...Gang aft agley [oft go awry] according to the Scottish poet Robert Burns in his poem "To a Mouse", which he subtitled On Turning her up in her Nest, with a Plough, November 1785.
Mrs. RWP and I were planning to drive over to Alabama to see our grandson graduate from university today, but a bad weather forecast complete with lightning strikes and high winds put an end to that. We cancelled our plans last night. And now today, in real life, not as scary meteorologists on television predicted, the weather isn't bad at all. I hate it when that happens.
We had envisioned a "day trip", three hours driving over, three or four hours there, a meal with the family, and three hours driving back, with our doggie in her crate at home the entire time wondering what had happened to us. At my age such a day can be tiring and stressful, so that part would be avoided, at least. Still, we couldn't help being extremely disappointed..
At the last minute, however, our daughter learned this morning that the graduation ceremony would be live-streamed on both YouTube and the university's Facebook page. We were able to watch the entire thing from start to finish on our flat-screen TV with better than front-row seats (can you say "tele-photo lens"?), so all's well that ends well. Modern technology is truly remarkable.
A blogger named Rachel put up a new post yesterday with the title "I think therefore I am" which is an English translation of what Rene Descartes actually said, first in French way back in 1637 (Je pense, donc je suis) and later in Latin (Cogito, ergo sum).
Progess being vastly over-rated, things have become so confusing in the world of late that perhaps it would be more accurate to say, "I think I am, therefore I might possibly be" or even "I don't know what to think, and when I am gone there will be few who even knew I ever was".
On that happy note, I end this post with the reminder that bloggers may come and bloggers may go, but blogging will go on forever, or at least until the technology is replaced by something newer.
Remember, the abacus, the gramophone, and the stereopticon were all marvels in their time.
Progress is something to stand back and look at for if we are too close we don't even see it. How wonderful that you and Mrs. RWP could see your grandson's graduation without driving there! I send him my congratulations!
ReplyDeleteBonnie, thanks for commenting. Progress isn't always what it's cracked up to be, but I must admit that getting to see our grandson' graduate was a wonderful surprise after we thought we were missing it completely!
Delete"Cogito ergo sum." Discuss. Sounds like a perfect Oxbridge PPE question. It probably is.
ReplyDeleteyou said in a comment on another post that you never heard of General Pershing from World War I and I was shocked. Now it is your turn to be shocked. I have never heard of Oxbridge PPE.
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