Two (or three or even four) similar thoughts

There is a remark attributed to Gertrude Stein (1874-1946). When commenting on a nondescript American town, she said "When you get there, you discover there's no there there!"

Another similar though comes in the following:
"When you get there, you'll discover that you've been there all the time."
(Unattributed)

One could, perhaps, go further and make reference to T.S. Eliot's East Coker (from The Four Quartets) in which he muses upon the phrase 'In my beginning is my end' and concludes with 'In my end is my beginning'. (This later phrase being something Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) embroidered on her cloth of estate while in prison in England.)

Furthermore, in Burnt Norton (another poem that comprises The Four Quartets), Eliot also muses that "Time present and time past/Are both perhaps present in time future/And time future contained in time past."

Erroneous Memories

When I found the picture of 'The Den' from an old Eagle annual many months ago, I also found a copy of an Eagle cutaway drawing that I had had on my bedroom wall for many years. It was nice to see it again and remember the past. However, I also discovered that the drawing was not, as it stated, of the Black Knight rocket but of the Black Arrow. The difference is not easy to spot and the artist's mistake understandable. The outlines of each rocket differ in their proportions.

After many years, I found that there was something in my past that was mistaken. How many other errors are there in our pasts that will never be corrected?

Here's the erroneous drawing. Look carefully. It is dated 23rd January 1965. Fifty years ago today.

The Big Bang Theory - 4

The fourth of my Big Bang Theory quotes. It speaks for itself. (Thus says a biologist!)

Penny: So, what's new in the world of physics?

Leonard: Nothing.

Penny: Really? Nothing?

Leonard: Well, with the exception of string theory not much has happened since the 1930s – and you can't prove string theory. At best you can say, '“Hey, look! My idea has an internal logical consistency'.

From: The Fuzzy Boots Corollary
BBT Transcripts
Wikipedia Episode Guide

Utility Bills

I used to work in the British National Health Service (NHS) at a time when eletricity, gas, water and the Post Office were publically owned utilities. I could never understand why hospitals had to pay electricity, gas and water bills, for postage and for telephone calls (the Post Office then ran both of the last two utilities). The same goes for the bills each utility paid to the others. It cost money to circulate money from one part of the same (public) sector to another.

Where will this year lead?

This year could lead you somewhere new and exciting or you could end up going around in circles and, in effect, staying put.

Visit this link and avoid doing the same... but, at the same time, stay puzzled: that's what life is all about.


Happy New Year!