QChapitre the next.
By candlelight.
After all these years.
Sketches
Wondering without forging wordy girders.
Building the foundation for a new bridge.
Destination.
To be decided.
Soon…
Tag Archives: happiness
Are you prepared to go?
News of my high school/college/fraternity/sorority prom date’s father’s death:
A nod to my new facebook friend, Rhonda Vincent, who, like her contemporary, Claire Lynch, has provided many an insightful moment of joyous bluegrass music.
I contemplate my mortality on a sunny Wednesday – nothing but blue skies, temp in the mid-50s (Fahrenheit), cats asleep on the bed.
I guess the last time I saw Monica was at her wedding in Kosciusko, Mississippi, many years ago. Since then, her two children, Christy and Jeremy, have grown up, and her facebook update indicates she and her husband are contemplating a move to Singapore.
She and I shared a near-fatal car smashup with two other secondary schoolmates.
And now her father is dead, his last moment alive spent in an automobile.
This is a day when the intersecting cycles and spirals of life put me in a blue mood.
Sure, I’m healthy and happy for my age and physical condition.
Going to the fan pages of musicians may divert my attention but my thoughts wander away.
Of what worth am I if I can find no comforting words to give what for many years people considered my closest friend and girlfriend?
Monica, I don’t know what to say. Our paths diverged so long ago that I’m not sure who you are anymore, although you seem to have lived a good medium-to-upper middle class life raising two good kids.
Your father sat down with me and had a serious discussion of the possibilities of he and I being father and son in-law.
He honestly told me that some of my immature actions when I was younger had caused him to wonder about the relationship between you and me, but he trusted you, and he had watched me mature into a good, young man.
He advised me to look around his house and see if it represented the kind of lifestyle I would expect if I married you or someone like you because, after all, it was the lifestyle to which you had grown accustomed.
He wanted grandchildren one day and would expect his son in-law to go deer hunting with him on occasions, although water skiing was a good substitute (his joking reference he made to the summers we skiied on the lake at your family’s lakefront property).
Other than that, he hoped I’d focus on my university studies and choose a good career to support a family, no matter who I decided to marry.
Good, solid advice.
Here we are, 30 years or so out of secondary school and now he’s gone.
You and I are middle-aged, your children making adult decisions of their own at about the age your father gave me sage wisdom.
That’s all I know.
All I’ve got to offer.
Your legacy is secure.
More than plenty.
I’m happy for you.
We’ve had good lives.
I celebrate your father’s life, knowing your children will talk about the wisdom and advice you and Dean gave them and their future spouses, because they had your father in their lives, gently guiding them in the right direction.
Championship Rings
On a solar scale.
I can’t help but think about the film “Akira” today. I know many of you have.
I’m not a manga fan, picking the film up last year at a going-out-of-business sale by a local video rental store that lost out to the redbox business plan.
I may have heard of “Akira” once or twice before by some of my former employees who were into niche markets exemplified by Comic-Con, Dragon*Con, Trekkie conferences, offroad/4×4 events and ham radio swap fests.
Meanwhile, the Chargers savour another win while preparing for the next game.
I must decide about moments yet to be.
Is there a place for me in our socioeconomic system, either on the micro or macro scale? Or both?
If I do not exist, does it matter what these states of energy do with themselves?
Although thoughts from many walks of life flow through me, I am a relatively simple guy.
Is there a place for simple in today’s economy?
“Noisemakers are not allowed,” the loud announcer said noisily over the PA system. What?
To what am I sensitised today? Usually, I feel a level of tension build up and then assign an event that serves as the relief valve.
All of us are motivated by something.
I think and I write.
Maybe it’s time to move from “I” to “i” to encourage movement along the path of absence of self.
Otherwise, vanity will get the best of me.
It’s easy to talk about states of energy being absent of good and evil when one has a solid sense of one’s comfortable set of moral and ethical boundaries provided by subcultural guidance and natural/genetic propensity of some sort.
I am a member of my species, not another, although i contain close to 100% of the same genetic material as many other combined states of energy we call separate species, whether they/we are directly codependent or indirectly tied to me through the global ecosystem.
Imagine the impossible and then make the impossible practical.
As my accountant said, there are many people with 100 patents in their names but few of them are earning a living off their inventions.
