Guiltily contributing to the polarization of the US

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:

Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and HillaryClinton.

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's> daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade> with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our> highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in> speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense.

A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but GeorgeBush's driving record is none of our business.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Photo of the Day: Art down a Portland (OR) alley. October, 2003

A little help from my friends

Just wondering how one goes about having links they want to share show up on the right hand side of this page.  If anyone with a blogspot page could help me, you would be my friend.

Thanks!

Photo of the Day: Shoreline, Hollyhock Farm, Cortes Island, B.C., May 2004

Photo of the Day: I snapped this one yesterday on my way to Portland. There's a fire raging on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reservation. It's just off the highway. When I was going to Portland about 11, the fire was pretty well beaten donw. But as you can see, high winds allowed it to get away from the fire crews. It was raging by the time I came back.

Photo of the Day: Nothing fanicicul or artistic. Merely the cubicle in which I work. That's right, I have 2 computers....

Photo of the Day: On the midway. Jefferson County Fair. July 24,2004

Everything comes to pass, nothing comes to stay

Streams of thought today....

The Ego is an exquisite instrument. Enjoy it, use it--just don't get lost in it.

We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness; it is always urgent, "here and now" without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank.

The passing moment is all that we can be sure of; it is only common sense to extract the utmost value from it; the future will one day be the present and will seem as unimportant as the present does now.

There are those people that you can tell approximately when in their life they congealed.
There are others who are growing and constantly making new trysts with life.
We must constantly be on guard against congealing.

Let go of your attachment to the outcome.

It is easy to be the person you have always been, for it requires no change, no self-reflection, and no growth. It may appear that changing yourself requires giving up something. In reality, there is no need to give up anything--you must simply add to what has been.

One word of explanation already misses the mark.

Opinion has caused more trouble on this earth than all the plagues and earthquakes.

Ours is a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it.

Photo of the Day: Buchart Gardens, Victoria, BC, May 2004

What is love?

A group of professionals asked this question to a group of four to eight year olds: "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toe nails any more. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 5

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend whom you hate." Nikka - age 6

"There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 4

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - Age 5

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 8

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her." Bethany - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

Photo of the Day: Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland, OR, July 16, 04.

Unsatisfactoriness

I am getting really sick of this entire political cycle and how devisive we've become.  I guess it has something to do with the fact we're in about the same level of controversy over our current world actions that we were during the Vietnam war. Only this time around, it isn't as much fun for me as it was back then.

But this polarization we're going through is reallyl discomforting.  I had spent the past decade or two finally being able to actually draw close to those who didn't share my particular point of view, allowing for the richness of diverse perspectives. 

But what were once mild differences are quickly becoming chasms of outrage and intolerance.   Sometimes, it seems as though even my close friends are becoming intolerant, even for actions not politically associated.

And there's the finger pointing, posturing, skullduggery.  The old boss wants to keep his position at whatever cost,  while the new boss wants to get that position at whatever cost.  I suppose it's indicative of what's at stake.

I realize this is a rather simplistic view of a very, very complex problem, but it's invading mys pace and I find myself blasted with unsatisfactoriness.  I can't really fathom why people can't see the best way to proceed.  It's the old greed, hatred and delusion outlined by Buddha, I guess.

What do you think?

Photo of the Day: Colorful storefront, The Haight district of San francisco, Dec. 31, 2003

All you pinko, commie, bleeding-heart liberals...

...like me:  Check out this website
 
http://www.moveon.org/fox/
 
and then click on O'Reilly's mug on the right (of course) for a revealing look at Bully Bill at his best(?).

Photo of the Day: This was taken October, 2003, along the MacKenzie River Highway along the high pass of the Cascades.

Photo of the Day: This was taken at sunset on July 2, 2004. I was camping with 10,000 of my closest friends at The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA, awaiting the next day's show by The Dead and the Allman Brothers Band.

Blog burnout?

Does it happen this soon?
 
Here I thought I could be clever and interesting every day.  I use to write a weekly column and had no trouble being clever and interesting.  I am here on this blog.  It's like a first date moving into regular dating.  It's hard to be clever and interesting 24/7...or at least when one is awake. Let me try to at least post something worth your time today.
 
Is George W. Bush really going to get re-elected.  I'l like to redefeat him again, but who knows.  Almost everyone I know is hoping he's gone in January.  But it's that way when you happen to hang out with those who think similarly.  I mean, I just don't hang out with rich fat cats.  Does anyone else think it's really weird how the societies outlined in Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World seem to be coming together at the same time? 
 
Why is it that so many of us seem so easily duped by the corporate barons whose only interest is guarenteeing a bigger golden parachute? 
 
I suppose that may be a reason for the invention of blogs, or at least why they seem to be growing in popularity:  The frustration we all feel at having no seeming impact of events that shoudl be obvious to all of us.  And I know those who feel the opposite of I do politically, socially and spiritually, likely feel the same about someone with my point of view.  Some days it just seems like I've lived too long....
 
