Monthly Archives: November 2017

(bust of The Bard on one of my bookshelves) Lines from “Shakespeare” by Matthew Arnold: We ask and ask–Thou smilest and art still./Out-topping knowledge. All pains the immortal spirit must endure,/All weakness which impairs, all griefs which bow,/Find their sole … Continue reading →

(My first and still favorite movie version; Laurence Olivier’s performance in classic black and white, directed by himself, is the one which all subsequent performances have been evaluated) “Not a whit, we defy augury; there’s a special providence in the … Continue reading →

(A truly great 1981 movie(and play) classic about the right-to-die controversy: very funny, serious, beautiful and moving) “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,” Rough-hew them how we will.” -Shakespeare, Hamlet We may be or feel limited by forces outside us–be … Continue reading →

“Some people like to make a little garden out of life and walk down a path.”

(arguably the greatest man in Canadian history who helped create, unite, and build this nation–we/the whole country would not be here today without his efforts and accomplishments; should great people be completely trashed when criticized by narrow single-themed political causes 150 years … Continue reading →

I have watched my grandson playing for about a year and come to the conclusion that our lives begin and continue as a series of projects. One of his earliest projects was stacking colored cups which he did for months … Continue reading →

(consciousness, eventually anyway, combined with a positive good attitude;:Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travers in  the classic O Lucky Man!) “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” –Shakespeare, Hamlet Much of our lives simply comes down … Continue reading →

(a Steinbeck classic about several individuals’ dreams of freedom and their various limits and limitations) Each person has limits, limitations, and whatever freedom/s. In the context and process of each of our lives, we bump into these limits on a … Continue reading →

It is always a refreshing pleasure to encounter a strong, entertaining, well-made film at the movie theatres in a dark age when Bad Grandpa tops the weekend box office and coarseness, crudeness, violence, and phony over-the-top effects and explosions rule. … Continue reading →

(a quiet moment with Peanut in her bone sweater; she came from a breeder of Bichon-Shitzus) (Pepper on right, came from another breeder, and was a very intelligent dog; Scamp, left, my dog from grade1 to grade 8 kept this only child company; … Continue reading →