July 21, 1899 –Ernest Hemingway was born on this date. He was young at the time of his birth. It was fine to be young. He drove an ambulance in World War I. It wasn’t called World War I then. It was just called the war. It was one of those times when people shotContinue reading “Courage is grace under pressure”
Tag Archives: writing
The history of pie fights
July 17, 1913 –On this date, audiences attending the silent film A Noise from the Deep witnessed Mabel Normand striking Fatty Arbuckle in the face with a pie. It was purportedly the first use of the pie-in-the-face routine in film history. It may not seem that remarkable when you consider how much history there hadContinue reading “The history of pie fights”
When fireflies write love letters in the dark.
According to the Gregorian calendar, July is the seventh month. On the Roman calendar, it was the fifth month and it was called ‘Quintilis‘, meaning ‘fifth‘. Julius Caesar gave the month 31 days in 46 B.C. Being a dictator he could. Luckily for us he didn’t authorize the constant changing of underpants or most ofContinue reading “When fireflies write love letters in the dark.”
Can’t bring back time. Like holding water in your hands
Happy Bloomsday! June 16, 1904—If you notice English majors greeting one another joyously, saying “Yes—yes—yes!” they’ll titter with delight. It will all be terrific fun for them. And here’s the reason why: Today is the date on which all the events depicted in James Joyce’s famous novel Ulysses take place—even though the book itself wasn’tContinue reading “Can’t bring back time. Like holding water in your hands”
A love song written by nature
June is the sixth month of the year and consists of thirty days. The ancient Romans gave it 29 days until 46 BC, when Julius Caesar added the thirtieth for reasons known only to himself. (Caesar’s hobbies seem to have been conquering the known world, sleeping with some very rich North African teenager, and makingContinue reading “A love song written by nature”
What are the roots that clutch …
When you woke up this morning, one of your first thoughts probably was probably, Will there be a new tax on tacks?. Don’t worry, you’ll know soon enough. But anyway, it’s April (again.) April is National Poetry Month It is a cruel month – usually mixing memory with tax payments (hopefully you’ve heard that youContinue reading “What are the roots that clutch …”
Henrik Ibsen
March 20, 1828 –Let’s raise a toast of aquavit to the playwright Henrik Ibsen, born in Skien on this date. He was, at one point, a small-time cherry herring bootlegger and an assistant stage manager for a new theater, where it was his job to produce a new drama each year based on Norway’s gloriousContinue reading “Henrik Ibsen”
Happy Lunar New Year!
The Lunar New Year begins today, and it is the Year of the Horse — but which one? The Lunar New Year is often celebrated with parades, family gatherings, red envelopes, and (sometimes enthusiastically) the lighting of firecrackers for days afterward. Both the animal sign and the element of your birth year are said toContinue reading “Happy Lunar New Year!”
There’s a sort of delightful menace in the air.
The name November comes from the Latin “novem” which is the Latin for the nine. In the early Roman calendar, it was the ninth month. According to the Gregorian calendar, November is the eleventh month of the year. Go figure. The Roman Senate elected to name the eleventh month for Tiberus Caesar and since AugustusContinue reading “There’s a sort of delightful menace in the air.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
September 24, 1896 ––… Writers aren’t exactly people… they’re a whole bunch of people trying to be one person.. On this date in 1896, a young woman in Minnesota gave birth to a depressive, witty young alcoholic named Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He did poorly in school and went off to train for war inContinue reading “F. Scott Fitzgerald”
The Haus of Dcaligari 