Fate & Free Will

From Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love:

Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship- a play between divine grace and
willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is
absolutely in your hand, and your actions will show measurable
consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he
entirely the captain of his own destiny; he's a little of both. We gallop
through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side
horses- one foot is on the horse called "fate," the other on the horse
called "free will." And the question you have to ask every day is- which horse
is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it's not under my
control, and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Now judge Englishmen if it be good to change Queens. Oh uniting confounding! When rude Scotland has vomited up a poison, must fine England lick it up for a restorative? Oh vile indignity! While your Queen's enemy liveth, her danger continueth. Desperate necessity will dare the uttermost...

-from A Detection of the Doings of Mary Queen of Scots, touching the murder of her husband, and her conspiracy, adultery, and pretended marriage with the Earl of Bothwell. And a defence of the true Lords, maintainers of the King's grace's action and authority.

My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots by John Guy

Read it. You'll love it.

Take THAT, AV Nerds!

Finally... A completed AV Club Crossword!

The ONION, May 24-30, 2007

A page from my diary...

10/18/99

Today’s good: I’ve been thinking about my dreams of
dreams- what I really want to do with my life (when I’m in a good mood). Here
they are:

1. I want to be a decent classical player. I
don’t have to be great, though I would love to play (soprano) in a good quartet-
one that’s well respected, etc. That would be a lot of fun.

2. I want to be a good jazzer. I want to be able to hang. I don’t
want to be as good as Doug wants to be. But I want to be respected as a
player. And if I happen to make a couple of albums… or more likely, play
on [a couple of albums] or with great names of the time, I’d be very
happy.

3. I want to be a great dancer! I want to perform with a great company
like David Parsons. I don’t want to do that for long. But that is
something I want to experience.

4. I go back and forth on my own company idea. I’d love to integrate
[music and dance] but I’ll have to think about that one for awhile…

5. I want to be a healer. Help people, especially musicians and
dancers with their physical and mental problems with their mind/body.

My question is… do dreams change, or do we simply give up on them and adapt new ones?