WORK
“It is a great adventure to contemplate the universe, beyond man, to contemplate what it would be like without man, as it was in a great part of its long history and as it is in a great majority of places. When this objective view is finally attained, and the mystery and majesty of matter are fully appreciated, to then turn the objective eye back on man viewed as matter, to see life as part of this universal mystery of greatest depth, is to sense an experience which is very rare, and very exciting. It usually ends in laughter and a delight in the futility of trying to understand what this atom in the universe is, this thing—atoms with curiosity—that looks at itself and wonders why it wonders.”
—Richard Feynman
—from The Meaning of It All; Thoughts of a Citizen Scientist
WORD(S)
ravel /RAV-əl/. noun or verb. A curious word with many meanings, the most interesting being synonymous with its apparent opposite: to ravel something usually means to unravel or untangle it [is there a word for words like this?]. But, just to confuse things, sometimes ravel does mean what you might first think: to tangle. And, as a noun, it usually relates to the latter, meaning a tangle, a mess, a cluster, or a knot, or—metaphorically—a confused situation. But, it might also mean the opposite: a frayed or broken thread, or a loose end. The etymology is unclear, but it likely derives from Dutch rafelen (to become entangled or confused).
“Must I do so? and must I ravel out
My weaved-up folly?”
(William Shakespeare, from Richard II)“Late afternoon: the sun mellow, more orange than white. Purpling clots of shadow hang from the branches, ravel out from the tree trunks. Bees and wasps and flies saw away at the wet full-bellied air.” (T.C. Boyle, from “Heart of a Champion”)
“Her stockings, sleek and coffee-brown, were beginning to ladder at the knee, and Lewis reached to touch a ravel of loose nylon.” (Kevin Brockmeier, from “These Hands”)
“Great is self-denial! Practice it where thou needest it. Life goes all to ravels and tatters where that enters not. The old monks meant very wisely: hit thou the just medium.” (Thomas Carlyle, from Thomas Carlyle; a History of the First Forty Years of His Life)
WEB
-
A new addition in the Awful Library Books’ Doris Hall of Infamy…this time a bizarre children’s book set in a concentration camp. Oof. → Doris Does Concentration Camps
-
A couple of my favorite words appear on this list…can you guess which ones? → 17 Words Invented By James Joyce
-
What the English of Shakespeare, Beowulf, and King Arthur actually sounded like…
-
It’s Viagra® day! Today in 1998, the FDA approves the use of Sildenafil—aka Viagra®—the little blue pills that could. An instant classic, sales of Viagra® topped one billion dollars in its first year of availability, most likely because men believed that if it could help Bob Dole, it could help anyone. But it’s not just for old men. Apparently the kids mix Viagra® with Ecstacy to create an—ahem—potent combination colloquially called “Sextacy” or “Trail Mix”. At the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, research is currently being performed to see if Viagra® might not actually be a miracle drug for premature infants. And even if you don’t need any yourself, Viagra® can also keep your flowers from wilting). Finally, in a testament to the pill’s global powers, the CIA traded Viagra® with the Taliban.
WATCH/WITNESS
from “Lost and Found” — glass sculptures by Phllipa Beveridge
click for larger images and more info
REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES
-
Reader C.: “I have this poem [Brian Teare’s “Embodiment”] framed (unfortunately not in birch). The text is handset type from Brian Teare’s Albion Press. So beautiful.” — This was my first encounter with Teare…I’m enjoying catching up with his poetry.
-
Reader S.: “Tumescence. A word engorged with mystery and romance.” — Ever the romantic…
-
Reader B. on my invocation of decollatage: “Don’t lose your head! It’s a fashion statement .”
-
Reader H.: “I wonder if Monet’s painting from postcards could have blurred that finding as to date and time.”
-
Reader G.: “Enjoyed the Monet painting and how it links to the work (in which he has captured exactly where and when he is standing at the moment he paints it). ¶ Every time I see a Monet I am quite sure that particular work is my favorite, he has done so many beautiful ones. I have seen some very large paintings of the waterlilies that took up an entire wall. What size was this painting? I didn’t realize before that was the moon in the image. Such a nice use of color and movement. I always love Monet. ¶ I appreciate the work too for validating all the writers out there. Sure every story has been told, but never in the same way because we all have our unique perspective. So dance on, write on, there is room for us all.” — The original is about 24x33 inches…a bit smaller than I was expecting…"
I welcome comments, suggestions, thoughts, feedback and all manner of what-have-you. Just press ‘Reply’ or email to: clippings@katexic.com.
And please feel free to share anything here as far and wide as you want! If you want to give a shout-out, please link to: http://katexic.com/clippings/.
Daily(ish) email overwhelming you? Email chris+weekly@katexic.com to switch to the weekly digest edition.