crates | June 30, 2009
Fujiwara Teika (1162-1241) is considered by many to be the preeminent Japanese poet. As a poet, diarist and critic, his influence on premodern Japanese poetry is unsurpasssed. His poetry specialized almost exclusively in the waka, the dominant lyrical form of the Japanese classical period, a five-line poem consisting of thirty-one syllables, arranged in measures of five syllables, then [...]
crates | May 7, 2009
I have a bad habit of buying books. Really it is the only bad habit that of mine that I can think of –unless it is overweening modesty (cough). The reason this is a problem is that I have no more room for books. All my bookshelves are full, and I have boxes of books [...]
crates | April 20, 2009
Spring is marching on here. A couple of days ago my feet were slipping on the front steps, and for a brief flash I thought there was frost. Further examination revealed that there was a thin, slippery layer of what appeared to be yellow flour. As I walked to my car I could see a [...]
crates | April 16, 2009
The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates, in Plato, Dialogues, Apology Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC – 399 BC) I am reading Peter Pouncey’s book, Rules for Old Men Waiting, enjoying the wonderful writing and the images and thoughts that were evoked. I got to thinking about how difficult it is today to [...]
crates | April 14, 2009
I admit it. I’m musically illiterate (also I’m not a big he-man :cough:). It is not that I do not like music, I do, it is just that I tend to be unconscious of it. I almost never listen to music on the radio or disc players. I have two really nice stereo systems and [...]
crates | March 31, 2009
I was reading this incredible book (God’s Demon by Wayne Barlowe) about the demons of hell and the story of one demon who attempted to regain Heaven and I came across this character called Lilith. I had heard of Lilith before, of course, but I really knew nothing about her. Much has been written about Lilith. There [...]
crates | March 28, 2009
Long ago I read an early English comparison of a man’s life to that of a sparrow, who flies through a mead hall out of a stormy winter’s night. The sparrow is briefly exposed to the light, warmth and safety of the hall before it vanishes back into the night and storm. I have always remembered this and [...]
crates | December 21, 2008
It was with sorrow that I recently read of Tony Hillerman’s death. Mr. Hillerman was of course the author of many fine books, with perhaps the series about the Navajo policemen, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, being his most famous. Hillerman presented these mystery stories in the context of the Navajo culture, showing the difficulties that [...]
crates | December 4, 2008
I have recently become fascinated by the idea of sentience in machines and the nature of consciousness. To explore this idea and to work it out in my own mind, I began to write a story about the subject. Below is an excerpt: “My drowsiness instantly vanished, replaced by an anger [...]
crates | December 3, 2008
I am always on the lookout for poems that I like. I find that Japanese poets often provide the succinct but poignant quality that appeals to me. Here are some poems of Izumi Shikibu which I like. I had never heard of this particular lady until somebody told me about her. She lived around the [...]