Stephen Hawking quotes

Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde

July 14, 1965

We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.

Life would be tragic if it weren't funny.

Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking.

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.

I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are losers.

It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly. People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining.

Not only does God play dice, but... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.

However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope.

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first... I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

National Jet Lag Day

"Sleep and His Half Brother Death"

John Waterhouse

1874

Yes, Daylight Savings Time. I don't know about you, but I feel like death warmed over this morning.  I woke up with my half brother.  This is especially cruel and unusual for those of us who have to get up early anyway, and could care less about an extra hour of daylight tacked on to long summer days.

A recent poll showed that 67 percent favor keeping their clocks on the same time year 'round and would vote for a law requiring it. Some states are doing this piecemeal, but national legislation would be better.  Well, our politicians are much too busy for that sort of thing.

Life goes on. The bark man cometh, and he did a neat job covering the areas around the house where nothing grows.  That would have been a back-breaking job for me, something I would have tackled in my youth. I have enough heavy outdoor work as it is, without hauling in bags of bark.

I'm happy to pay for help, but the problem here is finding reliable people who stay in business.  Manuel left his little flier on the porch last week, I called him, he called back, and now the job is already done. That is remarkably fast by Seattle standards.  With most yard services, I'd still be playing phone tag.  But with my luck, poor Manuel will probably get deported.  No wait-- I think Seattle is still a sanctuary city.

See that open basement window? Yesterday was a one day wonder, the temperature hit a record 70 degrees with a balmy southern breeze.  Honestly, it felt like walking around in heaven. Back to normal (rain) today.

All sorts of adventures

The Seattle Center

 Inside the Children's Museum

Dr. Nova, the optician

 Hamming it up

Saturday was non-stop action. We went to the Children's Museum in the morning then played around at a rather extreme kids climbing park under the Space Needle.

As you see, it was a beautiful day. The girls raced everywhere they were so excited about the green grass.  No snow! So many cartwheels in so many places! They pulled off their jackets immediately because it was "too hot."  Well, about 55 degrees...but we're getting there.  Spring is just around the corner, and it's a lovely time in Seattle.  Who can blame them? We all go a bit crazy when the first nice weather finally arrives.

After we came home, Amanda took off for a solo shopping trip in the afternoon. The girls and I were just playing around in the yard when suddenly, Nova yelled, "Nana! Look! A Mouse!"  

Nope, not a mouse, it was Mr. Ratty.  He crawled out from under the shed, walked across the lawn right in front of us, then disappeared under the deck.  A few minutes later, he did the same thing in reverse.  Oh, dear. Even for a brazen Seattle rat, that was very peculiar behavior.  "Creepy," said Maya.

I think Ratty was having a bad day. I think Ratty ate something under the shed that did not agree with him. I even felt a little sorry for thirsty Ratty.  (As much as you can.)

If I'd been outside working alone, I might have dispatched him with a rake, but I didn't want the children seeing "that side" of Nana.  So we went inside and played with Play Doh for the rest of the afternoon.

I have not seen him since.

Younger than springtime

Love, youth, hope, growth.  All words we associate with Spring.  It's not quite here yet, but when two little girls burst out of the SUV last night, it sure felt like a breath of Spring from the snowy Methow Valley.  Christmas seems like forever-ago, when we last saw them.

Before the car door was even open, I heard Maya yelling,"Nana! Look at my tooth!" She's been carrying it everywhere in a tiny plastic box shaped like a mouse, along with her tooth fairy money.  And Nova, suddenly so grown up.  I tried to pick her up for a hug, as I always do. Nope, this isn't going to happen. 

Amanda sent me these lovely pictures when the girls' had their hair done recently. I'm gearing up now for a fun-packed day.

Blue sky balloons

That's a cute little video of the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival this week.  Very pretty, but Amanda says they're ready for the snow to go away. They're coming over to Seattle and I'm excited, because we haven't seen the girls since Christmas. We're planning to do some fun big-city things tomorrow.

Over on this side of the mountains, it will feel like full-on spring. Sunny with temperatures in the 60's by Sunday (be still my heart.)

My little sun man has a winter's worth of moss on his face.  The girls will love that!

The Daily

Most mornings I listen to a New York Times podcast called "The Daily."  Amanda told me about it-- she plays it while she's rushing around in the morning. It runs about 20 minutes, 5 days a week, hosted by the excellent Michal Barbaro. He takes a current news story or issue and provides in-depth coverage with background, interviews, etc. You could do worse if it's the only news you listen to all day.

Of course, we know the FAILING!!! New York Times is FAKE NEWS!!!

(Wouldn't it be horrible if everyone screamed in capital letters?)

Anyway, the pleasant Michael Barbaro talks to people all across the political spectrum. He is remarkably unbiased, and I think The Daily is just good journalism, plain and simple.

Instead of the usual Daily program yesterday, he played the first of new 5-part podcast series called Change Agent.   (That link should connect, if you have 30 minutes to spare.)

Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Price winning columnist, tries to solve a real life problem with an interesting true dilemma. Yesterday's story was about senior citizens who blow the aging stereotypes right out of the water.

Duhigg talks about a single useful tool for change, that is, to simply create two lists. On the first, write down everything you like about your life. Everything that is going well. On the second, everything that is not. All the things that make you unhappy. 

As you'll see from the story, this little exercise can be a catalyst for profound changes. It's never too late to find meaning and happiness in life.