December 29, 2006

Shouting Voices


You might have noticed my posts have been a little, uh, lets say, /**whisper**/ shallow over the past week. I have been doing nothing but stealing jokes, pictures, and videos and other peoples words to keep this blog "current".

Well the voices are not quiet, I've just been doing a lot of reading, trying to catch up on books I've been collecting. Now I'm going into the wilderness to dissappear for a bit, and to escape from all these distractions, except for the reading (if the voices let me). I will return with new adventures to amaze you.

Blogging is so much fun, isn't it?. Who needs TV, movies, books, exercise, time with friends, family, girlfriends/wives, cleaning, hobbies,............... Thank Dog I can eat and blog at the same time (remember to turn over the keyboard once a month to shake out the crumbs). I'm addicted to reading blogs, and I need to cut back before it transforms me into a person of purpose.

But Before I go.......

I just learned of the execution of Saddam. Now I have this voice in my head shouting at me.

Leader Dearest Bush, you disgust me.

You call that a fair trial? He was tried by his political opposition for crimes which the U.S. helped him by giving him the money and weapons to carry out those murders. Your father should have also been on trial, and in my view, you also.

For the record, I thought Saddam was an evil murderous tyrant, he should be punished. His execution is not punishment, it is an act of revenge. Why are the conservatives glorifying his murder? Because they have become just like him, more bent on revenge than justice.

Mr Bush, You have failed in every attempt at being a U.S. Leader. You failed to bring the true plotters behind the September 11 attacks to justice. Your abuse of power in Iraq is criminal. You have helped Al Qaeda gain more ground worldwide. You must be working with Osama Bin Laden, because you continue to do his work for him. Your destroying the U.S. far better than he could, bankrupting the U.S., mocking our U.S. Constitution, shredding the military, killing his enemies (Saddam), deceiving the U.S. citizens on the reasons for Iraq, and on and on and on...........

You have failed. You need to step down. You cannot handle the job we have given you. It is time to start acting like a man, and admit that you have not been successful in anything you've tried to accomplish since becoming the "Leader" of the U.S., you are a sham. You've destroyed the credibilty and ethics of the U.S. It is immoral for you to continue on in your position. You are FIRED. History we see you as a black spot, an evil time, in the history of the U.S.

Mr. President, I'm trying to keep this decent. RESIGN NOW!

Pray to Dog



Should I start dating again? Or spend more time with Dog?

I couldn't decide, so I started making a list:




Dogs vs Women?

Dogs don't cry
Dogs love it when your friends come over
Dogs don't care if you use their shampoo
Dogs think you sing great
A dog's time in the bathroom is confined to a quick drink
Dogs don't expect you to call when you're running late. The later you are, the more excited dogs are to see you
Dogs will forgive you for playing with other dogs
Dogs don't notice if you call them another dog's name
Dogs are excited by rough play
Dogs don't mind if you give their offspring away
Dogs can appreciate excessive body hair
Anyone can get a good looking dog
If a dog is gorgeous, other dogs don't hate it
Dogs don't shop
Dogs like it when you leave lots of things on the floor
Dogs never need to examine the relationship
A dog's parents never visit
Dogs love long car trips
Dogs understand that instincts are better than asking for directions
Dogs like beer
Dogs don't hate their bodies
Dogs never criticize
Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across
Dogs never expect gifts
Dogs don't worry about germs
Dogs don't want to know about every other dog you've had
Dogs don't let magazine articles guide their lives
You never have to wait for a dog, they're ready to go 24 hours a day
Dogs have no use for flowers, cards or jewelry
Dogs don't borrow your shirts
Dogs never want foot rubs
Dogs enjoy heavy petting in public
Dogs find you amusing when you're drunk
Dogs can't talk
Dogs seldom outlive you

December 28, 2006

Redemption Rap


The Shawshank Redemption has been remade as a rap video:

Brought to you from the creative minds at JibJab



Also see the Year in Review:

December 27, 2006

Get Ready



The Decider's Decision.

Any questions?
















Inspired by: Morning Martini

December 26, 2006

Boxing Day

It's Boxing Day. We need to adopt this day as part of the traditions in the U.S.. This is a holiday I can support.


It is time to put on the Boxing Day gloves and punch those people that pissed you off during the holiday shopping season.



Disclaimer: All punches should be thrown as a mental image or verbal abuse, unless your opponent voluntarily submits to a Boxing match. I do not advocate violence. One exception; maybe a nice punch in the head would make our Leader Dearest come to his senses. I doubt it, but it's worth a try.

December 25, 2006

The Reason

December 24, 2006

Peeking at the world.


I'm locked up in a cage. This cage is locked from the inside by me. It is to keep out those people who might make my life uncomfortable, from those I don't understand, those who are not like me, those who want what I have. I can leave the cage at anytime, and do. But I soon as I return, I withdraw from the world and lock myself inside. The walls of my cage are built so I can see all that goes on outside my cage, but others cannot see in. I would like to invite people inside, but I'm afraid if I do, they won't leave, so I no ones gets in my cage.

The cage is imaginary. It is in my head. No one knows the thoughts I have and what the inner voices tell me. It is because the voices are not in agreement with the popular opinions of this world, so I hide away. I've tried to free the thoughts, to let others know what I think, but because they are always rejected, criticized, belittled, and negated, and evoke such negative responses from those outside the cage, I hold them in now.

These voices are not forbidden or evil, they want a compassionate world, a world not based on control, but based on freedom. To let others live as they want to live, as long as they don't infringe any one's else life.


