The Odds of Getting Struck by a Meteorite

According to astronomers, the probability of getting hit by a meteorite is one in 700,000. And while millions of meteors enter the earth’s atmosphere continuously, there exists only a 50% chance that celestial rubbish will come from nowhere and smack you upside the head.

Armed with this information, I was astonished when two characters were killed by meteor strikes within a matter of days – Asterios and Max.

I mean characters literally. The title character of Asterios Polyp and Max Delius of The Discovery of Heaven.

Interestingly enough, these wanton rocks didn’t put either man out of his misery. Instead, it blasted their happiness into a gazillion pieces. Asterios was about to live happily ever after, or as best he could recognizing his personality; and Max had just discovered heaven. Yes, as in God.

In these two of 700,000 instances, the meteorite was the dues ex machina. Used widely by Euripides and other Greek tragedians, the god out of the machine solved the problem when the plot line came to a stop sign or perhaps a dead end. Evidently the authors found Asterios and Max lost in the labyrinth of the story with no easy way out.

With Asterios, I saw death by meteor as a clever way to use his own words against him. Therefore, it was brilliant, and you’ll have to read it to see what I mean. However with Max, it was a disappointment. Not due to the ironic fact that he’s an astronomer, but because I enjoyed him and became quite fond of him over those several hundreds of pages. I didn’t just think it was an easy way out. Frankly, I thought it was a cop out. If he was to die, it should have been more…I don’t know, real. He deserved better.

The improbability of getting struck by a meteor is used more frequently than I had realized. In the same span of a few days of finding it in these texts, it was also hurled forth by a news commentator trying to make a point. What hit me was the synchronicity of these pebbles colliding into the earth in such a short time span.

The truth of this meteor shower is that an otherworldly force doesn’t exist to step in and answer the question of ‘what’s next?’ or to solve that age-old problem of ‘what do I do?’ There is no crane to lower the answer onto the stage and wrap things up or move them into a new direction. As much as I would like that to be so, it isn’t.

But, I do believe in random things colliding and the universe conspiring. I can’t say that I’ve ever thought of one of those blissful moments as having to do with getting permanently KOd by a rock – well, a pebble actually – that’s the size of most of them.

Anyway, in the end, we’re not in total control. Whatever comes is a matter of our own doing, or the result of someone else’s actions, or it’s the mighty scriptwriter making those last minute edits. You never know, but I’m betting on the odds.

 P.S. Sorry if I was spoiler on the books. They're still very much worth the read.

The City of Lights vs The Big Apple

I stumbled upon a fun site that makes a visual comparison of two of the world's greatest cities: Paris and New York. Below are a few of the illustrated differences:

I think these are really wonderful. There's much more of Paris versus New York: A Tally of Two Cities. You can find it here.

Entering Volume 4 of the April 1st Project

Here's the latest from the April 1st Project. I have to admit that as the pages dwindle and I can see that a new thin notebook is about to be cracked open, I get rather, well, giddy.

Note that I dropped my phone, so some of the pictures have funny colored lines in them. Ah, a reason for an upgrade...

I check The Big Question almost daily. Back on the 2nd, it asked 'Do you know what you want?' -- Well, do you?

 On the 11th, I attended Inprint's presentation of Carlos Fuentes -- another great writer. I enjoyed the evening, though I thought it too short. Of the many things he said, I was struck by his description of Mexico as 'country destroyed by its own epic.'

'Be who you are and be that well.' -- Wise words from St Francis de Sales

And another quote from Gene Fowler: 'I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes.'

And from Leo Stein -- 'The wise man questions the wisdom of others because he questions his own, the foolish man, because it is different from his own.'

We attended Outstanding in the Field mid month. Wow! It was so much fun. We arrived at the Jolie vue Farms at three in the afternoon and proceeded to meet our fellow diners and nibble on passed appetizers. A few hours later, we walked passed the pens and up the hill to the table awaiting us. More than 170 people for a sit down, fantastic, gourmet meal in the country. I highly recommend it, but you'll have to wait until next year.

I was thrilled that Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize. I love The Storyteller and was riveted by The Feast of the Goat. He is a master storyteller.

The above is another of the self portrait drawings. Below is a glimpse at how fat the volume can be.

The wickedly clever Oscar Wilde once said, 'The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.'

If you like flash fiction as I do, try elimae and wigleaf. These are two new finds.

Unity, not uniformity, must be our aim. -- Mary Parker Follett

The last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. -- Viktor Frankl.

Viktor Frankl had an amazing story. I was deeply moved by Man's Search for Meaning when I read it years ago. Too many years, actually, and probably worth a reread.

