Enough already. I don't care if it makes me sound like the biggest Scrooge that ever lived but I never, EVER want to hear about somebody doing yet another version (remake, update, snazzy musical version, whatever) of "A Christmas Carol"!
No more theatrical movies...no more TV movies...no more "very special" holiday episodes of sitcoms...no more "clever" modern twists on the old story...no more. Leave Scrooge and Tiny Tim and those sanctimonious ghosts alone...leave us all alone. WE GET IT...Christmas is a time to be good to each other, yadda, yadda, yadda...and there's nothing...NOTHING...new to be wrung from Dickens' holiday fable by this time (poor Charles must turning over in his grave...undoubtedly muttering "Bah humbug!" with sarcastic venom as he does...especially since his little story is in public domain and none of his heirs, presuming there are some, are making even a farthing from any of these productions.)
No Kelsey Grammer musical versions...no Mickey Mouse animated versions...no George C. Scott stentorian versions...no more versions, we're all full up!
May God bless us (every one) with the gift of never again having some creatively bankrupt Hollywood producer or writer deciding that what the world needs is another take on "A Christmas Carol".
(And...um...Merry Christmas...)
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Friday, November 26, 2004
black friday
The turkey and pumpkin pie and green bean casserole are still weighing them down and yet, for many intrepid souls, the game is afoot...the season is joined...the "fun" part of the holiday season is at hand.
Having given thanks yesterday with friends, family, bountiful food, and badly played football, folks much hardier than I roused themselves from warm beds and sally forth to do battle...bargain-hungry credit cards ever at the ready...in the bustling malls of America.
It's another "Black Friday" (the day when prayerful retailers hope that the armies of holiday-crazed, bargain-trolling, elbow-throwing consumers will turn of the color of the ink on their annual ledgers from depressing red to wondrous, profit-rich black) is upon us.
May God, Santa Claus, and the Lords of Commerce bless and keep them all. Me, I'll pass (internet shopping and UPS trucks that'll deliver right to my doorstep are, to my mind, much saner ways to proceed into the gentle season of giving)...but Godspeed, you bold and mad shoppers, Godspeed!
Having given thanks yesterday with friends, family, bountiful food, and badly played football, folks much hardier than I roused themselves from warm beds and sally forth to do battle...bargain-hungry credit cards ever at the ready...in the bustling malls of America.
It's another "Black Friday" (the day when prayerful retailers hope that the armies of holiday-crazed, bargain-trolling, elbow-throwing consumers will turn of the color of the ink on their annual ledgers from depressing red to wondrous, profit-rich black) is upon us.
May God, Santa Claus, and the Lords of Commerce bless and keep them all. Me, I'll pass (internet shopping and UPS trucks that'll deliver right to my doorstep are, to my mind, much saner ways to proceed into the gentle season of giving)...but Godspeed, you bold and mad shoppers, Godspeed!
Monday, November 22, 2004
We Give Thanks
This universe binds us, joins and protects us all,
strengthens and enlightens, saves us when we fall...
it keeps us grounded and lets us soar,
it keeps us humble and lets us roar...
For this, respect must be embraced,
for this, duty must be willingly faced;
for this, pride must be humbly surrendered,
for this, thanks must be joyfully tendered...
For the darkness and the light,
for our mighty tenderness and tender might...
we give thanks.
For the stars in the heavens above
and the stars in the eyes of those we love...
we give thanks.
For the songs that give us wing from the start
and the songs that fill the crevices of every heart...
we give thanks.
For the sweet darkness and the calming light,
the amazing warmth of day, the healing cool of night,
we give thanks.
For all this and so much more...
we give thanks;
over and over, we give thanks...
Amen.
©2004 neverending rainbow enterprises, ltd. All rights reserved.
strengthens and enlightens, saves us when we fall...
it keeps us grounded and lets us soar,
it keeps us humble and lets us roar...
For this, respect must be embraced,
for this, duty must be willingly faced;
for this, pride must be humbly surrendered,
for this, thanks must be joyfully tendered...
For the darkness and the light,
for our mighty tenderness and tender might...
we give thanks.
For the stars in the heavens above
and the stars in the eyes of those we love...
we give thanks.
For the songs that give us wing from the start
and the songs that fill the crevices of every heart...
we give thanks.
For the sweet darkness and the calming light,
the amazing warmth of day, the healing cool of night,
we give thanks.
For all this and so much more...
we give thanks;
over and over, we give thanks...
Amen.
©2004 neverending rainbow enterprises, ltd. All rights reserved.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
the song remembers when
Rolling Stone is a magazine that loves to make lists. At the drop of a hat, they'll start counting down the "top 100" this and "50 hottest" that. It's understandable I guess...people seem to like seeing things (especially pop culture things) ranked...and lists make for an easy way to put out a "special collector's edition" issue.
Their latest list is audaciously entitled "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". By "all time" they mean the rock era (roughly from 1955-on) and by "greatest" they mean the favorite songs of their hand picked panel of judges (mostly critics, pop stars, and other folks in and about the pop music industry.)
