A brilliant bright-pink almost-red gerbera daisy (I’m always amazed at the quality of my DSLR-style photos that come forth from my iPhone!)
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Day: July 1, 2011
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Franzen has proven with this novel (is it only the second or the third?!) that he is master of portraying the family as microcosm. And also the master of dissecting every conceivable dynamic in a postmodern relationship between husband and wife; parent and child; friend, acquaintance, and neighbor; and the supposed meaning of love, freedom and power in this millenial age.
In this novel titled ‘Freedom’ Franzen speaks directly to this concept on personal liberties. He says, “the personality susceptible to the dream of limitless freedom is a personality also prone, should the dream ever sour, to misanthropy and rage.” And the dream will indeed always sour. And when it does, it is then open game for one and all to see and wonder how a redemption may come about, if any, and if it does, what the cost of such a redemption might be.
This is not just a story that is engaging and engrossing. It is illuminating in every sense of the word– shinging a light on all the things we thought we knew about ourselves, and all the things we realize we are capable of: things both depraved and noble in the most extremes. And Franzen’s storytelling is not limited to the nature and negotiation of relationships only; intertwined within these stories, he covers all the very current and essential topics of this new millenium ranging from human overpopluation on this planet to the pressing need to pay attention to endangered species.
This thing called freedom is not so free after all; it comes with a great price. Sometimes, one that can only be paid over a lifetime. And for the timebeing, if at all one feels even the smallest sense of insulation, may it be that it is due only to a greater sense of self-awareness in saying in all humility the phrase, There but for the grace of God, go I…
Know Your Fireworks This Fourth!
Click here or on the link below the picture to go directly to the Slate website to see the pictures of the many varieties. I’m excited about the Fireworks show that I will be going to tomorrow (to coincide w/ the Big 18 for me!)
Fireworks Style 1: Peony
Most observers of July 4th are contently ignorant of the finer points of pyrotechnics. But careful oglers will notice that there are distinct categories of fireworks, even if they don’t know what to call them. “[Most] people don’t know the terminology, but they can describe the effects in layman’s terms,” explains pyrotechnician Mike Tockstein. This Fourth of July, use Slate’s fireworks guide to jettison your crude fireworks vocabulary in favor of the official terminology.
If you only remember one firework this summer, make it this one: Traditional radial fireworks like this one are known as peonies, after the flower.
via slate.com
080/365/01
Another beautiful pink gerbera daisy (not a repeat from the rash of gerbera posts from earlier on, trust me!).
