tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34223998400771659862024-03-06T04:34:56.144+09:00Why'd we come... all this way?Inspired by a number of misfit bloggers mostly whose honeymoons have long since been over. Inspired by those who share a taste for a raw, unfiltered Japan. Definitely not part of any press club.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comBlogger266125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-56665556196936097772013-10-31T20:29:00.001+09:002013-11-07T16:47:01.854+09:00The Read Pill<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The 'red pill' is not read. In it's natural state, it looks quite green, and muddy brown after it's been boiled down for a few days. As a crystal, they say it has a yellow tinge. What do you think? </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXF3b4ydAHQ/UnIiPlRHtaI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/AvgjUWUYIAg/s1600/dmt.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXF3b4ydAHQ/UnIiPlRHtaI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/AvgjUWUYIAg/s1600/dmt.tiff" /></a></div>
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(For those whose gray matter is imbued with a short attention span, scroll straight to THE BOTTOM. </div>
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For those who don't mind sitting through a trip or two, you may wish to start at the top. This post is the layered and can be read as a kaleidoscope of images that actually do fit together, as this sort-of summary is intended to e'splain. </div>
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This post was written in three sittings, the last of which was written by hand. A lot of what is written here may not appear to make sense. Trips are like that. If you do make it to the bottom and leave a comment you'll get a response. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay, here goes...) </span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Now, I’m not even sure how
people manage to communicate anymore.</span><br />
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Life is in the comments.
That’s where there’s the interaction, the recognition that people normally
don’t get, at least when it’s sincere. And sometimes…sometimes people let you
know something that you can use. </div>
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This will be the last blog
post here for quite some time, perhaps for good. </div>
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(clears throat)<br />
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Roughly two years ago I was
coaxed out of my hole, so to speak.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl_QEIcn0wE/UnIhlK7vx2I/AAAAAAAAC_I/e3ul0fQdOkU/s1600/spider+eyes.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl_QEIcn0wE/UnIhlK7vx2I/AAAAAAAAC_I/e3ul0fQdOkU/s320/spider+eyes.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was this guy, a
blogger, who was throwing a party.
I stood outside, listening to the DJ spin…also got to hear a few of the
guests <i>do their thang</i>. Moving, it all was. </div>
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Here goes. </div>
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(deep breath)<br />
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<b>Background. </b></div>
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I <i>do</i> drink alcohol, but not
much. Might have a beer with dinner now and then. And I don’t do ‘drugs’. I’m clean. By the time I was old enough for ‘higher education’, I’d
already had my share of 'acclimational' experiences. I don’t think I’ve ever tripped. Not from
what I can remember. And I’ve never had blackouts. </div>
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Churches…those are places
I’ve been. One that is arguably a cult, depending on which sect you talk to. Was never
forced to participate, but undoing the fear in order to be able to see better
has taken years. Occasionally, if there’s a bump in the night, it can still set
me off. Still, I’ve never ‘seen’ anything. Still…just gotta be still and remember
to breathe. </div>
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Worth millions apparently. </div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/DreamWorks_Studios_logo.svg/200px-DreamWorks_Studios_logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/DreamWorks_Studios_logo.svg/200px-DreamWorks_Studios_logo.svg.png" /></a></div>
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The imagination...worth so much...and also can be
used as a weapon on the unsuspecting, ‘specially when trust comes into play. Mixed in with a little bit of hope...that magic goes to work. </div>
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Cleanse, fold and manipulate for profit. </div>
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$$$$$</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">At the same time, the
blessed mind (or what’s left of it) is a sacred space. One in which serenity
can still be found. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Set & Setting </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Consciousness. Not too sure
if consciousness is an actual setting. An editor’s letter was posted just a
short while ago. In it there was mention of the <i>Origin of Consciousness</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;">. You can see the messy response I left in the comments
below in the post <a href="http://www.locoinyokohama.com/2013/09/30/a-message-from-the-editor-of-loco-in-yokohama/#comments" target="_blank">linked here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Shortly after submitting the
comment and having it approved, I did a quick search and, as serendipity would
have it, I stumble across DMT. Didn’t know what it was exactly and still don’t
really <i>know</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Since I’d rather read than
watch TV, other than documentaries, I started looking around. And ended up
watchin' a documentary and subsequently reading a lot of comments here and there. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yAMMxz-IHLc/UnIsyaP9HKI/AAAAAAAAC_g/QSE01m3HdEY/s1600/photo-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yAMMxz-IHLc/UnIsyaP9HKI/AAAAAAAAC_g/QSE01m3HdEY/s320/photo-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">It’s this last one that gets
me. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JG743f-twmo/UnIt_SDwreI/AAAAAAAAC_o/BVOdO5WbI6A/s1600/photo-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JG743f-twmo/UnIt_SDwreI/AAAAAAAAC_o/BVOdO5WbI6A/s640/photo-5.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The last one gets me because
something happened roughly two yeas ago. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Look, despite an early
indoctrination of sorts, buying into the system was not hard-wired into me.
When you get a look at what’s behind the scenes, how shows are run, how things
are made - forgetting that it’s one big show, for the most part, is hard to do.
Unless you, through isolation or some kind of subconscious decision, kind of
put things into hyper-sleep. Maybe you thought you had to in order to go with
the flow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Then, one day, there’s a low
boom. First you feel it or maybe think you feel it. Then, there may be a
buzzing sound. And then the ringing. Launch. All within a time-frame that allows for a
mind to pick up where you think it left off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>The fucker was supposed
to be sleeping. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">Intermission</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“Maybe it wasn’t even a
game.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">No, not a game. It was an
educational tool designed to open up, flip switches, observe, make connections…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Myst was a taste of what
really being connected feels like. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">So, what does ‘really being
connected’ feel like? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">We’re doing it now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The simplicity is deceptive. </span></div>
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<span lang="JA" style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>“You are The Stranger, a person of
inconsequential gender, race, or origin, minding your own business when a book
falls into the black starlit void you call home.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The backstory is in every
single post. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Only, the story is something
that has needed architecture through which messages can be relayed. Sometimes
pictures. Other times, just a phrase or two. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Cryptography is too advanced
and not something that is really my style. Never has been. Neither is violence.
Not really. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Still, the idea of lining
walls with brail has never seemed unfair to those who can see. Last time I had a conversation with a
person who could read brail, it was with someone who was bilingual. She’d spent
less than a year in the US. Her active memory, for words and phrases, was near
perfect. When you’re in the dark, there’s a lot to be aware of. You kind of
have to be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">I doubt she could see what I
imagined to be a cruel grin just on the corner of the principal’s face, the
authority who worked at the school where she was teaching. Bruises on her shins
from the coffee table. Yes, many fresh looking bruises. When she was invited in
to speak with me, even though she moved carefully, she still managed to bump
that table. Not like anyone would have had moved it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Are we focusing now? See where this is headed?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">There was a lot going on. A
lot going on that I didn’t see. Next time I have a conversation with a blind
person, I will remember to close my eyes. To listen.</span></div>
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<i>“Thankfully, they later realized that they were going to
have to make a couple of conceptual concessions for a game that took many
players months to work their way through.”</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Thee consecutive sittings
were required to get through that ‘game’.
The resolution on my monitor was poor, so it took a bit longer than it
could have. Still, it was manageable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>“</i></span><i>It's an
alluring idea — the ability to write words with such power and focus that they
could physically transport someone to a place of the author's choosing — not to
mention a tempting metaphor for the Millers' love of world-building.”</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Yeah. Books can do that. </span></div>
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<i>“The world being linked to — its terrain, its people, its
architecture, its biosphere — all existed before that first link was
created; the writer is merely presenting opportunities to see these worlds.”</i><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">That’s all. </span></div>
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<a href="ttp://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9713372/looking-back-game-myst-20th-anniversary" target="_blank"><i>“Open-world gaming somehow feels more truthful these days, maybe because the illusion of freedom and lawlessness so closely mirrors the biggest, most popular computer game of all: the Internet.”</i></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>END</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">(takes another breath)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times;">19:33</span><span style="font-family: Times;">… it mentions something about <i>influencing human consciousness</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Influencing human
consciousness. So what goes on behind the eyes? He’ll show you his...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">For
anyone who takes DMT, there is a chance to see what’s down underneath the last
turtle. As much as I’d like to think I understand that most of what we do, the
way we interact, is some kind of agreed upon way of acting out roles we may not
even be aware of… as much as I’d like to think I’m at least aware of that (see
linked quote if necessary). If I ever do DMT, I want to have prepared for it
(knowing that I maybe really can’t).
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<span style="font-family: Times;">For
now, however, my real reality, the one that I breathe and walk through on a
daily basis, takes precedence over that ultimate trip through the cosmos. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The strength of the Internet, one of them, is very
real. If you want to double-check something you think you might have read or
watched once upon a time, odds are, now, you’ll have a good chance of finding
something. And also get an opportunity to see what other people are saying,
whether they agree or not. Or disagree a lot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">What's this got to do with Loco? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">You see, if you <i>do</i> google the author of the bicameral
mind, you’ll see a name, Brian J. McVeigh. Go ahead, don't close your eyes. Google him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">One of the hardest parts,
I’ve found, is seeing how things fit together. Sometimes you stumble across
bits and pieces of important stuff that has happened and you are able to actually
connect the dots. And then verify. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Like the DMT experience, as
far as I understand it at this point, asking questions like this is very important.
And has it’s dangers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">To ‘close’ this post and
start shutting down the ‘blog’, I never would have come this far had I not just
to have happened across Loco and Chris’ interaction and subsequent recognition.
For me, everything is very real, and I’d like to keep it that way. Were I to meet the other one in person,
as Wifey thought I was going to when I explained that I was headed off to meet
a blogger, I’ve got a set of about three. But it’s not magic, which often
involves distraction, slight of hand, or some trick… it’s something else very,
very real. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">I’m not sure there are any
answers. But that doesn’t stop me from asking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Two of the three require presentation in order. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">After the third are questions I am prepared to answer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">It all depends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">It takes a hell of a lot of mental energy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Just to stay focused. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">But not </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;">Just </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;">yet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Thank you and goodbye. </span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE BOTTOM</b></span></div>
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(I had to find a park somewhere, be outside in the sun. That's how this part was writ.)</div>
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Consciousness </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">At some point in life, people may find themselves hyper-aware of what's going on around them in their universe. The manner or circumstances that lead to this state of elevated consciousness does not always occur when it is convenient. And they may or may not be other people around who we can relate to. </span><style>@font-face {
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trying to relate that experience to others who may not be receptive or
sympathetic to our observations. Reactions may vary, from offhanded dismissal…</span>
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Loco or Baye, provides a
good example of what that can be like. His editor, in her own way, has talked
about that too. And there are others. Here in Japan. </div>
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But not everyone, despite
noticing the similarities, is so willing to engage with other people about
this. It’s a tricky business, or it can be. </div>
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Bad Boy provides a grand
example of this phenomenon. We all bring our chips to the table, along with
axes of various shapes, sizes, and sharpness. </div>
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In exploring consciousness,
there is overlap. If there are any doubts regarding these connections, I can
demonstrate their existence by showing the threads I discovered so far. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">I<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">n the editor’s note to
Loco, the ‘Origins of Consciousness’ is discussed. So let’s start there. Julian
Jaynes discusses bicameralism, an idea definitely worth researching further for
those who are interested. One of Jaynes understudies is B.J. McVeigh. </span></span></div>
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One particular comment on
Loco’s blog was fairly critical of his observations. McVeigh happened to be an
author I had read who provided insight that was useful in confirming the
validity of Loco’s reflections on education. Whoever left the comment was
bragging about working in ‘higher education’ or something like that. So, I just
quoted what I’d read about how it can be. Loco remarked on how I’d ‘dropped
science’. </div>
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McVeigh had spent some time
in Japan and wrote about what he’d observed, relating to his experience in a
straightforward way that is easily ‘accessible’ to the laymen reader. <i>Japanese
Higher Education as Myth</i> is worth a
quick look if only for the anecdotal value. That particular book was met with
praise and criticism. Anyway…</div>
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Before McVeigh’s attempt to
dispel a myth, he’d published some other work dealing with shaman-worthy
consideration from the perspective of a person with experience in Japan. His
interests appear to be more than merely recreational in nature. </div>
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Psychology deals with the
mind (duh!). Neurophysiology is
another is another perspective or way of approaching how the mind works. That’s
where he and Strassman overlap. Literally. </div>
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Strassman is one of the most
recent big pioneers in the West to legitimately pursue an area or filed
traditionally left or entrusted to shaman. A clinical approach to DMT just so
happens to reveal a lot of ideas that people are interested in discussing with
regard to consciousness. Rational minded scientists and mysticists both are
confronted with data that is still very open to interpretation. </div>
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Although I’ve never had any
kind of mystical encounters, my own mental filters do not allow me to tune out
those who’ve experienced what I have not. Many people have reported a number of
encounters with perceived entities that bare striking similarities. The
similarities have been verified, only the way in which the observations are
interpreted vary, be they from a rational perspective grounded in science or
faith. </div>
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One striking feature is the
phenomenon of the ‘<a href="http://www.acceler8or.com/2012/08/how-i-learned-about-the-dmt-entities/" target="_blank">machine elves</a>’.<br />
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If I ever do decide to take a trip into or
across and over to that realm, it won’t be for shits and giggles. They, my
elders, have offered to sit through the journey because of their familiarity
with my set and sensitivity to setting. </div>
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There are few physical
settings that I would even consider embarking on a search or journey. Because
of the bonds I share with a circle of friends who consider me family, I feel
fortunate to have such support. The physical part of the journey is very real.
And like any physical journey, the weight of the baggage is crucial to the
territory to be explored, both in metaphorical and spiritual terms. Humor
allows for a deeper understanding as it enables courage that is required for
the trip. </div>
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Our trip spans generations,
a trip that is well documented in a book of sorts that will be exhumed one last
time before being transported to an unspecified location before a circle will
have been completed and ceremonially laid to rest deep in the heart of a living
dreamscape. </div>
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Whether another generation
will continue to honor the legacy remains. </div>
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Ash to ashes…</div>
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This blog experience is at
the end of a cycle that has been very profound for me. Comments will remain
open for a time. I am prepared to answer any question the observer may have,
using metaphors where direct answers will not be appropriate beyond the circle
to which I belong. </div>
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Thank you. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
Will<br />
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END NOTE:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Oh yeah. Before anyone want
to blow me off for ‘not having a clue’, BJ McVeigh, who studied under you-don’t-want-to-bore-yourselves-with-this
Jaynes, BJ is apparently working in U of A, and Dick (Strassman) has done some overlapping. When you're up high, there's a lot to overlook. </span><br />
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*******</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(mostly unedited)</span></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-9665696037224159142013-10-04T12:23:00.000+09:002013-10-08T10:12:35.599+09:0033 Days: Day 15 - 33<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">...rorre .pmud kcats stack dump. error...</span></div>
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<a href="http://reptilesandsamurai.blogspot.jp/2011/11/33-days-prologue.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Hello everyone.</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://reptilesandsamurai.blogspot.jp/2011/11/33-days-prologue.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I am alive; I cling to this fact with determination staring at my tired eyes in the mirror in the bathroom of my girlyfriend's Angela's house in Rouen. I am back from Bretagne after having spent a month on a small island (Belle-Ile-en-Mer) off the Morbihan coast selling ice cream to sugar-dependent children and their bourgeois Parisian parents. The island is gut-kicking beautiful, renowned throughout France for its unique ambience and badass sandy beaches (without French Riviera crowds and snootiness). So why the hell do I feel nauseous when I think about it now? well...</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 15</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Ridiculous sun. Beaching in the morning
with Angela, in the afternoon we try a new scheme where Jean-Philipe (The
Belgian dude) and I take a separate car to go to our beaches.
