Pic Dump: Fall Edition

Fall is in the air and it's been awhile so its time for a mini pic dump. Enjoy the stuff I've found on the web. A little advice for all you wonderful folks, always leave an umbrella in your car, you never know when you'll forget to check the weather and you'll be kicking yourself for not taking my wise advice.

The fact that this event happened at BYU is kinda perfect.

After all the mass shootings, natural disasters and Ted Cruz you can look at this and think the world isn't so bad after all.

 
 

Sticks don't hit people...oh wait that's stupid.

Sibling rivalry starts young

 

Quote of the Day

It's been a while since I've posted a "quote of the day" but I was reading some Confucius (surprise) and came across this little truth nugget. It's from 17:26 in the Analects.

  “One who has reached the age of forty and is disliked, will be disliked to the end.” - Confucius

Confucius Didn't Say That!: Moving Mountains Edition

We've all been there - you have a mountain of things to do and don't know where to start.  You feel stressed, overwhelmed, and frustrated. The smart thing to do is take a deep breath and start small. This brings us to today's edition of "Confucius Didn't Say That!". So, go ahead and fix yourself a hot cup of tea and get cozy. We have an inspirational doozy today:

"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones" - Confucius

To be honest, this quote is refreshing.

It almost kinda looks credible, it's at least in the realm of possibilities....however, once you really take a close look at it, it's rotten at its core. I also think it's stupid and since Confucius wasn't in the habit of saying vapid bullshit, I know he didn't say it before I even checked the Analects.

Yeah, it's stupid. These fake Confucius quotes really get my goat.

Think about it for a second. Why would you move a mountain in the first place? To what end? To build a road or city? Is it in the way? Even if you could move it, there are usually other mountains around it, would you have to move those as well? Even as you slowly dismantled a mountain you would have to transport its remains elsewhere incurring further cost and time. Has anyone ever looked at a mountain and said, "I'm pretty sure I can move this mountain if I just take a little bit at a time".

The ironic thing about my memes is that they are fake Confucius quotes.

As always, my first step was to check AC Muller's translation of the Analects for the use of the word "mountain". There are a few mentions of mountains but none remotely similar to our selection above. One, in particular, I liked even though the message isn't about starting small or not giving up from 16:12:

"Duke Ching of Qi had a thousand teams of horses, but when he died, there was nothing for which the people could praise him. Bo Yi and Shu Qi died of starvation at the foot of Shouyang mountain, and the people praise them up till this day. What meaning can you glean from this?"

Of course I searched for other keywords, like "journey", "stones", "rocks", "small", "give up", etc. I am a keyword search expert and I just can't let my readers down. You can trust me. Okay, well you shouldn't trust me, I am just a stranger on the internet but I am more reliable than Google as far as finding real Confucius quotes, that's for sure.

As for the theme of starting small and effort that 'keeps the faith', there are a few quotes that could suffice.  In 9:19, Confucius doesn't discuss moving a mountain but building a mound:

"The Master said: “It is like building a mound: If I stop before carrying a single basket of earth, it is my stopping. It is like leveling the ground: If I continue even after dumping only one basket, it is my continuation.”

Muller also leaves a comment with this quote and adds: "The process of self-development requires continual effort, even if only a bit at a time."

There was another quote on commitment in 15:2:

“The noble man remains stable when in dire straits. The inferior man falls apart."

It's clear that that the values underlying this quote don't directly contradict a Confucian worldview, although I think he would have issues with the metaphor.

I know, I know, maybe I'm taking the metaphor a little too literally.

At my core, I am basically a "whatever floats your boat" kinda guy. So, if you like the quote, cheers my friend.

That said, the imagery of a man moving a mountain by carrying a few small stones is not inspiring at all. In fact, it's downright Sisyphean. No one could move a mountain a few small stones at a time. The entire metaphor reveals the utter pointlessness and smallness of human efforts in comparison with the earth and nature.

The real question isn't about starting small but ensuring we're working on something that can be accomplished in the first place. If you're looking for a cliche, I say go with "Rome wasn't built in a day" instead of this one.

For the sake of Fragments

I've been away from the dying world of blogging (wait, this is a still a blog right?)

Some fragments of the current status of the world that surrounds me:

I really despise Ted Cruz. I mean of course I despise his politics but I am really talking about his face. His face upsets me. And his voice. But it's really his face.

What's with weird turtle-like republicans like Mitch McConnell and Ted. Maybe there's a hidden underground city of very conservative turtle folk?  I say BUILD A WALL and keep them turtle people out. I know, I know I just dehumanized Republicans and that's bad. I know it's mean but it's all in good-hearted fun. And it's true, too. 

Here's a video I love. I

God Bless Vic Berger, truly a hero in the Age of Trump.

Summer came and went in case you didn't notice. Also, South Texas has turned into the Pacific Northwest with rain and clouds on a near daily basis. I don't like it. Enough complaining about the weather, what am I, an old man? (yes).