At #1? Dylan's tart epic"Like a Rolling Stone" (the irony of Rolling Stone listing that one in first place notwithstanding, it's not a terrible choice at all.)
The irony kind of falls on top of itself when number 2 is the eternally cool "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.
John Lennon's reflective "Imagine"
Marvin Gaye's ever-relevant "What's Going On"
Aretha Franklin's smokin'"Respect"
It's starting to seem like all of the "great" songs were written and recorded 30 or 40 years ago...
The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations"
Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode"
The Beatles' "Hey Jude"
Hey, wait a minute now, they must have been one or two great songs written after I finished puberty...oh, okay...
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Ray Charles's delightfully salacious "What'd I Say" rounds out their top ten "greatest songs of all time".
The list is, of course, only as accurate as one decides it is. It's heavily weighted by songs from the 60's (202 entries) and 70's (144) with only 1 song released before 1950 making the cut.
The 21st Century has, thus far, only come up with 3 of the greatest songs of "all time" (but the century is still young :-): OutKast's irresistible "Hey Ya!" and Emimen's "Lose Yourself" and "Stan".
It's a goof...a frivolous but fun bit of business that will have most music fans grumbling about the ranking and the omissions (Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" didn't make the cut?? That's an outrage!) but there's nothing wrong with a little friendly debate.
Their latest list is audaciously entitled "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". By "all time" they mean the rock era (roughly from 1955-on) and by "greatest" they mean the favorite songs of their hand picked panel of judges (mostly critics, pop stars, and other folks in and about the pop music industry.)
At #1? Dylan's tart epic"Like a Rolling Stone" (the irony of Rolling Stone listing that one in first place notwithstanding, it's not a terrible choice at all.)
The irony kind of falls on top of itself when number 2 is the eternally cool "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.
John Lennon's reflective "Imagine"
Marvin Gaye's ever-relevant "What's Going On"
Aretha Franklin's smokin'"Respect"
It's starting to seem like all of the "great" songs were written and recorded 30 or 40 years ago...
The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations"
Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode"
The Beatles' "Hey Jude"
Hey, wait a minute now, they must have been one or two great songs written after I finished puberty...oh, okay...
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Ray Charles's delightfully salacious "What'd I Say" rounds out their top ten "greatest songs of all time".
The list is, of course, only as accurate as one decides it is. It's heavily weighted by songs from the 60's (202 entries) and 70's (144) with only 1 song released before 1950 making the cut.
The 21st Century has, thus far, only come up with 3 of the greatest songs of "all time" (but the century is still young :-): OutKast's irresistible "Hey Ya!" and Emimen's "Lose Yourself" and "Stan".
It's a goof...a frivolous but fun bit of business that will have most music fans grumbling about the ranking and the omissions (Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" didn't make the cut?? That's an outrage!) but there's nothing wrong with a little friendly debate.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
bread and circuses
Soldiers and civilians are dying in Iraq...the Bush Administration is in a state of flux as the Cabinet gets shuffled...and there are many other important things to be concerned about in and about this country of ours. But what has a lot of prudish people all hot and bothered the past couple of days is a silly skit that introduced Monday Night Football this week.
It would seem that people who spend a lot of time decrying the declining state of "values" in America...allegedly a deciding factor in this month's President election if the post-voting polls are to be believed...have something else to jump on the soapbox about again (this includes, of course, the puritanical head of the FCC, Michael Powell.)
The 90-second skit...featuring Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver (and unabashed controversy magnet) Terrell Owens and "Desperate Housewives" co-star Nicolette Sheridan...was decidedly risque (and perhaps ill-advised in that it ran very early in the evening in large parts of the country...it was on at 6 PM here in California, for example) but it was also kind of clever (and, yes, playfully sexy...hopefully we won't ever get to the point where something that is playful and sexy will not be immediately regarded as being something "bad") and certainly not the end of civilization as we know it (we survived Janet Jackson's nipple and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s slip of the tongue and we'll survive this.)
The fire of this whole thing is probably stoked up by the fact that it featured Owens, who is either supremely arrogant or just very self-confident depending on your point of view, and...though most of the naysayers would vehemently deny that this is a factor...because the skit ended with a (seemingly) naked blonde woman eagerly jumping into the waiting arms of a large black man (something which, even as I watched it, I figured wasn't going to play well in certain quarters.)
ABC and the NFL are stumbling over themselves apologizing and self-righteous finger pointers are lining up to be counted on the side of the "angels" (with investigations, hearings, and many more mea culpas to follow in the days, weeks, and months to follow.)
Good thing there aren't any other important things to concern us this week.
It would seem that people who spend a lot of time decrying the declining state of "values" in America...allegedly a deciding factor in this month's President election if the post-voting polls are to be believed...have something else to jump on the soapbox about again (this includes, of course, the puritanical head of the FCC, Michael Powell.)
