Faux Fu

Monday, March 18, 2024

Lifestyle...

 "Lifestyle?"

Maybe not so stylish. Improvisational. Making it up in the moment. Off the top of my head. No grand plans. Making it, sometimes faking it, to make it. 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Head Swimming...

Head swimming. Thoughts careening thru my head at maximum velocity. Trying to keep my "sea legs" on terra firma. Unsuccessfully. Out to sea, adrift, floating, swirling, dancing in mid-air.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Not Judging It...

Life...

You know, I'm "just doing it." Not judging it. I suppose, it is best to leave the judging to others. But, I'm also into willfully, determindly ignoring any of those judgements from the peanut gallery. 

As Tom Petty sings: "You don't know what it's like, you don't know what it's like, you don't know what it's like... to be me." 

Is that arrogance? Nah. Just the truth. We are all alike in some ways, and so different too. We each have our own rows to hoe, and our own shoes to fill. So, yeah, just doing it, and damn the torpedoes.

Up late into the wee hours, up early in the wee hours too. It is not optimal.

I am not very good at the r&r lifestyle. I should try to sleep til noon, but instead up super-early to watch the sunrise. It is fine and good morning. Playing The Who's "Tommy" (1969) at maximum volume on the stereo system. The walls of this mansion are rocking. A great epic album about a kid who can read the vibes. 

Yes. Inspiring. And, well, you know, Just Doing It...

Friday, March 15, 2024

The Creative Impulse...

When it comes to my creative pursuits, the guiding principle and the fundamental idea has always been to put everything (heart, head, spirit),  into the process, whether it be the writing of short stories, poems, plays, or, the writing of song lyrics and guitars riffs; without fear or worries about how it all will be received. There has never really been a plan or strategy, none of this activity has been directed at a career. It has always been a pursuit of pure expression, total immersion in the creative process, following my intuition, picking up on the signs and wonders, absorbing influences, and then "doing it," with a "damn the torpedoes" approach.  I have always had "jobs" that have paid the bills, kept a roof over my head, put food on the table. So the work, the good work has never been about getting "butts in the seats," no worries about "attendance figures," or critical reviews, or any kind of professional recognition.  Some of that has come anyway. We have filled some big rooms. All of my plays ended up finding enthusiastic micro-audiences. Much of our audience for our work has been other creatives: writers, painters, photographers, poets, musicians, directors, actors, dancers. A contingent of creative subterraneans in our midst. Our band has slowly, very slowly, and organically, grown over the years. We often do have packed rooms of folks digging our vibe. And surprisingly our music has connected with people. But, you know, we have totally done this on our own terms, with very little help, except for the inspirers we work with, other incredibly talented creatives who have been attracted to what we are doing, and have joined us, giving their all too, in  pursuing the vision. Surprising. Gratifying. A bit mystifying too. And, of course, nothing is taken for granted. Happy to always be creating, to have my life organized in such a way that I can keep focused on that creative impulse. It's a little thing, and everything.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

"Renters in the Land of Moolah!"

I get weird phone calls. 

I am convinced that these phone calls come from hackers and/or scammers who are trying to hack or scam me. Often a pre-recorded voice will tell me in a sort of pissed off, madly-determined voice that my "place of business" (you mean the bike/walking path on the lakefront?)  or my place of residence (don't they know I'm an air-conditioned gyspy?) is soon to be raided if I don't call them back immediately. Or I'm to be served with some kind of serious-sounding document. I never answer these calls, I always block them, but it's seems there is an infinite number of numbers from which they can send me these ominous, threatening messages.

It's all a bit tedious

Yesterday's call was different. A bubbly, wonderfully-friendly woman's voice announced: "You are are the Grand Prize Winner of the Publisher's Clearing mumble, mumble Sweepstakes." 2 words were sort of garbled. I'm thinking it's some kind of legal escape hatch?

Then the kicker, "You have won 11 Million Dollars!" All I had to do was call them back, as soon as possible. And, I don't know, probably reveal all my private, personal, very important info.

Ha. Well. I didn't call them back, but when I met up with my partner we did play that game of "what if?"