 

Spam names

I have a web site...no, not this one.  A real one.  I use it to trade live musical performances by acts I enjoy.  Anyway, because I want other traders to contact me to increase my circle of show access, I have my email address at the bottom so they can contact me.
 
 
Well, the spammers have found it and for a while I was getting 40 or so emails per day, 80% or more of which were from people wanting to increase my penis size, my breast size, my mortgage payment, or sell my chemicals that will make my erections last so long I hafta go see a doctor.  So when my ISP finally offered an extra-strength spam filter for only $1 more per month, I jumped on it.  The only thing is, I now only get 3 or 4 emails per day.  I feel much less popular, even if now I'm no longer tempted to buy perfect imitations of expensive watches.
 
So the filter sends me a daily report of what was filtered out in case something I don't want filtered is ...uhm... filtered.  Did you get that?  Anyway, one of my newer forms of enteraintment now is to read the names the spammers put as whom it is the email is from.  Many of them are either very close to the name of someone real and famous, or the combination of an Anglo name and a Latino name.  sometimes, a sister or brother of a previous spammer show up. I've begun to save some of the ones I find more interesting.  They are below:
 
hermina price
Saundra Dillard
Elvis Bowen
Galvanize E. Climbs
Domingo Perkins
Edgardo Connor
zenobia price
Miguel Blount
Bok Egner
Hormone K. Yak
Fidel Mcdermott
Jasper H. Felton
Joesph Molina
Spencer Sierra
Elaine Feliciano
Nicky Nelson
Threnodies A. Meanings
Jeannette Macdonald
Humberto Johnston
Throwback E. Wetland
Prince Atkinson
Dollie Messing
Hilary Delarosa
Reyes Hahn
Troth C. Outlying

Photo fo the Day: I snapped this one yesterday in Portland at a sand sculpture building contest. There was another one preferred over this one, but this photo seems more inviting than that one.

I had a margarita last night

It was just before I went to bed.  Only drink of the month so far.  I raely drink anymore.
 
Anyway, I awoke this morning with a smallish headache behind the eyes.  Nothing much, mind you.  But it's there.  Coffee didn't help. Perhaps I shall relent and take a pain killer.
 
Muggy in the high desert today.  A rare occurance to be sure.
 
I am feeling slightly more connected and that is a good thing.  An inner battle is raging on whether to go outside and do yardwork or just veg for the weekend, something I haven't had the time nor opportunity to do for quite a while.  I'm leaning toward being a vegetarian today...*Chuckle*

Photo of the Day: I took this one on New Year's Day of 2004. I was on my way home from the San Francisco area, having just spent an incredible New Year's Eve with The Dead. I pulled off the interstate as I saw this and took several minutes to find a place without power lines showing. The name of the formation is called Castle Craigs.

My time of the month

I seem to be feeling a little disconnected today.  I mentioned to someone this morning that it must be my time of the month.  Guys get that way, I hear.
 
In any case, at the moment I do feel disconnected from things, which is not necessarily the norm for me as I attempt to be present in each moment.  I have a day trip I must do, so perhaps the change of venue will inject a little more something or other into it.
 
Actually one thing that helped a little was to tell the India monkey hunter story this morning to someone I recently met.  I do so enjoy telling that one and I am hopeful it was helpful to the person.  I know I reflected on it as I noted this disconnectedness.
 
How about you?  What are your feelings today?  Are you feeling connected?

Photo of the Day: Taken on the Oregon coast in April, 2004, near Lincoln City, sunset closing in.

Summer's here and the time is right....

It's the dog days of summer...anyone know from whence that phrase came?

At least I think it is. Maybe the dog days are in August. Anyway it feels doggy here on the high desert. I have a new addiction: reading blogs. Not getting much work done, but thankfully, it's the slow time of year. I hafta get a couple of publications done in the next few weeks and then I'll be realtively safe until Sept.

I see someone (Johnnie Walker) wants me to give details of my wild youth. As someone who was a professional musician, I can say unequivically that it was VERY wild. But I've mellowed over the years and see no need to relive such history. I am now in the present and much prefer quality discussion on a variety of topics with intellenge, patient, and adventurous people.

I've discovered as I surf these blogs that if I post a comment, some actually make their way back to this little corner of the Net. Wonder how many return more than once. The counter thingy at the bottom allows me to monitor new arrivals and returning voyeurs. The former can build readership, but the latter is where the consistancy lives. Thannks to you who return semi-regularly.

Can anyone tell me how to post a poll on this site? I'd like to create a couple and see what the answers are.

Found an interesting link this morning:

One can take a survey to see if they are red or blue...as in states going to the Dems or GOP. Unfortunately, I new the answers to enough questions to skew the poll out of my actual proclivity. Imagine that!

Well, I think I'll sit back for a while today, monitor the site while actually getting some work done, and see if anyone can come up with answer to the embedding a poll question for me.

May your days be one of harmony and balance...