The 90-second skit...featuring Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver (and unabashed controversy magnet) Terrell Owens and "Desperate Housewives" co-star Nicolette Sheridan...was decidedly risque (and perhaps ill-advised in that it ran very early in the evening in large parts of the country...it was on at 6 PM here in California, for example) but it was also kind of clever (and, yes, playfully sexy...hopefully we won't ever get to the point where something that is playful and sexy will not be immediately regarded as being something "bad") and certainly not the end of civilization as we know it (we survived Janet Jackson's nipple and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s slip of the tongue and we'll survive this.)
The fire of this whole thing is probably stoked up by the fact that it featured Owens, who is either supremely arrogant or just very self-confident depending on your point of view, and...though most of the naysayers would vehemently deny that this is a factor...because the skit ended with a (seemingly) naked blonde woman eagerly jumping into the waiting arms of a large black man (something which, even as I watched it, I figured wasn't going to play well in certain quarters.)
ABC and the NFL are stumbling over themselves apologizing and self-righteous finger pointers are lining up to be counted on the side of the "angels" (with investigations, hearings, and many more mea culpas to follow in the days, weeks, and months to follow.)
Good thing there aren't any other important things to concern us this week.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
not eagles but hawks
It may be unfair (I will freely admit that) but there's something about Condoleezza Rice that has always put me off. Perhaps it's her hard-line conservative stance on most issues...perhaps it's the imperious, often-condescending way she speaks in public (she may be the sweetest person in the world in her private life but her public persona is frosty, smug, and inflexible)...or maybe it's just the fact that there is no laughter...not even the hint of a genuine smile...in her eyes.
Having her replace the (relatively)moderate, if decidedly outnumbered and therefore ineffectual, Colin Powell as Secretary of State signals that the Bush Administration has fully committed to the "our-way-or-the-highway" mode of foreign policy for its second term.
The President's "compassionate conservative" affectations are put into their proper context when you see whom he has chosen to be his most trusted...and listened to...advisors (Dr. Rice, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld are definitely all archly conservative but "compassionate" isn't the first thing that comes to mind about any of them when it comes to public policy.) The President may give lip service to reaching out to our (increasingly former) allies around the world but he's chosen people who strongly support unilateral and uncompromising uses of American power (both political and military) in the cause of making over the world in the image they think it should have.
The next four years are going to be...interesting (in the vein of the ancient Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times")...and the ramifications will be felt for years...and probably decades... after the George W. Bush Administration is over.
Having her replace the (relatively)moderate, if decidedly outnumbered and therefore ineffectual, Colin Powell as Secretary of State signals that the Bush Administration has fully committed to the "our-way-or-the-highway" mode of foreign policy for its second term.
The President's "compassionate conservative" affectations are put into their proper context when you see whom he has chosen to be his most trusted...and listened to...advisors (Dr. Rice, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld are definitely all archly conservative but "compassionate" isn't the first thing that comes to mind about any of them when it comes to public policy.) The President may give lip service to reaching out to our (increasingly former) allies around the world but he's chosen people who strongly support unilateral and uncompromising uses of American power (both political and military) in the cause of making over the world in the image they think it should have.
The next four years are going to be...interesting (in the vein of the ancient Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times")...and the ramifications will be felt for years...and probably decades... after the George W. Bush Administration is over.
Monday, November 15, 2004
if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
Barbara Walters used to get mercilessly skewered by comedians for asking the question posed in the title. Among the many things that come my way in e-mail was this odd bit of business along the same lines. (One has to wonder who comes up with this stuff...and why :-)
Find your birthday and then find your tree. I have no idea who created this and, of course, like horoscopes, it's only as accurate as you decide it is...but it's kinda interesting just the same. (And, for the record, I am a lime tree :-)
Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 - Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 - Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 - Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) -Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 - Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 - Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 - Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 - Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 - Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 - Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 - Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 - Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 - Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) - Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 - Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 - Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 -Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 - Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 - Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 - Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 - Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 - Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 - Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) - Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 - Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 - Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 - Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 - Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 - Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 - Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 - Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 - Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) - Beech Tree
TREES (in alphabetical order)
Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.
Ash Tree (Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.
Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).
Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant,friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.
Cedar Tree (Confidence) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.
Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.
Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.
Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.
Fig Tree (Sensibility) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, few sexual relationships, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.
Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others,yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.
Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.
Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egotistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.
Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.
Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) -- no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.
Oak Tree (Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.
Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.
Pine Tree (Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company,craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection and reassurance.
Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.
Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egotism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.
Walnut Tree (Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.
Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.
Find your birthday and then find your tree. I have no idea who created this and, of course, like horoscopes, it's only as accurate as you decide it is...but it's kinda interesting just the same. (And, for the record, I am a lime tree :-)
Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 - Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 - Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 - Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) -Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 - Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 - Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 - Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 - Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 - Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 - Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 - Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 - Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 - Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) - Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 - Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 - Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 -Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 - Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 - Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 - Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 - Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 - Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 - Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) - Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 - Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 - Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 - Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 - Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 - Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 - Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 - Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 - Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) - Beech Tree
TREES (in alphabetical order)
Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.
Ash Tree (Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.
Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).
Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant,friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.
Cedar Tree (Confidence) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.
Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.
Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.
Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.
