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...another famous literary recluse, Henry Thoreau, a second self-cabin-builder. But time has run out. Search on his name, and find his famous aphorism, "Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify."
I am in self isolation now for some weeks at least and this is day three. It is an interesting and different experience.
It made me think of one of my favourite books, Hojoki, written in 1212 by the Japanese poet and Buddhist monk Kamo Chomei. After witnessing many disasters such as fires, famines and earthquakes, and suffering personal setbacks at court, he retired to the mountains and lived a simple, largely solitary, and reflective existence, in a hut he constructed for himself, spending much of his time contemplating the impermanence of all things.
The translator of the Penguin edition I own, Meredith McKinney, reconstructed the plan of the hut from Kamo’s description, see the lovely illustration below
Brittanica has a good short entry about Kamo, see
https://www.britannica.com/topic/An-Account-of-My-Hut
It made me think of one of my favourite books, Hojoki, written in 1212 by the Japanese poet and Buddhist monk Kamo Chomei. After witnessing many disasters such as fires, famines and earthquakes, and suffering personal setbacks at court, he retired to the mountains and lived a simple, largely solitary, and reflective existence, in a hut he constructed for himself, spending much of his time contemplating the impermanence of all things.
The translator of the Penguin edition I own, Meredith McKinney, reconstructed the plan of the hut from Kamo’s description, see the lovely illustration below
Brittanica has a good short entry about Kamo, see
https://www.britannica.com/topic/An-Account-of-My-Hut
I once had a job in a soup factory. That’s gruelling work.
I was telling jokes in the sewing circle tonight. Well I had them in stitches!
Hoping to improve my complexion I bought a mud pack over the internet. Sadly, when it arrived it had passed its ooze by date.
Tom noticed the weather outside had turned chilli
I was amused by this, from Deborah Ross, ‘Remember: what doesn’t kill you makes you whinier’.
I heard this and it made me smile.
Why do Firemen wear red braces?
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My friend was rushed to hospital after being kicked by a horse. Luckily his condition is stable.
Had an argument with a sea god. He’d better not Triton with me.
I looked 'pun' up in the Oxford English Dictionary and found this rather nice quotation from Addison, writing in the Spectator
Having pursued the History of a Punn,..I shall here define it to be a Conceit arising from the use of two Words that agree in the Sound, but differ in the Sense.
You can read the whole article from 1711 here.
I didn't find what I was looking for though. The OED says the word is 'Of uncertain origin'.
I tried this lovely Mexican drink. It’s to tequila for.
Some peasants mocked my smart Parisian clothes. But I just turned the other chic.
What is square and cool at the same time?
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