The Power of Introverts

A Ted Talk for Introverts, Extroverts and Ambiverts.  Susan Cain, bookworm and introvert, explores how the 20th century redefined and redirected introverts in the classroom, workplace and N. American society, and what introverts really have to offer the world.

to quote Shakespeare

   I just finished an entertaining and informative book by Bill Bryson called Shakespeare, which wittily explored "centuries of mysteries, half-truths and downright lies about Shakespeare.."  Bryson writes that ," It is because we have so much of Shakespeare's work that we can appreciate how little we know of him as a person."

   What especially interested me was that William S. invented a lot of words and phrases, many of which we still use today.  Some first words found in his writings are: antipathy, critical, frugal, dwindle, extract, horrid, vast, hereditary, excellent, eventful, lonely, well-read, zany, and, says Bryson, countless others, including countless.

    His particular gift was creating memorable phrases which entered the common language.  Among them:
one fell swoop, vanish into thin air, bag and baggage, be in a pickle, budge an inch, cold comfort, to thine own self be true, salad days, flesh and blood, blinking idiot, with bated breath, pomp and circumstance, forgone conclusion, and many others.

    The end of the book describes anti-Shakespeare "experts" who claimed that Shakespeare was actually not himself.  I was amused by Bryson's debunking commentaries, saying of one that he proved Shakespeare's actual and other identity "to his own satisfaction" and of a countess believed by some to be the great bard "all that's missing to connect her to Shakespeare is anything to connect her to Shakespeare."

 

Djembe Blues

    The shorter the rest of my life gets, the less I hesitate to try new things.  What can I lose?  Face?  Hmm..sometimes.  Mostly privately if it happens.  I do know that I have to keep trying new stuff.

     Before I tell you about a recent attempt that bombed, I'll start with successes.   I played bongos for a small music event for the first time in November. It was ok enough.  I acted like this was normal and went for it. Then I played drums for the first time in public for another small music event with a forgiving audience.  Not terrible.  Kept mostly in time and even threw in a few fills.  My dignity remained in tact.

    The fail happened when I asked my daughter's group fiddle teacher if I could try the djembe as class accompaniment.  She already has a guitarist.  No problem, she said.  I told her, and she the guitarist, that I was pretty new to this and the damage was done.  The guitarist was openly skeptical even before I began.  He and his daughter, a fiddler, looked at me during the class and exchanged glances.  Afterwards I asked the teacher and guitarist for feedback.  No issues, said the teacher.  So I wasn't annoying or overtly bad.  Then to the guitarist with his highly doubtful expression.  "You won't be able to keep up later with the faster songs and complex rhythms..blah, blah, blah....".  His vote sunk me.  The fiddle teacher later agreed with me later that he'd decided against me before I began because he's a "professional" and knew I was not.

   I was miffed.  I recovered.  I pondered how to recycle this into something useful and non toxic.  What did I learn, I asked myself?

   1.  Don't dismiss newbies without an objective chance. Even two or three.

   2.  Perfectionists can be jerks for their own art.  Keep your standard but be kind. Try flexibility.

   3.  Don't lie but try to find at least one encouraging thing to say to a newbie about their effort. 

Creative Houses from Reclaimed Stuff

    Here's another Ted Talks video, this time by Texan recycling builder Dan Phillips.  I found his repurposing  surprisingly appealing and his philosophy "smartly" conveyed.