Fig Tree (Sensibility) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, few sexual relationships, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.
Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others,yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.
Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.
Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egotistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.
Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.
Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) -- no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.
Oak Tree (Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.
Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.
Pine Tree (Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company,craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection and reassurance.
Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.
Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egotism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.
Walnut Tree (Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.
Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.
to speak briefly of nostalgia
I have a complicated relationship with nostalgia.
On the one hand, it is illuminating to relive the sometimes bitter, oft-times sweet slivers of time that linger in my memory...the moments that come back unbidden as the result of a glance at a photograph or when a certain song plays or when a something in the now echoes something you did or said (or wanted to do or say) in a long forgotten then. A song will be remembered in a specific context and with a specific companion...an untold secret will be remembered...a kiss will be re-tasted; a tear will be re-lived...or a dream, a fear, a touch, a curse, a dance, or a regret; a smile, a laugh, or a whisper that went directly to my heart and took up permanent residence there...or a shiver of absolute communion in the afterglow of shared orgasm...and the past, in that glorious,lingering instant, informs all that I am.
That said, I've found...for better or for ill...that the past is more often than not best left relegated to those quiet halls of memory where it does...and should...linger as golden or as darkly as it needs to be in order to inform my perception of who I am, who I think I am, who I will be, who I thought I was going to be, who I was, and who I thought I was.
I glance at photographs...faces still and ever a part of my life, faces and places gone from the everyday happenstance of living but a part of me then as now. And, of course and especially, the instants of my own journey...people I know and love, people I knew and loved (or thought I loved...or wanted to love...), people gone from my life (taken by the inevitable march of time and circumstance...or by the end of the brief, wondrous, bittersweet eternity that our lives were supposed to be entwined during our respective journeys towards the light.)
I hear music...that song or that turn of a phrase...and it harkens back to friends and lovers and to places I can never return to...to the phases of my long-gone youth consciously and unconsciously edited to fit the myths of my own existence...and I linger in the moment.
And then I look forward...I look to the now...the past is prologue and the future is yet unwritten...and I...I have a complicated relationship with nostalgia...
On the one hand, it is illuminating to relive the sometimes bitter, oft-times sweet slivers of time that linger in my memory...the moments that come back unbidden as the result of a glance at a photograph or when a certain song plays or when a something in the now echoes something you did or said (or wanted to do or say) in a long forgotten then. A song will be remembered in a specific context and with a specific companion...an untold secret will be remembered...a kiss will be re-tasted; a tear will be re-lived...or a dream, a fear, a touch, a curse, a dance, or a regret; a smile, a laugh, or a whisper that went directly to my heart and took up permanent residence there...or a shiver of absolute communion in the afterglow of shared orgasm...and the past, in that glorious,lingering instant, informs all that I am.
That said, I've found...for better or for ill...that the past is more often than not best left relegated to those quiet halls of memory where it does...and should...linger as golden or as darkly as it needs to be in order to inform my perception of who I am, who I think I am, who I will be, who I thought I was going to be, who I was, and who I thought I was.
I glance at photographs...faces still and ever a part of my life, faces and places gone from the everyday happenstance of living but a part of me then as now. And, of course and especially, the instants of my own journey...people I know and love, people I knew and loved (or thought I loved...or wanted to love...), people gone from my life (taken by the inevitable march of time and circumstance...or by the end of the brief, wondrous, bittersweet eternity that our lives were supposed to be entwined during our respective journeys towards the light.)
I hear music...that song or that turn of a phrase...and it harkens back to friends and lovers and to places I can never return to...to the phases of my long-gone youth consciously and unconsciously edited to fit the myths of my own existence...and I linger in the moment.
And then I look forward...I look to the now...the past is prologue and the future is yet unwritten...and I...I have a complicated relationship with nostalgia...
Friday, November 12, 2004
sour grapes
We're well into the second week after the election and we here in "America's finest city" are still not sure who our next mayor is going to be. The 11th hour write-in candidacy of maverick San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye completely upset the apple carts of the two primary election winners...Mayor Dick Murphy and San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts...and tossed the whole election into a protracted manual vote count that continues as of this writing.
Roberts, trailing from the very first returns after his third run at seizing the Mayor's chair, never conceded but he did admit that the numbers weren't in his favor. Murphy, who was a reluctant candidate for re-election early on, has trailed behind the write-ins (though he continues to narrow the gap.) And Frye, the presumed
recipient of the vast majority of the write-in votes being reported, has proven suprisingly strong presence.
Part of Frye's apparent strength in the returns comes from the fact that gentlemen in the race are two sides of the same coin...old school, fairly moderate Republican politicians who, despite the fact that they tried desperately to differentiate themselves from each other, have an unsurprising meeting of minds on a lot of the issues of concern to local voters. Frye also benefited from the news coverage and free publicity that her last minute campaign drummed up. All of that...combined with an effective grassroots effort on the part of Frye's supporters and ...has led us to the current situation.
And, of course...considering our ever-litigious society...it has also led to bitching and moaning from the supporters of the candidates lagging in the vote count and the inevitable barrage of lawsuits challenging the validity of the election.
Before the election, none of these people found anything to be upset about because Frye's campaign was either doomed to failure (write-in campaigns are notoriously difficult things to pull off) or it was seen to perhaps be of benefit to the candidate they supported (the pundits predicted that Frye would pull in the anti-incumbent vote and thus give Roberts, who had a slight lead in the polls before Frye entered the race, a clear path to victory.)
Now that it looks like she has a chance of actually winning, suddenly "concerned citizens"...all, coincidentally I'm sure, disgruntled Republicans...are stepping up, lawsuits in their grubby little hands, to try to shut down the current vote count and to force an expensive new election featuring only Murphy and Roberts.
Whoever eventually prevails will have something less than a mandate...2/3 of people who voted in the original election will feel like their candidate will have gotten robbed...and the bitterness of the this campaign outcome will linger over their tenure in office like the aftertaste of a bitter wine culled from sour grapes.
And the losers...when all is said and done...will be the citizens of the city of San Diego...left with a Mayor who will come into office under a cloud of bitterness, suspicion, and acrimony.
Roberts, trailing from the very first returns after his third run at seizing the Mayor's chair, never conceded but he did admit that the numbers weren't in his favor. Murphy, who was a reluctant candidate for re-election early on, has trailed behind the write-ins (though he continues to narrow the gap.) And Frye, the presumed
recipient of the vast majority of the write-in votes being reported, has proven suprisingly strong presence.
Part of Frye's apparent strength in the returns comes from the fact that gentlemen in the race are two sides of the same coin...old school, fairly moderate Republican politicians who, despite the fact that they tried desperately to differentiate themselves from each other, have an unsurprising meeting of minds on a lot of the issues of concern to local voters. Frye also benefited from the news coverage and free publicity that her last minute campaign drummed up. All of that...combined with an effective grassroots effort on the part of Frye's supporters and ...has led us to the current situation.
And, of course...considering our ever-litigious society...it has also led to bitching and moaning from the supporters of the candidates lagging in the vote count and the inevitable barrage of lawsuits challenging the validity of the election.
Before the election, none of these people found anything to be upset about because Frye's campaign was either doomed to failure (write-in campaigns are notoriously difficult things to pull off) or it was seen to perhaps be of benefit to the candidate they supported (the pundits predicted that Frye would pull in the anti-incumbent vote and thus give Roberts, who had a slight lead in the polls before Frye entered the race, a clear path to victory.)
Now that it looks like she has a chance of actually winning, suddenly "concerned citizens"...all, coincidentally I'm sure, disgruntled Republicans...are stepping up, lawsuits in their grubby little hands, to try to shut down the current vote count and to force an expensive new election featuring only Murphy and Roberts.
Whoever eventually prevails will have something less than a mandate...2/3 of people who voted in the original election will feel like their candidate will have gotten robbed...and the bitterness of the this campaign outcome will linger over their tenure in office like the aftertaste of a bitter wine culled from sour grapes.
And the losers...when all is said and done...will be the citizens of the city of San Diego...left with a Mayor who will come into office under a cloud of bitterness, suspicion, and acrimony.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Veteran's Day
I am not a veteran. My mother is a veteran. My father is a veteran. A fair number of the people I know and love are veterans and this day, whatever it means to them, means a lot to me.
When I was a teenager, the war in Vietnam was still going on as was the Draft and, as I neared the age of my majority, I made a decision that when and if my number was called I would answer. Not because I believed in the war...I most certainly did not...but rather because I was young and despite all of its faults I believed that it was my country...right or wrong...and thus if it were at war and called me to uniform I had to answer. (To be honest, the idea of being plopped onto the killing fields of Southeast Asia scared the hell out of me...and, then as now, I wasn't sure that killing "the enemy" was something that I would find easy to do. But, of course, it's not supposed to be easy...all life is sacred and taking it, even and especially in the cause of war, is supposed to be the hardest thing imaginable if we have even the barest hint of a soul.)
My mother...a veteran herself as I said...vehemently opposed the idea of me going to that war, a folly that she thought not worth my blood nor the blood of all of the young people that Walter Cronkite somberly enumerated every day on the CBS Evening News.
The conflict between us on this point became moot when the US pulled out of Vietnam when I was 17 years old. I cannot say that I was disappointed by this turn of events...both for myself and for my country and the young people who would no longer have to die so very far away from home.
I am not a veteran...but I am a patriot (both cynically and optimistically...however frustrating it can, has, and will be, this is still as much my country as it is the country of anyone in the far right...or the far left...who might want to mold it into their own myopic image) and I tip my hat to those who have served in uniform on this day...and every other day.
