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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

On this day, eons ago, the brave Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee fulfilled their quest to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. And so it was decreed that March 25th would ever after be known as Tolkien Reading Day!

What does that mean?

Today is Tolkien Reading Day! – The Tolkien Society

And as an extra bonus, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Estate Releases Treasure Trove Of Drawings And Maps.

See those maps and more here: Maps – The Tolkien Estate.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

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Photo by Martin Jernberg on Unsplash

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I managed to spend the whole day learning things, yay, but nothing that’s ready to share right now. I did do a load of dishes in the new dishwasher. If you (like me) have wondered what exactly goes on in there, this video is for you.

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Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

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I spent too much of today in the news mines (and most of what I found is not great), so I thought I’d share a poem. It’s from 2016 but still relevant.

Click through and read from the beginning for best effect.

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Refugees

by Brian Bilston

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

Should life have dealt a different hand

…

— Flipping the Message About Refugees, With a Poem – YES! Magazine

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Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

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Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

— Desmond Tutu

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Photo by Emily Jackson on Unsplash

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I am partial to the written word, of course, but there are times when words can fail us. That’s where music comes in.

Ukrainian violinist Illia Bondarenko made a recording of himself playing in a shelter in Kyiv. Since posting, he has been joined by musicians around the world…

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Do you play? You can join in by downloading the score and making your own recording:

Violinists Support Ukraine – Participate

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Original Photo by Beth Rufener on Unsplash

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Never put off till tomorrow the book you can read today.

— Holbrook Jackson

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Photo by Sabina Sturzu on Unsplash

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Thanks to my step-mother, I am ever-so-marginally Irish-adjacent, so today I give you all a lucky four-leaf clover. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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It’s in there, just keep looking! Photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on Unsplash

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“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

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Photo by Vincent Ledvina on Unsplash

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Today is (once again) March 14th or Pi Day. For some background, I’ve written about it before:

3.14 a.k.a. Pi Day

No Pie for Pi Day. Books Instead!

Blueberry Orange Pie

Because today is a Monday there will be no pie for me, but it turns out my every waking moment is likely touched by pi. Yours too.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the history of pi and how embedded it’s become in our daily life.*

Pi Day: How One Irrational Number Made Us Modern

In every field of human endeavor, from reconstructive facial surgery to the simulation of air flowing past a jet’s wing, billions of tiny, discrete elements stand in for an inherently smooth and analog reality. It all began with the computation of pi. Pi represents a mathematical limit: an aspiration toward the perfect curve, steady progress toward the unreachable star.

So I will appreciate all the ways the irrational infinite has come to shape our rational, finite experience.

Also maybe later this week, dessert.

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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* Here’s a bit more history for those who are interested: Which Came First, The Algorithm or the Pi? – Now I Know.

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The world remains a challenging place in many ways but today I’m lucky to be able to carve a bit of calm out of the quagmire, mostly by avoiding the news. I’m working on a cookbook update, paying taxes, continuing yesterday’s fun design project, and helped* disconnect the old dishwasher. I also heard back on one of my favorite stories and was very happy to get an acceptance. It’s always nice to share what you love.

Not too bad for a Sunday. Now, where’s my book?

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Photo by Ajda ATZ on Unsplash

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* A very little. Mr Man is good enough not to need much help.

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