This photo of a full moon was taken in March with my digital camera attached to my SkyWatcher telescope. I had to crop the original photo to get the moon to appear larger. Enjoy.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Quotes about dealing with difficult people and situations
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing
with the darknesses of other people.
Carl Jung
When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing
with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. Dale Carnegie
Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned.
They're only powerful when you got your back turned. Eminem
A simple rule in dealing with those who are hard to get
along with is to remember that this person is striving to assert his
superiority; and you must deal with him from that point of view. Alfred Adler
One of the most important things, especially when you're
leaving school, is to realize you're going to be dealing with a lot of idiots.
And a lot of those idiots are in charge of things, so if you're in an interview
and you really want to tell the person off, don't do it. Lewis Black
I have a respect for manners as such, they are a way of
dealing with people you don't agree with or like. Margaret Mead
My recipe for dealing with anger and frustration: set the
kitchen timer for twenty minutes, cry, rant, and rave, and at the sound of the
bell, simmer down and go about business as usual. Phyllis Diller
When we label anyone 'bad', we will have more trouble
dealing with him than if we could have settled for a lesser label. William Glasser
That's what a god is. Somebody who knows more than you do
about whatever you're dealing with.
Terence McKenna
You should be able to voice your opinion and respect the
voice of the other side. You should be willing to educate yourself and know what
it is you're dealing with. Steve
Nash
Adult life is dealing with an enormous amount of
questions that don't have answers. So I let the mystery settle into my music. I
don't deny anything, I don't advocate anything, I just live with it.
Bruce Springsteen
Good leaders need a positive agenda, not just an agenda
of dealing with crisis. Michael Porter
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
In Praise of Non-Difficult People
We all know at least one truly difficult person in our lives
(or perhaps more)—the one who leaves a train wreck in his or her wake more
often than not, saunters on, leaving those around them to deal with the mayhem and/or
to clean up the mess. They are the drama kings and queens of this world. I know
we can all behave as difficult people sometimes; but I’m talking about those
people who make it their life goal to be truly difficult, no matter what the
situation. They are defiant in situations where defiance is not called for, rude
or aggressive in situations where rudeness or aggression are unnecessary, and
demanding and selfish in situations where to give in and to be unselfish might
have been the better path. Advice is wasted on them. They do what they want,
when they want. They are nearly impossible to deal with. Nothing is ever good enough for them; they are chronic complainers. They voice their opinion about everything, usually at a decibel level that drowns out other voices. They
always want more, or want what the others have. Envy seems to be a big part of
who they are, as well as a huge ego and a lot of self-confidence. They are
somehow so special that they take
offense if the world around them does not notice them and pay attention to them
all the time. They’re not good at sharing the spotlight with others, or giving
up the spotlight when it’s time for someone else (often younger) to step into
it. They need to be the centers of attention no matter what. I believe too that
they need to feel slighted in order
to exist. They live their lives in fighting
mode. The words compromise and listening are part of a foreign language to
them.
I grew up with the false notion that difficult people were somehow
more creative or gifted than non-difficult people, thus it might be worth my while to try to be more understanding of them. I don’t know where I got that idea from, perhaps
from the society around me at that time that worshipped all things
counter-cultural. Of course, when I was younger, it would have been difficult
or nearly impossible to discover that non-difficult people were creative or
gifted, because they were simply overshadowed by their difficult counterparts. So
I used a lot of energy in my younger years trying to understand difficult
people. Because of my understanding nature and ability to listen well, I
attracted my share of them. Along the way however, I also attracted my share of
non-difficult people. And it is the latter I prefer to be together with now. It
is the latter who have enriched my life and inspired me. I suppose I could add
that truly difficult people have inspired me as well—to not be like them.
