“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb
The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Phillip Larkin
In 1989, not long before I graduated from Boston University, I had the pleasure of seeing a talk by the great literary critic Frank Kermode. My professor Christopher Ricks, the towering intellectual whom the author John Carey called “our greatest living critic,” introduced Kermode, and paid homage to the elder intellect.
In his seminal work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction, Kermode writes a sentence that has informed my thinking about the work I do, or would like to do: “It is not expected of critics that they should help us to make sense of our lives; they are bound only to attempt the lesser feat of making sense of the ways we try to make sense of our lives.”
In a similar vein, and backing my students into a theoretical understanding of writing tasks, I recently quoted Mortimer Adler’s book Dialectic when I helped my Writing in Fine Arts students distinguish “statements of fact“ from “statements about facts” and “statements about statements,” the final of the three making up the best thesis statements.
Sometimes, thinking deductively, we know the thesis in the beginning and then seek specifics to support the claim. Sometimes, thinking inductively, we have only evidence so we move towards an insightful conclusion. In that case, the argument and the sense of the ending are realized around the same time.
Many books written since Kermode’s remind us how difficult it is to “end” projects. I think about this when I consider my unfinished books. Clearly I should read or reread books such as Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done by Charlie Gilkey, Finish What You Start: The Art of Following Through, Taking Action, Executing, & Self-Discipline by Peter Hollins, and Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff, all three of which are in my Audible library.
As I haven’t yet read those books, I should recognize that I might be better at starting projects than finishing them. I’ve been inspired by the sort of pithy quotations that typically fill these newsletters:
- “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Plato
- “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Walt Disney
- “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Mark Twain
- “Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” Napoleon Hill
- “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Harriet Tubman
- “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Arthur Ashe
- “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” Amelia Earhart
Speaking of beginnings, about ten years ago, on a whim, I founded a Facebook group called “Events in Davis.”I thought it could send more traffic to my poetry readings and pub quizzes.
Like a tree planted in one’s youth, that group has been growing steadily. During this coming week, the third week of National Poetry Month in 2024, that Facebook group will reach my decade goal of 10,000 members, a great number of people, including the Davis musician Joan Ogden, who added her name to the group this morning. I’m glad I started this group! As Zig Ziglar said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
What great and patient project will you start this week?
The weather will be downright pleasant on this Wednesday night. If you are in Davis this evening, please join us at Sudwerk. Recruit a team and join us at the beautiful outdoor patio where we have room for everyone. Even though it is more work for me, we always have more fun with the bigger crowds and more voices. As Saint Augustine allegedly said, “Good times and crazy friends make the best memories.”
In addition to topics raised above, tonight’s pub quiz will feature questions on satellites, last names, million dollar homes, shipwrecks, eastern conferences, sanctions, illustrated books, pines, Oscar winners, disputed countries, celebrities, famous dancers, Samuel L. Jackson, California zip codes, classroom occupations, knighted survivors, time-traveling comedic narrators, notable Germans, Tunisian favorites, National Poetry Month, technology milestones, white flowers, ostriches and storks, credit cards, extended contracts, nights and days, faraway universities, rock stars after who one of my cats was named in 1980 or so, California notables, U.S. states, current events, books and authors, and Shakespeare.
Thanks to all the new patrons who have been enjoying fresh Pub Quiz content. Thanks also to Brooke, Jeannie, Becky, Franklin, and More Cow Bell. Every week I check the Patreon to see if there is someone new to thank. I also thank The Original Vincibles, Summer Brains, The Outside Agitators, John Poirier’s team Quizimodo, Gena Harper, the dependable Mavens, and others who support the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I so enjoyed running into members on Quizimodo on Tax Day near H&R Block. I would love to add your name or that of your team to the list of supporters. I appreciate your backing this pub quiz project of mine!
Best,
Dr. Andy
P.S. Here are three PQ questions from last week:
- Countries of the World. What country is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the northeast, Syria to the north, and the Palestinian West Bank and Israel to the west?
- Major Polluters. Starting with the letter E, what are the ten letters in the name of the investor-owned company that emits 1.4% of the world’s Co2 emissions, more than any other private company?
- Science. What is the name of the largest coral reef system in the world?
P.P.S. The April 18th Poetry Night will be a Wide Open Mic. Bring something by to perform without having to worry about clapping politely for featured poets.