Micah 6:8
1 Kings 22:29-35
Yes, your life matters.
We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?
Today seems to be a day to share some of my fiction writing, both published and unpublished.
First off, today is Math Storytelling Day. What a great concept! I'd like to acknowledge a couple great Math Fiction pieces to start - Robert Heinlein wrote a really great story called "And He Built A Crooked House," that is basically a geometry story (multi-dimensional, but geometry none the less).
In a perpendicular vein to that, I have a brief piece remembering my years at Princeton working with Einstein, Pauli, et al.
Springtime in New Jersey, 19xxBeing the true and amazing remembrances of days gone by and nearly forgotten
Thinking back on our time together, I realize that I should have anticipated the course of his life and career. After all, Gödel was always interrupting everyone. He wouldn't let anyone complete a sentence, let alone a thought.
Einstein, on the other hand, had no such conversational trouble; his main social faux pas revealed itself in other ways. He had, as most of you probably know, an abiding, consuming hatred for all things associated with quantum physics. In fact, many were the children who bore the undeserved brunt of the wrath of Einstein (in fact, some of them called him Dr. Frank Einstein – even, upon occasion, to his face!) simply because they were found to be playing board games in his presence.
"Ach," he would declaim, "God does not play dice with the Universe!" Then he would take their dice and fling them into the fireplace, the grass, the waste basket, even the toilet; then he would stomp away, muttering just under his breath, "I must finish my unified field equations soon ...."
It is a little known fact that this behaviour caused Einstein to be barred from entering the city of Las Vegas, as well as being declared persona non grata in Monte Carlo by the Prince of Monaco himself.
Somewhat better known, although not universally acknowledged, were the personal hygiene habits (or the lack of said habits) of Prof Pauli. A brilliant man - none could dispute that - but his olfactory sense must have been defective. Pauli could go many months without bathing.
In fact, there was the occasional "office pool" where we would wager on the date of his next bath or shower. I never won this pool. (Einstein was not allowed to participate - it seemed to us to be too close to a game of chance, and we didn't want him ruining the new chalk boards on which we kept track of the wagers!)
Again, I suppose I should have anticipated some of his discoveries, just from having ridden public transport with him. His personal "aura" tended to get him exclusive seating on the bus - in any case until all the other seats were at least partially occupied. It's not that we were out to exclude Pauli, but he tended to rule his own bus seat for longer periods than the rest of us (he was especially more successful than was I!).
Those were happy, nearly-idyllic times!
On to the next reason to share. On a This Day In History site I found this notice:
Deaths On This Day –
September 25, 1066 Harald Hardrada, Norwegian king, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
As many of you likely know, my second novel, "A Rune With A View," incorporates many Viking and other Scandinavian personage - including King Harald Hardrada (properly Harðráði). Here's a very brief excerpt from the Prologue:
Jerry started, seeing that one of his ersatz Vikings had entered the shop, and was looking at him expectantly.If any of you are interested in reading more, I have absolutely no objection to your purchasing the book (or any of my others) on Amazon. Surf on over to https://www.amazon.com/author/cvb and see what you like best.
“I'm sorry,” Jerry said, “did you ask me something?”
“No, sir. I was just hoping there was more to that poem. You've got the gift, I'd say, a regular skald, don't you know.”
Jerry hadn't realized he had been reading the poem aloud. (Had he?) Somewhat embarrassed, as well as pleased at the praise he had received (never mind whether the fellow knew anything about poetry or not, praise is praise), he finally managed to say, “I'm not quite sure if it's finished myself. I'm kind of waiting to see if there's more that wants to get put there on the page.”
After some time spent conversing, Jerry and Karl knew each other's names, ages, places of birth and schooling, musical tastes, and favorite colors Still, Jerry had no idea why Karl was decked out like an 11th century raider – a reject from Stamford Bridge or something.
Somehow, he got the feeling that it wouldn't be quite proper to ask – not that Karl would be offended, really, just that it's not something one asks, as it were. “Maybe it's just a bit too personal – as if someone were to ask me why I keep a shop as soon as he walked in the door,” Jerry thought. “If it were a friend asking, that would be one thing. Of course, by the time we were friendly enough for that to be a reasonable question, it probably wouldn't need asking any more, would it? Maybe that's what will happen with the Viking get-up.”
Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.
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