I hope Jennifer Hudson is not taking uppers or other “dietetic” supplements to push her weight down.
I before e, except after c.
Mixing formality informally.
Asking because i don’t know or need/want to know everything.
I forget what I told myself to do, repeating, repeating because I can’t remember I was once i before.
What’s next for me?
Is simply observing enough?
The universe is vaster than my readily-available thought set but it doesn’t stop me from adding new memories, neither punishing nor rewarding myself for recognising I’ve regained lost memories or lost them forever because I know these states of energy like to demonstrate the concepts of inertia and entropy for no other reason than to play a joke on themselves.
I fade away slowly. i guess that’s simple enough for now.
What the world of at&t Internet users should already know
Broadband Usage FAQs [from: http://www.att.com/esupport, as of 16 Mar 2011]
Are there any usage limits for my broadband service?
Yes. As of May 2, 2011, AT&T’s residential DSL High Speed Internet plans will have a usage allowance of 150 Gigabytes (“GB”) per month, and its residential U-verse High Speed Internet plans will have a usage allowance of 250 Gigabytes (“GB”) per month. The usage allowance is the amount of data you can send and receive each month.
Why is AT&T implementing a usage allowance?
AT&T has experienced a dramatic increase in the amount of data that is sent and received over its wireline broadband networks. This dramatic increase is driven primarily by a small fraction of our customers. In fact, the top 2% of customers use about 20% of the total capacity on our network. A single high traffic user can utilize the same amount of data capacity as 19 typical households. Lopsided usage patterns can cause congestion at certain points in the network, which can slow Internet speeds and interfere with other customers’ access to and use of the network.
What is a gigabyte?
A gigabyte is a unit of measurement of the amount of data that is transmitted over the Internet. Approximately 50,000 single-page e-mails (without attachments), for example, equate to about 1 GB. It is important to remember that a GB represents the amount of data sent over the network, and not the amount of time spent using the Internet.
How much is 150 GB?
150 GB is far more data than most customers ever use in a month. Our average DSL customer uses only about 18 GB per month. In fact, less than 2% of DSL users utilize more than 150 GB per month. We estimate that 98% of our customers will not be affected by this change because the monthly usage allowance includes so much bandwidth.
How much do I get with 150 or 250 GB?
You can do a lot with 150 or 250 GB. Here is an example.
| Monthly Activity | 150 GB | 250 GB |
| Send/receive one page emails | 10,000 emails
-and- |
10,000 emails
-and- |
| Download/upload a medium resolution photo to social media site like Facebook | 3,000 photos
-and- |
4,000 photos
-and- |
| MP3 Songs downloaded | 2,000 songs
-and- |
3,000 songs
-and- |
| Stream a one-minute YouTube video (standard quality) | 5,000 views
-and- |
5,000 views
-and- |
| Watch hour-long TV Shows (high quality) | 100 shows
-and – |
200 shows
-and – |
| Stream full length movies (Standard Definition: SD; High Definition: HD) | 20 SD or 10 HD movies | 25 SD or 13 HD movies |
Usage examples are estimates based on typical file sizes and/or duration of file transfer or streaming event.
Will spending a lot of time on the Internet cause me to exceed my monthly usage allowance?
Time alone is not the determining factor; it is the activity that matters. You could spend several hours reading e-mails, for example, and use less than 1 GB of data. You could spend 30 minutes downloading a movie, on the other hand, and use 2 GB of data. It is important to remember that it is what you are doing on the Internet, not how long you do it, that determines the amount of data that you use.
Can anyone other than someone in my immediate household affect my bandwidth usage?
If you have not secured your wireless gateway/router, someone nearby with a computer or Wi-Fi enabled device could access your home network and use your High Speed Internet Service, which could increase your monthly usage. AT&T recommends that you secure your wireless router/gateway to prevent others from using your High Speed Internet Service. We suggest that you use common encryption protocols, such as Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) for security. Check www.att.com/esupport for support with AT&T provided devices, or your manufacturer’s support website for help with securing your wireless router/gateway.
What will happen if I exceed my monthly usage allowance?
You will receive a notice the first time your usage exceeds the applicable monthly allowance.
