and who couldn’t use a surplus of vim, vigor, and vitality?
this may be the outdoor solution to everything.
plus it can ‘hold a horse.’
—
“get out of your comfort zone. wake up the sleeping giant in you.”
-chia thye poh
—
sources: michigan history, korff mfg. 1917
yesterday we took a walk against hate
my daughter, granddaughter, colleagues, friends, students, families, strangers
all for the same reason.
—
“no one is born hating another person
because of the color of his skin, or his background, or religion.
people must learn to hate,
and if they can learn to hate,
they can be taught to love,
for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
-nelson mandela
one of the many beautiful and curious creatures at the belle isle aquarium
The Belle Isle Aquarium was designed by famed Detroit architect, Albert Kahn, and opened in August, 1904. It is the oldest aquarium in the country and has served the Detroit community as a beloved attraction for generations. In 2005, the city of Detroit announced that the Aquarium was to be closed due to lean economic times for the city. The building remained closed to the public until the Belle Isle Conservancy reopened it on September 15, 2012. Since its reopening, the aquarium has exploded in popularity, evident by the attendance numbers that have soared over the course of the last decade. “Momentum” is truly the best term for what is happening in this historic building. A work-in-progress, the aquarium continues to grow and flourish as new exhibits and fish are added, tanks are restored, and history is preserved for generations to come.
“the universe is full of the lives of perfect creatures.”
-konstantin tsiokovsky
Kummakivi Balancing Rock
This rock stands in the middle of the forest balancing on another much smaller rock. There is a legend that the rock was placed here by giants, but there is also a scientific explanation for this. Geologists say that the rock may have been moved by the power of glacier over 8,000 years ago. This captivating stone can be found in Valtola, Southern Savonia, Finland.
The rock is well-visited no matter what you believe to be its origin story, and the best time to visit the rock is summer and early autumn, as you can easily get to the forest. It can be difficult to get to the middle of deep forest during long winter nights when there will be snow and maybe even wolves.
i’m a fan of the giant theory and would love to see this up close.
—
“how one walks through the world,
the endless small adjustments of balance,
is affected by the shifting weights of beautiful things.”
-elaine scarry
“look, i made a waterfall!”
—
“there is a hidden message in every waterfall.
it says if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you.”
-mehmet murat ildan
The Patron Saint of Second Chances
a debut novel by Christine Simon
—
on my weekday commutes to school
i listen to quite a few books
and this
was the first one in a long time
that had me laughing out loud while driving
while i may have looked a bit crazy
it was so worth it for the belly laughs
all from this book
set in a small italian village
filled with larger than life, passionate, eccentric characters
who you will absolutely fall in love with
a community who finds a way
where no path is clear
using the power of optimism, love, and fate
(along with a few pleas to obscure patron saints)
to overcome all obstacles.
you simply will not want this beautiful story to end.
bella.
—
“my optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.”
-henry rollins
—
image credit/publisher: atria books
Where do I begin?
Lego appeals to every kind of builder. Type-A architects may like to purchase sets and follow the instructions to the letter, while more free-form designers may prefer to amass random pieces and see what inspires them. If you fall somewhere between these two categories, Brickit may be the app for you.
As FastCompany reports, Brickit is a free app that tells you what you can build using whatever LEGO pieces you have at home. To use it, start by gathering your LEGO collection and snapping a picture of the pile through the software. The app uses object recognition to pick out specific pieces from your hoard. The technology isn’t limited to 2-by-4-peg bricks in primary colors, either: More specialized elements like vehicle wheels are also detectable.
After identifying your pieces, Brickit suggests products that are compatible with your collection. You choose a structure to make and the app shows you how to put it together step-by-step with the pieces in front of you. Depending on the size of your inventory, the tool may show you build-plans you don’t have all the necessary parts for. This is where it encourages you to be creative by finding alternate pieces to fit into the empty spaces.
Brickit is a great resource if you want to build models that go beyond the picture on the box. It’s also an excellent way to use the extra pieces that come with every set—which LEGO includes for your own good.
—
“innovation is like looking for pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.
you have to find a lot of pieces that don’t match to find the one or two pieces that match.”
-edward conrad
—
credits: Fast Company, Lego, Brickit, Michelle Debczak, Mental Floss, Jack Taylor
on this special day
i brought out
an old treasured story
written by
my former student, nicole
who i taught for grades k-2
(in a school where we were known by our first names)
a story about me sharing stories
made me cry happy tears to read
how much she enjoyed the stories
what ginormous heaps of praise
from a fellow roald dahl fan.
—
happy roald dahl story day!!
—
“words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.”
-albus dumbledore (j.k. rowling, harry potter series)
signs of change are all around us.
—
“the crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever.
even on the most beautiful days in the whole year –
the days when summer is changing into autumn –
the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change.”
– E.B. White
I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, “When I was here in 1776…”
– Speech at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington, 2007
During the queen’s trip to the United States in 2007, President George W. Bush stumbled over his lines at the welcome ceremony, accidentally stating that Elizabeth had helped celebrate the U.S. bicentennial in 1776, rather than 1976 — adding 200 years to her age. At a later speech, attended by Bush, the queen playfully teased the President, provoking much laughter from him and the assembled dignitaries.
1926-2022
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art credit: eleanor tomlinson
I didn't have my glasses on.... 