But this is the world I force myself to live. Life in a cage, spying on the rest of the world, yearning to find someone that accepts me as I am, so I don't have to live in the cage alone, letting me live the way I think is best for me. Shared respect. Someone I can share these hidden voices with. They don't have to agree, just understand, or make an effort to understand.

But even that is scary. Someone on the outside, knowing what the voices are telling me. Maybe it's better if no one knows.

When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

December 22, 2006

The Spirit Of A Dog

The Spirit Of A Dog

I was standing on a hillside
In a field of blowing wheat,
And the spirit of a dog
Was lying at my feet.

He looked at me with kind dark eyes,
Ancient wisdom shining through.
In the essence of his being,
I saw the love there too.

His mind did lock upon my heart
As I stood there on that day,
And he told me of this story
About a place so far away.

As I stood upon that hillside
In a field of blowing wheat,
In a twinkling of a second
His spirit left my feet.

His tale did put my heart at ease,
All my fears did fade away
About what lay ahead of me
On another distant day.

"I live among the spirits now
In the heavens of your mind,
So do not grieve for me, my friend
As I am with my kind.

My collar is a rainbow's hue,
My leash is a shooting star.
My boundaries are the Milky Way
Where I sparkle from afar.

There are no pens or kennels here
For I am not confined,
But I'm free to roam the heavens
Among the Doggie kind.

I nap the day on a snowy cloud
Gentle breezes rocking me,
And dream the dreams of earthlings,
And how it used to be.

The trees are full of liver treats,
And tennis balls abound,
And dog treats line the walkways
Just waiting to be found.

There even is a ring set up,
The grass all lush and green;
And everyone who gaits around
Becomes the Best of Breed.

For we're all winners in this place;
We have no faults, you see.
And the judge passes out those ribbons
To each one, even me.

I drink from waters laced with gold,
My world a beauty to behold;
And wise old dogs do form my pride
To amble at my very side.

At night I sleep in comfort's arms,
The stars protecting me,
And moonbeams dance about us
As stardust falls on thee.

So when your life on earth is spent
And you stand at Heaven's gate,
Have no fear of loneliness
--For here, you know, I wait".


- author unknown

December 19, 2006

Update: A Dog Year


I few days back I responded to the Page 123 Book Tag from BSB with a A Dog Year by Jon Katz . This story is actually a sequel to his book Running to the Mountain: A Midlife Adventure about a guy going through a mid-life crisis and seeking some solitude. I read this at a point in my life when I was going through similar trials.
The book pictured on the left is the next one about Jon and his Border Collies. I will be reading this, and his The Dogs Of Bedlam Farms very soon. The book tag renewed my interest in this author.


I happened on a story about the author on the CNN website, and how it was going to be made into a movie, starring Jeff Bridges, to be released 2007. It is actually in post-production right now.


Then I find out Jeff is also going to star in The Giver, another wonderful book I read a long time ago, high school I think. It's about a superficial society where the pain of the real world is blocked out by the leaders of the society, similar to Brave New World. I think I'm going to have to find a copy of The Giver and reread it.




One commenter noted on my book tag "At some point in time you have to stop reading books and start thinking for yourself" and attributed this quote to Albert Einstein. I agree that Einstein was very wise. I researched Einstein Quotes on several sites and couldn't find anything he ever said anything like that, but that doesn't mean he didn't say it. I know a lot of great Einstein quotes, it doesn't make you wise, it means you can copy and state what he said.

Books are only a media on which to communicate ideas, much like the Internet is today. If you believe and follow everything that is written, books or any other media, you will be mislead most of the time. All ideas must be analyzed and considered with critical thinking and from a skeptical perspective. The media on which the ideas are presented does not matter. It is the human mind's use of these ideas that does matter.

.

December 18, 2006

Cooperation

I lived in the Washington DC area when I was in the military. The commute in D.C. is horrible if you want to drive yourself, but if you use the public transportation system, it is relatively easy. There even exists an informal, cost-free way to get around. It is called slugging. http://www.slug-lines.com/Slugging/About_slugging.asp
I think slugging actually started in the San Francisco area, but I don’t know the history. It was born out of the people waiting for the buses, and drivers wanting to use the HOV-3 commuter lanes to get to work faster. After I found out about this informal system commuting, I used it for three years as both a rider and a driver. Riders are called slugs, the drivers are body-snatchers. There have even been books written, and websites established about this phenomenon. Even though it sounds dangerous, there have been few problems.

The system works very well only through the cooperation and voluntary etiquette of both parties. The drivers or riders have no control over who rides/drives, but the rider/driver has the right to refuse the ride/drive if anything looks suspicious or past bad experience with a rider or driver. I have seen bad drivers unable to get a rider, even though there are plenty of riders standing in line. A bad reputation quickly spreads through the line if someone has bad experience, so drivers and riders usually stick to the informal etiquette system so that they can continue to take advantage of the slugging system

So now I come to the reason for today’s post. Slugging is much like blogging. It is an informal system that benefits both the writers and the readers. There are ways to attract readers to your site, and there are ways to repel readers. Comments are always invited, but there is a certain informal etiquette and cooperation that should be followed:

Comments can be positive or negative, but they need to address the topic of the post, past posts, or the overall scope of the blog.

Women flirting with me is always acceptable. ;-)

Off-topic, anonymous comments will be deleted.