What woud we buy? Maybe a ranch, or a cabin in the woods? I'd definitely buy an electric guitar, maybe a vintage Gretsch White Falcon, you know, the same guitar Neil  plays on the electric songs on "Harvest"  (1972). Maybe we'd pay some bills, and get makeovers?! Ha. 

Anyway, it was cheap fun while it lasted. We capped off our little fantasy with a line that popped out of my mouth, that sort of describes our present predicament here in the firmament. Not really winners. Nope. 

"We are renters in the Land of Moolah." But, you know, no one can stop us, we are free to dream whenever it strikes our fancy.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The Bad & the Good...

Super-mild weather here yesterday in the Heartland. Very Spring-like. Everyone we passed on the roads and the pathways said the same thing: "Probably Climate Change, so it's bad, but love the sunshine and warmer temps, so that's good?"

Yeah, long-term bad, short-term good. That's the Human Thing in a nutshell right there. Two contradictory thoughts alive & simultaneously clashing in our neo-cortex regions.

What did we do? 

We took to the paths and biked to our "sun-spot." Our very own quite intimate sanctuary, with backs up against an enormous stone wall, facing a rolling, verdant-green lawn (it should not be green yet!) and a shimmering, golden-tinged lake and beach-front.

Bathing in the rays. 

We watched a woman doing Yoga on the beach. Seagulls swooping. Blue sky, gorgeous, wispy white clouds crossing overhead. It was a beautiful, Zen-scene, a little glimpse of Paradise, you know, damn the torpedos. We will probally all pay for this later, but for the moment? Priceless. 

So good, probably bad, too. You know, that's how it goes?!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Riding the Waves of Existence...

Bending the Universe to your own Will?

Hah. That's pretty ridiculous. Where do Human Beings get such silly ideas? Navigate around in the Universe for a minute or two, and you quickly realize that just isn't how it works.

You will be doing the bending. Best to be flexible, try to bend, not break. Arm yourself with a bit of humility, discipline, courage. Oh yeah, and Love. 

Love to be here: bending, morphing, evolving, floating, riding the variable waves of existence. That's it.

Monday, March 11, 2024

We Like to Fuck with Time...

Here in the Midwest we jumped up an hour yesterday. What used to be 5:00 a.m is now 6:00 a.m. Takes a bit of an adjustment, losing an hour;  the upside, daylight extends forward later into the day, the daylight window grows a bit longer each evening until we hit Summer Solstice.

It shows that Humans like to fuck with Time. And, yes, Time truly is Relative. Yes. We noticed. It was a cold, blue sky day yesterday. We rambled on the path, watched the waves crash into the sand. 

I am staying at a lakefront palace, acting as the caretaker. Taking care, oh yeah, for sure, that's a job.

We had a pizza party and listened to the album we recorded over a year ago. We are in the final stages of mixing. 9 songs, mixed and nearly ready for mastering. It has been a long, meandering process, one step forward, a step  or two back, a few false starts, dead-ends, retracing steps, and then, plunging forward with gusto. 

We started with two different mixing engineers, it seemed promising, and then, pretty stupid, frustrating, and "not working." We then settled on one mixing engineer, and he took the bull by the horns. All the tracks now have his stamp, his flavor, his spice. And it just seems so right.

Now we are listening to a very cohesive album of lovingly mixed tracks that flow well together. We've tried differents sequences, getting just the right flow. So damn close now. Think we are down to one last track, need to adjust the volume on a vocal here and there.  I hear two words in my vocal on one song, "She told..." that need to come up slightly.

Yikes. That's it. Then the mixing will be done. So, yeah, we listened on a maginifcent home stereo system, which brought out all of the power and nuance of these tracks. The reverb on vocals and instruments have such a beautiful, organic, moody, atmospheric presence now. It was so thrilling to hear our songs, and our band at a certain peak performance. Recorded and mixed with such a bold, artistic verve and panache.

That called for a pizza party. A celebration of our massive, creative undertaking and a concentrated, long-time commitment and dedication to the good work. 

This morning, in the afterglow, it's Meltdown Monday. I am typing on my Chromebook, listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Murder Ballads." (1996). Darkly glorious. After nine wild-ass songs about murder, mayhem, blood, and splattered guts, the album ends with Dylan's strangely ethereal song "Death is Not the End." Anita Lane, Shane MacGowan, PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue, among others, all  sing a line. A beautiful coda to the gory madness of being a fucked up, murderous, species. 

