begins:

I won my first round game (sorry Tim!).  This is my winning board.  The Restoration Angel paired with Wolfir Silverheart was the secret to my success!

With a trophy on the line Caleb and Anthony proceed to the final round: 

 And, with his four-color deck (all but red), Anthony emerges victorious - proud winner of the Magic Cube Tournament trophy (at least until next year!)

CMC^3 2013

I had a good weekend of mixing business with pleasure - mathematics, family, friends, teaching, and natural beauty! The weekend after finals week was sure a great time to get away and get renewed vocationally and spiritually!