That Kind of Day
Category: Life

Yesterday, I was writing a blog and I needed to open up software that I haven't used in awhile.  That little thing started a chain reaction of events so frustrating, I had to write another blog to get it all off my chest.  Warning:  I may sound like a dinosaur after you read this, but I enjoy my level of technical expertise.

I open the new software and it has to update, right off the bat.  This slows my computer down and takes about 5 minutes.  Of course, it has to reboot and then do another update check.  Why?  Why is that?  You just updated and now you have to check for new updates.  And yes, I talk to my computer and all of its software.

Ok, now by coincidence my Windows has to update.  This slows my computer down and takes a bit longer than 5 minutes.  Fortunately, I don't have to reboot my system.  That only happens every once in awhile and I hate it when it does.  If I don't reboot right away, it keeps reminding me every ten minutes.  If I walk away from my computer at the wrong time and am not back at my computer to click "Restart Later," it does it itself.  I might be right in the middle of something important, so I don't want to restart right away.  Now, that's annoying. 

This thing popping up every ten minutes prompting me to "Restart Now" or "Restart Later."  And I have to remember not to be away from computer too long.  It might do it itself and I don't even want to go into what I have to do when all my work is shut down and I have to bring everything back up again.  Of course, I always save my work.  That's the first thing I learned back in (Date Hidden).

When Windows was finally done, I thought I might be able to move a little faster and get the work I wanted done.  I'm working on downloading the song from the internet and installing it on my site database, then setting up a link so everyone could hear "Prayer" by Lizzie West.  Plus, I wanted to do some research on the song and find who wrote it, what version I heard...etc.

With my computer running slow with everything going on, it takes about five hours.  Five hours of time out of my life just to share an interesting tidbit of information with you.  Five hours away from other work that I could and should have been doing.  Five hours when it should have only taken one.

But, that's not the kicker.  And this is totally my fault because I set the schedule myself.  But, my anti-virus software has to update its virus definitions and then run a full scan.  Just at the time when I thought my computer would settle down and let me work, BAM.  It's updating @$% virus definitions!

I try to set my anti-virus schedule so that it kicks on at a time that would be convenient for me.  Usually it's a time during the day when I'm on my downtime from work and looking to refresh my brain so I can get back to work later ready to go.  Yesterday, I wanted to use that time to write a blog and BAM.  This is the frustrating crap I have to deal with.

Five hours for something that should normally only take an hour, not even that if I'm on a flow.

Ok!  Thanks for reading.

End trans.

8:27 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Cry, I Am Not There, I Did Not Die!
Category: Music

"Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep"

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the mornings hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
~~Author unknown

Came across these words watching an old episode of Third Watch this morning. "My Opening Farewell" first ran in 2003 and ended with a prophetic voice singing,

"Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die..."

I had one of those moments.  Inspiration.  Divine touch.  Indigestion.  Whatever you want to call it.  Anyway, I had to memorialize the poem in my own way.  I wish I knew who wrote it.

Steve Cummins often gets credit because he placed the poem in a sealed envelope at the front door of his parent's home before he went off to war.  They were only supposed to read it upon hearing of his death.  He may have just really liked the poem and had no idea who wrote it, so he gave credit to this infamous Anonymous guy no one seems to know.

Solid evidence and dipute goes to Mary Elizabeth Frye who lived from 1905 to 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland.  She is reported to have written the poem after her best friend who was of German Jewish descent wasn't able to visit her own mother's funeral in Germany due to the obvious anti-Semitic sentiment at the time.  She said to Mary one day when discussing her mother's funeral that she was unable to, "Stand at my mother's grave and say goodbye."  That has been attributed to Mary penning the poem.

My favorite is that it is often called an Old Indian Prayer.

It is a common practice among military and sailors as well as others who hear of it to have the poem read at their funeral.

Katherine Jenkins has a powerful voice, but she sings a very classical version. Libera has a beautiful voice as well, but it's an equally powerful new age version.

