Haikus: December 2020

HAIKUS: December 2020

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

These haikus were written as exercises in mindfulness—
an attempt to catch the fleeting moment in my daily walks,
while reading, listening to music, and pondering about life.
(Underlined words are not for emphasis but to web links.)
This web page best viewed with Times font size 14.

Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 3:00-9:00 pm
Mountain View: Steve Gould's 10:13 am email tells me
to read NY Times article appearing on page 3 of today's
Science Section— "London A.I. Lab's Breakthrough
That Could Accelerate Drug Discovery" (Researchers
at DeepMind say they have solved "the protein folding problem", a task that has bedeviled scientists for more
than 50 years.) (By Cade Metz, NY Times, 11-30-2020)

In 1974 Chou-Fasman paper "Prediction of Protein Conformation", 4 Tables listed all their erroneous predictions; Did A.I. Lab predict them correctly? Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 3:00-9:00 pm
Mountain View: No "Daily Post" printed Tuesday;
Stayed home to work on "Chapter 12: Flying Geese Formation" in Platonic Lambda book; Postage stamps showing flying geese: U.S. RW14 (1947), Canada 415 (1963), Canada C9 (1946), China 1502 (1966); Poems on Flying Geese: Mary Oliver, Jimmy Carter, Rachel Field;
Missing photos from 2010 replaced with substitutes.

The Notes (10-6-2010) for my poem
"The Spring Geese Are Flying North"
(9-27-2010) were reproduced in Ch. 12.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 3:30-3:56 pm
Mountain View: Wal-Mart (600 Showers Drive)—
Black Friday Sale: 10 pack Large Boys' Boxer Briefs
$14.98 for $7.49 (too small; will return for refund)

Customer Service said barcode
didn't match $7.49 pack of socks;
Finally refunded $8.16 with paid tax. Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 4:00-4:10 pm
Mountain View: CVS (2630 W. El Camino Real)
They don't have 200 caplets Vitamin C (1000 mg)
that I purchased 2-9-2019 BOGO in stock anymore

2 bottles of 500 caplets Vitamin C (500 mg)
@ $17.99 BOGO plus $1.62 tax = $19.61;
Linus Pauling took 15,000 mg Vitamin C daily.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 4:15-4:30 pm
Mountain View: Sprouts (630 San Antonio Road);
4:50 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

0.62 lb Sweet Banana Chips @ $3.49/lb = $2.16;
1.10 lb Raw Sunflower Seeds @ $2.99/lb = $3.29
2.42 lbs Red Seedless Grapes @ 98¢/lb = $2.37. Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 6:00-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Public Storage 5'x10' bin increased fee
15.5% from $129 to $149 in Sept 2020; Complained to

Manager Destiny on increase; She didn't reduce
rate as promised; Received notice: Storage fee reduced 30% from $149 to $119.20 on 1-1-2021.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 6:00-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads" in Platonic Lambda; Stamps of Indians: Czech 1404 Hunting Buffalo; Czech 1406 Dakota Chief (6-20-1966); U.S. 287 Hunting Buffalo (6-17-1898); U.S. 1364 Chief Joseph
(11-4-1968): Charles M. Russell "Buffalo Hunt" (1894)

Native American Arrowheads
are distinct for different tribes;
Need to find samples of arrowheads. Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 6:00-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads" in Platonic Lambda book; Road Signs with different arrows:
One Way; Straight Ahead; Winding Road; Double Arrow; Go Right; Go Right & Go Left; Curve to Left; U-Turn; Bike Lane Arrow; Arrow in Bike Lane; Traffic Cone

Plants with conical shape—
Pine Cones; Butterfly Bush; Houseleek;
Platonic Lambda Λ in the neighborhood.

Thursday, December 3, 2020, 4:16-5:36 pm
Mountain View: Half-hour walk to Valero Gas Station
(Middlefield Rd) to pick up today's "Daily Post"
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Ave);
5:45 pm Bus #40 to Montecito Ave & walked home

8 oz Sig. Farm Spinach for Salad @ $1.99;
32 oz Lucerne Strawberry Yogurt @ $2.29;
Sara Lee Apple Pie $3.99 - 75¢ coupon = $3.24. Thursday, December 3, 2020, 6:30-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Baked Sara Lee Apple Pie in
oven @ 400^o for 68 minutes for tonight's dessert;
Continue work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads Shape";
Mid-Penisula Winter 2020 Newsletter on "3 T's"—

Fall back on your training,
draw upon your tenacity,
and rely on your team.

Friday, December 4, 2020, 5:00-5:42 pm
Mountain View: 4:20 pm Red Bus to Wal-Mart bins
for "Daily Post"; Bus #21 to Chef Chu's news bins for
"Palo Alto Weekly"; Safeway (645 San Antonio Rd);
6:17 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

10 Yoplait Yogurts (3-Days Special) @ 25¢;
Lily's Toaster Grill Ham & Cheese ($4.49) Free;
Blueberry Pudding Ring $2.50 - $2 Reward = 50¢. Friday, December 4, 2020, 7:15-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Continue work on "Chapter 13:
Arrowheads Shape"; Ann emailed (12/3) about
Arrowhead houseplant with semblance to Λ-shape;
Traffic Cones; Arrow in Bike Lanes; "Bow" poem

David with his sling shot,
and I with the bow—
Michelangelo.