Translation: no more annoying visits from boss guy Romu with his
ridiculous attempts to motivate me because he's too busy with the other ice
cream venders. The down side is that I have to haul a cooler stuffed full
of restock ice cream (this is all kept cool thanks to a pack of dry ice we keep
in the coolers, by the way) down the trail to the beach, whereas before Romu
would come by asking if I'd sold enough of anything to need a restock and get
it out of a freezer he keeps in the back of his large child molester van.
Whatever, for less boss I'm willing to carry more weight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The day
passes alright except that I step on a lit cigarette someone has graciously
left in the sand while I'm touring around with the chariot, ow -- for a split
second I had the impression that the sand was just extremely, inexplicably hot
in one certain spot due to the sun. Clint spends his time at the beach
digging a huge hole in the sand, this attracts the wrathe of the lifeguards who
come to complain saying that kids could fall in and get hurt, shucks.
Angela and I almost make French minimum wage today so we decide to go out
for one of Bretagne's famous crepes afterward. Yummy, and we steal a salt
shaker from the restaurant since we're almost out at the house/tent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">More sun, no wind. Being the 14th of July
(vive la révolution yeah) this should be a blockbuster day...after an average
morning hit the beach only to discover that there's practically no on[e] there.
I take advantage of this to swim with the little girls Cleo is
babysitting, we find no sharks and Cleo watches my ice cream cart for me
while we swim. Angela, the younger of the two girls, takes to walking
around with me and reminding me when I forget to advertise certain wares -- she
has my schtick memorized. An average day, finally. Exhausted and a
little disgusted when I realize I'm not even making minimum wage...pass out on
an uncomfortable air mattress lent to us by Romu and wake up at 5 a.m., when
asshole idiots in the next tent over have a half-hour long conversation
searching for their pajamas and whoremoaning about rocks under their sleeping
pads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 17</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">SHIT HOT. Am late getting to the beach but
sell everything in two hours (selling everything means you make about 45 euro).
Clint and the girls aren't at Herlin today. Sun headaches and
someone starts a fire in the camping behind the beach where I work, luckily
it's nothing serious. The seasonal works do another aperitif party but Clint
comes by (his hotel is a five-minute walk from our campground) and impels
Angela and I to go for a walk with him in town instead of socializing with a
bunch of people that we don't really know or get along with that well. We
walk to the harbor and stare out at the mainland as I've grown accustomed to
doing...Ugh, tired...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 18 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Somehow the morning passes quickly (looking for
goofy souvenirs, eating famous Breton pastries, attempting to make crepes on a
camp stove which is kind of a disaster). I find myself on the beach at 4
p.m. On look at the number of people there tells me that the July 14th
crowd have taken the ferry home. I say fuck it and spent a good half hour
swimming and looking for crabs with Victoria, the older of the two blonde
sisters Clint babysits. She sees phantom crabs everywhere in the algae.
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I find several real ones and tap one on its shell though I don't try to
pick it up out of a desire not to be pinched. Clint generously watches
my cart during all this. Somehow manage to make 30 euro. The day
done, A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> and I have a tiff over who's going to cook since we're both tired
and cranky. Clint swings by and offers to buy us an ice cream, an offer
hard to refuse even if I've been lugging the crap around all day in an insulated
box. Walking to the ice cream parlor we meet drunk, young, sort of stupid
Normans from Evreux. We eat our ice cream and watch as they jump into the
waters of the port (which can't be super clean judging from the number of boats
docked there...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We make our way to a little beach in the morning
after realizing we only go to the beach to work now and that's stupid.
Nice picnic with all our half-melted ingredients, lizards on the rocks.
Return to the campground and put up a parasol that Clint has lent us after
listening to us bitch about having no shade and burning to death all the time
at our campsite, it's nice to have a bit of shade. Go to the beach with
Jean-Philipe and am shocked when there are HALF of the people that were here
yesterday (meaning 1/4 of the people that were there the day I made a decent
amount of money). Needless to say business is slow. Clint and
company are not there today but I manage to hop in the ocean anyhow, holding
the fanny pack where I keep all the money and change over my head as I put the
rest of my body into the water. Afterwards I pretty much nap in the
meager shade created by my ice cream cart, finishing the day having made 15
euro. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="118" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXAJRqQEyiM/Uk4Et098_JI/AAAAAAAAC8U/XnD3Z8sPbXs/s200/Vain.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cut...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Painfully aware of how stupid it is to work for four hours for this
amount of money I scam Romu out of a couple extra euro thanks to a scheme the
lifeguard David suggested to me (he did this job several summers back and knows
that it blows) and I don't feel bad about it at all. In the evening
Clint brings by some bread he has baked, forgot to mention that baking bread
is his hobby and he does it for the guests at the hotel right now, it's hot and
really good..also try stewed mussels with fries thanks to the Belgians, all in
all a pretty gourmet evening considering we're living in a campground and
cooking on tiny camp stoves. Hit the sack relatively early...what else is
there to do?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 20</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">As a friendly gesture after a week straight
without a day off Romu takes us to an ugly beach to swim and we start work an
entire hour later than usual, whoopee (I am noticing that this job is all about
extremes, no work or too much, no money for an entire day or 50 euro in two
hours). I make practically nothing despite resting on the beach for 3
hours and am struck by the fact that this is the worst job I've ever had and I
never, ever want to work on commission again. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YrKvhz9YXR0/Uk4FFO2NRbI/AAAAAAAAC8c/xV84q3ZLSXo/s1600/plunge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good times...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I seriously consider
blowing off the last two weeks of work before it completely ruins my image of
Belle-Ile and tell Romu that I don't want to work the next day even if the
weather's nice. We have a barbecue in the evening with all the venders,
inane conversation between people who are all here *to make money* but
pretending there is some other connection between us which compels us to
converse. I get fielded all the same questions about the U.S. that every
French person, everywhere asks. I say that I find it useless to discuss
politics with French people in my experience because it's all rhetoric and
everyone seems somewhat taken aback. I feel childish and somewhat dramatic
but at least it steers me clear from a discussion I don't want to have.
As usual A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> and I go to sleep without really talking or thinking of
anything else to do, thanks fatigue.</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 21</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Rain pelts the tent in the early a.m., wake up to
clouds + humidity. The group of boys from Rennes who arrived a week ago
have had enough of ice cream vending, they pack up, give us some extra food
they don't want to transport, and catch the boat back to the mainland. We
lounge around the tent until 3:30pm-ish, buy lunch at the little supermarket
where I have a Franglish conversation with the cashier (noticed he's chatty and
likes to speak English several days ago), we head to the beach where I usually
work with the Belgians, swim and lounge though it's not exactly a day for sun play...cool
to be there without the godforsaken ice cream cart. We return to find
Clint waiting at the tent, who invites us to come eat at his "hôtel de
charme", it's weird to be inside of a building and eat a three-course meal
at a table after three weeks of sleeping in a tent. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ROj3oxCUPu9lDmJIwSkR0-ClCXTTxgtTAt9tc5TSFYl3ScuMRfMV8K9pE2r4FBHUsV-_dYE0caqOvJfYrt2QX3ucbdv5az_ZxCXnz-Ow33vW3Ylh8Kcl3oYfzXk-C9h4K0KnDdaaRxHI/s1600/Delicious.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No longer raw...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We take a long walk
afterwards, Clint is antsy to get back to the mainland (Paris) and this
reflects a little in his manner...upon returning to the tent we make hot
chocolate and are in the process of sipping it carefully when I hear weird
noises: after a bit of rummaging I find a terrified hedgehog behind the cooler!
It balls up and I nudge it gingerly into one of our pots, its back legs
dangle out of the pot as I transport it to safety in the bushes nearby. I
go to wash dishes and find my favorite stray black, whom I haven't seen for
days, digging for morsels in the sink drain (I let him lick the hot chocolate
cups). The day finishes somewhat strangely with all these animals and the
awkward peace of a day off from our shitty job.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 22</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">A day of average heat and scattered clouds.
After lounging around the tent and a decent vegetable curry for lunch we
hit the beach to work. The gendarmes are at my beach today, making me
nervous that they'll ask me for my residency permit and find out I'm not
exactly working legally because they have a reputation for messing with beach
venders...but they talk to the lifeguards a bit and then take off. This
morning I bought sugar-coated peanuts at the grocery store, (an item which we
should have available to sell but don't due to some logistical problem with the
warehouse on the mainland), packed them up in sandwich bags, put them in a
backpack, and brought them to the beach with me -- the boss guy, who drove me
to the beach today, eyed my backpack a little suspiciously but didn't say
anything in the end. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lnmu8hg3RBtl77GXje22NgVsZ1_z6V_k7j1Novp5lFAQVZDxoqUZsi94vnXBEwHS5s2ft3k3EoDi19v3uDAZEPA0PXsqN3TuYZX766YnU1JmAeh7FSPT69tIsa4Uc9LZuo7TU3UWIhQo/s1600/Roadtrip.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I sell all of them, make back what I spent on the
peanuts plus an extra 10 euro, and thereby gain as much money as I would have
by selling 50 dollars worth of stupid ice cream, a petty but nonetheless
satisfying way of feeling like I am capable of changing the disappointing
financial outcome of this job. Legal ice cream income is average, meaning
bad. A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">'s new beach continues to give her a slightly better income
than mine, which is good since she's trying to save money four our trip to the
U.S. after we finish here. Eating dinner afterwards, Clint comes by and
wants to take the same walk, buy us ice cream, etc. It strikes me as
somewhat eccentric to do the same circuit every evening, but I guess we all
have our treasured habits. He seems a little bit less anxious today.
We drop off into sleep minutes after returning to the tent.</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 23</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Not so nice weather in the a.m. (strange to
wonder about your fate for the day every time you look at the sky)...A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> and
I down a bottle of hard cider with lunch thinking we probably won't work but
come 3 p.m. it's somewhat sunny. Head to the beach therefore a bit
tipsy...despite my doubts as to the ice cream potential for the day, business
isn't bad, I do a mini Japanese lesson with Victoria, Auralia, and their
friends, an 11-year old boy licks his ice cream thoughtfully and asks me
"how do you say 'unconstitutionally' in Japanese?" </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SWfKqwJyo0M/Uk4GeM2tpUI/AAAAAAAAC84/mf4dUz6zwAg/s1600/Two+souls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strength, protection, & innocence...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Not sure how
to answer that one though I looked it up afterward (ikenteki ni) in case there
are any other burgeoning little smartasses on the beach in the days to come.
Pretty weird to practice counting in Japanese with four cute French kids
licking their ice creams on a beach in Brittany tho I'm not sure it's worth all
the bullshit of the last several weeks for this one odd moment. Back home
we cook Norman-style with a crème fraiche/mushroom sauce, it's comforting to
think of dairy land and the Rouen that I know and miss. After a short
walk in town we meet up with Clint, he is with a nice English-speaking Dutch
girl who is staying at his hotel with her parents...discuss foreign languages,
the exploitation of the ice cream industry, Paris...pass out...</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 24 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Scattered clouds gives the impression that it
could rain; we head to La Citadelle Vauban (<a href="http://www.citadellevauban.com/"><span style="color: #1e52ab;">http://www.citadellevauban.com/</span></a>)
and find out the real reason no one could ever get into this fortress was the
high entrance fee. After eating lunch and loafing around at the campsite
for a while the bossman calls to say we won't work today because there's only
one beach where the weather's nice! Seeing as we were going to head to a
beach anyways, I suggest to A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> that we ask if we can take a cart out to the
beach with miraculously good weather (happens to be the beach where she works
normally)...boss says O.K. and we end up making 20 euro between sunbathing,
swimming, and goofing around. It's really fun to do the shit job
together, it turns out. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUiknOKyJ2hyphenhyphenrhku2LNj2NxpEGzcQeSZfc76CUb9OpoyIbvxtCVo1REquZge6FeORGpvctmOLrMG4WuhZj013GtnVie_1kLMvjtb_JWAoP9RxffTJcHU2AdJiswKJLuZSrKe3kDWoIZFc/s1600/Dog+beach.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last mile...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">In the evening Clint comes by, recounts howe he
pretty much bedded the 17-year old Dutch girl last night, though he had the
deceny to stop short of de-virginizing her apparently, claiming an attack of
morals at the last moment. We congratulate him (for the exploit or for
his self-control?). Before he had talked of his long-distance girlfriend
(she lives an hour from Paris) and how he wouldn't touch any of the beach
hotties because he wanted to maintain the integrity of his relationship, but
this evening he is more like 'ahhh screw it, it's been a fucking month man...'
and starts raving about the concept of sex in a tourist environment. If I
understood correctly everyone on vacation is looking to get laid by someone
that they don't know? I decide not to reflect on this too much and we go
get a nice ice cream (sour cherry! yes!) before conking out...</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 25</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Wake up to crap weather, thinking we won't work,
and learn that our Belgian friends have decided to split -- somehow making less
than minimum wage and being constantly insulted by our petty, eccentric
supervisor isn't enough to hold them here. The weather clears up
miraculously and I go to my beach in high spirits...despite there being at
least double the amount of people on the beach (it's the weekend) that I'm used
to seeing, the water is cold and there's a fair amount of wind. This
means that the beach is a perfectly comfortable temperature and I make an
average 27 euro for four hours of work. Sitting on the beach I think of
how it's strange that people have to feel physical discomfort - overheating,
hunger - in order for me to have a decent day at work. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjLAw5Mv7YI/Uk4HXXq7giI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/BL99lvXWxtM/s1600/Butt+sweat.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-anfJJMI8T-w/Uk4HiS2katI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/EYW90DDUcXw/s320/Butt+sweat.tiff" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butt sweat...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLYtcPfo5Rc/Uk4HGzWLs8I/AAAAAAAAC9I/1ZGp0nNi_u8/s1600/Butt+sweat.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Meanwhile Clint
makes me listen to all his 70's disco songs on his semi-functional MP3 player.
We share headphones - it's very romantic except for his tendency to change
the track every 15 seconds. Afterwards a BBQ with the Belgians, grilled
sardines, tabouli with lots of parsley and lemon juice, a lovely green salad -
they have whipped up a formidable feast to say goodbye. Our amazingly
thoughtful boss says he will come to the BBQ but doesn't show up until after 11
p.m., very polite. His first subject of discussion is of course how much
the Belgians owe for the camping, an atmosphere of real camaraderie here.
Clint stops by, anxiously smokes a cigarette, then leaves to take the
same walk he takes every day...he's obviously losing his mind slowly.
People talk of life in Spain, and how to take revenge on the fuckers who
live on an adjacent campsite and always let their dogs shit all over the place.
Sleep...</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 26 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">All consuming allergies, 7:30 a.m. Did I
mention I've had a stuffed-up nose and sneezing attacks every day for the last
two weeks thanks to the beautiful French summer? Clint brings hot bread
(a bit undercooked but I'm not complaining if someone wants to bring me hot
bread in the morning!) as the Belgians pack. We see them off, hamming it
up with obscene gestures as their ferry floats off into the distance, then go
sunbathe nude on a difficult-to-access beach until we're surprised by some other
audacious hikers. Feeling very euro, I giggle and put my clothes back on
behind the shelter of some rocks. Return to find stupid boss waiting for
us, we ask him to come back in an hour because we don't want to work yet (it's
early in the afternoon and there's usually no one at the beach at this hour).
In the van he starts talking and wants us to take his side, seeing as the
Belgians basically told him the job sucked and he was a prick. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SKGXV238IVk/Uk4H5f37qMI/AAAAAAAAC9g/5MCXJmb7Cw0/s1600/Buddy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pig!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I control
myself for about five minutes but then let him have it, explaining forcibly in
my caveman French why the job is stupid, why he is completely full of shit, and
why I'm never going to take his side because all of his arguments are flawed.
This goes on for half an hour, he drops off A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> and he + I continue to
butt heads all the way to my beach. He is shocked when I say I'm not
willing to bust my balls and put on a little salesman show to make an extra 10
euro a day, and cites this as a 'cultural difference'. Funny when it's
supposed to be the French who are supposed to be the least inclined to support
the relentless, opportunistic capitalistic mentality. I take the cultural
difference comment as final proof that he's a complete fucking moron. I
don't sell too much ice cream and feel great about it. Dinner at Clint's
hotel, the usual walk followed by his usual abrupt deparutre. Pass out
before midnight, totally exhausted.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 27</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfCUaeWDkMU/Uk4INNf28_I/AAAAAAAAC9o/npfSkhlvm5E/s1600/Locohama.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loco exposure...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Rain! Cold! No work! No motivation! We
mostly laze around the tent all day, drifting in and out of sleep, playing our
favorite card game, etc. The most exciting event is our grocery shopping
expedition...we opt to walk through the hay fields on the way back, it's nice
to abandon the diesel-reeking road and feel the brush crush under my feet.
We attempt to make fried rice following a recipe I learned from a
Japanese friend, it sort of works though I manage to burn myself in the
process. Clint comes by even more agitated than usual, we take and
aimless walk and almost find the sunset though in the end our view is blocked
by a stupid chateau. Inexplicably tired, lights out at 11 p.m.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 28</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">28 days later. I awaked to find myself
sleeping uncomfortably in a tent, a half-melted ice cream zombie wondering how
I got here. The weather is unclear, like my mind. Beaching.
Braindead shuffle around Le Palais. In the end we go to the beach
with boss guy, he surveys the scene and decides no work today, I feel a wave of
even greater bordeom engulf me. At least when you are working, gaining a
pitiful bit of money, you can tell yourself this money will come in handy in
the future, for better things. Without that...I start to feel stranded on
a tourist island where I've seen all the reputed sights and there's no more
confetti to throw. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XNiXcxPI5hQ/Uk4IfxaXy9I/AAAAAAAAC9w/emSjIw31Md8/s320/Zeus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leda and Zeus getting it on...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I crack and become an asshole for the afternoon,
manage to piss A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> off good and proper, perhaps it's best to be alone when
you feel like crap. We walk and hitchhike around while I continue to
curse Belle-Ile, then it's back to the magical campground for dinner.
Clint comes by, we take our zombie walk around town, he goes home and
we attempt to have a long, emotionally productive talk before we drift off into
a bored sleep, I have no idea if it was productive or not.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 29</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Lightning and thunder directly overhead, added
bonus of pissing rain, probably about 2 a.m. Strangely we get up in the
morn to nice weather...so it seems. We dick around and then BAM, when
work time rolls around the entire island is pretty much clouded over. We
work anyways because the boss wants to sell all the defrosted donuts he impulsively
took out of the freezer in anticipation of a good day (it's illegal to sell
them the next day after they're defrosted, he explains in his usual impatient,
awkwardly annoyed way). I make a pitiful 9 euro including the 2 euro I
scam off of the boss with the lifeguard scheme. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UkYw2Ht85N4/Uk4I0GROGjI/AAAAAAAAC94/x-keiExbpA4/s1600/Slow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always frigid...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> continues to make
more money at her little beach which is constantly packed with children, at
least someone saving a little cash here, though I'm not kidding myself, we're
both making shit and will be lucky to cover the expenses of our trip out here
and the camping fees. Afterward is Clint's last evening on the island,
we eat dinner with him at his deserted hotel (I love deserted hotels, by the
way) and he is noticeably calmer between his sense of anticipated freedom and
the joint he smoked with a young couple staying at the hotel, the only guests
for the night. A fine stroll on the harbor, I finally convince him to let
me buy him an ice cream in return, and then he heads home...we go to sleep
without too much distraction except for the usual din of reggae mixed with
techno pounding in from all sides.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 30</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">A nice day if a bit windy. We see Clint,
his stepfather, and his stepfather's daughters off at noon, it's strange but
exciting to watch them float off toward the continent. I have a feeling
I'll see Clint again, I hope I'm correct because he's one of the first French
males I've felt capable of having a decent friendship with after ten months in
this country. We dick around until 2:15, I have a feeling my Corsican
Battle skills have improved because I kick A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">'s ass 80% of the time now.
She says it's because she ran out of luck...Work is average, a lot of
wind and I only make 20 euro, but I meet a nice French lady who has just
returned from living in the U.S. for seven years, we talk of <a href="http://reptilesandsamurai.blogspot.jp/2011/10/three-punches-to-face-immigration-en.html?zx=b2670f20842233b9" target="_blank"><b>bullshit visa sagas</b></a>, the INS, improvements in American food culture, and how in her
experience the west coast is about a million times more relaxed than the east
coast - living in Philadelphia made her want to move back to France! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZYk8lDARZQ/Uk4JCrx6kpI/AAAAAAAAC-A/-8WQ36R0Klc/s1600/Skeleton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vroom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">This
makes me smugly satisfied due to my lack of travel experience back east and
subsequent inferiority complex. Afterwards A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> and I cook dinner and
pretty much conk out due to boredom and fatigue. I get up at midnight to
do the dishes, pet the stray cat who is always there, then go for a walk.
I lay out on top of the retaining wall of the harbor and listen to the
tide mixed with the sound of hippies playing their African drums, coming from
the direction of the town. Return to find the campground full of noisy
idiots as usual, somehow fall asleep...</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 31</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Clouds, mist, but somehow we hold onto the hope
we might work until about noon. Yeah right. Counting the days we
realize we've had as many days off as days working, I should have read up about
the weather in Bretagne before deciding to take a sun-dependent job here,
putain de moi. We do a little souvenir shopping (for the second times in
two days the person working the cash register at the store is someone we know
and ends up almost screwing me out of money because they're gabbing with us,
not paying attention to what they're doing and end up giving me the wrong
amount of change, that's right, take advantage of the foreigner). </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bxosld7dEAE/Uk4JYr0dyEI/AAAAAAAAC-I/DEFMSIlnne0/s1600/Gift.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ha, ha...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Later
on we take a hike along the sea and check out an old well, staring down into
the black water reminds me vaguely of some horror film, I'm mostly interested
in the wild blackberries along the trail. Back in town I find some apples
which have fallen from a tree in someone's yard, it's free fruit day. The
evening is unremarkable, I go to the ocean, watch the waves rush at the rocks
and recede, think about my time on the San Juan Islands in Washington a couple
years back and compare the two experiences...at the campground the fuckers next
door drink noisily until 4 a.m. just like yesterday...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 32</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">A gray and rainy morning, we have the impression
we will not work until about 1 p.m. when the psycho weather clears up and we
get a text message saying the game's on. Another semi-crappy day at the
beach work-wise. I make 15 euro and talk to the annoying kids who always
screech "ICE CREAM! COLD DRINKS!" at me when I pass - they're at the
beach every day and I have trouble deciding if it's me or them who is the most
bored here. I catch the lifeguards smoking weed in the lifeguard hut as I
go to leave the beach, they try to act like nothing is going on...back home we
scrap together our few remaining ingredients to make dinner then it's off to
the garage where they keep all the ice cream for some final obligatory drinking
with the boss man - after all, we're the only 2 people out of the 9 who have
come to sell ice cream here who have stayed for the amount of time we said we
would in the beginning. We play a couple rounds of Corsican Battle and I
am amazed at how fast the fucker's hands are - I'm secretly content because I
gouge a chunk out of one of his fingers while we are playing (it's a pretty
violent game and involves smacking piles of cards faster than the other
players)...once we're drunk off his disgusting vodka/mint/perrier concoctions
he starts asking our candid opinion about the job and explaining his
'reasoning' for his chode-ish behavior. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D51hKfzc5qg/Uk4Kj7qgVLI/AAAAAAAAC-c/xOTF8g7in3s/s1600/Insurance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insurance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QfqObk5jRKk/Uk4JqxoXIVI/AAAAAAAAC-Q/fYc-_fhmSzQ/s1600/Basics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">For me it's too little, too late,
on top of which he sticks to his annoying habit of speaking from experience in
a manner that seems to say 'you are too young to understand the ice cream
game'. I pretty much tune him out except for when he talks about fights
in the past between competing ice cream vendors - this is crazy. I
realize that anyone who spends more than a couple weeks in this business is
inherently, perhaps genetically, dysfunctional. This means I have fear for my
own sanity. We finally go to the nightclub, he is still talking about ice
cream in the car on the way there. He buys a bottle of vodka, he may be a
dick but at least he pays for the drinks (I have noticed this is his M.O. for
trying to make people think he is a good person)...it's a foam party at the
dance club tonight, wet, disgusting, and it gets in your eyes. </span></div>
</div>
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</div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QfqObk5jRKk/Uk4JqxoXIVI/AAAAAAAAC-U/j6UW43E832I/s1600/Basics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QfqObk5jRKk/Uk4JqxoXIVI/AAAAAAAAC-U/j6UW43E832I/s1600/Basics.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeping warm...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I dance up
viciously on a guy who starts trying to basically hump A</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ngela</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> from behind, I
figure if he wants to hit on her he can at least grind with me a bit but he
doesn't seem amused, he practically runs off the dance floor and Romu is
horrified at my behavior, but I'm so drunk and looped after 32 days on this
island that aggressive acts of territory establishing seem like a reasonable
distraction from my increasingly overpowering misery. In the eye of the
tornado that is this drunkenness, I see things clearly and practically want to
explode into absurd laughter at the thought that this pathetic human drama is
taking place in the midst of a giant gunky bubble bath in one of the most
podunk discotheques i have ever seen in my life, but to my surprise a blinding
white light of anger is building inside of me, overpowering my mirth. I
go sit down to have another drink, covered in bubble goo, when a young guy sits
down and starts talking to us, within a minute of learning that I'm American we
are on the same stupid-ass political conversation as usual and I can only amuse
myself by trying to maintain enough drunken control of my slurred French to
manipulate him into feeling just as hopeless about the French political
situation as I do about the American political situation. But it doesn't
work, I can't feel satisfied even as I mess with him. The anger keeps
building. I watch Angela bum a cigarette off someone, she doesn't smoke
but has the "I only smoke when I'm partying" thing going on
sometimes, I think about cancer and emphysema and how I hate cigarettes as
fashion accessories, and how since coming here I've noticed that she's started
to bum considerably more cigarettes as a result of stress and boredom though I
doubt she'd ever admit it, and without really knowing what I'm doing I knock
the thing out of her hand and watch as it falls, glowing, to the floor. I
stand up and the white light explodes, I laugh hysterically and scream out
something along the lines of "I CAN'T TAKE THIS FUCKING SHIT
ANYMORE!" Of course with the techno bumping Angela is probably the
only one who hears me, I storm toward the door and as she comes after me I stop
and screech into her face half in English and half in French that I'm catching
the next flight out of this ridiculous country, that I don't want to be in
France anymore, that I can't take any more of people acting like complete
fucking morons all the time. Of course part of this is probably a result
of me wanting more attention from Angela seeing as, frankly, being here and
spending our time together exhausted or cramped into a small tent has not been
exactly a health tonic for our relationship or how we act toward one another; I
feel sort of distant from her. However there is something in me that is
absolutely rejecting all France has to offer, its bitchiness and its stiff,
overplayed hospitality, the overbearing, theatrical presentation of
personality, a rhetorical, hollow self-assurance which seems to be the hallmark
of a country stuck in the formalism of its past...nothing that I haven't felt
before, but in this moment I am not reasonable and the conglomeration is like a
knife in my head. I mumble something which compels the coat check lady to
give me my coat, Angela is behind me as I burst out the door into the night,
shuddering as my bubble-wet clothes hit the night air, I can hear her sobbing
as she gets her coat. We walk a ways, screeching and yelling at each
other, before collapsing by the side of the road. We talk for a bit,
drunk and shivering, Angela blurts out that she had a friend who used to come
here on vacation, he committed suicide several years ago, and she chokes out
how she doesn't understand how she is here but he isn't anymore...I am not sure
why we are talking about this but as a result I am overwhelmed by what this
island means to her as an image of her childhood, she came here every summer
for something like eight years in a row, and how coming back under stressful
conditions where she is emotionally affected by me and everyone else around her
bitching about how this place sucks because we are basically pegs in the
tourist economy...must be really horrible for her. Add to this the fact
of her dead friend, yet another blow to her emotionally and further proof that
the Belle-Ile she knew is almost impossible to resurrect...and I feel like we
are being pulled into an abyss, we both beginning sobbing and she asks me
repeatedly why her friend is dead, I tell her I don't know why and I apologize
over and over because I can't tell her why, we lie there in a pile by the side
of the road and sort of disintegrate. It's the nadir of everything this
trip seemed like it could be. After a good 20 minutes like this we pull
ourselves up and walk home, I have no memory of this walk thanks to the
alcohol. At the camping Angela wants to use the bathroom but can't
because someone is busy CLEANING THE BATHROOM at 4 in the damn morning, Angela
looks panicked and I suggest that she pee in a shower stall in the next
building over, as long as she washes it out a bit no big deal right...the guy
who was cleaning the bathroom overhears us or something and flips his shit, he
starts yelling about how it's not O.K. to piss in the showers as soon as we
walk out out of the building, how we are miserable ingrates. I'm already
up to my ears in bullshit so I start fucking with him, I tell him to give me
his cleaning gear and I'll clean the goddam shower if it's such a big deal to
him, this flips him for a loop because it's the cleaning gear that gives him
authority on bathroom matters and which simultaneously humiliates him because
it's obvious he doesn't want to be cleaning toilets at 4 a.m. I push him
a bit verbally, asking him what the hell he's waiting for and to give me the
damn gloves, he grabs me by the collar and hisses out some crap about kicking
me and my improperly pissing girlfriend out of the campground, I say go ahead
but you'll fuck yourself out of a month of camping fees for two people and
challenge him to hand me his cleaning hose (yes, his job is so hard, he has to
wash out toilets from six feet away with a fucking garden hose, oh i feel so
sorry for him). He lets go and leads me angrily to a supply closet,
giving me some latex gloves. In the shower room he obviously has no idea
which stall the offense was committed in and hesitates a bit before randomly
choosing a stall for me to clean, not the one where Angela pissed by the way.
