inferior frontal convolutions

Everyone thinks the brain is so complicated,

but let’s look at the facts. The frontal lobe,
for example, is located in the front! And
the temporal lobe is where the clock is.
What could be simpler?

The hippocampal fissure is where big, dumb
thoughts camp, while at the Fissure of Rolando
dark-skinned men with one gold earring lie
around the fire and play guitars.

The superior frontal convolution is where
a lot of really nice houses are set back off
a twisty road, while the inferior frontal
convolution is a kind of trailer park, regularly
leveled by brainstorms.

The area of Broca is pretty much off limits.
And if you know Broca, you know why.

"Geography of the Forehead" by Ron Koertge from Geography of the Forehead. 

And?  As I have the weekend off~this sign is true!

small mysteries

Of all the things I have found left on my desk over my career, this was one of the strangest. A couple hours into the day, I got an email from someone saying that they had been cleaning out a drawer and found this and knew I was the perfect person to gift it to.  Guess my reputation as a baker and lover of being in the kitchen has already spread.

I tucked these away for my upcoming minimester sesh The Joys of Cooking. 

green light

Been difficult to find the joys this week~just kind of a sludgy January week where viruses are lurking and exams are piling on and the snow is brown and iced and I won't even touch on the insanity of national policitcs.  Walking back from the library tonight, I saw a green dock light and immediately pulled Gatsby off the shelf for the great last paragraph.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.  It eluded us then, but that's no matter~tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further....And one fine morning~

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

oh, look

It warmed up to 21 degrees and the mile-wide river began to thaw.

shimmery potential

“Surviving a loss and letting go is only half of the story. The other half is the secret belief that we will find, in one form or another, what we have lost. And it is that potential, shimmery as a star on a clear night that helps us survive.”

~Veronica Chambers

we interrupt this blog stream to bring you...

Snow!  Yes, exclamation points!!  I am already on duty this weekend and I don't have to drive in it~so I may just enjoy the brightness and quiet that it brings.   Of course, that lasted maybe an hour before I had to be outside and experiencing it.

Little car is in shock.  We're supposed to get 6-9 inches today.  

One of the three pretty buildings in town.

Yes.  Yes, I did succumb to the allure of making a snow angel.  Of course, I did it within three feet of my front door so I could scamper in and change immediately.

silver frogs (sung to the tune of Silver Bells)

A very fun package arrived yesterday~in homage to my purple hairs and to my endless kissing of real-life frogs.  A nice little buoyancy to this snowy weekend.

epiphany

The Three Kings

~Muriel Spark

Where do we go from here?

We left our country,

Bore gifts,

Followed a star.

We were questioned.

We answered.

We reached our objective.

We enjoyed the trip.

Then we came back by a different way.

And now the people are demonstrating in the streets.

They say they don't need the Kings any more.

They did very well in our absence.

Everything was all right without us.

They are out on the streets with placards.

Wise Men?  What's wise about them?

There are plenty of Wise Men,

And who needs them?~and so on.

Perhaps they will be better off without us,

But where do we go from here?

tea, tea sans jam and bread

Received a gorgeous Christmas gift from one of my advisees today~even the packaging is elegant.  

Lovely tea cups with a greeting from the Rooster (my Chinese zodiac symbol!) 

And I just happen to have a new bag of winter tea to try.  Here's to the first snow fall of the winter!

pause

In the midst of another 15 hour day~stopped to look up and breathe.

that's what we're here for

"The fulfillment of our life is to see life objectively, to see what's really there....Life is the expression and fulfillment and celebration of beauty.  This is what we're here for.  We're not here for anything else."

~ A. H. Almaas

What stunning words.  And how excellent to read them on this first day back to work in the icy rains!

scenes from the new year

I was amused to see a beach full of people~waiting for the sunrise...in the drizzling rain.  Guess they thought that facing east was an auspicious way to kick off 2017?  The following are random shots from my beach jaunt, in no particular order.

Kites on New Year's Eve. 

Every pathway from the beach to the street has whimsical sea creatures~it's a nice way to remember which street you need to find. 

Lookin' for that miracle. 

Had some delicious Chinese take-away for the last meal of 2016~these paper cranes lined the walkway.

This gull was determined to carry the little black stick around.  He had just dropped it for the umpteenth time in this shot.   It was amusing to watch new beach visitors start to toss bread to the birds and then freak out when the entire zip code of gulls swarmed them.  

Soul soothing. 

None of these photographs come close to capturing the twinkliness of miles and miles of Christmas lights.  

Treasure

Santa leaving to go back home for the year. 

Now that I've heard AND seen the mermaids, I think it's safe for me to eat peaches this year.  (And if you'e no idea what I'm referencing~go review your college lit courses.)

One of my favorite mythological gods~and a great statue.

A compass with no headings.  Hmm. 

♬♫♬ Under the boardwalk, down by the seeeeheee ♬

Managed to rise in time to snag the last paper from the kiosk~even though it was rumpled and appeared semi-used. The barista looked at it and simply handed it to me for free "in case it's missing any sections." How nice was that??!  

A gorgeous and smooth little shell~am guessing that it may inspire a haiku later this week.  Savoring all the lovely things I got to experience during my break~all the fun visits, lights, presents, food.  Now to plan the next good things to anticipate.

it is now or not

have you ever tried to take a photo while holding a sparkler??

The time has come

To stop allowing the clutter
To clutter my mind
Like dirty snow,
Shove it off and find
Clear time, clear water.

Time for a change,
Let silence in like a cat
Who has sat at my door
Neither wild nor strange
Hoping for food from my store
And shivering on the mat.

Let silence in.
She will rarely speak or mew,
She will sleep on my bed
And all I have ever been
Either false or true
Will live again in my head.

For it is now or not
As old age silts the stream,
To shove away the clutter,
To untie every knot,
To take the time to dream,
To come back to still water.

"New Year Resolve" by May Sarton, from Collected Poems 1930-1993

I don't do resolutions (and have enjoyed reading all the scientific research saying they don't work), but a college classmate gave me the idea to write a letter to myself on New Year's Eve.  I began this tradition while in England and now have 27 years worth of letters.  It's a bit surreal to read things written by my 20 something self~but it's a tradition I intend to continue.

Here's to a new calendar page.