absurdity is:
me chasing the same unavailable girl for
three and a half fucking years
the same unavailable girl
who I have nothing in common with
who I don't even like that much as a person
who has NONE of the qualities I want in a relationship
who admits she is a bad communicator
who emotionally withdraws (which drives me crazy)
who is hot and cold
who makes me feel like I am going insane every time we are in contact
who I have cried over
who I have sought Professional Help to get over
absurdity is still agreeing to see her
absurdity is still caring what she feels and thinks
It is absurd how powerless I feel
??
Uh?
??
waiting for dozens of people to die (usually children) at a crosswalk / intersection before a stoplight or stop sign is erected by Anytown, USA civic government.
Oh.........and any tabloid magazine.......they focus on the trivial and the truly absurd.......such as celebrity cellulite.
??
1. enroll in honors thesis program out of choice and freedom
2. procrastinate
3. place total self-worth in writing perfect thesis draft in two days
("one must imagine sisyphus happy" - camus)
??
Fried Chicken & Lipitor.
Strawberry Short Cake & Diet Coke.
Trickle down economics.
Democracy & ignorance.
Religion & self awareness.
??
Absurdity is that George W. Bush was ever President of this country. No, wait, that's obscenity!
??
The human race in denial
??
!#P@)#*GHkdajpkllnvn;zslkdnm_)(*+_KLM:M"L<:L
Illustration complete!
??
The Capital Beltway at rush hour (which is approximately 22 hours a day).
The movie Religulous does a great job of illustrating absurdity.
A diet coke with a super-sized fast food meal.
Hummers
Saggy pants with the crotch at the knees
McMansions populating every hillside
The Rebublican party
??
Education system in the U.S.
Pay scale for our teachers.
Lack of parental controls on their kids.
Government "pork" projects.
The U.S. tax system.
Pomposity of many lawyers.
The enormity of frivolous lawsuits ... that WIN.
Our litigious society.
... you don't have enough room for these!
??
The federal government is borrowing against future revenues by going into debt so it can spend money it doesn't have in order to solve an economic crisis caused by the out-of-control borrowing and spending by American business and the average American taxpayer. If that isn't absurd, I don't know what is...
??
Two terms of W
??
Post-college guys in Hoboken wearing shorts when it's 10 degrees out!!!!
??
Doing too much and spending all your time stressing about shit that's unchangeable
??
The Anarchist's Club will meet tonight at 7:30pm. Be on time.
??
Illustrate? With a drawing? Hard to do in this medium. I can describe something I've always thought was absurd: The idea some fanatical pro-lifers have that it's okay to murder doctors who perform abortions.
??
Everybody working over 40 hours a week to pay bills and "get ahead". Why not work a little and enjoy life a little?
??
Oh that's easy: picture George W. Bush.
??
it's like getting shot in the back of the head, execution style, creating a space and some time to deal with the historic and personal implications, entering into another space to try and connect the best way to view it, finding some eternally unpleasentness (go figure) involved, creating yet another space in which to have to effect to the prior two, skipping over the first two to a 'flux' state in which to present the evidence to one's superiors, evacuating that space the moment you hear that 'superior' voice ( using alterior motives), gettng swept up in a thousand foot wave on a clean ocean, and organizing a reentrance to the place at which you previously lay bloodied and vacant on the floor, picking oneself up, exiting the area for a brief moment, handing the bullet to Jesus Christ and then underhandedly ending the world within which such an event could occur, in a near perfect fabrication that allows one to gently and reasonably and with much restitution in mind, stop the event from ever happening Ever. then trying to explain it to the public as they try to explain it back - knowing that the answer will never arrive comfortably and in direct address and because of that also knowing that something entirely unpredictable and yet totally unnecessary could happen. as opposed to a human paradise that is the literal offering of Heaven. then having Jesus, the Devil and a Soulmate arrive on time. to express a absurdity yet to be realized. perhaps because of the Infinite delacacy of the repercussion. while maintaining allegiance to an adolescent proclivity to lonely masturbation in a fuzzy funny freaky fun zone.
Right to Lifers who support capital punishment
Atlanta with no curbside recycling
??
that's a hard one. i mean, personally i think it's absurd that in many ways people know exactly what needs to be changed and choose not to because they're just more comfortable with what's been going on. i had a yoga teacher once say that the definition of insanity was trying the same thing over and over again even though it never worked in the first place. i think that also illustrates absurdity pretty well.
??
Absurdity: the quality or state of being absurd: Absurd: an adj, ridiculous, unreasonable, unsound, incongruous, having no rational or orderly relationship to our lives, meaningless, lacking order or value; a noun, the state or condition in which a human being exists in an irrational and meaningless universe and in which human life has no meaning outside of its own existence.
I think this might be the best question of the week so far, and the more I think about the task of illustration the slipperier it becomes, because the more I look into anything the more logical it seems to become; I glimpse the form that follows chaos. Yet, that said, I still find it all ultimately meaningless.
A Manifesto
When you do away with form
As you indulge in formlessness
The first thing that you notice is
New forms manifest themselves
Or old forms reassert their shells
Because they simply have to be
And chaos is the anomaly
So push against the edge of style
Undermine and subvert design
You’ll teeter on the brink of charm
You’ll kiss the wall of the abyss
And stare into the eye of essence
But as you love each new fought bliss
Don’t forget the lobster bisque*
*Bisque – from French, bis cuites, twice cooked: a classic soup, highly spiced and very creamy.
** It has been suggested that it should not end "lobster bisque", but rather "mobster risque."
??
GM and Chrysler are seeking $14 billion from the government and for this GM alone said they would need to cut 47,000 workers.
??
There's the bizarre and wondrous paradox that, with all of the electronic devices for communication that are at our fingertips, it is harder than ever to get someone on the phone, have a business call answered by a real person, strike up a conversation with someone face to face or find people on the street who aren't surrounded by the me-pod and actually being aware of the space they occupy. Take, for example, the couple who breaks up by text message (from a real news story), or a number of people I know who, despite having a cell phone, a home phone and an office phone yet cannot be reached by telephone.
??
The concept of owning things.
??
and mine...
Borrowing money to get out of debt.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Do you make fun of others? (2/9/09)
yes, not as much as I used to but yes, I do.
??
yes
??
Only if they're Republicans.
??