I have learned a lot from non-difficult people. I have
learned the value of compromise, of calmness in communication with others, of
keeping an even tone when talking, of not flying off the handle when confronted
with truly difficult people. Non-difficult people teach you from a very young
age how to fit into society and how to be a valuable member of it. They teach
you the value of contributing to society. That’s important because the truly
difficult people are often the ones who want to dismantle the society they live
in because they just know they’d be
the better leaders or have the better solutions. But all they do is mostly complain rather than act. Most of the non-difficult people I
admire have learned how to deal with the truly difficult people they know. Not
always of course. But they have over the course of a lifetime learned to stand
up for themselves in an assertive way, without clobbering or destroying the
truly difficult person. They limit their interactions with them, they listen
but have clear boundaries as to how much they will listen to. They have learned
the art of placation, which is to say they do not hand their power over to
the truly difficult people (placation is not loss of power and can often be a
tactic that infuriates truly difficult people). They ignore them when
necessary, deflect them when necessary—all done in a kind way. Their kindness
is not weakness; it is in fact an extraordinary strength. They have a strength of
character and an inner calm that inspires me. And I’ve discovered that many of
them are very creative and gifted people, because I turn my head away now from
those people who shout the loudest, and instead focus on those who do not. I find the latter more interesting, both in workplace situations and outside of them.
Monday, April 20, 2015
My father's reading list from 1938
As promised, a list of some of the many books that my father
read in his lifetime. His book choices continue to inspire me; I know they will
do so for many years to come. In 1938, when he was twenty years old, he started
to note the specific year in which he read the books he listed. These are the
books he read during that year.
- The Wind from the Mountains Trygve Gulbranssen
- The Deserted Village and Other Poems Oliver Goldsmith
- And So—Victoria Vaughan Wilkins
- American Dream Michael Foster
- The Outward Room Miller Brand
- Anna Karenina Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
- War and Peace Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
- The Turning Wheels Stuart Cloete
- Invasion Maxence Van der Meersch
- Northwest Passage Kenneth Roberts
- Rogue Herries Hugh Walpole
- The Stars Look Down Albert Joseph Cronin
- The Thing: Why I Am a Catholic Gilbert Keith Chesterton
- Inheritance Phyllis Bentley
- Why Rome Selden Peabody Delany
- The Sisters Myron Brinig
- Judith Paris Hugh Walpole
- The Fortress Hugh Walpole
- Vanessa Hugh Walpole
- The Ordinary Difficulties of Everyday People John Rathbone Oliver
- D’Annunzio Tommaso Antongini
- Parnassus On Wheels Christopher Morley
- The Haunted Bookshop Christopher Morley
- The Wall Mary Roberts Rinehart
- The Citadel Albert Joseph Cronin
- Jamaica Inn Daphne du Maurier
- The Rains Came Louis Bromfield
- Opera, Front and Back H. Howard Taubman
- Wolf Solent John Cowper Powys
- Dawn In Lyonesse Mary Ellen Chase
- Appreciation William Lyon Phelps
- Tess of the D’Urbervilles Thomas Hardy
- To Have and Have Not Ernest Hemingway
- More of My Life Andrea Majocchi, MD
- For the Honor of the School Ralph Henry Barbour
- Murders in the Rue Morgue Edgar Allan Poe
- The Telltale Heart Edgar Allan Poe
- Doctor Bradley Remembers Francis Brett Young
- Green Mansions William Henry Hudson
- Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Reading lists and a love of books
My father was an avid reader from the time he was a young child.
He kept a list of the books that he
had read, and they were not few. The first book on his list was Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero
by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz; it was first published in 1895 in
Poland as a serialized novel in several Polish newspapers. In 1896, it came out
in book form and was subsequently translated into more than fifty languages
(according to Wikipedia). My father would have read it in English since he did
not speak Polish (he did however speak Italian, and studied Latin and Greek as
well). He did not annotate his book lists, so I don’t know why he started with
Quo Vadis; perhaps his father suggested this book to him. This was followed by Fortitude: Being a True and Faithful Account of the Education of an Adventurer by
Hugh Walpole, published in 1913. And so on, until the last book that he read
shortly before his death in 1985, which was Cal by Bernard MacLaverty, which came out in 1983. By the time he
died, he had read close to a thousand books. It was not clear from his book
lists when he started to keep them, but I’m guessing he started when he was
around twelve years old. Since he was sixty-seven years old when he died, that
means that in the space of fifty-five years of reading, he read about seventeen
books per year on average. Many of the books were loaned from the Warner Public
Library in Tarrytown; both my parents were frequent users of the library.
It struck me while going through my father’s book lists that
he was already interested in organizing and systematizing books as a child, in
preparation for his career as a librarian. He did not know that he was to become
a librarian when he was twelve years old, but the signs were already there when
you take a look at his lists.
