303rd Post

I had an insanely, incredible article ready to post as my 300^th and then what did I do. I missed it completely and now am on the 303^rd post. Damn it! I guess the awesomeness will have to wait for the 400^th.

 

 

 

 

 
Anyway, since I am unable to reveal the content of that post at the current time, I shall instead take a moment to mention that following on from my fundamental research into the mysteries of time that there are

231,000 seconds in

2 days, 16 hours and 10 minutes

 
which is interestingly, 172,980 seconds less than there are in 4 days, 16 hours and 13 minutes

From Across the Ocean Blue – Reading

One of my personal favourites, and pertinent at this time.

 

 

 

 

 

From Across the Ocean Blue

 
From across the ocean blue,
I’ll always come to you
By land, by sea, by air
To my love most fair

And when I finally get there
How I did I’ll no longer care
Once I’m back there with you
There is nothing we cannot do

I’ll kiss those lips so sweet
And wrap you in my arms
Hold you tight for always
Until the end of days.

The new hardcover edition of ANTIPHONY was released on April 25, 2014 and reviewers are hailing it as a modern classic:

A great book well worth looking at. Check out the excellent reviews it has received.

Luminis Books

“Antiphony is a book so eloquent and brilliant that it requires time—that precious entity few seem to have saved for exploration of the arts—to explore this obvious treasure. It is related to the great works of literature—James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Solzhenitsyn, Dante Alighieri, Roberto Bolaño, Tolstoy, Proust, Kazantzakis, Kafka, Melville, and Conrad are a few that come to mind.” “Katsaropoulos’s grasp of physics is astonishing as is his ability to phrase theory in a manner comfortably decipherable. His deep entrenchment in literature and in music blossoms on the pages frequently. His grasp of the manifold variations of human relationships breathes of psychology breeding with philosophy. But most of all it is the serene beauty of his writing that mesmerizes and results in starting the book again once finished that proves this is a man of letters who has an enormous gift and future.”

—Grady Harp, Amazon Top 10…

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Mega Shark Vs. Mecha Shark

Like movies? – check out movie reviews of all the latest greatest movies here.

Ever Wondered…

just how many seconds there are in

4 days, 16 hours and 13 minutes

 

I have to confess that this is a puzzle that has occupied my mind for many a long year. I have spent countless hours poring over dusty tomes and manipulating the most fantastic and arcane devices imaginable, in order to divine these most ancient and mysterious secrets of the universe. Secrets clouded beneath a cloak of shadowy mists. Now, finally having unravelled the secrets of time, I can reveal, categorically, without a shadow of a doubt, except for inept calculation errors, that the answer to this most enigmatic of questions is:

403980

 

If It Rains Pancakes by Brian P. Cleary

Description from Goodreads

Brian P. Cleary explains and demonstrates how to write two types of ancient Japanese poetry: haiku and lanterns. Short introductions outline the basic rules of each form, and the poems range from hilarious to touching, with lighthearted illustrations adding to the books appeal.

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this short taster of the haiku and lantern poetic forms of ancient Japan. It is a great way for children to be introduced to these forms, and to poetry in general.

Illustrated throughout with fun pictures by Andy Rowland, the images help bring the poems to life for children and grab their attention.

The simple and relevant poems will be fun and interesting to children and adults alike. Children will be able to relate easily with the content and topic of the poems. The book is reasonably short and so can be read with them in one sitting, or maybe two, splitting the sessions between the two poetic forms.

I would recommend this book as an enjoyable and informative read to share with your children. Learning whilst having fun is always the best way.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher.

The Kill by Emile Zola

Description from Goodreads

The Kill (La Curée) is the second volume in Zola’s great cycle of twenty novels, Les Rougon-Macquart, and the first to establish Paris – the capital of modernity – as the centre of Zola’s narrative world. Conceived as a representation of the uncontrollable ‘appetites’ unleashed by the Second Empire (1852-70) and the transformation of the city by Baron Haussmann, the novel combines into a single, powerful vision the twin themes of lust for money and lust for pleasure. The all-pervading promiscuity of the new Paris is reflected in the dissolute and frenetic lives of an unscrupulous property speculator, Saccard, his neurotic wife Renée, and her dandified lover, Saccard’s son Maxime.

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this book a great deal. This is the second part of the infamous Rougon-Macquart cycle of twenty volumes by Emile Zola, and follows on from ‘The Fortune of the Rougons’.

For a relatively short book of 260 pages this took me an inordinate amount of time to read. I kind of lost my way at the midpoint and didn’t get back to it for a few months. That is not to suggest that this was the fault of the book though. I gave this book four stars out of five despite the high quality, since I know that other books in this cycle are even better.

The writing was technically very proficient, as one might expect, and the descriptive passages evocative of everything one imagines of Paris of this period.

It was an interesting insight into the influence of Haussmann on the architecture of, and ultimately, the face of the future Paris.

The power of this book, I believe, is the authors ability to bring to life the hedonistic lifestyle followed by many Parisians, and the debauchery that prevailed at the time. He combined this with an exploration of the underbelly of Paris and the corruption associated with the development and rebuilding of the city.

I enjoyed the character development, which was superb, along with the relationships of Renee with her husband, Sacard and his son, her lover, Maxime. The characters were interesting and fully formed. I liked the numerous small links to the family history, as this both tied the story in with the previous volume and set the stage for future volumes.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Paris of this period, due to the dearth of information that can be gleaned from it, or those interested in classic French literature. It was a fantastic account of the period, and an excellent read.

The Spinning World Cycle 4 – Reading

And now the moment you have all been waiting for. The end of the cycle. Seriously though, I hope that some of you made it to this point. This is my favourite poem of the cycle as when this poem is in ascendance it means I am with the love of my life, Ionia. That is all I want, always and forever.

And Now the World it Spins Again

 

 

 

 

 

And now the world it spins again

But only for a while

And then we shall begin again

To endure our difficult trial

 

For now though, all is perfect

Back here in your arms

To look upon your pretty face

And all your heavenly charms

 

Even though the real world

Rears its ugly head

Every moment spent with you

Fills my heart with joy

 

Someday will eventually come

And we shall be together

Sharing this one life of ours

Always and forever.

 

I promise that I will try and do a few different posts now, although I may well mingle in a few more poetry readings. I have enjoyed this a lot.

The Spinning World Cycle 3 – Reading

And here is part 3 of the spinning world cycle. Now I know for sure that some of you have dropped away. Where is your stamina? This is an endurance test.

Soon the world will spin again

 

 

 

 

 

Soon the world will spin again

A smile will light this face

Back beside the one I love

Back in my rightful place

 

Even though the time does pass

It does it too damn slow

A second feels just like a year

A day hardly seems to go

 

But when it’s time to fly again

My wings returned for now

I’ll be on my way to you

I’ll find my way somehow

 

Then I will be with you

Time will have lost the race

Back beside the one I love

Back in my rightful place

The Spinning World Cycle 2 – Reading

As promised, here is the second part of the spinning world cycle. Anyone still there?

And still it doesn’t turn

 

 

 

 

 

And since the world stopped spinning

and day turned into night

Separated from

the one that is my light

 

Everything I do

and everything I think

Is to bring me back to you

within an eye’s blink