Photo of the Day: I caught the beam of sunlight at just the right angle for this photo taken at Hollyhock Farm on Cordes Island, BC. (click on it for a larger version)

A not so mighty wind

That's what it was. Hardly noticable, really. But it cracked a couple of huge limbs off the Chinese elm in my front yard last night. Next thing you know, I gotta get up on the roof with the chain saw and begin the Paul Bunyon act. But it wasn't long before I realized the biggest of the limbs was resting on a couple of power lines.

So I climbed down and called the power company, who told me not to do anything until their guy arrives. A couple of hours later the fellow pulls up in his cherry picker truck with the big spotlight to shine a beam in the dark. Upward springs the beam and he's able to see where the wire is holding the limb off the roof. He's very reluctant to trim anything because, as he tells me, the main part of the limb will come down on my house and he won't be responsible for that. He's calling tree trimmers this morning and they'll have to deal with it.

I'm not complaining. I've seen the news footage of what's going on on the East Coast right now. Much higher winds, heavy rains, flooding, dogs and cats living together, all manner of tribulations

Gotta go get a couple of things done and then I'll make another post....

Day 2

I am finding it difficult to get any work done today because I am reviewing other blogs and attempting to find like-minded bloggers. Not very successful yet, but I assume I shall be eventually. Patience is a quality with which I am familiar, as is being okay with delayed gratification. It'd be nice to find a Buddhist, Deadhead, aging boomer, libveral blogger, but I suppose it might be a little too much to ask. Then gain, isn't that ageism? I mean, why should once chronological measurement be indicative of the ability to engage in common discussion?

A review of many of the blog postings at this hosting site reveals many, many younger bloggers, with few peers for myself. I guess I always did travel in somewhat uncharted waters for my age group...first to get kicked out of school for having a Beatle hair cut and refusing to chop it off...I eventually could sit on my hair. But a gorgeous hairdress with whom I was living at the time talked me into chopping it off and so I did. Reluctantly. One of the best decisions I've ever made. Much easier to take care of shorter, although ego gets in the way of me shaving it all of as is the fashion of late.

I moderate a cyber sangha email list and am thinking this blogging site stuff might be a better way to go. What do you think?

Hey!!! All you checking out the latest blog postings...

....just watned to catch your attention, since no one has commented on any of my posts....and of course I wanted to increase the number on the counter at the bottom. So thanks for showing up and feel free to comment or monitor the site.

May your day be one of unexpected beauty.

The secret passage: I found this view on a recent trip up into Canda.

The world of blog

Okay, so I've spent some time reviewing other people's blogs and see there is a patchwork quilt of styles and interests. Even found one blogger who piqued my interest so I bookmarked the site. I'll check back there every so often.

I think I want to post at least one photo a day, just to have a graphic on the page. I think it looks better that way. Hopefully, I shall soon learn enough regarding the HTML of this template to manipulate additional graphics to leave on the first page of the site for a while and then rotate as the impulse arises.

I can see this might be a hindrance to getting work done at the office, especially during the slow days. But with your encouragement, I'll persevere and allow myself to be distracte enough to continue.

I still have additional tests to run here as I try this and that out.

Blogged

Okay, so I think I am pretty much done with the ole construction for now...at least until I learn more about it. Now to begin posting for a while to see what this is all about. I was never one to do a diary, never saw the need. But the years I spent as a journalist did get me attached to writing and knowing someone was reading what I was writing.

I suppose now it's up to me to begin to be clever or wise or funny or interesting...hhhmmmmmmmm, being interesting could prove challenging.There is the old biography angle: My life began back in....

Not looking for this to be a whine site. Have seen a lot of them and understand it can be easy to fall into such a thing when the responsibility is to post daily.

(NOTE TO READER: I tend to type faster than I should, so inverting letters is a regular occurance. Then I hit send (or post in this case) before review. Please accept my failures)

I do enjoy the Internet, BTW. Living in a rural remote community, it allows me to connect with like-minded folks in a way that was impossible even 10 years ago. Makes life a little more liveable, dontcha think?

I've left the anyone can respond to my posts option up, though I can't really fathom how people will begin to know this thing is around. Oh, I've posted on a web forum site to which I subscribe and know some of the curious may venture around in the beginning. But for the most part, I would think blogging is not something other people get attached to like a soap opera or Joe Schmoe or anything like that.

And it will be interesting to see how really personal I make this...do I post my fantasies? DO I posts the arguements I have with my wife? Do I post my frustration with work when it arises? The potential for unexpurgerated--and dangerous--expression is limitless.

If you're reading this, let's take this walk together for now until your path diverges into something more interesting....

The Dharma is also important to this blogger. I'm sure if one becomes a regular reader, then it shall appear now and then to those who wade in that stream.

The view from the top of the hill behind my house.

I'm onto creating fractals. Here's one.

Greetings one and all!

First attempt. I shall keep going and over the next few weeks modify things from a look point of view before venturing into blogging itself.

I think!

We shall see