[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]
Today I awoke to the news of the death of Morris Knudsen (July 13, 1927 – November 13, 2014), educator, father, grandfather, and all-around conspicuous character from my home town.
Mo was and remains one of the most significant male influences on my social development, second only to my own father. I long ago realised that Mo is the reason my core small town American tastes and values were inextricably mixed with many others that were undeniably cosmopolitan, voyeuristically academic, eventually individualistic, and loudly argumentative. As you might imagine, all of this sits rather noisily in my head. Thanks a lot, Mo.
To this day I adore many things directly attributable to Mo's influence: foreign languages, the sound of classical music echoing through an otherwise quiet house, the smell of old books and fresh herbs, hastily organised slow dinners with unexpected friends, and the complexity and problematic nature of French cars. Actually, I should probably blame James for the whole car thing, really. (Hush, Morissa.) The memories of the time I spent at 515 with James, the family, the band, and visiting with Mo on his own are still very strong and will always remain amongst my favourites.
Tonight I will raise a glass of inexpensive red wine to celebrate his life and my memories of him. I know he often said, “No leftovers,” but I am happy to say that he has left quite an impression on me. For better or worse, I would not be the person I am today without having known him. Au revoir, Monsieur!
I will always remember Morris for his sharp and elegant wit. He seemed to me to be a beloved and valued instructor suddenly transported to Tulare from some special private school that I only knew through books. We were lucky to have him.
Rest in peace, Morris Knudsen. You were such an amazing man and I am honored to share one of my favorite memories.
Let me set the picture for those of you who really knew Mo knew he was "organic" before "organic" was cool. This probably occurred about 1982. I was having dinner at his house, and he carefully planned a beautiful dinner. Dinner started with this amazing salad that he made from ingredients he grew in his garden. We sat around the table and as I was about to "dig in" I noticed a caterpillar on my salad plate. Being a high school girl, I started to freak a little and he gently (as usual) began to speak. He said, "Ooooh, looks like we have an unexpected guest for dinner. Let's welcome this guest." He pulled out another place setting and placed the plate on the table and prepared me another salad. His kindness to the caterpillar was amazing. His calm and cool attitude showed me the appreciation to the food we grow and the respect for nature that loved it too. Instead of freaking out I was at complete ease. It all seemed normal.
Mo, I love you and will always hold you dear to my heart. So blessed to be a part of your family and continue to call your daughter one of my best friends. Rest in Peace.
I wish I could have told him I tried snails and liked em.
He was a wonderful teacher. I can't think of high school without thinking of him. There are so many people who have fond memories of his classes and the energy and enjoyment he had teaching.
Well, dear ones, loving greetings to you. I have been in a mental fog of late, the effect of which has been to curtail my communication almost to zero. And now it would appear all bodily functions have ceased. Fear not, I persevere in memory, yours.
Andy Rooney:
- It's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
- Under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
- To ignore the facts does not change the facts.
- When you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
It was only after I'd said it to the landscape company's heavily bundled female employee who came to the door this 34-degree morning that I realized its implications: "Ah...Melissa, I didn't recognize you immediately, with all of your clothes on—"
This movie trailer gives you a taste of filmmaker Wim Wender's view of choreographer Nina Bausch [1 min, 46 sec]:
This "dance" looks like a recent mixer? Great Bausch humor [less than 3 min]:
We left for France on October 18 and returned yesterday evening. We had an 11-hour flight from Paris to LAX; we arrived about 3 p.m. The international terminal was a total zoo! The scene at customs was beyond belief. I am beginning to think our government in incapable of doing anything without redundancy and chaos. The scene just outside the terminal was even worse. If I hadn't been so eager to get home I might have been thrown into a dark mood. But after 12 days of leaden skies and cold in Paris, the interminable sun of Los Angeles was pure pleasure. We're wading back into our lives and trying to decide what order we should follow in doing that.
Another stunning road. Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape Town, South Africa:
This video serves as a review of all the musicians at the White House Blues on Feb 21, 2012 [less than 18 min]:
What do you think historians will say of the Obama years? No there there? Or lots of there there?
I just read Elizabeth Drew's blog in The New York Review of Books, November 8, 2014, "Why the Republicans Won." She argues that the complete negativity by the GOP payed off because the Capital Hill blockade was attributed by the voters to the President. Obama was too nice in trying to placate the GOP and was finally seen as a guy without guts by many voters, including Democrats like me, although I voted for the Democratic congressman in my district.
Just like in the case of the trashing of Kerry for his Vietnam service and his stupid no-reply, having no guts is not appreciated by US voters. Just think how Teddy Roosevelt or FDR would have responded: with gall and furious fire!
The difference between them and Obama is that Obama during his whole life had to be the nice guy to be accepted by his social and institutional higher-ups, always being reasonable. The Roosevelts were already on top of the social mountain and personally secure of their position. If you came up with stupid criticism you would get your deserved thrashing!
Hillary Clinton would not have taken Republican shit. She had balls, but unfortunately less brains.
My view is that Obama's personality deficit was crucial in this election, and the fact that the rest of the Democratic candidates were spineless.
Limerick-inspired verse of the week:
The main reason some men tell themselves lies
is to hide the truth that consciousness dies;
fear wins elections,
makes stout erections,
and guarantees that religion survives.
| Copyright © 2014 by Morris Dean |
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