Oddly enough, it is "Prayer" from Lizzie West's Holy Road: Freedom Songs CD.  That would most likely be reminiscent of Old Indian Prayer. The lyrics are very closely adapted to those above.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow.
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain.
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush.
I am in the graceful rush
of beautiful birds in circling flight.
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom.
I am in a quiet room.
I am the birds that sing.
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I do not die."



If you would like to hear it, listen Lizzie West Prayer

9:55 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Esmin Green and Today’s Great Apathy
Category: News and Politics

Esmin Green was seated in the waiting room of the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Twenty Three (23) hours later this is the scene:

Esmin Green

11:38 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

George Carlin...He Made Me Think
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Yes, George Carlin was funny.  He was so funny I couldn't breathe one day when I was watching a skit of his.  He was talking about football and baseball.

Something like this:

"Football has plays and quarters.  There is only so much time between each play.  Each quarter is twelve minutes.  There are four quarters and only three time outs per team per half.  So, you know about when the game is going to be over.  But, Baseball has outs and innings.  There are three outs per team in an inning and there are nine innings in a game.  You don't know when it's going to end."

Over the years, he changed his jokes and I never again heard that the way I heard it originally.  But, when he made changes he made them better.  He was the master of set them up and knock them down.  He had a knack for making the right changes at the right time and perfecting his stage performance.

But, the thing I liked most about George Carlin is that he made me think about things all the time. He challenged my notions and made me reconsider them.  Half my poetry in Thoughts and Reconsiderations came from such challenging ideas as those of George Carlin's.  I didn't always agree, but at least it made me think.

He affected most people this way.  He made us all sit back and take a look at ourselves for who we really were.  Sometimes, his politics made Congress act.  Sometimes, his social commentary made activists act.  He could influence people easily and that was a great part about him.

But, there are several myths and I would happen to think that they are myths because someone wanted the world to change.  George Carlin would get credit for things he had nothing to do with.  I would venture to say that attaching George Carlin's name to something he didn't write was a way to get people to think about it.  Plenty of things out there circulating the internet sport George Carlin's name and he says he has nothing to do with any of them.

They are a "sappy load of shit..."

Here is the list:

Bad American

Gas Crisis Solution

New Rules for 2006

Hurricane Rules

And the most infamous ~
The Paradox of Our Time

If you read them, you'll see why George Carlin wouldn't want his name on any of it.  First of all, he's an atheist.  Plus, he was never sappy.  A hardcore fan would pick that out right off the bat!

7:21 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

WTF?
Category: News and Politics

The White House released a report that Marijuana is more potent...updates on CNN.

The report was obviously released on April 20th at 4:20.

It might have went a little something like this:

"This is good shit man!"
"Yeah, like really good shit man!"

5:26 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Whipping Your Hair
Category: MySpace

I was watching one of those match.com advertisements on here.  You know the ones where it seems like they are on a webcam talking to someone and they're on their computer typing things back and forth.

Yeah, that's all fine and dandy.  The thing is that I can't stop watching this girl throw her head around. She keeps getting her hair in her eyes.  So, she whips her head around.  But, it doesn't take long before her hair is back in her eyes again.

She keeps whipping her hair around.  I think she's going to get whiplash. Wouldn't that be something?

If you haven't noticed, I'm bald.  So, the day of me getting the hair out of my eyes is gone.  But, it hurts my neck and my shoulders to watch this girl whip her head around like that.

What if she whipped her head around and got it stuck?  Like when you put your back out suddenly or your calves lock up on you.  Ok, so you're not my age and you haven't had that yet.  Trust me, your day is coming.

Anyway, what if she just got stuck like that?

"Hey uh, guys?  Can you help me out of this?  Anyone?  Help?  Please?"

I wouldn't wish that on anyone...  But, it might crack me up if I ever saw it.  That's what you get for being blessed with hair.

1:52 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Most Outrageous Moments
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

I was literally laughing so hard, it was from the gut.  There was video after video of extremely funny stuff.  But, three were the absolute best.

The first one was a public safety meeting...and a fluorescent lightbulb fell on people in the audience.