I start hosing down the stall, smilingly smugly like a little bastard.
At first he looks triumphant but within a minute or two his shoulders
fall, he has a look of self-loathing which weighs heavy on his tired face, he
quietly tells me to leave. I give him more shit, you sure you don't want
me to go in there with a toothbrush, because I'm drunk, but eventually back
off...I leave snickering but halfway up the hill I'm realize I'm a drunk
asshole and go back to talk to him about his shit job, why he's in such a bad
mood, and our respective nasty circumstances. He's impatient and still a
little flustered but we part on better terms. Eventually pass out,
exhausted in all senses of the word, vodka-reeking and dumb.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">DAY 33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">OW. It's pissing rain and I can barely
leave the tent to go to the bathroom my head hurts so bad. Angela in
parallel condition, we manage to come back to life at 8 p.m. to go eat some hot
sandwiches at a bar in town. The T.V. is scary after a month without.
The rain continues, we look at the ferry schedule and decide to leave the
island the next morning on the 11 o'clock boat.</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">******</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">that's it for the ice cream. the two days
after leaving the island we camped in a pitifully ugly campground off a
regional highway several miles from Carnac in order to see some of the
megaliths in the area:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.megalithia.com/brittany/carnac/"><span style="color: #1e52ab;">http://www.megalithia.com/brittany/carnac/</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">we camped on a site with other ice cream vendors
because that way we were able to get a cheaper rate by being classified
technically as "seasonal workers"; talking with them it sounded like
their experiences were pretty similar, everyone was downtrodden and bored,
waiting for the next sunny day in Brittany...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Reading back through everything I wrote I can see
that there were moments in the last month that were really really memorable and
I hope in the long run those will stay with me while the rest of this
metaphysical....bubble gunk...will slowly wash off. I look forward to
seeing all you and/or hearing from you and I apologize for having been off the
face of the planet for the last month.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Paul </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">(That's it folks, the final part of a few of the chapters that got started on this blog, but were never finished. There are a few other side-stories that would love to be sorted out...it's just, I don't know...I don't know if I'm going to be able to do them justice in a timely manner. Five weeks is a long time to sit on the platter with no movement. Sushi is usually served raw.)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YMvTE21s3xc/Uk4DkgQi_JI/AAAAAAAAC8I/LJWyYpwarws/s1600/Fish+profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YMvTE21s3xc/Uk4DkgQi_JI/AAAAAAAAC8I/LJWyYpwarws/s1600/Fish+profile.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was a beauty...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photos: Day 15 & Day 16 were ripped from the Net - - - the bottom peeking up on Day 15 is P1rs1g inspired. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-27489069205188665212013-08-23T22:32:00.000+09:002013-11-01T10:14:13.166+09:00The Way Some Things Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Games and Puzzles: <i>The Way Some Things Work</i><br />
<br />
This post serves a number of purposes in that it is '<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerry-rigged" target="_blank">designed</a>' to address the people who have commented over the life-cycle of this 'blog'. Yeah, the tenth stage of a life-cycle that I have only recently learned about through interaction with a beloved elder who, despite the medication, was well aware he was at Stage X, the transitory phase that includes mottling and cyanosis... his extremities had begun to cool. <br />
<br />
We said goodbye. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Talk about...</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Morphine3Dan.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Morphine3Dan.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>GRACE</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
under pressure<br />
(and morphine).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Asking anyone to sit through nearly fifty minutes of film in the day and age of fifteen second commercials and three-minute video clips is asking a bit much. So I won't. What I'll do, is break it down into pieces. <br />
<br />
There are five pieces to this puzzle.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Please </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
DO NOT </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
follow the link</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_YPQpf9Cok" target="_blank"><b style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">PLAY </span></b></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
until the the instructions have been read: </div>
<br />
<br />
Takes about ten minutes to sort of 'figure out' where this is headed.<br />
<br />
Instructions: <br />
<br />
<b>General Audience:</b> I, II, III, and IV. <br />
<b>Bad Boy</b>: I, II, and IV.<br />
<b>Steady Roller</b>: I, III, and IV.<br />
<b>Xanax</b>: V. <br />
<b>Tom the 'Locksmith'</b>: When I saw the blue shirt I thought of you, because you would at least be able to recognize his <i>glider</i>. If, for some reason, you don't get the reference, I'm sure you have the ability (and experience) to figure it out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vj4T7Jqu5b0/UnL_ztBLtqI/AAAAAAAADAI/4yDfuEnHNqE/s1600/Glider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vj4T7Jqu5b0/UnL_ztBLtqI/AAAAAAAADAI/4yDfuEnHNqE/s1600/Glider.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(:53)</span></span><br />
<br />
Please start at 2:10, just long enough to see the two red circles, followed by the shirt that is blue become tangled at 3:03. Then go no further. The whole puzzle eventually untangles itself.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Forever* </div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">II.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(3:50)</span> </span><br />
<br />
There is organization with or without the tech - directly related to my last comment response. You'll see, right at the end of the prescribed segment. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
10:00 - 13:50</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> III.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(<i>x</i>=?)</span> </span><br />
<br />
Two pair for the gambler/<span class="st">mathematician. The perfect shuffle starts here:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="st"> </span> 22:55 </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Martin. Mathematics. Magic.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">IV.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1:31)</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Would lead to results no one would have imagined..."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strike>::1234678</strike></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
28:46 - 30:17</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> V.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(2:11)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Because you solve things. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strike>:1234</strike></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">32:41 </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">is </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">where it gets really interesting.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Need not go any further than <strike>:2345</strike> 34:52)</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Bonus Round:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strike>:34567</strike></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Throw away the five and shift)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
36:47</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Nothing to do with reality... it's all in your mind." </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Revealing. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And I do agree with 44:22 - even though I don't know much about science. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just drawing circles. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">* A set that goes on forever:</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Mandelbrot_sequence_new.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Mandelbrot_sequence_new.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-750990950292834242013-08-08T15:45:00.000+09:002013-08-08T15:45:00.783+09:00Jane Doe 183<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Jane Doe? That means
she’s dead, right? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“No, that’s not her
posthumous ‘name’. She’s been off the radar for quite some time now. An
intentional move. A choice. She could possibly still be alive... maybe in a shelter.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>You’re talking about one
of your aunts? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Not the one who married
the Fro…</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“No. From the other
side... from out of the light, not the shadows.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Times;">Go on. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“What I still find peculiar
is the way things have kind of <i>just happened</i>. Like the last time I saw her, I
don’t remember her even speaking to me. I could hardly recognize <i>her</i> through the window. Not that the fasting had changed her looks other
than making her appear painfully thin, almost skeletal if it weren’t for her
healthy color.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
You see, she still was good
about nutrition. Very careful in fact. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
The 'her' <i>I didn’t not recognize</i> didn’t acknowledge me. We had
no conversation that I can recall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
But, as it turns out, she’d
remembered me because she left this…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5WzvuoT0E6A/UgMhSjcAw9I/AAAAAAAAC6g/U8wj-XsPS_M/s320/Because+It+Is.jpg" width="224" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Here’s her writing on the
inside cover. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BFt91JDKr8c/UgMhmLHGE2I/AAAAAAAAC6o/ODvR0VsEksw/s1600/her+last+message.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Her message... her
‘recognition’ of me comes mainly from a time before I was even ten years old.
And she still pegged it. Even after all that time... and this time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
When she first came to
visit, before I was ten, her presence was discovered quite by accident. Behind
a closed door of the spare bedroom was a steady and indecipherable voice that,
to a child’s mind, at first sounded like some kind of alien.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcEdMoBGzmtJu0SW3ISrHr6hH-tycqtd8x9_gE04So-mbZEHxC0ngkd-Ofg3esweIPH9DqXNKmMe8t35j1Z-dedZrsX6dfkC8D0KutdTbc_l7MlLKqKR3TDKMg-XJbz2R6CKp8rngkxId/s1600/personalities.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Pasted on the inside of the book was 'everyone'"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Despite being scared, we
opened up the door anyway. Kneeling on the floor, hands on in the ‘prayer
position’ on the bed, was a woman with her eyes closed and <i>speaking in
tongues</i>. She was kind enough to explain <i>that</i> a little later when she had finished her communion
or whatever it was. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
During her ‘visit’...”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Times;">Wait, I thought you said she
was homeless? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah, she’s been homeless
for as long as I can remember. Homeless in the sense of having no fixed address
and no more possessions than what she carries with her. Admittedly, she has
taken advantage of shelters from time to time. Or a family’s hospitality. She <i>knew</i> people.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>About that visit? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Okay... yeah… that visit.
That was probably the first time I met her. Or even knew that she existed.
Definitely different. Different for a number of reasons. But before I get into
those, I have to thank her for taking the time out to recognize who I was, even
at that age. I mean, nearly ten and with no brother around, I had no one to
wrestle with. Wasn’t about to try that with Step-dad-one. At that age, most
adults wouldn’t rough house with kids. But she would. Tough and strong. Now
that I think about it, her survival routine would have kept her in very good
shape. At least when she wasn't 'sick'.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>You once said she’d taught
you things? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah. She taught me about
carob and how to sing <span class="st">הבה
</span><span class="st">נגילה</span>.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>But you are </b></span><span class="st"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">גוי</span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah, I guess. But there
was other stuff.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Like what? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“The big words that named
the problems. Kind of like the art she left, pasted on the inside of the book.”
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>And she left you that
book the last time you met? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah, the last time we met.
When she didn’t even acknowledge me, so I thought. But she was speaking to her
little sister, the one who ended up taking care of everyone. And I still
haven’t got the stories straight.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Stories?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah. Like how nervous
breakdowns seem to run in the family. 183’s father was 160, or somewhere around
there. He’d actually belonged to the club, that roundtable where ‘intelligent’
people are supposed to sit. Only thing is, people were <i>waaay too far</i> into their own heads to really know how to communicate. No one would listen. Not where he was.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ed/Mensa_logo.svg/200px-Mensa_logo.svg.png" width="200" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>That’s funny.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah. Peculiar. 183 was
even brighter. Which is somehow related to her idiosyncrasies, her choice to
‘not belong’ to society. Now, her navigational skills may seem fairly
remarkable to some, but when you live on the streets, you pay attention to when
libraries are open where there is plenty of time for reflection. And she could
and did read. Areas with mild climates allowed her to ‘live in the hills’ with nothing
more than maybe a tarp.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>You’re laughing.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah. Just remembered how
her younger sister said we weren’t to use the plastic blue sheet when we were
painting. 183 had complained we were messing up her home. Apparently, that was
her shelter for the hills. Where she lived.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Why now? Why all these
thoughts and memories? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“If I could answer that
question… no… it doesn’t need answering. What’s important is that I am able to
have these thoughts and memories. I hadn’t seen that book, really opened it, in
quite some time. Only now am I able to <i>kind of</i> understand where everyone was
coming from.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Because <i>everybody’s
clock keeps a different time</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>?
</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yeah, and maybe this one
too:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">BECAUSE <i>GOING NOWHERE</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>TAKES A LONG TIME</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Something in the climate of
a hammer</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Struck him when young. Call
a </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Sparrow a lamp, you’ll still
need</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The liking of chairs to
settle</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">What is at bottom only
painted over</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Cloth; and that flat cunning
of plates, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">How little it speaks above
the soup’s </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">So roundly directional
bravura. Count the sky</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">A pan, you’ll still be hard
put to find</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Any flash in its like. But
ah, alas, alas, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Lottipo . . . the mushy
marshes, those tree-lined woods,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The so-small journeying, and
the trivial occupants thereof . . . </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">There, too, and all else,
alas, are only real. So may we</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Remember once again how the
grasses cause the wind to move . . . </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Ah, alas, dear Toppilo, what
then is this realm that seems</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">So like a cell, without jail
or judge, or witness even . . .? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">And that we love! Is this
not proof of something? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">No, I admit – not
necessarily of heaven . . . </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> And now, for <i>that</i> song..."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YBj2PZ1IeIc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8Roswell, NM, USA33.3942655 -104.5230242000000133.182092000000004 -104.8457477 33.606439 -104.20030070000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-40063351857939435332013-07-10T18:56:00.000+09:002013-07-11T09:35:34.131+09:00Sid was not vi[s]cious...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style>@font-face {
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}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
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}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "MS 明朝"; }span.st { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Their once was a <span class="st">Rottweiler named ‘Sid’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">A pure-hearted dog</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">With the
heart of a kid</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">When he’d
make his rounds</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">He’d put on
that sad and lonely frown of his</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
You could hear his plea </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
As if to say</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
‘What about meeee?Aawwwe’</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">As he sat by
the back door</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">And begged
for just a little more</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span class="st">But not too
much</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
He’d get a few pieces meant
for the table</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
A scratch behind the ears</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
And pat on his fat back</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Then he’d be off again</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Places to go </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
To the next place</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Wherever that was</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
He was the neighborhood bum</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
And we all sure enjoyed
enabling that one</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Man, that dog sure
could eat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Living in a kind of <i>more
rural</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;"> area where your neighbor might
be an acre or so away, most people had the habit of leaving their doors open.