I am growing a beard. Yeah, I know you don't know me (wait, Philip do you still read this?). It took me three weeks to get it decent. I think I am on week five. I pretty much look like an English professor (for those scoring at home I am a Humanities professor, so I am really really close to reaching peak "me").

SELF INDULGENT BEARD FRAGMENTS BREAK

• It's growing in red. That's cool with me. Also, no gray hairs.
• Important aside:  I am 41 and not a gray hair in sight. yet.  I would brag about this but I don't think anyone really cares either way and they are bound to show up at some point soon. 
• I find myself looking in the mirror more often just because it's like, "Wait, is that me?" and it takes a second for my brain to realize, that yes, indeed it's me with a red beard. 
• Sides still coming in slow but steady.Still not fast enough. I think I will keep it at least through winter. I dunno I could get crazy one weekend and shave the whole thing off. 

My car died two weeks ago and it made me sad. Some people at work were showing their privilege and like, "oh exciting, you get a new car!" with a smile and I was like...."Uh, no. We don't make a lot of money, I would rather not spend that money right now". Some people don't understand my wife works part-time and we ain't raking it in compared to many in my cohort of educated families. 

The car that died was my grandmother's car that I bought from my uncles when she died six years ago. I kinda got a little sad cleaning it out the other day, but what am I to do? It had been a decent car for us for six years, thanks Maw Maw!

The car was really getting to be junky more and more. It was a 2005, so it was time.

We finally got a new(er) car yesterday. I am happy I have a car that works. Let's hope nothing else goes wrong or breaks (but it likely will).

Music UPDATE That no one cares about

Really into Summer Salt. Like the Beach Boys. Check 'em out. Obsessed with their Driving to Hawaii EP. Here, random person who I will never meet. Click here and enjoy.




Went to a conference in Philadelphia in late September. It was such a great experience. The city was awesome, public transport was amazing and I loved the museum. I saw so many pieces I studied in college and turned into a joyful fanboy.  Also, the conference was pretty okay as well.

Supposed to finish a blog about my experiences in The Wizard of Oz but can never seem to finish it or want to finish it. I might be helping out at the same church with a Nativity (I think reading, I dunno but the director seemed excited). Also, my BEARD will be coming in handy. Oh, I do feel more manly.

Final note: I am not going to be one of those douche bag beard guys. Don't worry.

Our study stateside program has almost been given the ultimate blessing....now, its just up to us to recruit students. I think we'll be good. The program will be amazing....super excited.

Also, I applied for a FREE program for professors to go to India in January. I actually think I have a shot at it....but who knows? Should find out in the next two weeks.

That's all for now folks, don't forget to schedule your next oil change and feed the fish.

Thought of the Day

I was talking with my wife about my lack of ability in regard to teaching and I said, "You know average is underrated".

It stuck me as silly and yet completely true.

Of course she said I wasn't average, but I know better.

Art Post: Jabberjaw

It was my nephew's birthday and I was called into duty for the pool party. The theme was sharks and my mind was blank...then suddenly it hit me....Jabberjaw. OH YEAH.

I LOVED the Hanna-Barbara Cartoon Olympics when I was a kid and I loved Jabberjaw.

Of course no one demanded Jabberjaw and none of the kids knew who Jabberjaw was....heck, most adults didn't even know either (let alone care)....but my life is one shining moment after another and in this moment I wanted to shine my light on a late 70's - early 80's cartoon LEGEND. 

Enjoy, shark lovers.

Note caption at bottom: "No actual sharks at party!"

Ireland Fragments: Days 2-3

After an exhaustive first day in Dublin, we were still energized for a half day of activity in Dublin (before moving into Northern Ireland).

We woke up and had breakfast at a local diner not far from our Airbnb. This was ideal as it had zero tourists.  I had a full Irish breakfast and felt like I had enough meat to last me for the entire trip. I found the blood sausage to be pretty decent (some folks had warned me about it).

We packed up our stuff and walked down to the Connolly train station to head to Belfast. It wasn't fun dragging our bags into town, but it added to the adventure all the same.

It just so happened that we were in Ireland at the same time as an old friend. We had the opportunity to meet up with JJ for a proper Hobbit-like "Second Breakfast" at a coffee shop near the train station. JJ (the same JJ, I almost died with) was winding his trip down and would be headed back to the States in 2-3 days. It was quite surreal to be chatting it up with an old friend in Dublin, but life is full of weird surprises.

This photo has a lot of blue in it. Enjoy it, fans of blue. 

We caught the train to Belfast and spoke with an old man about his life in Dublin and his travels to the North. The most amazing thing I was beginning to realize was just how many Irish dialects or accents there were in such a small geographic location. In the States, we have accents but they take up large areas, hundreds even thousands of miles of similarity. In Ireland, you'd go to the next town over and hear something very different from the other town.

