What Archilochos Said

"Greet insolence with outrage."
----------Archilochos,
one of those--his--fragments in Guy Davenport's translation from the Classical Greek.

What Archilochos Said:
four words that have worked well in class, provoking good discussions of diction, denotation, connotation, and character study.

So much in four words.  Just think of what's said, what's signaled, with that choice of "greet" instead of "meet" or "match" or "return".

I must admit I have a qualm or two about the violence in the lines, but then we--our spirits, the collective consciousness--do need rousing in these times.

Merit Badge

Snorkel-cat:
This is the stamp I use to mark my swimming and diving--and have used for years now.

Simple system.  If I swim or dive, I stamp my datebook.  When I look back at the days or months and see red, I am gratified.  If I look back and see a lack of red, I am unhappy.  "Do it for the stamp" may seem a bit lame, but whatever gets me into the pool or ocean is worthy of merit right now.

2013 was not a very red year.  I need to get into shape, better shape, swimming and kayaking shape.

2014: I'm aiming at well-marked pages, plenty of snorkel-cats.  I earned one today.

Wish me luck.

Rafting In The Studio

“Art has always been the raft onto which we climb to save our sanity. I don't see a different purpose for it now.” 

--Dorothea Tanning

I was tempted to title this entry "Anger Management," which is true to an extent, but art's aid to essential sanity is something that I favor and recommend.  I took my own advice and managed to fit the studio into my day.

Three bowls and some silly little figures: feeling fairly sane right now.

Anticipation