I take my fun where I can get it, but it seldom involves doing it at another person's expense.
??
You're kidding me with this one, right? I am, in fact, a literal comedian. I have no choice but to make fun of people. My latest choice is Williamsburg hipsters who claim to be seeking individuality while attempting to look the same as each other. They are no better than the corporate suits they make fun of.
??
I have fun laughing at people who make fun of others.....my favorite pastime is watching the Chelsea Lately show. She's a successful sailor-mouth comedian who bags on narcissistic celebrity culture; she is especially hilarious when slamming Britney, Lindsay, Paris Hilton and their parents. That's about the extent to which I make fun of others, other than a little harmless banter with my boss.
??
all the time!
??
Nope, I make fun with others!
??
Only gently
??
Only if they aren't already fun.
??
No disrepecting someone is not good karma nor good for the soul to sleep a restfully at night
??
Good question......not anymore, but back in the day.....watch out!
??
Busted. I do and I don't like that about me. I am very observant and I often comment aloud. I have learned to temper my comments to be less judgmental, but I still can't seem to shut it off completely. While skiing, I have been known to have a running commentary on the ski lift...call it my skier's "play by play." What's interesting about this question is that I consider myself adept at avoiding gossip...but then I still fall short of the ideal by criticizing and commenting on the foibles of strangers. If I don't make fun of them to their face and I don't know them, is it still bad? My "justification" is along the lines of the "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it does it make a sound" argument. The truth is...I am still practicing being mean.
??
yes, of others, near others, about others, in regards to others...
The QOTW girl walks into a bar.
The bartender says "What are you drinking?"
The next day fifty people open up an email that says, "What are you drinking?"
Ba-dum!
??
Yes, but I only make fun of pompous people. Pomposity just ticks me off!
??
Only to their faces. And as often as I can.
??
People making fun others made me so uncomfortable and unhappy in school, that when I hear it going on i usually walk away. I'm a school teacher, and it's amazing how many adults regularly do it, then they wonder why so many of their kids are getting in trouble for bullying.
There are better ways to deal with one's insecurities.
??
Not since I was reprimanded by a nun in high school for making fun of the class weirdo. She stopped me in my tracks, and in that moment, I saw myself and didn't like what I saw. I never forgot it, and never did it again.
??
No more than I make fun of myself. Laughter is good for a gal!
??
only with affection, and if we are good friends.
i was made fun of far too much growing up to ever want to inflict that on anyone else, whether they can hear me or not.
??
Make fun of others, as in making fun of your friend for paying way to much for a bicycle tune-up? YES
Make fun of others, as in making fun of some person almost tripping on the sidewalk? YES
Make fun of others, as in making fun of my foreigner wife saying some word in English that sounds really weird? YES
I have definitely been known to make fun of others, and I try to make sure I do it in a way that they know about it, otherwise it is too easy!!
??
y'know, i am pleased to say, not too often, can't even remember. i mean sometimes to their face, but not behind a back.
??
nope ... never ...
??
Sometimes I do, and I usually end up feeling really bad about myself at those times. I'm trying to be more tolerant and accepting of the differences I see in people. Afterall, the world would be very boring if we were all the same.
??
Only if I know that the person is in on the fun making
??
only those cell phone guys.
??
I have a friend who has a really difficult time laughing at himself. Every few days, I make up a purportedly real news story about him. Sometimes it is as simple as taking some odd news story and changing the details, but usually there is much more fiction involved. According to some of these stories, my friend has found rare fungal species growing in his garden that caused the entire neighborhood to sing Mario Lanza songs and had a sneaker robbed on the street by a priest that thought it looked just like the Virgin Mary and who wouldn’t let him have it back, but placed it instead in a sanctuary for old ladies to shake their beads at it. He has been arrested while on line at Wall-Mart for moving too slowly forward with his cart, been arrested for running up the aisles on an airplane during flight in a superhero costume, and for being impertinent to a traffic agent. He had become the new Secretary of State and made a 36-hour movie involving a single static shot of cheese. He swam to Tokyo from New York, and was once mistaken for Miley Cyrus while touring in Moscow (he is a actually a man in his mid-forties) and given the keys to the city. In other stories, my friend very happily married his hound dog, started a campaign against nighttime (according to him actually being only deadly black air), and programmed all the outdoor December displays in his neighborhood to perform dirty ditties about Santa Claus, caused the financial crisis. There are actually many more since this has been going on for a couple of years and my friend sometimes howls (like “leave my mother out of it.”), but he really loves that I do it. In the end, I guess you can’t really call this making fun of him. Sticking a pin into the tense air of his balloon is more like it, given how much he appreciates them.
Do I make fun of people? How can I say no when only this morning I saw the story about how 63% of Americans don’t accept Darwin’s theories and reacted by saying to the friends near me that I was so proud to have been a monkey once, because at least I had an excuse then to explain why there were so many knuckleheads around. I don’t attack people individually anymore though. If I get the urge, I always think they have enough troubles with my own waste of energy I would expend in adding to them for them.
??
No, never. Honestly, I don't.
??
And mine...
For some reason, when my sisters and I all make fun of our mother, she just laughs and laughs.
Monday, February 2, 2009
What do your hands say about you? (2/2/09)
That I am older than I would like to believe.
??
i will have more children
??
Neat, clean, and soft. Vulnerable, and slightly crooked
??
Long graceful fingers...hint that I am artistic and musical.
The band on left ring finger reveals that I am married. The sparkly diamonds inset in the platinum band and no engagement ring should tell people I am well-loved but quite practical.
The heavy veins on the back of my hands give hint to my age (51) and that my hands well-used.
The very unpolished nails also should communicate that I am a no nonsense, active person.
The shattered thumb nail on the left, with the nail pulled away provides evidence that I play and fall hard.
The gash on my right thumb is from a ski edge. That reveals I was careless enough to ski without gloves...and I fell hard.
There are many small scars on knuckles...again, practical, no nonsense, earth mother type who like to get my hands dirty and doesn't bother with gloves in the garden...or anywhere else.
The callous under my ring finger on the palm says I've been married awhile.
There's a light tan on my hands even in the dead of winter...more evidence of an outdoorsy lifestyle.
My hands are also meticulously clean. I pay attention to details, but I don't bother with manicures. While my hands are decidedly feminine, they tell a story of a well rounded, athletic, artistic earth mother.
