If You Give Leonardo da Vinci a Paintbrush...

If you give Leonardo da Vinci a paintbrush, he will want to paint the universal picture.

When he figures out he can’t do it, he will be sad and need a handkerchief.

When you hand him the handkerchief, he will notice that the way you are holding it makes it look like a face. He will immediately cheer up and ask you to hold it just like that while he sketches it.

After a while he will get tired of drawing the handkerchief and start drawing you instead. You will not notice until he asks you to look at the picture. Since you were not paying attention, you look like you were staring off into space. (People for years afterwards will wonder why you have that strange smile on your face.)

Since he finished the picture, he will be very happy. But since he is so easily distracted, he will forget why he is happy, and eventually think it is because he has figured out how to unite the universal and particular. You will ask him to explain it, because it sounds interesting. He will try to explain, but he will not be able to, because he does not know how to unite the universal and particular without bringing God into the matter, which he does not want to do. He will get very confused and confuse you too, and the two of you will sit and be confused together for a while.

After a while he will forget why he was confused and want to paint a new universal picture. And if he tries to paint a universal picture, he’ll need a paintbrush.

New Year Resolutions... or Whatever They Are

This is my first time actually writing down a New Year Resolutions list, so it's not quite so polished and complete-looking as some of the lists out there....

• Finish writing the unnamed book that looks as if it will be a prequel to an already-planned trilogy.
• Play Charlotte in Charlotte's Web at one or more productions (and hopefully do well...)
• Keep time spent on the Internet to a minimum.
• Learn to speak Welsh, complete with grammar.
• Learn to sing "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog.
• Participate in a Shakespeare play.
• Learn to drive.

Cornflower saw me and she wants to put down her resolutions here too, so here they are:

Bake a cake.
Read books I haven't read.
Catch up on math.
Have my friends over.
Go to the movies!!
Learn "Fur Elise" on the piano.
Give my sisters hugs.