The next one was an interview on a highway and the interview was about highway safety...until cars started wrecking into each other right behind the speaker.

The final one that cracked me up more than most was a guy holding a very rare keepsake.  He was talking about how one-of-a-kind it is and that it is probably the only one left in existence...until it broke in his hand and fell on the floor.

Now, I don't care who you are...that's funny!

5:54 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Huh? Horatio Caine Gets What?
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Did I see what I think I saw?

Horatio Caine gets shot.  His sunglasses lie on the ground in front of him with a hole through the lens.  His body jerks and the expression on his face is like his life is passing in front of his eyes.  CSI: Miami

Fade Out
End Teaser

Oh wait!  It gets better.

Ryan Wolfe gets a text message on his phone, "It is done." 

It's reminiscent of what Julia Ortega, an arms dealer, said over the phone after he was put behind bars, "Let me know when it is done."

Now Fade Out
End Teaser

What?  What is going on?

 I have followed CSI: Miami since two years ago.  I watch the older episodes on A&E.  I've caught up with the show.  I know the history of every character because I've read all of their bios.  I know the story line because I've read up on all the episodes.

I watched the day Ryan Wolfe was hired from a street patrol to CSI.  I watched when he was fired for gambling.  I watched when Horatio got him hired again.  Horatio liked the kid from day one.  I believe there is no way Ryan Wolfe would have anything to do with Horatio's death.

So, I thought maybe I missed something.  Here's the best part.  I watched the entire episode again…online…CBS…Primetime…CSI: Miami.  That's right baby!  The entire episode is online with no commercials.  Ok, so there were four quick ones not even a minute long each.  This is not your grandma's television anymore.  I watched a rerun a few short days after I watched the original.

Yep, he was shot alright.  I guess I'm just going to have to wait until August to see what actually happened.

In the meantime, I'm catching up on the back story.

Theory: He had Kevlar on and it was a fake death.  His brother faked his death to go deeper under cover.  That could be what Horatio is doing.

He has gone to New York to chase a murderer.  He has gone to Brazil to chase his wife's murderer.  I wouldn't put it past him.  I wouldn't put anything past him.

8:00 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

You Just Never Know What You Can Do
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

When I was young, I thought of everything as possible.  Flying off the roof of the barn wasn't anything to be afraid of trying.  Sledding down an icy road was fun.  Nothing to be afraid of there.

When did the world change?

Now, I would consider the broken arm from the fall off the barn roof.  I would think about the cars that could be coming while I was trying to go sledding.  I guess you could say I grew up a bit.  I now have a logical outlook and reason with life even though I still jump out of airplanes and eat hot dogs from street vendors.

But, when did I start thinking things were impossible?  Instead, I should be thinking the impossible.

Quite a few years ago, I wrote my first book.  I submitted A New Return to Urbanism to the publisher, John Gordon Burke who is in the process of publishing it as we speak.  All my life I thought of writing a book, but that was the problem.  I thought about it.  A New Return to Urbanism was when I finally decided to do it.

Then, I wrote another book called A Danger to Society and it's out now.  Obviously writing a book isn't that hard.  I've done it twice now and I'm working on a third.  But, I have a secret this time.  I'm going to get a celebrity to endorse my book.

It may not be Oprah, but I'm going to try.  And I have her address as well as the phone number of her publicist.  That's information I thought would be impossible to obtain, but You Just Never Know What You Can Do.  When you try, you can do anything.

Why did I think it was impossible to get in contact with a celebrity?  Because they are protected and I want them to be protected.  I don't plan on pestering celebrities just because I have their information.  I'll handle it the way I always do.  I'll write a letter or call the publicist and see if they can set up something.  If not, then it's not meant to be.  I can try someone else.

But, that's the power!  Celebrities hold something that few of us have.  Influence.

No one else is asked to go before Congress except for experts.  But, as I recall, several celebrities have appeared before Congress to testify just because they were in a movie where they learned for a day or a mere few hours about oceanography or anthropology.  Their word is taken as heavily as an expert's.  That's influence.