??
her showers are way too fucking long.
??
That I don't care enough for them.
??
They’re not talking to me right now. We have a continuing bv6ncdisagreement about the attractiveness of black shiny nail polish. Plus, in the melee that followed the shrieking, the left one scratched me and smacked my cheekbone. Whatever, I poured the polish remover down the toilet.
We are very attached to each other, but dammit, I am in charge here.
??
Strong, the hands of a mother, and a warrior chick.
??
I removed my gloves a wee bit early while applying henna several days ago,
??
That I'm older than I look
??
I actually have very sensitive hands. It embarrasses me to say so, but it's true.
??
That I spend more time in the office tapping away at a computer than being outside doing what I actually want to be doing.
??
That I have lived a long time (hence the dark freckles that weren't there 20 years ago); that I keep my nails looking nice; that they have served me well over the years, but are beginning to thicken around the knuckles. My skin is more wrinkled now than it used to be, but my hands still operate efficiently, especially for their age.
??
Durn, I didn't know they could talk with me!
??
I remember going to a palm reader in Berkeley when I was a teenager. He took one look at my hands and said, kind of startled, "Wow, you got a lot going on!"
??
I'm white.
I'm in my twenties.
I do not perform manual labor on a regular basis.
I play the piano, or should be playing the piano.
I don't care to get (or can't afford) a manicure
I had an allergic reaction to oysters last night and scratched like the dickens.
??
I need to drink more water moisturize.
??
I'm married. I don't get manicures regularly. I have soft skin. I'm graceful.
??
that i'm an old soul
??
That I can roll the craziest most outlandish blunts with ease
??
that I'm OCD and wash my hands too fucking much.
??
I have a medium sized penis. And I'm sensitive and play guitar.
??
My hands are very small, sweet and delicate, which, when clenched into fists, are akin to speeding bullets. (I learned this as a kid when I finally fought back against a bully.) Something about all that sums up my personality.
??
I've spent a lot of time in the sun, and forgot to moisturize.
??
Strength and kindness. Short and stubby, but strength and kindness :-).
??
They say, " Hard worker, and up and coming star hairstylist!"
??
That I am a carpenter, heading towards being a business person, and my hands aren't as tough as they used to be. And my left hand says that I am married.
??
I've never been very expressive with my hands. Words are my forte. I guess the most important things my hands have to say are when they are wrapped around a guitar.
??
My hands tell many a sad, sordid, brave, foolish and triumphant tales. They are a pair of my most valuable tools. They are scarred, bruised, cut and scabbed... I work with birds (there goes my anonymity ;o)) ... they serve as a perch, a cradle, a means to health and sometimes death. I sometimes hide them in embarrassment as they are not very feminine or attractive. Someone once told me, "I like your hands. They are used well." Mostly, I appreciate them!
??
Large v-shaped scar and a slight inability to straighten the third finger of my right hand says I had a seizure while scraping paint off a window and cut my finger down to the bone with the razor blade I was using. A three hour surgery and six months of physical therapy and hand restraints fixed it about 98%.
Small straight line scar on the left hand under the thumb says I went too fast with a box cutter while working in my dad's store as a teenager.
Calluses on the side and top of the right index finger and top of right middle finger say I work as a fiber artist and hold sewing needles, felting needles and crochet hooks a lot.
Lots of small scars all over my right lower hand and wrist say that I work with lots of unsocialized, scared rabbits from the shelter who tend to bite really hard.
The general smallness of my hands says that I was malnourished as a child.
??
Working man!
??
That I live with a kitty.
??
And mine...
One school of thought says I am a lesbian, based on the relative length of my first and ring fingers. The long nails and soft finger tips on my left hand say I haven't been playing guitar on a regular basis. Prominent veins say I am fair skinned and 40-something. Long, strong design of them say I am from good, Eastern European peasant stock. The lines apparently told two palm readers that I am a late bloomer. That I believe.
Monday, January 26, 2009
What attracts you? (1/26/09)
passion and intensity... and perversity. :)
??
Magic.
??
Disaster
??
Strength, integrity, compassion, flirtatiousness, confidence, humility, honesty, intellect, emotional intelligence, self awareness, creativeness, talent, skill, and a limitless sense of humor and open mindfulness.
??
Bath & beauty products on sale (especially if they're Lush) and bright glittery things.
??
big hairy legs
??
insanity, perfection, god. empty space. texture. trees and wind and blue sky. snowy slopes. the smell of indian food. intelligence. integrity and hard work. silliness. love. awareness. bright colors and good coffee. good art, music, writing. visions and dreams. those who have been through really difficult stuff. the truly innocent. various "genders". blond curly hair. etc.
??
vulnerability, someone's eyes, compassion, smile.....
??
I'm attracted by a need to know what happens next.
??
Light. The light in a soul, the light of an idea or creative spark, the light of nature. Bring it all to the light.
??
Shiny objects, quick movements and loud noises. Oh wait, maybe that's my daughter's attraction.
??
beauty, humor, intelligence
??
Happiness and health. Forward thinking.
??
Strength - of character, of mind, of body.
??
Shiny things, shiny people, open hearts, kind eyes, good rhythm guitar parts, books with simple covers, purple, the smell of coffee.
??
Spirituality, compassion, honesty, kindness, awareness, and silliness.
??
It used to be tall, dark and handsome men. Now: gentle rain, childrens laughter, fun with family & friends, singing classical music with my chorus, the list goes on.....
??
Sincerity ... honesty ... smile ... dark hair ... brown eyes ... nice butt ...
??
visually:colors that I like, red, blue, gold, lime green, hot pink, leopard print and sometimes just bright and shinny
tidiness but w/a lived in quality
physically: really nice skin, good hands, sense of humor, broad shoulders, and good smells
chocolate, the smell of food cooking or baking, the smell of grass
intellectually:good writing, good art, film making etc. people that can express themselves eloquently w/their hearts and minds connected
soul:peace and quiet, my family
My ego is attracted to compliments, complacency and other dangerous things
??
Honesty, Integrity, Compassion, Humility, Truthfulness.
??
Honor
Intelligence
Steadiness
Humor
Strength
Chemistry
??
Honesty, joy, energy, eyes wide open, big penises
??
Well, that's between me and all the guys I've kissed or slept with.