Doesn’t really make sense to lock anything when you spend most of your time
outside anyway. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">In the evenings, before the
bugs came out, the top part of the door was usually open when dinner was being
made. Last minute salads were picked from the garden throughout most of the
year. Miss those Such a nice place. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Anyway. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Well, usually near dinner
time, this big thug of a dog who could’ve probably afforded to loose a bit of
that extra weight… Sid, he’d kind of slowly find his way up onto the back porch
and stand there for a few minutes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">If no one was giving him any
attention or at least pretending not to notice, he’d start to whine a little,
kind of lettin’ folks know that he was stopping by and would sure appreciate
one of them special dog biscuits we’d somehow not forgotten to picked up just
for him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Nobody really remembers when
he first started showing up. We never really knew where he lived. And it’s not
like he wasn’t well fed. He was kind of known for making the rounds in a way
that made you smile when he came by. He’d hang out for just a little while,
long enough to charm his way into your heart for those few scraps of whatever
you might not really need. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">No, never did figure out
where he lived. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">But we know where he died. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">There was a school not too
far away where people really should have been minding the speed limit when they
drove by. No matter how big those yellow signs were, people just couldn’t slow
down. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Funny thing about Sid, he
wasn’t shy about holding up traffic even after he’d left a dent or two. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Word was, someone heard
another screech from the wheels of a pickup truck that really should have been
going a hell of a lot slower. Instead of the
usual follow up of profanity, that final day, the skid marks were punctuated with a pretty solid
thud. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Yeah, Sid was a good dog. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Remembering him still brings back a smile. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-9879412892952824812013-06-16T00:34:00.000+09:002013-06-16T00:34:00.078+09:00F*cking Fathers' Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> F*cking Fathers' Day: Axes to Grind</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Let the good times roll...</i></span></h3>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mjKCLymi24E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Let them knock you around...</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #990000;">"Good evening."</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #990000;"> </b><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Good evening Lloyd." </b></span></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<span style="color: red;"><b> </b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iGi7LA-x7GI/UaaX1ZU8AWI/AAAAAAAACzs/NFFpIyFTxsg/s1600/Divine+Bartender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iGi7LA-x7GI/UaaX1ZU8AWI/AAAAAAAACzs/NFFpIyFTxsg/s200/Divine+Bartender.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</span><br />
<div style="color: #990000;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"What will it be?"</span> </b></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"The usual."</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Let the good times roll...</i></blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_9qImtubHaY/UaaYRAJmOiI/AAAAAAAACz0/6Q7KvfOO_X8/s1600/Lucky+for+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_9qImtubHaY/UaaYRAJmOiI/AAAAAAAACz0/6Q7KvfOO_X8/s1600/Lucky+for+you.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Let them make you a clown...</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"So, what's on your mind?" </span> </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Fathers' Day."</span> </span></span></span></b></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: black;"><i>Let them leave you up in <span style="font-family: inherit;">the</span> air...</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"You must be proud. " </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Proud? My paternally imbued
bragging rights include being able to state the fact that my father...he once attempted to have me
adopted by a pedophile." </b></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> "That's gotta hurt."</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Surprisingly, I didn't."</b></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Or at least make you angry?"</b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b> </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let the stories be told...</span></span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"No. It's not that he could've known about it at the time. Or that he was really paying attention. Look...there’s a
breed of step-parents who want the child to <i>just fuck up and go away</i>. Or fuck them
till they go away. </b></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I’ve had both kinds. On one side, a set
of step-moms who wanted me out of the nest (attributed to emotions and selfishness – in that order). And there's my first step-father who started our relationship off with a good ol' fashion mind-fuck. His last set of daughters, from
maybe his forth or fifth marriage, they got <i>the real deal</i>. So,they ended up
pushing back in their own way by pressing charges. He got that right to conceal and carry his piece taken away. Such is
the case in the G0lden St4te. Luckily, the law apparently does not discriminate even when it comes
to the emasculation of ex-law enforcement. Last I heard, he’d headed to Elmore Leonard territory -
somewhere in that Sunshine-out-of-its-ass-State." </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">"<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Georgia is more to</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">my liking</span>."</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Had I been allowed to grow
up in that household, I would have very well ended up discharging one of his own service pieces in his face. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>But I didn’t. I didn’t do
either." </b></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Don't you think you're being <i>just a little</i> dramatic?"</b></span><br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Last time I heard him speak,
it was out of the blue. Through a telephone. A flat, interrogator's voice. Borderline 'bad cop'. One that I recognized he was
intentionally prodding me with although he’d long since become a private dick. That
voice, or more the memory of the 250 pounds attached to its six-foot-something
frame that came along with it... that voice did something completely unexpected." </b></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">"And what's that?"</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i style="color: black;">The can say what they want...</i></span><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></div>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Made me feel like a child. Almost helpless
against the monster barreling through the doorway...before it picked up a ten-year-old kid by his little neck. One arm even. Pinned him against the wall in one clean, sweeping motion."</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>(momentarily distracted) </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Impressive." </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Only, the kid hadn’t done anything
wrong. He’d just made a blatant observation that someone was not practicing what he was preaching. Yes, the
scrawny ten-year-old had noitced the barrel-chested college-ball, still early thirty-something, born and bred in the L0n3 St4r St4t3, white-bread trailer trash gorilla...the step-son had called his first step-father a hypocrite. Not in so
many syllables. And certainly not in such a tone that carried emotion or malice. Nothing that would have been considered 'tawkin bayck'. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Apparently, other stuff was
going on at the time that the kid was not aware of. And the flatfoot custodian had snapped." </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="color: red; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"You don't say?"</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let the photos be old...</span></i><b><br /></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Now he’s gone. I seriously doubt that I'll ever be hearing from him again. Though I still wonder, from time to time, why, when we first met...why did he give
me an alternative that would have meant having my left hand chopped off? Never...I never did
get what that meant other than serving to totally molest a five-year-old's
mind. Fear-control I guess. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b><b>Funny how I remember the question." </b></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"What question is that?"</span> </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"'<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do you like your right hand?</span>' </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>He might have thought he was
making an investment in his future. Just what kind...it wasn’t all bad. Only sounds a little freaky when I
remember it that way." </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Let them show what they want...</i></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">"But he's not </span><i style="color: #990000;">your</i><span style="color: #990000;"> father, is he?"</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">"No. </span><span style="color: black;">Apparently just one of them in the series.</span></span> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My real dad...I wouldn’t even
know where to start with Real Dad. He never beat me. His first ‘ex’, my blood mother, would have
had him put in jail. Blood Mother, she’d endured Real Dad's threats and put up with enough of his
stuff, 'I’ll have you knocked off bitch' – all that real good shit, yeah...she
probably <i>would have</i> done something. Not like I would've mentioned it to her
if he had. She had enough on her plate already with step-<i>father</i> number two, Rev. Holy Shit. Yeah, she sure had her hands full with that one. There was something in <i>His Eyes</i>, <i>Seriously</i>..."</span> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If the illusions are real...</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Pardon?"</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Truth is, about Real Dad, he probably never
would have used the word ‘bitch’. Not his style. But he did hang out, and even
do business with, uh...a number of hard working people who could have their '<i>less than
congenial</i>' moments. A number of
independent entrepreneurs who had the misfortune of being tried and convicted
of various legal infractions at the local and federal levels. The list included c0ke41ne, embezzlement, c0ke41ne, embezzlement...turns out there was a little bit of a
pattern there; it was called the 80’s. Riding high as a kite on the tailwind of the
previous decade, people were pumped and primed with greed, ready to make deals, spin their wheels and fly like eagles. Fucking
glory days."</span> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let them give you a ride...</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6BIF6E5JEdw/Uaagprv92zI/AAAAAAAAC0M/eLiq9sVqYjE/s1600/coffin+nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6BIF6E5JEdw/Uaagprv92zI/AAAAAAAAC0M/eLiq9sVqYjE/s200/coffin+nails.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>(offers an ashtray)</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Thank you.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b><b>Yeah, so not only do I have
the right to brag about my 'almost' adoption, I can also say that early on in my
career (not even ten at the time), during one of the summer months, I worked for a dusty w34sel dealer. Not that I ever knew
what was going on. Or Real Dad for that matter." </b></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Really? "</span> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If they got thunder appeal...</i></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"It way my job to mind the shop, to do as I was told. Keep the little critters fed while my ‘boss’, the sole proprietor, was out on business.
Never did find out what happened to all those fish, reptiles, and little furry
creatures when he got put in the cage. I was kind of always under the assumption
that things would be taken care of. Perhaps they were.</span> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Let them be on your side...</i></span><b><br /></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Before I say anymore, I
should take time pursue my habit by pausing for a moment to reflect on the good
things in life. I just so happen to be an optimist and think that, despite
the fact that life appears in odd shapes and sizes…I just so happen to think that <i>life</i> is
wonderful. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So, there you go. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happy F*cking Fathers' Day</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What do I owe you?"</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Nothing. This one's on the house. "</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Thanks."</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Looks like you've got your hands full. "</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: black;">"Wish me luck." </span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">"May it overflow..."</span></b></span></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RuBKlzZ_iu4/UaabK3PJSaI/AAAAAAAAC0A/jDGa2prELE4/s1600/Lucky+for+me.jpg" /> </div>
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<i>Well, let the good times roll...</i></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com14Palm Beach, FL, USA26.6514503 -80.27673270000002525.7431718 -81.567626200000021 27.559728800000002 -78.985839200000029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-63087340347031449922013-06-10T12:30:00.000+09:002013-06-11T12:54:36.571+09:00Amphibious Approach <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Guided by decades of seasons<br />
Meekly approaching</div>
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Only under the cover of night</div>
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She lands</div>
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Her last obstacle overcome</div>
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Her clutch deposited </div>
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She returns to that big blue forever</div>
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Her solution</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Some say</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Going by the sheer </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>weight of numbers </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">alone</span></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The </b></span><a href="http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/sep/25/baby-sea-turtles-fight-to-beat-the-odds/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>odds</b></span></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> are </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>STACKED </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>QUITE </b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">HEAVI-</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">LY</span> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">L</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">n</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down">.</a></span></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-86137194391533529442013-06-06T12:34:00.000+09:002013-06-07T09:19:50.961+09:00June 3, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times;">June 3, 2013: A [t]Raining Day </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">S<span style="font-size: large;">m</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">al</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">l</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">P</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">r</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">i</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">READ ME </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">(</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">This post has been written with the expectation that there are very few people who will easily 'get it' all on the fist read through. </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Contained within are a
number of links, each intended to supplement the post in providing specific
examples of what is being introduced and to show what connections are being made. Allowing
for the videos, the only thing required on the part of the reader is roughly
ten minutes of valued time for the
first look. Throughout the post, there are a number of questions you may choose to answer. This is not an empathy test; it's not even a test. Everything after ***** is extra. </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">There are no <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_%28media%29" target="_blank">'Easter eggs</a>' hidden in this post - not in a technical sense.</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">You are under no obligation to solve or unlock this post. However, you may wish to read the directions first. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Directions (optional): </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">1. Read through without clicking, except where there is an asterisk *. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">2. Read through again, clicking where supplemental information is necessary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">3. Leave a comment. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">(<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Addendum: Comments will be responded to in order received with individual consideration applied to each.) </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>PART I </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Just recently, a now-more-famous-than-ever politician from Osaka had said some things that have stirred up a bit of controversy. Quite frankly, I'm pleased to see that people are questioning their perception of where they live. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">In the context of living in Japan, I was asking myself, “<u>What would
make a person <b><i>not</i></b> simply ‘go with the flow’ and violate established social
code?</u>” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Going with the flow... thinking about the consequences of going with the flow and understanding what that entails had me curious. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">First, I went to look at
<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/%7Eachaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Killology.html" target="_blank">Ki11010gy</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And saw:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Grossman further argues
that violence in television, movies and video games contributes to real-life
violence by a similar process of training and desensitization.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The video is something I'd seen seven days prior to June 3, while learning how to pack stuff. This is one of the coolest instructional videos I've come across on the Web so far. Schr03d3r does an excellent job at presentation. If only everyone was able to give instruction the way he does, there would be a lot less mess to deal with. The video is roughly six minutes long. If you are already familiar with the process, please skip ahead to the 5:30 mark. </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/abLv8PhqX5I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Question #1. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Can you see how the Grossman quote is
related to the video…can you make that connection? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">a. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">yes
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">b. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">no</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">After reading what is quoted
above and making the connection (1.a) I continued to learn about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment" target="_blank">M!1gr4m experiment</a>. And I thought to myself, “Oh, yeah…that one. The one most of us
have heard about and perhaps even participate in to varying degrees.” </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Milgram_Experiment_v2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Milgram_Experiment_v2.png" width="157" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Morality of ELTs" </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">(I'm kind of nervous when people ask me questions.) </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">For some reason, I began
thinking about my recent reintroduction to probabilities through the kind
wisdom found in Joker’s Three Door Monty problem. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">TO READ JOKER'S POST</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv18cUlC6NA/USxV3YffCpI/AAAAAAAACo0/05sewbSz7AY/s1600/Bee.tiff" /> <img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv18cUlC6NA/USxV3YffCpI/AAAAAAAACo0/05sewbSz7AY/s1600/Bee.tiff" /> <img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv18cUlC6NA/USxV3YffCpI/AAAAAAAACo0/05sewbSz7AY/s1600/Bee.tiff" /></div>
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CLICK <a href="http://earthdenizen.blogspot.jp/2013/05/and-behind-door-number-3-we-have.html?m=1" target="_blank">HERE </a>*</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">(Which game show? Which studio? Why would I be in a studio on a game show?)</span></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">You see, regardless of where or
when the M!1gr4m experiments allegedly take place, roughly 2/3’s of the
subjects are “prepared to inflict fatal voltages” - something that is noted as
being “remarkably constant”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Question #2. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Can you see a connection
between Joker’s lesson and the shock experiments? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 11pt; text-indent: -11pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">a. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">yes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 11pt; text-indent: -11pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">b. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">no</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Regardless of your answer,
what do you think it could be? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">(Yes, there is a specific
answer. However, all attempts are appreciated; you may be more attuned to this
than I am.) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>PART II</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Related to the M!1gr4m