Both he and my mother loved to read, and they instilled their
love of books in us children. My mother did not keep extensive lists of the
books she read like my father did, but both of them encouraged us to do so. So
I have done so, all these years. I started keeping a list when I was around
twelve years old, like my father. The first book on my list is The Hundred and One Dalmations by Dodie
Smith, which was first published in 1956.
My father read widely—fiction, non-fiction, biographies,
history, Catholic literature, and children’s literature. He shared what he read
with me especially, since I would often sit at the dinner table with him in the
evenings after dinner and discuss what he and I were reading. As I got older,
we would often read the same book, sometimes at the same time, more often right
after the other person had read it. We suggested books for each other; my
father would cut out book reviews from the newspaper to share with me, or we
would find a few books of interest in the weekly supplement The NY Times Book Review.
As I get older, it strikes me that growing up in my family was a special
experience. I learned to love books and to love discussing them. Nothing makes
me happier than when I can sit and discuss the book I’m reading or have read
with someone (I feel the same about movies). Some people would call it doing ‘post-mortems’
and don’t like to do this. In fact, most people I know don’t discuss the books
they read. I respect that. We all have our own reasons for why we read and for
reading the books we read. As long as the world continues to read, we’ll keep
evolving and growing as human beings. That’s what is most important. But I’m
glad I have my father’s reading lists, because as I peruse them, I see that we
have a lot of the same tastes in literature. And that makes me feel close to him. In a future post, I will list some of the books he read as a teenager
and young adult, and will include some of my own.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Easter quotes
- The great gift of Easter is hope - Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake. --Basil Hume
- It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. --Robert H. Schuller
- Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life. --Janine di Giovanni
- People respond when you tell them there is a great future in front of you, you can leave your past behind. --Joel Osteen
- The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking. --Deepak Chopra
- A rule I have had for years is: to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. His is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have. --Dwight L. Moody
- There is only one secure foundation: a genuine, deep relationship with Jesus Christ, which will carry you through any and all turmoil. No matter what storms are raging all around, you'll stand firm if you stand on His love. --Charles Stanley
- Easter is reflecting upon suffering for one thing, but it also reflects upon Jesus and his non compliance in the face of great authority where he holds to his truth - so there's two stories there. --Michael Leunig
- It is at Easter that Jesus is most human, and like all humans, he fails and is failed. His is not an all-powerful God, it is an all-vulnerable God. --Michael Leunig
- We were old sinners - but when we came to Christ we are not sinners anymore. --Joel Osteen
- I think we need to do some deep soul searching about what's important in our lives and renew our spirit and our spiritual thinking, whether it's through faith-based religion or just through loving nature or helping your fellow man. --Louis Schwartzberg
Friday, March 27, 2015
Two more songs
So much energy in this song--Runaway (U&I) by Galantis. Galantis is a Swedish electronic music production and songwriting duo (info from Wikipedia). These days, I find myself needing some extra energy, and this is one of the songs that gives it to me.......
And here's another good one:
And here's another good one:
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
A poem by Joy Davidman
Waltzing Mouse
Impaled I was when I was born,
Caught upon time’s nether horn,
Murdered through and through
with birth,
Cankered with corrupted earth …
Slick between my fingers run
Sands of time from sun to sun,
Grains of hunger and delight,
Diapered with dark and bright;
Kisses and confusions pass
Dribbling through the fat hourglass ….
And I skip from minute to minute
Each one with me buried in it,
And I see my bridges burn
Gold behind me as I turn,
And I see my painful track
Blotted out behind my back
Till I die as I was born,
Slain upon time’s other horn.
-----------------
written by Joy Davidman
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
CS Lewis and A Grief Observed
CS Lewis wrote A Grief
Observed after the death of his wife, the American poet and writer Helen Joy
Davidman. It is a book that is well worth reading. He offers his personal
insights into the mystery that is grief, what it did to him and how it made him
feel and act. Some of what he says resonates with me, like when he talks about how
difficult it is to focus or to start anything. Or running on autopilot at work.
Lewis became impatient with people who said that death doesn’t matter
or that there is no death. But I am not impatient with people who say that to
me, because I know that they are just trying to do and say the right thing, and
it isn’t really possible to do that. There is no one right thing to say to
someone who has lost a loved one. It is not easy to talk about death or to deal
with it in our society. I appreciate their caring and the thoughts involved.
Here are some excerpts from his book, A Grief Observed:
- We cannot understand. The best is perhaps what we understand least.
- Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.
