Child Abuse and Animal Protection

Or Pest Control? 

Some people like cats. I don’t. But I don’t hate them either.  I don’t like them because I won’t let myself like them.  Though, they are actually great to have around and tend to do an excellent job at keeping the pests in check. Problem is that they tend to grow, grow on you to the point that it is hard not to get attached to them.  That story is long buried in the past, under a tree, nestled in a blanket of good memories…

Speaking of pests... you know, the menacing kind that take shape in the form of little boys, the kind who get a thrill out of teasing animals? Yeah, that’s what this probably-never-happened story is about.

This Morning's Beach Walk Was Brough to You by...

 Summer Sucks

That's right!

Yes, it really does suck. In an assortment of ways. 

 (Mmmm....the choices are soothing and invigorating)

Summer is fun, but it's also frustrating. That is the time when the official season is just about to start. You can tell when the season is on by the debris the waves of mindless masses leave in their wake. Only, this year, the crowds seem to have gotten ahead of themselves...guess some folks are off their marks a little early. Is this what the gauge would measure as a 'positive low'? The forecast would indicate that ebb tide is not expected to be here till fall.

Summer heat is nothing to lament...

...it is a blessing!

Really, how can summer not be a time to enjoy?

Only, knowing how is half the battle; surviving is the other.

For those who are stuck in a work-race maze, if you’ve got such thing as a weekend, or even a piece of one (call it a Monday if you want), get thee to liquid.

Just don’t take your watch. Put the phone away. Make a date with the disconnect while you still can do it on your own terms.  Really…leave it all behind. 

One More Thing...

Hard to be around people when you’ve got the feeling that you are just boring the shit out of them. Never been too good at dropping names other than those of holy men...for whatever reason, we leave 'blessed virgins' out of this; never know when you might need to throw one. 

But this isn’t an attempt to drop names. 
And no need to sound the 'whom alert'. 

No, no need indeed. 

Though,  these words are intended as eulogistic libations poured into the bottomlessness of that void that sometimes looks back. 

While committed to living in the Land of Harmony (the Land of Wa't the F**k?!), having access to familiar comforts is not always so easy. And despite the fact the author of this blog would rather be boasting about how life without television is so much more intense and interesting than life with, there have been times when he’s fallen off the wagon and imbibed from his flask of mental weaknesses, lest it overflow.

This is not meant to be altruistic in any way...

Some people don’t read blogs, maybe because they simply don’t know how. Maybe they never thought they had that kind of time.  He never did.

He can’t remember when he first started following some ‘crazy’ vato in a place called Yokohama. 
What he can remember is that some kind of feeling, call it intuition if you will, kept him there.   
Which is strange, because he can’t clearly recall anything specific that really made him stop and take notice.  Maybe there was something he recognized that was just familiar enough. Even if he still can’t figure that out (and maybe he doesn’t need to).

He does feel that he’s got to be clear, clear that he is not trying to be altruistic. This is just what he thinks he sees, from the threads he followed and the patterns he’s seem based on his experience. Just observations.  And somehow, recently, a lot of it seemed to start making sense.

And it scared the hell out of him.

Sex & Rope...

Sex & Rope…

Sex life, or the lack thereof, can be a real bitch for some and a blessing for others.

We’re not concerned with the blessed.

We are concerned with curses and the cursed.

There are some things that we might think of as 'the hard facts of life' and be tempted to just leave them as they are. At the same time, there are people who will not shy away from taking a look at things that are not to their liking; there are people who dare look at how to change.

If you haven’t read the Sex Life post, you may be doing yourself a disservice by reading ahead. Then again, you might be saving yourself some time.

Either way, here goes…

Blog Intermission...

Trying to read through blogs in a way to understand and get the full feel of a message is important to this reader. In getting more in the groove, so to speak, I've noticed that I do get more out of what people are saying when I simply press 'play' - something I realize I haven't done so nearly enough.

I've learned about Louis Farrakhan and discovered warm summers with Will Smith; the links have introduced me to people I never thought I'd have reason to meet. The interactivity of this 'blog' phenomenon is, how does one say, quite 'trippy'.

Hey, teacher! Leave them kids alone...

