Markedly disturbing impetus for unity...

Article on plan for walling in Iraqi neighborhoods:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Last week's news on the Baghdad walls being built in Sunni neighborhoods (known for insurgent activity) is ironically generating a even more volatile situation. Once opposing Sunni and Shiite activists are now joining in denouncing the pervasive impact the U.S. is having upon them as citizens of Baghdad.

Of course, people want the civil unrest to stop. However, the common ground is now against U.S. forces whose supposed purpose is to quell the unrest.

I am not a person who normally advises for divisiveness -- but is the answer to helping this region an Iraq divided into three separate countries i.e. Sunni, Shiite, Kurd? How will the resources be split if that happens? The complexity truly overwhelms...

How important is sleep?

I almost never get enough sleep. If 7-8 hours a night is normal, then I am, um, not exactly an achiever. Everyone acknowledges the whole "busy" thing...we are all so busy and our world is complicated, and there are always issues that had to be solved yesterday that are still in the proverbial in-box.

Many times I can't shut the thought process down, tho. I just have thought after thought of things going on like some chain-link, free-for-all rumination of my work, or the world, or the universe, or whatever. I haven't resorted to trying to slap myself out of it, or unconscious (whichever comes first) -- since even tho I am quite durable, I do bruise and all :-P I won't do the prescription sleep-aid deal because then I'll obsess over becoming addicted. Besides, I shun lab-made chemicals running through my body. Unnatural chemicals = unnatural side effects -- and nobody wants an eyeful there.

However, when I do get enough sleep, it does feel amazing. It's like being kicked into turbo. And who doesn't love that? :-D

