Member: amykim

There is a soul force in the universe which if we
permit it, will flow through us and produce
miraculous results.
-- Mahatma Gandhi

Life consists not in holding good cards, but in
playing those you hold well.
-- Josh Billings

To make no mistake is not in the power of man; but
from their errors and mistakes the wise and good
learn wisdom for the future.
-- Plutarch

posted by theoldman at 6:43 am (EST) on Aug 19, 2009

Don't worry about taking a while to answer - I do that all the time! Perhaps you were shocked at my misspelling of 'focusing.' (Great ad for my literacy...)

Your description of home sounds really idyllic, and fits with my recollection of Palo Alto's quiet, leafy neighbourhoods and endless blue skies. I'm actually enjoying some of that myself, right now, as I spend the summer at Princeton University, to work on portraits of seminary professors. I don't know if you're familiar with this part of the country, but all these small NJ towns have an unspoilt, historic feel with their clap-board colonial architecture and lush gardens. It's very peaceful.

Mixing with Ivy League professors has been an unexpected delight - what warm, witty people. But my reading list looks pretty feeble all of a sudden! I'm being buried in book recommendations, and wish I could get through them all, as well as produce the occasional artwork. But for what it's worth, my recent main areas of interest have related to the mind, consciousness, psychology, and basically, what makes us tick.

It's a tall order to make just one recommendation. But 'Looking For Spinoza' by Antonio Damasio balances humane philosophical insight with a clear scientific account of the roots of feelings and consciousness. Are you ever drawn to that kind of thing?

I've noted your recommendation of The Hours and will look out for it for sure. And I'll be very interested to hear how you think the film compares, if you ever risk seeing it!

posted by ewandermaler at 7:13 pm (EST) on Aug 19, 2007

I see we share The Rule of Four It seems to be a pretty popular book. I never could get through it for some reason. It just struck me as a knock-off of The DaVinci Code. What did you think of it?

-Rus

posted by rdixon98 at 12:53 pm (EST) on Oct 29, 2006