??
Honesty, piercing eyes, and a paralyzing wild side!
??
substance. gentleness. disclosure. discovery. muscles.
participation. swag. novelty. otherness. defiance. soft spots.
sadness. skill. curiosity. spoken words.
??
Colour. I am an artist and colour is like an addiction for me. Anything in jewel tones is - Mardi Gras beads, Chinese candy, embroidery thread, flowers. Especially flowers. I can't get enough of them.
??
My mind is in the gutter, so I won't answer this one.
??
rich texture, interesting form, vibrant color.
??
men pushing stollers and being tender with children; a man kneeling at the feet of his guru; a woman comfortable and at ease in her body.....like the many yoginis around this town; unexpected intelligence from someone I least expect.
??
A glimmer, a spark, a light, a star ...
Far away, maybe.
Or close by.
But there, somewhere.
??
I guess what attracts me at this stage of my life is a certain finesse for life. The ability to be sensitive to others but strong in one's own beliefs; being genuinely kind to others but not a sycophant. I still admire someone with true intelligence and talent and the knack for creating something beautiful or meaningful (on a variety of levels). I've also found that my attraction to women has grown broader as my need for companionship has grown. I can still appreciate a beautiful young women but the idea of a consort has passed generally out of that sphere. Although, a short skirt and fishnet hosiery still have a remarkable effect on my male psyche.
??
Why, you!
??
And mine...
Peace.
??
Magic.
??
Disaster
??
Strength, integrity, compassion, flirtatiousness, confidence, humility, honesty, intellect, emotional intelligence, self awareness, creativeness, talent, skill, and a limitless sense of humor and open mindfulness.
??
Bath & beauty products on sale (especially if they're Lush) and bright glittery things.
??
big hairy legs
??
insanity, perfection, god. empty space. texture. trees and wind and blue sky. snowy slopes. the smell of indian food. intelligence. integrity and hard work. silliness. love. awareness. bright colors and good coffee. good art, music, writing. visions and dreams. those who have been through really difficult stuff. the truly innocent. various "genders". blond curly hair. etc.
??
vulnerability, someone's eyes, compassion, smile.....
??
I'm attracted by a need to know what happens next.
??
Light. The light in a soul, the light of an idea or creative spark, the light of nature. Bring it all to the light.
??
Shiny objects, quick movements and loud noises. Oh wait, maybe that's my daughter's attraction.
??
beauty, humor, intelligence
??
Happiness and health. Forward thinking.
??
Strength - of character, of mind, of body.
??
Shiny things, shiny people, open hearts, kind eyes, good rhythm guitar parts, books with simple covers, purple, the smell of coffee.
??
Spirituality, compassion, honesty, kindness, awareness, and silliness.
??
It used to be tall, dark and handsome men. Now: gentle rain, childrens laughter, fun with family & friends, singing classical music with my chorus, the list goes on.....
??
Sincerity ... honesty ... smile ... dark hair ... brown eyes ... nice butt ...
??
visually:colors that I like, red, blue, gold, lime green, hot pink, leopard print and sometimes just bright and shinny
tidiness but w/a lived in quality
physically: really nice skin, good hands, sense of humor, broad shoulders, and good smells
chocolate, the smell of food cooking or baking, the smell of grass
intellectually:good writing, good art, film making etc. people that can express themselves eloquently w/their hearts and minds connected
soul:peace and quiet, my family
My ego is attracted to compliments, complacency and other dangerous things
??
Honesty, Integrity, Compassion, Humility, Truthfulness.
??
Honor
Intelligence
Steadiness
Humor
Strength
Chemistry
??
Honesty, joy, energy, eyes wide open, big penises
??
Well, that's between me and all the guys I've kissed or slept with.
??
Honesty, piercing eyes, and a paralyzing wild side!
??
substance. gentleness. disclosure. discovery. muscles.
participation. swag. novelty. otherness. defiance. soft spots.
sadness. skill. curiosity. spoken words.
??
Colour. I am an artist and colour is like an addiction for me. Anything in jewel tones is - Mardi Gras beads, Chinese candy, embroidery thread, flowers. Especially flowers. I can't get enough of them.
??
My mind is in the gutter, so I won't answer this one.
??
rich texture, interesting form, vibrant color.
??
men pushing stollers and being tender with children; a man kneeling at the feet of his guru; a woman comfortable and at ease in her body.....like the many yoginis around this town; unexpected intelligence from someone I least expect.
??
A glimmer, a spark, a light, a star ...
Far away, maybe.
Or close by.
But there, somewhere.
??
I guess what attracts me at this stage of my life is a certain finesse for life. The ability to be sensitive to others but strong in one's own beliefs; being genuinely kind to others but not a sycophant. I still admire someone with true intelligence and talent and the knack for creating something beautiful or meaningful (on a variety of levels). I've also found that my attraction to women has grown broader as my need for companionship has grown. I can still appreciate a beautiful young women but the idea of a consort has passed generally out of that sphere. Although, a short skirt and fishnet hosiery still have a remarkable effect on my male psyche.
??
Why, you!
??
And mine...
Peace.
Monday, January 19, 2009
What's your message? (1/19/09)
Live in the present, have hope for the future.
??
Experience, strength and hope...
??
I believe that children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside...
Oh wait, that's Whitney Houston's message! what was I thinking?
Lighten up. that's my message du jour.
and as they say, tomorrow's another jour.
??
No More Mister Nice Gay. I am officially fighting for work, money, and--oh yeah--equal rights.
??
smile. breathe. relax. compassion. acceptance. peace.
also, when you are in control of your emotions, you are in control of the situation
??
"you gain courage, strength and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror, I can take the next thing that comes along...." and you must do the thing you think you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt
??
Whatever you're doing, have fun with it.
??
opportunity knocked on my door today I was laid off done with the interior design profession going back to school to become a registered nurse
??
service always, and always in the service of love.
??
Listen, validate, feel, experience, and respond with love.
??
Try and look at the world through God's eyes and try to remember that all I need to do in every situation is love...
??
Be grateful for what you have.
??
Its a fact ... no matter how good things are going ... or how bad ... things WILL change.
??
Change is the only constant. So continue to inhale and exhale. This too shall pass.
??
Be good
??
Stop being so uptight and enjoy things more!
??
It changes with my mood.
