BOOK: “Falling Up” by Shel Silverstein

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Falling UpFalling Up by Shel Silverstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher – HarperCollins Children’s Books

This is the third and final (not inclusive of posthumous greatest hits collections) poetry collection of Shel Silverstein. The collection is considered children’s poetry and has the usual features of such (rhyming verse and doggerel, moral lessons, and occasional grossness.) The poems are generally written in a suspensive form with a twist, i.e. a punchline but aimed more at silly than humorous.

The collection bounces between whimsical and absurd and is highly entertaining to read.

The book has pencil drawings of matching tone for most of the poems.

If you like silliness and rhyming verse, this is fun read.

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BOOK: “Venus in India” by Charles Devereaux

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Venus in India or Love Adventures in HindustanVenus in India or Love Adventures in Hindustan by Charles Devereaux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Available online – Wikisource

This novel is presented as the erotically-charged memoir of a British military officer stationed in India. While separated from his wife by his assignment, he has a couple major (and many minor) dalliances with other women, one with the loose wife of another officer and the other the daughter of his commanding officer — who he is charged with mentoring.

Compared with other Victorian erotica, this book does have more story and character development than other books with which I’m familiar. In other words, what goes on between the sheets (or in the grass or on a table) is not the sum total of the book. Interesting events happen outside the sex and there is at least the pretense of emotional arcs for important characters. This makes the book feel more like a true memoir rather than a collection of “Dear Penthouse” tales.

If you like stories of the historic ex-pat life and / or Victorian erotica, you’ll likely enjoy this book.

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BOOK: “Mallapurana” ed. by Bhogilai Jayachandbhai Sandesara & Ramanlal Nagarji Mehta

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Mallapurana: A Rare Sanskrit Text on Indian Wrestling especially as practised by the Jyesthimallas (Gaekwad's Oriental Series No. 144)Mallapurana: A Rare Sanskrit Text on Indian Wrestling especially as practised by the Jyesthimallas by Bhogilal Jayachandbhai; Mehta Sandesara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available online – Internet Archive

The Mallapurana is a several hundred-year-old Sanskrit manual on wrestling as practiced in India, specifically by the Jyesthimalla caste. In 1964 two scholars from the University of Baroda released an edition that included a summary and detailed elaboration for an English-language readership, written to be understood by a reader without a background in the Indian wrestling tradition. (The text does include the original Sanskrit text for those who can read it, but I can’t comment on it.)

The manual is not just a discussion of wrestling techniques. In fact, a good portion of the manual covers issues like diet, training, the rites and logistical details of wrestling matches, characteristics of wrestlers, and strategies of matches. The authors include discussions of training methods and other details. The material is presented for a scholarly audience. While the readability is not challenging, it is arranged in a way that may feel tedious for the general readership. There are occasional descriptions that may leave a general reader befuddled.

I found reading this manual to be informative. It turned me on to many ideas with which I was unfamiliar. I’d highly recommend it for those interested in wrestling, martial sports, or the evolution of fitness practices.

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DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from Indianapolis

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Photograph of the Indiana War Memorial Museum in downtown Indianapolis.
Photograph of the Indianapolis skyline taken from the Canal Walk.
Photograph of the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis, Indiana.

PROMPT: Moment

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment you wish you could freeze and live in forever?
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This sounds to me like a recipe for how to turn a great moment into Hell. Nothing special survives its moment. I’m with the Buddhists on impermanence — i.e. Everything is impermanent, (and the desire for things to be what they are not is the root of all suffering.)

DAILY PHOTO: Boats Under Foul Skies

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Photograph taken in Bai Tu Long Bay in Northern Vietnam of boats, islands, and cloudy skies.

PROMPT: Vote

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Daily writing prompt
Do you vote in political elections?
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I do. I didn’t for a while because I was living abroad and absentee ballots require forethought, but look where that got us.

PROMPT: Direction

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Daily writing prompt
What gives you direction in life?
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Once upon a time, it used to be a compass, but now it’s GPS. Soon, AI will be telling me not to worry my pretty little head about things like direction, that it will get me where I need to go.

DAILY PHOTO: Yellow River of Stone Mountain

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DAILY PHOTO: Blue Sky & Golden Grass

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Photograph of blue skies over golden grasses, taken in Chaminuka Nature Reserve outside of Lusaka, Zambia.
Photograph of tawny tall grass, taken in Chaminuka Nature Reserve outside of Lusaka, Zambia.
Photograph of tawny tall grass under blue skies, taken in Chaminuka Nature Reserve outside of Lusaka, Zambia.