- It is hard to have patience with people who say, ‘There is no death’ or ‘Death doesn’t matter.’ There is death. And whatever is matters. And whatever happens has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn’t matter.
- I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process.
- For in grief nothing 'stays put.' One keeps on emerging from a phase, but it always recurs. Round and round. Everything repeats. Am I going in circles, or dare I hope I am on a spiral?
- Feelings, and feelings, and feelings. Let me try thinking instead.
- Do I hope that if feeling disguises itself as thought I shall feel less?
- Grief ... gives life a permanently provisional feeling. It doesn't seem worth starting anything. I can't settle down. I yawn, I fidget, I smoke too much. Up till this I always had too little time. Now there is nothing but time. Almost pure time, empty successiveness.
- No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.
- And no one ever told me about the laziness of grief. Except at my job--where the machine seems to run on much as usual--I loath the slightest effort. Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much.
- At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in……
- Aren't all these notes the senseless writings of a man who won't accept the fact that there is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it?
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
'Bloom where you are planted'
So many random thoughts lately, about personal life changes
and work life changes, and how the two often overlap. Sometimes the life changes
are painful, like divorce or death of a loved one; other times they are joyful
but still stressful—marriage or the birth of children. Work changes can involve
a new job in a new city, a promotion, being fired, or being moved to another department.
I spoke with a friend last week who recently moved to another part of Norway to
begin in a new job. I also know of a couple who have moved their business from
New York State to another state in order to get a fresh start in life.
Sometimes we end up liking the changes we’ve made; other times not. It’s not
always easy to predict how we will end up feeling about the changes we’ve made.
And if the changes are inflicted upon us (e.g. death of a loved one or being
fired), we will often not like how we end up feeling about them.
It thus seems to be of some importance to be able to land
on your feet no matter what happens, no matter what life throws at you, no
matter how difficult the circumstances. Change, whether self-chosen or
inflicted, happens to all of us. One day, we wake up and the circumstances of
our lives are suddenly no longer safe, predictable, or comfortable. Much has
been made of the expression—‘moving out of your comfort zone’. That expression
implies a certain amount of self-insight when it comes to choosing to make the changes that may be necessary in one’s
personal and/or work life. But sometimes an unexpected death or the end of a
relationship move us out of our comfort zone as well, whether we like it or
not.
So what happens when you end up choosing to make a change
that plants you in a situation or in a geographical location that you end up
not liking or wanting? What happens when you want to go back, but you cannot go
back, because the circumstances of your life do not permit that? Perhaps you
are financially-bound by your new choice—you’ve invested a lot of time and
money in moving to another location, and you cannot just up and leave. In a
recent conversation with a friend, the expression ‘bloom where you are planted’
came up. It triggered many feelings in me, and I decided to explore it further.
I found that this quote is for the most part attributed to the
Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) in his writing about charity.
I’ve thought a bit about it, and have some questions. What if it is not
possible to bloom where we are planted, because the ‘soil is not fertile enough’? What if we waste our energy trying to get seeds to grow in rocky soil; what if
we ‘cast our pearls before swine’? But also, what if we do get the seeds to
grow in rocky or unfertile soil, let’s say by removing the rocks or adding
fertilizer to the soil? Is this quote really a means to motivate us to find
ways to get around what appear to be insurmountable difficulties? I’d like to
think so. I’d like to think it is telling us not to give up, to stay strong, and
to find a way to survive and flourish. For all those times I’ve thought that
living abroad has been too difficult, especially early on, I’ve found a way
around those feelings. Something happened to make one of the many aspects
involved in living abroad, easier. Someone was kind to me, opened a door
(literally and figuratively), or someone listened and showed empathy. Someone
did unto me as I have done unto others countless numbers of times when I worked
in Manhattan and was introduced to new co-workers from Europe who felt like
fish out of water. I was kind to them, I included them, I made them feel
welcome. Through the years, I’ve learned how to make myself feel welcome in a
new place, by making sure that my traditions and ways of doing things are
honored and respected in my home. You can bloom where you’re planted if you
have respect for where you come from, if you honor what you bring with you to a
new situation, and if you approach your new situation/location with an open mind.
