Through the Dark Wood

2009-11-19T18:05:00.002-05:00

America's Joan of Arc. She can draw larger crowds than the Hawaiian, who antipode she partly is. She will never sit on the throne. She may not even be able to lead an effective campaign or win more than a few battles. She can, however, kill with phrases. But people love her. She may fall and die upon the pyre of scandal and tabloid media. But they will love her and send her off into the world of

2009-10-21T22:33:00.000-04:00

A favorite passage from Smith of Wootton Major: On that visit he had received a summons and had made a far journey. Longer it seemed to him than any he had yet made. He was guided and guarded, but he had little memory of the ways that he had taken; for often he had been blindfolded by mist or by shadow, until at last he came to a high place under a night-sky of innumerable stars. There he was

2009-10-19T23:59:00.002-04:00

Theses for discussion. This is part of a larger project. Feel free to comment or provide feedback if you feel so inclined. Crossposted on FB. 1. Denominations institutionalize schism and are inconsistent with orthodox doctrine of Church. Clergy in Denominations have vested interests in the perpetuation of schism, particularly at the local

2009-09-29T18:52:00.002-04:00

We are not the ones we were looking for . . . Barry.

2009-09-29T18:47:00.003-04:00

You shall not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind. You shall not make an entity in the likeness of a human being.

2009-09-29T18:45:00.001-04:00

Poem. I walked and sawWind-wracked cloudsGhostly children of a gibbous moon.

2009-08-16T21:39:00.004-04:00

The Political Discourse of the King of the Harbor. The gentleman with whom I am staying, who is a fourth-generation lobsterman, gave me a copy of this book look to look at, and this quote resonnated with me. It reminds me sooooo much of some people I know both in my own family and through business connections. (The "king" is the kingpin or leader of the local lobster gang. Sort of equivalent to

2009-06-30T22:34:00.002-04:00

We are all Michael Jackson.The amount of attention and the sheer bandwidth devoted to the passing of Michael Jackson is, well, amazing. Some may find this disturbing. I am inclined to think that it is a telling moment in the unwinding of American society’s scroll.People read Michael Jackson human interest stories because he represents what is true of a lot of us. We have

2009-06-15T21:05:00.003-04:00

The classical mid-life crisis. Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vitami ritrovai per una selva oscura,che la diritta via era smarrita. At last, I am one with the Dante of the poem. I turned 35 yesterday. I had a very nice celebration with my spouse--she put a lot of effort into it with arrangements and all. As for turning this particular year, well, I am acutely conscious that I "need to make a

2009-06-10T20:18:00.001-04:00

Emperor of Ice Cream.

2009-06-10T19:26:00.002-04:00

The Limits of Philosophy ". . . the philosopher's judgment is easily confused by a multiplicity of considerations that are alien and do not belong to the matter and can make it deviate from a straight direction." Kant, Groundwork, Ak 4:404.

2009-06-09T18:16:00.002-04:00

A flash of realization discloses the discipline which Facebook's status message impose. A window for aphoristic thought—or bad poetry. Is this an epiphany? I think I shall try an experiment. Use Facebook status messages to express ideas or, at least, universal images and big-picture sentiments. Try to do this often. Seek to be allusive, epigrammatic. Maybe include a simile or a really bad Haiku.

2009-06-07T21:15:00.003-04:00

Reactions to Hillsdale College Commencement, 2009. I wrote this in mid-May and posted it on Facebook. I received some good feedback, some of which made some legitimate criticism. I will repost here and now, perhaps take more criticism, and revise or work into something larger later on. In reflecting on my experience in attending the 2009 commencement, I had to think back to another, very

2009-05-29T21:36:00.001-04:00

2009-05-25T08:52:00.003-04:00

Melville on Man. Oh, in restarting this blog, I suppose I should just quote something. This is a famous passage, but it is worth considering: But were the coming narrative to reveal in any instance, the complete abasement of poor Starbuck's fortitude, scarce might I have the heart to write it; but it is a thing most sorrowful, nay shocking, to expose the fall of valor in the soul. Men may seem

2009-05-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

I should probably resume blogging. I was convicted tonight. I suppose God is working on me. :)

2007-08-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

Recent MoviesI saw An Inconvenient Truth and I was surprised at how low-key it was. The movie is like one big long powerpoint with sidebars. It is much less alarmist than it could have been.I saw Bowling for Columbine, partly to have a point of reference for some more liberal friends. Moore is at his best when he's trying to embarass people or capturing them doing and saying really comically

2007-08-23T22:30:00.000-04:00

It was just a joke! I promise!