Saturday, December 5, 2020, 4:30-5:04 pm
Mountain View: Half-hour walk to Valero Gas Station
(Middlefield Rd) to get "Daily Post" & "Daily News"
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Ave);
5:43 pm Bus #40 to Montecito Ave & walked home

Sig. Select Cheese & Bacon Quiche @ $4.73;
Sig. Select Florentine Spinach Quiche @ $4.73;
Lily's Toaster Grill Cheeseburger ($4.49) Free. Saturday, December 5, 2020, 6:30-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Continue work on "Chapter 13:
Arrowheads Shape"; Found five photos of Ferns
on hikes with Connie in the Bay Area (2009-2013);
Bike Lanes; 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

2012 Christmas Tree in Λ-shape;
"12 Day's of Christmas" in Λ-shape;
Λ-Rock at Ferne Ave & Alma St., Palo Alto.

Sunday, December 6, 2020, 12:35-1:35 pm
Mountain View: Hour to solve today's "Jumble"
puzzle— When the chemist discovered iodine
in seaweed ash in 1811, there was an...

"Element In Surprise" found earlier.
Couldn't decipher "AMULYS"
to be "ASYLUM" in an hour. Sunday, December 6, 2020, 3:00-3:30 pm
Mountain View: NY Times News Briefings—
"Candice Bergen, Woman Who's Had It All"
(By Maureen Dowd, NY Times, 12-5-2020)

The wryest of Hollywood royals recalls life
with Daddy's dummy, marriage to Louis Malle
and a comedic career for the ages.

Sunday, December 6, 2020, 5:00-8:00 pm
Palo Alto: Karen's place on Oregon Ave to see movie
"Fiddler on the Roof" (1971) directed by Norman Jewison
starring Chaim Topol; Norma Crane; Rosalind Harris; Michele Marsh; Neva Small; Molly Picon; Paul Mann;
Leonard Frey; Paul Michael Glaser; Ray Lovelock;
Zvee Scooler; Tutte Lemkow; Louis Zorich;
(YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4); (Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4)

1961 West Side Story not available;
Saw another great musical film
Fiddler on the Roof (1971). Sunday, December 6, 2020, 9:30-11:55 pm
Mountain View: Continue work on "Chapter 13:
Arrowheads Shape" in Platonic Lambda book;
Ann's 12/6 email about Aristolochia californica (Dutchman's Pipe) leaf in Λ-shape with sample;
Broadleaf Arrowhead; Arrowhead Houseplant;
White Ash: Bitternut Hickory; Smooth Sumacs;
Christmas Trees in Lambda Λ-shape—

Oakland Jack London Square;
San Jose Christmas in the Park;
Los Gatos Vasona Christmas Tree Lane.

Monday, December 7, 2020, 5:15-5:39 pm
Mountain View: 4:47 pm Bus #40 to Chef Chu's
news bins & CVS news bins for "Daily Post";
Shopping at Safeway (645 San Antonio Road);
5:57 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

Open Nature Almond-Coconut Milk @ $2.50;
Waterfront Bistro Coconut Shrimps @ $2.50;
Lily's Toaster Grill Ham & Cheese ($4.49) Free. Monday, December 7, 2020, 6:30 pm-1:53 am
Mountain View: Continue work on "Chapter 13:
Arrowheads Shape"; Pope Francis Curtains (3-13-2013);
Pierce-Arrow Ornament: 1919, 1935; 1929 Model 133;
More items in Lambda Λ-shape—

Business Cards showing Arrowheads-shape;
Lambda Clouds: (11-3-2010, 11-14-2010);
Jewelry: Trinity, Arrowhead, Sapphire, Earrings.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 3:00-3:45 pm
Mountain View: "The Social Life of Forests"
(Trees appear to communicate and cooperate through subterranean networks of fungi. What are they sharing with one another?) (By Ferris Jabr, Photographs
by Brendan George Ko, NY Times, 12-6-2020)

Listened to June 2016 TED Talk
by Suzanne Simard (18.24 minutes)
on trees talking to each other underground. Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 5:30 pm-12:20 am
Mountain View: Submit Cavada's LINC-66e Final Project "Cloud-Based Publishing Tools" (Due Dec. 11, 2020);
Title: My E-Portfolio; Page 1: "Peter the Rock"; Page 2: "My College Journeys"; Page 3: Poetry Writings & Readings; Forgot to submit Page 1 yesterday

Continue work on "Ch. 13: Arrowheads Shape";
Pierce-Arrow Hood Ornament 1919, 1935; Automobile 1929 Model 133; Wheels #64 (Back).

Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 3:23-3:33 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Gordon Hunt plays oboe
with Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra
to Domenico Zipoli's Elevazione (1716);
(CD); (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4); This is
one of my most cherished music

Zipoli's "Ascension" music played
as I was eating late breakfast,
getting up late at 2 pm today. Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 4:30-11:55 pm
Mountain View: Karen phoned to pick me up at 5 pm
to see movie in her apt; Told her tomorrow would be
better as I'm busy writing Ch. 13 today on "Stones in Platonic Lambda Λ-Shape" with links to Vatican Pine Cone, Cleopatra's Needle, & Washington Monument

Found Λ-Rock at Ferne Ave & Alma Street
in Palo Alto; Just wrote "Ferns with Λ-Shape"
and "Alma" means "Soul" in Spanish.