It is possible for all these factors to co-exist inside an individual such that
an individual can bloom. I cannot and would not dare to speak for those who
have been physically and/or psychologically forced into their new surroundings
(imprisonment or upheaval due to war). But in normal life/work situations, it
seems to me to be possible to bloom where you are planted, at least after a certain period of time and adjustment.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Quantum Bloom published
A nice update--my fourth collection of poetry entitled Quantum Bloom was published yesterday and is available on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Bloom-Paula-Mary-Angelis/dp/1505211166
http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Bloom-Paula-Mary-Angelis/dp/1505211166
Friday, February 27, 2015
Angel wings and pink clouds
On the morning of February 18th, I was lucky enough to witness cloud formations that immediately brought to mind angel wings. I'd like to think that a guardian angel is watching over me, those I love, and the city of Oslo. During the late afternoon of the very same day, I witnessed pink-colored clouds, very unusual and very beautiful. I went online to read a little about the color pink, and wouldn't you know, the meaning of the color pink is unconditional love and nurturing. If I was looking for divine signs that everything is going to be ok again after my brother's death, perhaps these are them. I'd like to think so.
I'd also like to include here an old Eskimo saying that was written in a sympathy card that I received from three of my colleagues; it is beautiful and it made me cry. It's a nice way of thinking about the stars.
I'd also like to include here an old Eskimo saying that was written in a sympathy card that I received from three of my colleagues; it is beautiful and it made me cry. It's a nice way of thinking about the stars.
Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.
Another friend wrote that when her brother died, the priest at the funeral mass said that her brother was now divine. I liked that too.
There is comfort in every word, conversation, phone call, email, card, and hug that all the wonderful people in my life have offered me and us. There is also comfort in nature and in solitude. In the midst of sadness, there is also peace. And there is love.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Quantum Bloom--my new poetry collection
I am very close to publishing my fourth volume of poetry entitled Quantum Bloom. I just need to check the proof book to make sure that we're good to go, and then it will be published and available for sale on Amazon.
This is the book cover (a fractal flower) for those of you who might be interested in seeing it. I'm pleased with how it looks.
This is the book cover (a fractal flower) for those of you who might be interested in seeing it. I'm pleased with how it looks.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Rockwood Hall State Park in winter
Rockwood Hall State Park on the Hudson River, in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is a beautiful park to walk around in. I have mostly photographed it during the summer months, but when I was in NY last week, I visited this park to find some peace during a difficult and sad time, on a beautiful sunny winter day. As these photos show, the park is lovely in all seasons, and all those who frequent this park know that they are lucky that it exists.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Rest in peace, Ray
Raymond C. De Angelis, of Riverdale NY, passed away suddenly on February 1st. He was fifty-four years old. He was born in Tarrytown NY and attended Transfiguration School and Sleepy Hollow High School. He graduated from Fordham University in 1982 with a B.A. degree in History and Economics. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and two children, Tamar and Eli. Both Mr. De Angelis and his wife were co-founders of Adventure Center, Journeys of Wonder, Inc., a nonprofit creative learning center for children in Riverdale NY. Prior to this, he worked in the insurance field for many years. He was a dedicated triathlon participant in his younger years, as well as an avid fisherman; he enjoyed hiking and the outdoors and was very supportive of environmental conservation issues. He will be remembered as a loving father to his two children and as a supportive husband and brother.
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When I was in New York during this sad time, I had a free day, and walked around Rockwood Hall State Park, on the Hudson River. This was a place that we used to frequent as teenagers, and was one of the many places where my brother enjoyed walking around. He also enjoyed walking around the Croton Reservoir, Rockefeller State Park, Wave Hill, and other parks and nature preserves. He was eager to show his children and other children the wonders of nature, just as he had discovered them as a boy fishing around the Tarrytown Lakes. Rockwood Park was full of snow on the day that I was there, but the day was beautiful and sunny, and I 'buried' my brother in spirit in this beautiful place. Rest in peace, my brother Raymond.