??
Offer everyone the benefit of the doubt, and accept everyone for who they are.
??
set your intentions
??
Life is a ball; So let's play ball and have some fun!
??
Just be yourself. Like they used to tell you in elementary school. Except I've found that it's the only solution. To be honest about who you are, and be yourself in every situation, despite how uncomfortable or weird it makes you feel. Because it's totally, totally worth it.
??
(chant to the tune of the military's "Left, Left, Left, Right, Left")
Praise, Praise, Praise & Blame
Have no fear you can make a mistake
Failure's an option you can take
Fame, Fame, Ignomy & Fame
You're all right the way you are
Even if you're not a star
Pain, Pain, Pleasure & Pain
Sukkha is sweet and dukkha ain't
Meditate when you think you cain't
Loss, Loss, Loss & Gain
You could lose this, or gain that
Either way you're still where you're at
??
None. The idea that I have anything to say to anybody, or that anybody has anything to say to me, is absurd. Not interested in what we say, but how we say: it ain't the message, it's the medium. Golly! How PoMo.
??
Chill out people! Don't be in such a hurry, relax a little when you are out in the public. We are all neighbors, so lets try to treat one another with a little more respect.
??
Oh, I've had a really bad week and I feel a rant coming on......I have two messages. The first is regards people who sit around complaining about the world, but never lift a finger to change anything. I am really tired of people coming to me with their problems, expecting me to fix them, because they are too lazy or too apathetic or too spoiled to make the effort, and they know me as someone who cares and who gets things done. People like me who are trying to make changes in the world are overburdened right now and could use all the help we can get. So...next time you think something should be changed - don't just tell your friend who you think will do all the work for you. Your friend is busy fixing all the other people's problems who have come to him/her, and he/she would really like you to take some responsibility and fix your own.
Yes, I know it's hard to change the world. So don't change the world. Just change your backyard. Literally. If you are concerned about the loss of habitat for native species, put in a backyard native plants garden. Or change your street. Or your town. If you really feel ambitious, you could change your state!! If everyone just did something small about the problems and issues that disturb them, not only would people like me be less burdened, but the world would be so much improved. It really is not as hard to make changes and improve things as people think, it's just that most people use the ideas that "It's too hard", "I don't know how", "you can't fight city hall" as excuses...because they just don't want to be bothered and it's easier to tell someone else and hope that they'll fix things.
No wonder America is such a mess.
My second message is this: Dostoevsky was right - beauty will change the world. There is so much hostility, anger, ugliness in this world, and especially our society, that I really feel anyone who puts anything of beauty, goodness or kindness into this world is a revolutionary. Whether it's creating street art, leaving poems on your restaurant table with your tip, or just smiling at people on the street once in awhile, the world needs these revolutionary acts. We need to find our beauty and kindness again.
And one more thing - don't be afraid of being seen as a pleasantly harmless wacko. There are worse things in life (like being seen as a lazy, spoiled apathetic whiner!!)
??
Don't sleep on a mattress you found on the street, don't order Chinese food in Oklahoma, and don't have sex with anyone crazier than yourself.
??
The darkness is all around us. It is hard to look without seeing evil or
greed distorting the world we live in. Finally the crush comes and we find
ourselves or our family or our loved ones or close friends caught in the
flood of events and drowning in a great pool of sorrow. And we ask
ourselves, "What is the purpose of life?," and we struggle to move on. But
the big question is not how much time do I have left, rather, the question
is what can I do with the time I am here.
Remember that in the darkest hour of night, at the center of the cataclysm
of crashing truths, at the end of all things there is one item left in the
box. One thing that remains when the fury of Pandora spreads to the four
corners of the earth, there is one sword that cuts all the bonds of
despair, has no foundation in logic no basis in reason, resides only within
a brief wave of universal grace.
There is always hope.
??
And mine....
I teach people how to treat me.
??
Experience, strength and hope...
??
I believe that children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside...
Oh wait, that's Whitney Houston's message! what was I thinking?
Lighten up. that's my message du jour.
and as they say, tomorrow's another jour.
??
No More Mister Nice Gay. I am officially fighting for work, money, and--oh yeah--equal rights.
??
smile. breathe. relax. compassion. acceptance. peace.
also, when you are in control of your emotions, you are in control of the situation
??
"you gain courage, strength and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror, I can take the next thing that comes along...." and you must do the thing you think you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt
??
Whatever you're doing, have fun with it.
??
opportunity knocked on my door today I was laid off done with the interior design profession going back to school to become a registered nurse
??
service always, and always in the service of love.
??
Listen, validate, feel, experience, and respond with love.
??
Try and look at the world through God's eyes and try to remember that all I need to do in every situation is love...
??
Be grateful for what you have.
??
Its a fact ... no matter how good things are going ... or how bad ... things WILL change.
??
Change is the only constant. So continue to inhale and exhale. This too shall pass.
??
Be good
??
Stop being so uptight and enjoy things more!
??
It changes with my mood.
??
Offer everyone the benefit of the doubt, and accept everyone for who they are.
??
set your intentions
??
Life is a ball; So let's play ball and have some fun!
??
Just be yourself. Like they used to tell you in elementary school. Except I've found that it's the only solution. To be honest about who you are, and be yourself in every situation, despite how uncomfortable or weird it makes you feel. Because it's totally, totally worth it.
??
(chant to the tune of the military's "Left, Left, Left, Right, Left")
Praise, Praise, Praise & Blame
Have no fear you can make a mistake
Failure's an option you can take
Fame, Fame, Ignomy & Fame
You're all right the way you are
Even if you're not a star
Pain, Pain, Pleasure & Pain
Sukkha is sweet and dukkha ain't
Meditate when you think you cain't
Loss, Loss, Loss & Gain
You could lose this, or gain that
Either way you're still where you're at
??
None. The idea that I have anything to say to anybody, or that anybody has anything to say to me, is absurd. Not interested in what we say, but how we say: it ain't the message, it's the medium. Golly! How PoMo.
??
Chill out people! Don't be in such a hurry, relax a little when you are out in the public. We are all neighbors, so lets try to treat one another with a little more respect.
??