Thursday, December 10, 2020, 5:00-7:07 pm
Palo Alto: Karen's place on Oregon Ave to see movie
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011) directed by Tomas Alfredson based on John le Carré's 1974 novel; starring Gary Oldman; Colin Firth; Tom Hardy; Mark Strong; Ciarán Hinds; Benedict Cumberbatch; David Dencik;
Stephen Graham; Simon McBurney; Toby Jones;
John Hurt; Kathy Burke; Svetlana Khodchenkova,
Roger Lloyd-Pack, Mike Sarne, Konstantin Khabensky;
(YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4); (Film Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4)

The plot is murkily confusing—
No tinker, tailor, soldier shown;
Looks like everyone is a spy. Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7:50 pm-1:40 am
Mountain View: Continue work on "Chapter 13:
Arrowheads Shape" in Platonic Lambda book;
While browsing my little "Trees" book by Herbert S. Zim book (1956) and Taylor's Guide to Trees (1987), found Trees in Platonic Lambda Λ-Shape— Norway Spruce; Northern White Cedar; Norfolk Island Pine; Monterey Pine; Korean Fir; Need to include my favorite "Arrow story" from Eugene Herrigal's Zen in the Art of Archery (1953) & Wang Yang Ming hitting target thrice in a row

Will not repeat nine photos in
Chapter 2: Platonic Λ Redwoods;
in Chapter 13: Arrowheads Shape.

Friday, December 11, 2020, 5:45-6:23 pm
Mountain View: 5:15 pm Red Bus to Wal-Mart bins
for "Daily Post"; Walk to Chef Chu's news bins for
"Palo Alto Weekly"; Safeway (645 San Antonio Rd);
7:25 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

3 lbs Reser's Potato Salad ($7.99) @ $4.99;
12 oz Can Energy Cherry Coke ($1.79) Free;
2.15 oz Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal ($2.00) Free;
Skippy Peanut Butter $1.49 - 75¢ coupon = 74¢. Friday, December 11, 2020, 8:00-11:55 pm
Mountain View: "SCIENCE: New Theory Casually Upends Space" (By Tim Childers, Yahoo News, 12-10-2020); Continue work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads"; Section on "Platonic Λ-Shape Trees at Royal Palaces"

Kensington Palace, UK;
Versailles Palace, France;
Belvedere Palace, Vienna;
Conifer Trees look like Balsam Fir.

Friday, December 11, 2020, 11:30 pm-2:30 am
Mountain View: "Chapter 13: Arrowheads"; Section
on "Cities Named Arrowhead"— Arrowhead Trail, BC;
Arrowhead, VA; Arrowhead, TN; Arrowhead, MD; Arrowhead, CO; Arrowhead AL; Arrowhead Trail, NV

Lake Arrowhead, California;
Arrowhead Motel, Missouri;
Arrowhead Campground, Ohio;
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Saturday, December 12, 2020, 2:12-2:41 pm
Mountain View: Half-hour walk to Valero Gas Station
(Middlefield Rd) to get "Daily Post" & "Daily News"
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Avenue);
3:15 pm Bus #40 to Montecito Ave & walked home

2 Land O'Frost Black Forest Ham (1 lb) @ $3.98;
2 Waterfront Bistro Coconut Shrimps @ $2.50;
12 oz Can Energy Cherry Coke ($1.79) Free;
2.15 oz Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal ($2.00) Free.

Saturday, December 12, 2020, 4:00 pm-11:55 pm
Mountain View: Work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads";
Section on "Platonic Lambda in the Four Elements"—
Alchemical symbols of 4 elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earth

Fire: Candle Flame;
Air: Lambda Cloud at Stanford;
Water: Banks of Green Willow;
Earth: Lambda Ridge at Pinnacles. Saturday, December 12, 2020, 4:00 pm-5:10 am
Mountain View: Work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads";
Section on Christmas Trees: 2012 Christmas Tree
in Λ-shape; "12 Day's of Christmas" in Λ-shape

Oakland Jack London Square;
San Jose Christmas in the Park;
Los Gatos Vasona Christmas Tree Lane;
2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Sunday, December 13, 2020, 6:45 pm-12:45 am
Mountain View: Woke up at 4:20 pm after sleeping
at 6:30 am doing Giotto's 1301 Halley's Comet as
"Star of Bethelehem" and the Comet as "Arrowhead
of Destruction" turning Ch. 13 to a negative ending

20th anniversry of Dad's passing
to the other shore— I honor him by
sharing wisdom & compassion with others. Sunday, December 13, 2020, 6:45 pm-12:45 am
Mountain View: No "Daily Post" printed Sunday;
Stayed home to work on "Chapter 13: Arrowheads";
Arrows for killing to Christmas Trees' blessings
to Comets "arrowheads for destruction"

From negative to positive to negative:
how to end "Arrowheads" on happy note—
Aha! The sperm as the creation of life !

Monday, December 14, 2020, 6:00-6:23 pm
Mountain View: Sprouts (630 San Antonio Road);
7:14 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

Bunch of 7 Stalks of Green Onions @ 79¢;
2.00 lbs Cuties Manderine Tangerines $2.50;
1.71 lbs Cluster Tomatoes @ $1.25/lb = $2.14
1.98 lbs Red Seedless Grapes @ $1.48/lb = $2.93. Monday, December 14, 2020, 8:00 pm-12:30 am
Mountain View: Finished "Chapter 13: Arrowheads"
in two weeks writing 20 sections; Last 4 sections—

Plants with Conical Shape,
Christmas Trees in Platonic Λ-Shape,
Comets as Arrowheads of Destruction,
Sperms as Arrowheads of Creation.

