Nones of April

So Trevor found this branch on the ground and decided to stick it in some water. I relocated it to this spot by the window on my dresser. It was popping into bloom when I left for Florida last weekend. The flowers were, shall we say, past peak when I got back. Still it was a magical thing to have happen.

Today D, T and I met Sat and event called Evolving Traditions at Wellesley College. It was put together by S's friend, and now my neighbour, who is a professor there. The dancing and music were top-notch, as was the food. I had never been on the campus before, and was quite impressed. I always find it a good sign when an older, established institution is unafraid to bring on some modern architecture.

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I finished the book Three Cups of Tea, after reading it for one of the book clubs I belong to. I strongly recommend it not because it was great literature, but because it is an inspiring story, and a counter to all those who say that one person can't make a difference. Though it did make me wonder why I didn't start schools in Haiti or something. I've gotten to a point where I realise that it's more productive to see what I can do than to beat myself up for what I haven't done. Greg Mortenson, the subject of the book, is doing good work and I only wish that all the money we have poured into the abyss of war had been given to organisations like his instead.

Like any good depiction of a person who does such good work, it steered away from hagiography by illuminating some of Mortenson's flaws, though not as much as Tracy Kidder did Paul Farmer's in Mountains Beyond Mountains. If such people are portrayed as saints, it makes the regular folk think that they are too small to emulate them. Three Cups of Tea doesn't do that. Still, anyone who thinks education is some pie-in-the-sky idea that we can deal with after "security" is established, well, the two need to come together.

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In other book news, I just got a whole bunch of poetry translations from Action Books. One of the editors was at Harvard at the same time I was. They have a focus on Scandinavian poetry, which is a fascination of mine. And luckily most of the books are bilingual.

It's poetry month, but instead of writing a poem every I think I'm just going to read one every day.