2007-07-29T11:55:00.001-04:00

I get really tired of talking and hearing about golf. So I came up with a joke:Golf is all about compensation. Men play golf because they don't have enough balls as it is.

2007-06-17T12:37:00.000-04:00

Fear of WhalesMy parents gave me a wonderful book on Whales for my birthday this past week. It's called Cetacean Societies and you can find it by searching StuffBooks. Fortunately, the book has not very many underwater pictures, and lots of maps and tables and text. ("Very scientificy," said Marsha.)For those of you who don't know, I have an acute fear of whales. Just this weekend, I discovered

2007-05-23T21:39:00.000-04:00

Grape! Mango! Which?Handel's Ice Cream started featuring grape ice cream as a seasonal flavor last week. That's a full rich Concord grape flavor that makes a fine milkshake.Tonight, I went there looking forward to my grape ice cream fix, but found to my great suprise and consternation that Handel's was offering not only grape but mango.For those of you who may know know, mango by Handel's is

2007-05-23T21:27:00.001-04:00

Lions and Tigers, oh my!Tigons and Ligers are real! But very diferent. What is interesting what a difference the mothers' species make.My wife and I were speculating—or, rather I was bsing her—that tigers and lions probably have racist attitudes towards the halfbreeds, and probably need sensitivity training.

2007-05-07T22:18:00.000-04:00

Haunting, Amazing, EvocativeWhen I was a kid, I loved the atmosphere of the inner "Charn" chapters in The Magician's Nephew. Well, Ukranian woman's motorcycle journeys through the exclusion zone around Chernobyl certainly remind me this. The woman writes that This town might be an attractive place for tourists. Some tourists companies have been trying to arrange tours in this town, but the first

2007-05-06T21:38:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Mr. Sarkozy! The NR blog linked this pair of contrasting images. It will be interesting to what happens to the French left now. If only politics in this country were as . . . interesting.

2007-05-05T23:01:00.000-04:00

Summer 2008 is a long ways off but if present trends continue, it strikes me that this sort of thing has some merit. If Bush persists in his policies through the summer of 2008, and if no strong Republican candidate emerges and is able to gain traction against that backdrop, then the real election may be taking place in the California primary and the choice will probably be between the two junior

2007-05-05T09:16:00.001-04:00

Here is an interesting slideshow of Hokkaido (click below to enter):

2007-05-04T21:40:00.000-04:00

Ahmedinejad's letter to Bush is a fascinating apologetic document. He pretty much ignores the claims of Islam as such and tries to appeal to Bush on the basis of his professed Christianity. Many commentators have seen the letter as a simple propaganda piece, but I consider that it is really proof that Ahmedinejad lives or tries to live, much as I myself used to try, in a medieveal world where the

2007-05-04T21:31:00.000-04:00

Go Sarkozy!

2007-04-29T00:18:00.000-04:00

Buena Vista!Drove from Springs to Buena Vista today. I loved the progression from red-rock to rocky scrub over Ute Pass, and then to high arid grasslands after crossing over the next pass. I probably liked the "South Park" area around Hartsel the best--it has endless expanse of grasslands in a 60 mile-wide huge bowl rimed with snowcovered mountains. It reminded me of the MacKensie country in

2007-04-27T22:21:00.000-04:00

ColoradoMarsha, Ambrose, and I are in Colorado Springs for a friend's wedding. Today, I took the opportunity to drive most of the way up Pike's Peak (the last five miles were closed due to a large ice wall) and to wander around the Garden of the Godsies.I took the opportunity to drive around Manitou Springs, and to drive by Summit Ministries. I nearly ran over David Noebel crossing the street in

2007-03-11T22:58:00.000-04:00

I am told that I need to post more! Well, I am SO excited! I just acquired (acquisitively) a complete and unabridged recording of Paradise Lost. "Every word he wote / every line he wrote / I'll be hearing it!" (Oh, wait, that sounds like an old Police song.)

2007-02-06T19:07:00.000-05:00

My spouse made some pecan-encrusted Walleye this evening and it was wonderful. Certainly among one of her ten best!