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When I was in New York during this sad time, I had a free day, and walked around Rockwood Hall State Park, on the Hudson River. This was a place that we used to frequent as teenagers, and was one of the many places where my brother enjoyed walking around. He also enjoyed walking around the Croton Reservoir, Rockefeller State Park, Wave Hill, and other parks and nature preserves. He was eager to show his children and other children the wonders of nature, just as he had discovered them as a boy fishing around the Tarrytown Lakes. Rockwood Park was full of snow on the day that I was there, but the day was beautiful and sunny, and I 'buried' my brother in spirit in this beautiful place. Rest in peace, my brother Raymond.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
A poem about death
My brother passed away suddenly this past weekend. He was fifty-four--too young to leave us. I will always remember him as my friend from our teenage days, when we had long talks about life and love and finding our way in the world. He and I used to bike a lot, and he went on to become a triathlete who competed in a lot of triathlons. My mother and I used to attend some of them, and we marveled at the positive spirit that the athletes had. He was also an avid fisherman in his youth, something that he did not pursue into his adult life, unfortunately. He worked on Wall Street and in the corporate world after college, but was never really happy in it. Later on he married and had a family; his two children were the apples of his eye. He loved his children and they loved him. That was always so clear whenever we were together. Unfortunately, life deals out bad luck at times, and he and his family had their share of it during the past few years. He always remained upbeat despite the problems, but I think the stress just did him in at the end. He will always be in my mind and heart. And I will carry the happy memories of being together with him and his family for always.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
by Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Jupiter and three of its largest moons
I've been using my telescope during January to watch Jupiter and to follow the orbital positions of its four largest moons--Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. These four moons are called the Galilean moons because they were first discovered by Galileo Galilei around 1610. Io is the moon closest to Jupiter, while Callisto is the farthest from Jupiter. Regarding the length of the orbital periods for each moon, Io takes 1.769 days to orbit Jupiter, Europa 3.551 days, Ganymede 7.155 days, and Callisto 16.69 days. This makes it interesting to watch them, because it is possible to see the changes in their positions relative to Jupiter. I've been drawing their positions and at the same time trying to get a decent photo of them and of Jupiter with my digital SLR camera. Despite what I've read online, it's a tricky business to get a good photo, even when I follow the advice given. I plan on taking photos as often as I can; it's not each night that one can do that, due to clouds, fog, precipitation or other interferences that block the view. Some nights, I have been able to see all four moons, but not get a good photo. If I get a good photo of all four of them, I'll post the pic. Tonight I managed for the first time since I got my telescope to get a good photo of Jupiter and three of its moons. I'm posting the original photo and a cropped version to get a better view (a good suggestion from my husband). Enjoy.
The above image--cropped to get a closer view: Jupiter and three of its moons |
Sunday, January 25, 2015
A beautiful poem by Wallace Stevens
Apropos my previous post--a visitor outside my office window that just happened to be a lovely blackbird--I am posting one of my favorite poems about blackbirds, by Wallace Stevens. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
I
Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.
II
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds.
III
The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.
IV
A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and a blackbird
Are one.
V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.
VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.
VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how the blackbird
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?
VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the blackbird is involved
In what I know.
IX
When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.
X
At the sight of blackbirds
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.
XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.
XII
The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying.
XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
A winter visitor outside my office window
This fat little fellow landed on the sill outside my office window yesterday afternoon--the common blackbird. I had put out some bird food as I usually do during the winter months, which mostly attracts the magpies and the blue tits. For the first time, a blackbird found his way to my window sill, and I snapped a picture of him with my cell phone. Not the best picture, but it will have to do. He didn't seem to be at all bothered that people were staring at him from the other side of the window. He took his time eating and seemed to enjoy himself. I put out more food today, but he did not return. I hope he does next week.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Quotes about loyalty
Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in
every walk of life.
--Napoleon Hill
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning
from failure, loyalty, and persistence.
--Colin Powell
Honor your commitments with integrity.
--Les Brown
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your
strength lies.
--Mother Teresa
I married an archaeologist because the older I grow, the
more he appreciates me.
--Dame Agatha Christie
Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do
not tell.
--Emily Dickinson
Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie: a fault which needs
it most, grows two thereby.
--George Herbert
Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government
when it deserves it.
--Mark Twain
Patriotism is just loyalty to friends, people, families.
--Robert Santos
My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.
--Thomas Paine
Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down.
Respect for one’s superiors; care for one’s crew.
--Grace Murray Hopper
If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how
we finally die.
--Maya Angelou
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Paris in my heart
The Paris that made the news this week is nothing like the Paris that I know and love. I've been there at least five times at this writing and hope to visit there again. Nothing bad that happens there will ever destroy the beauty and the spirit of Paris for me. I have only good memories of this beautiful city and those memories are what came back to me this week as I watched the tragedy that unfolded there. They help to block out the tragic images. These photos from my many trips captured some of those memories forever.
