Rainbows Unwoven?

Another rainbow yesterday -- and this time it was double. 

Such a spectacular natural phenomenon demands a good story -- whether the Irish tale of a pot of gold at the rainbow's end. . .

Or the biblical story of a sign from God that the Earth will not again perish from flood . . .

Many cultures saw the rainbow as a bridge between this world and another . . .

Or a goddess's necklace, a heavenly snake, the bow of a celestial hunter . . .

Does the scientific explanation of the rainbow as an optical phenomenon caused by the light of the sun on moisture in the Earth's atmosphere  destroy its beauty?

John Keats thought so and said as much in his poem Lamia.

Do not all charms fly

At the mere touch of cold philosophy?

There was an awful rainbow once in heaven:

We know her woof, her texture; she is given

In the dull catalogue of common things.

Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings,

Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,

Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine –

Unweave a rainbow

I don't think so.

I tend to agree with the poet Wordsworth who said:

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!…

 

My Valentine's Day Plans

I'm taking my Valentines to get haircuts...because I can no longer see their eyes.

And then we're going to see a movie.

Probably the new Percy Jackson movie Lightning Thief. Because my older son and I have read all the books and LOVE the series.

What are your plans?

Book, line and sinker

I've been tagged by Anita Loughrey to do a meme. I'm supposed to pick up the book nearest me, go to page 123, find the fifth sentence and then type and post the next three sentences after the fifth one. I think. It seemed slightly complicated!! Then I'm supposed to tag five people. fun fun, so here we go.

The nearest book to me is D'Aulaires' Book Of Greek Myths, a greek mythology book I had when I was younger, and one I bought for my kids. My 11 year old and I read it every night before bed until we finished it, and now he's doing a research paper on one of the gods for school. So, the book is next to the computer due to his research.

Now, on page 123 is a story about Athena (goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill, favorite daughter of Zeus). Here are the three sentences:

In disgust she (Athena) threw the flute down to earth and put a curse on it.

Marsyas, a satyr who was capering about in the Phrygian woods, found the flute and began to play on it. When he discovered he could play two melodies at the same time, he was wild with joy.

Ok, now that's taken care of. I tag:

Kat at Sunshine and Lemonade, because I bet she's reading something fun.

Crystal Chick at Mary Says...because she's so chatty.

Jules at Just Because because she gave me my first award.

VBF at Motivationless because she is a LOST fan and my only friend Down Under.

Kim at Poppin's Ponderings because I'm interested to know what she's reading.

Weird Link Wednesday

I'm procrastinating today...lots of things I should be doing but haven't worked up the energy to do yet. So, I decided to put up a post with links to weird things...

There's this guy in England who has spent the equivalent of $93,403 on modifying his car. What kind of car, you ask? Not a BMW or a Mercedes or a sports car of any sort...a Ford Escort! It's got 29 speakers, 8 amplifiers, 6 TV screens, a DVD player, a Sony Playstation, an iPod, Sat Nav and more. BBC Essex wrote a short article on him and has a photo gallery of the car. It's nice to see someone enjoying their car and having fun, isn't it? I personally think 29 speakers is a little overkill for such a tiny space...but maybe he has hearing problems? His wife's a good sport, but notice she mentions wanting a BMW...and sometimes he lets her drive!! sheesh.

I was wandering through other people's blogs today and found a very creative woman who made Easter Egg Rice Krispie Treats. (Scroll down the page to see the picture) Some people are so amazingly crafty. I think of myself as somewhat so, until I see what others can do.

I let my sons order some Greek mythology figures off the Internet the other night. They used their allowance money. Surprisingly there weren't many options out there for mythology action figures. I'm always on the lookout for good start-up business ideas...maybe I've found my market! lol

Last one for now...my 11 yr old loves his subscription to National Geographic Kids Magazine. He always learns interesting facts and looks forward to receiving something in the mail regularly. In one of the last issues, there was an article on a mysterious mummy uncovered deep inside an ancient pyramid in Peru. What makes this a mystery is that this tribe was ruled by men...but this mummy that was buried in the VIP spot is a woman and she's covered in tattoos they don't understand. It's a very interesting article!!

There is also a National Geographic Little Kids Magazine that my 6 yr old receives and enjoys that is more age appropriate for him.

ok, I lied, one more. My friend Seth sent a Tibetan Personality Test that's pretty short and sweet. Interesting...

As I continue to procrastinate today, I may add more...

More than just a name

I found this image on the Internet of the Greek goddess Rhea. She was a Titan, daughter of Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the earth). She married Cronus, a really bad dude who ate all his children for fear they would overthrow him. Well, after Rhea gives birth to Zeus, she hides him away in a cave and hands her husband a stone bundled up like a baby, whom he promptly swallows (not a real smart god). So, Zeus grows up, overthrows Cronus and becomes king of gods. Rhea is usually seated in a throne flanked by lions or in a chariot drawn by lions in all the arwork. Neat, huh? The picture of the lion above is one I took when we visited the Fort Worth Zoo.

There is another character in mythology named Rhea Sylvia, who was daughter to a king. This king was overthrown and his brother took over. He didn't want to be challenged by Rhea Sylvia or possible heirs, so he forced her to become a Vestal Virgin. However, she is..um...trapped by the god Mars and conceives twins. The Uncle puts these babies out to die and tries to do in Rhea Sylvia also, but she is rescued by a river god and the twin babies, Romulus & Remus, are rescued by a she-wolf. These twins grow up and found the great city of Rome.

Am I destined to be a mother to great men? I sure hope so. Meanwhile, it's fun to see history in names. I like the interesting mythology more than the Rhea bird (similar to an ostrich).

Greeks and the Rainforest

This is a photo from my trip last summer to The Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas, Texas. (http://www.dwazoo.com/)

One of their main exhibits is this Rainforest. It is a four-story tour, starting with the top, the canopy, where you can see exotic birds and monkeys hanging out. As you work your way down, you pass a sloth, see a crocodile cave, view poison dart frogs and vampire bats and eventually end up by the river where there are huge fish, turtles and the star attraction, manatees. There is even a level below the water, where you can see into the river through an entire glass wall. It is just an incredible experience. If you are ever in Dallas, you should visit. I'm not even bringing up the jackass penguins or the aquariums featuring an example from every country. This place is amazing.


So, what does this rainforest have to do with the Greeks? They are both in aquariums. The above rainforest is in the Dallas Aquarium and in my home aquarium reside four fish named after Greek Gods.


Ok, the aquarium belongs to my eleven year old, and the four fish are his. He named them Zeus, Ares, Athena and Goldie (the odd one out). However, Ares has just bit the dust, our first casulty.


Why Greek Gods? Well, every night for about a month, I read Greek myths to my son before bedtime. He ate them up. Loved 'em. And, they make great pet names. When I was in high school we had a mammoth Mastiff named Vesta, guardian god of the hearth. She was a gentle giant.


So, that's the connection between the Greeks and the Rainforest, at least in my mind.