DAILY PHOTO: Riverfront Property, Bratislava
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PROMPT: Advice
The best advice I ever got was, “Don’t give unsolicited advice!” It surprised me a little because I wasn’t even talking to the guy. A stranger just came up to me out of the blue and shouted it in my face… but it is wise advice.
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BOOK: “The Rum Diary” by Hunter S. Thompson
The Rum Diary by Hunter S. ThompsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Simon & Schuster
Thompson wrote this novel in the early 60’s but did nothing with it until the late 90’s when — apparently — he needed the money. That doesn’t sound like it would bode well for a work of literature, but it grew on me. The story follows a roughly six-month period from the time a journalist, Paul Kemp, arrives in Puerto Rico to start work at an English language newspaper in San Juan to the time he departs in the wake of the paper’s demise.
The plot is loose and late — by that I mean the most emotionally resonant events are clustered toward the book’s end. This doesn’t mean that it’s a slow-burn through the beginning and middle, per se. There is a lot of decadence and merriment going on among the protagonist and his colleagues that makes for an amusing read. Also, there is a bit of sexual tension as Kemp arrives on the island on the same plane as a pretty blonde who turns out to be the girlfriend of one of his co-workers (and thus verboten,) a girl who’s bad news, yet still the object of simmering obsession.
I found this to be a fun read and would recommend it for those curious about the hedonistic lifestyles of tropically based journalists in the 1950’s. Thompson apparently did spend some time in San Juan in 1960’s and the book is said to be loosely influenced by journalists he met and events that happened there.
Note: There is a movie. I have not seen it. Judging by the trailer, however, I would say it’s a quite loose adaptation beyond the setting and some of the characters in broad strokes.
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BOOK: “How to Know a Person” by David Brooks
How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David BrooksMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher – Penguin Random House
This book’s subtitle, “The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen,” gets pretty well to the crux, and among that mouthful the word that repeats, “Deeply,” is not to be overlooked. Brooks noticed that while on some level we are more readily connected than ever, there is also an epidemic of loneliness and personal dissatisfaction in the world the likes of which has never before been seen (and so that level on which we are hyper-connected must in some way be defective.) Brooks argues that most of us would benefit from a sea change in our approach to conversation, from asking more and better questions, from listening more carefully, from understanding how the other person’s world framing is different from one’s own, and from changing our conversational objectives (from things like making oneself look good or meeting societal conventions to making our interlocutor feel seen and worthing of one’s time and one’s interest.) In short, we should strive to be what Brooks calls “illuminators.”
The book devotes some special attention in its middle section to negotiating conversations that are difficult — how one can do a better job showing acknowledgment of one’s interlocuter’s perspective while in the same interaction expressing one’s own feelings and ideas.
I found this book to be highly engaging and perspective changing. Brooks uses fascinating and emotionally salient stories from the world, from his own life, and even from fiction. He also uses humor, anecdotes, and quotations to great effect. I learned a great deal from reading this book and would highly recommend it for anyone interested in being a better friend and conversationalist.
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BOOK: “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” by Swatmarama [Commentary by Muktibodhanada Saraswati]
Hatha Yoga Pradipika by SwatmaramaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher – Yoga Publications Trusk
Hatha Yoga Pradipika [HYP] is one of the foundational documents of Hatha Yoga and is said to date to the 15th century. This edition, from the Bihar School’s Yoga Publications Trust, is the most popular one (at least among those offering English language translation and commentary; Note: the original text is also included in Sanskrit.) The book offers clear and detailed commentary on each shloka. (Sometimes one commentary per shloka, but other times a few are addressed at one go, as seemed logical to the editor.)
The book’s 389 shloka are divided into four parts: asana & lifestyle (e.g. diet;) pranayama & shatkarma (cleansing practices;) mudra & bandha; and meditation & samadhi. People are sometimes surprised to find that asana (postures) are barely mentioned in Patanjali’s Sutras (and none specifically,) given how central postural yoga is to our present-day conception and practice of yoga. In HYP, we see an expanded focus upon asana, but still only to a modest level. While the text mentions that Shiva taught 84 asana, HYP discusses less than 20 (mostly grounded postures — i.e. seated and supine or prone reclined.) The second part discusses breathwork (i.e. pranayama) that will be familiar to many present-day yoga practitioners and cleansing practices (i.e. shatkarma) practiced by relatively few. Readers may find it interesting that the greatest number of shlokas are devoted to mudra and bandha, techniques often only taught in the pranayama or asana in which they are employed. The final section is on Samadhi, which is not a surprise given that it is the goal of yoga and its discussion features in all the classical yoga texts.
This edition has several ancillary features of note. First, there is an extensive introduction to set the stage for a modern-day reader. Second, there are many line drawn graphics to clarify the text. Third, there are appendices including listings of the shloka — both a Sanskrit and an English list (making it easier to find what one is looking for without wading through interspersed commentary) and a glossary of useful Sanskrit terms (Romanized.)
Not only was this book interesting for its tidbits of information about yogic technique and philosophy, it also offered insight into the evolution of yoga over time. The latter is a topic which I’ve been researching of late, and this is a crucial text for understanding the subject.
I’d highly recommend this book for students and teachers of yoga, particularly those interested in the philosophy and evolution of technique, and for understanding how Hatha Yoga is distinguished from the broader body of Yoga.
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DAILY PHOTO: Kandy Dancers
PROMPT: Worry
BOREDOM. I used to be concerned that life might peter into monotonous predictability, but I failed to account for the degree to which absurdity can bloom and grow. Whatever is headed our way, we’ll never see it coming.
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DAILY PHOTO: Puddle Atop Stone Mountain
PROMPT: Quote
Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.
Mark Twain
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BOOK REVIEW: “Scattered Poems” by Jack Kerouac
Scattered Poems by Jack KerouacMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Open Road Media
Kerouac is best known as a novelist, particularly as the author of the groundbreaking Beat work, On the Road, but he did publish one poetry collection during his lifetime, Mexico City Blues. This book, Scattered Poems, was the first of a glut of posthumously released poetry collections. With posthumously released editions, one usually has to wonder how close the book is to the poet’s ideal, given the author’s lack of input into the final product but — given Kerouac’s penchant for spontaneous composition and airing pieces as they fell from the mind — it’s probable these poems wouldn’t have been highly edited. (Note: A number of the pieces were previously published, but many were obtained from private correspondence — notably letters to Allen Ginsberg.)
The poems are mostly free verse, and the rhyming verse (e.g. “Pull My Daisy”) is usually short line or doggerel lines falling into longer poems. The poems deal in both Kerouac’s birth religion, Christianity, and Buddhism, a philosophy which had a major influence on his thinking throughout his adult life. Some have a Zen quality that makes it hard to determine whether they are nonsense or a conduit from satori (or both.) To enjoy these poems, one must have a love of spontaneity. Readers expecting a polished collection may be displeased but will certainly have missed Kerouac’s philosophy of writing which strove to emulate the improvisation of Jazz.
I enjoyed this collection, and I think the publisher did a good job of showing the arrangement of the poems as written. I’d highly recommend this work for poetry readers who enjoy stream of consciousness experimental poetry or anyone interested in the work of the Beats.
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Tiger Riding for Beginners 