In the following months, we will send you additional notices each month when your usage exceeds 65%, 90% and 100% of your monthly usage allowance. If you exceed your monthly allowance a second time, AT&T will send you a notice advising you that the next time you exceed your allowance – the third time – you will be billed $10 for each 50 GB of data over your allowance.
We will continue to send you courtesy notifications when your usage exceeds 65%, 90% and 100% of your monthly usage allowance to keep you informed about your usage patterns. All of these notices will remind you of what your monthly usage allowance is, provide you with information to help you understand broadband data usage, offer you tips on how to effectively control your usage to stay below your monthly allowance, and explain what your options are if you exceed your allowance in future billing periods. For example, you can modify your usage patterns to stay below your monthly usage allowance; continue your normal usage patterns and pay $10 for each additional 50 GB of data over your monthly allowance; or terminate your service, consistent with the terms of any special pricing offer that you previously accepted.
Importantly, if you do not receive a notice from AT&T, it means that you have not exceeded your monthly usage allowance. In some cases, it may mean that we cannot measure your usage yet. Either way, you should not be concerned about your usage patterns for billing purposes.
Where will I receive notices about my broadband usage?
You will receive notices about your broadband usage at the primary e-mail address that you set up when you registered for Service. We will send a letter by U.S. mail if we cannot reach you by e-mail or do not have your e-mail address.
How will AT&T help me to monitor my usage?
AT&T will provide a website with two options to assist customers in managing their High Speed Internet usage.
First, AT&T will provide a personal usage report at www.MyUsage.att.com where customers can view how much actual data they have used in a given month from the January 2011 bill cycle to the most recent billing cycle. To protect confidential customer information, this site is password-protected. The login process requires your Internet access login and password. The login is your AT&T primary account email address (e.g., John_smith@att.net). The password is the same password used to access your att.net homepage and primary email account.
AT&T initially will report usage data on a weekly basis. When a customer uses 70% of their monthly usage allowance, we will supplement their personal usage report on a daily basis. A customer’s usage will be posted on the website within 1 – 4 days after it is collected.
Second, AT&T will provide a website with examples of what kind of Internet activity can impact your actual usage. In addition, on the same site AT&T will provide a usage calculator, which will enable customers to input data about how they typically use their Service and calculate an estimate of how much data they are likely to use in a given month. This website will be available in late April 2011.
I can’t seem to access the usage tool. What should I do?
Many of our customers have access to this tool already. For those who don’t today, until your usage is available for viewing on www.MyUsage.att.com, you should not be concerned about your usage patterns for billing purposes. Once the tool is available, you will be notified if you exceed your allowance.
Braveheart: is that a real tattoo?
Victory!
Elite Eight and bound for Massachusetts
When pictures speak louder than words, don’t let your touchtyping get in the way.
When 2500 people in a capacity crowd and more who wanted to get in but can’t are focused on one thing and one thing only, you can reach new heights.
History will record the names of the individuals – I see a whole team cocooned by a network of love and support that heals wounds, old and new.
We eulogise the dead, both old and new – from a WWI veteran to tsunami/earthquakes victims to innocent lives cut short by terrorism.
And tonight, in a humble town in north-central Alabama, a basketball team celebrates with friends, family, fans and community.
I salute you, the participants, both teams having won a place in my memory for their passion.
The Stillman pep band as good as any BET marching band competitor, the UAH pep band and cheerleaders making me believe when they moved and moved me as one.
We lived in the moment together and it was better than any movie, any concert, any television show, any any any thing at all.
It was almost as good as…well, this is a family-oriented blog so I won’t say what you know I was going to say. Almost…well, maybe better even (in some ways)!
A nod to Naomi Flanagan, wherever she is, for inspiring me to put value on the balance between work and family.
“That’s what finishing strong looks like” – right you are.
If I haven’t demonstrated to you the strength of living in the moment, I don’t know what else to do besides keep on living the way I do, the past no longer existing and the future never guaranteed.
You are the only reason I’m here, celebrating life as if it’s the only moment we’ll ever have with one another.
Free of worry. Free of want.
Free.
States of energy in all their glory.
More nods: Papa Gyro’s for dinner tonight; Century Buick jacket by Cutter & Buck; Bill Penney Toyota for putting new tires on my wife’s ’02 Camry today; the free face painting; Tuscaloosa Charter bus; SportsMed athletic trainer; the guy with the T-shirt that read, “Nobody trains to lose”; ticket makers such as Weldon, Williams & Lick; the students who made the banner to be signed by fans and alumni after the game; the tournament trophy maker; those I’ve forgotten in my excitement although they made important contributions to tonight’s main event.
One word: AXIOS. I don’t know what it means but it means something important to somebody.
The power to heal is a lot of responsibility because it’s also the power to tear apart systems in order to get to the deeper, less superficial, root of a problem we don’t know is there until we examine with the state-of-the-art, bleeding-edge instruments we aren’t sure will work until we’ve lost ourselves in the quest for the unknown future.
Strive for the unknown because that’s all there is.
Enjoy your talents for what they give you, and the people around you, in the here and now.
No one will remember me after I’m gone but my impact will last forever – I’m making it count because you’re here with me.
Win or lose, we depend on each other for this moment.
I think I’ll step outside and yell at the sky again. It sure feels good! Aaaa-whooooooo!
Not that I’m suggesting anything…
While putting together the script to top all scripts about college basketball, I’ve considered sharing some of the images with you:
- A college fraternity sneaking into the gym at night and changing out banners, with new ones containing small but perceptibly clever anagrams that are not obvious to the casual viewer.
- A few students from the computer science/engineering department coordinating with students from the electrical/mechanical engineering departments to turn basketball goals hanging from the ceiling into mechanical dancers, or…
- The same and more students turning the basketball goals into mechanised dragons and/or bats hanging from the ceiling.
- LED light bars hidden in the rafters and turned on after the championship game to spell out a message, depending on the winner.
- The same for the basketball court, using mesh-networked, battery powered miniLEDs inserted between the hardwood strips or on the gym walls.
- School team coloured fog pouring out of the air vents after a big event.
- A remote-controlled, programmable variable delay in the PA system – nothing like an announcer who hears his/her voice microseconds later than she/he expected, especially as the delay and/or compression varies in length while the person is talking, without the crowd hearing a pitch change.
- Creating an alternative to the official event program, with whatever the creative minds in the art/literature department can come up with, distributing free and/or placing in the stands.
- Reprogramming the security guards’ 2-way radios to pick up a music station in a foreign language at odd intervals.
- Soap, paper towels and toilet tissue in the bathroom that change into the school colours as they get wet, the colour being semi-permanent and nontoxic.
- Changing select sections and bars of music scores in the pep band’s music holders.
- Replacing slides in brass/wind instruments to a slightly shorter/longer length and smaller/larger diameter; putting remote-controlled, programmable passageway restrictions deep down inside the slides; wind instruments with reconfigured fingering.
- The team jokingly sending out fake players onto the field for practice before the game.
- The referees wearing white-and-black striped shirts instead of black-and-white striped shirts.
- Referee whistles that sound like foghorns or train whistles (again, programmable).
- Home team fans/students sitting on the visitors side, filling up the seats before the doors are opened.
- A referee fan club cheering every time a foul is called, with signs held up showing the referee’s name in large letters; the fans cheering, “run, referee [or referee’s name], run!,” every time the team ball possession changes.
- The announcer calling out a different foul than the one indicated by the referee.
- The foul shot shooter insisting on shooting from the top of the three-point line, with the coach running out and arguing for an extra point when the ball goes through the hoop.
- The hoop/goal a large electromagnet programmed (again, remotely) to repel/attract the official game ball, which is actually a fake one lined with a metal mesh inside.
- Both teams secretly agreeing to walk to the wrong side of the court for a foul shot.
- Harlem Globetrotters appearing in one or both teams’ uniforms during halftime warmups and acting like nothing’s the matter but slowly swapping out with the real players as the Globetrotters take the other team’s sideline seats – a joke on the coaches.
- Coaches encouraging the other team’s players and screaming at theirs – wait, they already do that, don’t they?
- Fans/students clearing the gym just before players appear for halftime warmups.
- Videographers’ cameras programmed to record in reverse/negative or some effect like magnifying soap bubbles.
- Photographers forced to sit in the upper deck.
- Reporters told obvious lies by players/coaches/fans/administration, all of the interviewees maintaining a straight face.