Oh, I've had a really bad week and I feel a rant coming on......I have two messages. The first is regards people who sit around complaining about the world, but never lift a finger to change anything. I am really tired of people coming to me with their problems, expecting me to fix them, because they are too lazy or too apathetic or too spoiled to make the effort, and they know me as someone who cares and who gets things done. People like me who are trying to make changes in the world are overburdened right now and could use all the help we can get. So...next time you think something should be changed - don't just tell your friend who you think will do all the work for you. Your friend is busy fixing all the other people's problems who have come to him/her, and he/she would really like you to take some responsibility and fix your own.
Yes, I know it's hard to change the world. So don't change the world. Just change your backyard. Literally. If you are concerned about the loss of habitat for native species, put in a backyard native plants garden. Or change your street. Or your town. If you really feel ambitious, you could change your state!! If everyone just did something small about the problems and issues that disturb them, not only would people like me be less burdened, but the world would be so much improved. It really is not as hard to make changes and improve things as people think, it's just that most people use the ideas that "It's too hard", "I don't know how", "you can't fight city hall" as excuses...because they just don't want to be bothered and it's easier to tell someone else and hope that they'll fix things.
No wonder America is such a mess.
My second message is this: Dostoevsky was right - beauty will change the world. There is so much hostility, anger, ugliness in this world, and especially our society, that I really feel anyone who puts anything of beauty, goodness or kindness into this world is a revolutionary. Whether it's creating street art, leaving poems on your restaurant table with your tip, or just smiling at people on the street once in awhile, the world needs these revolutionary acts. We need to find our beauty and kindness again.
And one more thing - don't be afraid of being seen as a pleasantly harmless wacko. There are worse things in life (like being seen as a lazy, spoiled apathetic whiner!!)
??
Don't sleep on a mattress you found on the street, don't order Chinese food in Oklahoma, and don't have sex with anyone crazier than yourself.
??
The darkness is all around us. It is hard to look without seeing evil or
greed distorting the world we live in. Finally the crush comes and we find
ourselves or our family or our loved ones or close friends caught in the
flood of events and drowning in a great pool of sorrow. And we ask
ourselves, "What is the purpose of life?," and we struggle to move on. But
the big question is not how much time do I have left, rather, the question
is what can I do with the time I am here.
Remember that in the darkest hour of night, at the center of the cataclysm
of crashing truths, at the end of all things there is one item left in the
box. One thing that remains when the fury of Pandora spreads to the four
corners of the earth, there is one sword that cuts all the bonds of
despair, has no foundation in logic no basis in reason, resides only within
a brief wave of universal grace.
There is always hope.
??
And mine....
I teach people how to treat me.
How's the economy affecting you? (1/12/09)
More than anything is is causing an air of panic and depression in most
people. Negative energy spreads just as infectiously as positive energy and
so I find myself isolating more rather than being around all the bad energy.
??
I'm lucky to still have my job, so my day-to-day finances haven't been affected much. But I'm in my fifties, and my 401K has been hit hard (like everyone's), so I wonder if I'll be able to retire as early as I had once hoped.
??
It is giving me the opportunity to trust my HP...
??
My savings were cut by 65-70% of their original value.
way less taxis, eating out. let go for now the idea of moving from apt. to a house. cut netflix down to lowest subscription rate. let all magazine subscriptions lapse. this month will probably take toddler out of private pre-k and quit gym.
??
Like anything that the media gets hold of, I tend to ignore most of it. They are too good at blowing things up into something we should be VERY AFRAID of, instead of just another of many problems that need solving. I pretty much just stay put and keep that melodramatic crap out of my aura.
??
Minimally at the moment. Although, I am having to contribute more money for family support.
??
FINANCIAL INSECURITY. I've been unable to find new work...either contracts for my consulting business or regular employment. My youngest son, who works in retail, has had his hours slashed and can't make his rent. My oldest son (married with 2 children) had to move out of his "country estate" in MariettaGA and relocated his family to a much more modest home in Connecticut. His business (brokering venture capital deals) has all but dried up. My husband's company has already had one round of layoffs and his major client just filed for bankruptcy (the world's 3rd largest chemical company). I know that "this too shall pass" but it's gonna pass like a kidney stone. I think we'll come out of this with our values more realistic and our egregious consumption habits curtailed. So, on one hand I feel like this may be good for us (like really bad tasting medicine), on the other I have moments of fear and trepidition and I worry for those less well off then we. I am making a conscious effort to share more and waste less.
??
so far (fingers crossed) not too much has changed for me, but I feel the anxiety leaking through. I feel like I "should" be more spendthrift and make better financial choices "just in case"
??
I am staying afloat, as a bar tender, I use to make about 80. per day shift. Not a bad deal, living off of 80. a day is doable, collecting an hourly check at the end of the month, rent and small bills paid, it's not much but it's enough. Now, I am making any where from 10. to 30. per day...and I am starting to feel the effect. No new clothes, no nice dinners, no big spending. I find that, one day at a time, I can still afford my yoga class, I can still find myself to work, I can still eat descent...rolling with the punches. The worse part about the economy is not being able to save money for liberating activities...such as enrolling in to a full semester, or traveling to India...
??
I work in sales, and just finished my 1st year. It's already tough
enough without people having no money for extra stuff. I see stores
closing down overnight. But I am gonna survive, thanks to rent
control. I am also distracting myself with work and school.
??
My 401K has plummetted, I don't even check it anymore. One of the places where I teach dance has had to limit the amount of days that they are open, so I couldn't accomodate them in my schedule. My boyfriends 401K which would have allowed us a better downpayment on a home has been reduced by almost half, so we have to save like maniacs. At least my job is pretty secure. As far as being a first time home buyer, I'm hoping the real estate market plummets further, good for me!
??
Worry
Stress
Extra careful with spending
Have cut back drastically
Doing more myself which is OK to ne honest, just a bit tiring
??
Not at all, in the ways that really matter. I'm grateful that my job is secure and that my pay is predictable. I'm well aware that I'm probably in the minority because quite a few around me are not so fortunate.
Some of the things that I do by choice, fundraising in particular, are affected by the economy but that seems like a luxury problem to me.
??
Still poor.
??
I have been reduced to 20 hours a week and my pay has been cut in 1/2 at my current job thank god they did not cut my medical benefits - due to my reduced income I need to move out of my apartment in san francisco sad sad and move in with my mom in Alameda. I suppose I can take this as an opportunity for growth.
??