That's it for now. Let me hear from you.

The Random Dozen

The instructor randomly selected 12 words out of The Art of the Personal Essay and wrote them on the board. Our assignment: to use them as a catalyst for writing. We could use all, none, or some. Go.

The words:

     publicity

     scars

     tossed

     timid

     corn

     dozen

     practice

     lashes

     dwarf

     luxury

     radio

     sweetness

This would be fun. My friend Melissa and I had done something similar (read it here), and I was ready to concoct a story with this arbitrary dozen.

Here’s the result, unedited:

His voice was sweetness as it caressed my ears floating out of the radio. It was a luxury to hear him sing, his records had only amounted to a dozen, and with little publicity they were hard to locate and very hard to come by. He sang of sadness, the scars of lost loves, past lives, and left leanings. I flirted with his voice, batted my eyelashes at the speaker and tossed compliments his way. Mi Amor. I was not timid. It was not a trait I possessed. I sang back; it was good practice. Some day, I too would be a crooner, luring men with my sumptuous voice, causing women to weep like the babies in their arms. Who would know that I was a dwarf? They wouldn’t. No one would see me. Technology does wonders with photography these days. They would only hear. And I, I would no longer be stuck in a factory making corn tortillas. I would be as great as him, and maybe, maybe as great as Amalia Rodriguez.

Books, quotes, and April 1st

Volume 3 of the April 1st Project is quickly coming to an end. Below are some highlights along with the latest photographs:

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
A graphic novel, powerful for its simplicity of both story and illustration. I highly recommend this book.

A few more books to explore:

      Thinking About Memoir by Abigail Thomas
      Stateside by Jehanne Dubrow
      Stop-Time by Frank Conroy
      The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr

Words by others, aka quotes, are always of interest to me. Some new ones that I found memorable:

      "In life as in chess, forethought wins."

          - Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton

      "Joy is the daughter of peace."

          - Finnish Proverb

      "Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin."

          - Grace Hansen

      "Leadership starts to crumble when it becomes inconsistent."

          - Kevin O'Connor

      "You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist."

          - Indira Gandhi

From a writing contest on the Worst Sentence of 2010, the winning line (prepare yourself):

For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss -- a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil.

Doesn't that just gross you out? It does me.

Follow Me and You too can be a Social Recluse!

This is the result of an exercise in a writing class that I'm currently taking. It was quick and fun, and I laughed as I wrote. 

It’s all about positioning. In marketing lingo that means that you create your desired identity in the mind of your target market. The goal is always to mold your image into what you want it to be instead of allowing it to be molded into, well, whatever it molds into without your guidance and strict oversight.

Just remember it’s all about you. So many people think that the purpose of social media is to connect with others and build these relationships. Pshaw. It’s just about you. But to really be seen as a social maven, you must connect with hundreds – no make that thousands – of others. Who are they? Who cares? Just friend, follow and link. See a familiar name. Send them a connection notice. See someone that looks interesting. Send them a connection notice with a few lines of interest and praise.

Being a social recluse is easier than it might appear at first glance, and it really involves two things. First, it’s about connecting with people as mentioned above. They can be brothers, cousins, colleagues, neighbors, or college roommates. But they also can be strangers like the guy in Turkey who cooks in his family’s restaurant and posts his menu every day. Or, it could be that bookish Swede with designer glasses that posts articles from Se&Hör. Who you connect with is important for attracting others because people want to connect with cool people. You, by default, are cool if you have cool connections. Become a member of numerous groups and wear those memberships like badges. Unlike a cocktail party, you don’t have to find a way to work it into the conversation. Your friends and memberships are there for all to see. And admire.

Those awkward cocktail party moments of remembering someone’s birthday, husband’s name, favorite color don’t exist because you have access to that information – as well as what their favorite TV show is, that they just returned from hiking in Estes Park, and that their oldest son James is a freshmen at A&M making them proud Aggie Moms and Dads.

The second requirement is showing up. One of the beauties of being a social recluse is that most of it ‘happens’ from the comfort of your couch or your desk or your patio lounge chair. No fussing or fretting over what to wear. You control the image and can upload and change it often. So, everything matches and is stylish. Those faded red sweat pants and your too-small UT shirt. Invisible. You didn’t wash your face? No biggie. Your hair is pulled back and stringy. No one can see you. Just make sure you cover that small camera on the top of your laptop screen with a Post-It note.

An added benefit: social awkwardness is no longer an issue. Small talk is easier, and frankly better than at a cocktail party, and you don’t have to balance a drink and a plate. Politics and sex are still off limits, yet people do mention their party preferences and post article links that give away their political leanings. Religion is everywhere – there are many prayer requests and ‘I am blessed’ comments – but that doesn’t mean you have to join the fray. Or should I say pray.

