Medicating Melancholy

mel·an·chol·y   
[mel-uhn-kol-ee]

–noun
1. a gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged; depression.
2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.

The word melancholy is not used much these days. Not to say it doesn't exist. In ancient times, though, it was thought that the human body was filled with four basic substances -the four humors -black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. When our health is good they are all in balance but, depending on diet and activity, these humors wax and wane in the body. An excess or deficit of one results in disease or disability; too much black bile was thought to cause melancholy. Nowadays a little blue pill eliminates the excess.

Same Old

"Traditional American confidence in individual freedom has resulted in a morally and socially undesirable distribution of wealth."
Herbert Croly, 1909

Rules for Revolution?

Someone sent me a ridiculous booklet by David Horowitz which is meant to demean either Barack Obama or Saul Alinsky (or both). The latter of whom once wrote:

One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're right.' If you don't have that, if you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated.

Makes sense to me.

Le Cirque du Soleil Zed - Tokyo

"Inspired by the Fool of the Tarot, Zed is the main character in the show. Called to undergo a transformation, he is both multiple and omnipresent. The initial state of Zed is associated with the unconscious and chaos: his imbecility is obvious, but his silliness is touching because it reveals his vulnerability and naivety. By the end of the show, Zed represents consciousness, restored harmony and the reversal of the order of things through laughter."

We just saw "Ovo" which was great but this sounds even better.

Ben's Buns

His looked even better. And I know they tasted better because I ate one.

Best bun yet. Yum!