I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
September 14, 2004 - 2:10 a.m.
Busy day today. I taught my calculus class then went to a Met/Brave doubleheader. I thought I�d have some time in between but I didn�t. I had to leave shortly after to class to make my train. That was too bad because I had wanted to use the in between time to go to the computer lab. I finally got an account at NYIT connect. I am supposed to have an email address and be able to access my class information and enter my grades online. The problem is the account doesn�t work. Here I am at a technical school and the computer department can�t get the system to run right. The site won�t even work in Mozilla, I have to use MSIE. Then when I use it, it won�t let me log in. My officemates are having the same problem. Tomorrow I�ll go between classes and see if I can get it worked out.
Things worked out better once I left the game. I was able to get a half price copy of the Times before I caught my train. I walked out of my way to get it. They cut the price in the afternoon at some locations.
I then proceeded to get on the wrong train. Luckily for me I found out as soon as it left and was able to switch to my train at the first stop. I didn�t lose any time I just had to wait at a less comfortable station than Penn.
When I got the game the weather was beautiful, perhaps a bit warm but great. I thought of the line by Ernie Banks, �Great day for a ballgame, let�s play two.� That is exactly what they did today, play a rare doubleheader. The red hot first place Atlanta Braves against the rapidly falling NY Mets, losers of nine of their last ten games.
Alan and I were both surprised that the Mets managed to win the first game, even coming back from a 4-1 deficit. I predicted they�d lose 7-2 and Alan thought 8-3. They won 9-5. That�s why they play the games, on any give day any given team can beat any other given team.
Of course that doesn�t mean they can win twice, The Mets lost the nightcap 6-1. Alan and I split in our personal game. By our arcane rules he won the first on the tiebreaker while I won the second. Alan left after 8 to catch the end of the Monday Night Football game. I stayed for the whole game. I�ve seen 27 innings of baseball the last two days, that�s a good thing.
The game was timed beautifully, I had to wait less than ten minutes for my train home. I was back at my house less than 30 minutes after the final out. I used the short train ride to good purpose, I finished Walden. I found something else to bond with the books original owner over. At the end of the volume there is a list of all the books published by the Modern Library. He has marked off all the ones he has read and all the ones he wants to read. I have done exactly the same thing.
Now I have a slew of quotes I can use. I�m not sure what to do I have so many. I�ll just use my very favorites.
The universe is wider than our view of it. (page 285)Nay be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought. (page 286)
Sometimes we are inclined to class those who are once-and-a-half-witted with the half-witted, because we appreciate only a third part of their wit. (page 289)
Shall a man go and hang himself because he is of the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. (page 290)
If a man does not keep pace with his companion, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. (page 290) Did you know this was where the quote was from?
However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The faultfinder will find faults evening paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. (page 292)
Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul. (page 293)
The life in us is like the water in the river. It may rise this year higher than man has ever known it, and flood the parched uplands; even this may be the eventful year, which will drown out all our muskrats. (page 296)
Some much of what he said in that last chapter connects directly with me. They could be direct advice that Henry David is giving me and those I care about.
I often have thoughts that I want to write about then don�t. I often mention the fact and say how I don�t want to bore you or sound pretentious. Thoreau didn�t let such doubts stop him. There are many of his ideas I find na�ve or just plain wrong but that doesn�t lessen my respect for him? Why do I worry so much about what you, my friends, will think if I express my thoughts? There are those, not among you my gentle readers, that I read that I feel write to draw attention to themselves. Their ideas can fit in wallet yet they feel the need to fill a steamer trunk. I am always afraid of being one of those people. Well if I am, than to do so is to give a fair portrait of myself and I have also said that, that is my goal here.
Now once again the hour grows late and I doubt my ability to coherently express myself. So it is best that I leave this off. Tomorrow I will follow my muse where it takes me.
There that was plenty pretentious and I left it in. That�s a start.
I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.
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The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018
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Horvendile September 14, 2004
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