Do not spam. Spammers are scum. Spam not only refers to commercialized advertisements as comments, but also to leaving many meaningless comments.
(Think Monty Python, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, EGGS, & SPAM)

You can attack me and call me any kind of mean-spirited thought that you can imagine, that is acceptable.

I will not allow anyone to verbally abuse other commenters, your comment will be deleted. Comment on the messages, not the messenger. If you don’t have an intelligent response, and can only go around name-calling, please create your own blog and do with it what you like.

The list will be revised as needed. That's what great about the internet, everything is dynamic.

Positive ideas are what moves the world forward.


December 17, 2006

Three Important Questions

An simple man had three questions but no advisor, priest, professor, wise man or philosopher could answer them clearly. Then he heard of a wise hermit and summoned him to the court to ask him the answer to these three questions:

  1. When is the most important time?
  2. Who is the most important person?
  3. What is the most important thing to do?

Now the advisors had all failed because they feared that the man already had his answers and was merely testing them. The best time, they reasoned, was the moment of battle against your enemies, but when was that opportune moment? Or, surely the most important man in the kingdom was the shrewdest general or the most flattering minister but who dared to name him? Unless the man himself would be angered and declare that, after all, he was the most important person! And the most important thing to do was clearly to conquer all foes and to enrich your coffers.

The hermit answered the questions with only a few words.

"The most important time is now." All depends on the present moment, on what dominates the mind and heart here and now. All else, past and future, is meaningless.

"The most important person is the one you are with." If you are with a child, a friend, a beloved, a colleague, that person is the most important. If you are with an enemy, a fool, a thief, that person is the most important person right now. And if you are alone, you are the most important person.

"The most important thing to do is to care." To care about this moment, to care about this person in your midst, to care about everything around you. And in so doing, you will have no questions, no preferences of time or persons, and no thing more important than anything else.

- Adapted from Hermit's Thatch.

Suffer the Little Children

Okay, Anonymous, here is a post for you to place your comments. A very simple, straightforward plan.

Let's keep science in the science class, and religion in church. Creation comes from religious literature, it is not science.

Evolution is scientific fact. Human evolution happens every time reproduction takes place, and it can be seen measured and seen. The part that is still theory is how humans (or any species) have evolved over thousands of years. Even the Catholic Church has submitted that evolution is true.

"Intelligent Design", another name for the biblical creation metaphor to make it sound academic and reasonable, is just a way for intolerant prejudiced religious groups to force their religious superstitions and beliefs on audiences outside of their religious group. This theory comes from theological literature, and not scientific investigation.

If I want to hear religious doctrine, I'll go to church. At a place of academic learning, lets base our teaching on facts and theories that use scientific processes and critical thinking. If science and biology classes choose to ignore evolution, then those students will have been put at a disadvantage to those who have been taught valid academic lessons.

What's next - Replacing math with prayer. Replacing physical training and healthy living with miracles. Lets all go back to the dark ages and give up academic learning in favor of religious dogma. I don't even think the extreme right-wing religious nationalists want that.

Why is this so hard to understand? Because people want to believe in superstition and fantasy, and not reality?

I can't understand why there is a problem here. Science and religion are two different worlds.

It is the open, still learning, moldable minds of children that suffer the most when forced to choose one over the other. Religion also damages the children in other ways that are not apparent until years after this mental abuse.

Blind faith is an ironic gift to return to a creator of human intelligence.

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. - Benjamin Franklin


December 16, 2006

Page 123 Book Tag

//**SLAP**//

I've been tagged by BSB. Okay, I think I asked for that, I tagged her and didn't run away fast enough.

Here are the rules :
Find the nearest book.
Name the book
The author
Turn to page 123
Go to the fifth sentence on the page
Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog. Tag three more folks.

Okay, I'm going by the rules, and picking the closest book at the time I was tagged. It's been months since I read this book, but it was still laying on my desk. I have books laying on everything, all around the apartment.

1. Title: A Dog Year - Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me. I read a lot of books about Dogs.

2.
Author: Jon Katz

3. Page 123:

We continued to trade strategies on overcoming his past problems, inducing his cooperation. She didn't like my practice of letting him chase after cars and trucks, even from behind a fence, although she understood that it has become a channel for his energy and part of our routine. But even before she challenged the practice, I knewI'd have to find some substitutes; it was ultimately a risky game.

4. I tag:

Pam, Blueberry, and Pissed off Patricia (Tags are totally voluntary, of course.)

December 15, 2006

Black Dog

Today is supposed to be my Dog/Spirituality Friday post. But I have nothing. The Black Dog is visiting me again.

How can I, a successful person that has had good career and relatively happy adult life, succumb to the shadows over and over again? I do all the things therapists advise to blow off the melancholy moods, but sometimes it doesn't work, most times it makes it worse.

I went shopping at lunch today, and I think that was the beginning of this darkness. The noise, the crowds, the awful muzak, the stores peddling tons and tons of useless junk. I went intent on getting in the spirit, and left in less than 30 minutes, empty handed and wondering why this tradition keeps annoying me so much more every year. Storm clouds have followed me the rest of the day.

Where is my bliss? This consumer economy that seems to make so many people happy, has the totally opposite effect on me.

Humor? No nothing is funny when I'm in this mood. Socialize? I don't like being around or talking to people, it seems to make the mood worse. Drugs? No, been there, done that. Just made me numb. It was like my brain stopped working.

There is one thing that I know will work, and I'm about to succumb to my favorite addiction, just thinking about it is already putting me in a better mood. Maybe on my long run I can come up with something happier than this waste of a blog post.

