Archives for 2005

“Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s being alone. It has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone. Although, in daily life, we do not always distinguish these words, we should do so consistently and thus deepen our understanding of our human predicament.”

Paul Tillich, The Eternal Now

“Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s being alone. It has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone. Although, in daily life, we do not always distinguish these words, we should do so consistently and thus deepen our understanding of our human predicament.”

Paul Tillich, The Eternal Now

“If you let in only the brilliant, then you produced bookworms and bench scientists: you ended up as socially irrelevant as the University of Chicago (an institution Harvard officials looked upon and shuddered).”

Malcolm Gladwell, “Getting In: The Social Logic of Ivy League Admissions”

“If you let in only the brilliant, then you produced bookworms and bench scientists: you ended up as socially irrelevant as the University of Chicago (an institution Harvard officials looked upon and shuddered).”

Malcolm Gladwell, “Getting In: The Social Logic of Ivy League Admissions”

Hockey’s back, and I experienced a lovely moment of related sensory overload this evening. After dropping off a friend in Bridgeport, I drove to the end of the block while fiddling with the radio tuner. At the stop sign I looked up to see Cellular One Field just ahead, bathed in light as the White Sox battled the Red Sox in a Very Important Playoff Game inside. Just then, I successfully tuned in the local hockey game as the puck was about to be dropped–the first NHL hockey I had seen or heard in 16 months was really, truly happening! For a few seconds there, before I turned toward the expressway, the glowing not-Comiskey, surrounded by a meaningful-looking halo of light, stood for my thrill at hearing the sounds of hockey again after a long silence. It was kind of like experiencing a synesthesia of the sports rather than the senses. I don’t believe they’ve yet concocted a technical term for that.

I’ve more or less composed myself by now, but let me indulge in just a wee hockey story to mark the end of Canada’s long national nightmare, and mine.

Sam [Pollock] was very impressed with how scientific football coaching had become, and so for a while he tried to adapt their methods to our game. He would wander the highest reaches of the Forum, searching out patterns of play, and if he detected something he would quickly radio Busher Curry, who would be pacing the gangway, a plug in his ear. No sooner would the Busher get Sam’s message than he would rush up to Bowman with the words of wisdom. Once, when we were leading the Bruins here, 3-2, with a couple of minutes to go, Sam, watching above, got on the radio to the Busher, who immediately rushed to the bench with the message for Scotty, which Scotty passed on to us. The message was “Sam says don’t let them score on you.”

That’s Doug Risebrough, quoted in Mordecai Richler’s Dispatches from the Sporting Life.

Hockey’s back, and I experienced a lovely moment of related sensory overload this evening. After dropping off a friend in Bridgeport, I drove to the end of the block while fiddling with the radio tuner. At the stop sign I looked up to see Cellular One Field just ahead, bathed in light as the White Sox battled the Red Sox in a Very Important Playoff Game inside. Just then, I successfully tuned in the local hockey game as the puck was about to be dropped–the first NHL hockey I had seen or heard in 16 months was really, truly happening! For a few seconds there, before I turned toward the expressway, the glowing not-Comiskey, surrounded by a meaningful-looking halo of light, stood for my thrill at hearing the sounds of hockey again after a long silence. It was kind of like experiencing a synesthesia of the sports rather than the senses. I don’t believe they’ve yet concocted a technical term for that.

I’ve more or less composed myself by now, but let me indulge in just a wee hockey story to mark the end of Canada’s long national nightmare, and mine.

Sam [Pollock] was very impressed with how scientific football coaching had become, and so for a while he tried to adapt their methods to our game. He would wander the highest reaches of the Forum, searching out patterns of play, and if he detected something he would quickly radio Busher Curry, who would be pacing the gangway, a plug in his ear. No sooner would the Busher get Sam’s message than he would rush up to Bowman with the words of wisdom. Once, when we were leading the Bruins here, 3-2, with a couple of minutes to go, Sam, watching above, got on the radio to the Busher, who immediately rushed to the bench with the message for Scotty, which Scotty passed on to us. The message was “Sam says don’t let them score on you.”

That’s Doug Risebrough, quoted in Mordecai Richler’s Dispatches from the Sporting Life.

I see that the archived version of Terry’s and my radio appearance is now available on the Hello Beautiful! website. If you listen, which I recommend, you’ll get to hear Terry say a lot of very smart things and you’ll get to hear me throw in a few choice adjectives! But most of all, you’ll get to hear a thoroughly fascinating interview with Stephen Lang, the actor, writer, and director of the one-man show Beyond Glory, appearing at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre through October 16th. Moreover, you’ll hear taped excerpts from this astounding show, as well as live ones that Lang recreated in the studio during his live interview with host Edward Lifson. Trust me, this is an interview worth listening to and, especially, a show worth seeing.

I see that the archived version of Terry’s and my radio appearance is now available on the Hello Beautiful! website. If you listen, which I recommend, you’ll get to hear Terry say a lot of very smart things and you’ll get to hear me throw in a few choice adjectives! But most of all, you’ll get to hear a thoroughly fascinating interview with Stephen Lang, the actor, writer, and director of the one-man show Beyond Glory, appearing at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre through October 16th. Moreover, you’ll hear taped excerpts from this astounding show, as well as live ones that Lang recreated in the studio during his live interview with host Edward Lifson. Trust me, this is an interview worth listening to and, especially, a show worth seeing.