Think about it!  If Ellen Degeneres says one thing about a cause or brings someone on stage to highlight them, it's on!  People everywhere will help.  Point in case:  The other day Ellen brought on a 70 year old first grader by the name of Alferd Williams.  She gave him a check for $10,000 and his teacher Alesia Hamilton pointed out that Alferd had his eye on a plot of land that was up on a hill.  Ellen made an announcement that anyone who wanted to help him build a house should get in contact with the show and she would arrange for them to help Alferd.  My point is that I would be willing to bet he has a house in no time.

That's celebrity power!  If you have an event or a cause that needs some support, celebrities can bring it.  They do it all the time.  When they lend their name to it, it explodes because we all have an uncanny attraction to celebrities.  Their simple name urges us all to action.

That's the power.  Get in contact with a celebrity today!

There's a little rule I learned a long time ago.  If you don't ask, the answer is "No!"  You Just Never Know What You Can Do!

Celebrity Contact

9:24 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

If Myspace Were Real Life: Too Good to Pass Up
Category: MySpace

I got this from my friend Deanie and it was too good to pass up.  I have no idea where she got it.  By the way, check out those tats!  They KICK @$$

If myspace were REAL life: Tila Tequila would know everyone in the whole world. You would struggle over the time it takes someone you like to crack your top 8. 19 year old boys wouldn’t own shirts and 19 year old girls wouldn’t own pants. If you’re a fat girl, people would only see you from the shoulders up. Girls would always be posing, cheeks sucked in and lips puckered two feet off their face. Your attraction to someone would be based on their favorite clothing label, their favorite band, and a survey. All females are bi and all males drive import muscle cars. Your driver’s license would have hearts around your name or quote from an emo song. The phrases "Yo", "your hawt", or "hit me back some time" would attract the opposite sex. Bands with 3 song demos could book stadium tours. Lesbian women would not allow anyone with a penis within 50 yards of them, not even to deliver a pizza. It would be perfectly acceptable to blurt out any random filthy perverse sexual thought at any random woman/man you thought was "hawt" as a first greeting. It would be no more unusual to see a man walking around displaying his erect, naked penis than it would be to see random women running around in a g-string w/nothing covering their breasts but their hands. Every woman from the o.c. would have a boobjob. Every man from the o.c. would have no sleeves. You would look your very best at all times. Everyone would make $100,000 a year or higher. There would be a lot of youthful looking 99 year olds. Blogs would be required reading and any random thought in your head would be shared with everyone. Everywhere you would walk, an image of Angelina Jolie would be behind you. Forbidden would actually be hot. You’d have a friend named Tom creepily following you around giving you bad news constantly. It wouldn’t be odd to have Brad Pitt in your circle of friends. Hello Kitty would be a real person. Conversations would sound like this; "How are you?" Sent. "Good, how are you?" Replied. During a long conversation you’d have to say "Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: all right, well call me later." When it was time for bed you would say you’re "Undergoing Maintenance." You would have to paint your walls using Thomas Myspace Editor codes in your apartment. Stewie from Family Guy would be your best friend. In your circle of friends you would hang out with Scottsdale bars and clothing lines. When someone said something funny, you’d actually roll around on the floor and laugh your fucking ass off. "Friend Whoring" is equal to STD’s. "Fuckin MySpace!" is the only universally known term in any language to show anger. At nights when you are asleep you would get people running in your room that you don’t know saying. "It’s 4 a.m., I can’t sleep, someone talk to me." Bands go to your house and ask you to give them a listen because they see that you like a band they sound nothing like. Anytime you walk into someones house they have the same video or song playing all the time, non-stop for three months straight. Every couple of days you would threaten all your friends to take their information out of your cell phone and delete them, since they haven’t called you in, like, four days. People would run up to you, tell you a random message, and you’d have 17 minutes and 13 seconds to pass it along before a ghost came to your house and raped your dog. People would inexplicably be stuck in their homes for hours unable to communicate with the outside world because some asshole put up a large white wall in front of every door and window with a note attached saying Sorry but an unexpected error has occurred!

4:08 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment