BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
What has made life worth living, thus far, has been waiting for the message--not the message itself.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
H & M weren't happy together.
At the end, H's only wish was to outlive M so that she couldn't distribute what little money H had left to HER family. She outlived him by 5 weeks and C and N got nothing--as I am sure you have already heard from C.
I do not understand why H failed to make proper arrangements -- he didn't plan for the event of M outliving him, and, from what C told me, M gave every last tea-cup and earring to her own family and left N and C nothing, not even a souvenir tweezer. Almost all of the jewelry, flatware, and china came from H's mother.They were his family's heirlooms--and most of the antique furniture too.
When I visited New York, Naples, and "Beverly Hills Adjacent," M spoke only in the highest, most respectful terms about H; but H had nothing but disdain and hatred for M. A disconnect that boggled my mind then, and still does.
I would tell H about M's loving and prideful descriptions of H to me, and H would tell me that she was a phony.
Perhaps M had some sort of voodoo hold over H. I can't figure it out. Not that I didn't fall under her sway also--I liked her and laughed all night with them on many occasions--but get H alone or on the phone and all I would hear was how terrible, horrible she was.
Until a year or two ago, I thought of H as a very strong, if somewhat angry/bitter man. He was funny--his humor was hostile, and a night with H was guaranteed to be a night of laughs...
I thought of H -- as he thought of himself -- as a "producer," the guy who takes care of all the details, and thinks of everything. He chose the restaurants. Only he could mix a proper martini. And half the time he ordered for everyone. He knew what needed to be known and knew what was needed.----
But why didn't he write a new will? Why didn't he start to give his things to N and C? I know he was mad a C--but I also know that he wasn't mad at Nicole, and loved her deeply.
Very strange...
What was H like at Michigan?
mike
H & M weren't happy together.
At the end, H's only wish was to outlive M so that she couldn't distribute what little money H had left to HER family. She outlived him by 5 weeks and C and N got nothing--as I am sure you have already heard from C.
I do not understand why H failed to make proper arrangements -- he didn't plan for the event of M outliving him, and, from what C told me, M gave every last tea-cup and earring to her own family and left N and C nothing, not even a souvenir tweezer. Almost all of the jewelry, flatware, and china came from H's mother.They were his family's heirlooms--and most of the antique furniture too.
When I visited New York, Naples, and "Beverly Hills Adjacent," M spoke only in the highest, most respectful terms about H; but H had nothing but disdain and hatred for M. A disconnect that boggled my mind then, and still does.
I would tell H about M's loving and prideful descriptions of H to me, and H would tell me that she was a phony.
Perhaps M had some sort of voodoo hold over H. I can't figure it out. Not that I didn't fall under her sway also--I liked her and laughed all night with them on many occasions--but get H alone or on the phone and all I would hear was how terrible, horrible she was.
Until a year or two ago, I thought of H as a very strong, if somewhat angry/bitter man. He was funny--his humor was hostile, and a night with H was guaranteed to be a night of laughs...
I thought of H -- as he thought of himself -- as a "producer," the guy who takes care of all the details, and thinks of everything. He chose the restaurants. Only he could mix a proper martini. And half the time he ordered for everyone. He knew what needed to be known and knew what was needed.----
But why didn't he write a new will? Why didn't he start to give his things to N and C? I know he was mad a C--but I also know that he wasn't mad at Nicole, and loved her deeply.
Very strange...
What was H like at Michigan?
mike
Friday, May 22, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
Walls
Without regard, compassion or shame,
they built around me great high walls.
And I sit here now, and despair.
No other thought: My fate eats me.
Because I had so many things to do outside.
Alas, when they were building the walls
How could I not pay attention?
But I never heard noise from the builders, not a
sound.
Without my notice the closed me in from the world
outside.
C. P. Cavafy, 1896 - '97
translator: Alan A. Boegehold
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Walls
Without pity, without shame, without consideration
They've built around me enormous, towering walls.