Do you fancy...SOME POETRY?!?

~~~Universal Flow~~~

Under the glow of the sunset
pink, orange, golden-calling sea vision --
the music in the wind reaches
and awakens you.

You swim past the shallows,
down, down, deep.

The tumultuous tide pauses in your eyes,
all briny depth,
as sea shadows
amaze with their reflection.

Ignoring the moon's pull,
you dive in to touch
the shimmer of an abandoned past.

The cusp of dusk, now,
and you draw yourself ashore.

Leaving the sun,
and the sea,
and their song,
you slide through the twilight
and briefly hear the trees whisper in a breeze's sigh --
about the emerging starry night
looking like deep-sea starfish
you remember
from somewhere.

Been trying to come to terms with senseless acts and seeking explanation or reason where none exists...

Life is so precarious.

You can live in fear. Or you can live.

Blink*Tear*Blink...

Actually, I am not about to emote something profound about some crime against humanity, but I did have eyelid surgery today. Yeah.

I had a duct in my eyelid that didn't heal properly from a stye, and was forming scar tissue...and well...there you go.

The Dr. was amazingly gentle and put up with me quite well. I'm a bit of a baby, but at least I know I'm a baby, and I try to be sweet and apologetic about my baby anxieties.

So he does his thing -- that's as far as I'll explain... and I did feel amazing relief when I knew it was over because my olfactory sense knew -- he had to cauterize the incision.

Needless to say -- my eyelid had been pumped full of anesthesia. My eyelid is very droopy now and hard to open. It's quite bruised and swollen and it looks like I need the help of some protective agency, but I feel pretty okay.

The anesthesia is wearing off a bit tho, and my eye kind of aches...but they said no patch. Dang! What self-respecting rabble-rousing girl doesn't want a patch after all this?!? Nothing says, "Don't you be playin' with this crazy mess" better than an eye patch
;-D <---squinty one-eyed me

You will be missed...

Farewell Kurt Vonnegut -- November 11,1922 - April 11, 2007

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070412/ap_on_re_us/obit_vonnegut

I first read Slaughterhouse-Five when I was thirteen. I was hooked...who was this radical thinker to which nothing was sacred? I felt as though Vonnegut was someone who opened my door to thinking freely and questioning ideas and ideals throughout culture and society.

He cared enough to debate societal norms and trends without seeming bitterly cynical or burnt-out. His high ethical and moral standards pervaded his writing. Issues he raised showed how much he loved humanity, and wanted to see it survive, evolve, thrive.

I will miss his humor the most. Though wickedly dry, it always contained a heartrending undertone of hopefulness.

Taxing to the depths of my soul...

First -- knuckles and a high five to Scott Adams for this quote:

"At this point, the so-called government does little more than provide content for news channels and blogs. I think they should do more. For example, I’d like to see Congressmen and Congresswomen run across a field of rakes every morning to get to work. For me, it would only take a few rakes in the face per day to make me feel as if my tax dollars weren’t a complete waste."

Arrgh...tax time is here and it makes me crazy that I feel I have so little impact on where my tax dollars are being spent. I do not feel that many people currently holding administrative office in our government are the representation of how I feel about life, the universe, and everything, and yes, I voted. At this point, I think the current administration is simply keeping the status quo until 2008 just so a new administration will have to step in to be "the bad guys". If there are any other possible scenarios that you see...please enlighten me because I welcome the idea of feeling less frustrated about this.

Political humor helps me get through the day, and government has, quite frankly, been made fun of since, well, the beginning of government. Even Julius Caesar's life had a dash of irony. There will never be a government everyone is in love with. However, the divisiveness of our country has been at such high levels, partisanship does not even seem like a viable definition anymore.

Bringin' _______________back ...

Things that should be brought back from wherever it is that they've gotten lost in the universe:

Gladiator sandals. Those babies will stay put on your feet when it’s time to haul. Sure, they take some time to tie up, but any saucy merchant can develop skills if he practices long enough. Perfect for summertime!

Full, bushy eyebrows. Plucking eyebrows is stupid. They’ve hurt no one. It’s a moronic aesthetic that needs to go away. Viva la uni!

The monocle. Why did monocles ever go away?!? Monocles are so freakin’ cool.

Your baggage is waiting...

If the soul exists (and I believe it does), it's logical to extend that idea to our skin is what is keeping it in. When the soul becomes free of the body, I wonder if it takes memories with it -- i.e. does memory transcend corporeal limits?

I hope it does -- actually I'm fairly sure it does, I just don't understand how. I also feel that the soul is less encumbered with the things/ideas/issues that weighted it down while it was part of the mortal body.

In one way, I think it would be completely spectacular for us to be able to let go of all of the things which have happened to us which we have deemed "awful" while we are here. Just be baggage-free. Then I grow concerned that we would never grow strong if we did that. Maybe the harshness is all about growing the soul stronger.

Thinking about thinking…

As much as I love to talk and write, I must confess, I think that language can actually be a pretty imprecise way to communicate.

For example, if I tell you about “a computer on a desk”, what do you see in your mind? Is it a laptop? A huge desktop CPU? Strange and unearthly putty color, or a subdued and inoffensive dark grey? Flat screen monitor, or old-school monitor the size of my first apartment?

You could argue that people can use descriptive adjectives be more precise, but quite frankly, who speaks like that? Who even writes like that most of the time? If people don’t ask you to clarify your idea, two people could think they are talking about the same thing, but the pictures in their minds are probably quite different.

This is only using the example of something as simplistic as a computer on a desk. Complex ideas and communications are even freakier to think about :-P

"Aw, peas." Thomkins, Homestarrunner.com

***
Today I was being all happy as I went about my business of opening a bag of peas.

The bag did that trajectory explosive thing that is always a risk factor when you pull on thin plastic with a seam. I inadvertently yet impressively and forcefully spewed the peas across the kitchen.

Now I'm mad amazing strong and all (um, no), but I wasn't expecting this. My dog came in and wagged his tail and I went to get the broom. A cute trait of mine is that I'm really neat...yeah, no eye-rolling over there. So I swept all the petite (yes, the bag says that) peas in their .05 cm glory.

But I can't help wondering how many are left unswept. Those dodgy suckers can roll under refrigerators and ovens and all. Why couldn't this happen with broccoli florets? They aren't crafty enough to roll for diddly.

Shiny, happy, people...

I have noticed that whenever I have one group of my friends meet another group of my friends, they like each other. A lot. That's cool.

I'm thinking that I'm drawn to some common qualities in people. The people may have varied interests and lifestyles, but I am noticing a trend here.

My friends all tend to have these qualities:

Intelligence - My friends and I love to challenge each other and bring new ideas and ways to look at things to the table. We talk A LOT. Agree a lot...not so much... but everyone I hang out with talks a REAL lot. Of course, they may be trying to get a word in edgewise to each other and me :-)

Sense of humor - Dynamic, maybe even dry, the sense of humor simply MUST appreciate absurdity! Life has absolutely too many bizarre juxtapositions to ignore. I know my friends don't take themselves TOO seriously...we all have the ability to laugh at ourselves. Actually, we are simply too goofy of a group not to. :-D

Good hearts - It may take me some time to trust, but I do trust anyone I call my friend. We may bust on each other but we always have each others' backs.

Can't see it, but know it's there...

I've had days where gravity hated me and technology was not my friend.

You know, it's like, I don't normally walk into walls while dropping my iPod. If I decide to go near a computer on these rather special days, it's all...sluggish...s-l-u-g-g-i-s-h...and then...BLUE SCREEN OF DOOM!!! That's offensive. I shouldn't try to use a printer on days like this, either. A paper jam is a bit of a benign way to describe it. It's more like the printer was doing oragami without actually having hands. And I dare not speak of the copier.

It's necessary to just sit somewhere placidly and stay off the cellphone. Simply wait for the electromagnetic force of unmitigated evil to lose interest and move on to another victim...

Wrestling with a hurricane...

I have noticed that people usually become friends with people who have elements of their personalities which are alike. Think about it...are most of your friends in some way like you? Mine are. I think it would be interesting to have some friends who were vastly different than myself...but is that even possible? Different ethics, politics, views of world issues...would we make each other go insane and then avoid eye contact at all costs if we were to meet again?

There is a philosophical idea that our friends mirror ourselves in certain aspects. I agree with it. I wish people had the ability to agree to disagree on "the big issues", but I think many people find that tolerance is one thing, but friendship is quite another.

Opaque universe...

Have you ever noticed that things never actually go down the way you think they will for for the things you actually worry about? When it hits the fan, it is nearly always some random event that you could not have predicted with the combined powers of a divining rod, crystal ball, and a team of psychics.

It's kind of like scientists worrying about the world ending by a massive solar flare or cities being destroyed by people flying planes into buildings.

It's like t.s. eliot said, " The world ends not with a bang, but a whimper."

Which leads me to wonder, " How will people react whenever the end is actually nigh?" I'm thinking that essentially, under extreme stress, there are two types of people. The people that have their act together spiritually, and those that don't. I think humanity will diverge into two extremes. The spiritually bereft will go hedonistic, and loot till they drop, and those that have some small clue about life, the universe, and everything will pull together their family and friends and love each other.