M53
A Hubble photograph of M53, a cluster of stars that is about 12 billion years old.
Found via: Bad Astronomy
“Joy Perspective or As Purple As You’d Like It”
I just read via Gawker that their friend and comedian, Aaron Jamison, has died. As Gawker summed it up, Aaron “approached his own terminal cancer with a wry and sometimes morbid sense of joy, starting with his plan to sell ads on his own cremation urn to help defray the costs of his medical bills.” Below was the moving last post he wrote on his blog.
“I am currently sitting in our living room looking across the way at photos from our wedding, signs made for me by my mother. One says Choose joy, the other it’s a wonderful life (one of my favorite movies). It’s a very different view from the one I had last night. As I laid on the floor in our bathroom waiting for paramedics to show up and help me get off the ground. I’ve fallen a few times lately. It’s not the first time I’ve fallen, just the first time I can’t get up. I guess it’s happened several times over the last few weeks. It used to be that no matter what my weight was, I could still lift myself up off the ground. But I’ve lost so much strength in the last few months and I’ve moved so little, sometimes now I fear falling out of bed or just falling.
I don’t know whether I’m writing this so Kristin will have less questions to answer or out of some need to keep you up to tabs on my life as we come to this sure but abrupt halt. This is certainly not how I pictured the end of my life. And I know there are a few of you who would still like to argue with me that God can still provide healing. But really there’s no argument there. We believe, in fact I know, that God can heal. I’ve seen him do it in my life. I’ve seen him to it on other lives. It just doesn’t seem to be the rout he’s taking this time. A week or so ago, I had fluid removed from my abdomen in the hope that is would give me more time. That led to another of my falling spells. And by falling spells I don’t mean the cool Harry Potter kind that repair glasses and such, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen Harry Potter repair glasses by falling. What I mean is facing the ground and watching its eminent arrival at my face. But even now, as I face each day with a choice for joy or to revel in my despare sharing it with each individual as they find themselves in closer proximity than they would care to be…kind of like a non wise cracking incredible hulk. I mean let’s face it the Incredible hulk without Spidermans puns is just The Punisher minus a Rx for Xanex.
My wife jsut pointed out that essentially I’m not as funny as I used to be, but I’m on a lot of drugs so we’ll let that one slide. And besides she’s probably right. In the long run, what I’d like you all to know is that with a week or so left to go in this life, I’m choosing joy more and more each day and understanding it less and less each day. I wish that sentence made more sense. I hope you’ve seen that and will continue to see that. I don’t know how many people are still reading this. I haven’t had time to check the stats recently. This week please pray hard for my Kristin, for my in-laws and for my parents. Pray that God will ease them into this. Pray that Kristin and I can do a little less crying and a little more embracing.
I guess that’s it. I wish I had something more profound to say, but I don’t tink there’s anything more profound to say but I love you and that I hope this has touched you somehow,( in a good way, not the show the judge where the bad man touched you way).
On one other note, while we appreciate your support, please check in via email or phone making sure it’s ok before you come over. This is a very straining time for both of us, and making sure we’re ready and emotionally available will make this easier on everyone involved.”
Como Se Dice…
An interesting collection of words in various languages that we Americans have no single word for…
Toska
Russian – Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”
Mamihlapinatapei
Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) – “the wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start”
Jayus
Indonesian – “A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh”
Iktsuarpok
Inuit – “To go outside to check if anyone is coming.”
Litost
Czech – Milan Kundera, author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, remarked that “As for the meaning of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can understand the human soul without it.” The closest definition is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.
Kyoikumama
Japanese – “A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement”
Tartle
Scottish – The act of hestitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.
Ilunga
Tshiluba (Southwest Congo) – A word famous for its untranslatability, most professional translators pinpoint it as the stature of a person “who is ready to forgive and forget any first abuse, tolerate it the second time, but never forgive nor tolerate on the third offense.”
Prozvonit
Czech – This word means to call a mobile phone and let it ring once so that the other person will call back, saving the first caller money. In Spanish, the phrase for this is “Dar un toque,” or, “To give a touch.”
Cafuné
Brazilian Portuguese – “The act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair.”
Schadenfreude
German – Quite famous for its meaning that somehow other languages neglected to recognize, this refers to the feeling of pleasure derived by seeing another’s misfortune. I guess “America’s Funniest Moments of Schadenfreude” just didn’t have the same ring to it.
Torschlusspanik
German – Translated literally, this word means “gate-closing panic,” but its contextual meaning refers to “the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.” (Altalang.com)
Wabi-Sabi
Japanese – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.” (Altalang.com)
Dépaysement
French – The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country.
Tingo
Pascuense (Easter Island) – Hopefully this isn’t a word you’d need often: “the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them.”
Hyggelig
Danish – Its “literal” translation into English gives connotations of a warm, friendly, cozy demeanor, but it’s unlikely that these words truly capture the essence of a hyggelig; it’s likely something that must be experienced to be known. I think of good friends, cold beer, and a warm fire.
L’appel du vide
French – “The call of the void” is this French expression’s literal translation, but more significantly it’s used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.
Ya’aburnee
Arabic – Both morbid and beautiful at once, this incantatory word means “You bury me,” a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them.
Duende
Spanish – While originally used to describe a mythical, spritelike entity that possesses humans and creates the feeling of awe of one’s surroundings in nature, its meaning has transitioned into referring to “the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.” There’s actually a nightclub in the town of La Linea de la Concepcion, where I teach, named after this word.
Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade.