And I sit here now in growing desperation.
This fate consumes my mind, I think of nothing else:
Because I had so many things to do out there.
O while they built the walls, why did I not look out?
But no noise, no sound from the builders did I hear.
Imperceptively they shut me off from the world without.
C.P. Cavafy, 1896-'97
Translator, Daniel Mendelson.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's a weaker translation:
Walls
With no consideration, no pity, no shame,
they have built walls around me, thick and high.
And now I sit here feeling hopeless.
I can't think of anything else: this fate gnaws my mind -
because I had so much to do outside.
When they were building the walls, how could I not have noticed!
But I never heard the builders, not a sound.
Imperceptibly they have closed me off from the outside world.
Constantine P. Cavafy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"who built these walls? -- me," for starters.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Walls
Without regard, compassion or shame,
they built around me great high walls.
And I sit here now, and despair.
No other thought: My fate eats me.
Because I had so many things to do outside.
Alas, when they were building the walls
How could I not pay attention?
But I never heard noise from the builders, not a
sound.
Without my notice the closed me in from the world
outside.
C. P. Cavafy, 1896 - '97
translator: Alan A. Boegehold
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Walls
Without pity, without shame, without consideration
They've built around me enormous, towering walls.
And I sit here now in growing desperation.
This fate consumes my mind, I think of nothing else:
Because I had so many things to do out there.
O while they built the walls, why did I not look out?
But no noise, no sound from the builders did I hear.
Imperceptively they shut me off from the world without.
C.P. Cavafy, 1896-'97
Translator, Daniel Mendelson.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's a weaker translation:
Walls
With no consideration, no pity, no shame,
they have built walls around me, thick and high.
And now I sit here feeling hopeless.
I can't think of anything else: this fate gnaws my mind -
because I had so much to do outside.
When they were building the walls, how could I not have noticed!
But I never heard the builders, not a sound.
Imperceptibly they have closed me off from the outside world.
Constantine P. Cavafy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"who built these walls? -- me," for starters.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thursday, May 21, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
When making love with J one afternoon I was drawn to her nose. Slightly freckled, her white delicate skin, the narrow bridge just right for my lips to snuggle while I held her tightly some fifty years ago, still bright in my memory, my eyes open almost against her closed eyes, her breath now quieted of passion, her breasts slowly heaving against my chest, a low murmur of a moan of pleasure remembered as she pressed up against me. It was the first time we made love, and I wondered whether her sex would be covered with the same red hair on her head.
When making love with J one afternoon I was drawn to her nose. Slightly freckled, her white delicate skin, the narrow bridge just right for my lips to snuggle while I held her tightly some fifty years ago, still bright in my memory, my eyes open almost against her closed eyes, her breath now quieted of passion, her breasts slowly heaving against my chest, a low murmur of a moan of pleasure remembered as she pressed up against me. It was the first time we made love, and I wondered whether her sex would be covered with the same red hair on her head.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
She recalled being offended by the "phoniness" that stemmed from the contradiction between her mother's charming, even unctuous public manner and her anger in private.
-- Daniel Horowitz, Betty Friedan And the Making of 'The Feminine Mystique'
Sounds like my ex daughter-in-law to me.
She recalled being offended by the "phoniness" that stemmed from the contradiction between her mother's charming, even unctuous public manner and her anger in private.
