Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Losing my center to anger the last couple days certainly killed a lot of time and joy. What was it all about? The interesting part is that the difference between my situation today and yesterday is exactly nil. The difference is all in my head. When I'm centered, I can remember that and hold onto it. When I get far away from center, I lose the ability to hang onto truths that keep me sane.
Chaplin's Modern Times made for a good watch the other day. It's easy to admire his work, but I find that from that era, I tend to like Keaton's character better than Chaplin's Tramp. Both are superb and to pick one over the other may be just so much hair splitting. Great stuff that has stood the test of time.
Chaplin's Modern Times made for a good watch the other day. It's easy to admire his work, but I find that from that era, I tend to like Keaton's character better than Chaplin's Tramp. Both are superb and to pick one over the other may be just so much hair splitting. Great stuff that has stood the test of time.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A couple Buster Keaton movies were in store the last few days: The Cameraman and Spite Marriage. Both silent, both very enjoyable, I liked the former more than the latter. My younger kids—8 and 11—have become great Keaton fans, me along with them. Wonderful to watch, I recommend them highly.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A time marker—Haven't noted one in a while:
After having a sore left inner elbow for a good eight months, and being on anti-inflammatories for a couple of those, it seems to be healing slowly. I went bouldering a little at the gym the night before last and it felt OK. I think if I'm careful, I'll be able to climb again, and maybe even pursue The Ripper Traverse (look about halfway down the page for it) again. I'm encouraged.
I bought a Zoom G2 guitar effects unit to use as a headphone amp. What a great little item! I could easily gig with it, it has so many sounds. Quite a deal for $100.
I friend turned me on to www.zoho.com the other day. The best way to describe it is that it's a free online office suite, along the same lines of what Google is working on. On a first, brief try, it seems more full featured than Google's. Have a look.
After having a sore left inner elbow for a good eight months, and being on anti-inflammatories for a couple of those, it seems to be healing slowly. I went bouldering a little at the gym the night before last and it felt OK. I think if I'm careful, I'll be able to climb again, and maybe even pursue The Ripper Traverse (look about halfway down the page for it) again. I'm encouraged.
I bought a Zoom G2 guitar effects unit to use as a headphone amp. What a great little item! I could easily gig with it, it has so many sounds. Quite a deal for $100.
I friend turned me on to www.zoho.com the other day. The best way to describe it is that it's a free online office suite, along the same lines of what Google is working on. On a first, brief try, it seems more full featured than Google's. Have a look.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I really enjoyed Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima the other night. As much as any part of the film, I enjoyed the fact that they used Japanese directly and subtitled it. Some may fine the subtitles tedious, but I find that after the first two minutes, I don't notice I'm reading anymore; I just experience the film.
The film illustrates the point that while governments run amock seem to start wars and other governments respond, thus joining the battle, a great number of souls involved are simply people that would rather be left alone to live their lives, raise their kids, and the like. Those people generally don't wish any harm to anyone until taught and/or incited to.
A fine film at any rate, well worth watching.
The film illustrates the point that while governments run amock seem to start wars and other governments respond, thus joining the battle, a great number of souls involved are simply people that would rather be left alone to live their lives, raise their kids, and the like. Those people generally don't wish any harm to anyone until taught and/or incited to.
A fine film at any rate, well worth watching.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Meditation this morning. . .
I had trimmed the tall stuff around the edges of the pond yesterday, the evidence of that destruction lay all around. I sat a few feet from the water looking down on reeds that, having been cut, floated in the edge.
It dawned on me that the small creatures I had affected with all that cutting simply dealt with the change. They didn't complain. I could see none sitting and worrying about it. If they were left alive—for surely I killed some—they just carried on without clinging to the way things were before I showed up, going about their lives in the new reality.
Now, in the pond are a number of good-sized carp, around a foot and a half, put there to eat the weeds. They seem to be thriving and from time to time as I walk along the edge, I would see the swirls of water that meant they were there.
This morming in the quiet, after a lovely moving fog had burned off in the new sun of the day, after I got the lesson from the small folk there, I saw the carp. Three of them swimming along slowly, single file, moving on to the next patch of weeds I suppose, on their own path, as I was on mine.
But this time I saw under the water that wasn't swirling.
I saw the carp.
I had trimmed the tall stuff around the edges of the pond yesterday, the evidence of that destruction lay all around. I sat a few feet from the water looking down on reeds that, having been cut, floated in the edge.
It dawned on me that the small creatures I had affected with all that cutting simply dealt with the change. They didn't complain. I could see none sitting and worrying about it. If they were left alive—for surely I killed some—they just carried on without clinging to the way things were before I showed up, going about their lives in the new reality.
Now, in the pond are a number of good-sized carp, around a foot and a half, put there to eat the weeds. They seem to be thriving and from time to time as I walk along the edge, I would see the swirls of water that meant they were there.
This morming in the quiet, after a lovely moving fog had burned off in the new sun of the day, after I got the lesson from the small folk there, I saw the carp. Three of them swimming along slowly, single file, moving on to the next patch of weeds I suppose, on their own path, as I was on mine.
But this time I saw under the water that wasn't swirling.
I saw the carp.
Friday, November 02, 2007
I read descriptions of mindfulness and they all mention something like this: Give yourself fully to the task. Do one thing at a time. And so on.
How to live this out?
For me it means things like this: Not surfing and reading email while I eat my breakfast—just eat. Not listening to music while driving in the car—just drive. It's a different way to live and I notice very slowly over time, that on the days when I live that way, my mind is more at peace. I'm happier.
In a very nice writeup of the Eightfold Path from Buddhism, section 7 is on mindfulness. The concepts described in the Eightfold Path are very practical and helpful to me.
How to live this out?
For me it means things like this: Not surfing and reading email while I eat my breakfast—just eat. Not listening to music while driving in the car—just drive. It's a different way to live and I notice very slowly over time, that on the days when I live that way, my mind is more at peace. I'm happier.
In a very nice writeup of the Eightfold Path from Buddhism, section 7 is on mindfulness. The concepts described in the Eightfold Path are very practical and helpful to me.
