Gratitude ~ try some of these ~ it feels good

Coincidence ~ real life and fiction

I've always been fascinated by coincidences.  I wrote about coincidences in January 2020, in the last paragraph of an August 2020 post, in January 2019, in February 2015, and many other times.  I'm back to do it all over again.

I watched part of the vice-presidential debate last night (see photo above, where Kamala Harris tried to stop an interruption by Vice President Mike Pence by saying "I'm speaking").  Then I went to sleep, and this morning picked up my book to read another short story from the very thick book on time travel I wrote about in my last post.  The next story was "The Final Days" by David Langford, first published in 1981.  It's VERY short — only four pages (pp. 257-260).  Here are some words I highlighted:

• "a nation of watchers" (p. 257).
• "What would be your first act as President, Mr. Ferris?" (p. 257).
• "a mugger came up to me. One of those scum who will be swept from the streets when our program of police reform goes through" (p. 258).
• "a Presidential campaign" (p. 258).
• "newspaper predictions of opinion polls ... we politicians ... today's voters" (p. 259).
• "In four days you will be President" (p. 259).
• "He refused to draw the car's shades, of course, preferring to remain visible to the public behind his bullet-proof glass" (p. 259).
• "Soviets ... China ..." (p. 260).
• "ready to risk even his reputation for the good of Democracy" (p. 260).
• "The Good Of The Nation" (p. 260).
• "The eyes of time were upon him.  He knew he would not fail them" (p. 260).

The quotes are like sound bites from today's news.  The story is about "watchers" from the future who would come back to watch events like presidential debates of those who would one day be very famous. That's an amazing coincidence, to be reading that immediately after watching a vice-presidential debate that was trying to repair the ridiculously childish recent presidential debate.  About that earlier debate, John Pavlovitz posted today,  this president "has fallen to the occasion."

Books on time travel and paradoxology

The Time Traveler's Almanac ~ edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer, 2013, science fiction

I'll start this one today.  This thick volume is the largest and most definitive collection of time travel stories ever assembled.  It compiles more than a century's worth of literary travels into the past and the future, with beloved classics and contemporary innovations. It includes nearly seventy journeys through time from authors such as Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, H. G. Wells, and Connie Willis, as well as helpful non-fiction articles original to this volume (such as Charles Yu's Top Ten Tips For Time Travelers). The book itself is like a time machine, covering millions of years of Earth's history from the age of the dinosaurs through to strange futures, spanning the ages from the beginning of time to its very end.

Paradoxology ~ by Miriam Therese Winter, 2009, science and religion, 8/10

I just finished reading this one today.  Here are a couple of quotes I like:  "A quantum universe is telling us that we are all connected, that the God of one is the God of all, that the suffering of any of Earth's people or any part of the planet is a desecration to us all" (loc. 94).  "How would our lives have been different, how would the world and the church have evolved, if women had been praised, not blamed, for taking the initiative, for wanting to know good from evil, for wanting to be more like God?  We might have had peace on earth by now if women had been applauded, rather than berated, for choosing to be fully human" (loc. 224).

A new word for me ~ logorrhea

Source of image

Source

"A monstrous unintelligible display of logorrhea that has nothing to do with any idea of civic discourse..." — Rachel Maddow on the President.

Merriam-Webster

We define logorrhea as “excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness.”

Bananagrams

Donna used all of her Bananagrams tiles to make this fascinating layout on Monday.  I was fascinated by the word "quixote" hanging down from "squid" on the right side, so I looked it up:

"Someone resembling Don Quixote; someone who is chivalrous but unrealistic; an idealist."

It's from the 17th century, based on the book by Miguel de Cervantes.  Today, I was reading along in my current book and came across the word "quixotic."  How coincidental is that?  So it shall be today's word.

Word of the Day

quix·ot·ic / kwikˈsädik / adjective = exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.  "It was a vast and perhaps quixotic project."

That brings up an idiom

Can you tell that Don Quixote is "tilting at windmills" on the book's cover?  That phrase is an English idiom which means "attacking imaginary enemies."

Laugh lines

Word of the Day

en·nui / änˈwē / noun = a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.  Example:  "He succumbed to ennui and despair."

Maybe laughing a little will help the ennui we feel while stuck at home.

1. ARBITRATOR = A cook that leaves Arby's to work at McDonald’s.
2. BERNADETTE = The act of torching a mortgage.
3. BURGLARIZE = What a crook sees through.
4. AVOIDABLE = What a bullfighter tries to do.
5. COUNTERFEITERS = Workers who put together kitchen cabinets.
6. LEFT BANK = What the bank robbers did when their bag was full of money.
7. HEROES = What a man in a boat does.
8. PARASITES = What you see from the Eiffel Tower.
9. PARADOX = Two physicians.
10. PHARMACIST = A helper on a farm.
11. RELIEF = What trees do in the spring.
12. RUBBERNECK = What you do to relax your daughter.
13. SELFISH = What the owner of a seafood store does.
14. SUDAFED = Brought litigation against a government official.

Optimistic October

This Optimistic October Calendar is from the people at Action for Happiness, who say:

"Life is far from perfect, but there are lots of reasons for optimism.  Setting positive goals for the future gives our lives a sense of direction and purpose.  And although we face many challenges there are also lots of reasons to stay hopeful.  By consciously choosing our priorities we can overcome issues, make progress and focus on what really matters."

October 1

~ Write down your most important goals for this month.

October 2

~ Look for reasons to be hopeful even in difficult times.

October 3

~ Take the first step towards a goal that really matters to you.

October 4

~ Be a realistic optimist.  See life as it is, but focus on what's good.

October 5

~ Start your day with the most important thing on your list.

October 6

~ Do something constructive to improve a difficult situation.

October 7

~ Remember that things can change for the better.

October 8

~ Make progress on a project or task you have been avoiding.

October 9

~ Avoid blaming yourself or others.  Just find the best way forward.

October 10

~ Take time to reflect on what you have achieved this week.

October 11

~ Focus on a positive change that you want to see in society.

October 12

~ Look for the good intentions in people around you today.

October 13

~ Put down your To-Do list and let yourself be spontaneous.

October 14

~ Do something to overcome an obstacle you are facing.

October 15

~ Look out for positive news and reasons to be cheerful today.

October 16

~ Thank yourself for achieving the things you often take for granted.

October 17

~ Share your most important goals with people you trust.

October 18

~ Make a list of things that you are looking forward to.

October 19

~ Set hopeful but realistic goals for the week ahead.

October 20

~ Find the joy in completing a task you've put off for some time.

October 21

~ Let go of the expectations of others and focus on what matters.

October 22

~ Share an inspiring idea with a loved one or colleague.

October 23

~ Write down three specific things that have gone well recently.

October 24

~ Recognize that you have a choice about what to prioritize.

October 25

~ Plan a fun or exciting activity to look forward to.

October 26

~ Start the week by writing down your top priorities and plans.

October 27

~ Be kind to yourself today.  Remember, progress takes time.

October 28

~ Ask yourself, will this still matter a year from now?

October 29

~ Find a new perspective on a problem you face.

October 30

~ Set a goal that links to your sense of purpose in life.

October 31

~ Think of three things that give you hope for the future.