Tag Archives: Stream of Consciousness Saturday

The Temperature At Which Books Burn

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4956476726_26b690b952_z Fahrenheit 451 via RA.AZ on Flickr

In Fahrenheit 451 the firemen do not put out fires, they set fire to books. Books were not allowed. What got me thinking about this story is a new book I am reading by Lisa See, Dreams of Joy. I just started it and do not know how it ends. So if you know, please don’t tell me. It is about a young Chinese American woman who is inspired by the communist revolution in China and decides to run away to China in search of her birth father and to work for the revolution. This is the time of the Red Guards, mobs who tortured and murdered people because they had “wrong” ideas, or somebody decided they didn’t like them. I did not realize that people would want to return to China during those times, but it seems some did. I keep thinking the character, Joy, in Lisa See’s story is so stupid. Maybe I will get to like her better later in the book. Her mother goes to China to find her. I identify with her mother. I can imagine how I would want to find my daughter and bring her home.

In Fahrenheit 451 a group of resisters decides to save books by memorizing them. The people become the books:

“I am Plato’s Republic. Mr. Simmons is Marcus. I want you to meet Jonathan Swift, the author of that evil political book, Gulliver’s Travels! And this other fellow is Charles Darwin, and-this one is Schopenhauer, and this one is Einstein, and this one here at my elbow is Mr. Albert Schweitzer, a very kind philosopher indeed. Here we all are, Montag. Aristophanes and Mahatma Gandhi and Gautama Buddha and Confucius and Thomas Love Peacock and Thomas Jefferson and Mr. Lincoln, if you please. We are also Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” -Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

One of people becomes David Copperfield, one of my favorite books:

“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show…..”

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “book.” Image of Fahrenheit 451 book cover by RA.AZ on Flickr. Last quote is from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

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Full Court Press

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Spotted this adorable video from Jukin Media in one of The Dodo’s posts. Had to share it. They do look like they are applying pressure with those stares. Like they’re saying:

OK , spill the beans!

Start talking!

What were you doing last Tuesday night?

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “press.”

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A Parsnip of Pigeons

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Amaze…. “Sense of “overwhelm with wonder” is from 1590s” (Thesaurus.com)

As I walked out my back door one early morn’

I was amazed by what I saw

An exaltation of larks

A tittering of magpies

A band of blue jays

A cacophony of crows

A convocation of eagles

A charm of hummingbirds

A kettle of hawks

A gulp of swallows

A parsnip of pigeons

An ostentation of peacocks

A parliament of owls

A pandemonium of parrots

And a flamboyance of flamingoes

I thought to myself

What was in that wild bird seed I bought?

 

*If you’re wondering about a parsnip of pigeons, I made it up.  🙂

 

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt today is use a two letter word at the beginning and a bonus for using a two letter word at the end. Featured image: Brehms Teirleben Cockatiels painting via Wikimedia. And the collective nouns are inspired by James Lipton’s book ” An Exaltation of Larks,” which referenced ‘terms of venery’ from the Middle Ages. And that is where many of these collective nouns originated, the middle ages. Some could be recent inventions but I am not aware of the sources to credit other than a list on wikipedia 🙂

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SOCS-Name the Day Mother’s Day

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“The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother’s side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent.” -Erich Fromm

The umbilical cord is cut after a women gives birth to a child. I say there is an invisible cord that is never severed. A child does not understand this.  The mother understands and knows this. She feels the attachment to her heart her whole life. When your children are away from you, the cord is stretched but never broken.

Happy Mother’s Day ❤

 

 I am a parent, a mother. I am not sure if the intensity of feelings is the same for fathers or others. There are different kinds of parents, different genders of parents. But I can only speak for myself and say this is how I feel about being a mother/parent. I originally posted this last year for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. I think it is still relevant for this Mother’s Day. The prompt this year is “parent.”

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Mr. Zoot Suit

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Zoot Suits were a style in the 1940’s. Bright colored, long coats and baggy pants, wide brimmed hats with feathers. If you wore one you might be called “pachuco.” Or you might just like the music of Mr. Zoot Suit and want to dance.

 

 

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Mr. Zoot Suit music via The Paradise Room on You Tube and Blast From The Past Clip via Richard D on You Tube. Prompt is “zoo.”

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Oldest message in a bottle ever found

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via Oldest message in a bottle ever found  per Smithsonian is the one sent by George Parker Bidder in 1906 and was found 108 years later.

 

I would like ta get a message in a bottle from Sting. How cute is this guy? That is a rhetorical question. I don’t think I ‘ve heard this song before. I definitely heard of Roxanne.

The idea of sending a message in a bottle is so magical and romantic. Who will find it? George Parker Bidder did it for scientific reasons. I think it is cool to do it just to see where it takes you. Like notes tied on the sagebrush. Who will find it? Who will read it? Will it make a connection with them?

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today was “ta” and I stretched it a bit.

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No Age Limits

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I have found that those in their nonage

look upon me who is slightly more than middle age

as probably

nonagenarian or maybe even centenarian

These persons to whom I provide tutelage

have at times have had the temerity

to imply my antiquity

This causes me to query

Is ageism inborn or instilled by society?

 

This is my post for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The word for today is “no.”

Tobor is Robot Spelled Backwards

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Have you been paying attention to all the news about robots?  Jobs that can be done by robots? Some day we may look back and say, “This is when it all began.”

I saw the movie Tobor the Great at a summer day camp when I was a little girl. I remember the line “Tobor is robot spelled backwards,” but I don’t know who said it or if it was me. I liked Tobor. On the movie poster it says “Man-made monster with every human emotion.” In the movie Tobor saves a little boy from enemy agents. The boy was able to communicate with Tobor telepathically.  Another robot that was pretty nice was B9, the robot in the television show Lost in Space. He was always looking out for any threats to the Robinson family. Video via Tom Crimmins on You Tube:

In later years, the robots became more threatening. In 2001: A Space Odyssey the robot HAL is running the whole space ship and has a breakdown and decides to start killing off the crew.

Video via Qapla on You Tube:

And then Blade Runner and Matrix and others. In these films, after great battles, the humans are eventually victorious over the robots.

I have been thinking about robots more lately with all the news about robots replacing humans and an article on the Huff Post this morning, The Dark Meaning Behind the Word ‘Robot’ by Casey Williams. She brought up some interesting history. The word robot came from a Czech word “robotnik” which means slave. I am thinking,that if we aren’t careful, we will become the slaves.  Ha!

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt is “Ha.”

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Be My Baby

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It was 1963, I was 14 years old when one of the most popular girl groups, The Ronettes, released “Be My Baby.” The lead singer was Veronica Bennett, with backup from her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley. Be My Baby was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and The Ronnettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. They were the only girl group to tour with the Beatles.

I used to rock out and sing along with this song as a teenager and I still do. I used to have the beehive hairdo and the black eyeliner as well.

 

 

TheRonettesBeMyBaby

The_Ronettes_1966

You Tube video courtesy of Haagsesjonny. Photos courtesy of Wikipedia. This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Today’s prompt is “be.”

 

 

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