A Duck in Winter [Haiku]

Posted on August 23, 2026 by B Gourley

Photograph of the Danube River on a dreary December day with a duck at the river's edge.

a duck preens at river's edge; 
 unruffled by the dreary winter vibe.

DAILY PHOTO: A Winter Day in Budapest

DAILY PHOTO: Trees & Prayer Flags, Dubdi Monastery

PROMPT: Cultural Tradition

Posted on August 22, 2026 by B Gourley

Daily writing prompt

What’s a cultural tradition from your country that you love?

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I like Groundhog Day because it’s a beautiful reminder that any old pudgy rodent is as good as the smartest human / computer combination at making forecasts about the future. More than Thanksgiving, it’s the holiday that forces some humility upon us.

BOOK: “Born Standing Up” by Steve Martin

Posted on August 21, 2026 by B Gourley

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site – Scribener

Steve Martin opens this book, “I did stand-up comedy for eighteen years. Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four were spent in wild success.” This book is about those eighteen years and the lessons learned about the comedic craft and what events drove him to it and what events drove him away.

The book is a memoir, with family drama and varied insights that come from life off (as well as on) stage. The book has pathos to temper its bathos, making an altogether more interesting and authentic read. Of course there’s humor throughout, from discussion of some of his comedic bits to humous personal stories.

I found it fascinating to learn about Martin’s philosophy of comedy. For example, his attempts to avoid punchlines to get away from the conditioned response laughs that came not necessarily from a genuine experience of mirth but because of a realization that it’s a time at which one is expected to laugh. Martin also has a unique message to tell given the nature of his comedy. It is not relatable. It’s silly — hilariously silly, but silly, just absurd and wacky. Like political comedy, one would expect a reduced size of audience willing to come along for the ride. That makes it all the more impressive to achieve what he did as a comic, because his type of work seems like it would have a smaller following than the comics who talk about family life and dating and office jobs and tax audits and their vaginas.

I enjoyed reading this book tremendously and would highly recommend it for readers with an interest in standup comedy (or those fascinated by the life cycle of celebrity.)

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BOOK REVIEW: “Siva Samhita” Trans. by Srisa Chandra Vasu

Posted on August 21, 2026 by B Gourley

Siva Samhita (English and Sanskrit Edition)

Siva Samhita by Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vasu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Available online

This book is considered to be one of three surviving classic texts of Hatha Yoga. (The other two being Hatha Yoga Pradipika [probably the most famous of the three because of a popular translation and commentary put out by the Bihar School] and The Gheranda Samhita.) Siva Samhita distinguishes itself among the three. It puts less emphasis on discussing technique (with the possible exception of Mudra, which — like the other two — it explores in depth, covering nine mudra with specificity) and puts greater emphasis on philosophical topics as well as yogic physiology (e.g. chakra and mapping physiology to the macro-scale natural world.) Siva Samhita only discusses four seated postures with specificity (three of which are cross-legged meditation postures,) and discusses pranayama (breathwork) mostly in generic terms. I wouldn’t say that this reflects a lack of interest in technical topics because one other topic that this book puts great emphasis on is the importance of the teacher (meaning there might not be much discussion of technique because of an assumption by the (unknown) author(s) that techniques should be entirely passed down verbally — teacher to student.

Even having read the other two texts, I found the Siva Samhita well worth exploring. The text takes its own distinct approach. I should point out that this version doesn’t include commentary or elaboration (beyond the occasional footnote.) The text is presented bilingually with Sanskrit and an English translation. I enjoyed reading the text and the translation felt skillful, but I think I would benefit from reading an edition with commentary, (provided the translator / commentator knew of what they spoke both in terms of Sanskrit language and Yogic practice.)

If you are a serious student and / or teacher of yoga, I’d highly recommend this text.

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