Friday Dog Link

December 14, 2006

Cultural Tyranny

Most of the controversy over the primitive "Pledge of Allegiance" has been over the words "Under God". This affirmation of nationalism is being taught to young children before they have the chance to develop the thinking skills neccesary to determine the morality and ethics of their homeland government.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written for the popular children's magazine Youth's Companion by socialist author and Baptist minister Francis Bellamy on September 7, 1892. It was an advertising campaign to sell flags. (On a side note, the original salute to the flag was similar to the salute used by soldiers of Nazi Germany, it was called the Bellamy Salute.)

The words "Under God" did not appear in the original advertisment.

Even if the offensive words "under God" were removed, the Pledge of Allegiance would still be reprehensible. It is a generalized, undefined, unlimited oath of loyalty, which cannot be ethically meaningful or legally binding.

(Notice the resemblance to an undeclared, global, perpetual war of terror?)

When an oath is declared (to tell the truth or defend the Constitution) some specificity is required for an informed and intended decision to make that pledge.

Even then, such a promise is not infinite. For example, a soldier who has sworn his duty cannot be compelled to commit an atrocity.

The Pledge of Allegiance is oxymoronic. It ends with a proclamation that vaguely glorifies liberty and justice, but the pledge begins with a proclamation that is anathema to liberty and justice: swearing fidelity to symbol, rather than meaning and giving honor to nation, rather than ethic.

Anyone who recites this pledge is, knowingly or obliviously, either a slave or a liar. Requiring teachers to lead a daily/weekly convocation ritual among the youngest children required to attend is (totalitarian brainwashing?, cultural tyranny?)

Until the pledge is abolished from most public settings, it would be helpful for parents to teach their children to wait outside any classroom until the ritual is over and then attend class to learn critical thinking.



I pledge allegiance to the Earth
And the kingdoms she contains
And to the body of the solar system
And her shining heart, the Sun
Maintainer of all life
And I pledge allegiance to the timeless, living Creator of the Universe
Which is inside me, and outside me
And everywhere

December 13, 2006

Treading Lightly

Most Wilderness hikers with an appropriate sense of nature follow the practice of leaving no trace of their presence in the wild. There is a skill in learning not to destroy, break, or tread heavily around trees, underbrush, or paths, or leaving campsite use invisible to others. It is satisfying visiting a spot and leaving it as it were untouched, where successive hikers would not notice that anyone was ever at that same spot, just as I enjoy that experience when I'm out hiking.


I take this philosophy one step further. That is if I find a spot that has been visited and left scarred by passing humans who live only for themselves, I will take the time to return the place to erase the effects of uncaring visitors. To be the first, or the last, it should make no difference.


Shouldn't it be the same in life? In all you do?


It doesn't mean sitting at home and do nothing, it means doing all you do with care and consideration. Instead of maximizing our consumption of resources, we should live on this earth and leave it as untouched as possible. Minimizing the evidence of our existence, except in the minds of other humans. And if we find a place where uncaring humans have left too much confirmation of their visit, we should make every effort to erase those scars from that place.


It is so hard to do that in a modern society without being viewed as an eccentric freak.

December 12, 2006

One Year Ago

I started this blog one year ago today with this first entry:

First entry

Some of those words became part of my DISCLAIMER on the bottom of right frame of my blog.

I started this blog to get some of these voices out of my head and to have record of my opinions. A big reason was the politics and the direction of the country. I knew our Leader Dearest was bad news and the decisions about Iraq were wrong, but I had had no record. Since I was moving around so much, no one really knew my opinions at the beginning of this mess. So now when I have a opinion on a political matter, as well as anything else that pops into my head, I document them here. I don't usually pay much attention to the political nonsense, and you won't find many posts with that theme, but when I do have something to say, I want an outlet and a record.

You will find few posts about religion, which I find is even more nonsensical than politics. Mostly this blog is just my random thoughts of the day, sadness and joy, frustrations and successes. It is a form of therapy.

I have found many people with similar thinking, and found some wonderful blog friends. Thanks to all my regular readers.

I Toast you all. Blog On.

December 11, 2006

Freaking Monday

This weekend was nice and relaxing, but went by so quick. There were no voices, just endless music playing in my head. Days like that are so nice. Must be the endorphines from long runs on Saturday and Sunday.


Then Monday comes along, and it is one of those days where everything is annoying. Slow drivers; one other driver on the road, and that slow idiot has to be in front of me, in a no passing zone. At least do the bloody speed limit! All the damn lights are turning red just as I approach, can't somebody get these lights in synch. People at work are talking too loud, the managers are in the corner laughing very loudly, comparing their weekend golf scores and the football games. I can't freaking think. The mind meter in my head has gone from "Bliss" to "Overload" in just a matter of minutes.

Someone better get the freaking Helliday decorations away from my desk or they are all going in the trash.


December 8, 2006

"... As the New York sunset disappeared..."


Empty Garden


What happened here
As the New York sunset disappeared
I found an empty garden among the flagstones there
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And now it all looks strange
It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain

And what's it for
This little empty garden by the brownstone door
And in the cracks along the sidewalk
nothing grows no more

Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And we are so amazed
we're crippled and we're dazed
A gardener like that one no one can replace

And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most all the day
Oh and I've been calling
oh hey hey Johnny
Can't you come out to play

And through their tears
Some say he farmed his best in younger years
But he'd have said that roots grow stronger
if only he could hear
Who lived there

He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
Now we pray for rain, and with every drop that falls
We hear, we hear your name

Johnny can't you come out to play in your empty garden


- Empty Garden, Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin


in Memory of John Lennon, 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980


For your Friday Spirituality. Listen to John Lennon's Imagine. Shed a tear.


