Different Walks of Life

The decline of TV

The Radio overshadowed the Minstrel,
TV did it to the Radio,
The Internet is doing it to all the Media;
Where's the shadow that Minstrels hide?  

From Red to Gray - A Scale

I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place.
Anne Tyler


"Contrast," she said, "is what art's all about."
I stopped and ruminated on her leafy words.
Sometimes my mind's a giraffe,
and her idea was elevated enough. 

Contrast sensitivity was thought to be fixed,
and that it would only worsen with age. 
While as I age and experience more,
the more contrasts are my focus.

So I turned to stare again at my love's face,
her dark hair against her white skin.
Her dark moods against her smile,
my love for her against all others.

"Contrast," I said, "is what love's all about."
I stopped and ruminated on my starry words.
Sometimes my mind's a space shuttle,
and my idea was burnt by the sun.

My eyes melted under such luminance;
no contrast, no trace; all flamboyance.

Matryoshkian Ideas

An idea will come from an idea
which formed from an idea
within an idea.

"Eureka!" Archimedes supposedly
said, but he probably just thought,
"Hmm... Isn't that funny?..."

We cannot know for sure. But
this much we can say: "There is light,
and it should come my way."

And, "The answer is 13 834."

Untitled

Emotional Work

Some people work in Paris, 
Other work in pairs. 
Joy regardless of their location,
All in need to be in motion.


And an older playoem of mine:


Biological reasons set aside

Two eyes two ears
To look and listen to look and listen
Two arms two legs
To work and walk to work and walk
One chest
To open
One back
To return
One mind
To gather
One nose
To aspire
Half a mouth
Feed
Half a mouth
Talk




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Photo by António Dinis Lopes 2014

One Way

There are many routes we can take to achieve the very same goals.

In this particular case, however, any compliant driver will be forced to drive on that specific direction and then startle school children whether he wants that or not.

Sexism is fortunately a contemporary concern of ours, so much so that even Richard Dawkins has recently run into to trouble due to some sexist remarks--aren't we all flawed? Jesus, the man, told you so. 

And the road sign above also illustrates sexism in our daily lives: the male figure pulling the female one by the hand, so to get them both out of trouble (I'm assuming he's not the one who forced them both to cross a road running and without looking out first for cars). Her body language showing her trouble to keep his pace. He, the diligent, the saviour. She, the passive, the fragile one.

Among other things, we're in need of a new road signs design, you designers and politicians out there.

Under Repairs - An Upgrade

PORTUGUESE

LISBON

Eduardo Lourenço is perhaps Portugal’s most distinguished literary critic. Pessoa is “an exception, being a great writer,” he said the other afternoon. “But he had a way of being that is distinctly Portuguese.” He paused to find the right words. “It has to do with everything and nothing — that we Portuguese can have everything, but still feel we have nothing.”

Portugal, he explained, had discovered half the world by the 16th century but still felt itself a failure for having not discovered the rest. The national mind-set, Mr. Lourenço said, is “a combination of megalomania and humility.”

“Also Pessoa was a loner,” he went on, “one of the great poets to express absolute loneliness — some of his poems are so sad they are difficult to read, which is very Portuguese. Listen to fado.” He was referring to the music that here connotes “saudade,” a nearly untranslatable word meaning homesickness but also something more, something, he suggested, like paradise lost.

in Michael Kimmelman's article for the NYT, Portugal Holds on to Words Few Can Grasp.

Waiting

The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Bertrand Russell

And two Portuguese proverbs on the subject of waiting:

He who's waiting despairs.

He who knows how to wait will attain his goals.


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Photo by António Dinis Lopes, 2014

Competitive Street Art

The chronological events that took place on this wall were probably like this: a graffiti artist produced the figure on the right. Then a not so very talented one produced the one on the left, respecting the first artist as much as he could, without doing so--a graffiti penis size envy issue? And then the tagger came along and envied them both. Respectfully.



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Photo by António Dinis Lopes, 2014

Shit makes it happen

As a Brazilian friend and physicist says, "Shit makes it happen," as opposed to "Shit happens."

We must never forget that shit is often overlooked and underrated. It's a supreme fertilizer and thus a facilitator of life. Guano is a Quechuan word for dung, usually of sea birds, used as fertilizer. Even the Incas attributed great value to it. And as such so should we. 

Therefore I propose that the expletive "Shit!" should be interpreted and also used as a synonym to "Great!" or to words of similar positive nature. 

And in the same line of thought, we should reconsider the usage of "Fuck!" as well. Surely such a pleasurable and so very human activity must be connected instead to positive feelings. "Fuck! I'm happy!"



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Photo by António Dinis Lopes, 2014

Travessa do Cotovelo / Elbow Lane