-- Daniel Horowitz, Betty Friedan And the Making of 'The Feminine Mystique'
Sounds like my ex daughter-in-law to me.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
kairos
| kairos | tempus speciale /
occasio | kairos |
| kairos |
| The opportune occasion for speech. The term kairos has a rich and varied history, but generally refers to the way a given context for communication both calls for and constrains one's speech. Thus, sensitive to kairos, a speaker or writer takes into account the contingencies of a given place and time, and considers the opportunities within this specific context for words to be effective and appropriate to that moment. As such, this concept is tightly linked to considerations of audience (the most significant variable in a communicative context) and to decorum (the principle of apt speech). Rhetorical Analysis in terms of KAIROS: Rhetorical analysis of any sort begins with some orientation to the kairos. Whether or not a rhetorical critic employs the term kairos, he or she will examine the exigencies and constraints of place, time, culture, and audience that affect choices made by speakers and authors to influence that moment: Understand your audience. Craft your speech to them. Not to yourself.
|
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
http://www.jasonhodge.net/?p=456
http://www.bevreview.com/2009/05/05/npr-all-things-considered-pepsi-mountain-dew-throwback/
The two links above take you to interesting articles about Pepsi putting out a sugar sweetened Pepsi and Mountain Dew -- as opposed to corn syrup sweetened.
I had written to Coke about this idea several years ago, but nothing came of my letter. I received a non-committal, lame reply that it was up to the individual bottlers.
There is a big difference in flavor and if you've tried Soho Cola you get an idea of what the difference might be were Coke and Pepsi to go back to sugar.
Now, if the sugar lobby were to fall asleep and the sugar tariff dropped by congress we might get permanently back to a better tasting product.
The Pespi product will be known as "Throwback" and will come in its own bottle --unfortunately not glass--but will be on the shelves only until June.
In the battle for shelf-space it's surprising that neither Coke nor Pepsi has already brought out a sugar sweetened SKI in glass. (At a premium price if nothing else.)
It reminds me of the auto-manufacturers thinking that the Beetle was a passing fancy and that the American Consumer would never buy a smaller car that looked funny.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not only is today Mother's Day, but also May 10th would have been my mother's 107th Birthday. Happy Mother's Day to all and especially to my mother and the mother of my children, Beauty.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Buster
http://www.jasonhodge.net/?p=456
http://www.bevreview.com/2009/05/05/npr-all-things-considered-pepsi-mountain-dew-throwback/
The two links above take you to interesting articles about Pepsi putting out a sugar sweetened Pepsi and Mountain Dew -- as opposed to corn syrup sweetened.
I had written to Coke about this idea several years ago, but nothing came of my letter. I received a non-committal, lame reply that it was up to the individual bottlers.
There is a big difference in flavor and if you've tried Soho Cola you get an idea of what the difference might be were Coke and Pepsi to go back to sugar.
Now, if the sugar lobby were to fall asleep and the sugar tariff dropped by congress we might get permanently back to a better tasting product.
The Pespi product will be known as "Throwback" and will come in its own bottle --unfortunately not glass--but will be on the shelves only until June.
In the battle for shelf-space it's surprising that neither Coke nor Pepsi has already brought out a sugar sweetened SKI in glass. (At a premium price if nothing else.)
It reminds me of the auto-manufacturers thinking that the Beetle was a passing fancy and that the American Consumer would never buy a smaller car that looked funny.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not only is today Mother's Day, but also May 10th would have been my mother's 107th Birthday. Happy Mother's Day to all and especially to my mother and the mother of my children, Beauty.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Buster
Saturday, May 09, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
Costco has it's own brand of plastic food wrap. It is a generic Saran Wrap. Saran Wrap drives me crazy because I can't get the roll to work properly. Most of the time I cannot get the size sheet that I need off the roll.
Somehow, Costco has solved the problem.
A wonderful 750 sq. ft. roll is packed in a box with a special cutter bar.
The plastic wrap easily rolls out of the box, the cutter bar is a slider that easily cuts exactly where I need it.
Whether more money or less money than Saran Wrap I would buy this product.
Try it! By itself, it's worth the membership fee.
This is my first product endorsement.
Costco has it's own brand of plastic food wrap. It is a generic Saran Wrap. Saran Wrap drives me crazy because I can't get the roll to work properly. Most of the time I cannot get the size sheet that I need off the roll.
Somehow, Costco has solved the problem.
