Wednesday May 16, 2007 7:15 am Edmonton

A. Morning Musings

7:00 am I do not have access to internet this morning.

B. Actual/Notes

	Literature 30 May 16
Literature Notes
7:15 am I have completed reading Book Nine. Now to make some notes. Part III Book Nine: The Preliminary Investigation Chap. 1 The Start of the Official Perkhotin's Career Pyotr Ilyich Perkhotin, whom Dmitri had gone to when he still had blood on his hands, decides to investigate a little further before going to the police. He visits Fenya who tells him that she also had seen him with his hands all bloody and that Dmitri had said that he had just killed a man (thinking of Grigory). Pyotr then goes to Madame Khokhlakov's where he determines that she did not lend him three thousand roubles. Chap. 2 The Alarm Pyotr then goes to the district commissioner where he finds him as well as the district attorney and the assistant police chief and that they had just been informed that Fyodor Karamazov had just been murdered. They go to his house where they find his body with his head smashed in. Chap. 3 The Soul's Journey Of Torments. The First Torment The story now continues with all the town's officials interrogating Mitya about what he had been doing that evening. Mitya still thinks he has killed Grigory but claims he is innocent of murdering his father. Mitya is more concerned about Grushenka's situation than he is about his own. They ask about why he had so often said he would like to kill his father. Chap. 4 The Second Torment They then focus on the mortar pestle (the assumed murder weapon) and why he had taken it. Chap. 5 The Third Torment Now they focu on how he had obtained the 3,000 roubles, which Mitya refuses to divulge on a matter of honor. Chap. 6 The Prosecutor Catches Mitya The prosecutor says that the door was open when they arrived, yet Mitya says that he had never entered the house. Chap. 7 Mitya's Great Secret. Met With Hisses Mitya reveals that he had always had the money in a small bag that he had around his neck, but no one believes him. Chap. 8 The Evidence Of The Witnesses. The Wee One. A number of other witnesses describe remembering Mitya spending money lavishly. Chap. 9 Mitya Is Taken Away Mitya is formally charged with the murder of his father.   SUMMARY of the session: The entire manner of the initial investigation was very civilized and Mitya was counselled at every moment about the seriousness of the situation and why the prosecutors were having trouble believing his story. Everyone seems seriously to be trying to figure out what exactly had happened, but Mitya's version is simply not supported by any of the evidence. As the reader, it seems highly likely that Mitya did not do it, but that is still a genuine possibility as he is so distraught that his own memory is suspect. That leads to who else might have committed it. There are two dimensions to this: who had the opportunity and who had the motive. Finally, why has the narrator of the story said at the outset that the hero of the novel is Alyosha? This is a captivating story.

4:20 PM I am back from a visit to a Chapter's bookstore. Let me try to summarize the damage.

• "Where The Silence Rings" (2007) Wayne Grady (Ed.) The subtitle is A Literary Companion to Mountains. I have read a couple of Grady's books on time and living and enjoyed them. This promises to be a restful read.
• "Dark Waters Dancing To A Breeze" (2007) Wayne Grady (Ed.) The subtitle is A Literary Companion to Rivers & Lakes. This is the second book in what looks like a potential series. I now have the first two and am looking forward to some peace and tranquility. I wonder if there will be one on Oceans.
• "Why Beauty Is Truth" (2007) Ian Stewart. The subtitle is A History of Symmetry. This is exactly what I am currently focusing on in my mathematics studying. A perfect book for the moment. I have read a number of Stewart's books and find them clear and enjoyable.
• "Chaos: A Very Short Introduction. (2007) Leonard Smith. This is a series that began a decade ago and which contains brief descriptions of recent developments in this field.
• "The Trouble With Physics" (2006). Lee Smolin. This looks like fun. I am familiar with some of his writing as well. This is a reasoned critique of string theory and its untestability, which violates the basic tenants of science.
• "King of Infinite Space" (2006) Siobhan Roberts. The subtitle is Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry. This is a biography of an English mathematician who has had a major influence on a number of mathematicians in the last 50 years.
• Descarte's Dream: The World According to Mathematics. (1986). Philip J. Davis & Reuben Hersh. This is a modern reprint of a 1980's classic. Rats! I just checked and I have the original. I knew I had their other book, The Mathematical Experience, which I thoroughly enjoyed but I forgot the second book. I guess I should read this again.
• The Nature and Power of Mathematics (1993) Donald M. Davis. The table of contents looks fascinating. I had to buy it.
• Where Have All The Leaders Gone? (2007). Lee Iacocca. A popular business/politics polemic about the US. Looks like a pleasant read. I think we could use a few leaders in Canada as well.

Now to begin reading...

C. Plan

Immediate
Literature	Read & make notes for book 8 of "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky	1 hr
Later
Technology	Make notes for chap. 4 of "Switching to the Mac"
	Learn how to attach a digital camera to my spotting scope
	Burn backup of images onto DVD
Mathematics	Read & make notes on The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems
	Continue reading "Algebra: Abstract and Concrete" by Frederick Goodman
	Read "Symmetry" by David Wade
	Make notes for "Mathematics: A Human Endeavor" ch 1
	Read "Fearless Symmetry" chap 9: Elliptic Curves
Model Trains	Add ground cover to oil refinery diorama
	Follow tutorial for version 8 of 3rd PlanIt
	Continue assembly of coaling tower
	Purchase DCC system
History	Begin reading "Maya"
	Read Watson "Ideas"
Philosophy	Read & make notes for "Breaking the Spell"
	Begin reading "How Are We To Live?" by Peter Singer
Literature	New York Times easy crossword puzzles
GO	Complete reading "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go"
Puzzles	The Orange Puzzle Cube: puzzle #10
Major Goals
Learning	Review week's pages each Sunday
	Review all pages for the month at the end of each month
Technology	Review & edit iPhoto files for 2006
Model Trains	Become proficient with 3rd PlanIt software
	Install DCC on model train layout
GO	Learn to play GO at something better than a beginner level
Drawing	Learn to draw!! (I keep saying this, yet I have yet to put a pencil to paper).
Mathematics	Continue to play with mathematics.
Literature	Continue to read Literature
Bird Watching	Continue to engage in bird watching activities.

D. Reflection