Note: (Dog/Spirituality Friday blogging will return next week).

December 6, 2006

Learning to Fly

Where is my place in modern society? I am a raging grumpy middle-aged man with blue-collars roots, a white-collar life, and radical ideas. NO, I won’t change, no I won’t live your way of life. I’m a homebody because the world has become uninteresting and I can’t understand why people live like they do. I’ve caused mental damage to myself, I’ve lost most of my battles, I struggle with my ideals and have been wounded and hung on a cross because I won’t conform.

All I ask is that you listen and consider my pointless point-of-views without blocking it out as soon as I say the first word. Why is my heart always breaking? I will put my foot in my mouth and my heart on my sleeve, as they stab me in the back, misunderstanding what I want to say. My intentions are good and positive for everybody.

Instead, everyone closes their minds, so I just sit at home with my door locked, review my beliefs and successes. And You know what, I want you to think of me as that raging psycho old man, it makes me feel good and entrenches my imaginary standard of excellence. I believe I’m old enough to know, I believe my rage is righteous and my causes are noble, even though some days its a struggle to survive.

But you know what matters the MOST! Life goes on no matter who is wrong or right!

While I'm up, can I get you another Beer.


How in the world you gonna see,
Laughin' at fools like me,
Who on earth d'you think you are,
A super star,
Well, right you are.
- Instant Karma, John Lennon

December 5, 2006

Wordy

This is what came up on my "Word of the Day" on Saturday:

machination: a crafty scheme intended to accomplish some usually evil end.

The first thing that comes to mind is our "Leader Dearest".

Can you use it in a sentence?

December 4, 2006

The List

Every year at this time, family and friends start asking me what I want for, uh, y'know, "that" holiday. Every year I tell them the same thing. What I want, can't be bought, or given to me. What I want is "World Peace". (It's a link, click on it. p-p-p-p-please!)

The greed of the material world prevents "World Peace" from EVER becoming a reality.

I don't want more stuff. Some people have told me to quit pretending to be humble, and just tell them what I want, everybody wants something. My humility is not false. I don't want or need anything and if I did, I'd get it. I don't like getting more "stuff", more material goods, it's stresses me out, it really does. It also makes life more complicated, and I don't need that, I like simplicity.

So I made a "List" of my desires:

World Peace.
Warmth in the winter.
A cool place in the summer.
A break from work.
Distraction from boredom.
Sleep at night.
Breakfast at Dawn.
Company when lonely.
Privacy when there's none.
Sunshine on a cloudy day.
A shady tree in the sunshine.
A song.
A shave and a haircut (two bits).

I cannot be anyone other than who I am. To wish me to be different, is the same as rejecting me.


December 3, 2006

Oh, For the Love of Dog

OMG!

I forgot the Friday Dog blogging. My life has been so busy the last couple of days that it completely slipped my mind. So here is a late "Friday" Dog/Spirituality post:

(Click on picture to view the Amazon page for this book)



I find that stories of animals are much more interesting than stories about humans.

December 2, 2006

Altered Views

I have been a bit overwhelmed the last few days, with few opportunities to bore you with my missives.

When I'm out driving, looking at all the religious, patriotic bigotry I see plastered on the fenders and bumpers of the cars, I just want to scream. Why is wisdom so unpopular? In the U.S., what do we do with our free speech? It's wasted on ignorant human weaknesses.

So, I leave you with an alternative. Here are just a few samples, to view them all, click here: PeaceMonger Bumper Stickers

Also, check out the blueberry's Bumper Wisdom at Texas Oasis

December 1, 2006

Here I Am

Busy, Busy, Busy

Update to the Weirdo Tag, this is me: niCk in Sinfest

November 29, 2006

Weirdo Tag

Blueberry tagged me..........

According to the rules...
Each player of this game starts with the “6 weird things about you”. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Six weird thing about me:
1. I am a runner that hated running as a teen. back then I was a swimmer. I couldn't run because of asthma, I would start out at full speed and be falling over wheezing before the first quarter mile lap was finished. In my adulthood I have finished marathons and always place in the top of my age group on shorter runs like 5K's and 10K's and 10 Milers.

2. I'm not from anywhere. When people ask that I don't have an answer. I was a military brat, who moved from place to place every 3 or 4 years, then I was in the military for 20 years. Of all the places I lived, I liked New Mexico the best. I will retire somewhere around Taos.

3. Religious confusion. My mother was Jewish who wouldn't let us practice that faith. At age 11 I lived with a step-mother who was a very hypocritical Catholic. She was always wanting to put me through the Catholic classes and be confirmed. I refused. Back then I claimed I was an atheist, but now I realize, I was just a an "Bible" G-d atheist. Today I'm smart enough to say, it's all about how you define the word G-d or Creator. Religion is nonsense.

4. Chick Flicks. I like romantic comedies, what most people call "chick flicks". I cry at happy endings in the those movies. It always brings me to tears at the end of "You've Got Mail" when Kathleen realizes it's Joe she's been emailing and they finally meet. ("Brinkley...") It doesn't help when that Harry Nilsson version of "Over the Rainbow" starts playing. ("I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.") . Hey for a guy, that's weird. I hate the action/SFX movies, BORING!

