Saturday, January 29, 2011

For you and I are past our dancing days

January 29 1595 -

When he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine,
That all the world will be in lobe with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun....


William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet is probably first performed on this date (unless it wasn't).







I don't know, I wasn't there, were you?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Fellini don't want to give back the money

January 20, 1920 -
Federico Fellini, director, screenwriter, producer, painter and cartoonist, was born on this date.











All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Epiphany: the puzzling but privileged moment, sudden gift of vision, when one's feeling of aliveness intensifies and the senses quicken

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. - John Milton

It's the Feast of the Three Kings (Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar), Little Christmas, etc.

If you're playing the home version of the game - the Gifts of the Magi were Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (or the watch fob and a set of combs would have been an acceptable answer.)




... The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.... - O. Henry



Gold is a precious metal and has monetary value. It represented Jesus' Kingship.



Frankincense is another resin, an aromatic one, from the milky sap of the Boswellia Tree. it is used as perfume, incense and in aromatherapy today, and was used in religious rites in Jesus' time. This represented homage to God.




Myrrh
is a resin (dried sap) from the Myrrh tree. It is used in perfumes and incense. It was commonly used as an embalming ointment in Jesus' day. This was a startling gift for a young boy--it represented His death.



May your day be filled with small moments of infinite joy and wisdom.




(OK folks, the holidays are official over - take the damn decorations down.)