On two Ambrose Bierce quotes and a poem
“Innate ] W adds the following sentence: ‘Locke was smarter than a whip, but when he undertook to show that brief period between cradle and gibbet… he bit off more than he could chew.’ ”
I have never been very good at philosophy. I prefer art. But philosophy does provide some ballast for analysis of art. It seems what Bierce is saying here is that life is inexplicable. Philosophy tries to explain what it all means, but that is not entirely possible.
“Intimacy ] Selditz powder (after Selditz, a village in northwestern Czechoslovakia, the site of large mineral springs) is a mild cathartic, a mixture of tartaric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium sodium tartrate, that is dissolved in water and drunk.”
Bierce may have been bitter about personal intimacy after losing two sons to what was effectively suicide and divorcing his wife. I read in a newspaper article once that people often turn to material comforts, possibly including nutrients, to compensate for failed personal relations. I think it true.
“Place” by yours truly
“You, sir, need to be pu(n)t in your place!”
“Pu(n)t? It might be a pun-sgrace. Very shameful.”
“Just get the pun out. And don’t pun back again.”
“Pun-kay. Pun-bye.”