5. Guy Stuff - Most things that amuse men, do nothing for me. Big Screen TV's, football or any sport on TV, going out drinking and partying, hunting, trucks, video games, BBQ, greasy french fries, and on and on goes the list, I have no interest in any of those things. The one exception is beer. I love a good quality beer. Guinness,MMMMMM.

6. I'm a weather geek. I love cloudy days, rainy days, stormy weather, lightning storms. Bright sun gives me a headache, which is why you always see me with sunglasses on outside. I think I'm hyper-sensitive to the sun.

I tag:
BSB (because she wants to be tagged)
AB (because it will make her say "GAAAAAAAAAAAA")
Minou (because she's over there)


I'll finish this later........... work calls

Update:

7. I never finish what I say I'm going to finish later. That's niCk code for "I'm done". Therapist's order. The world will not end if things are left unfin

November 27, 2006

Little Green Apples

I love little Granny Smith apples. Not the big ones that the grocery stores have on display, those taste like crap. I mean the small ones, crisp and tart. They are hard to find sometimes, usually the farmer's markets have them. Has anyone else noticed that they have seem to have taken the flavor out of Granny Smith apples by making them huge. I'm pissed because when I went to the store today they didn't have the little ones, only the huge ones. So I got a couple of those, and they taste like crap. No wonder kids don't want to eat fruit. They grow produce to make them look big and beautiful, but there is no flavor.

This summer I did a 10k run in Clanton Alabama, which is a rural farming community. It is the peach Capital of Alabama, and every year they have a peach Festival. There was a drought this year and the peaches were very small. Everyone who placed in the run got a basket of peaches along with their award. The peaches were very small, and people were making fun of them, but they were the best peaches I ever had. I had to go back the next week and get some more.

November 26, 2006

Culture Jam

Lets start jamming.

A few years ago the notion of "jamming" culture arose, from Kalle Lasn's book Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge and Why We Must. An alternate title for this book is Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America.

This post was inspired by the end of my observance of "Buy Nothing Day", which is now two days observed on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Observing this was easy for me, it is a time when the shops are crowded and the traffic is unbearable. I loathe shopping, simply because the American tradition of shopping is so grotesque. If I lived in Europe, I would be able to meander the streets and shops of some small city center, stopping to sip coffee at a quaint cafe, enjoying the personal treatment from the shops, perhaps having a meal at a locally owned restaurant. In that environment I would get out and do more shopping than I do now, but I would still avoid the crowded times. In the U.S, shopping is such a bland, ugly, unethical task, it's easy for me "voluntarily" avoid that distraction.

"Jamming" differs from voluntary simplicity movements in consciously opposing modern popular culture, essentially created by corporations to stoke consumption -- of corporate logo apparel, unhealthy food and habits, exploitative entertainment, competitive sports, etc. The idea is that by withdrawing from consumption and the use of what drives the moneyed economy of profit one could pursue an authentic life of simplicity and frugality. Simplicity is not merely a subjective phenomenon or a matter of personal taste. The premise is that the individual succeeds best (and the world benefits) when conscious of the sources of the products he or she consumes.

Being conscious of simplicity and the degree of change it brings in the world as well as to the individual is a useful model for solitaries like myself, who already have a psychological disposition for what young people call "jamming."

November 25, 2006

Global Energy Shift

Coming Soon. Literally:
GlobalOrgasm
Blog
Demo

Just doing my part to publicize this worthwhile pursuit. I'm going to need a little help with my contribution.

Volunteers? (females only please)

Now for something to get you in the mood, an erotic web site that only shows faces: BeautifulAgony

I hope I made at least one person blush......

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November 24, 2006

Dog Day Friday

Forget about shopping. The shops are full of fools.

Go out, find a dog, a let him lick your face. That's the best medicine in the world for whatever ails you. Don't go to a psychiatrist, a puppy in your lap is all you need.

Make sure you return the kisses.




"I can't think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog -- completely exhausted after a hard day in the field -- limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where I'm sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee, and closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. I don't know what I've done to deserve that kind of friend."-- Gene Hill



November 23, 2006

Darkness

Here it is, Thanksgiving. The beginning of the "holidays". I enjoy Thanksgiving, because we can show we are grateful for what we have. I don't make a big deal about going to some feast anymore, I'll be volunteering at a community center up in Birmingham to help with a run to raise money for the center and then feed some of the senior citizens the community center supports. I'm thankful I can help, it makes me feel better than the show of gluttony. As long as I can have a piece of pumpkin pie, I'm happy.

But then, comes the day after. What has become known as Black Friday in the U.S. It is aptly named. It is the beginning of the dark side of the holidays. The month log selfish, greedy consumerism before the wretched day of Christmas. What makes humans long for this abhorrant ritual, that for me, shows the dark side of the human? I'm hypocritical for sure. I went along with these rituals for years, to be accepted by our loved ones, to show friends we are "normal", to show ourselves that we can fit into "civilized" culture. A person can put up a false front for only so long. I know that most people think these same thoughts, but just go along with what our capitalist consumer based culture has brainwashed us to do. I have had enough of this CRAP.

What do I want? I don't want things. I want people to start living a life that creates, serves and protects life, all life, not just human. I want them to show respect for life by protecting the environment that is required for life to thrive. This season is about a man who taught us humility, not pride, is the right way to live. He taught us that we will be weak, but by knowing our weaknesses, we can build our strengthes to overcome these weaknesses. Anger and Vengeance are weaknesses, look at how it destroys us. (uh, niCk, get back on track).

