who, who, who let the dogs out? Or how my Spring is sprung

Am I reading too much? Possibly. I've read 29 of my 30 book goal I set for myself this year. It is only May. YIKES! Does it help that I have a part-time job that allows me to read? Absolutely. Does it help to have a full-time job which has atrophied to shadow of its former self, allowing for downtime between tasks? Yes it certainly does. I do my work then read when finished. Another possible help might be that as an introvert I'm more comfortable just chilling with a book, on the couch at home or tucked away in a corner at a coffee shop (thanks Katie!!) So, as I'm making my way thru the collection of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which contains all five books of the inaccurately named trilogy, I do need a break from time to time, inbetween volumes. The solution has been to read shorter lenght books/novellas. It's worked well so far as I've been reading books that haven't been "on my radar" lately.
I just finished Red Pony by Steinbeck




After that I read


Now, I'm going back to the well, so to speak. Refreshing my love of literature by reading the Holmes novel I have not read. The Hounds of the Baskervilles!


What better way to commerate the right & proper coming of Spring (that winter stuff doesn't count!) than reading books about; a boy on the farm with his pony, a china rabbit on an extraordinary journey of love and discover and a classic mystery of a supernatural curse as deduced by Sherlock Holmes. Errr....right? yeah Spring.
Spring seems to excite the reading bug in me. I don't fight it. I'm down with the sickness. I hope to spend plenty of time at a park (with not too many people of course) with books and Katie. The two best things my soul needs to be refreshed & renewed. LET'S GO!

One voice....or how apathy is rotting us from the inside out

I am one man. I have no power, influence, great wealth or popularity; only my thoughts, my words, trying to cut through the darkness of these days. But isn't that all any of us can do at the end of the day. One voice, one person is not able to change anything. I would say you are wrong. One voice plus one more and another and another.... It is like a stick, one stick can bend & break, but if you bring enough sticks together then they can become near unbreakable. That is our strength, working together, forming a community. That does not happen much anymore, does it? Ask yourself, do you know all your neighbors? Do you invite each other over? Do you know your kids' teachers?
Somewhere along the way many of us stopped caring, stopped being involved with the community, closed off, so we can worry about our own interests and rarely about others, often until it is too late. I am not speaking of invading anyone privacy, just plain civility & decency when dealing with one another. One of the greatest strengths we humans have is our ability to form communities, whether based on geography, religion, similarities, political views; that support of others helps provide a buttress thru life. Right now, there are far too few and those few are crumbling.
However, that doesn't mean the house is destroyed. It can still be repaired. How can something seemingly so complex, so insurmountable, be fixed? Look to Mr. Occam. It's so simple one wonders why we haven't done it....yet. We just need to talk to each other. Start a conversation....about anything, as long as we are having a dialog. We have to build bonds with each other, watch out for each other. We can't do it all ourselves, we need each other.  Then we trouble starts we can help one another thru it. Or if, worse case scenario, we can be there to help each other deal with the aftermath. There is a solution if we want it.
How bad do you want it? Ask yourself if we can continue down this path of violence, devastating loss & unending grief. It is never too late to turn it around. The answer is not without, the answer is within. All of us. Just imagine if we all tried. Think of what we could accomplish....together.
 

When you wish upon a star in a galaxy far, far away

Sometimes two very singular things meet in this crazy universe and a good thing happens. Other times, nothing happens and they pass in the night. Or they can repell each other. But once in a while those two can merge, forming a solid partnership, building on one another's strengths and supporting against each other's weaknesses. Each will bring different view points to this partnetship, adding unique perspectives and opprotunities the other might not have thought of, or been capable of, before this collison of egos.
It will not all be perfect, with smooth sailing. There will be some choppy waters. Supporters on both sides with choose. But ultimately it comes down to what's best for this new duo. These partners won't always agree, they may argue, but they will work it out, finding common ground that benefits both, bringing balance. The energy from both will surround & bind each other, bringing support. Extremism will accomplish little more than aggrivating both parties and will have no place in this shared venture.
You can wish, hope, pray for something better than the horrible mess that was before. Perseverance, patience, and not giving in to those dark sides of us, lurking to take over; that's what will pay off in the end. If you do not lack faith, you will be rewarded.
Although, the future is impossible to see, there is an improved, new hope.

