Tag Archives: Tao te Ching

January 16, 2009

I READ THE NEWS TODAY, OH BOY

The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema

A psychotherapist analyzes Hitchcock and David Lynch.

Dead Cats in a Bag

More proof that Salvadore Dali was a photorealist, NOT a surrealist.

Bushies Burrow into Bureaucracy

Bush incompetence gets Civil Service protections

TODAY’S THOUGHT

Stop trying to control.
Let go of fixed plans and concepts,
And the world will govern itself.

Stephen Mitchell translation of Tao te Ching
No. 57

GRANDCHILD CUTENESS ALERT

GK sews on a Daisy patch wearing rose colored glasses
image-1380

GK sews on a Daisy patch wearing rose colored glasses


My daughter has a whole series of pictures of my grand-daughter, GK, in her post today over on Mom-A-Tron
The two of them take on a project that involves sewing patches on Daisy uniform shirts and putting an orange (?) stitch into the hat she’s wearing. Why she’s wearing rose colored glasses is a mystery, but I find them quite becoming. Fetching, even. If I’ve done this correctly, you can click on the picture of GK and some kind of internet computer magic stuff will happen. Or not. Continue reading

January 10, 2009

MOM-A-TRON BEETS HER FATHER

Mom-A-Tron

Mom-A-Tron


Just when I think I’m getting the hang of this 21st Century technology, somebody comes along and really gives me some perspective about how much there is. Today, Mom-A-Tron has a power point presentation she made herself — about beets of all things — and put to music and presents on her blog as a video. Damn. Pretty impressive, I must say. I personally loathe beets in all forms and fashions, but she seems to have acquired a fondness for them that escapes me.

EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THE WEATHER, BUT NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT

BECAUSE I SAID SO!

BECAUSE I SAID SO!


What a fine example of Oklahoma weather! It was top-down, sunny and in the mid-70s this afternoon and not long after dark, the wind was out of the North and it was freezing. I guess I should be grateful for any January day in which I can have the top down, and I am, believe me I am. Nevertheless this back and forth under a full moon is messing with my mammal midbrain and warm bloodedness.
Had a plenty good time at Paseo this afternoon with a good fraction of the usual suspects and we had India food from the buffet at 50th and May and I have the predictable aftereffects of curry to prove it.
We missed MCARP when we had the name of the artist playing on the Musak right on the tip of our tongue, but couldn’t quite place him/her and we just KNEW he’d have the cut on his iPod/iPhone playlists. Oh, well.
By the way, the line: “Everybody talks about the weather … .” That’s by Oklahoma’s own Will Rogers, who had a lot to say about our weather. I suppose it’s always been like this.

SINATRA SPEAKS

A cool cat with blue eyes.  Call him Sinatra

A cool cat with blue eyes. Call him Sinatra


Muffy, you are such a naughty girl. Such language! I know what you mean because this full moon is making me a little quirky, too. Today, I got my head stuck in one of the heating vents and if I had been like that when he got home! That wasn’t the only thing. I was up in my tree, minding my own business, when this bluejay I’ve been chasing for two years lands on the same limb I’m on about 2 feet away! I couldn’t believe it! He said: “Boo!” and flashed away and by the time I was springing at him, my back feet fell off the branch and I was hanging on for dear life. Muffy! That was SO embarrassing. So, I acted like I meant to do that and just continued to climb back down the tree. Memsahib and her Thugee would never let me forget it if they had been there. So, tomorrow, I’ve decided to practice murderous pounces from perches on the living room furniture. I’ve already put all three of my mouses there. I hear wet food! Bye!

I READ THE NEWS TODAY, OH BOY!

Belgians Know How to Take Sick Days

Confess to Barkeep, then Priest, Finally at AA

Women Really CAN smell desperation!

TODAY’S THOUGHT

Those who know don’t talk
Those who talk don’t know

Stephen Mitchell translation of Tao te Ching
No. 56

January 7, 2009

DEATH DRINKS DUBLIO BREVE

Evil Empire Starbucks

Evil Empire Starbucks


As sometimes happens, I drop by the Evil Empire Starbucks to grab a cuppa to take back to work after lunch. Like any place that serves coffee on the north side of Oklahoma City I’m likely to see a few people there that I know, but not always. Sometimes I have to go next door to Saturn Grill before I see a face familiar. Evil Empire Starbucks is not like Sauced or the Red Cup in a lot of ways, but in some ways it is. Retired philosophers drink coffee wherever it is served, whether upscale or truck stop diner.
BECAUSE I SAID SO, THAT'S WHY!!!

BECAUSE I SAID SO, THAT'S WHY!!!


This day, on my way through the line, I found myself being served a grande hot chocolate (goodness! was it not a cold day?) by a lovely barista with whom I have often passed the time of day. Some of you may also know her. However, do you know her big secret? I do. She’s married to a hobbit that works for Ed in the bowels of Sauced.
Hobbit's wife

Hobbit's wife


On my way out, I paid obesience to the coffee codgers. The retired guys who know something just because they’ve lived through something. However, this was not something I wanted to hear particularly. We’re all going to die. Sooner or later, we all are gone from this life. This homespun philosopher, who should know from his vantage point of advanced age, reminded me that every moment, asleep or awake, Mother Nature is trying to find a way to get rid of us after the age of 40.
coffee codger

coffee codger


You know what? I don’t care how true it is, I don’t want to hear that. Just because MCARP says he’s ready to call it quits to middle age and start saying he’s “old”, doesn’t mean I have to do it. I am Peter Fucking Pan, baby, and I WON’T GROW UP. Don’t care what you say. We also talked along about how much time seems to pass faster after age 40. I got a theory about that. We experience time mostly through the observation of entropy. Because entropy has the upper hand after we’re 40, we “feel” like time passes more quickly because we see more entropy in less time than previously.
7jan09-012
So, in the spirit of never growing up and highlighting my youth, what I did next of course is go to work where Mrs. Taylor, a teacher in her real life, gave me that “you are late to class and do not have an admit slip, young man, what am I going to do with you?” look as I snuck by while she was on the phone. Whew! Thought I was going to have to go to the principal’s office and get something really nasty put on my permanent record. Where do they keep those permanent records, anyway? Who keeps them? Who looks at them?
TODAY’S THOUGHT

If your happiness depends on money
you will never be happy with your self.

Stephen Mitchell translation of Tao te Ching
Chapter 44

STORIES THAT INTERESTED ME

The helpful tax collector? IRS given power to cut better deals

The Milky Way’s Not Snack Sized Any More

A cool cat with blue eyes.  Call him Sinatra

A cool cat with blue eyes. Call him Sinatra

I guess I’m glad I fell asleep before I remembered to poo in his shoes, Muffy, because this dark he finally brought home the FANCY FEAST that I consider vital to my Way of Life. I made sure to put an extra layer of finest cat hairs all around the cuffs of his best black suit to show my appreciation and to make sure no other cats get near my guy. Hey! You Birds! Get off my lawn! Gotta run, Muffy. bye!

FOR NO GOOD REASON