Sunday, January 8
7:20 am
It is +5 °C, with a high forecast of +9 °C
From the Environment Canada website:
Today Mainly cloudy. Wind west 50 km/h gusting to 70. High 9.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Wind west 50 km/h gusting to 70. Low plus 5.
Normals: Max. -2 °C Min. -14 °C
7:30 am
Another windy day. I can hear it blowing outside at the moment.
Top priority today will be to spend some time with the Bento database software. I may even have a close look at the manual. And a coulee walk would be a good idea.
But first, some hot tea. And a little Rumi.
9:00 am Musings
It has been a relaxing beginning to the day.
Almost as soon as I began reading "The Big Red Book", my mind wandered to considering little things that needed to be done.
- Bring address book up to date (I am continually wishing I had a phone number or address that is not on my iPhone, iPad or laptop)
- Send the URL for this website to my friends
- Develop a habit of carrying my little notebook with me at all times (so I can jot a point down before I forget it)
- Develop a habit of carring a camera with me when I leave the house (often I see something that would make a good picture)
- Check the regulations for using my iPhone & iPad outside of the country
- Phone Calgary re. adding a new map to my GPS unit
- Add business & professional names and addresses to address book
- Read manuals for iPad
- Contact camera shop re. foot of my monopod
9:30 am Literature
Then I began reading "The Big Red Book". Here are a few more passages from chapter 2, "The Gatherer", that appealed to me.
First day of spring, beginning a whole year of spring.
Everyone outdoors talking.
...
Ground soaked; sky full of candles.
Visions of fire and water alternating.
...
I used to have mountain ranges in my chest.
Now it's smooth plain. [p. 28]
On the chessboard the king is blessed again with his queen. [p. 29]
A tailer cuts cloth uniquely for each person.
...
The needle's eye will not accept
a strand of thread that is folded double. [p. 30]
Drink enough wine so that you are stop talking.
You are a lover, and love is a tavern
where no one makes much sense
Even if the things you say are poems
as dense as sacks of Solomon's gold,
they become pointless. [p. 31]
The soul has been given its own ears to hear things
that the mind does not understand. [p. 32]
Some naive people have not gotten close enough
to smell the musk, so they cannot judge
But still they do, and others repeat
their lack of knowledge. What shall we call that?
...
It is best to follow some fragrance you catch
on your own, alone. [p. 32]
6:00 PM Technology
I spent some time today updating my address book on my iPhone, iPad2, and laptop.
One should do this every once in awhile, not only because it should done to keep the information useful, but for what one may learn. In my case I was surprised when I accidently tapped on an address (on my iPad2) and immediately a Google map appeared showing the location of the address. It can even show the route to get there (if the site was on this continent). I did not know that this was a feature of the Contacts app. I really should read the manual!