experiments are the H0f1!n hospital experiments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofling_hospital_experiment" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Nurses views of professional standards</b></span></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofling_hospital_experiment" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>induced them to</b></span></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofling_hospital_experiment" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>suppress their good judgment.”</b></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">M!1gr4m</span><span style="font-family: Times;">’s experiments were
controlled. No one was being shocked. However, in this case, the tests were
carried out in the real world, with real people in very real situations. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“What,” might a person ask,
“is the mechanism for this…how the f*#@k does this happen?[!]” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Back to those three doors
now, one of which has already been opened for you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">FOR JOKER'S SOLUTION </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Joker_black_02.svg/200px-Joker_black_02.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> </span><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv18cUlC6NA/USxV3YffCpI/AAAAAAAACo0/05sewbSz7AY/s200/Bee.tiff" width="138" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Joker_black_02.svg/200px-Joker_black_02.svg.png" width="137" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv18cUlC6NA/USxV3YffCpI/AAAAAAAACo0/05sewbSz7AY/s200/Bee.tiff" width="138" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">CLICK <a href="http://earthdenizen.blogspot.jp/2013/05/and-solution-is.html?m=1" target="_blank">HERE</a> *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Question #3. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Even after knowing or
understanding what the odds or probabilities are, after having had them
explained to you…do you still want to stick with the first door you chose? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 8pt; text-indent: -8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">a. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">yes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 8pt; text-indent: -8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">b. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">no</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The A$ch conformity experiments all seem to boil down to a bit in the last paragraph :</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">“theoretical distinction between</span></b></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">social reality testing</span></b></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">and</span></b></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">physical reality testing</span></b></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">is</span></b></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Times;">untenable”</span></b></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Which only really sunk in
after I’d read the whole article. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">All I had to do was replace
this</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="260" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Asch_experiment.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(I think of these as the 'four seasons' of Japan)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">with this</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-txPSJ7WZ0Ak/Ua7Wp1mWtRI/AAAAAAAAC1A/oQhrVpFKkFI/s200/Traffic.jpg" width="105" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Learning and thinking here at this point</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNDeQoFDiAk/Ua7XhOROO4I/AAAAAAAAC1M/567Ebph0NlA/s1600/flag.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">is very seldom, from my experience, ever done in an
environment where normative influences are not present. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Normative influences…when an
individual finds time to do her or his own thinking outside the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_Secret_Puzzle_Box.jpg" target="_blank">box</a> and submit
their ideas anonymously, they are “not subject to social punishment or reward
on the basis of their responses”.</span> <span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Question #4.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4jJTBiZ7JI/Ua7ZNIcIYYI/AAAAAAAAC1c/Df8XVFgkENw/s1600/Lit+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4jJTBiZ7JI/Ua7ZNIcIYYI/AAAAAAAAC1c/Df8XVFgkENw/s1600/Lit+up.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">What color is the circle on the right?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">a. red </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">b. green </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">c. blue </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">d. yellow</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Question #5.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Are you sure you do not want
to change your answer? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 11pt; text-indent: -11pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 11pt; text-indent: -11pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">a. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">yes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 11pt; text-indent: -11pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">b. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">no</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">You may click <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/02/25/language/the-japanese-traffic-light-blues-stop-on-red-go-on-what/" target="_blank">here</a> later. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Wikipedia’s information on
the conformity experiments <i>are</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;">
very helpful. It’s much easier
than I thought and very similar to how I remember one of my own special 'sessions'. I actually remember the specific answer I chose. And my response was predictable. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">I had trusted one of ‘them’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Ironically, for me, it remains a moral
question. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>PART III</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Moral Disengagement </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">If you look <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_disengagement" target="_blank">it</a> up on
Wikipedia, you will find the quote attributed to Voltaire. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Those who can make you
believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities”</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Of the following list, I am
only concerned with the first one in how it applies to <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/28/national/hashimoto-looks-to-deflect-sex-slave-blame/" target="_blank">the current situation</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxCkVYKT-z5UqgT7PWUsit5q4Nl7NUxGpaOEFLG05XeS5zuoeC8a4opTEI6BRd6RmvocCbaS-Z3KVVlUEsd9hcmRkesuxrPh6NAO7jovx5H8MijARzaF9IDi0_VpLGkh7UKZwoDrgXpFM/s1600/japan+black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxCkVYKT-z5UqgT7PWUsit5q4Nl7NUxGpaOEFLG05XeS5zuoeC8a4opTEI6BRd6RmvocCbaS-Z3KVVlUEsd9hcmRkesuxrPh6NAO7jovx5H8MijARzaF9IDi0_VpLGkh7UKZwoDrgXpFM/s200/japan+black.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_black" target="_blank"> japanning</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times;">Reconstructing immoral
conduct </span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times;">Displacing or diffusing
responsibility</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times;">Misrepresenting
injurious consequences </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times;">Dehumanizing the victim</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 24pt; text-indent: -24pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Tentative Conclusion:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">When I ask myself, “What
would make a person <i><b>not</b></i> simply ‘go with the flow’ and violate established
social code?” - I do not have a
clear answer for that. But I do know that I need to be aware of how authority
works especially when the odds are so heavily stacked in its favor. For the System, it doesn’t matter which
door you choose as long as you choose from the answers that are provided. Or that you are watching. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Looking forward to your responses. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Fortunately, reaction time is <i>not</i> a factor. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">***** </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After-math</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Somebody really asked me about someone the other day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
And the person asking the question was surprised by my response, which caught him off guard. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/Qc_204tXHZY/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Qc_204tXHZY&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Qc_204tXHZY&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This Father's Day is when I will post about a number of 'them'. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Thanks for reading. </div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">PS </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The local </span><i style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">honu</i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> are returning. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8304 Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA34.0509124 -118.2480674999999934.0508609 -118.24814649999999 34.0509639 -118.24798849999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-49806204379065912252013-05-31T18:16:00.000+09:002013-06-06T11:20:28.265+09:00'What's the right thing to do?'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style>@font-face {
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font-family: "MS 明朝";
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}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> This is more than just a question about a knob. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> On and off...</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1wO0YexNTE/UahiZ7gO-fI/AAAAAAAAC0g/_RPuT2S-pow/s1600/My+knob.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And everything in-between.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“Unsettling our settled
assumptions…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The ability to step out of
my comfort zone is something I cherish very much. I also understand that even
considering the possibility can be seen as somewhat of a privilege. And I am fully aware that my concept of
‘comfort’ is a lot further from what most people find palatable. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"> Very simple and reasonably cheap.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/LED,_5mm,_green_%28en%29.svg/200px-LED,_5mm,_green_%28en%29.svg.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Usually not in the way people expect.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Although life often requires
much more than a binary mindset, there are times, however discomforting, that
afford no privilege of simply thinking<a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/life+or+death">.</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBfwu4ila8XLRpA-Fjcayzp-dm91WzFwuCIFW0YCL1WIkYp-Vce9Il1aBjo5qomzSSvnLHPtQgd8qG7CFACmDamZzkn7rRryAEu7IYhJ8reaDST-gPZBy49DToADrtm8UaV30VY9HxxJL/s320/Ashborn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="209" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mr. Ashborn"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">There may be moments when it
must either be ‘turned on’ or it gets turned ‘off’ - in a permanent sense –
where the idea of ‘fairness’ does not come into play at all. Sometimes it’s
hard to keep this in mind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"> Quick!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Toggleswitch.PNG/153px-Toggleswitch.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Toggleswitch.PNG/153px-Toggleswitch.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On or Off...there is no try.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And then there’s this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Light_switches.jpg" width="173" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Fuckit! I’m going outside. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And some people got buttons. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_JVvtdXJ2g/Ua_xpHniK_I/AAAAAAAAC18/gNGIAT8gQys/s1600/Start+Stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_JVvtdXJ2g/Ua_xpHniK_I/AAAAAAAAC18/gNGIAT8gQys/s320/Start+Stop.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Industrial Strength</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt;"></span>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-89353322775678690922013-05-30T20:04:00.000+09:002013-05-30T20:04:00.583+09:00Scenery <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Beautiful...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9SgSREUotzX6qieFlZc3bdEpTzN2iex8o619ZuwlJ-G_Ue1GOFIWXQoimidAz7aOZIw3akW0TWHcrxbvvDpaLExLbIo5purdJ2HyIQL6T_7cLSwRCsTQnA8W6DpeUDqTRyhOID8qIqLA/s1600/Outside+the+box+of+cigarettes+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9SgSREUotzX6qieFlZc3bdEpTzN2iex8o619ZuwlJ-G_Ue1GOFIWXQoimidAz7aOZIw3akW0TWHcrxbvvDpaLExLbIo5purdJ2HyIQL6T_7cLSwRCsTQnA8W6DpeUDqTRyhOID8qIqLA/s320/Outside+the+box+of+cigarettes+.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-43M1qKYO1Ik/UaSPFqp6T7I/AAAAAAAACzc/PFxXs50EvxM/s1600/minifesto%282%29.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-43M1qKYO1Ik/UaSPFqp6T7I/AAAAAAAACzc/PFxXs50EvxM/s1600/minifesto%282%29.gif" /></a></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com6Rokkasho, Kamikita District, Aomori Prefecture, Japan40.9673439 141.3745522000000440.583759400000005 140.72910520000005 41.3509284 142.01999920000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-25499821917857821642013-05-27T12:34:00.000+09:002013-05-27T13:37:50.819+09:00Sandmen: Trading New Days for Old<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Background ‘noise’ has a way
of becoming invisible to the naked ear.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Perhaps it’s hidden in the
Muzak you don’t really know you’re listening to. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">For that
middle-of-the-crossroad sound, smooth jazz works best for me. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Although…</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i>Won't you stretch imagination for the moment and come with me
<br />Let us hasten to a nation lying over the western sea
</i><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/-pPvVVTC_5k/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-pPvVVTC_5k&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-pPvVVTC_5k&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i>Hide behind the cherry blossoms here's a sight that will please your eyes
<br />There's a baby with a lady of Japan singing lullabies
</i><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Although, walking over fine pale sands along forgotten miles of beach, the ‘richness’ of <i>being allowed
to be</i> human (or at least <i>try</i> to be) has somehow ebbed. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Sand_under_electron_microscope.jpg" width="200" /></div>
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times;">Which, at the moment, represents a
delicate and distracted state not exclusive nor universal to any form of life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Under the rising
tide in a current stream of wounded pride, fond memories are waxing nostalgic. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Like an echo of the song I hear the <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/images/size/x/2013/05/photopaper.jpg" target="_blank">Japanese Sandman</a>
<br />Call new days near for all here's the Japanese
</i><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Those who would have it
another way seem to have forgotten ‘her’. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Then you'll be a bit older in the dawn when you wake
</i><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b81Qak8Fong/UaK7FfJC74I/AAAAAAAACy0/cZ9ThMlZ20Y/s320/Lunar.jpg" width="311" /></div>
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"> </span><i><br /></i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote>
<i>And you'll be a bit bolder with the new day you make
</i></blockquote>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Not understanding, in a land of color blind ears and tone deaf eyes, I slept well beneath her naked beauty<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B0017TX7QW/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0/183-5342455-6017408?ie=UTF8&index=0" target="_blank">. </a></span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com11Gongshe Street, Pingfang, Haerbin, Heilongjiang, China, 15006045.6002721 126.6325343999999445.5974946 126.62749189999994 45.6030496 126.63757689999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-48364345998998549852013-05-20T20:08:00.000+09:002013-05-24T14:33:42.928+09:00SiSSYFiGHTiNG<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And Priscilla-proud of it too. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6hBf7SvUrQI1C0kZn8JMr1-crSjmpWIfhUzXx9LqJv7IZB7dCyK1vp8nw8-1dvcrQbycH4wLviP9OxVBxt-jShi37njnUFBjAR45D6r8TY2tMyRUmSbbox1UDPfF3rcoMJm4VjMEv0v2/s1600/Sissy+Felicia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6hBf7SvUrQI1C0kZn8JMr1-crSjmpWIfhUzXx9LqJv7IZB7dCyK1vp8nw8-1dvcrQbycH4wLviP9OxVBxt-jShi37njnUFBjAR45D6r8TY2tMyRUmSbbox1UDPfF3rcoMJm4VjMEv0v2/s200/Sissy+Felicia.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unforgettable Sissy Felicia - <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/Memento_poster.jpg" target="_blank">remember?</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jU5J8Lj2dqQ/UZrp2QB4PuI/AAAAAAAACyU/7CA3Gl4sx3E/s1600/Smith.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jU5J8Lj2dqQ/UZrp2QB4PuI/AAAAAAAACyU/7CA3Gl4sx3E/s200/Smith.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Smithposter.jpg" target="_blank">Flaming Sissy Smith</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Sort of.<br />
<br />
You see, this inescapable Web 2.0-ish stuff is pretty damn funny.<br />
Most often in a bizarre way that will reach out and touch you. <br />
<br />
And it stings.<br />
<br />
Especially when that proverbial eleven-year-old mind pimp-slaps you with her keyboard at more mental Mbps than your little DSL of an ego can handle.<br />
<br />
Let's plagiarize here for a minute.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1805029723/sissyfight-2000-returns" target="_blank">S[*]SSYF[*]GHT turned the usual tropes of gaming upside-down. Everyone was forced to be a girl, and the game playfully encouraged backstabbing, flame wars, and a ruthless mob mentality.</a></blockquote>
<br />
Wunsuponatyme there was an idea that kept buggin' me and wanted to be blogged about. A little bit of sentimental stuff about the 'put down', the 'backstab', 'hair-pulling' and mindless <i>mob going mental on itself</i> kind of spectacle. <br />
<br />
What was alluring for me is that the ancient piece of hardware, virtually a dial-up... that slower piece of high tech I was using at the time could actually be used to 'play the game' - a game that was much, much more than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber" target="_blank">point and click, click, click...</a>.<br />
<br />
A lot of the social dynamics of the game were familiar when I stared reading blogs, just a little more than two years ago.<br />
<br />
Only, the SiSSY-game, game of almighty games, clearly states what the objective is: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1805029723/sissyfight-2000-returns" target="_blank">S[*]SSYF[*]GHT is a game of social interaction and psychological strategy. Every player starts with 10 self-esteem points, and your goal is to reduce the self-esteem of the other players. If there are one or two girls left at the end of a round, they win. </a></blockquote>
<br />
For a short while, it was a fun experience and I did considerably well at being a rotten little bitch.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_the_Red_Cross.svg/200px-Flag_of_the_Red_Cross.svg.png" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
However, I kept it clean. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
There was a moment I realized that some of the people deeply connected to their avatars were pretty ruthless...going at whoever was behind the screens.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UaRooHw34NM/UZnNawPIzVI/AAAAAAAACxw/iC10CESbIVE/s1600/danger.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<br />
Kids, just kids were divulging their personal information that only provided more ammunition for the other side. The other side? Yeah, effectively anyone else who happened to be playing.<br />
<br />
Though the game might appear to be designed for children, there were young adults and college kids with more than enough time on their hands - clearly addictive types; they were already junkies.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Some people are hungry, they just don't know what for..."</div>
<br />
<br />
Getting laid in college, <strike>like in Japan</strike>, doesn't require much in terms of social skills. I can't imagine anything better than sex, 'cept maybe herione, so anyone who is hooked on the electronic box has issues. <br />
<br />
While the dynamic medium of blogging can obviously take on a similar feel to the sissy arena, there's so much more that can be done through the collective that is mind-blowing.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
People just seem to have this idea that the 'collective' is all warm and fuzzy. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Odo.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
It ain't. </div>
<br />
<br />
And understanding boundaries is hella important. Not like it ever wasn't. <br />
<br />
Beyond a certain point, there's part of something in the architecture of the educational boxes over here that functions more than simply inflicting imaginary paper cuts to a kids self-esteem. While obliviousness might seem like a temptation, for some of us, our concerns are grave. <br />
<br />
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious TEASING to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Is that you, Kamo?!"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cF52b7Z97go/UZnT6gcSD5I/AAAAAAAACyA/7vIl6q35RmQ/s1600/Kamo.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(No mustache!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
Everybody who's ever commented here, you know...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Your just too good to be true...</i></span></div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com12Albury NSW 2640, Australia-36.0807785 146.91646930000002-36.106447 146.8761288 -36.05511 146.95680980000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-71607466932311512732013-05-15T16:21:00.001+09:002013-05-15T16:37:29.984+09:00Governed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Faces of Grief</span> </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHWwE-w3eUs/UZMtViSXfGI/AAAAAAAACxA/jYnqOzIK9jc/s1600/denial.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHWwE-w3eUs/UZMtViSXfGI/AAAAAAAACxA/jYnqOzIK9jc/s1600/denial.tiff" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/03/15/national/gov-sonomanma-what-sex-slaves/" target="_blank">Denial</a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EmmZC78obyM/UZMtgr8rCZI/AAAAAAAACxI/TO_4wVak-j0/s1600/anger.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EmmZC78obyM/UZMtgr8rCZI/AAAAAAAACxI/TO_4wVak-j0/s1600/anger.tiff" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://english.sina.com/world/2012/0827/500643.html" target="_blank">Anger</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.japancrush.com/2013/stories/comfort-women-were-necessary-says-hashimoto-toru.html" target="_blank">Bargaining</a> </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_Yet_%28band%29" target="_blank">Depression</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=maybe%20never" target="_blank">Acceptance</a> </div>