How should we celebrate this season? First of all, for those that have plenty, they should be insulted by receiving more. When you have plenty, you share with those that don't. Loud, proud displays of roman origin should be erected by those that disagree with teachings of the man who this time is supposed to honor. We should give as much as we can, anonymously. To give, in order to seek confirmation of generosity, is just about pride, it is a weakness. Do not envy those who have things you don't have, enjoy the the fact the you are not burdened with more than you need. Work so that others may have the comfort you enjoy, so they may one day enjoy a life of charity. Work so that the comfort of sloth be replaced with the zeal to achieve an end to the need of consumer-driven events to fill the empty spaces of your lives. The lust for riches should be replaced with for craving for simplicity.

That's what I want. I want the darkness of the season to be filled with light.

darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
and lightness has a call that's hard to hear

Oh, while your out shopping for me, can you grab me some World Peace.


The graphic above was scraped from Fuzzy and Blue


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November 21, 2006

Ideal

Tao Te Ching - Written by Lao-Tzu


The Ideal Society:
80
A small country of few people.
Machines are not needed.
People take life and death meaningfully.
No one travels far.
They do not use their boats or carriages.
They do not display armor or weapons.
They knot rope rather than write.
Their food is plain and wholesome.
Their clothes are fit but simple.
Their homes are secure.
The people are happy in their ways.
Though they live in sight of their neighbors
and hear crowing cocks and barking dogs,
Yet they live in peace with each other
as they grow old and die.


November 20, 2006

Chili Weather

The weather has turned mighty cold, for Alabama that is. The official lows are in the 40's and its windy and the locals are pulling out the heavy winter clothes, caps and gloves. The talk at the office is the "artic" weather. I just laugh at them. I did have to turn my heater on for first time last night, and frost on my car window tells me it is at least in the 30's. So last night I decided to make my homemade black bean chili, and I'm eating it for the first time for lunch today. Homemade chili has to sit overnight before it is eaten, for the flavors to properly disperse. I'm a long way from being any type of chef, but I can cook chili. MMM MMM it is so good, I decided to blog about it.

Tonight I'm making this Dr Weil Banana Bread recipe for the office Thanksgiving Luncheon: Banana Bread

Wasted Words

I see the U.S. Mint is going to try make the Dollar coin catch on, again. There's going to be a new Dollar coin in 2007.

The one mistake they keep making is they keep printing the Dollar bill. Until they get rid of the bill, the coin is never going to catch on. It is time we get rid of the bill and save the money from having to print the bill, the coins will last longer.


While we're at it, lets get rid of the penny. Round everything to the nearest nickel, I don't think anyone would mind. They been doing that already on U.S. Military bases overseas, and it has worked well. It costs too much to have to maintain the penny coin, and it will make counting cash much easier for businesses.


When the U.S. population was asked about this issue, the majority of the people wanted to keep the penny and Dollar bill. Why? Because they don't want to change? Why are we asking them, let the Mint and the Bureau Of Engraving and Printing make the decision for business reasons, do it because it will save money, our tax money.
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November 19, 2006

Oh Oh Oh It's Magic, You Know ♫ ♫♪ ♪ ♪♫

Voices have returned. It's all good.

How?

Do you have the ability to choose what you believe?

If you can, please tell me how to do it. How can one believe that "G-D" is a magic being that can do anything, fulfill all your wishes and let you live forever if you just live in a cage while you're alive. Please help understand how the illogical can be rationalized to the point that people are willing to stop living so that this magic can be granted to them. I can believe in "G-D", but I can't force my mind to accept the popular illusion that people have of "G-D". They just don't understand that the true nature of the creator is more rational, natural, and easily understood than the theological mythology people "believe" today.

I know what it really is. It's not they all "believe", it's just the masses following the well worn path. People following others that have been blindly following irrational beliefs because everyone else is doing it.

Yes, I see many people who say they believe, but their actions don't match their stated beliefs. There are some that truly live the life they preach, but those are one in a million. Jesus, Mother Teresa, they actually lived as if they truly believe. The Amish people who forgave the man who murdered their innocent children. They have true faith, they understand and live what Jesus was teaching. People, if you truly believe, then act like it.

I don't choose what I believe, it chooses me. Isn't that they way it is for all?

Maybe I'm too simple minded.

November 17, 2006

Friday Blogging

Keeping it light and easy today, too much work to do......

The difference between dogs and cats:

A dog says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God.'

A cat says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.'






We Are Friends
You smile, I smile
You hurt, I hurt
You cry, I cry
You laugh, I laugh
You jump off a bridge, I'll miss you.

November 16, 2006

He's mad at someone

It's the middle of the week, and I'm busy again. So I direct your attention to an older post of mine. You can thank Minou for reminding me of this past rant:

Mind Virus

G-d must have been mad at someone yesterday, it wasn't me.


All is OK here. The storms were close, but far enough away to limit the damage we had. These apartments are down the road a couple of miles. We only had flooding at my place.

The second picture was a skating rink and daycare center that was full of kids when the tornado hit. That's our Governor walking thru the debris.




And lastly, some humor, it's almost Friday:

The five best things to say if caught sleeping at your desk:

5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."
4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."
3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."
2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?"

The best thing to say if caught sleeping at your desk:

1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."

November 14, 2006

Bastards

There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job was to process all the mails that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.

The letter read:

"Dear God, I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check.

Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?

Sincerely,
"Edna"

The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars.