I am going into foreclosure, might not be able to finance the last 6 months of school, have to borrow money from people who don't have it.
Does that answer the question.......
??
I haven't worked since the end of October. I'm going to school, so it's nice to just focus on that, but I could use the money...Also, I'm buying a LOT less "stuff."
??
Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad...it has decimated my 401k.....i'm hemorrhaging cash, with a sib who is unemployed and in need, and a loved one who also finds herself unemployed just when she needs it most (within sight of the finish of her phd.).....an outrage and an at times uncontrollable anger at the mythic levels of the lies and theft of America by the Oligarchy (when account is finally taken, how much, how many hundreds of billions do you think they'll find Dubya and Cheney and their posse took with them?)....despair
??
It should be... but I'm still spending like there's no tomorrow. Maybe there won't be?
??
it's forcing me to think of alternatives to prepare myeelf for the worse
??
I so resonated when I heard someone say his 401K had become a 201K. However, I don't have to start dipping into mine just yet. I'm still employed and the prognosis is good as far as I can tell. I'm out of credit card debt (which is a very good thing). As long as I keep both my feet and my head in today, I'm OK.
??
Not at all thankfully still in tact with both jobs keeping fingers crossed
??
Are you kiding me!? Meds, bills, or food on the table. That, is the question!
??
more than ever I'm grateful to have a job -- even though it's corporate!
??
Not sure, but I just got back from a three week tour of Brazil and the dollar is better down there. I have work for about 5 weeks, and then I don't know!!
??
It hasn't quite hit us personally yet. My husband is a biology professor and in times of financial stress, many people go back to school to learn new skills....so enrollment is up and his job seems to be ok. I'm an artist and things are as precarious as ever, so I haven't noticed a change. It's always a struggle for us creative types...We have always lived very close to the bone so honestly nothing has really changed.
One thing I have noticed is that the number of animals dumped at our local shelter is way up. In times of financial stress, many people decide they can no longer afford the family pet. It's very sad.
??
To steal a line ... "where my money at?" Or rather... I need to get a job.
But there's a lot of emptiness as well - empty storefronts, empty wallets, dreams ... money only goes so far. It is necessary though, a necessity that too many people do not have.
??
I work freelance at the same type of work for 16 years now. I've always made 15 - 20% of my annual income in December. This December my work was down about 60%. I have been concerned.
On the other hand I wasn't burned or stressed out, messed or F'd up, bitter or hateful from overworking. A little fearful, yes, but so far I'm okay.
I think God as We Misunderstand Her is doing for us what we can't do for ourselves and tearing down the whole decrepit structure. I don't claim to know reasons or solutions and I comprehend people suffer. But something has to give.
??
well, so far not that badly. The most noticible difference is that I do ad sales for a non-profit film festival and I'm at about half of what I sold by this time last year and I think I will probably do a lot of barter.
I live in a small community so while my financial status is for the moment ok, I notice and am affected by other peoples economic misfortune much more than when I lived in a city. If a store closes it leaves and a hole and a need that is not filled. If someone who provided a service for the community has to leave for financial reasons that service goes undone.
??
Although I can pretty much deal with most of the rising prices and my job is pretty secure (I'm not big enough to save anybody money by firing me yet my job is still important), it affects me on a basic emotional level to see so much financial destruction going on to my friends and others who have been hit really hard. It is particularly distressing to witness the unrepentant greed which drives those who already have a great deal of money as they take for themselves, rip off their friends, damage their local communities and literally take bread out of the mouths of those who are at the mercy of society with no sense of remorse or conscience at all. A recent poll indicated that those on hard times are much more likely to reach out to the poor and struggling than those who have everything they need. I guess you have to have a heart to feel it in others.
??
And mine...
I've applied for a city job and it looks like I'll get it, after months of test taking and hoop jumping. It was supposed to start in February. Now, I'm told, it likely won't start till June. Every time I hear on the radio about the California budget deadlock, I get really pissed off. I don't know that it's directly affecting my position, but it's having an effect.
In the mean time, i am working for a non-profit, and that's fine. But I really need to get work that is going to pay my basic expenses, which this job does not. They are trying to cut corners everywhere they can, and so will not hire me on a permanent basis at a wage I can live on.
I've been sick for the last 4 days. Luckily, this has fallen on a long weekend. The idea that I'll have to miss any work tomorrow (which I'm sure I will) is stressful. And stress makes it harder to heal. and healing is what I need to do so I can go back to earning money.
Urgh.
people. Negative energy spreads just as infectiously as positive energy and
so I find myself isolating more rather than being around all the bad energy.
??
I'm lucky to still have my job, so my day-to-day finances haven't been affected much. But I'm in my fifties, and my 401K has been hit hard (like everyone's), so I wonder if I'll be able to retire as early as I had once hoped.
??
It is giving me the opportunity to trust my HP...
??
My savings were cut by 65-70% of their original value.
way less taxis, eating out. let go for now the idea of moving from apt. to a house. cut netflix down to lowest subscription rate. let all magazine subscriptions lapse. this month will probably take toddler out of private pre-k and quit gym.
??
Like anything that the media gets hold of, I tend to ignore most of it. They are too good at blowing things up into something we should be VERY AFRAID of, instead of just another of many problems that need solving. I pretty much just stay put and keep that melodramatic crap out of my aura.
??
Minimally at the moment. Although, I am having to contribute more money for family support.
??
FINANCIAL INSECURITY. I've been unable to find new work...either contracts for my consulting business or regular employment. My youngest son, who works in retail, has had his hours slashed and can't make his rent. My oldest son (married with 2 children) had to move out of his "country estate" in MariettaGA and relocated his family to a much more modest home in Connecticut. His business (brokering venture capital deals) has all but dried up. My husband's company has already had one round of layoffs and his major client just filed for bankruptcy (the world's 3rd largest chemical company). I know that "this too shall pass" but it's gonna pass like a kidney stone. I think we'll come out of this with our values more realistic and our egregious consumption habits curtailed. So, on one hand I feel like this may be good for us (like really bad tasting medicine), on the other I have moments of fear and trepidition and I worry for those less well off then we. I am making a conscious effort to share more and waste less.
??
so far (fingers crossed) not too much has changed for me, but I feel the anxiety leaking through. I feel like I "should" be more spendthrift and make better financial choices "just in case"
??