A big, fat, orange ball of flame is emerging out of a dark blue lake, shining like a primordial God hyped up on some illicit, electrifying, uncommonly powerful drug.

Yeah. I am ready for a new week...

Sunday, March 10, 2024

A Purgation, A Purification, A Healing...

 Catharsis: "purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity and fear) primarily through art, and, a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension."

Yes. We know the process of catharsis intimately. We often head to our rehearsal studio, and gather together the musicians in our band. We leave all the worldly hurly-burly, noise, and clutter, behind.

We focus on the playing of music, our own home-made, organically-fabulated songs. We explore the creative process and personal expression with a talented and dedicated group of folks. 

When it's good, which is often, it is very, very good indeed. Everyone in the room can feel it. The energy, the musical vibrations rocketing off the walls. We think of it all as a seriously joyful noise. A wonderful, often-overwhelming experience of the healing power of art & music. 

Fair to say that there is total love in the doing. And doing what one loves to do is the truly greatest endeavor a human being can do. It's a purgation, a release, a purification, a healing ritual, a spiritual renewer. 

Funny. It's everything, packed into a couple hours of very focused work, that more than anything feels like total lightening-like play. 

Walk in feeling tired, under-seige, burned-out, frustrated, whatever, walk out feeling transported, transformed, satisfied, happy, connected to everything. Unlike anything else. Highly recommended. 

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Words of Endearment...

And another thing...

Words to live by from Common Sense Joe, "a future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality."

Yes. That's Joe and that's the best of America. 

Those are the words that totally vaporise the Republican Party. None of those qualities are alive in that Brain-Dead Political entity.

You know, WTF?! Hard to believe any of this is up for debate. The 2024 campaign will be sound & fury, idiocy & bad faith. The choice is so freaking clear. It's almost comical. Yes. Democracy is on the table. Easy pickings. Go Joe...

Friday, March 08, 2024

Common Sense Joe - True American Original...

"The Word." Great Beatles song. You can find it on their fabulous, masterpiece record "Rubber Soul."  (1965). "Say the word, and you'll be free..." Yes. The song and the album are oldies (but goodies). Words of description that bubble up: enthusiastic, alive, vibrant, beautiful, inventive, creative, unique, optimistic, hopeful, fiery, fun. By the way, the word is LOVE.

My partner  and I sat in the kitchen, tuned in the public radio channel and listened to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address last night. We listened to every last word. Funny, the same words of description come to mind: enthusiastic, alive, vibrant, beautiful, inventive, creative, unique, optimistic, hopeful, fiery, fun. Yes. We loved Joe's speech.

Yes. Joe too, is an "oldie but goodie." A true American Original. It was all there in his speech. Intelligence. Empathy. A fully-formed Human Being. Common Sense Joe, someone who still believes in public service, and doing the right thing, a human being that "talks the talk, and walks the walk."

Dylan's line resonates in my mind this morning: "Every word rang true as it were written in my soul." Yes. Heady stuff indeed. Joe has plans, and he's a savvy politician. He is fucking good at his job. A roll up your sleeves kind of guy who still wants to get things done. Joe Biden is a true American Hero. Might sound old fashioned and sappy. But it is madly & deeply true.

Sure it's a complicated, wonderful, maddening, and often, a supremely fucked up world we all live in. But we need those folks who still believe in a "better union," a better America. Folks who still believe in Democracy, Freedom, Equality, Propserity, Common Sense, Good Government. Sometimes Joe seems like that last good man standing. But behind him are millions and millions of folks who have not given up on the dream. "Say the word, and you'll be free."

Thursday, March 07, 2024

Sleepwalking towards Fascism...

Morning news in America.

We are sleepwalking towards Fascism. How does our little experiment in Democracy die? Incrementally, tiny step by step;  a cocktail of inattention, total boredom, mindless zombism, bad faith, bad luck. And significantly, a completely broken political party = The Republicans. The only truth-tellers in the Republican party, are ex-members of the Republican party.

