Memory

is such a slippery fish.  I'm constantly forgetting everything I've ever known.  Which is probably why I am so amazed by all these things that I already knew.  My brain is like a bucket of sand with a hole in the bottom, constantly spilling spilling spilling even as I shovel more on top.  If you memorize it, no one can take it away from you -- it's in the bucket forever -- a permanent tool in your toolbox that is never discarded for lack of use.  But I need more tools than can fit in a bucket.

In short: more blog posts.  We are what we read; or better, we are what we remember.

Melville Addition

Had to put up a link to this.
http://themobydickcollection.blogspot.com/

And more digitization projects I want to be a part of:
http://dhcommons.org/projects

Twenty-four

Twenty-four is a nice, round number.  Versatile, it adapts to many situations. It's useful, open. Divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 -- how gregarious! How very friendly! Who doesn't like 24? Perhaps 5, but if you have 3 on your side, who cares what 5 has to say.  So many odd numbers suck, 5 being among the foremost. 13, good grief, there's an awkward year -- now wonder we leave that one off elevators.  15? Ha! You're not driving Mr. Trying-to-be-an-Adult. Why don't you ask your brother to give you a ride to that date of yours?  17 is okay I suppose. 17 allows for a lot of forgiveness. You messed up? Of course you did, you're 17. You did well? Fantastic, you're becoming a respectable adult ahead of your time.  And 23... jesus 23.  If ever a number needed to gain or lose one, it was 23: what an uneven number.  Nobody likes you when you're 23. The only worse number I can think of is 33. But 24. That's a good one. That's a number you can trust.

Dira Cupido

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..." -Kerouac

Aphorisms from the Hagakure

The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one's aim is to die a dog's death is the frivolous way of sophisticates. When pressed with teh choice of life or death, it is not necessary to gain one's aim. We all want to live. And in large part we make our logic according to what we like. But not having attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice.

Thought by thought we see our own mistakes.

At the time when there was a council concerning the promotion of a certain man, the council members were at the point of deciding that promotion was useless because of the fact that the man had previous been involved in a drunken brawl. But someone said, "If we were to cast aside every man who had made a mistake once, useful men could probably not be come by. A man who makes a mistake once will be considerably more prudent and useful because of his repentance. I feel that he should be promoted."
Someone then asked, "Will you guarantee him?"
The man replied, "Of course I will."
The others asked, "By what will you guarantee him?"
And he replied, "I can guarantee him by the fact that he is a man who has erred once. A man who has never once erred is dangerous."
This said, the man was promoted.

Above all, the Way of the Samurai should be in being aware that you do not know what is going to happen next. Victory and defeat are matters of the temporary force of circumstances. The way of avoiding shame is different. It is simply death. Even if it seems certain you will lose, retaliate. Neither wisdom nor technique has a place in this. A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.

There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything.

The Way of the Samurai is in desperateness. Ten men or more cannot kill such a man. Common sense will not accomplish great things. Simply become insane and desperate. Loyalty and devotion are of themselves within desperation.

It is bad when one thing becomes two. It is the same for anything that is called a Way.

Lesson of the Day:

A day without writing is a day forgotten.

Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane

An old classic. Somehow more classic than the original.

A Night of Death

I was coming out of the subway on Franklin and Eastern Parkway when, fifty feet in front of me, I watched a man chase another man, pull out a gun, and shoot at him twice. The shooter missed entirely, and stopped to futz with his gun before he looked around, and, for a second, stared directly at me--

At this point, you would think that I would have ducked, or ran the opposite direction, or been startled by the gunfire. You would think that I would think. I am not sure that I did.

Maybe I unconsciously calculated that this guy wasn't that accurate. Maybe I figured that if he really wanted to kill that guy, he would have fired more than two shots. Maybe I figured that if he was futzing with his gun, it probably was disabled for some reason. Maybe I was drunk.

But I just kept walking towards him. Sure it is possible that my brain unconsciously calculated that even in the given circumstances the chances of dying was low. Or I could have just been in shock. But really, I think I simply didn't care.
He sprinted off across the street and down the opposite corner.