2006-07-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

AmbroseIn case any of you have not heard, my wife and I have been blessed with a son. His name is Ambrose Richard Wiley, after Ambrose of Milan and his maternal grandfather. The little guy was actually born some time ago--on May 10th. (He was actually due on his grandfather's birthday, but my dad had to take a rain check.) He seems long, and has an alert, curious disposition (but not sanguine). I

2006-01-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

Update on the Little PersonWe are expecting a boy. He kicks quite a lot. If anyone asks about the name, we tell them "Absalom." (It's close to the start of the alphabet.)

2006-01-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

FantasiaI am sitting here drinking coffee and listening to the Stokowski orchestration of Bach's Toccatta, which is the opening selection. I think of a dark winter evening in 1982 when my late grandmother came and picked me up at Tree of Life and took me to see the re-released Fantasia. She thought it was important. It was.

2005-12-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

The Big AnnoucementI am pleased to annouce that my wife and I are expecting, and have been for some time, our first child. Marsha getting into her new if temporary role as a "pregasaurus" (it's a long story) and I'm learning too! The due date is May 4th, which happens to be my father's birthday.

2005-12-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

Don't get me these for Christmas!I recently found a fine recent book, and the first I've seen stateside, of Pictures from New Zealand. Browsing it makes me long again, almost with wincing, for that far away country in the utter South where West becomes East.Amarantine has some interesting tracks. It proves that Enya is more or less a constant, even after the events of the last few years. Tracks 1

2005-11-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

I just learned something new about my brother. When he was at Grove City, Mr. Richwine wrote a ballad about him, "The Ballad of Flatulent Dan."

2005-11-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

Oh, my! Here's a lady in Denver who's offering to sell herself along with her house. Definitely some serious antifeminist rhetoric going on here.

2005-11-04T22:03:00.000-05:00

Baby WileyWell, I'm now officially an uncle on the Wiley side--which makes my brother Samuel a bonafide "Uncle Sam." One of my siblings and his spouse had a baby born yesterday. His name is Caleb Moses. Congratulations!Grandmother Wiley has already sent me a small pile of pictures, of which my favorite was of a very broadly grinning Grandmother holding the little guy.

2005-10-07T18:23:00.000-04:00

I am visiting with my Mom and she just showed me this wonderful Good Fertility Guide. Wow!

2005-10-01T23:15:00.000-04:00

Joke from email from LOL DaveA Sunday school teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Little Johnny interrupted, "My Mommy looked back once when she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "And she turned into a telephone pole."

2005-10-01T13:54:00.000-04:00

Family and friendsMy brother Samuel has a blog. He just started as a freshman at Hillsdale and I'm very proud of him. I hope it goes well for him. For better or worse, Hillsdale cemented a good bit of my intellectual identity, thanks in part to people like Sam's current history prof! (BTW, check out Sam's femtrooper post. It's hillarious!)Another brother, who shall remain safely anonymous,

2005-10-01T13:37:00.000-04:00

More new worldsCassini flew by Hyperion a couple of days ago and returned this stunning image of small outer solar system moon:Cassini also flew by Tethys and returned some interesting shots:The grand tour goes on . . .

2005-09-23T20:08:00.000-04:00

Passing in the NightCassini took this double shot of two of Saturn's moons (Tethys and Mimas?) passing each other just yesterday. Wow!

2005-08-02T21:07:00.000-04:00

Planet X!!!Michael Brown and company have claimed the discovery of Planet X. It seems to be quite certainly larger than Pluto. Too bad it won't be named Persephone. :(

2005-07-31T11:51:00.002-04:00

Closed!The Cleveland Museum of Art, which is one of my favorite places on earth, has suddenly closed. At first, I was like, okay... some rennovations, some partial closure? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It gets worse. Much worse.The main galleries have been closed and will be reopened over time. Starting in 2007. Everything will be complete, and completely reopened, in 2010.This is, for me,

2005-07-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

Finally!Michael Marmura's edition and translation of the Metaphysics side of Avicenna's Healing came in the mail today. After being delayed for about a year. This is quite possibly the single most important publishing event in the field of medieval philosophy in the last ten years. And it's the first time that more than snippets of the work have been available in English. (Of course, you always

2005-07-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

Enceladus' WrinklesHere's a close wide-area shot of some of the more intriguing terrain on the little moon:

2005-07-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

Finished!I finished HP 6 just a few moments ago. It is, well, good but not as gripping as 2 or as epic as 5. It does have a plethora of memorable lines--although perhaps I only feel that way because I'm in the "cult."Spoilers?At the risk of tipping the plot to those of you who haven't started or finished yet, I have to say that I am inclined to view this year's Dark Arts teacher as a tragic

2005-07-18T22:09:00.000-04:00

Enceladus: CloserCassini brushed within about a hundred miles of Enceladus' surface on July 14th. Here is a distant view of Enceladus against the rings:Here is a global view of the south polar region through the mid-latitudes:And here's the view from a hundred miles above the surface, boulders and all!