You can also attend multiple events at one time. No one is checking at the door. RSVP away. Recommend and give the thumbs up – one of the few times it is socially acceptable to do so – to as many events as you’d like. Parties, galas, art openings. Your social calendar will be jammed.

Position yourself accordingly and you’ll be seen as culturally aware and socially engaged. Just remember to friend, follow and link. And post a comment every now and then.

How to Kill a Mockingbird

In a flashback to Fahrenheit 451, it’s Banned Books Week. Although it’s hard to believe that we are engaging in these practices in 2010, it is happening.

My intent with this post is not to say that we shouldn’t be mindful of what young people read or to what they are exposed. I believe parents hold a great deal of responsibility in this area. 

But back to the books…

From the New York Times’ Learning Network:

Held annually during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of intellectual freedom and draws attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States, including books commonly taught in secondary schools.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, and To Kill a Mockingbird are on the list of censored books. What?!

The Lord of the Flies: I read this in high school and it had a profound effect on me, so much so that to this day the mere mention of the title displays vivid images in my mind and yanks at my sense of comfort. According to one challenge, the book is “demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal.” It was dark but real, and I'm glad to have read it then.

Of Mice and Men: Banned because "Steinbeck is known to have had an anti business attitude." Relevance?

Animal Farm: I found this painful to read while in school and went back to it years later knowing that I needed to take the time with this book. Censored! The reason cited was that "Orwell was a communist.”

The Lord of the Rings: “Regarded as satanic.” What’s to be said now that it has become a blockbuster sensation and a story devoured by people of all ages around the globe? It’s classic good versus evil. Tolkien took so much time to create the middle earth, its language, and all that populated it. His works should be celebrated and shared not banned.

1984: The challenge: It was “pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter.” They had sex in 1984? My focus was on Big Brother and still is.

The Catcher in the Rye: Charles McGrath wrote in JD Salinger’s obituary that “Reading 'Catcher' used to be an essential rite of passage, almost as important as getting your learner’s permit.” It was. Why would we want to change that?

But the bigger question is why do we want to ban books?

Reading opens us up to emotions, ideas, situations, and locations that may or may not be familiar to us. Living someone else’s life as we turn each page brings us new experiences and helps shape who we are. Some times, words on a page articulate thoughts and feelings that rise from within and with which we wrestle for understanding. Other times it's just light and airy and breezy.

Censorship is control, and control is usually sought to further a particular motivation or intention. As I said, parents have a tremendous responsibility to help regulate to what their children are exposed. Instead of banning a list of books and taking them out of circulation for everyone, recognize that maturity levels differ, personal perspectives are unique, and the back-story of young people’s lives isn’t always known by a school board or a teacher or an advocacy group. Parents can have the last word.

There are two sides to this issue: the freedom to choose what to read and the freedom to express oneself in writing books.

What do you think about this?

The 10 most challenged titles can be found here. And a great deal more information can be found here.

Inspiration & Discovery

The cool weather arrived today, formalizing the transition from summer to fall. Things will change: what we wear, what we eat, and so on. Every period is inspired uniquely, so I thought I'd kick off the week by sharing some of the things that have been influencing me and some of my recent discoveries. I love these evolutions and look forward to what the fall winds will bring.

A recent dinner that included the Spinach-Shiitake Bread Puddings was outstanding. Food & Wine has a slideshow here of six savory bread pudding recipes. Worth a try.

Last week, Musiqa presented a free concert at the Contemporary Art Museum Houston as part of its Loft Series. I'm relatively new to contemporary classical but truly enjoyed the blend of music and visuals. The next free concert is November 7. More details here. And don't miss the first of the subscription concerts featuring a Stewart Wallace premiere from his opera based on Amy Tan's novel. More info here.

I read Art Daily and receive their newsletter via email. Stunning photographs and always a good review of what's going on around the world. Worth a look here.

Invariably, I have a stack of books on my bedside, the coffee table, my desk... I am particularly enjoying Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul: Memories and the City and Haruki Murakami's Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Vintage International). I'm reading Sun, Stone, and Shadows 20 Great Mexican Short Stories (Tezontle) and Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe.

It's easy to go back to Georgia O'Keefe's work and see it anew. Quite a bit of it here.

Camel is all over fall fashion. Chloe put forth some nice pieces on the winter runway here.

Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World has several tabs. Chili that lists cocoa as an ingredient? It has my undivided attention.

This is just a small sample of what's happening in my world. What about you?