Monday, December 14, 2020, 8:00 pm-12:30 am
Mountain View: Bookmarked to Interesting News
4 articles from NY Times & 1 from Yahoo News—

Russian Hackers Broke Into Federal Agencies;
John le Carré, Cold War Thrillers Writer, Dies at 89,
Charley Pride, Country Music's Star, Dies at 86,
FireEye, Top Cybersecurity Firm Was Hacked,
Universe May Have Started With the Big Bounce. Monday, December 14, 2020, 8:00 pm-12:30 am
Mountain View: Adding "Platonic Lambda Λ-Shape in Chiefs, Kings, & Popes" to "Chapter 13: Arrowheads"—

Pope Paul VI,
Pope Francis,
Chief's House,
Indian Chief Tipi,
Skunhka King's Hat.

Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 4:30-5:07 pm
Mountain View: Half-hour walk to Valero Gas Station
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Avenue);
5:15 pm Bus #40 to Montecito Ave & walked home

3 lbs Reser's Potato Salad ($7.99) @ $4.99;
Skippy Peanut Butter $1.49 - 75¢ coupon = 74¢;
12 oz Can Energy Cherry Coke ($1.79) Free;
2.15 oz Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal ($2.00) Free. Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 6:00 pm-11:15 pm
Mountain View: Added "Platonic Lambda Λ-Shape in Chiefs, Kings, & Popes" to "Chapter 13: Arrowheads"
& finally finished 21 sections of Ch. 13 after two weeks

So busy writing "Arrowheads" chapter that
I neglected completing annual recertification
for my apartment on 11-16-2020, now due on
12-23-2020, with last 6 months bank statements.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 6:00-6:15 pm
Mountain View: 5:47 pm Bus #40 for "Daily Post" at
CVS bins; Shopped at Sprouts (630 San Antonio Rd);
7:20 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

6 Coconut Rolls ($2.50) @ 99¢ = $5.94;
2.76 lb. Brazil Nuts @ $4.99/lb = $13.77;
2.31 lbs Walnut Halves @ $3.99/lb = $9.22;
120 tabs Solgar Mg Citrate $14.99 + tax = $16.34. Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 8:00-11:30 pm
Mountain View: Phoned Social Security to get
Benefit Letter (3:55-5:15 pm) & after waiting
an hour and 15 minutes was disconnected!

Reducing Poems 2020 "Morning Star"
content to 40 poems by shifting
16 Alphabet poems to book
"ABC for You & Me".

Thursday, December 17, 2020, 2:00-3:00 pm
Mountain View: Phoned Mid-Penisula Emergency
that apartment has no heat the last two weeks;
thermostat is broken; temperature is 65 degrees

Lynne showed up in an hour;
lied flat on her back to clean
dust & grime in heater & it's working! Thursday, December 17, 2020, 3:00-4:00 pm
Mountain View: Writing Preface to Poems 2020,
last 12 poems from "This Is the Sage" to
"120 People to Be Thankful"

In poem "We Create a New World",
placed "The Battle of Alexander at Issus"
in boy's dream to show "cast of thousands".

Thursday, December 17, 2020, 5:00-7:15 pm
Palo Alto: Karen's place on Oregon Ave to see movie
"A Beautiful Mind" (2001) directed by Ron Howard based on Sylvia Nasar's 1998 book; starring Russell Crowe;
Ed Harris; Jennifer Connelly; Christopher Plummer;
Paul Bettany; Adam Goldberg; Josh Lucas; Judd Hirsch; Anthony Rapp; Jason Gray-Stanford; Austin Pendleton; Vivien Cardone; (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4); Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4

Waitress at Hometown Buffet recommended
this movie years ago to Al, Rudy, and me—
finally got to see this John Nash film today. Thursday, December 17, 2020, 8:30-11:55 am
Mountain View: Writing Preface to Poems 2020,
last 12 poems from "This Is the Sage" to
"120 People to Be Thankful"— "Meditations on 69: Beautiful music, do not cease!" for Cathy's birthday; "Meditations on 99: Boat to River of Heaven" for
Prof. Scheraga's birthday; Nirvana on enlightenment;
"And I Disagree" thanking Zamboni machine to skate

Patrick McDonnell's comics Mutts (11-26-2020)
with R.W. Emerson's quote on Thanksgiving
inspired poem "120 People to Be Thankful".

Friday, December 18, 2020, 5:00-5:15 pm
Mountain View: Got to Wells Fargo (2600 El Camino Real) as they're closing; Dillon printed out financial statements for November and December 2020;
5:31 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

Mid-Peninsula Housing's Annual
Re-certification requires last
6 months' checking acc't activities. Friday, December 18, 2020, 6:10 pm-1:40 am
Mountain View: Maintenance lady Lynne submiited Poster late; told her of my poster "Dragon Makes Me Smile"; She showed me tatoo on her left arm of a dragon!;
Heater repaired, temperature up from 65 to 75 degrees.

Last Chapter 14 to write in Platonic Lambda book:
"Colliding Galaxies" of Andromeda & Milky Way;
Is this how our universe will end in demise?