- Fans running up to NCAA officials and asking for their autographs and photos with the family.
- Gym lights briefly going out (or for lights that need warmup time, getting covered) during an official timeup, leaving only black light bulbs illuminating the gym for a couple of seconds.
- Opposing pep bands playing a song round-robin style.
- Renumbering the seats in opposite order, right-to-left or left-to-right (same for rows and section numbers).
- Swapping out Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola labels to see who notices the difference.
- During the game, announcing the scores of a completely different sport in a country that has maybe one or two players in the current game who get the joke.
- The school mascot wearing an altered headgear, or one programmed to change shape throughout the game.
- Cheerleaders jumping up and down and making mouth/facial expressions without saying anything audible.
- Cheerleader megaphones with voice changers.
- Folding bleachers that slightly move forward, backward, left or right throughout the game (millimeters, not inches).
- Seats/bleachers that randomly make loud groaning sounds or aahs whenever people sit down or stand up.
- A fan that belches loudly throughout the game.
- A family that sits and reads some obscure literature during the game, discussing fine plot points no matter what’s going on on the basketball court.
- People hidden under the bleachers who take, move or swap out whatever people have placed beside their feet.
- Students holding up tablet PCs that spell out phrases, either scrolling or static.
Those are just a few of the images the script will display to the reader, including the usual clever wordplay, innuendos, misunderstandings and inside jokes we’ve come to expect.
Let the games begin! The best teams win.
Thanks to my friends who attended such pranksterish schools as CalTech – your stories from the ’80s inspire me to this day.
A shoutout to Dr. Dalle Ave for his…well, his reputation (or lack thereof?) of kind elderly customer care. The word is out, dude. As the UAH students say at basketball games, “airball, airball, you suck!” [I don’t think their cheer of “Ug-ly play-er” during a foul shot applies here, though.] Thank goodness, my mother in-law has kids, grandkids and in-laws who care about her as a real, living, loving person.
Sympathies to the family of my high school/UTK mate, Monica. Your father was a great man – Eastman chemist, Amway star, lakehouse chaperone, road runner, deer hunter and wise advisor to teenagers. You, your siblings and children are wonderful examples of your father’s ability to raise well-rounded kids. He died much too young but he’s with you in spirit the rest of your days.
Two Points
- Our Body the Ecosystem: Understanding the Interplay Between Man and Microbe
- Is This a “Killer Spray” for Kitchen Microbes?
From Wikipedia:
A microbiome is the totality of microbes, their genetic elements (genomes), and environmental interactions in a defined environment. A defined environment could, for example, be the gut of a human being or a soil sample. Thus, microbiome usually includes microbiota and their complete genetic elements. The human microbiome contains over 10 times more microbes than genetically human cells.[1]
The expression “microbiome” was coined by Joshua Lederberg. In his opinion, the microorganisms should be included as part of the human genome, because of their influence on human physiology.
[1] Zimmer, Carl (13 July 2010). “How Microbes Defend and Define Us”. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/science/13micro.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
Survivor: Real-Life Classroom
From my folks, both educators:
Have you heard about the next planned “Survivor” show?
Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary school classroom for 1 school year.
Every business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school district’s curriculum, and a class of 20-25 students.
Every class will have a minimum of five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.H.D., one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three students will be labeled with severe behavior problems.
Every business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance, with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create their materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also stand in their doorway between class changes to monitor the hallways.
In addition, they will complete fire drills, tornado drills, and [Code Red] drills for shooting attacks each month.
They must attend workshops, faculty meetings, and attend curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the State Mandated Tests. If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show.
Every day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment to motivate students at all times. If all students do not wish to cooperate, work, or learn, the teacher will be held responsible.
If not involved in extracurricular activities with the students (out-of-town sporting events, math tournaments, spelling bees, etc.), the business people will only have access to the public golf course on the weekends, but with their new salary, they will not be able to afford it. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to thirty minutes, which is not counted as part of their work day. The business people will be permitted to use a student restroom, as long as another survival candidate can supervise their class.
If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials before, or after, school. However, they cannot surpass their monthly limit of copies. The business people must continually advance their education, at their expense, and on their own time.
The winner of this Season of Survivor will be allowed to return to his/her job.
