You know the Thought Experiments. This is the back of the envelope.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Take a bow, Mr. Carroll.

Some of my favourites from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass...this is for an author and poet I have grown up loving. For train journeys, winter vacations and after-school afternoons that he lit up with his warmth, wit and humour. You're one of my favourites, Mr. Carroll. Thank you for happening to that six-year-old throwing tantrums when the train was delayed. :)

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." 

...
"I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then. " 

...
"Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.'

I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. There goes the shawl again!" 

...
"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"

...

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again." 

...
"Why it's simply impassible!
Alice: Why, don't you mean impossible?
Door: No, I do mean impassible. (chuckles) Nothing's impossible!" 

...
"If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison' it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later." 

...
"Just look down the road and tell me if you can see either of them."
I see nobody on the road." said Alice.
I only wish I had such eyes,"the King remarked in a fretful tone. "To be able to see Nobody! And at such a distance too!" 

...
"And how do you know that you're mad? "To begin with," said the Cat, "a dog's not mad. You grant that?" I suppose so, said Alice. "Well then," the Cat went on, "you see a dog growls when it's angry, and wags it's tale when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad." 

...

6 comments:

Absolute Chemystic said...

Dude this live traffic feed is slightly creepy, dont you think ? ;)

Crossworder said...

I'm stuck with it for ten days because some random site put this widget on my page when I clicked on someone else's out of curiosity! I think it's creepy AND stupid because every time I visit my own blog, it tells me I visited it. I mean, come ON! :(

Crossworder said...

But if I didn't let Blogger get away with not letting me post comments on my own blog, maybe I should roll up my sleeves and see what I can do about removing these fancy new gadgets that have been slid onto my page. I spend more time fixing all this on Blogger than actually writing. Sheesh.

Crossworder said...

+dancing in triumph+ Eureka!

Absolute Chemystic said...

And all life restored to normal :D

Crossworder said...

:D I went to bed an hour later than I intended to...but it was totally worth it!