Saturday, December 19, 2020, 3:56-4:30 pm
Mountain View: Half-hour walk to Valero Gas Station
(Middlefield Rd) for "Daily Post" and "Daily News",
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Avenue);
4:57 pm Bus #40 to Montecito Ave & walked home

2 Lucerne Creamers @ $2.30 - 50¢ coupon = $1.80;
Open Nature 64 oz Coconut-Almond Milk @ $2.50;
2 Cinnamon Apple Sauce (6 ct) @ $1.83 = $3.66;
Sig. Sel. Thin-Crust Supreme Pizza @ $2.66. Saturday, December 19, 2020, 6:00 pm-11:15 pm
Mountain View: 5 hours last night (7:40 pm-1:40 am)
writing last Chapter 14 "Colliding Galaxies" in book
Platonic Lambda, using Notes to poem "Geese Playing Chicken: V-formation collision" (10-11-2012)

Writing new Preface to Platonic Lambda
summarizing Chapters 1-14 composed
in chronological order starting with
Ch. 6: "Newton's Prism" (1-29-2013).

Sunday, December 20, 2020, 2:16-2:45 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Emerson String Quartet plays
Alexander Borodin's String Quartet #2 in D (1881);
(CD); (YouTube: Ann Blyth, Sarah Vaughan,
Peggy Lee, Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra)

Second movement was freely used in
the 1953 musical Kismet as the song
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads". Sunday, December 20, 2020, 3:20 pm-12:30 am
Mountain View: No "Daily Post" printed Sunday;
Stayed home to write chapters on fiction book
The Rod that Would Destroy the World
and writing Prefaces to these books—

Platonic Lambda: Soul of the Universe;
The Morning Star: Poems 2020;
ABC for You & Me (Preface).

Monday, December 21, 2020, 2:47-2:52 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Robert deMaine plays cello as
Gustavo Dudamel conducts Los Angeles Philharmonic
to John Williams's Superman: March (1978);
(CD); (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Recalled this uplifting music in scene
when Superman (Christopher Reeve)
takes Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) on a flight. Monday, December 21, 2020, 3:00-5:00 pm
Mountain View: Ch. 2: Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in book The Rod that Would Destroy the World
on occulist Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, poet William Butler Yeats, and Buddhist Allan Bennett

Found Ithell Colquhoun's 1975 book
Sword of Wisdom: MacGregor Mathers &
'The Golden Dawn' to help write this chapter.

Monday, December 21, 2020, 5:45-6:00 pm
Mountain View: Put 16 pages of Re-Certification Forms in Office Slot for Kimberly Pham @ 5 pm; 5:16 pm Bus #40 to CVS bins for "Daily Post"; Sprouts (630 San Antonio Rd); 6:26 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

0.68 lb No Salt Macadamias @ $14.99/lb = $10.19;
1.29 lbs Dried Turkish Apricots @ $2.99/lb = $3.86;
1.31 lbs Chocolate Almonds @ $3.99/lb = $5.22;
2 bags of Terra Exotic Chips @ $2.50 = $5.00.
Monday, December 21, 2020, 7:15-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Foothill Krause Center closed
3-15-2020, so I had no computer connections,
until Al Guzman helped me to buy Apple 13.3" Refurbished MacBook Air Laptop $679 (5-9-2020)—

AT&T Wi-Fi @ $10/month (6-4-2020);
30-days Trial Free BBEdit (6-28-2020);
$39.99/6 months Adobe Photoshop (7-23-2020).
$218 for Epson ET-2720 Color Printer (11-28-20).

Monday, December 21, 2020, 7:15-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Winter Solstice (12-21, 5:02 am EST)
& Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction (closest in 400 years)

From this day forward—
each day brighter & brighter
till Summer Solstice.
Monday, December 21, 2020, 7:15-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Checked my grade at MyPortal/Canvas
on Cavada's LINC-66e class; Got 210/210 total credits

Should have gotten "A" for course
but opted for Pass/Fail since
didn't know how to use Zoom.

Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 4:50-5:11 pm
Mountain View: Stopped by Fidelity Investments (2580 West El Camino Real); They'll mail my missing July 2020 statements for Apt Re-certification; Shopping at Safeway (630 San Antonio Rd); Caught 5:28 pm Bus #40 home

2 Waterfront Coconut Shrimps @ $2.50;
Sara Lee Frozen Apple Pie @ $3.99;
Chat with VTA Bus Driver Gail Hart.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 6:00-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Wrote "Preface to Number 69"
last night (11:15 pm-2:10 am); Cathy emailed 8 am, she & Larry are staying in Las Vegas because of pandemic, and will have Xmas party on Zoom with 40 relatives

My VTA Bus Pass Clipper Card
expires on Dec. 31, will need to take a
Foothill College class to keep it active.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020, 1:58-2:03 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Neeme Jarvi conducts Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra to Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo (1890); (CD); (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Sad music from opera
on two men dueling for
love of the same woman. Wednesday, December 23, 2020, 3:00-3:22 pm
Mountain View: Members from Stanford's SARUM group in medieval studies sent emails on Christmas
Carol singing at Salisbury Cathedral in England

Adding 2020 Christmas Tree
at Salisbury Cathedral & its Λ-logo
to my Chapter 13 on "Arrowheads".

