Ramble #88
Welcome to the latest edition of Ramble, a compilation of what I have been pondering, learning and enjoying for the past couple of weeks.
Now, grab a beverage and let’s begin.
Something Interesting:
Some people are just talented.
Take Richard Armitage - he played Thor Oakenshield in the Hobbit Trilogy, among a litany of other stage, film and screen roles.
But it turns out that he is an excellent narrator as well. With piles of books on Audible being read by him - and all for the better.
Then, just to rub it in to the rest of us, he goes and decides to try his hand at writing his own book - Geneva. And it's not bad.
Settle down, Richard...
What I am Reading:
A bit slower than some of his novels based around Cyrus Haven. This one includes his Joe O'Loughlin character.
But it is picking up. And I know there is something coming.
Why is there even a body in existence that certifies that art was painted by Indigenous artists?
The behaviour is corrupt, certainly, but existence of the weird racial certifying body is just as questionable.
Don't be sorry, old people.
Lets just build nuclear power plants.
Who says that property investing the only only way to happiness, health and wealth?
Do we have a right to employment? I honestly don’t see anything wrong with businesses not paying you for when you don’t work.
Am I getting old…?
Just a very interesting read.
What I am Watching:
- A Time to Kill
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- Fool's Gold
Also fantastic that this was filmed in Queensland, with some scenes literally in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. So cool.
Anyway, I've become a little obsessed with McConaughey....
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
Of course.
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Because I was in Berlin.
What I am Listening to:
Languages, basically.
It has been interesting to listen to the Romantic languages of central-west Europe then the Germanic languages of the north-central-ish. An English-speaker can sometimes strain to get a bit of an idea of what is going on, through context, sure, but because English sort of came from the Anglos then softened with some French influence (as I infuriate linguists with such a generalisation...).
But head east and you start to enter the Slavic territories and we English-speakers are lost. There is no bending your ear to the Poles. The Balkans start to sound a bit Russian as you head north then Estonia gets weird again. While Finland is doing her own thing completely.
So I sometimes I am looking up weird Wikipedia pages like 'Balto-Slavic languages' to check out the family trees of languages to see what is going on.
Oh and Flemish. Flemish can #$%@ off....
What I am Thinking:
Still thinking about this one. I think I'll end up constantly updating it.
What I Learned:
- Pan Tadeusz - or; Sir Thaddeus, or the Last Foray in Lithuania: A Nobility's Tale of the Years 1811–1812, in Twelve Books of Verse
It's the Polish National Poem, which random Poles can just start reciting at will, or suggestions...
And is compulsory learning in their schools.
It's a big deal - such that a little kid became a bit famous when he started reciting it on 'Poland's Got Talent'.
Interestingly, the poem opens with "O Lithuania" - which is a bit of a relic from the times of the very powerful Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth that held some sway in Europe.
Travel - Expedition Denouement:
I made a Travel Page to start compiling travel writings to make it easier to keep up to date with:
- Denouement Diaries for Weekly Updates - Week 25 Here
- Denouement Dashboard for Country Summaries - Check the latest Eurotrip Dashboard Here
- Social stuff over Here, Here and Here.
- And my guide for 'How to Quit Your Job and Escape for a Year (and Why You Should…)'
I think that if you have read this far, I gentleman's agreement has been entered - and you should feel guilty for not subscribing...or sharing...
Closing Thoughts:
Thank you once again for reading along with me.
If you found something you liked, let me know.
If you think I can do something a little smoother, please let me know.
Talk soon.
Luke.