My apologies on not posting recently, I got a job/lost a lot of sleep time because of said job/ my computer has been acting up. All of which are bad excuses and you can choose whichever you wish to believe.Thankfully, Stephanie has been keeping your minds busy.
So I was reading the recent issue of Time, which I found crumpled on the floor after a long day spent being smushed under my dog's belly. Usually in the Time’s Art section, they review books the sorts of books where the author’s name take precedence- in a bold, shiny font sort of way- over the title or content of the book. But in this issue was a review of a book that sounds like my cup of tea, one that I will be stopping by the bookstore tomorrow to pick up and I just can’t wait.
Things that intrigued me [and hopefully you];
1. An anecdote about the first hot-air balloon flight that was included in the review:
“They couldn’t see each other because the balloon was between them, so they had to yell back and forth. As the giant aircraft careened wildly over the roofs of Paris and the two men frantically shoveled straw into that fire that kept it flying, the marquis became more and more hysterical.
‘We must land now!’ Pilatre stayed icy calm. ‘Look, d’Arlandes.’ He said. ‘Here we are above Paris. There’s no possible danger for you. Are you taking this all in?’ But the marquis couldn’t take it in. When a gust of wind jostled the balcony (at this early point in the game there was no basket, simply a balcony around the balloon), he screamed, ‘What are you doing! Stop dancing!’
Eventually, after 27 minutes aloft, they landed safely. D’Arlandes-according to his own account-threw himself out onto the grass. Pilarte just stood there. “We had enough fuel to fly for an hour,” he said sadly. The crowd grabbed his green coat and tore it to pieces for souvenirs. He was an instant 18th century rock star.”
It sounds like the kind of scene that would be in some fantastic movie about the beginning of flight. Perhaps staring some dashing young Hollywood stars [Gael? Rpatz?] … I’d watch it.
2. I’m really interested in this time in history. When chemistry, astronomy, botany, psychology was new and veexciting and completely unknown. I feel like people rarely get this excited about science anymore, which is a shame. It’s as if we’ve gotten used to it, and lost our sense of wonder. So when your done reading this, please go outside, and explore, marvel, get excited about all those things you take for granted in this world. [For help on this one- the next Meteor Shower viewable from the US is August 12th, that's something to marvel at]
3. I like trinkets. Especially old ones. Especially old ones that had curious functions. Please meet Phren:
He’s a bust used in the study of Phrenology, an early theory in Psychology that related the bumps in one’s skull to personality traits.
Isn’t that interesting? I very much think so.
So in conclusion, I very much hope I am not disappointed by this book.
In the meantime, this is who I’ve been listening to lately
.Speachwriters LLC: They keep me entertained whilst I spend hours upon hours entering number into spreadsheets and filing payable in cabinets larger than I.
Hope your day is wonder-full.
Wondering's healthy. Broadens the mind. Opens you up to all sorts of stray thoughts and possibilities.- Charles de Lint