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Really. Only two more to collect and that makes a set. It's just...not happening anytime soon. Maybe, a while from now, as some have suggested, with an increase in the general population of <a href="http://www.japancrush.com/2013/stories/china-is-masculine-japan-is-feminine-says-japanese-scholar.html" target="_blank">a more masculine culture</a>, will there be any hope of getting to acceptance. </div>
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At least this can be understood as some kind of 'progress' or 'moving forward'. </div>
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This is the only way I can frame what I see at the moment in a good way.<br />
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-5853097226377938072013-05-10T09:36:00.000+09:002013-05-10T10:48:23.992+09:00Professional Courtesy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Professional Courtesy: <i>Dr. Mercy's Last Words </i><br />
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<i> </i> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Hang on, just a minute...</span><br />
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<i>Just in case you kind of stumbled here, by chance, this is the fifth and final part of a series within a series, within a... you <a href="http://get%20the%20point/" target="_blank">___ ___ _____ </a>. Near <a href="http://reptilesandsamurai.blogspot.jp/2012/06/universe.html?zx=985e8200b265c5a3" target="_blank">the bottom</a>. </i></div>
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<i>Go ahead, click stuff, I'll wait. </i></div>
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<i>Now, that we're as close to being on the same page as we're probably going to ever be, here goes:</i></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Will speaking." </span></div>
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"Hey...got a minute?" </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Sure. Shoot." </span></div>
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"Sorry we got cut off last night. I was really interested in what you were talking about. You <i>were</i> serious?"</div>
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"Yeah, always."</div>
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"So, you were telling me that this guy was nominated for a promotion..."</div>
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"To become <i>the head of department</i> in another institution. So, yeah, kind of like a promotion... recognition for outstanding work. An excellent track record." </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"And then they started fucking with him?" </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"I guess you could put it that way. There were cash on delivery packages they hadn't ordered, sent to his home. Or the calls from the restaurants asking why the party of twelve or so <i>hadn't shown up yet</i> after the reservations had been made <i>well</i> in advance. He was being harassed. Knocks on the door and phone calls his wife had to answer. That kind of thing." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"You said his wife had to deal with some of that. I remember." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Apparently, in this culture, people tend to not want to make waves and often end up </span><i style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">eating the bill</i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"But he told her it wasn't their responsibility."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"That's right. Humble people. Not proud fools about to be pushed around by fear of embarrassment. Honest people. Not like other <i>professional</i> types. Not like the people ordering stuff, making the reservations in his name or calling at odd and very inconvenient times." </span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"What about the accusations that led to the investigation?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"The way it's done here is that once the anonymous charges are made, everything gets combed through. Accounts are double-checked. They go through all your stuff. The audits are fairly thorough. A bit of an 'inconvenience' - to put it mildly." </span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Did he ever find out who did it, who made the accusations in first place?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"No. But he <i>did</i> say it was a 'coordinated effort'. He was never worried, though he did make it a point to let me know what was going on, why he wasn't working on what he felt he needed to be working on until the storm had passed. They'd put him on lockdown while the number-crunchers <i>got a little meticulous</i>." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"So, those cunts were sore losers. And they just had to mess with him. I can't believe it!"</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"Sometimes I wonder why he told me these things. And I realize that, in some ways, he was letting me know about the social terriain, maybe point out a few markers to navigate by. He was honest, not naive. A solid person. A real professional. One of the very few I've met." </span> </span> </span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Speaking of professionals, is someone there talking about prostitutes?"</span><br />
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"I wasn't listening. Hey, gotta go now... time to hang this thing up."</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thank you for your time and patience.</span></i></div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-48152428520436648582013-05-01T12:01:00.000+09:002013-05-01T14:55:00.337+09:00"Who the f*ck are you?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://www.zillamag.com/motion/animated-gifs-by-micael-reynaud-2/"></a>Mirror...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">mirror...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“For the people who are
interested in what I <i>happen to be doing</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;">, rarely does anyone express interest in who I may be, which is not
really the point anyway. <span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">This might take a minute...look...</span>” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“So, what <i>is</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><b> the point?” </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“The point is that none of
this is systematic. No, none of this is systematic in a sophisticated sense of
the word. There is nothing coercive going on - nothing deliberate along the
following lines:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">The number of choices
do not lead to the same conclusion </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">Ideas and phrases are
rarely repeated</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">Information is not
provided in a manner designed to dampen intelligence</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">Anger and fear are not
used to put a person in a heightened state</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">…</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">It's important to be able to see the forest from the trees... so we are not being taken
down one of two vary narrow paths at all.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“No?”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“We end up having
discussions while walking outside in daylight. The key here being an activity…
an activity… any activity that requires constant and steady motion without it
becoming hyp…not…ic…”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“I... see.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“Urban areas are often too
‘busy’ for this type of exchange. There is simply too much going on that could
emerge and suddenly pose a risk. In such an environment, the stress of
continuous shifting of focus on what is near and far is too great;
simultaneously pushing and pulling a person’s attention, the oscillation tends to distort the
message(s)<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Dead_drop_spike.jpg">.</a>”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“So, now that we are
walking along this open path, what is on your mind?”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“What’s on my mind? What’s
on my mind is how we edit our realities. We edit our realities without thinking
about it… without thinking about it to the point where we don’t see the
possibilities. That is <i>what's on my mind</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Hmmm…”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">“I suspect that we’ve
effectively <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vertebrate-brain-regions_small.png" target="_blank">'</a>reformed our thoughts<a href="http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/washed" target="_blank">'</a> to the point where it takes something akin to
a near-death experience to ‘wake up’. And that state of being awake only lasts
for so long.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.zillamag.com/motion/animated-gifs-by-micael-reynaud-2/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times;">The Frenchman</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://hypnobeast.com/all/swag/hypnosis-spirals/" target="_blank">Mesmerizing Beast</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">A Good Photographer</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-pocket-watch-hanging-chain-image12147064" target="_blank">Dreamstime </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://www.electromax.com/penmics.html">Mr. Gibson</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">The Last Thing You Remember</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">P e a c f u l </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">R e l a x e d </span></span><br />
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-3795844137783669962013-04-15T15:05:00.001+09:002013-04-16T13:18:32.262+09:00A Demon's Old Chains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>"You said you thought you
heard something? Grab his chart… thanks. His drip… no, tubes are fine. His heart
rate’s been pretty stable and his breathing's been steady." </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>"Wait.. there it is.
</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><i>No.
Don’t touch him. </i></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><i>His fingers twitched and it looks like his eyes are moving under there. "</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i> <a name='more'></a></i><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i> *****</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"> “Chains... 'ever seen any so strong
and heavy?” </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times;">“No, I’ve never seen any…”</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;">“Who asked you?
Shut up! What would you know about servitude? Huh? Obligations and deals…you
just kind of go wherever you want, don’t you? You have no idea where you are,
do you? Tell me. Where are we?”</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times;">“Here.” </span></b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WH89ELnfPfQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="color: red;">"My shackles! Can't you see 'em?" </span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times;">“Only you.” </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">***** </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>"Looks like he’s smiling now... almost.""</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>"No. No thanks. Don't fill her up, I don't need any more." </i></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="114" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Physagorian_Pythagoras_Greedy_Tantalus_cup_05.svg/640px-Physagorian_Pythagoras_Greedy_Tantalus_cup_05.svg.png" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>"And my shift’s almost
over... Dr. Mercy is due here in just a little while. You might want to check on the other
patients. I be finishing my rounds after I make a few minor adjustments. Move along."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">(reaches into pocket)<i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><i>"Well, well... what do you know?" </i></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yX_BRPAxq1U/UWuRYgrgKgI/AAAAAAAACt0/LYS6ZtjdBuM/s320/25+days+later.jpg" width="239" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://reptilesandsamurai.blogspot.jp/2013/03/cherry-blossom-viewing.html">(there - that didn't take too long)</a></div>
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-73353183698205992622013-04-10T17:55:00.001+09:002013-04-10T17:55:45.198+09:00A Liar and a Theif<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"You say you don't steal?"</b> </div>
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yes, that's what I said.</span>"<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fhfz4AC4KnE/UWUTyU5Wj6I/AAAAAAAACtE/SuB-bCIDtgc/s1600/Hurried+Sketch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fhfz4AC4KnE/UWUTyU5Wj6I/AAAAAAAACtE/SuB-bCIDtgc/s320/Hurried+Sketch.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">"Now, that makes you a liar too."</span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">You are taking what I said out of context.</span>" <br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">"Oh, am I? Look, you, like just about everyone else, you've got bootleg copies of your favorite songs, even stuff you don't really like."</span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">In that way, I'm like most other people I've met. While you're at it, you might as well include unaccredited photos I've 'borrowed' for the sake of 'teaching' or just providing an illustration of what I'm talking about in a conversation, post, or whatever." </span><br />
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<b style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Hah!" </span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Look, I understand that fences, locks, and barbed wire are to keep the honest people out. That I understand. And that was all I meant to say. I don't pick locks, but understanding how to do it, that it can and is done... there's nothing wrong with that, with understanding </span><i style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">how things work</i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">.</span>" </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b style="color: red;">"The way you talk, half the time someone might get the wrong impression." </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"So, that might be a risk - by some stretch of the imagination. Seriously, I don't think so."</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">"You still lie!"</span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I don't think I do. There are things I simply won't say. Call it laziness." </span><br />
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<b style="color: red;">"Laziness?"</b></div>
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yeah. Lazy logic. Instead of coming up with some intricate story that I'd have trouble remembering, I just stick to what's around me. What I see. What I hear. Calling it 'fiction' allows topics to get discussed without actually saying what they are.</span>" <br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<b style="color: red;">"You're a thief, a liar, and a lazy coward." </b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">With all due respect, professionals are <a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/law/magazine/17-04/ff_diamonds?currentPage=all">anything but lazy</a>. Nor are they cowards. And, ironically, the higher up the economic food chain, the more suspect the bounty. Not that I am one to judge or ever participate in such lucrative ventures. I've got more than enough of everything. For lack of imagination, I can barely manage what's in front of me..." </span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">"Phuleeze!"</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">(rolls eyes and starts halfheartedly clawing at chest)</span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Anyway, enough about me. You are...</span>"<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">"No questions. You know the rules. I'm just doing my job by keeping up my end of the bargain."</span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">So, you're an advocate.</span>"<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">"You're asking me?!"</span></b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">No, simply making an observation.</span>" <br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">"And kind of enjoying boring me to hell?" </b><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It doesn't take that much to get me to smile.</span>" <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PW-cl9fINO4/UWUTrfjy2fI/AAAAAAAACs8/5_ognDthOZw/s1600/Asperger+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PW-cl9fINO4/UWUTrfjy2fI/AAAAAAAACs8/5_ognDthOZw/s320/Asperger+Eyes.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">"Smartass." </span></b><br />
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<span style="color: black;">"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Look, I'd help you with those chains. Thing is, they're not mine and I'm not about to burn any books.</span>"</span><br />
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-6362263447499295042013-03-31T00:00:00.000+09:002013-03-31T00:00:02.493+09:00Happy Easter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZK5fSvzD5TQ/UVVFbjRJSJI/AAAAAAAACss/Jw0JYs5piLc/s400/Eater.gif" width="297" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The bunny has a foamy mouth! The bunny has a foamy moth! Ha ha. Ha ha."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
While coloring eggs was fun - we did it as kids - there wasn't really much of a religious connection. Not the way we lived. Which <i>is</i> kind of strange, come to think of it. Grandma used to make this really cool bunny rabbit cake that would rival the artistry of <i>bento</i>. At least, that's the way I remembered it till I got a little older. When I <i>was</i> a little older, the cakes didn't look so good anymore. Each year, they kind of seemed to loose more and more of their shape. Which kind of makes sense now that I think about it. As Grandma got older, she kind of started 'losing her focus' a little bit - least that's what the grownups were saying. <br />
<br />
No, none of that religious kind of stuff. Even when Grandma died. Not that I got to go to her funeral, burial service, or whatever it's called. Come to think of it, haven't been to any blood-relatives funerals. Seen 'em dying, like Grandpa, but never buried or cremated. It's kind of like nobody sees any need for what 'might' go on afterword, since no one really believes in that stuff anyway. Which kind of explains the way they lived... lived without much of a religious connection other than hunting for eggs and baking severely misshapen cakes.<br />
<br />
Well, can't be thinking too much about holiday feasts right now. Though the idea refuses to just stay dead. All this flesh eating and blood drinking... maybe that's why we kind of stayed away from churches. These things have a habit of coming up every year. <br />
<br />
No, not thinking about holiday gorge fests. <br />
Not since the cherry blossoms last week and the promise of all of the <i>really fun</i> 'embrace the new year' parties that are coming up because it's gonna be April on Monday. <br />
<br />
I can hear January Q. Irontail's laughter now. <br />
<br />
What's that? You don't know? <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(no more than the first thirty seconds are recommended or suggested, really, the movie was a total flop) </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fw4jsaL3-Zc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Kind of hard to think about our Easter bird and how we'd fight over the pope's nose.<br />
Guess there's a part of me that will never grow up. <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[unedited]</span></div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8Vatican City41.902916 12.45338900000001641.891098 12.433219000000015 41.914733999999996 12.473559000000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-49403240824960909902013-03-26T12:30:00.000+09:002013-03-26T12:30:01.259+09:00Cherry Blossom Viewing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Everything becomes a
question of morals. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">This is a cherry
blossom. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54TqfKrVp_I/UVD0kTS1iFI/AAAAAAAACsE/GaFdm40B6fw/s1600/Blossom+pre+blow+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54TqfKrVp_I/UVD0kTS1iFI/AAAAAAAACsE/GaFdm40B6fw/s200/Blossom+pre+blow+up.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Let’s blow it up. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RgzkJRqp-Rc/UVD1KGko-mI/AAAAAAAACsU/Va2GHi-tDbc/s1600/Blossom+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RgzkJRqp-Rc/UVD1KGko-mI/AAAAAAAACsU/Va2GHi-tDbc/s200/Blossom+.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">And the moral is... </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CE-J0IFjk3c/UVD2MsF3shI/AAAAAAAACsc/LPPyhbq_4VM/s1600/Stage+4+level+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CE-J0IFjk3c/UVD2MsF3shI/AAAAAAAACsc/LPPyhbq_4VM/s320/Stage+4+level+one.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Level 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"> in the backstory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span>
<br />
You might have to do this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="background-color: cyan;">UR</span><span style="background-color: blue;">UiRiUiFi</span><span style="background-color: cyan;">UF</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="background-color: blue;">UiLi</span><span style="background-color: cyan;">ULUF</span><span style="background-color: blue;">UiFi</span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To get here:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UXqKvXPzNgo/UVBMpUJrR_I/AAAAAAAACrs/ytatg_InzJI/s200/Citrus+Cube.jpg" width="178" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times;">Of all the things I expected
to find, this was not on the list. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">But it happened. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The cube. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">And the cherry
blossom(s). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">All that there was was a
curiosity about algorithms. In this case, what one feels like. Three or four
days before the viewing, Wifey brought home a cube. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Nobody could figure it out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Having been down that road
to nowhere once before, Dad was determined to read the instructions this time.