Seine River and Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris |
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris |
Notre Dame at night |
Notre Dame at night |
Jardin du Luxembourg |
cobblestone path along the Seine |
Eiffel Tower |
Sacre Coeur church |
a beautiful Paris alley |
ceiling in Galeries Lafayette |
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
My new interest in one of the oldest sciences--astronomy
My post today will be about astronomy. It is one of the oldest
sciences, dating back to some of the earliest world civilizations.
This natural science is a study of celestial objects such as stars, galaxies,
planets, moons, asteroids, comets and nebulae, as well as of the physics,
chemistry and evolution that help to explain their existence (modified from Wikipedia). I am not sure
when my interest in astronomy really took hold, but it has developed and grown
during the past year, and reached the point where I decided I wanted to buy a
telescope so that I could begin to gaze at the sky. Lucky me--my husband decided
to make that purchase my Christmas present. So I am now the happy owner of a
Skywatcher BK 705 AZ3 Telescope. It is a great telescope for beginners; you can
gain more information about it by watching this excellent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0YK9968ubY.
This telescope costs about three hundred dollars, and allows camera attachment
so that photos can be taken if desired. In order to get good camera focus
though, you will need to purchase an adapter and an attachment ring, which I
have now done. I am waiting for clear skies again in order to take some photos
of the moon. Because this telescope has already provided excellent viewing of
the full moon this past week; you can see the craters and the lunar landscape.
Very cool! We have also managed to view Jupiter with two of its moons (most
likely Ganymedes and Europa), but not with great resolution since this planet
is quite far from earth and the moons were really just pricks of light; when the two planets are at their closest point, the
distance to Jupiter is 365,000,000 miles. The distance between the moon and
earth is 225,623 miles at the moon’s closest approach. My husband, who studied
physics before moving into biology, has provided me with the mathematical
formula to calculate the angular resolution needed to see the moon. It stands
to reason that since the moon is closer to the earth than Jupiter, the
resolution is better for the moon than for Jupiter. I will eventually take some
photos of both and post them here, so you will see what I mean. I would need a
much more powerful telescope to get high-resolution views of Jupiter, and it
would cost a small fortune.
Interestingly, but perhaps not unexpectedly, there is
suddenly a plethora of programs and news articles about astronomy, the planets
and moons, space travel, the current space missions—all of which I find so
interesting and timely. Here are some links to some great programs and sites if
you are interested in finding out more about the ‘wonders of the universe’:
- Wonders of the Solar System TV series from 2010 with professor Brian Cox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonders_of_the_Solar_System (excellent series—I cannot recommend it highly enough)
- AstroViewer: http://www.astroviewer.com/index.php
- Universe Today website: http://www.universetoday.com/
- NASA’s website: http://www.nasa.gov/ (excellent website)
- SkyWatcher telescopes: http://www.skywatcher.com/products.php?cat=1
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Happy 2015!
A new year upon us, with hopefully more opportunities to 'find the strength to accept what we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to tell the difference'. I've modified the Serenity prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr, which is a powerful little prayer. It is finding the wisdom to 'see' the difference that is the most difficult. Often we bang our heads against the wall of a problem that can never be resolved and waste precious years doing so. Other times we don't see the golden opportunities staring us right in the face for how to solve a problem that can be solved. Often the changes that most need to be made are within ourselves. We cannot change others. It's been said countless numbers of times, but it's true. Change starts with you. I've been thinking about change as it pertains to my own life, and have made some changes that I'll share with you as 2015 progresses. I've realized that taking calculated risks is what makes life interesting, likewise having a sense of adventure. And sometimes opportunities appear for helping you to change your life that can only be divinely-inspired. So here's to the new year, to positive change, to having faith, to serenity and to real peace. I wish that for everyone I know and love, and for the world too.
And for those of you who would like to read Niebuhr's prayer in its entirety, here it is:
And for those of you who would like to read Niebuhr's prayer in its entirety, here it is:
God, give me grace
to accept with serenity
the things that
cannot be changed,
Courage to change
the things
which should be
changed,
and the Wisdom to
distinguish
the one from the
other.
Living one day at a
time,
Enjoying one moment
at a time,
Accepting hardship
as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus
did,
This sinful world
as it is,
Not as I would have
it,
Trusting that You
will make all things right,
If I surrender to
Your will,
So that I may be
reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy
with You forever in the next.
Amen.
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