It’s the robo/zombie/alien/pandemic/cataclysm-pocalypse & I feel fine. …as long as I have my books!

We’ve all thought about it. Book lovers have made that imaginary list of which books they’d grab if all hell broke loose. But keep in mind that’s different than what you’d grab in a “normal” emergency, like say a fire. It’s completely different criteria. Have you noticed the last few years, right around 2000 C.E. to now, that there has been an overwhelming focus of end of the world scenarios in the global zeitgeist?  (Fun word, zeitgeist. Say it…with a slight German accent. See? Fun!!) Is it because on some collective unconscious level we all sense something will happen? Or is it just influence from pop culture and media? Who cares! Let’s hop on that apocalyptic locomotive, relax in the dining car with some Soylent Green and have fun. I mean…if you can’t laugh at the end of the world, at least a little bit, then what’s the point?

So, here are my top five books I’d take in the event the world as we know it ends. (note: must be books a person actually owns in paper form, no electronic stuff, it’s the apocalypse!)

The Dhammapada – This is the closest thing we Buddhists have to a bible. It collects a large amount of the Buddha’s own words in verse form, covering nearly all aspects of life. Now, I’m not presumptive to think I will use this to single-handedly help reclaim humanity from the darkness …etc….etc. No, this is primarily for me, to help me follow the principles of Buddhism in horrible times. If others happen to take something from it, then that’s all the better.

http://www.amazon.com/Dhammapada-Balangoda-Ananda-Maitreya/dp/0938077872/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348840670&sr=1-2&keywords=dhammapada

The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes – This hardcover collects all 37 Sherlock Holmes stories and The Hound of the Baskervilles , all as they appeared originally in the magazine The Strange, complete with illustrations by the great Sidney Paget.  If the end of the world hits, I want plenty of stories to keep me busy and this will do that very well. Also, Holmes stimulates my analytical & observant portions of my brain, which might be helpful. Finally, this book is very important to me because I LOVE Sherlock Holmes’ stories and this was a once in a lifetime find for me. I paid about $3 for it @ a used book store.

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Illustrated-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/0890090572/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348840703&sr=1-9&keywords=the+complete+sherlock+holmes

Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales – Anyone who knows me would not be surprised by this at all. Well…maybe only about why I didn’t choose Fahrenheit 451. In the event of the apocalypse, I think having a copy of it might be too little too late. That book is a forewarning; it does no good after the fact. Besides I’d like to hope I could remember the story from memory. Anyway…this collection has nearly all of Bradbury’s greatest short stories. Again, there’s lots of entertainment/learning/escapism to be culled from this book, in one phone book sized volume

http://www.amazon.com/Bradbury-Stories-Most-Celebrated-Tales/dp/0060544880/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348841166&sr=1-2&keywords=ray+bradbury+stories

Les Misérables – As of right now, I have not read this book. So, assuming the apocalypse comes, maybe I’ll have the time to finally read it all. It’s one of the greatest stories ever told. It’s as easy as that. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Mis%C3%A9rables-Signet-Classics-Victor-Hugo/dp/0451525264/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348841606&sr=1-2&keywords=les+miserables

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay  - This is a magnum opus, love letter to the golden age of comic books. There’s everything one could want in this tale of two Jewish immigrants creating comics & making it big, with; adventure, magicians/escape artists, romance, drama, war, tragedy & humor. I’d dare to say it’s a near perfect book. This would be a reminder of a more innocent, simpler time. It’s also a reminder of courage & strength when it pursuit of your dreams. It’s the story of America. I could easily read & re-read & read this again, never tiring of the true fictional legends behind our modern day mythology.

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-bonus-content/dp/0812983580/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349184783&sr=1-1&keywords=the+amazing+adventures+of+kavalier+and+clay

The top 5 of the top 5. Or...I want to be Rob Gordon when I grow up

So, let's have fun, shall we? I believe you can get a better understanding of a person by knowing what they like to do and what matters to them. Here are my top 5 top 5

Top 5 movies

1.       The Godfather/The Godfather, Part II

2.       Seven Samurai

3.       The Dark Knight

4.       The Princess Bride

5.       North By Northwest

Top 5 books

     1.       Fahrenheit 451

     2.       The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier & Clay

     3.       American Gods

     4.       The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

     5.       The Dhamapada

Top 5 Musicians

1.       The Beatles

2.       Miles Davis

3.       Johnny Cash

4.       Bob Dylan

5.       Buddy Guy

Top 5 TV shows

      1.       Doctor Who

      2.       The Shield

      3.       Battlestar Galactica

      4.       Farscape

      5.       The Venture Brothers

Top 5 most inspirational people

             1.       Thich Nhat Hahn

             2.       Nikola Tesla

             3.       Vincent van Gogh

             4.       John Walsh

             5.       Groucho Marx

Declaring peace on war. Or how I learned to stop the bomb and fire peace.