Wednesday, December 23, 2020, 4:25-5:00 pm
Mountain View: Half-hour walk to Valero Gas Station
(Middlefield Rd) for copies of today's "Daily Post",
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Avenue);
5:15 pm Bus #40 to Montecito Ave & walked home

8 oz Sig. Farms Spinach for Salad @ $1.67;
23 oz La Terra Fina Spinach Quiche @ $9.99;
16 oz Sig Sel Broccoli & Cauliflower @ $1.50;
3 lbs Reser's Deviled-Egg Potato Salad @ $5.99. Wednesday, December 23, 2020, 6:00-11:00 pm
Mountain View: In The Rod that Would Destroy the World, Ch. 1: Hemingway & F. Scott Fitzgerald sees Aleister Crowley at Paris Café in 1924; Los Altos Library has William Wiser's Twilight Years: Paris in the 1930s

but doesn't have his The Crazy Years: Paris in the Twenties, Has McAuliffe's When Paris Sizzled: The 1920s; Has Flanner's Paris Was Yesterday, 1925-1939, to describe the atmosphere in Paris.

Thursday, December 24, 2020, 1:40-4:00 pm
Mountain View: "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"—
1934 Song by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (Lyrics: You better watch out / You better not cry / Better not pout / I'm telling you why / Santa Claus is coming to town / He's making a list / And checking it twice; / Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice / Santa Claus is coming to town); 1970 TV Film with Fred Astaire; Karen picked me up at 4:30 pm; Played Christmas music on piano (7:45-8:15 pm)

Brought La Terra Fina Spinach & Artichoke
Quiche for dinner and Sara Lee
Apple Pie for dessert. Thursday, December 24, 2020, 5:00-7:45 pm
Palo Alto: Karen's place on Oregon Ave to see movie
"Eyes Wide Shut" (1999) directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Tom Cruise; Nicole Kidman; Sydney Pollack; Todd Field; ) Marie Richardson; Sky du Mont; Rade Serbedzija; Thomas Gibson; Vinessa Shaw; Fay Masterson; Alan Cumming; Leelee Sobieski; Leon Vitali; Julienne Davis; Abigail Good; Madison Eginton; (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4); (Film Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Enjoyed music in this film—
Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 from
"Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra".

Thursday, December 24, 2020, 8:35-10:40 pm
Mountain View: Postage stamps showing Santa Claus—
Cuba 533 (1954); U.S. 1472 (1972); Canada 1339 (1991); Belgium 1568 (1994); Chile 1351b (2000); KKSF 910 AM: Coast-to-CoastAM, George Noory's Christmas Carol favorite— "Scarlet Ribbons" (1949) Jack Segal (lyrics) & Evelyn Danzig (music); All our stores were closed and shuttered / All the streets were dark and bare / In our town, no scarlet ribbons / Scarlet ribbons for her hair...

If I live to be a hundred—
I'll never know from where came
those scarlet ribbons for her hair. Thursday, December 24, 2020, 8:35-10:40 pm
Mountain View: My favorite Christmas music—
"Silent Night" (1818) by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria; Postage Stamp Austria 558 (issued 12-18-1948); Lyrics: Silent night! Holy night! / All is calm, all is bright / Round yon virgin mother and child! / Holy infant, so tender and mild, / Sleep in heavenly peace! / Sleep in heavenly peace! / Silent night! Holy night! /

Shepherds quake at the sight! / Glories stream from heaven afar, / Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! / Christ
the Saviour is born! / Christ the Saviour is born!.

Friday, December 25, 2020, 3:40-10:30 pm
Mountain View: "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971 film) talks about traditions; Christmas traditions broken this year—

Going to Stanford Theatre
on Christmas Eve to see
"It's a Wonderful Life"
Friday, December 25, 2020, 3:40-10:30 pm
Mountain View: "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971 film) talks about traditions; Christmas traditions broken this year—

Cathy & Larry stayed home in Las Vegas due
to coronavirus-19 pandemic; They've treated
me for Christmas-time dinner since 2005.

Friday, December 25, 2020, 3:40-10:30 pm
Mountain View: Postage stamps of Christmas Trees— U.S. 1240 (1963); U.S. 1508 (1973); Canada 900 (1981); Austria 590 (1953), 2832 (2019); Norfolk Is. 153 (1973)

While going to sleep last night,
thought about writing a poem on
"Christmas Tree Postage Stamps".
Friday, December 25, 2020, 3:40-10:30 pm
Mountain View: Number #1 song sold (50 million) is
Bing Crosby's "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas";
1942 Film "Holiday Inn" of Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby

White Christmas in Queens, New York,
Ithaca, Boston, and Worceser, MA,
but not in California since 1985.

Saturday, December 26, 2020, 2:50-3:20 pm
Mountain View: 2:24 pm Bus #40 to Chef Chu's
news bins for "Daily Post" & "Palo Alto Weekly";
Shopping at Safeway (645 San Antonio Road);
3:51 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

Sig Sel Thin-Crust Supreme Pizza @ $2.99;
Sig Sel Pineapple Chunks in juice @ $1.69;
2 Imitation Crabmeat Leg Style @ $1.50. Saturday, December 26, 2020, 5:30-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Received July 2020 statements
from Fidelity Investments; WPI student Deborah,
now Associate Professor in Architecture at UNLV,
sent a nice Christmas card & spiritual greetings

Roommate Steve Gould from Cambridge, MA
(1970-1971) sent email of family activites,
and photo of 12-21 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.

