Wasn’t looking last night. Yesterday was such a run around and my final
push to complete the posting so blunt that I didn’t realize it was number 180
and should have been, per custom, a summary post. I caught it after it went up and I was just
way too tired to go back and do all the requisite clipping and pasting to
assemble review.
This morning sitting here in the quiet I heard it. Go back and look at the last invocation I
posted before bed. Perhaps I sensed
something at the marrow level, or maybe it was just lucky, long overdue
coincidence, but this morning, I heard the pitter pat of drizzle and then, for
thirty minutes or so, steady rain.
It’s still cloudy out there. We
didn’t get anywhere near enough. But
what a difference! The smells erupt out
of the earth. The birds are in a frenzy
darting about in feeding flocks, chasing insects, looking for seedlings. Puddles remain on the ground refracting the
dull morning light. I couldn’t tell you
if they flew planes and seeded the sky or if lone, fat cloud swooped down from
Siberia and sacrificed itself right here.
But walking around this morning, it's a big improvement.
This summary feels a milestone, for when I do one again, we’ll be well
passed the meridian on this yearlong commitment.
Chengyu
1.
家家户户:
jiājiāhùhù: each and every family (idiom) / every household
2.
堕云雾中:duòyúnwùzhōng: lit. to become lost in a fog (idiom); fig. at a complete
loss
3.
熬更守夜:
áogēngshǒuyè: to stay up through
the night (idiom)
4.
同病相怜: tóngbìngxiānglián: fellow sufferers empathize with each other
(idiom); misery loves company
5.
苍松翠柏: cāngsōngcuìbǎi: evergreen pine and cypress (idiom); steadfast
nobility
6.
鬼话连篇: guǐhuàliánpiān: to tell one lie
after another (idiom) / to talk nonsense / bogus story
7.
海阔天空: hǎikuòtiānkōng: wide sea and sky (idiom); boundless open
vistas / the whole wide world / chatting about everything under the sun
8.
翻天覆地: fāntiānfùdì:
sky and the earth turning upside down (idiom); fig. complete confusion /
everything turned on its head
9.
藏头露尾: cángtóulùwěi: to hide the head and show the tail (idiom);
to give a partial account / half-truths
10. 光明前途: guāngmíng qiántú:
bright and shining future
11. 花好月圆: huāhǎoyuèyuán: lit. lovely flowers, round moon (idiom); fig.
everything is wonderful / perfect happiness / conjugal bliss
12. 寸步难行: cùnbùnánxíng: unable
to move a single step (idiom) / to be in an (extremely) difficult situation
13. 遍地开花: biàndìkāihuā: to blossom everywhere / to spring up all over
the place / to flourish on a large scale
14. 飘忽不定: piāohūbùdìng: to drift without
a resting place (idiom) / roving / errant / vagrant / erratic
15. 心甘情愿: xīngānqíngyuàn:
delighted to (do sth, idiom) / perfectly happy to do / most willing to
do
16. 扒头探脑:
bātóutànnǎo: to poke one's head in and pry (idiom); to spy / nosy
17. 奔走相告: bēnzǒuxiānggào: to spread
the news (idiom)
18. 过时不候: guòshíbùhòu: being late is not
acceptable (idiom)
19. 杯酒解怨: bēijiǔjiěyuàn: a wine cup dissolves complaints (idiom); a
few drinks can ease social interaction
20. 东奔西走:
dōngbēnxīzǒu: to run this way and that
(idiom); to rush about busily / to bustle about / to hopscotch
Music Shared
Grant
Clarkson, “Metamorphosis Overture”, from the album, “Metamorphosis Acts
1&3”, 2009
Greatful
Dead, “A Friend of the Devil”, from the album “American Beauty”, 1970.
Tom
Harrell, “Manhattan 3:00AM”, from “Live at the Village Vanguard”, 1972.
The Jam, “The Gift” from the album
“The Gift”, 1972
David “Fathead” Newman,
“Summertime” from the album “Fathead Comes On”, 1962
Herbie Nichols “The Spinning Song” from the
album “The Herbie Nichols Trio” 1956
Josephine Baker “Blue Skies” from
the musical, “Betsy” 1927
L'orchestre Folklorique T.P. Konono
Nº1 de Mingiedi, (a.k.a. Konono Nº1 ): "Lufuala Ndonga" from the
album “Congotronics”, 2004.
Charlie Rouse: “Blue Farouq” and “204”from the album “Takin
Care of Business”, 1960
Ed Blackwell, “Boogie Live, 1978”,
1978.
Johannes Brahms, String Quartets,
1873
The Impressions “Gone Away”, from
the album “This is My Country”, 1968
Boubacar Traore, “Kar Kar Madison”,
1992
George Russell, “Night Sound” from
the album “Ezz Thetics”, 1961
Pharrell Williams, “Happy” 2013
Joe Wilder, “Cherokee”, 1956.
Odean Pope’s Saxophone Choir,
"Mantu Chant" from the album “Locked and Loaded”, 2006
Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Miles
Beyond” from the album “Birds of Fire”, 1973
Burning Spear: “Fire
Down Below”, 1973
Norman Simmons: “Midnight Creeper”
from the album “Midnight Creeper” , 1979
Media Shared
Grant Clarkson’s web site: http://www.grantclarkson.com/
“American
Beauty” on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Beauty_(album)
Malaysian
Airlines flight disappearance in New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight.html?hp
More
on Malaysian Airlines flight disappearance: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight.html?hp
The
Jam album “The Gift” on wiki:
Gruner
Veltliner wine on Wiki:
New
York Times on Russia and China oil deal: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/world/asia/china-torn-between-policies-and-partnership.html?action=click&contentCollection=Asia%20Pacific®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article
New
York Times obituary on David “Fathead” Newman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/arts/music/23newman.html
Senator
Feinstein on the CIA: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/us/senate-fight-with-cia-had-festered-for-weeks.html?ref=us
Song
“Blue Skies” on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Skies_(1926_song)
Josephine
Baker on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker
Dysfunctional
Malaysian government reaction to lost jet in New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/world/asia/missing-jet-exposes-a-dysfunctional-malaysian-elite.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26contentCollection%3DTechnology%26region%3DTopBar%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26pgtype%3DBlogs%23%2FMalaysia%2F
Investment in Tanzania, in Der Spiegel: http://www.spiegel..de/international/world/chinese-investment-in-africa-boosts-economies-but-worries-many-a-934826.html
The
album “Takin’ Care of Business” on WiKi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takin'_Care_of_Business_(album)
Kunming
incident East by SouthEast blog assessment: http://www.eastbysoutheast.com/kunming-train-station-attack-hypothesis/
Kunming
incident East by South East blog analysis:
New
Yorker article on the demise of the mall;
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/03/are-malls-over.html
Yellow
flowers on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/michd01/yellow-flowers-by-name/
Brahms
String Quartets on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_String_Quartets,_Op._51_(Brahms)
Malaysian
authorities under pressure in NY Times:
Aldus
Huxley, “A Brave New World”
“A
Brave New Wolrd” on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World
Impressions
album “This is My Country” on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_My_Country_(album)
China
Dialogue article, misinformation on pollution statistics: https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/6806-China-s-parliamentary-delegates-attack-air-quality-fraud
“Happy
in Beijing” video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gPPJdLL0OY&noredirect=1
Joe
Wilder on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wilder
South
China Morning Post editorial on Phillip Bowring http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1455025/china-crimea-lessons-must-be-heeded
Michelle
Obama visiting Beijing: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/world/asia/michelle-obama-mixes-some-politics-into-china-trip.html?hp
No comments:
Post a Comment