FINIS
You Can Run But You Can’t Hide Your Running Hose
This time of year, at least in this part of the country, nasal/chest congestion complaints fill the air.
So, with that in mind, I’m moving my imaginary international troops into Libya and declaring a global free-trade zone; also, sending UN troops to Bahrain to protect against invading Saudi forces.
Oh wait. I’m sorry, skip that last part. I forgot I eliminated political borders in this realm. Everything goes, doesn’t it?
Let’s fight Saudi forces with U.S. forces and pit American fighting weaponry against itself. I’m sure the Iranian leaders would love to see that! I’d love to see it spill over into Iranian airspace, a simple excuse for taking care of paramilitary cyberwarriors hiding behind computer screens.
Are we a behind-the-times species acting like it’s still a few packs of primates running from large predators?
My network demonstrated its power in Chile, China, New Zealand, and Japan. Time to stir up the sands of the Middle East and show how fleeting oil power really is, isn’t it? One scientist suggested twisting the magnetic poles out of shape a little faster, breaking apart the mantle and sucking raw oil reserves down into the core.
Is there not another planet to play with? Is Carlos Slim the best the world has to offer?
This, there, another.
Word trails trailing off into infinity…
Infernal internal combustion engines.
The shadow of a car making an outline of the Penn State Litany Nylon logo.
A mother in-law needing emotional support more than a cat needs dental work.
Ants roaming the house while the yard gets soaked with rain.
Giving over to randomness to prove that randomness is the variation in predictable patterns.
Watching family members insist the mother/grandmother must give up her way of life for their love and support (and their convenience, coincidentally), not the other way around.
Hearing so many others in nursing homes tell the same story – “my [family relation] felt it was in my best interest to move closer to him/her.”
I want to die where I was most comfortable, not where it was convenient for those taking care of me who’ll end up inevitably extending my life in strange surroundings which I’ll never enjoy as much as I enjoyed my comfort zone. Do us both a favour – put me in a wheelchair and push me into the woods behind my house on a cold winter’s night, with a beer in one hand and a tall glass of whiskey in the other.
Bumper sticker on Honda CR-V near Alabama A&M campus – “My karma ran over your dogma.”
I can’t imagine having to worry about a slow decline or sudden weakness in my old age and afraid to tell my family relations I don’t feel well, knowing they’re just waiting for an excuse to move me to their comfort zone, thinking little of what “home” means to me, not them.
I gave in to temptation today. Yes, my flesh is weak. I bought my wife and me six, count them, SIX cupcakes decorated in green and white for St. Patrick’s Day, courtesy of Publix and David (customer service team leader) and Nathan, bagger supreme.
During a walk up and down the street, I played chase with a neighbour’s little boxer puppy and had fun like a kid again.
Do you manage the IT department of your company? If so, do you read or have an employee read/scan the emails of employees/executives for company security purposes? Do you archive IM sessions and SMS text messages sent from company smartphones? Do you monitor IP traffic passing through the airwaves of company property? Do you use GPS trackers in company cars and company credit cards? Are you part of a larger network paid to keep tabs on specific individuals for a purpose that may or may not coincide with company policy? Do you secretly pay car rental companies to provide tracking data and private investigators, when off-the-books recordkeeping is absolutely necessary?
Thank goodness, no one wants to keep me alive for his/her sake, except my wife, of course, most days, anyway. 😉
Otherwise, as my sister says, it’ll just be a matter of managing my monetary resources to stretch them as much as possible to provide me the comfort and care that is as humane as I would choose to treat my aging pets.
Vanna, I’m glad you still have that smile.
Claire, sorry to hear about your transportation vehicle.
Holding seven billion people and the supporting global ecosystem in my hand, I ask myself what tearing down and rebuilding the system to my specifications (with guidance by the Committee, as always) will bring to future generations unaware of invisible hands directing their ancestors’ actions.
Thank goodness, I’m not the only one.
It’s all about the paradigm of the network in today’s pallid parlour parleying parlance.
If you can’t harness the Sun, then grab le règne by the horns.
My worst torture – being the eldest male at a funeral and filling up my thoughts with more and more new comedy sketches about the dead but mentally shutting down and going into automaton mode while having to play the part of the serious wise elder, not the wise guy.
