Blog | davidsmith208

Heart not blind

Your page actually shows two very important teachings from the Masnavi of Jalal ad-Din Rumi. One is about blind hearts, and the other about weeping clouds. Let’s take them one at a time and relate them to you. 1. The quote at the top: “The heart that is blind” The line at the top of your page echoes a famous verse from the Qur’an (22:46): “It is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts in the breasts.” Rumi is explaining this idea. The commentary on your page says: Divine

davidsmith208

4 hours ago3 min read

Weeping clouds make the plants greener

The passage you circled comes from the Masnavi of Jalal ad-Din Rumi. The key line is: “Weeping clouds make the plants greener.” Rumi often uses rain = tears and plants = the soul. So the teaching is that sorrow, repentance, or emotional softness nourishes spiritual growth the way rain nourishes plants. Let’s look at your day in that light. 1. The funeral: the “weeping clouds” A funeral is exactly the kind of moment Rumi means. When people face death: the ego softens the heart

davidsmith208

4 hours ago2 min read

Diamond Shaped Gusseted crotch

1️⃣ Is the $150 Lululemon pant nylon? Yes — some versions are partly nylon, but not always pure nylon. The popular Lululemon Commission Pant Classic Warpstreme (often around $128–$150 new) uses blends such as: 58% cotton 29% nylon 13% elastane (spandex) Other versions use different fabrics (Warpstreme, Utilitech, etc.), so the exact blend changes by model year. Why people like them: 4-way stretch ergonomic gusseted crotch (ABC technology) for mobility dress-pant appearance bu

davidsmith208

12 hours ago2 min read

Performance Chino

Here are three specific pants that match what you want: dress-pant appearance stretch for pickleball / yoga cooler technical fabric available in 30 inseam (easy to hem to 29) I chose ones with better cooling fabrics than your 90% polyester pair. 1. Best Overall Performance Chino Lululemon Commission Performance Pant Why this is one of the most popular “stealth athletic” pants: nylon / elastane technical fabric 4-way stretch breathable and quick-dry flat front dress-pant look

davidsmith208

12 hours ago2 min read

Parmigiano Reggiano

Yes — Parmigiano Reggiano is actually quite high in protein, especially compared with most cheeses. That’s one reason athletes and cyclists in Italy often use it as a recovery food. Protein in Parmigiano Reggiano Typical nutrition (per ~1 oz / 28 g): Protein: ~10 g Fat: ~7 g Calories: ~110 Calcium: ~330 mg That means about 36 g of protein per 100 g, which is more protein-dense than many meats by weight. Because it’s aged, much of the protein is partially broken down, making i

davidsmith208

1 day ago2 min read

Whinfield is epic

Your reaction is shared by quite a few readers. Edward Henry Whinfield is often remembered mainly as a translator, but many people feel his version reads like an English epic poem in its own right. Why Whinfield’s version feels so powerful Whinfield tried to reproduce the spirit of the Persian mathnawi verse form from the Masnavi. In Persian, Rumi writes in rhyming couplets that carry the story forward quickly, and Whinfield recreated that momentum in English. So his translat

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

The Lion and the Hare at the Pickleball Court

The Lion and the Hare at the Pickleball Court Upon a bright and breezy morn Where paddles popped and shoes were worn, A lion strode with mighty glare To rule the court and claim his share. He smashed each ball with roaring might, A thunderclap of yellow flight. “Stand back!” he cried. “I end points fast— No rally here shall ever last!” The players sighed. “What can we do? His drives come hard, his temper too.” Then from the fence there hopped with care A quiet soul—a thinking

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

Pickleball strategy and Rumi

1️⃣ The Victorian translator you’re thinking of The famous rhyming English version of the Masnavi was largely produced by Reynold A. Nicholson (1868–1945). Nicholson was an English scholar at Cambridge who: translated large portions of Rumi’s Masnavi into English verse also produced a major critical Persian edition used somewhat Victorian-style poetic diction His translation often uses rhyming couplets or rhythmic lines to echo the Persian poetic form. Later translators inclu

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

The Lion and the Hare

The story you’re reading in Masnavi (often translated “The Lion and the Hare”) is one of the most famous teaching stories of Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi. It appears in Book I and continues for many verses because Rumi keeps pausing the story to give spiritual commentary. Below is a concise summary of the section you mentioned (roughly the parts around lines ~390–495) including the themes you listed. 1. The situation: the lion and the animals A powerful lion terrorizes all the animals o

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

Post tennis stretch

The 30-second calf and hip reset many tennis players use is basically a two-part stretch that releases the calf–Achilles chain and the hip flexors. Those two areas get tight from constant sprinting, stopping, and lunging on court. 🎾 It only takes about 30 seconds each side. 1️⃣ The calf reset (Achilles / calf stretch) Use a wall, fence, or bench. This is essentially the classic Gastrocnemius stretch. How to do it Place both hands on a wall or fence. Step one leg back. Keep t

