The aversion to politics -- including insect politics. Rabid bats. Emotional support animals. Animistic beliefs about a volcano. The passive aggressive strategy of the holdout juror... and of God. Walking out of the forest -- and the Stone Age -- but venturing back in -- for monkeys.
UPDATE: Here's the passage from Benjamin Franklin's "Autobiography" that I talk about in the podcast. He's just discussed his role in providing for street sweeping and streetlamps:
Some may think these trifling matters not worth minding or relating; but when they consider that tho' dust blown into the eyes of a single person, or into a single shop on a windy day, is but of small importance, yet the great number of the instances in a populous city, and its frequent repetitions give it weight and consequence, perhaps they will not censure very severely those who bestow some attention to affairs of this seemingly low nature. Human felicity is produc'd not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day. Thus, if you teach a poor young man to shave himself, and keep his razor in order, you may contribute more to the happiness of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas. The money may be soon spent, the regret only remaining of having foolishly consumed it; but in the other case, he escapes the frequent vexation of waiting for barbers, and of their sometimes dirty fingers, offensive breaths, and dull razors; he shaves when most convenient to him, and enjoys daily the pleasure of its being done with a good instrument.
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2 comments:
Happy Mother's Day on your first solo day. This was my very first Mother's Day with my husband actually here with me - much better than the first three!
Also my first podcast. I really liked it - very stream-of-consciousness.
A few weeks ago I took the podcast along to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I go to the Met every Friday evening to sketch and study things, but this time I was there with one of my classes while they sketched and studied, so it was during the day. I decided to have lunch at the American Wing cafe, which is really just a bunch of tables and a counter selling overpriced ham and brie sandwiches located on one side of the huge Engelhard Court. As I'm chewing on my sandwich you start talking about roasted leeches. Yuck.
Now, today, I'm sitting here taking a break, eating some Chinese takeout and listening to the podcast and what do you start talking about? THE FLY AND BOILED MONKEY HEADS.
I suggest a warning: This podcast not suitable for lunchtime listening.
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