The idea is that, over time(s), let’s say one hundred of them, Dad should have
the patterns memorized. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Only problem is, Son didn’t
understand that Dad needed another ninety-seven tries to be able to do it
without reading from the manual. And, on top of that, the phone’s battery was
running low, so accessing the collective electronic medium was not considered a
practical option. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/_d0LfkIut2M/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_d0LfkIut2M&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_d0LfkIut2M&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Dad couldn’t figure out why
ADHD son was so almost freaking out about his father not regurgitating the solution on demand.
Even <i>after</i> the careful and explicit explanation of the first level (<a href="http://www.rubiks.com/solving-center/3x3_guide/stage4.php" target="_blank">Stage 4</a>). <a href="http://www.hark.com/clips/lqnqyhxrtt-hurry-up-already">ADHD</a> had asked
Dad early on in the day and Dad was surprised how this could be upsetting the
hyperactive offspring hours after the initial discussion/request. No, he hadn't forgotten. And yes, he didn't understand. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Then Wifey's steady voice of reason explained, probably
for the second time that day... she
explained that Son had told his gang of cohorts, those little rascals who he’d been running
full-speed and non-stop with while smashing just about every fallen petal in
the park… offspring had said that his Dad could solve the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_%28film%29" target="_blank">c</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cube_%281969_film%29">u</a>be. A simple kid’s
father-brag. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">At his age, I hardly knew
mine. </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Times;">In trying to show how to go about solving a problem, I have ended up creating one. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times;">Which is kind of how the problem gets solved. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times;">Eventually. </span></i></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The first level’s easy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Got 96 more times to go to
really understand what an algorithm feels like. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times;">Maybe. </span></div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-42212900314573027352013-03-20T21:22:00.000+09:002013-03-20T21:22:04.781+09:00Single-car Accident(s)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style>@font-face {
font-family: "Times New Roman";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "@MS 明朝";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Wait a minute, it
started out as a question?”</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yeah. Sometimes our
sessions could be like that.</span>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“So he asked you if you
knew why there were so many single-car accidents?”</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">That’s right.</span>” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“And you told him you
thought alcohol <i>might</i> be involved?” </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Of course. I mean, the area
</span><i style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">is</i></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> pretty rural in just about
every sense of the word.</span>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“But he said no alcohol
was involved?” </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yep.</span>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“So… what <i>did</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><b> he say?” </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">He said there were tunnels.
All over the place. Apparently plans were being made for a prolonged defense in
the event of an invasion. Those plans included a network of tunnels and not
just the ones everybody knows about.</span>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“The<i> plans</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><b>?”</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">For the invasion?</span>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Operation_Olympic.jpg" width="282" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall" target="_blank">Operation Olympic</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“No.<span> </span>For the tunnels” </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">You mean tunnels like <a href="http://www.stripes.com/military-life/japan-take-a-rare-look-into-abandoned-wwii-site-1.182140" target="_blank">these</a>?</span>” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Yes.”</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“The maps, he said they were
burned. So the occupation wouldn’t be able to find them. Which, as it turns
out, was not necessary. They ended up not needing to destroy the plans. And the tunnels he was talking about were NOT the ones in Sasebo, that's far north. He said the accidents were happening in southwestern Kyushu... ” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Kind of ironic, isn’t
it?” </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yeah. And that he asked me
if I knew in the first place.</span>” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>“Like he wanted to teach
you something?” </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">“<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">On a number of levels. He also just wanted to talk.</span>” </span></div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-5531256312219694482013-03-12T15:44:00.000+09:002013-03-15T10:28:55.525+09:00Lunch on the Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Had this:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D4OQ6-aLS_Y/UT7G_3dIjQI/AAAAAAAACrU/iX4FLg3DVO0/s1600/Burger.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D4OQ6-aLS_Y/UT7G_3dIjQI/AAAAAAAACrU/iX4FLg3DVO0/s1600/Burger.tiff" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Here:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="76" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tju6EqP8LtM/UT7GgeIeArI/AAAAAAAACrM/jQ7EodVNOoI/s320/West+park+cafe.tiff" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And couldn't help but noticed this:<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DgxsFKe6RlM/UT7HaWAaAXI/AAAAAAAACrc/TMy6KsniUMY/s400/Colin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shot in the Terminal </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wact.co.jp/test/images/WPC_EXPRESS_haneda02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wact.co.jp/works/2004/12/wpc-express.html&usg=__L-NULV0-fKwMf5Zac-5s8vpSBNY=&h=904&w=678&sz=461&hl=en&start=7&sig2=eKoCplK1d6G4MqdQdM-tDQ&zoom=1&tbnid=ot4bgQXDn0Ii3M:&tbnh=147&tbnw=110&ei=IXhCUZ_eBomZkAXsrIDgCA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhaneda%2B%2522west%2Bpark%2Bcafe%2522%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&sa=X&ved=0CDYQrQMwBg" target="_blank">Location</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champs_%C3%89lys%C3%A9es" target="_blank">Location</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1927" target="_blank">Location</a> </div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The place advertises itself as an authentic American style restaurant. So I looked up 'Paul Colin' and '<span class="st" style="font-family: inherit;">Bal Nègre' to understand what I was looking at. And spent some time learning more about her: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="st" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Baker_Banana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Baker_Banana.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="st" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker" target="_blank">Josephine Baker</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And if I ever do visit New York, on my list of places to go will be <a href="http://www.chezjosephine.com/" target="_blank">Chez Josephine</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Possibly the closest I will ever be to visiting France in the near future. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Still, some things do baffle me:</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
"<a href="http://www.maysfood.com/index.html" target="_blank"><i>Re-creation of an American restaurant is not just the exterior and interior designs, but also the quality, taste and portion of the food, together with the friendly service. Your experience at "WeST PArk CaFE" will be a feeling of just like being in the States...</i></a>"</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
Because the waiter did say they served <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_fries" target="_blank"><i>'Frech fries</i></a>'.<br />
<br />
Even thought the food was good, I'm not sure of everything else no one seemed to notice. <br />
<br />
Maybe it's just me...</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com6Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, France48.869576 2.308250000000043748.859131500000004 2.2880800000000439 48.8800205 2.3284200000000435tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-39527215041937798942013-03-01T17:11:00.000+09:002013-03-01T17:34:44.859+09:00Seriously...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(For a man who wanted to be taken seriously, he'd get mighty angry when he was.) <br />
<br />
<b>"He did what?"</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"He used to go on these tirades and tell me what was wrong with me." </i><br />
<br />
<b>"What do you mean?"</b><br />
<br />
<i>"We'd have these sessions where he'd sit me down in a room and just lecture me. It could go on for hours." </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Hell_Roaring_Canyon.jpg/800px-Hell_Roaring_Canyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Hell_Roaring_Canyon.jpg/800px-Hell_Roaring_Canyon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hell_Roaring_Canyon.jpg" target="_blank"><i>Credit goes to the man with an archangel's name...</i></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>"That's crazy. Why... how... I don't understand at all." </b><br />
<br />
<i>"That's what alcohol can do to some people. And I went along with it. You see, he had a good side. That's what I was attracted to." </i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>"Yeah, he could be really nice." </b><br />
<br />
<i>"He was a very intelligent man." </i><br />
<br />
(How many pages did he write? Wanting to know him, as an adult, Will only ever could get halfway through his one and only book. There words were pretty, the writing was nice... yet it didn't seem to go anywhere.)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>"I'm surprised you sat through that. If I had known..."</b><br />
<br />
<i>"Alcohol makes people crazy. And the people around them, especially if they are co-dependent. When I got my head straight, instead of doing nothing, I brought in a pad of paper and a pen and told him that I was ready to listen."</i><br />
<br />
<b>"Okay..."</b><br />
<br />
<i>"And I took notes on that lecture he gave. At one point, I said, 'To make things clear and to make sure I understand what you are saying, that I am following, I'm going to read back to you what you just told me.' And before I was finished reading the first few pages, he asked me to stop. He hadn't realized how crazy he'd become." </i><br />
<br />
<b>"That assho..." </b><br />
<br />
<i>"Now wait. I played a part of this too. By allowing myself to go along with it." </i><br />
<br />
(Thinking about it now, maybe he was too peaceful in that he didn't spend enough down time with his dark side. With an <i>either or</i> approach to good vs bad, right vs wrong or whatever, oversimplified organized religious tendencies tend to break things down that are far more complex than simply 'going up' or or 'going down'. Life's got more meaning than a day of judgment where a soul is either given a pair of wings or a shovel. Anyway, that darker side got hold through the bottle. Man, he could down a fifth of whiskey in minutes, whether is be in a bathroom stall at a bus stop or just about anywhere that urge took hold. And he could hold it together like no one else could. Guess you get lots of practice when you're conducting services, the tearful unions and departures. He'd really wanted to practice law. Could let his dark side shine for good. Chaplain or lawyer... hell, he already had his wings, a Harley... all he needed to do was grab for that shovel. Like anyone would a' tried to stop him. Those theological contrivances did little to quench his thirst for blood; all he could manage to do was tilt back that bottle of spirits.)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"No, Will. No use wishing him hell. He lived in his own."</i><br />
<br />
<b>"And you made it out." </b><br />
<br />
<i>"It was a trial."</i></div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-68136610425110263802013-02-28T09:53:00.000+09:002013-02-28T09:53:36.640+09:00His Eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There was fear in them</div>
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Which, when you thought
about it, made sense</div>
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<br /></div>
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You see, he drank. </div>
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He drank hard enough so that
the joke </div>
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<span> </span>that goes something like this:</div>
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<b><span lang="JA"></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Judge Throws Up On His New Suit</span></b></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.rantnroll.com/html/drinking2.html" target="_blank"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana;">One night a district judge went
out on a binge and threw up all over his new suit. He came home that night,
disrobed then passed out next to his wife. </span></a></i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.rantnroll.com/html/drinking2.html" target="_blank"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana;">The next morning his wife woke him
up and asked him what happened to his suit.</span><span lang="JA"></span></a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.rantnroll.com/html/drinking2.html" target="_blank"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana;">"Well," the judge
replied, "last night I decided to ride around with the city police while
they made a few arrests on some drunk drivers. They loaded a drunk up in the
car and he threw up all over me. But don't worry dear, this morning when he
comes before me in court, I'll make sure he pays enough to clean my suit."</span></a></i><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.rantnroll.com/html/drinking2.html" target="_blank"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana;">That morning in court his wife
called him up on the telephone. She asked, "John have you run that drunk
through court, that threw up on your suit?"</span><span lang="JA"></span></a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.rantnroll.com/html/drinking2.html" target="_blank"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana;">The judge answered, "No."</span></a></i><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.rantnroll.com/html/drinking2.html" target="_blank"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Verdana;">She replied, "Well you'd better charge him a lot more cause he shit your pants, too."</span></a></i><span lang="JA"></span></blockquote>
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He drank hard enough, so
that it was funny – the joke. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/TomWaitsRainDogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/TomWaitsRainDogs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><a name='more'></a><br /></span></div>
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Funny enough to laugh at, at
least for him when he told it</div>
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For him</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIbfC1KjLFI/US6oo_Sk71I/AAAAAAAACqA/J6RqiBFMnvc/s1600/collar+methodist.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIbfC1KjLFI/US6oo_Sk71I/AAAAAAAACqA/J6RqiBFMnvc/s320/collar+methodist.tiff" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/John_Wesley_clipped.png" target="_blank"><i>Must not forget to give thanks...</i></a></td></tr>
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Fear in the eyes set in pale
skin</div>
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He could argue with the best
of them and liked boxing too</div>
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A real fan of Hemingway’s </div>
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<br /></div>
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But he wasn’t honest, to
himself most of all</div>
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Must’a been what scared him</div>
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Afraid that somebody might
find out</div>
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<br /></div>
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Out about what? Not that
anybody cares or will ever know</div>
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Man could he argue</div>
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Had wanted to go into law</div>
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But had given in to paternal
pressure</div>
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So he lived his life as a
man of the cloth</div>
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And spent a good deal of
time in Vegas</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></div>
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His 2<sup>nd</sup> or maybe
3<sup>rd</sup> wife, you lose count after a while, </div>
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She said he’d got so drunk
he couldn’t give his sermons</div>
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The old guys at the
congregation would have to find a </div>
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<span> </span>back room for him to sit in whilst they read scripture</div>
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<br /></div>
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He’d always wanted to be a
writer</div>
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And would sit out in his
part of the warehouse </div>
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In his little ‘office’
writing away</div>
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He wanted to do something big
and important and </div>
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<span> </span>probably drink a lot like Hemingway</div>
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<br /></div>
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But he was no man as far as I
could tell</div>
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Not so much from what he did</div>
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Or didn’t do… because there
was a lot of that <br />
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As far as I could tell </div>
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He was a little boy</div>
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Because of his eyes </div>
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There was fear in them</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Which, when you think about it, makes sense. </span></span></div>
</div>
Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-50448497660089300542013-02-27T18:06:00.000+09:002013-02-27T18:08:06.172+09:00There Is More...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/15866494" target="_blank">More</a> than ever needed</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And all that anyone could <a href="http://vimeo.com/31643142" target="_blank">handle</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Knowing what's</div>
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<br /></div>
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Enough</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><b>Get Happy</b> is still a joy to watch from time to time. However, lately the idea seems to have burnt itself out. As the clip fades, there's a lingering feeling of loss that has somehow been mentally tethered to success... almost as if to equate gain with unhappiness. </i><i>The forlorn scene resonates a feeling of loss. While what we do or put ourselves through to be successful is no guarantee for feeling happy, doing something is far more satisfying than simply going with the flow. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>I now realize why I like that short. Youth are given an opportunity to experience feelings of happiness and bliss without having to buy into anything. People who forget or do not understand and go on to educate their children in a way that puts a damper on their creativity are all too many. At least, that's what I'm afraid of seeing when I really take the time to <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Rear-view_mirror.jpg" target="_blank">look</a>. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><b>Bliss</b>... now that's another familiar story that just happened to fit at the time. Why is anyone's guess. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-30280205693369983562013-02-23T00:20:00.000+09:002013-02-26T15:29:23.774+09:00Dealt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Five cards in his hand.<br />
<br />
A voice with that kind of drawl, like the ones from Nowhereville, you know, not so far away from where everything began... yeah, THAT voice.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>"</i><i>Roy! You been dealt your hand." </i></b><br />
<br />
Will just looks at the backs of the cards. And says nothing. <br />
<br />
Again, that voice...<b><i>"It's time. You turn 'em over." </i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i> </i></b><br />
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<i><br /></i>
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<br />
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<b><i><br /></i></b><b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>"One cycle, you understand?"</i></b><br />
<br />
Will just nods and closes his eyes.<br />
<br />
On the left cheek, Will feels the popping sting of the last hand, opens his eyes and looks again. And realizes just how much help they have all been. And smiles. <br />
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Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.com8