Credit: http://www.quora.com/Language/What-foreign-words-are-difficult-to-translate-into-English
Found via: The Presurfer
Good Morning, Space
“On Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, International Space Station astronaut Ron Garan used a high definition camera to film one of the sixteen sunrises astronauts see each day. This image shows the rising sun as the station flew along a path between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina.”
Photo Credit: Nasa
The Burning House
If your house was burning, what would you take with you?
Name: Karoline Evans
Age: 29
Location: Levittown, Pennslyvania
Occupation: Student
List:
- My husband
- My wedding dress, in which I have married the man of my dreams
- The watch my parents gave me for my 18th birthday
- My grandma’s watch that my mom gave me before my wedding
- Favorite high heels and sunglasses
- My handbag with my life in it
- Engagement and Wedding Ring
- My family pictures
- MacBook Pro and my hard drive, with all my memories on it
- Our wedding guest book with our wedding vows in it
- Passport and Green card
- Iphone 4
Name: Tucker Gorman
Age: 23
Location: Maine
Occupation: aspiring industrial designer
List:
- Lifelong teddy bear Chewy (Chewbacca)
- Journal/sketchbook from spring of 2009 in Denmark
- Norse Projects 5-panel hat
- Larry Bird autographed basketball
- Citizen Eco Drive Watch
- Leatherman Freestyle Tool
- Phone charger
- Mac Book Pro
- HTC Droid Incredible
- LL Bean zip-up tote
Name: Ricardo Perini
Age: 28
Location: Curitiba, BrazilOccupation: Forester
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricardoperini/
List:
- Panama Hat ( Although brazilian I just can’t stand the sun heat over ‘n over. )
- Lomo FishEye ( A very light camera given by my adorable woman )
- Harmonica ( necessary for crying as I wouldn’t have tears )
- Sunglasses ( these days are incredibly shiny )
- An old watch to remember that times tic tacs ( dad’s )
- Moleskine ( new ideas would come, I hope so )
Name: Emily Loerke
Age: 30
Location: Dallas, Texas
Occupation: Blogger, Writer, Clergy
Website: www.todaysletters.com
List:
- Childhood woobie (for cape wearing and fort building)
- Favorite coffee mug
- Passports
- My mom’s 1962 Gibson guitar
- Favorite thrifted belt
- Birth certificates & marriage license
- 1941 Royal Quite Deluxe Portable Typewriter (a gift from dear friends)
- MacBook & iPhone
- Wallet, Checkbook, Keys
- Antique bone fork (a gift from my dad)
- My grandmother’s oak recipe box & recipe book
- Leather journal (My husband and I have been writing letters to each other in it for the past 5 yrs)
- My mom’s 1960’s blue bandana
- Favorite thrifted salt & pepper shakers that remind me of my twin sister
- Vintage Fire King dish (a gift from my mom)
- Antique E.T.N. Swift box (filled with cash we’ve been saving for our 25th wedding anniversary)
- Canon 40D (used to take this photo)
Many more at The Burning House.
When the Lights Go Out in the City…
Photo Credit: I Am Not An Artist
Sounds Like Learning Something New
I’ve been following Griffin House for many years now, and his new album “The Learner” has been on repeat during my two hour commute each day lately.
His theory of songwriting? “I had a teacher who told us the only rule of songwriting is, ‘Apply ass to chair.’ That’s my only trick, to just sit down and do it.”
Photo Credit & Source: Esquire
Boston
Boston, 2008
“Everything one invents is true, you may be perfectly sure of that.
Poetry is as precise as geometry.”
— Gustave Fluabert
Photo Credit: I Am Not An Artist
Goodbye Beaches
“People take pictures of the Summer, just in case someone thought they had missed it, and to prove that it really existed.” — Ray Davies
Photo Credit: I Am Not An Artist
Office Sunset
Photo Credits: I Am Not An Artist
Industrial Scars
American photographer J Henry Fair traveled the world to capture aerial images of the earthly scars and waste that are left behind after oil drilling, agricultural production and abandoned mining operations. Below are some samples from his project “Industrial Scars”.
Sulphur wastes from the tar sands extraction. Fort McMurray, Canada, 2009 Canadian oil sands
Wastes from another coal power plant Canadice, South Carolina, 2009.
Wastes from a coal power plant. Moncks Corner, South Carolina, 2009.
Herbicide manufacturing plant, Luling, Louisiana, USA, 2010
A power plant flushes toxic waste generated in the course of its operation. Paynvil, South Carolina, USA, 2009.
“Lightning Rods,” 2009. The inside of a holding tank at an oil sands facility. Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
“Expectoration,” 2005. A plume of foam in bauxite waste at an aluminum manufacturing plant. Darrow, Louisiana, USA.
Outlet pipe from phosphate waste impoundment. Lakeland, Florida, USA, 2007
The baby blue brushstrokes of hydro-seeding a mining site.
The effluvia from aluminum production as it spreads across Earth and sea.
“Crime and Punishment,” 2010. Oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill on the Gulf of Mexico.
Found via Amusing Planet
Sources: Industrial Scars, The Atlantic, and the NYT.
Meteor and the Milky Way
I am a time lapse video junkie, and especially ones that show space from earth. These incredible shots are from Randy Halverson’s recent video found here. It looks almost as though these images were fabricated… very beautiful and ethereal.
Found via Bad Astronomy
Photo Credit: DakotaLapse
Moon Over Afghanistan
“The waning third quarter Moon over Afghanistan, as seen by astronaut Ron Garan on board the International Space Station.”
Found via Bad Astronomy
Nantucket
“To see the Summer Sky
is Poetry.”
— Emily Dickinson
Photo Credit: I Am Not An Artist