By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.

Christmas came and went. A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read,

"Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.

By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those bastards at the Post Office.

Sincerely Yours
"Edna"

November 12, 2006

Shining

BBC reminded me of this amusing kids song, my kids loved this when they were younger. I found a video for it: The Cat Came Back

If you know the song, it is based on this Irish Folksong, that sounds like it could of come from the hills and mountains of Appalachia: The Moonshiner

m'expulser

Today I received a viral e-mail from a friend. This message was adorned with American flags and gave supposedly patriotic justification on why everyone in the U.S. should be forced to speak English, and if don't agree, you should leave.

I need to be deported, becuase I don't agree with this BULLSHIT.

The Text of the message went like this:

I'm sorry, but after hearing they want
to sing OUR National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough!
Nowhere did they sing it in Italian,
Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, French, or any other language because of immigration.
It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it
was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation - not even close.
Sorry if this offends anyone, but this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY,SPEAK UP!

I am not against immigration -
just come through like everyone else.
Get a sponsor;
have a place to lay your head;
have a job;
pay your taxes;
live by the rules;
and
LEARN THE LANGUAGE
as all other immigrants have in the past
and
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM
Think about this:
If you don't want to forward this
for fear of offending someone,
YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!
Will we still be the Country of choice
and still be America if we continue
to make the changes forced on us by
people from other countries who came
to live in America because it is the
Country of Choice?
Think about it!
All we have to say is, when will
Someone do something about
MY RIGHTS?
We've gone so far the other way,
bent over backwards to not
offend anyone, that I am now
being offended.
But it seems no one has a problem
with that.

It is Time for America to Speak up
If you agree - pass this along;
if you don't agree - delete it ...
and leave the country !


My Response:

I just can't believe this kind of intolerance and prejudice still exists in the U.S. today, disguised as patriotism.

I won't pass on this kind of bigotry and ignorance. Does that mean I have to leave the country? When will the police be breaking down my door to take me away to the island of "People we don't agree with".

Why don't I agree? Liberty. It is a greater ideal than language. It is a founding principle of the U.S. Yes, it is unpatriotic to demand this kind of obedience on those coming here seeking liberty and the pursuit of happiness from countries where they might not have had those freedoms.

Do you want to deport the people who have to speak in Sign Language. I have learned it, it is not even close to English. How one communicates doesn't dictate what kind of person they are, or to whom they hold allegiance.

I understand and emphasize that learning English will only help you get ahead in the U.S. today. It is the language of business in the global economy and it is the language used to teach most higher education classes in the U.S.. It is also the most common language used in the U.S., but not the only one.

Learning English will only benefit those wishing to do well in the U.S.

BUT to demand immigrants to learn English is kind of, um, FASCIST.

Immigrants are coming to this country and landing jobs easily without needing to learn English. To get ahead in this country, to make their lives a bit easier, they could learn English and learn some technical skills. But if they are happy where they are at and with what they are doing, why should we force education on them. Let them be happy!

I'll never understand how the redneck nationalist culture think they are improving the U.S. by forcing their backward ignorant ideals on those that have not grown-up in their selfish, all-about-me, stay-stupid society. They like to talk about "Freedom" while they keep becoming more fascist, dictatorial, and authoritarian by wanting to take freedoms away from people.

This is not YOUR country, it is OUR country. Start treating people in OUR country the way you would want to be treated if you had to immigrate to feed your family, or to escape a violent or unjust government.

Please think about this when you talk about protecting everyones rights. They are not your rights, they are the rights of the citizens of this country. There is a higher authority, and it demands human rights.

Some people are just too selfish and Nationalistic to see that sometimes that liberty and tolerance can go both ways. Those non-english speaking immigrants now have to put up with closed minds and bigoted opinions of how they should live, something they were probably trying to escape when they came here.



".... little pink houses for you and me, oh yeah......"

Time to crawl back into my hole.......


November 10, 2006

The Friday Thing

I'm still busy recovering from being overworked this week. Today I have off, but I'm trying to catch up on all the chores I have ignored all week. I hope to have time to make a decent post this weekend. Saturday's looking kind of busy, also.

Over at bsb's blog, she trying to start an new annual observance.
I'm all for this: Go give someone a squeeze.

For the Friday post, I urge all of you strenghten your faith in Dog.



This week's spirituality book link:


If you were hoping to see a cute dog picture today, I don't have one. May I suggest on older of post of mine: Just let me sleep!

Hugs!

November 9, 2006

Heaven or Hell

Believe it or not, this did not come from some southern recipe, or from some American State Fair midway food booth. This is a Scottish idea:

Deep-Fried Pizza
That is unbelievably. How to make a piece of junk food even worse for you. Occasionally I do partake of a gourmet homemade pizza with shrooms, veggies, and anchovies. But how did anyone come up with the idea to batter it up and deep-fry it is beyond my comprehension.

But I am wondering what it tastes like.......

Temptation is wicked.

November 8, 2006

Response

So Mr. President, what do you think of the results?










I'm kind of busy this week and don't have time to write. Hopefully I'll get sometime this weekend.

Have a great day!

November 5, 2006

Favorite Ape?

Remember to Vote! If you don't like the way the Gorillas have been handling things, then vote in some other apes to take control. I think they all know how to throw shit, is one much different from the others?

Who do you like,
Republicans

Democrats

or the Independents?
I think the Independents have much better hair. That's my reason to vote for them.

Democrats Beware! Cheney is going hunting on Election day!