(This is one of those “No way! That didn’t really happen, did it?” stories you might hear while breaking bread)

 

Even when busy, it seems like people still manage to put a pocket of time aside for catching up and checking in with those who are trustworthy enough to have disagreements with. 

“So, this kid is maybe in the 6th grade of elementary school and the teacher does something you wouldn’t want to believe.”

“Wait a minute…I’m eating.”

“No, it’s not like that. You’ll actually like this.”

“Okay, go ahead, I’m listening.”

What Motivated Us...

(Part II)

For anyone who is just now ‘clicking in’, you’ll probably want to read Part I.

Otherwise, here it is.

What Motivated Us…

Rainy season comes just before summer

Working in the rain isn’t a problem, but it’s the drying off that can be a bitch 

The wetness sticks like memories that just don’t want to go away

And the summer sun seems late this year

The Gentleman had been kind enough to introduce his lowly neighbor to the joy of surfing, all with a sense of dry humor.  A sense of humor…that’s got to be the reason, the reason for lending out a ten-foot fiberglass longboard that seemed to somehow weigh a ton.   

Someone Else's Obervations

"Because it is clear that there are enormous differences between people, and it is clear that they can never really connect for very long before one or both has changed too much to maintain the connection, because what really happens is that they are each unfolding, and if the situation in which they are unfolding affects them positively, it allows them to grow like flowers toward the sun they each provide, but ultimately, they must each grow on their own paths, succumbing to differences that the initial attraction cannot overcome."

Written on December 20, 2001 by him (worth at least a skim to see how some people never stop thinking and doing).

Although his blog is no longer as active in some respects, I've enjoyed looking through it for inspiration. But quite frankly, when I try to see all that's going on, I'm dumbstruck. 

Revelation?

Damn! Just went and saw this (what made me write after watching this morning):

(Tried to 'link' earlier but got 404...still working out how to drive this blog)
Four minutes of my life not wasted...the only thing I don't agree with in terms of following what he says, is the part about fame and fortune (as it applies to me). I am not a gangster and I am not a cop. Still, what he says is worth watching. And listening to...every...single...word. 

Sex Life

Sex Life as Oxymoron

Whoever coined the term had a wicked sense of humor, didn’t they?

Whoever declared that it was all about Venus and Mars, despite good intentions, didn’t really solve the puzzle. Whatever happened to the rest, you know, family (if you need help on this one - read definition #7)?

About solving that puzzle, perhaps no one ever will.  But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about looking at the pieces, some shattered, others shredded…all those pieces that are not conveniently wrapped and shipped to your doorstep. Not an easy or enviable task. The phrase, "No pain, no gain" comes to mind.

No, this is about going though some shit (or stuff depending on who it belongs to). Either way, it takes a strong stomach. 

Falling into the Blue Hole

 A Blue Hole

In reaction to comment recently made on a post by a much bigger person than I, my mind wandered, went over the faded tapes, so to speak.

The following borrowed visual representation, a metaphor of sorts, is my attempt to communicate what I am feeling now. Maybe you have already seen it.

The first time I saw the video, my Internet connection to the 'matrix' was fast enough, the screen just the right size, and the headphones were on. The first time I saw the video, I had a very strong feeling that seems to have come back now. Only now, I am still falling.

Three Sets of Three

•  Do best to be firm, fair, and consistent
• Make a difference, have a policy, be outstanding
• See one, do one, teach one

These are the three sets of three.

Chewing the cud.

(And just a little later in the morning, before the coffee kicks in....)
Was doing a quick search to try and find the title of the book where the third set comes from and found this gem:

From Morning Till Now

The Moment Before

 

And a moment after...flat as.  For some insane reason, the morning had started early, again.

Just had to check the blog dashboard to see if I had just really been up that early. 

Okay, now I think I am starting to crash. But before I do, I've got to share this experience. And this isn't because I'm going for brownie-points either (refer to third definition). 

Waking Up and Chasing Rabbits

Entheogenic...most of us don't know what that means until we "google it" or reach for our best friend, the dictionary, whether it be digital or analog.  Me? I've got plenty of friends, my best ones are usually weathered with age. They show history and usually got some good insights to share should I be patient enough to look. Not to say that the new and shiny ones are no good, they just seem to lack a bit of mileage, but not always.