Celebrate living by having fun – there’s plenty of time to be dead serious.
Most of us grew up some place we call local and probably “home.” Don’t feel sorry for everyone else – just treat them like good family members, with a little love and gentle humour to help lighten the burden of daily living.
Besides, Earth is home to all of us, no matter how we treat it or each other.
Hard to believe the Bristol race track is as old as I am. My father says he took me not long after I was born so the speedway is just about my oldest memory other than my parents’ loving faces. Let’s go racing, shall we?
Glad the Kingsport track is running.
Time to put Claire Lynch back on my Internet tunes and swing to her sweet bluegrass voice.
2011 is not the worst year in my life (or my species) but it sure is a big one. Good thing I know all about the big picture and the circles, cycles and spirals that make everything new all over again.
Mike “Aww Shucks” A. Bee
When life hands you lemons, plant an orchard and start a citrus import/export business.
We continue the experiment on time/heat-released dissoluble, transdermal patches built into athletic socks and that control biorhythms.
A nod to the painted faces last night – great team support by fans!
As 2011 progresses, I ask myself what I am to do with myself.
Past the skin barrier, where does self end?
Or, for that matter, where does self start?
Am I a self-starter?
Every generation thinks it’s the first and the last.
I know better because I do not exist.
Therefore, although it would be a hearty suggestion, I’m not going to go around convincing subdivisions/housing estates to erect art sculptures at every entrance in order to help support “thinking outside the box” that art is supposed to start.
I just watch and listen.
Let the shepherds have their sheep.
On galactic scales, we’ll disappear soon enough.
Life has become so much more enjoyable after I let myself accept I’ll be dead and forgotten but giving care and attention to those I can without making extraordinary effort (“do until others undo you”):
Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. — Joseph Campbell [Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/joseph_campbell.html#ixzz1Gb5ZsTJt]
Our yard is my homage to the natural world, including invasive, nonnative species competing with native species to capture my attention, especially in spring, with crocuses, daffodils, vinca, marsh marigold, trillium and violet blooms in full display; squirrels, chipmunks, chickadees, hawks, crows, cardinals, snails, lizards, spiders, roaches, lichen, moss, and mushrooms at work/play.
I am neither peacenik nor warhawk, I repeat, but troubleshooter and solution seeker.
Like Hermann Hesse, I don’t know which of the many doors in the Magic Theatre to walk through. Life is a series of macabre, as well as normal-looking, opportunities for decisionmaking.
A temporary conflux, I am here to represent the universal that flows through me (like it flows through all of us as states of energy within the current version of the universe that we see it in this moment together).
I will not compete with what others call their visions for the future.
All I can do is follow the path that hindsight/foresight reveals to me in real-time.
Go with the flow.
Let private property rights’ opponents, both in ownership and in disagreement over the right of private property, work out their differences.
After all, I don’t own the universe nor it me. I type words in my thoughts that somehow make a little bit of sense on the electronic display in front of me.
If the environment in which I exist is not conducive to healthy thought patterns, is there a conducive environment and do I have the fortitude/energy to move into that shared space?
If temptation is an illusion of subcultural training (i.e., a byproduct or negative consequence of a subculture’s preferred behaviour set), then what are the behaviours I prefer to nurture within the states of energy that are me, knowing I am a product of a mixture of subcultures because none of us live in a vacuum (although some are fairly well isolated socioculturally)?
If sanity is an illusion based on unwritten formulae for group normality conformity, and I care little about the definition of normality because it does not exist, why do I find a fairly benign public persona to project to others socially?
I have nothing to hide/protect although I care about comfortable companionship with others.
A chameleon confirming others’ beliefs, letting them keep their illusions intact.
Some days I want to expose the illusions and some days I enjoy playing along.
I neither hate nor love my subcultural training – my states of energy are in their shared condition because of my background/upbringing – I will neither condemn nor praise my past, illusionary though it may be.
Stick to the moment because my memory is false and filtered like official historical tales.
The alternate universe of a blog is, to remind myself, a manipulable entity to help me discover what it’s truly like to be part of a universe at play in the moment; that way, I never have to care about the difference between imagining what’s real and what’s not real.
This moment passes and then the next moment passes. That’s as real as it gets these days.
treetrunkdings 