Sunday, January 04, 2009

Shucks!

(another cross-post)

"The best-laid schemes o'mice an' men/ Gang aft agley..." Well said, Robbie Burns. The movie plan (from earlier post) did, indeed, go awry, as Amelia had something else scheduled that would have made the timing difficult.

We had a wonderful brunch, however, with Eggs Benedict and Mimosas--mmmmm. Then Amelia took off for Rachel's, and Fee and I did a quick turn around Sam's to pick up a few things.

I've done a little embroidering to meet my "creative every day" goal -- oh, and I bought some flowers at Sam's and (grinning satirically) arranged them. Alas, I am not a creative flower arranger, but the flowers themselves are beautiful.

Now, on to some reading. I'm finding Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship an excellent read so far. One of my goals for my Renaissance Mind self-challenge is to do further research on arctic exploration and the search for the Northwest Passage. (discussed in this and other posts)

So far, this account is proving interesting and informative. Some of the events that I thought might have been fiction in The Terror were not (the threatened duel over the Indian (not Innuit) girl on Franklin's earlier expedition. I'm already learning more about some of the characters mentioned in the novel and individuals who were earlier explorers or whalers.

Two other books that I hope to get around to reading: Frozen in Time (also about the Franklin Expedition) and Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing (recommended by Bybee) about Antarctic exploration. Checked online, and our library has the Shackleton, but not Frozen in Time. I'll try interlibrary loan for that one.

On the yoga study, which will naturally proceed more slowly, I'm almost finished with Chakra Yoga, but think perhaps I need to slow down and try to absorb a bit more. And, uh, maybe re-read? Or not...this is my personally designed course study, and I may decide that a completely superficial reading is fine. Yeah, I think that is probably right.



I'm liking Hatha Yoga: Illustrated much better.

8 comments:

  1. I'm sorry the movie didn't work out, but it sounds like you got a nice breakfast out of it.

    It sounds, too, like you've done some interesting reading. I always like learning the history behind true life historical figures mentioned in novels.

    I hope you have a good week, Jenclair!

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  2. Our plans for movies never seem to work out! I have no idea why. Things get in the way, I guess.

    I want to read more about explorers, this year. Endurance is still sitting on my shelf, a swap book that arrived last year.

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  3. I've got THE TERROR here and want to read it this year. I've always been really partial to books set in Antarctica. I know this isn't about that part of the world but the top and bottom of the earth fascinate me.

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  4. After your Franklin book you could try Ken McGoogan's Fatal Passage, the story of John Rae, the man who discovered the fate of Franklin's expedition and the Northwest Passage as well!

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  5. Sorry -- bad link by mistake. Look at it here instead:

    http://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9780006386599

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  6. LF - It was a nice day, even if we have to wait to see the movie.

    It is fun to find about about the real people and events that inspired novels, isn't it?

    Kay - The book about Shackleton should appeal to you, then. The top and the bottom of the world had a remarkable fascination for explorers--in spite of such harsh conditions. That mindset intrigues me.

    Melanie - Thanks for the recommendation! I just added it to my list. Who knew how many stops this reading itinerary would provide?

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  7. Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett is also about Arctic Exploration. I haven't read it yet, but it's been waiting on my shelf for a couple of years. I really like her writing and thought I'd mention it in case you haven't heard of it. It's an historical novel. The Narwhal is searching for Franklin's lost expedition.

    I need to get back to Yoga. Do you have some favorite music you listen to or do you Yoga in silence?

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  8. booklogged - Thanks! I've heard of Voyage, but not recently. I've added it to my list. Another good fiction on this topic is welcomed!

    Sometimes in silence; sometimes with DVDs - I like Shiva Rea and follow her practice - she has great music; and sometimes with the following CDs, which I also use for meditation:

    T'ai Chi: Music for Relaxation
    Grace
    Prem

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