It was our first view of the countryside and it was quite lovely. We arrived at our Airbnb, which was a whole apartment (which was a relief for just spreading out, as well as privacy). We were near Queens University, so we hiked over the campus and enjoyed the beautiful Belfast Botanic gardens

I had never been in an European Garden before. It had much more of an impact on me than I thought it would. All I can say is that I know why people use the word "lovely" over in the UK/Ireland more than Americans. Everything was just lovely.

I just like this photo.

Queens University - just a pretty place to walk around.

You just walk around and kinda get used to seeing cool stuff like this. It's such an ordinary thing. But here this is, a cool-looking building thing. Just cool things, lovely things everywhere.

We grabbed some grub at Maggie Mays (pretty good dinner - K opted for an Irish stew - LOTS of potatoes, I got a burger) but the dessert was amazing. It made us happy to be alive at this point in the history of the universe.

Holy cow just seeing this again gave me sugar flashbacks. So damn delicious.

We asked our server for recommendations for live music and he recommended Five Points. It was about a half mile down the road and it was also, pretty amazing. We were likely the only tourists there and the guys playing there were awesome. It was as authentic as it gets. I loved it. 

Every time I went to a bar I ended up getting Guinness. I know that's cliché but I started to really appreciate it while I was there and enjoyed it. Besides, ya know, when in Rome....

We had stopped at the market after dinner (and before going to Five Points) and made our own breakfast in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised at the food prices in NI. Cheaper than Dublin and some items cheaper than the US

After breakfast, we caught a taxi to the airport to rent a car and explore the Antrim coast. I was little worried about driving on the "wrong" side of the road but it really wasn't all that bad (of course it helps I had a nice navigator to remind me of what the heck I was doing).

Our plan was to drive north, stopping at various sites along the way. I was excited by the prospect of driving around the Irish country side and seeing what would happen. I knew it could be a perfect little adventure and I have to say that this day was my favorite day of my entire trip.

Green hills and pastures as far as the eyes could see. This particular day was one of hte most misty or "rainy" days of my entire trip. Surprisingly, my whole 3 weeks in Ireland and the UK was pretty dry. There was one or two rainy days and the rest of the days were dry or only had a stray shower or two.

K kept taking photos of the countryside, the only problem was that none of them could really do it justice. The roads were so narrow, I could rarely truly enjoy them as well. Later in the trip I had plenty of opportunity to sit back and enjoy the countryside.

Our first stop was at the Carrickfergus Castle (in Carrickfergus).  It's the not the most impressive Irish castle but visiting a castle was on our "to do" list and it wasn't too far out of the way. We basically mapped this trip out the night before and it made it all the more fun.

 My beauty in front of the castle.

K took this one. I loved these little stairs and the little details like this more than anything else about the visiting old castles, buildings, etc.

Carrickfergus Castle was nice but unless you have a thing of castles or you are in the area (like we were), it's skippable. That said it was fun, quick and cheap. It's set up more for kids than anything else. I don't want to under-sell the experience though, if you have kids with you, a definite thumbs up.


We were only there about an hour and we got back on the road. NI is full of tiny little towns that start with "Bally" (holy smokes, looks like over 30).  Well, in one of them (maybe Ballymoney) we were stopped at a light and saw this sign.

We found it quite funny and unique, so K took a photo of it. Sure enough, just seconds later, we see a "classic" Old Lady (right out of a WB cartoon) crossing the road. Well, we got a photo of her as well!

If it was Ballymoney, this is sign and photo make a whole lot more sense as according to Wikipedia, "The Ballymoney area has the highest life expectancy of any area in Northern Ireland, with the average male life expectancy at birth being 79.9 years and 84.8 years for females in years"

We decided to stop at "The Hedges" which is a few minutes south of Ballycastle. Apparently, it's featured on "Game of Thrones" and some other movies/television programs but we don't watch GoT so it was more just a cool photo-op. It was on our way to Ballycastle, so it wasn't much trouble. If you have a spare 20 minutes, I recommend it. We took some pics and were on our way.

We finally made it to our "destination" which was Ballycastle. I was interested in seeing Ballycastle because about a week later I would be spending most of at the Corrymeela Peace Center for about two weeks. Ballycastle is a lovely little town and I will have much more to say about this town in future blog posts. We had lunch at the hotel that faces the seaside (which, by all means, avoid the restaurant there, as it was disappointing).

We walked a bit around town but because our lunch took longer to arrive and it was already past 1:00 PM, we decided to pick up the pace.

When I would begin to imagine this Ireland-UK trip over a year in advance, I would often imagine the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (about 20 minutes outside of Ballycastle) and sigh. This was the activity I most anticipated for out trip and I knew it could be the highlight of our trip (but I was hoping against hope for rain not to ruin it). While it had sprinkled here and there during the morning, it had remained largely dry (well as dry as NI gets).

The bridge seemed smaller than the photos make it out to be, but it did not disappoint. The walk across the bridge was great but the views the island offered was amazing. 

Edit 2024: I was looking at my drafts and I never finished this post (or even this series to be honest...whoops) but I decided to go ahead and publish because this post was already so long!!