Saturday, March 19, 2005

Does my motorcycle have a Buddha nature?

I think the correct answer is “Thump!” as my bike would say. I like that better then “Mu” in some usages.

After several hours of tinkering yesterday I went out for a ride. Wow, what a difference a few adjustments can make. Nice thump through the countryside with intermittent spurts of speed and curve leans. I know spring is not far off for one simple irrefutable reason: peepers.

While down at the local BMW bike shop (Had to show off the great green curry rocket to an old acquaintance) I notice there was a little swamp at the end of the road. Maybe 50 sickly trees, some marsh grass, and about one half an acre of water. It was quite wee in swamp terms. Remember I grew up in Florida, so swamp to me is much bigger. Swamps so big whole semi-trucks can disappear, never to be heard from again. Where things that are mean enough to try to either mate with you or eat you live. Then there is the wildlife.
Anyway, out of nowhere I heard them start. I know to some it is annoying the sound they make, but to me it is like music. So there I sat for a moment on the green monster, listening to the engine provide a modern bass back beat to them. I still remember the sounds of the bullfrogs at night on the swamp. To me it is as stirring as Mozart at his best. In one of his songs, Thomas Dolby captured it perfectly as the refrain in “I love you, goodbye”. Must be the “Coon-ass” blood in me.

It must be strange to some to hear me go on about something like this. What does it have to do with anything like I usually write?
The answer to that is simple: “Thump!”

Till next time,
Be mindful and awake

Thursday, March 17, 2005

From Tomcat's Blog (Remix)

Like this is any real surprise:
Bone Gnawer
You are a Bone Gnawer!


Which Garou tribe do you belong to?
brought to you by Quizilla
You are a Ragabash! Born on the New Moon, you are naturally tricky and aloof. A born prankster; you attack with a joke here and there faster than anyone can tell. You are the trickies
You are a Ragabash!
Born on the New Moon, you are naturally tricky and
aloof. A born prankster; you attack with a
joke here and there faster than anyone can
tell. You are the trickiest of all the
Auspices.


What Auspice of Garou are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Friday, March 11, 2005

Houston, we have a problem

Seems Blogger has gone off its medications and is having a few problems. Some of it is in postings, others in comments. So, yes I know, no it is not just my blog, and no I cannot fix it. Not my servers, not my problem.

So I have been thinking of late about language. Not any one in particular but language as a whole. I remembered what William S. Burroughs once said and Laurie Anderson reinforced “Language is a virus from outer space.” The more I began to think about this, the more sense it made, especially at 3:30am while in that semi dream state you are in doing the thorizine shuffle to the bathroom. I will, for both courtesy and brevity, leave certain parts of this trip out.

Now, I got on this whole thing due to an entry in my friend Barbs blog about the word authentic. I figure this is way too long and unrelated to post as a comment, so I will do it here. I recommend you stop by her blog (there is a link on the right to Tigers and Strawberries) and read before we go any further. Go ahead, I will wait here till you get back, although I may go get a cup of coffee in the mean time.

Okay, back now or did you not go and will try to figure out what her blog entry was about without actually reading it? If you fall into the latter category, you are on your own. If this hurts and you did not stop to go read you did it to yourself. I told you not to stick the fork in the wall socket so if you get burned, do not blame me for the invention of electricity!

Authentic: from the Latin “auctorizo”, meaning to confirm, approve, authenticate.

Now this just happens to be my favorite word in all the English language. Why? Because it has a great story with it.

During the Roman Classical period the greatest fad in architecture was the use of the column as a decoration to the entrance or portico of ones home. We all know of the great Roman columns in design, but here is the story you may not know. There were two different types of columns, the “auctorizo” solid column of marble and the “falsus” or fake column. Solid marble columns were quite pricey and out of the reach of many roman citizens. But someone found that certain hard waxes when mixed with stone chips and dust could make a quite presentable column at a much lower price sort of a Wallmart type of alternative. The big problem with them was they were structurally very weak. It seems wax did not have the holding power of solid stone. Go figure! Therefore the columns were of two available types and labeled as such, the “falsus” or wax based column and the solid or “auctorizo” column, literally without wax.

So this being said, I would without a doubt say:
“Yes Barb, your cooking is totally authentic. I have never known you to use wax…”
And can I have mine without the duck products? I am alergic to duck. :(

Till next time,
Be mindful and awake

Or

Exaro tunc vicis ,
Exsisto memor quod suscitatio.

Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Another change?

Yea, another change.
Seems the goldenrod color did not go over well with the majority of my readers who commented. So, here is the deal: I went "old skool" on you all!
Never worked on a greenscreen monitor? Well, you know have a general idea what all the fuss was about back in the day. The links turning yellow are in deference to the amber screens out there as well.
Don't like it? Oh well, sorry, but this one stays till I get tired of it.
Of course, with me could be three or four years or even later today, who knows? But that is part of the fun of comming here right?