2005-07-12T16:59:00.000-04:00

The Planetary Society website has posted a fine photoessay with some of the moon n ring photos from Cassini that you first saw on this blog!

2005-06-26T16:16:00.000-04:00

I have always been repulsed by the suggestion that Mendelssohn's E-minor violin concerto is somehow feminine. This is like saying that Ingmar Bergman is feminine. In both cases, may we not say that only a man could have made such things?

2005-06-25T23:50:00.000-04:00

Life.Is.Sunt lacrimae rerum, et mentem mortalia tagunt.Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum.Are not these things true? How can these things be true? Quid est veritas?Q. What is your only comfort?

2005-06-25T23:14:00.000-04:00

I'm now 31. If you follow the old 1970's maxim, I guess you could say that I can no longer be trusted.If you don't know Puccini, you have missed out on something wonderful which modern times has to offer modern man. (And I pity you.)What things one losses through the rolling years? I think back to the days when I devoured Sibelius and Narn i Hin Hurin, or to the hours I spend enthralled in

2005-06-16T00:35:00.000-04:00

The Ames translations of the Analects and Dao De Jing are very interesting! Anyone know anything about them?

2005-06-16T00:19:00.000-04:00

Sunset on MarsSpirit captured this haunting image of the sun setting over Gustev crater on Mars:

2005-06-04T23:23:00.000-04:00

ICANN created a .xxx domain last Wednesday for pornographic websites. This should have been done a long time ago. Hopefully, it will enable the "zoning" of the internet and the eventual restriction of all online hardcore porn to a set domain.(Thanks to Peter Krupa for the link.)

2005-05-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Diana Keough won an radio journalism award for her commentary on the Spenser Tunick mass nude photoshoot last year in Cleveland. It really is worth a listen.

2005-05-29T16:52:00.000-04:00

On Revenge of the SithIMHO, Episode III is a pretty good movie. I saw it yesterday for the second time. I liked it more and not less upon second viewing. With Episode I, I really liked it upon first viewing, and then greatedly tired of it by fifth viewing. With Episode II, I never got beyond second viewing and the disappointments that brought. Revenge of the Sith, however, does deliver very well

2005-05-29T16:31:00.001-04:00

Doings and thingsHaven't been blogging much lately.Went on a business trip with my dad the other week. Because of a license issue, I rented and drove the car. Poetic justice? Perhaps.Been reading Confucius reallly slowly, and like a Strassian. Everyone should read Confucius. There are so many parallels, and crucial differences with, Socrates and Christ.My wife sat through a seminar this weekend

2005-05-04T22:48:00.000-04:00

Marsha the Wit"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend, but women are more efficient: they just go to the forge."

2005-04-19T13:36:00.000-04:00

We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires.God save Pope Benedict XVI!

2005-04-17T11:03:00.000-04:00

Mimas, up close and personalCassini snapped this image of Mimas, Saturn's innermost major satellite, on April 15th from a distance of about 50,000 miles. The giant crater, Herschel, which gives the moon a "Death Star"-like visage, must be on the far side.

2005-04-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

My wife handed me a flyer for the Hillsdale College Bookstore. I noticed that they have Hillsdale College teddy bears, the Hillsdale College Mom & Dad ornament set. They even have a Hillsdale College Pet Collar. I'm not kidding.My wife replied, "The sad thing is, people probably wear them."

2005-04-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

May the true heir of Gregory VII rest in peace.

2005-04-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

Cleveland from Space

2005-04-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Does God see it this way?

2005-04-01T20:53:00.001-05:00

Behold AfterthoughtCassini snapped this haunting image of the astroidal Saturnian shepherd moon Epimetheus on March 30th from about 75,000 km.