Saturday, December 26, 2020, 5:30-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Don't know how to do "Page Turning"
shown on YouTube to show Year 2020 turning to 2021;
Stretched out "Roll Up the Universe" photo (680 pixels wide) to 1000 pixels wide for "Scroll 2020""; Placed six "Coronavirus-19", resized in "Scroll 2020 with Virus"

Found photo "Sunshine in Springtime";
Pasted photo in "Scroll 2020"; Used Perspectives
to fit Scroll & typed 2021 (100 pts) with border. Saturday, December 26, 2020, 5:30-11:00 pm
Mountain View: Will place "Scroll 2020" image
above "Scroll 2021" image to show sharp contrast
from one year to the next for poem "Out with the Old,
In with the New" for first poem in 2021, to be written
on New Year's Eve (for more creativity in 2021)

First stanza of poem with scrolls:
Goodbye 2020— perfect eyesight
turned out to be a disaster year—

Sunday, December 27, 2020, 2:30-4:00 pm
Mountain View: Adding three more people to poem
Ephraim Katzir, Ann Michalski, Mimi Will (12-27-2014)
now titled "123 People to Be Thankful"

Autographs from six Heads of State—
Richard Nixon (U.S.), Anthony Eden (U.K.),
Ephraim Katzir (Israel), Dalai Lama (Tibet),
Mikhail Gorbachev (Russia), Lee Teng-hui (ROC). Sunday, December 27, 2020, 2:30-4:00 pm
Mountain View: "Piece of Great Pyramid Found in Scotland Aberdeen Museum May Unlock Major Mystery"
(By Candida Moss, Yahoo News, 12-27-2020))

Abeer Eladany found a small, cigar box, with Egypt's former flag on the box; Inside was a 5-inch piece of cedar broken into three pieces; it was one of the three 'Dixon relics' lost for the past 70 years.

Sunday, December 27, 2020, 6:30-8:05 pm
Palo Alto: Karen's place on Oregon Ave to see movie
"Loving Vincent" (2017) directed by Dorota Kobiela & Hugh Welchman; starring Douglas Booth; Jerome Flynn; Saoirse Ronan; Helen McCrory; ) Chris O'Dowd; John Sessions; Eleanor Tomlinson; Aidan Turner; Robert Gulaczyk; Jochum ten Haaf; Graham Pavey; Joe Stuckey; (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5); (Film Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4)

First painted animated film
honoring Vincent Van Gogh's art
investigating his death. Suicide? Sunday, December 27, 2020, 8:40-11:55 pm
Mountain View: Karen cooked fried eggplant & onions;
I brought over Deviled-Egg Potato Salad & Coconut Shrimps; Saw "West Side Story" trailer, but movie was defective, so saw "Loving Vincent"; I love Van Gogh's art: "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" (1890); "Wheat Field with a Lark" (1887); Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888); "The Starry Night" (1889); Karen drove me home at 8:15 pm

Van Gogh's 7-21-1882 letter: "Who am I?
I am nobody, a non-entity" is similar
to Emily Dickinson's 1861 Poem 288.

Monday, December 28, 2020, 3:05-3:18 pm
Mountain View: CVS (2630 W. El Camino Real)
My bottle of 300 soft-gels CVS Vitamin D3 (1000 IU)
opened 3-11-2020 has 10 soft-gels left (292 days)
They don't have CVS Vitamin D3 (1000 IU) in stock

Bought 2 bottles 300 soft-gels CVS
Vitamin D3 (2000 IU) @ $20.49
BOGO Free + $1.84 tax = $22.33. Monday, December 28, 2020, 3:45-4:11 pm
Mountain View: 3:24 Bus #40 to Renstorff Ave
& Middlefield Road for today's "Daily Post",
and shop at Safeway (580 N. Rengstorff Avenue);
4:15 pm Red Bus to Montecito Ave & walked home

1 lb Land-O-Frost Smoked Ham @ $3.99;
3 lbs Reser's Deviled-Egg Potato Salad @ $5.99;
64 oz Open Nature Vanilla Almond Milk @ $2.38.

Monday, December 28, 2020, 5:00-10:00 pm
Mountain View: Nice Photo-Christmas Card
from Theresa with Lee & Joanna in Seattle,
mailed December 24 and arrived today.

Theresa was my ballroom dance partner,
she sang many of the songs as we danced,
gave me rides home afterwards & chatted. Monday, December 28, 2020, 5:00-10:00 pm
Mountain View: "36 Questions That Lead to Love"
(By Daniel Jones, NY Times, 1-9-2015,
NY Times #62 most-read stories in 2020)

Psychologist Arthur Aron explored intimacy
between two strangers can be accelerated by
having them ask each other personal questions.

Monday, December 28, 2020, 5:00-10:00 pm
Mountain View: To use text wrap around an image
in Microsoft Word, use "Insert" picture or clip-art
next to the text and resize the image

Here is sample page done in HTML—
"Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night,
with images Aligned Left & Aligned Right. Monday, December 28, 2020, 5:00-10:00 pm
Mountain View: "Steph Curry becomes third player
in NBA history to make 2,500 career 3-pointers"
(By Tommy Call III, Yahoo News, 12-27-2020)

Top Career 3-pointers: Ray Allen 2973,
Reggie Miller 2560, Steph Curry 2504,
Kyle Korver 2450, James Harden 2330.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 12:00-3:50 am
Mountain View: New Numbers entries— 101-366:
105: Steph Curry makes 105 straight 3s post-practice;
1000+: 2973: Top Career 3-pointers: Ray Allen 2973

450,300,000— Leonardo da Vinci's painting Salvator Mundi (1500) sold for world record
price $450,300,000 for an artwork at N.Y.'s
Christie's Auction (November 15, 2017). Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 12:00-3:50 am
Mountain View: "Last Leonardo by Ben Lewis review—
secrets of the world's most expensive painting"
(By Charles Nicholl, The Guardian, 4-17-2019)

