Or let me rephrase that—Do you still remember struggling with the Pythagorean Theorem in high school? I do. It took me ages to understand the whole mathematical equation because I simply did not want to understand it.
Reminiscing school
Pythagoras statue at my back. Pythagoras was born in Samos Island, Greece.Mathematics was not my strongest subject in school. Actually, I hated school. I never excelled in my elementary and high school years because I disliked studying. I only get excited when it’s the first week of school because everything is new—new bag, new shoes, new uniform (I went to a private girl’s school and we have to wear silly uniforms), new notebooks, new pencils, pen, everything is new. I was obviously the quintessential mediocre student who sat through class uninterested and was just buying time. But if there was a subject about ‘will’ or ‘ambition’ then I would have probably scored perfect. I was a little girl who could not wait to grow up and enter the real world. Luckily I was able to finish school without having to go through dichotomising my brains.
My mother wanted me to bring home the medals (hated the pressure as well, so obviously this made me all the more uninterested in school) but it took college for me to finally do it. Because I was, finally, interested in what I was studying. Some people say that I was a late bloomer. I disagree. The reality is simple. I was simply interested in what I was doing, in what I was studying.
Thus, when the interest is there, the results will follow.
Anyway, back to Pythagoras...He is the father of mathematics. He was also a geometrician, astronomer and philosopher. For Pythagoras, everything is based on numbers, measure and harmony. The fishing village called Pythagorion is named after him, after all, he was born in Samos Island, Greece.
Philosophers, astronomers, engineers, inventors and scholars, many of them come from Greece.
At Pythagorion marina is a statue of the great mathematician, an ode to Pythagoras.
Trivia: Did you know that Pythagoras died at the age of 110 in the south of Italy? Born circa 580bC – died 490bC. He was told to be a very handsome man.
The fishing village of Pythagorion
The village is now very touristy, it even has its own marina for yachts and a beach as well in the town centre, but I found out, and this was after a little stroll along the marina where I came across a few Samian fishermen busy preparing for the next catch.... that fishing is fortunately still a source of livelihood here. I will post more about this encounter on another time.
More of Pythagorion village soon!
Today we drove on the Blueridge Parkway, and got out to hike to Crabtree Falls.
This was Aric's first waterfall, which was really special. I think he was impressed. Nathan and I were too!
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir
The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~John Keats
The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings
With the arrival of colder temperatures, my crochet cycling gloves were no longer cutting it. The Co-Habitant came to the rescue with a welcome gift: convertible mittens in a luxuriously soft wool. I love these things!
The convertible mittens are basically fingerless gloves, with extra "mitten flaps" above the knuckles. The flaps can be unbuttoned and folded over the fingers to create mittens. The thumb is full-fingered. The Co-Habitant bought these at the Banana Republic outlet store. They were available in this heathery beige colour, and also in black. Apparently many mainstream apparel manufacturers now sell versions of these.
Aside from being clever and cute, these convertible mittens have several features that make them particularly suitable for cycling. Having the tips of the fingers exposed allows for optimal shifting, braking, and other machinations (such as camera clicks) that do not work so well when the finger tips are covered. The mitten mode makes them versatile as on/off the bike gloves. The 100% wool is great for warmth and moisture-wicking, and is not slippery on the handlebar grips.
An additional benefit, is that these gloves are extra long, which is excellent for protecting cyclists' wrists when they get exposed to the cold air due to the stretching of the arms to reach the handlebars. All those jackets, coats and sweaters with sleeves not long enough for cycling can be supplemented with long gloves like these.
Convertible mittens in action. For those of you who knit, this might make a fun and worthwhile project (see instructions in pdf). Just make sure to use a soft 100% wool yarn (or wool and silk blend) and not an acrylic blend, and to make them extra long.
The blizzard that has swept over the East Coast in the past couple of days has left everyone stunned. After Boston received over a foot of snow within a 24-hour period and another half a foot the next day, life came to a halt. The street plows were quickly overwhelmed, a snow emergency was declared, public transportation ceased, and drivers were asked to stay off the roads. What had been a perfectly functional city only a day earlier quickly turned into a desolate snow-covered landscape. Our Cambridge/Somerville neighbourhood in particular resembled a Siberian village by Sunday evening, with only the rooftops and the tips of pine trees peaking out under a thick blanket of white, as the darkened sky continued to dump more powder onto the abandoned streets.
Our family phoned to ask how we were coping. Did we have enough food and was our heating working? I had to giggle at the imagery of being trapped in our home, eating canned food next to a space heater. After all, I had just returned from a mile-long trek to the grocery store, somehow managing not to perish in the process. I sympathise deeply with those whose travel plans were derailed because of the storm, and even more so with those who are stuck in airports. But I am surprised by the mass panic and the "hide in the bunker" sentiment of those who are merely staying at home in the city. We are not being bombed. The snow is not radioactive or poisonous (well, at least not significantly so). We can conquer it by... walking! and by wearing really warm clothing!
I do not subscribe to the "you're not made of sugar and won't melt " line of thought: We can get sick if we go out in bad weather dressed inappropriately. But dressing appropriately is not difficult, and can vastly improve our relationship with nature. Remember the fun of "snow days"? A walk to the grocery store during a blizzard can be just as nice. There are parts of the world where this weather is normal and not a "snow emergency" at all. I have lived in such areas and found my winters to be more enjoyably spent there. But in Southern New England, the winter months are treated as something one just needs to tolerate until they are over - which, to me at least, is rather sad. While I miss cycling on the days the roads are impassable, I don't want to contribute to that mentality. I love snow, and I love the magic of winter. And I did see a mountain biker on my way to the grocery store! The streets were abandoned except for me, him, and the occasional snowplow. We waved to each other across the vast expanse of white and silver, each encouraged by the other's presence.
They even have Amsterdam beer in Paris? Not heard of!
Traffic in Paris was insane. I am lucky I live in the Netherlands where rules are rules and they are followed. Not in Paris though.
Our cabbie and the horrible traffic on Pont de la Concorde.
It is here, at Narada Falls, that the sparkling clear waters of Paradise River plunge over the edge of a cliff and drop dramatically 168 feet. The Paradise River runs clear, not milky, because it originates from snowfields, not debris-laden glaciers.
For some early visitors, the power of the waterfall suggested spiritual connections. They named it Narada after a powerful sage of Hindu mythology who acted as a messenger between human and divine realms. [National Park Service Sign]
It wasn't the biggest, or tallest, or widest waterfall I've ever seen. But it was one of the most beautiful and graceful.
There is a hint of a rainbow across the center of the falls.
The “drapery” of water opens and closes as it falls. It was enchanting.
Constantly changing as you watch, it is dependent upon the flow of water from above as well as the cliff face itself and the plants thriving there.