2005-03-31T23:38:00.000-05:00

John of Salisbury on TimeWho is so unworthy as one who insults the Creator by squandering time, that which is handed out in sparing quantities for use in life and which alone cannot be restored -- its reclamation requiring someone to pay out, in the currency of life, interest and penalties at an usurious rate?Policraticus, I.1 (Cary J. Nederman, trans.).

2005-03-31T18:21:00.000-05:00

Akron and Canton from SpaceMy brother Daniel introduced me to a website where I found even more cool earth images.This is North Canton. You can see I-77 running down left side, and the North Canton Strip off to the left of the interstate, with the Canton mall just to the south.This is central Akron. You can see the I-77/I-76/Route 8 central interchange near the center of the image, with downtown

2005-03-31T17:33:00.000-05:00

The Associated Press on Christians, God's Law, and Terri Schaivo.An AP article caught my attention has particularly misleading and downright anti-Christian:Some Christian conservatives and others who want to prolong Schiavo's life do not see why her husband gets to decide her fate. But the role of the spouse as next of kin and decision-maker has deep roots in both civil and biblical law."It's odd

2005-03-29T23:35:00.000-05:00

Liberty Fund, of all publishers, is releasing what appears to be a three-volume, 1300 page edition of Hugo Grotius' epic tome, De Iure Belli ac Pacis.Glory Hallelujah! This has been a long time in coming.

2005-03-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

I rewatched the Passion last night with my brother and sister-in-law. Upon second viewing, I was struck by how very powerful is Gibson's treatment of the moments in which Christ is nailed to the cross. At first, I tried to turn away and avert my eyes, reluctant to see the acute depiction of the visceral. Then the intercutting back to John 14-16 jerked me back to the moments being depicted. The

2005-03-26T13:29:00.000-05:00

Cloudy Titan drifting past the ringsDistant IapetusCassini snapped this shot of Iapetus sometime last week from about a million miles away. Iapetus is the outermost large moon of Saturn, and very mysterious. Not only is does it have 10:1 brightness differences from region to region, but is also extremely irregular in topography, fro a moon of its size.

2005-03-24T23:57:00.000-05:00

Cassini's second flyby of EnceladusCassini flew by Enceladus for a second time on March 9th, and returned these closeup shots

2005-03-24T23:48:00.000-05:00

Apparently, soft tissue has been found in some Tyrannosaurus rex bones. See the NT Times treatment and the CNN writeup.

2005-03-24T12:59:00.000-05:00

We three moons of Saturn are.Cassini snapped this image of three of Saturn's moons floating across the ring plane on March 15th. The three moons are, in order of decreasing size, Rhea, Dione, and Enceladus.

2005-03-20T01:30:00.000-05:00

A very informal prospectus.I have tried writing this in outline form. I have tried composing theses and sub-theses. But perhaps it is better to write up a rough description of the scope and requirements of my project(s).I guess I am considering two major works or projects.The first is an interpretation of American institutions, especially the American order. By the American order, I mean the

2005-03-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

"Summary Judgment" on the Reformed Faith.I am beginning to try to get back into writing. I do, after all, have a book to write on a theological interpretation of the American order. But I need to clear my chest a little first. So here is a contribution towards that end. It is a little harsh, but . . . well, young men are passionate and I am still a young man (or so my wife tells me). Take it with

2005-03-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

"Worldview" as a wrong-headed approach.The appropriation of Weltaunschaung by contemporary Reformed thought is an additional indication that the tradition is itself pretty passé. One does not have to look far to see myriads of books, seminars, and audio cassettes addressing the topic of worldviews. In reality, the embracing of the language of "worldview" by the contemporary Reformed thought and

2005-03-19T10:02:00.000-05:00

An old friend of mine from the 1980s and 90s, Scott Mooney, has started a blog in which he proposes to critique, at length, The Purpose-Driven Life.

2005-03-18T23:39:00.000-05:00

My wife wrote a fine, frank blog entry tonight and I was proud of her.

2005-03-17T00:21:00.000-05:00

Moon beyond Earth from RosettaHere is the Moon slipping behind Earth as seen from ESA's Rosetta spacecraft on this first Earth flyby.

2005-03-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

The Saturnian System, Edge-onCassini caught this view of Saturn & moons from a ring-plane crossing on February 28th. Dione is on the right and Enceladus is on the left. As the Cassini people observed, this image looks almost as if it were painted!

