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Showing posts from August, 2018

GIANT FLAMINGO AT THE BEACH

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A "Clip": Graham Greene's "Quiet American"

Unfortunately Kindle erases the breaks. Oh, well ... * We played for the division of matches and then the real game started. It was uncanny how quickly Vigot threw a four-two-one. He reduced his matches to three and I threw the lowest score possible. ā€˜Nanette,ā€™ Vigot said, pushing me over two matches. When he had got rid of his last match he said, ā€˜Capitaine,ā€™ and I called the waiter for drinks. ā€˜Does anybody ever beat you?ā€™ I asked. ā€˜Not often. Do you want your revenge?ā€™ ā€˜Another time. What a gambler you could be, Vigot. Do you play any other game of chance?ā€™ He smiled miserably, and for some reason I thought of that blonde wife of his who was said to betray him with his junior officers. ā€˜Oh well,ā€™ he said, ā€˜thereā€™s always the biggest of all.ā€™ ā€˜The biggest?ā€™ ā€˜ā€œLet us weigh the gain and loss,ā€ā€™ he quoted, ā€˜ā€œin wagering that God is, let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose you lose nothing.ā€ā€™ I quoted Pascal back at himā€”it was the only passage I r...

Michigan Goodbye: Downtown Detroit

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Michigan Goodbye: O Young Buck

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Baudelaire's Poem: "Invitation to The Voyage"

L'invitation au voyage Mon enfant, ma soeur, Songe Ć  la douceur D'aller lĆ -bas vivre ensemble! Aimer Ć  loisir, Aimer et mourir Au pays qui te ressemble! Les soleils mouillĆ©s De ces ciels brouillĆ©s Pour mon esprit ont les charmes Si mystĆ©rieux De tes traĆ®tres yeux, Brillant Ć  travers leurs larmes. LĆ , tout n'est qu'ordre et beautĆ©, Luxe, calme et voluptĆ©. Des meubles luisants, Polis par les ans, DĆ©coreraient notre chambre; Les plus rares fleurs MĆŖlant leurs odeurs Aux vagues senteurs de l'ambre, Les riches plafonds, Les miroirs profonds, La splendeur orientale, Tout y parlerait ƀ l'Ć¢me en secret Sa douce langue natale. LĆ , tout n'est qu'ordre et beautĆ©, Luxe, calme et voluptĆ©. Vois sur ces canaux Dormir ces vaisseaux Dont l'humeur est vagabonde; C'est pour assouvir Ton moindre dĆ©sir Qu'ils viennent du bout du monde. ā€” Les soleils couchants RevĆŖtent les champs, Les canaux, la ville entiĆØre, D'hyacinthe ...

Graham Greene's "The Quiet American"

Started dipping into it just this morning. A friend told me it was a pretty good read. Graham Greene (IMHO) always feels like he's writing for the silver screen. Not necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, the beginning -- slants on love, opium, political intrigue, Baudelaire -- have piqued my interest. We' ll see how that goes. * The snippet from The Quiet American : ā€˜Donā€™t worry. Heā€™ll come. Make me another pipe.ā€™ When she bent over the flame the poem of Baudelaireā€™s came into my mind: ā€˜Mon enfant, ma soeur ā€¦ā€™ How did it go on? Aimer Ć  loisir, Aimer et mourir Au pays qui te ressemble. *

A Short Walk around A-squared

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Gallup Park (Ann Arbor)

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Last day of PLTW. Different venue for the final send-off: Huron High School (The River Rats). Stopped at Gallup Park (stumbled onto) around sunrise for a short walk. Back to CA and Long Beach either Tuesday or Wednesday. School starts Aug. 13th. *