When I was a teenager, the war in Vietnam was still going on as was the Draft and, as I neared the age of my majority, I made a decision that when and if my number was called I would answer. Not because I believed in the war...I most certainly did not...but rather because I was young and despite all of its faults I believed that it was my country...right or wrong...and thus if it were at war and called me to uniform I had to answer. (To be honest, the idea of being plopped onto the killing fields of Southeast Asia scared the hell out of me...and, then as now, I wasn't sure that killing "the enemy" was something that I would find easy to do. But, of course, it's not supposed to be easy...all life is sacred and taking it, even and especially in the cause of war, is supposed to be the hardest thing imaginable if we have even the barest hint of a soul.)
My mother...a veteran herself as I said...vehemently opposed the idea of me going to that war, a folly that she thought not worth my blood nor the blood of all of the young people that Walter Cronkite somberly enumerated every day on the CBS Evening News.
The conflict between us on this point became moot when the US pulled out of Vietnam when I was 17 years old. I cannot say that I was disappointed by this turn of events...both for myself and for my country and the young people who would no longer have to die so very far away from home.
I am not a veteran...but I am a patriot (both cynically and optimistically...however frustrating it can, has, and will be, this is still as much my country as it is the country of anyone in the far right...or the far left...who might want to mold it into their own myopic image) and I tip my hat to those who have served in uniform on this day...and every other day.
Monday, November 08, 2004
the battle for Fallujah
The battle for the White House is over and, less than a week afterwards, the battle for Fallujah is joined. There may not be a direct correlation between the two events (the attack on the "insurgents" has been threatened...with increasing bravado and promises of overwhelming force...for quite some weeks now) but the timing, nevertheless, is...interesting.
At some point, the US government and military is going to have acknowledge the fact that rebelling Iraqis...and those drawn to the region because of the US occupation...are never going to be completely crushed no matter how many bombs and bullets you lob at them...no matter how many widows and orphans you create...no matter how many more avengers you give birth to by creating martyrs ( after all is said and done, one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter"...it all depends on your perspective.)
We can impose "democracy" and set up a US-friendly Iraqi government but a true peace is long, long ways off. We are mired down in Iraq and we probably will be for some time to come...and the battle for Fallujah will do little to change that.
At some point, the US government and military is going to have acknowledge the fact that rebelling Iraqis...and those drawn to the region because of the US occupation...are never going to be completely crushed no matter how many bombs and bullets you lob at them...no matter how many widows and orphans you create...no matter how many more avengers you give birth to by creating martyrs ( after all is said and done, one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter"...it all depends on your perspective.)
We can impose "democracy" and set up a US-friendly Iraqi government but a true peace is long, long ways off. We are mired down in Iraq and we probably will be for some time to come...and the battle for Fallujah will do little to change that.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
an incredible movie
I freely admit to being an unabashed fanboy when it comes to comic book related stuff. I say this as a preamble to my declaration that the new animated movie "The Incredibles" is...well...incredible.
It's bright, witty, imaginative, and beautiful (all of which almost goes without saying considering that it's a Pixar film)...funny and poignant...action-packed and still full of heart and joy and wonder and able to hold the attention of kids of all ages (even those of us nearing the half-century mark.) And, most importantly, it's just plain fun (even, I believe, if you're not a lifelong super-hero fan like yours truly...though that probably helps :-)
(I guess you might be able to tell that I kinda liked this movie :-)
It's bright, witty, imaginative, and beautiful (all of which almost goes without saying considering that it's a Pixar film)...funny and poignant...action-packed and still full of heart and joy and wonder and able to hold the attention of kids of all ages (even those of us nearing the half-century mark.) And, most importantly, it's just plain fun (even, I believe, if you're not a lifelong super-hero fan like yours truly...though that probably helps :-)
(I guess you might be able to tell that I kinda liked this movie :-)
Friday, November 05, 2004
raking leaves on a brisk autumn's morning
There is something very soothing and energizing about raking leaves on a brisk Autumn's morning. The trees...having turned color and begun to drop their spring and summer leaves in preparation for a quiet winter's sleep...stand mutely as their fragrant castoffs are gathered into heaping, inviting (especially for any impish child who might happen by) mounds.
Raking leaves on a brisk Autumn's morning fills and creates time reflective...time to clear the cobwebs lingering from slumber and focus the early morning mind (a time of the quiet bear for yours truly) for the tasks of the day ahead. The time is filled with little, lingering pleasures...the tingling kiss of the cool morning air on hands and faces, the rhythmic song of the rake capturing and corralling the patiently waiting leaves, the dancing crinkle of those same leaves as they find themselves joined together in happy claustrophobic piles, the fleeting waves and smiles shared with neighbors disappearing into the increasing bustle of the morning on their way into their own days, the anticipation of hot tea and warm muffins that will reward the completion of the task.
There is something very soothing and energizing...very calming and satisfying... about raking leaves on a brisk Autumn's morning...
Raking leaves on a brisk Autumn's morning fills and creates time reflective...time to clear the cobwebs lingering from slumber and focus the early morning mind (a time of the quiet bear for yours truly) for the tasks of the day ahead. The time is filled with little, lingering pleasures...the tingling kiss of the cool morning air on hands and faces, the rhythmic song of the rake capturing and corralling the patiently waiting leaves, the dancing crinkle of those same leaves as they find themselves joined together in happy claustrophobic piles, the fleeting waves and smiles shared with neighbors disappearing into the increasing bustle of the morning on their way into their own days, the anticipation of hot tea and warm muffins that will reward the completion of the task.