There is a well know Buddhist saying I’ve always liked, and try to keep it in mind, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” This happens to us all in varying degrees. For most of us it passes and that’s that. For others, they hold on to that burning coal for so long, they suffer greatly and become consumed, resulting in scars that are hard to heal. Then that fire consumes, by way of violence, those around that person. And it spreads, just like a fire, if allowed. We must learn to let go of that hot coal, no good will come of it. Anger cannot stop anger. Hate cannot stop hate. Violence only begets violence. There is but one thing that can stop any of this and that is love. Just as the burning coal starts within a person and can spread outward; love does as well. If we do not have love for ourselves, we cannot send it out to others properly. As said by The Dalai Lama, love & compassion are necessary in order for us to survive. There are far too many in this world who attempt to survive on hate and violence. Feel pity for these people and their suffering. Anyone of us at anytime can help alleviate that suffering by offering the nourishment of love. The cycle can and must be broken. However, if you cannot or will not be able to help, then at least do no harm (Thanks Kurt!).  All of this violence & hate is but an extreme outward manifestation of a person’s own terrible suffering. Maybe if that person can see that is possible to cultivate love, compassion and find peace in their lives, by seeing it done by others, then there is hope. If you want a real revolution that will truly make this world a better place, free your mind instead (thanks John & Paul).

Darn it grampa..or how I learned to give my life over to coffee

It is estimated that over half the population in this country drink coffee daily. With such an obvious case of the odds being stacked against me, was it any wonder I eventually gave in to this roasted bean delight? We I was very young, thinking around 2 years old, I remember sitting on grampa Fred's lap as he drank a cup of black coffee. As all young people I was intensely curious about something new. Perhaps I'd encounterd coffee before, but not this closely. It was right THERE! He knew by the expression on my face I had a curiousity that could sated only one way....trying it! I am fairly certain he asked me something along the lines of, "hey buddy, want to try some of your grampa's coffee? It's really good"

[ I say fairly certain, because, after all, can we really trust the perceptions and memories of our 2 year olds selves? While our infant/childhood selves are mostly pure & naive, they are untrustworthy to our adult versions, so we fill in the cracks as best we can, without bothering to check if it's ok with our younger us ]

I don't recollect how the coffee tasted, just that I found it repulsive! What was grampa up to? Could he, a trusted guardian my entire life, such as it was, possibly betray me...with poison!?!? No. Probably not. He found my response rather funny.  That intense negative reaction stuck with me for years and years, right up to my early adulthood. I hadn't really touched coffee at all, preferring my pop (specicially Mt. Dew) for caffeine/sugar fix. Eventually I gave up the pop and tried tea. I LOVE tea by the way, so don't assume I'm tea-basher. But as I was out in the world, working, building a life, going to school etc, I needed something to keep going, since willpower and happy thoughts are not enough. Ever since that time of trying one iced coffee frappe thingy I was hooked. I moved more away from such blended coffee drinks to liking just coffee, if done right (with cream/milk/half & half & sugar). I have approximately 1 cup a day or 2 if I'm struggling. I've also discovered all sorts of other coffee; espresso, mochas (my favorite), lattes, and so on. I always seem to be wanting to cut back but never really doing it. I suppose it could be worse. However, I am trying to get used to black coffee, as it is better to not put all that "crap" in it. I both love & hate coffee, perhaps in equal measure. I love coffee for waking me up, my eyes widening, my brain kicking in. But I hate coffee's hold on me. It is well aware of the arrangement we have: I will drink it occasionally without going over board. Both sides are satisfied with this agreement. There is one thing I will always love coffee for; the wonderful bonding moment with my grampa. However, it is the only moment I can recall, for I was too young and died not too long after.

So, thank you grampa Fred for starting off this whole love/hate relationship with the coffee bean.....I think? :)