Invictus

A movie about a South African Rugby team is in theaters now.  The name of the movie is "Invictus".  A friend shared with me some details about the name:

The word "invictus" is Latin for "invincible." It is also the name of a short poem written in 1875 by William Ernest Henley, a British poet. The poem was written while Henley was in hospital having to have his stricken foot amputated.

Orson F. Whitney (1855-1931) an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints wrote a response to that poem.  I've written the text of both poems below:

Invictus

William Ernest Henley


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The Soul's Captain

Orson F. Whitney


Art thou in truth? Then what of Him
Who bought thee with His blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood,

Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but Him could bear--
That God who died that man might live
And endless glory share.

Of what avail thy vaunted strength
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that His light may pierce the gloom
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree,
Thou, captain of thy soul! Forsooth,
Who gave that place to thee?

Free will is thine- free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that "head unbowed,"
Small part of life's great whole,
And see in Him and Him alone,
The captain of thy soul.

Congruencies

For some reason, in my mind, I always look for congruencies in life.  I try to fit things into a puzzle, match pieces together and some times take each piece turn it right to left or left to right, upside down, try to insert it into the puzzle where I think it best fits.  Sometimes I try to pound the piece in with a mallet.  It doesn't always fit but I have a very strong desire to not have too many pieces left out.  There are times as I examine these puzzle pieces and want to interlock them with another piece I find but they are so incongruent that it makes me laugh.

Yesterday while attending the kids basketball games and sitting in the audience I pondered how different observing a sporting event was from attending a symphony concert.  I imagined the audience at a concert during the performance yelling directions at the performers.  "Cellos, legato!  What are you thinking?", chanting can be heard "Harmony! Harmony!", Jeers to the conductor "You call that Allegro?  Speed it up!".

I didn't grow up attending sporting events.  I went to one football game in High School because a girl told me she'd be there...don't even remember if I saw her once I was there.  In college I went to one football game that my wife took me to...I took a magazine.  I think I embarrassed her.  The incongruency of the two types of events forces me to keep the puzzle pieces seperate no matter how much I think the two should be related, at least interlock with each other.  Well, at least it's good for a laugh to imagine hooking them together.

Irony is one type of humor...for me, unrelated items can be just as funny.

Duck Tacos

I went hunting yesterday with Shaun for an hour or so.  We flushed out a hen and drake but hit neither.  Shaun had gotten a drake Mallard the day before and told me I could have it if I wanted.  He showed me again how to breast it out and soon I had a ziploc with duck breast to experiment on.  Having such a strong flavor I decided teaming it with other strong flavors would be wise.  Duck tacos became the menu.  After rinsing and giving it a soak over night, I cubed it up and marinated it in salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, onion and garlic powder.  I heated the skillet and began to sautee the meat until done.

remaining cubes of meat after preparing tacos

 Nick and I grabbed lettuce, cheese, sour cream etc. while the duck cooked in the frying pan.  We through together the ingredients and pretty soon had some tasty duck tacos on our plates.

The flavor of the duck still came through but didn't over power the other flavors of the taco.  Nick enjoyed them as well.  So I feel this was a successful venture into using duck!