There is something very soothing and energizing...very calming and satisfying... about raking leaves on a brisk Autumn's morning...
Thursday, November 04, 2004
wedding bell blues
Lost in the initial post-election din (at least by the mass media which under-reported it) was the fact that on Tuesday 11 states resoundingly passed amendments to ban gay marriage...or, as they euphemistically like to put it, to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
The states in question included some one might consider to be among the usual suspects when it comes to rallying to the cause...Mississippi, Utah, Kentucky, Arkansas...and a couple one might have (however naively) thought more tolerant...Michigan and, most especially, Oregon. (The other states involved were Georgia, Montana, Ohio, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.)
Eight of these states took a further step and banned civil unions between same sex couples.
All of the measures passed easily (by a ratio of 6 to 1 in Mississippi, for example.)
The so-called religious right are delighted with themselves and some are even wondering if this issue played a part in Senator Kerry's defeat (one guesses that they were able to conveniently forget that President Bush endorsed civil unions for gay couples just last week.)
And I still don't get it. I don't get why so many people are so frightened by how consenting adults in committed relationships live their lives. I don't understand how lives those consenting adults lead have any effect on those frightened people (clutching their unread and/or selectively understood Bibles to their self-righteous, intolerant breasts)and their own relationships.
The "institution of marriage" has survived a staggering divorce rate and a continuing fraying of once accepted boundaries that have made long-term relationships between men and women without the benefit of a wedding ceremony...and even the once dreaded state of having children "out of wedlock" ("wedlock" being an interesting way of putting it when you think about it)...a common and accepted part of everyday life. And the world as we know it hasn't come to an end.
I just don't get it.
The states in question included some one might consider to be among the usual suspects when it comes to rallying to the cause...Mississippi, Utah, Kentucky, Arkansas...and a couple one might have (however naively) thought more tolerant...Michigan and, most especially, Oregon. (The other states involved were Georgia, Montana, Ohio, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.)
Eight of these states took a further step and banned civil unions between same sex couples.
All of the measures passed easily (by a ratio of 6 to 1 in Mississippi, for example.)
The so-called religious right are delighted with themselves and some are even wondering if this issue played a part in Senator Kerry's defeat (one guesses that they were able to conveniently forget that President Bush endorsed civil unions for gay couples just last week.)
And I still don't get it. I don't get why so many people are so frightened by how consenting adults in committed relationships live their lives. I don't understand how lives those consenting adults lead have any effect on those frightened people (clutching their unread and/or selectively understood Bibles to their self-righteous, intolerant breasts)and their own relationships.
The "institution of marriage" has survived a staggering divorce rate and a continuing fraying of once accepted boundaries that have made long-term relationships between men and women without the benefit of a wedding ceremony...and even the once dreaded state of having children "out of wedlock" ("wedlock" being an interesting way of putting it when you think about it)...a common and accepted part of everyday life. And the world as we know it hasn't come to an end.
I just don't get it.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
the high road to the near future
Outstanding. Sometimes it's heartening to be proven wrong. John Kerry proved himself in the last to be a statesman who was unwilling to put us through a repeat of the debacle of 2000. He has conceded to George Bush and we can and should move on with the business of the nation.
The President won because the people who supported him did so enthusiastically while Kerry could not inspire the same kind of loyalty and energy...a lot of his votes were, I think, not as for him as they were against Bush. That's really not a way to win the Presidency...and indeed it proved not to be the path.
The next four years will be pivotal in setting the agenda for the future of this country. The President has, for whatever reason, inspired the enmity of many international friends and allies...including and especially in the ascendant European Union...and it will be interesting to see where we go from here as George W. Bush tries, as second term Presidents are wont to do, to set his "legacy" firmly into place.
The conflict in Iraq will have to be resolved somehow, our floundering economy will have to be addressed, and the Supreme Court will be remade (with repercussions that will linger for years to come)...we can only hope that, since he has the job, President Bush is up to the tasks. I personally have my doubts (the President has often proven to be willfully myopic, irrationally arrogant, and infuriatingly intractable) ...but whatever way it goes, I continue to believe that the center will hold and the country will survive. I may naive in believing this...but I don't care, I have faith that this country can continue to strive forward despite, rather than because of, whomever we elect to lead us.
The President won because the people who supported him did so enthusiastically while Kerry could not inspire the same kind of loyalty and energy...a lot of his votes were, I think, not as for him as they were against Bush. That's really not a way to win the Presidency...and indeed it proved not to be the path.
The next four years will be pivotal in setting the agenda for the future of this country. The President has, for whatever reason, inspired the enmity of many international friends and allies...including and especially in the ascendant European Union...and it will be interesting to see where we go from here as George W. Bush tries, as second term Presidents are wont to do, to set his "legacy" firmly into place.