2005-03-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

The Adventure and the EclipseWhile meditating upon financial spreadsheets, I am watching the Criterion DVD release of Michelangelo Antonioni's 1962 film L'Eclisse. I have been waiting for this release for a long time--it's the last film of the tetrology from L'Avventura to Il Deserto Rosso to come out on DVD--in other words to be available on anything more than hard-to-find, fuzzy VHS transfers.

2005-03-12T23:36:00.000-05:00

Warm GirlMarsha and I had a conversation tonight in a parking lot. It went like this:[Marsha complains about the cold and pulls her hood down over eyes.]--What you need is a really more like a space suit . . like an astronaut wears.--Does that have its own internal temperature control?--Probably. Astronauts have to stay warm and it's very cold in outer space.--Then I could be a warm girl, all the

2005-03-12T15:40:00.000-05:00

The Great DanceThe following are some beautiful raw images from Cassini. The probe is going through a pretty extensive orbital tour (dozens and dozens of orbits over four years). We will probably see a lot of such sights in months to come.Tethys and Rhea passing in the night. Tethys is above and in the foreground of Rhea, so it looks bigger although it is actually smaller. Dione slipping by

2005-03-12T12:16:00.000-05:00

Niagara Falls from Space!

2005-03-12T11:12:00.000-05:00

New Zealand from orbitHere is a fine image of the South Island from space. Note especially the different hues of the varios lakes.

2005-03-12T02:21:00.000-05:00

Go and see Apollo!Okay, okay, I guess I'm going a little wild with pictures. But I do suggest that all you who are within range go and see the newly-acquired Apollo Sauroktonos at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

2005-03-12T01:52:00.000-05:00

Enceladus: a global viewThis is the view of Enceladus from Cassini inbound to its second (March 9th) close flyby, from a distance of about 100,000 miles.Looking back at EnceladusAfter the March 9th flyby, Cassini looked back and caught this view from about 100,000 miles.

2005-03-12T01:38:00.000-05:00

Enceladus' foldsThis is a shot by Cassini of a 37-mile patch of Enceladus from about 6,680 miles. The resolution is about 200 feet per pixel. Note how few impact craters there are in this stretch of the surface!Here is the photomosaic from the first flyby. It covers a stretch of about 200 miles (the whole moon is only 314 miles in diameter). Nota bene the fabulously corrugated surface!

2005-03-12T01:17:00.000-05:00

Index of Last LinesSometimes I wonder if it would be good to publish an index of last lines. You know, so that people who are finishing up or ending things--or who are looking for Dear John material or pink slip copy or just grand symphonic flourishes--might be better able to find something suitably inspiring. Think!* * *Then with a slow incline of his broad breast,Like to a diver in the pearly

2005-03-12T01:09:00.000-05:00

Discovery* * *Then felt I like some watcher of the skiesWhen a new planet swims into his ken;Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyesHe star’d at the Pacific—and all his menLook’d at each other with a wild surmise—Silent, upon a peak in Darien.Keats, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," ln. 9-14.

2005-03-12T01:05:00.000-05:00

I have finally completed my extensive (500 MB) PowerPoint presentation on our trip to New Zealand. And then I showed it to my family. I spent almost as much time making it as I spent awake in New Zealand to begin with! Ironic.

2005-03-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

Gloriosissimam ciuitatem Dei siue in hoc temporum cursu, cum inter impios peregrinatur ex fide uiuens, siue in illa stabilitate sedis aeternae, quam nunc expectat per patientiam, quoadusque iustitia conuertatur in iudicium, deinceps adeptura per excellentiam uictoria ultima et pace perfecta, hoc opere instituto et mea ad te promissione debito defeendere aduersus eos, qui conditori eius deos suos

2005-03-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

My brother Samuel has started a blog. Best regards, Sam!

2005-03-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

Pretzels are the asparagus of junk food.

2005-03-01T02:27:00.001-05:00

Insomnia. At 2:30 a.m. After five hours in the car. And some meetings in a Columbus skyscraper. Then sleep. Softly. Like plush carpet. Or dead bird feathers. Then restless awakening. And now, now the hour of the wolf draws nigh.Stop.Some time ago, I finally finished by deep read of the Republic. I was reminded of how, not so many years ago, Mr. Klein and I sat in the Niedfeldt study room and