"The Invention of the 'Salvator Mundi'
Or, How to Turn a $1,000 Art-Auction
Pickup Into a $450 Million Masterpiece"
(By Matthew Shaer, Vulture.com, 4-14-2019)

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 2:23-2:33 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Jean-François Pailliard conducts Paillard Chamber Orchestra to Tomaso Albinoni's
Adagio in g (1708); (CD); (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4)
Voted #130 of Top 250 Classical Music in KDFC

Remo Giazotto discovered fragments of
Albinoni's manuscript in Dresden Library
after WW II and restored this beautiful music. Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 2:44-2:50 pm
Mountain View: Leonard Slatkin conducts BBC Symphony Orchestra to Johann Sebastian Bach's
Orchestral Suite #3: Air on G String BWV 1068 (1730)
(CD); (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4); Voted #128 of Top 250

German violinist August Wilhelm
arranged 2nd movement of the suite
in 1871 known as "Air on the G String".

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 2:00-2:15 pm
Mountain View: Al Guzman woke me up, said
he sent email (11:25 am); He checked my transcript,
that I've taken LINC-70B, need to take another class

Need to register before January 4
when Winter 2021 Quarter begins,
and need Instructor's Add-On OK. Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 5:00-7:10 pm
Mountain View: Chatted with neighbor Don Richards
for two hours; He has Free VTA Pass, which took
him a month to get after phoning (408) 321-2300

VTA asked him lots of questions—
He said "I'm 88, diabetic, weak heart,
need bus to go shopping at Safeway."

Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 12:47-1:13 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Hilary Hahn plays violin as
Marek Janowski conducts Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
to Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto (1844)

Voted #67 of Top 250 Classical Music in KDFC;
YouTube: Hilary Hahn; Anne-Sophie Mutter;
Itzhak Perlman; Joshua Bell; Janine Jansen. Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 3:20-3:30 pm
Mountain View: Talked with Hector (276 Montebello)
owner of white Clumber Spaniel dog Wilber,
whom I wrote a poem on August 21, 2018

Hector says Wilber is now 9 years old,
got him when he was 2 months old,
longevity is usually twelve years.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 11:27 am-3:28 pm
Mountain View: Al Guzman tried to register me in
Kim Randall's LINC-93B "Assistive Technolgy & Universal Access" (February 8-March 5, 2021),
but 1 unit class is full, and access denied

Success in getting into Kim's 2 units
LINC-90C class: "Online Collaboration
Tools" (Online: March 1-26, 2021). Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 5:00-5:27 pm
Mountain View: 3:50 pm Bus #40 to Foothill College
(all closed) & Chef Chu's news bins for "Daily Post";
Shopping at Safeway (645 San Antonio Road);
5:56 pm Bus #40 to Central Xpwy & walked home

10 Yoplait Lowfat Yogurts @ 39¢ = $3.90;
3 lbs Sig Café Mustard Potato Salad @ $4.99;
Oroweat Dill Rye & Jewish Rye @ $5.49 BOGO.

Thursday, December 31, 2020, 12:41-1:04 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Xuefei Yang plays guitar as
Eiji Oue conducts Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
to Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez (1939)

Voted #23 of Top 250 Classical Music in KDFC;
YouTube: Xuefei Yang; Pablo Sáinz-Villegas;
Pepe Romero; Paco De Lucía: John Williams. Thursday, December 31, 2020, 1:04-1:13 pm
KDFC: 104.9 FM: Jean-François Paillard
conducts Paillard Chamber Orchestra
to Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D (1680)

Voted #22 of Top 250 Classical Music in KDFC;
YouTube: Voices of Music; Takashi Ueno;
Jean-François Paillard; T. Andersen.

Thursday, December 31, 2020, 6:30-9:00 pm
Palo Alto: Karen's place on Oregon Ave to see movie
"West Side Story" (1961) directed by Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins; Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim: starring Natalie Wood; Richard Beymer; Russ Tamblyn; Rita Moreno; George Chakiris; Simon Oakland; Ned Glass; William Bramley; Tucker Smith; Tony Mordente; David Winters; Jose De Vega;
Jay Norman; Gus Trikonis; (YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6);
(Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4); Karen drove me home at 9:15 pm

Karen ordered Hong Kong Crispy Fried Noodles
with Scallops, Shrimps, Fish, Veggies from Chef
Chu's; I brought over Deviled-Egg Potato Salad
and Sara Lee Apple Pie for dessert. Thursday, December 31, 2020, 9:30-11:55 pm
Mountain View: "Pierre Cardin, Designer to the Famous and Merchant to the Masses, Dies at 98"" (In a career spanning more than 3/4 of a century, he remained a futurist, reproducing fashions for ready-to-wear consumption) (Ruth La Ferla, NY Times, 12-29-2020); "Phil Niekro, Hall of Fame Knuckleball Pitcher, Dies at 81" (5-time all-star, played in MLB for 24 seasons, but never made it to World Series; No-hitter against Padres in 1973.) (By Richard Goldstein, NY Times, 12-27-2020)

"Barry Lopez, Lyrical Writer Who Was Likened to Thoreau, Dies at 75" (Spent 5 years in the Arctic, National Book Award for Arctic Dreams (1986); (By Robert D. McFadden, NY Times, 12-26-2020.