The conflict in Iraq will have to be resolved somehow, our floundering economy will have to be addressed, and the Supreme Court will be remade (with repercussions that will linger for years to come)...we can only hope that, since he has the job, President Bush is up to the tasks. I personally have my doubts (the President has often proven to be willfully myopic, irrationally arrogant, and infuriatingly intractable) ...but whatever way it goes, I continue to believe that the center will hold and the country will survive. I may naive in believing this...but I don't care, I have faith that this country can continue to strive forward despite, rather than because of, whomever we elect to lead us.
Ohio is the new Florida?
As of this writing, the Presidential election hangs...at least according to some partisans...on a quarter of a million "provisional" ballots in the Buckeye state.
Senator Kerry's people are talking about digging in their heels on the matter but, it seems to me, that the numbers don't add up and dragging the country through another recounting and/or legal mire is a self-serving fool's errand.
Among the many things that have been lost in public and political discourse is the fine art of being a graceful loser. Easy enough to take the high road when you have prevailed but it is much harder...and therefore much more impressive...to realize that the people have not spoken in your favor and to accept that fact with dignity.
It has been a bitter and often undignified campaign...neither candidate or their respective parties have anything to be proud of when it comes to that...and one would hope that the aftermath didn't continue in the vein. I hope that it doesn't...and I would love to be surprised on this matter...but I'm not holding my breath on that count.
Senator Kerry's people are talking about digging in their heels on the matter but, it seems to me, that the numbers don't add up and dragging the country through another recounting and/or legal mire is a self-serving fool's errand.
Among the many things that have been lost in public and political discourse is the fine art of being a graceful loser. Easy enough to take the high road when you have prevailed but it is much harder...and therefore much more impressive...to realize that the people have not spoken in your favor and to accept that fact with dignity.
It has been a bitter and often undignified campaign...neither candidate or their respective parties have anything to be proud of when it comes to that...and one would hope that the aftermath didn't continue in the vein. I hope that it doesn't...and I would love to be surprised on this matter...but I'm not holding my breath on that count.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
National Novel Writing Month
I've entered into the annual National Novel Writing Month challenge (I had no idea that November was "National Novel Writing Month"...I guess you learn something everyday. You can link to their site by clicking on the title of this entry.)
The challenge is to complete a novel (175 pages or so) during the month of November. I've exhumed an idea I've had kicking around for years and I've started completely rewriting that idea from scratch as my contribution (the original pages are so old that I'm not the same writer I was when I wrote them...it's best to approach the story from the place I am now as a writer.)
The first chapter is posted on separate blog if you're interested:
http://mkwsouldeep.blogspot.com
I'll be making sporadic updates on my progress there.
The challenge is to complete a novel (175 pages or so) during the month of November. I've exhumed an idea I've had kicking around for years and I've started completely rewriting that idea from scratch as my contribution (the original pages are so old that I'm not the same writer I was when I wrote them...it's best to approach the story from the place I am now as a writer.)
The first chapter is posted on separate blog if you're interested:
http://mkwsouldeep.blogspot.com
I'll be making sporadic updates on my progress there.
wal-mart world
Last night I dreamed that I was lost in Wal-Mart. Not just any Wal-Mart but a Wal-Mart so massive, so expansive, so all-encompassing that getting lost in it was not only possible but, indeed, probable.
There were floors upon floors...cheap clothes, gaudy knick-knacks, all kinds of foodstuffs, endless rows of toys and games and lotions and notions and everything anybody could ever want (and lots of stuff they didn't know that they wanted until they got lost in the titanic Wal-Mart.)
By the time I stumbled onto the floor where they were selling new and used cars (at "everyday low Wal-Mart prices") I was ready to abandon all hope.
I escaped by chance...finding my way up a long escalator and out onto the surface where there were Wal-Mart model homes for sale (the realtors were all old guys wearing Wal-Mart vests and smiles so plastic that they looked like they would crack into a million pieces if you touched them.) I ducked out a side alley and escaped onto a busy city street.
I don't think I'm going to overthink this dream too much...the implications are a little daunting (and besides someone from Wal-Mart may be monitoring this publication :-)
There were floors upon floors...cheap clothes, gaudy knick-knacks, all kinds of foodstuffs, endless rows of toys and games and lotions and notions and everything anybody could ever want (and lots of stuff they didn't know that they wanted until they got lost in the titanic Wal-Mart.)
By the time I stumbled onto the floor where they were selling new and used cars (at "everyday low Wal-Mart prices") I was ready to abandon all hope.
I escaped by chance...finding my way up a long escalator and out onto the surface where there were Wal-Mart model homes for sale (the realtors were all old guys wearing Wal-Mart vests and smiles so plastic that they looked like they would crack into a million pieces if you touched them.) I ducked out a side alley and escaped onto a busy city street.
I don't think I'm going to overthink this dream too much...the implications are a little daunting (and besides someone from Wal-Mart may be monitoring this publication :-)
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