The White Stripes, featuring Robert Frost

I made an interesting observation lately.

I came across Robert Frost’s poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". As I read the text, I was struck by how familiar the words seemed. Then it struck me, and I fired up my music player.

Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed. The cadence of Frost’s poem was identical to that of a song by the White Stripes called "Offend In Every Way". The titles alone sound similar. The poem and the song lyrics have the same syllables and the same cadence, the same natural rhythym. In fact, any verse of the song can be substituted with the poem, and still fit the melody. This certainly raises my opinion of the White Stripes, for now I realize they are a more literate band than I had expected.

Just thought I’d pass the nugget of wisdom along to you!

Another week goes by

What a busy week it’s been!

Evelyn bought her wedding dress on
Ebay for only $93! That’s quite a bargain for a wedding dress. She will
write all about it on her site, and I’ll later put a link to it. The
dress came in the mail today, and she says "it’s perfect and makes me
feel beautiful!"

I was in a minor car collision on Wednesday
morning. I rear-ended a sedan that had stopped on I-295 in DC. Though
neither myself nor the other driver were injured, my Mazda took most of
the damage, on the front bumper and fenders. As I write this, the car
is in the repair shop, and it looks like it will cost $1400 to have it
fixed. Bummer!

Evelyn and I went to Wolf Trap to see Gordon Lightfoot
in concert. This was my second time seeing Lightfoot live, and he put
on a mellow and ethereal show of his old hits and newer songs. His
poetic lyrics and folk melodies blend with earthy human
instrumentation, all with an attention to detail that makes Lightfoot a
master of his craft. Gordon has aged, and his voice has lost the range
that one hears on his recordings, but his fingers still know their way
around a guitar better than ever. I was glad to see him on stage once
more, especially since he almost died in 2002.

Sharon Steinberg
has agreed to officiate for our wedding! She has some requisites for
us, but she’s willing and able. We’re relieved to have her on board in
our plans, and we are devoting much of our wedding planning energy at
finding a location site for our ceremony and reception. We’re not sure
if we will hold those separately or under the same roof, but we
definitely want a reception site with lodging within walking distance.
So far we’ve checked with some historic restaurants and buildings, and
with hotels in the area. More on this planning phase to come!
Meanwhile, we’re reading a few wedding books we got from the library.

Nanofiction #3: Mileage May Vary

Mileage May Vary
(a nanofiction by Ryan Hackel)

"Runs great," the used car salesman boasted. I kicked the tires and
popped the hood. Soon the salesman had me signing papers in his office.
"Just don’t press the red button," he warned. Well, curiosity finally
got the better of me, and I pushed it. Now I’m 18,040 years away from
the nearest gas station.

Nanofiction #2: Self-Guided Tour

Self-guided Tour
(a nanofiction by Ryan Hackel)

"I don’t get it," the archeologist exclaimed. "This artifact has Arabic
numerals, but this one has Roman script, yet this one has Chinese
characters, and this one is cuneiform. Why is all this right here?" "We
found another," the diggers cheered. From out of the dust they pulled a
sign, "Welcome to the Museum of".