So, where did that word come from and why put it here?
That's a good question. Should you care to know the answer, you're going to need to allow yourself a little mental space.

Decisions, decisions.

Decisions...

Oh, how to decide which one to press the “post” button for next.

Inkya, binkya, bottle a stinka… the horse ran out and drank it.

(Sorry Corinne and her comment readers, the ugly has to wait just a little longer.)

Since I’ve already taken the red pill and gone down the rabbit hole, I’m visiting a place where decisions are made. The bottle said “Drink Me” – but it got dropped and shattered across the floor.

This explains why someone stayed up until past 1:00 am last night going a little Loco…

(the next morning) 5:30 am-ish

The clock in the kitchen is always fast. Even though they know that, they always feel like it is a little bit ahead of their other timekeepers, kind of looking out,  keeping them in line. Must be Domovi’s Shinto cousin or something like that. 

Half-past-what?!

A little too late for dawn patrol, but that’s the time I thought I woke up this morning. Hella early for my lazy ass, anyway... After going out to check on things, came back in to find the wife up.  She must have been in a bit of hurry, but then she slowed down once she realized that she was an hour ahead of herself. All I could do is look at the clock and wonder.

In the front of our place is one of those scratched up mini-vans. Yes, it’s ours. And that thing has taken a beating. Literally.

Little Packages and Big Decisions

Anyone who is contemplating having kids can hang out with mine for a day.   

Assuredly the best form of birth control. 

I am never going to read her blog again because she mentions somewhere that the single life is like being on holiday 365 days a year (thanks Corinne). Did you know what that number equals when you add it all up, counting each and every day of bachelorhood? It equals an eternity, which was once upon a time a blissful forever that we can never really return to despite how bad we may want to go. Every...single....day..... of the rest of our little lives. Think Milton was right? I frickin' hate poets.

What Motivates Us

 (Part I of II)

On the theme of motivation

According to one of those passport-sized handy business management books found at an airport bookstore near you, there are five levels of motivation based on – from bottom to top - the following: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization.

Physiological:

These needs are pretty basic, such as warmth, shelter, food, and sex. The modern "western" world is one in which all but the last seem to be readily available with no psychological or cultural baggage (here in the land of the rising sun, there is no concept of sin, let alone an original one). These physiological needs seem like the basics that are required to get by in terms of we human animals understand as the bare necessities.

Safety:

Parenthood. Umpire. Curses.

Almost missed that.  Out in left field, I'm kind of late in the game in terms of keeping up with everything. Apparently friends of mine, who I met what seems like eons ago when they had just become a couple…they just had a kid.  Bound to happen the way they had been going at it. After trying for ages, they’d seen a number of doctors.  Actually paid for a little help from modern medicine, which hadn’t appeared to be working. Not quite hanging up the hat, they’d taken a break.  By chance, the wife had gone to a doctor because she wasn’t feeling well. He gave her what turned out to be potentially dangerous professional advice about medication for her odd symptoms… nobody had known, including her, that she was pregnant. 

Now they just had a kid, their first.

They’d been expecting for a while, but had understandably not been so social these past few months.  I just found out about the new arrival though the grapevine this morning and started to write a letter and wanted to throw in some humor.  Yet, I’m holding back.  It might be a good idea to wait a little before telling jokes, at least not until everybody checks out okay considering the way things began.

The missive starts out something like this:

Prologue to a blog...

So focused on a far off future that there never is a now.

I’m alive.

Fuck it.

Maybe blogs are easy because they are so much like talking to ourselves. We don’t need to worry about explanations to get points across because we can follow our own thoughts (usually).

Just got through a few servings of  “Raw Like Sushi” today.  Now I am starting to realize the extent to which this form of media has taken.  Attracted to the light, I gravitated toward Loco and his solar system. Over the past two years, I believe I’ve witnessed the birth of a star that has burned oh so bright. Although that shining star is soon to implode, as it has been created as such. In the wake of such intense confessions, a lot has happened.  What I find comforting is, that instead of a black hole, there is already a collection of planets that have come together through this nexus of sorts. 

Reading a certain piece in the 1990’s helped me in dealing with a very non-sugarcoated reality.