A wonderful 750 sq. ft. roll is packed in a box with a special cutter bar.
The plastic wrap easily rolls out of the box, the cutter bar is a slider that easily cuts exactly where I need it.
Whether more money or less money than Saran Wrap I would buy this product.
Try it! By itself, it's worth the membership fee.
This is my first product endorsement.
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
Am I morbid?
Yes, I could be described as morbid. I dwell on the deaths of others, especially my friends, I read the obituaries of strangers and wonder about the lives those now dead.
I think about my dead friends and my dead parents and grandparents too often. I visit cemeteries and can spend hours reading the headstones of strangers. --and then I think about the lives those lying in their coffins had lead and what happened to their accomplishments.
I wonder about their descendants as well as their ancestors. I think about the graves visited (by whom?) and the graves unvisited.
If this be morbidity, I am morbid. Maudlin too.
Am I morbid?
Yes, I could be described as morbid. I dwell on the deaths of others, especially my friends, I read the obituaries of strangers and wonder about the lives those now dead.
I think about my dead friends and my dead parents and grandparents too often. I visit cemeteries and can spend hours reading the headstones of strangers. --and then I think about the lives those lying in their coffins had lead and what happened to their accomplishments.
I wonder about their descendants as well as their ancestors. I think about the graves visited (by whom?) and the graves unvisited.
If this be morbidity, I am morbid. Maudlin too.
Friday, May 08, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
Things someone I know lists about which I cannot disagree:
Things someone I know lists about which I cannot disagree:
- art. friends. M&Ms. horoscopes. ginger ale. magazines. swearing. reading. vintage. the rain. back dimples. jellyfish. coffee. stars. hugs and kisses. shows. laughing. polaroids. spontaneity. doodling. seashells. chicago. the number 63. fall. scarves. hand drawn illustrations. robots. tattoos. skulls. the color green. aquariums. pretty flowers. graphic design. british accents. fireworks. karma. marie antoinette. road trips. high fashion. messy hair. that moment when everything is just right.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
P E R F E C T I O N W A S T E D
And another regrettable thing about death
is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,
which took a whole life to develop and market --
the quips, the witticisms, the slant
adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest
the lip of the stage, the soft faces blanched
in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,
their tears confused with their diamond earrings,
their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,
their response and your performance twinned.
The jokes over the phone. The memories packed
in the rapid-access file. The whole act.
Who will do it again? That's it: No one;
imitators and descendants aren't the same.
...........................John Updike
is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,
which took a whole life to develop and market --
the quips, the witticisms, the slant
adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest
the lip of the stage, the soft faces blanched
in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,
their tears confused with their diamond earrings,
their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,
their response and your performance twinned.
The jokes over the phone. The memories packed
in the rapid-access file. The whole act.
Who will do it again? That's it: No one;
imitators and descendants aren't the same.
...........................John Updike
Saturday, May 02, 2009
BusterStronghart@Gmail.com
DALAI LAMA 2002 Werner Herzog interview
Q: what is your hope, vision for the world?
A: More prosperity for all
More equality
Less gap between rich and poor
An environment clean and pure
People truly like brothers & sisters
All religion carries the same message
Love
Compassion
Forgiveness
Tolerance
Contentment
Self-discipline
Whether believer of not, these are the requirements for a happy life.
DALAI LAMA 2002 Werner Herzog interview
Q: what is your hope, vision for the world?
A: More prosperity for all
More equality
Less gap between rich and poor
An environment clean and pure
People truly like brothers & sisters
All religion carries the same message
Love
Compassion
Forgiveness
Tolerance
Contentment
Self-discipline
Whether believer of not, these are the requirements for a happy life.
All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
I find hpe in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.
If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.
If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.
It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
Sleep is the best meditation.
Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.
The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.
There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.
Dalai Lama
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
I find hpe in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.
If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.
If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.
It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
Sleep is the best meditation.
Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.
The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.
There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.
Dalai Lama
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