Tears

From Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip Dick:

Why does a man cry? he wondered. Not like a woman; not for that. Not for sentiment. A man cries over the loss of something, something alive. A man can cry over a sick animal that he knows won't make it. The death of a child: a man can cry for that. But not because things are sad.

Solitude

From Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip Dick:

"Mr.--Taverner," she said. "I just want to be let alone."

"No," he said. "You shouldn't be alone. It's killing you; it's undermining you. All the time, every day, you should be somewhere with people."

Fear

From Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip Dick:

"Fear," Jason said, "can make you do more wrong than hate or jealousy. If you're afraid you don't commit yourself to life completely; fear makes you always, always hold something back."

Love

From Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip Dick:

"Haven't you ever loved a child? It hurts your heart, the innermost part of you, where you can easily die."

"I didn't know that," Jason said.

"Oh, yes. My wife says you can forget any kind of love except what you've felt toward children. That only goes one way; it never reverts. And if something comes between you and a child--such as death or a terrible calamity such as a divorce--you never recover."

"Well, hell, then"--Jason gestured with a forkful of sausage--"then it would be better not to feel that kind of love."

"I don't agree," Buckman said. "You should always love, and especially a child, because that's the strongest form of love."

Grief

From Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip Dick:

"But to grieve; it's to die and be alive at the same time. The most absolute, overpowering experience you can feel, therefore. Sometimes I swear we weren't constructed to go through such a thing; it's too much--your body damn near self-destructs with all that heaving and surging."

The Quiet Game

This was our conversation on the way to school.

Jeff: Dad, when we were in the car we played a game and whoever was the quietest got to have a treat at Nana's house.

Me: I love that game.

Thomy: What game?

Me: The quiet game.

Robot Movie

Jeff says, "I want to watch the robot movie."

Here it is.

 

Best Song Ever?

Bebe

Live Like a Warrior

"Although I have only lived for seventeen years, I am certain that if we did not live to serve, if it were not for loyalty, if we did not sacrifice our selfish desires, if there were no warrior code, if there were no samurai to lead by example, we would all be lost, wandering the plains of hell in total emptiness.

"My name is Daiki, son of Oishi Kuranosuke of Ako and this will be my last time wielding a pen."

The preceding excerpt is from 47 Ronin, by Dimetrios Manolatos.

Brandon Flowers

More Books

These are a few books I've read or been reading in the past months:

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip Dick
47 Ronin, by Dimetrios Manolatos

Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, by Kutner, Lawrence, Olson, and Cheryl

The Definitive Book of Body Language, by Allan and Barbara Pease

"There is no antibiotic for madness, no analgesic for psychic pain."
--Jeffrey Kluger

Music is Life