I am staying afloat, as a bar tender, I use to make about 80. per day shift. Not a bad deal, living off of 80. a day is doable, collecting an hourly check at the end of the month, rent and small bills paid, it's not much but it's enough. Now, I am making any where from 10. to 30. per day...and I am starting to feel the effect. No new clothes, no nice dinners, no big spending. I find that, one day at a time, I can still afford my yoga class, I can still find myself to work, I can still eat descent...rolling with the punches. The worse part about the economy is not being able to save money for liberating activities...such as enrolling in to a full semester, or traveling to India...
??
I work in sales, and just finished my 1st year. It's already tough
enough without people having no money for extra stuff. I see stores
closing down overnight. But I am gonna survive, thanks to rent
control. I am also distracting myself with work and school.
??
My 401K has plummetted, I don't even check it anymore. One of the places where I teach dance has had to limit the amount of days that they are open, so I couldn't accomodate them in my schedule. My boyfriends 401K which would have allowed us a better downpayment on a home has been reduced by almost half, so we have to save like maniacs. At least my job is pretty secure. As far as being a first time home buyer, I'm hoping the real estate market plummets further, good for me!
??
Worry
Stress
Extra careful with spending
Have cut back drastically
Doing more myself which is OK to ne honest, just a bit tiring
??
Not at all, in the ways that really matter. I'm grateful that my job is secure and that my pay is predictable. I'm well aware that I'm probably in the minority because quite a few around me are not so fortunate.
Some of the things that I do by choice, fundraising in particular, are affected by the economy but that seems like a luxury problem to me.
??
Still poor.
??
I have been reduced to 20 hours a week and my pay has been cut in 1/2 at my current job thank god they did not cut my medical benefits - due to my reduced income I need to move out of my apartment in san francisco sad sad and move in with my mom in Alameda. I suppose I can take this as an opportunity for growth.
??
I am going into foreclosure, might not be able to finance the last 6 months of school, have to borrow money from people who don't have it.
Does that answer the question.......
??
I haven't worked since the end of October. I'm going to school, so it's nice to just focus on that, but I could use the money...Also, I'm buying a LOT less "stuff."
??
Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad...it has decimated my 401k.....i'm hemorrhaging cash, with a sib who is unemployed and in need, and a loved one who also finds herself unemployed just when she needs it most (within sight of the finish of her phd.).....an outrage and an at times uncontrollable anger at the mythic levels of the lies and theft of America by the Oligarchy (when account is finally taken, how much, how many hundreds of billions do you think they'll find Dubya and Cheney and their posse took with them?)....despair
??
It should be... but I'm still spending like there's no tomorrow. Maybe there won't be?
??
it's forcing me to think of alternatives to prepare myeelf for the worse
??
I so resonated when I heard someone say his 401K had become a 201K. However, I don't have to start dipping into mine just yet. I'm still employed and the prognosis is good as far as I can tell. I'm out of credit card debt (which is a very good thing). As long as I keep both my feet and my head in today, I'm OK.
??
Not at all thankfully still in tact with both jobs keeping fingers crossed
??
Are you kiding me!? Meds, bills, or food on the table. That, is the question!
??
more than ever I'm grateful to have a job -- even though it's corporate!
??
Not sure, but I just got back from a three week tour of Brazil and the dollar is better down there. I have work for about 5 weeks, and then I don't know!!
??
It hasn't quite hit us personally yet. My husband is a biology professor and in times of financial stress, many people go back to school to learn new skills....so enrollment is up and his job seems to be ok. I'm an artist and things are as precarious as ever, so I haven't noticed a change. It's always a struggle for us creative types...We have always lived very close to the bone so honestly nothing has really changed.
One thing I have noticed is that the number of animals dumped at our local shelter is way up. In times of financial stress, many people decide they can no longer afford the family pet. It's very sad.
??
To steal a line ... "where my money at?" Or rather... I need to get a job.
But there's a lot of emptiness as well - empty storefronts, empty wallets, dreams ... money only goes so far. It is necessary though, a necessity that too many people do not have.
??
I work freelance at the same type of work for 16 years now. I've always made 15 - 20% of my annual income in December. This December my work was down about 60%. I have been concerned.
On the other hand I wasn't burned or stressed out, messed or F'd up, bitter or hateful from overworking. A little fearful, yes, but so far I'm okay.
I think God as We Misunderstand Her is doing for us what we can't do for ourselves and tearing down the whole decrepit structure. I don't claim to know reasons or solutions and I comprehend people suffer. But something has to give.
??
well, so far not that badly. The most noticible difference is that I do ad sales for a non-profit film festival and I'm at about half of what I sold by this time last year and I think I will probably do a lot of barter.
I live in a small community so while my financial status is for the moment ok, I notice and am affected by other peoples economic misfortune much more than when I lived in a city. If a store closes it leaves and a hole and a need that is not filled. If someone who provided a service for the community has to leave for financial reasons that service goes undone.
??
Although I can pretty much deal with most of the rising prices and my job is pretty secure (I'm not big enough to save anybody money by firing me yet my job is still important), it affects me on a basic emotional level to see so much financial destruction going on to my friends and others who have been hit really hard. It is particularly distressing to witness the unrepentant greed which drives those who already have a great deal of money as they take for themselves, rip off their friends, damage their local communities and literally take bread out of the mouths of those who are at the mercy of society with no sense of remorse or conscience at all. A recent poll indicated that those on hard times are much more likely to reach out to the poor and struggling than those who have everything they need. I guess you have to have a heart to feel it in others.
??
And mine...
I've applied for a city job and it looks like I'll get it, after months of test taking and hoop jumping. It was supposed to start in February. Now, I'm told, it likely won't start till June. Every time I hear on the radio about the California budget deadlock, I get really pissed off. I don't know that it's directly affecting my position, but it's having an effect.
In the mean time, i am working for a non-profit, and that's fine. But I really need to get work that is going to pay my basic expenses, which this job does not. They are trying to cut corners everywhere they can, and so will not hire me on a permanent basis at a wage I can live on.
I've been sick for the last 4 days. Luckily, this has fallen on a long weekend. The idea that I'll have to miss any work tomorrow (which I'm sure I will) is stressful. And stress makes it harder to heal. and healing is what I need to do so I can go back to earning money.
Urgh.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)