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

Legs up the wall

A very simple recovery trick many tennis players use is “legs-up-the-wall” for a few minutes after play. It’s surprisingly effective and takes almost no effort. 🧘‍♂️ The position is essentially the yoga pose Viparita Karani. How to do it Lie on your back near a wall or bench. Raise your legs straight up so they rest vertically against the wall. Relax your arms at your sides. Stay there 3–5 minutes breathing slowly. Wall │ │ legs │ ↑ ↑ │ ↑ ↑ └───body lying on floor Why

davidsmith208

2 days ago1 min read

Yamaha Reface CP

The tiny keyboard many musicians say feels closest to a real instrument (despite being very small) is the Yamaha Reface series. The reason is its high-quality mini keybed — Yamaha designed it to feel much more like a real keyboard than typical “toy-like” mini controllers. The famous small keyboard with the best key feel Yamaha Reface CP Why players love it: 37 mini keys (almost 3 octaves) unusually solid key travel excellent velocity response very sturdy key mechanism battery

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

Arturia keystep 37

Yes — the “unusual” keyboard size I mentioned is 32–37 keys. Many experienced synth players prefer this size because it’s still portable but much easier to play real music than a 25-key keyboard. Let me show you the two that people talk about the most. 1️⃣ The unusual “32-key” type A classic example is the 32-key portable controller. M‑Audio Keystation Mini 32 MK3 Why some players like 32 keys: you get almost three octaves enough space for left-hand bass + right-hand melody s

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

Small Midi keyboard

You are asking two very good strategic questions about building a small music system: 1️⃣ Can another keyboard brand give me more software? 2️⃣ Do I need Bluetooth if my MacBook only has two USB-C ports? Let’s look at both. 1. Yes — different keyboards often include different software bundles This is actually one reason some musicians buy multiple brands. Example controllers Arturia (your current ecosystem) If you bought Arturia MiniLab 3 MIDI Controller you usually get: Anal

davidsmith208

2 days ago2 min read

String Quartet dream

That’s a fascinating musical image your mind produced. What you described — four voices moving independently in steady rhythm — fits very naturally with the idea of a string quartet texture or a sequencer-like contrapuntal pattern. 🎼 Why your mind may have chosen four voices Four independent lines is one of the most stable textures in Western music. A classic string quartet has exactly four voices: First violin – often the highest melodic line Second violin – inner counterpo

davidsmith208

4 days ago2 min read

Synthesizer class

That dream has a very interesting structure because it looks less like a random dream and more like a problem-solving or integration dream. These often happen when the brain is organizing ideas you’ve been thinking about recently. 🧠🎶 You’ve recently been exploring things like: synthesizer patches rhythm structures (like 7/8 in Tom Sawyer) music production tools and MIDI gear the possibility of AI generating musical notation So your brain likely used sleep to simulate a conv

davidsmith208

4 days ago2 min read

Banana - Tennis - Plaintain

What you ate in the photo looks like a ripe yellow plantain (plátano maduro) that has been air-fried. That is actually a very good carbohydrate source, especially for someone doing tennis and pickleball like you. 🍌 Let’s compare it to a normal banana. Nutrition comparison (per ~100 g) Banana Plantain Calories ~89 ~116–122 Carbohydrates ~23 g ~31 g Fiber ~2–3 g ~2 g Potassium ~358 mg ~465 mg Plantains have about 30–35% more carbohydrates than bananas, mostly from starch. They

davidsmith208

4 days ago2 min read

Fat stacked oscillators

The famous synth sound in Tom Sawyer by Rush comes from an analog synth patch played by Geddy Lee. It was created on an Oberheim OB-X (later sometimes OB-Xa live). The sound is often called a sync-lead or OB brass lead. The “Tom Sawyer” Synth Patch Here are the basic ingredients of the patch. Oscillators Two oscillators slightly detuned. Oscillator 1: Sawtooth Oscillator 2: Sawtooth (slightly detuned) Detuning creates the thick analog sound. Filter A key part of the tone. Low

davidsmith208

4 days ago2 min read

Quantize and clean it

Automatic scores with Ai Even in Garage Band AI is already beginning to do this, but it is not yet perfectly reliable for complex parts like the synth solo in Tom Sawyer by Rush. However, the technology is advancing quickly. Let’s look at where things stand. 1. What AI can already do (2026) AI systems can already perform automatic music transcription — turning audio into notes or MIDI. Some tools that musicians use now include: AnthemScore – converts recordings into sheet mus

davidsmith208

4 days ago2 min read

7/8 time Rush

Yes — Rush loved unusual time signatures, and that’s a big reason their music feels intellectually exciting to play. Both Tom Sawyer and Subdivisions use rhythmic tricks that most rock bands avoid. Rhythm in “Tom Sawyer” Most of the song is in 4/4 time, but Rush adds subtle rhythmic tension. Main groove The basic pulse is: 4/4 rock time Count it like: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 But the synthesizer and guitar accents often land between the beats, creating a syncopated feel. Example of the

davidsmith208

4 days ago2 min read