Darth Vader's (Dick Cheney's), Daughter, surprisingly, heroically, is one such truth-teller...

"The GOP has chosen. They will nominate a man who attempted to overturn an election and seize power. We have eight months to save our republic & ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere near the Oval Office again. Join me in the fight for our nation’s freedom." - Liz Cheney

Yes, as they say, "the stakes are high." You hope "the people," the voters are up to the task. "Saving our Democracy." Seems pretty damn important. Sure, lots of distractions, you want to think about other things, maybe you are burned out, tired of the whole political thing, but shite, anyone who values America & Democracy better get their shit together. Yep. Joe Biden, and the Democratic Party. The only way forward. Really. 

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Grandly Majestic Unknowable...

Paying attention to the details. Yes. Never-ending. The details. The closer you look, the closer you listen, the closer you submerge deep into the essence of things, the more information, the more facts and details appear. Funny that. You can live on the surface of things, skate along, float over, skim & skip, but if you do, you will miss so much. There is a richness to delving deeper, deeper into your own experiences, into your own psyche. You can get lost in the details, there is danger in that, yes. You may find yourself dropping down into endlessly interesting rabbit holes, you may risk your time & sanity, getting trapped in too much minutua. The clarity and truth you seek can be overwhelmed by the relentless quantity of complexity. And really, it seems as you get closer to the essence, a mystery appears. The mysterious nature of all things is revealed. There is the infinite sequence of details, and then a vanishing point. Maybe at the heart of all things is a mysteroius nothingness, a great cloud of unknowing, and the grandly majestic unknowable? Maybe?

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

Hustle-Mode...

Scrambling, hustling, always be closing. Maybe it's in the DNA? Who knows? I find myself often in hustle-mode. It's one of those Sisyphean tasks that come sort of naturally. I don't really like it.  I can do it. I find it necessary. What is expected? Not much. Lots of slogging thru. Keep your eyes peeled, expectations low, hopes kept on a tight leash. Let's become a little hurricane of activity, then sit back and see what, if anything, trasnspires. It has panned out, infrequently, over the years. No promises to myself, or to others either. An open book. Blank pages. Waiting for the skies to open and flaming sentences to consume those pages of emptiness.

Monday, March 04, 2024

Beware the Ides of March...

Googling Google, with a dollop of curiosity, and with your Bullshit Detector turned up high, well, you may learn a thing or two.

"Beware the Ides of March." It's from Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar." Things did not go well, oh so long ago, for Caesar in the month of March. 

They don't make them like Shakespeare any more. Talk about a prodigious genius, and a very influential playwright. Caesar, well, he's a common type: eloquent, an iron-fisted ruler, a domineering personality, willing to put the screws to many folks, bending them to his whims and rules. Some hailed him, others brought out the knives.  I suppose it goes with the territory.

The Ides of March is also a Chicago one-hit wonder band, "I'm your vehicle, baby, I'll take you anywhere you want to go..." 

Here in the Heartland it is already an uncommonly warm & unseasonably warm beginning to March. For sure as the result of human-made, catastrophic climate change. We enjoyed the sunshine and warmer temps, but at the same time we felt a bit uneasy, and wary. Beware, indeed. Yes, that peaceful, uneasy feeling (see previous post), still hung over us. 

Doing our best to keep it together. Maintain clarity, and a sense of calm. Still... you know... the Ides of March... beware, and be aware...

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Peaceful, Uneasy Feeling...

How to pin it down?

The last few days, a feeling of unease, dis-ease, has settled upon me and permeated my being. I think of that ubiquitous, sort of annoying Eagles song, "Peaceful Easy Feeling," that seemed to always be wafting thru the air, but this feeling I carry with me, subverts it: "A Peaceful Uneasy Feeling." Is it just me? Or is it reflective of a wider, deeper, more universal malaise? I don't rightly know. 

Life seems to be speeding up around me, careening out of control. Maybe that idea of control has always been off-target? Whatever is going on, unease, dis-ease, or dys-ease, a little fluttering in the core of my being has taken hold of me. I think maybe I am onto something, or maybe something is onto me?

Saturday, March 02, 2024

A Glimmer...

Funny. If you are the hopeful sort, it doesn't take much to light the match. A slight glimmer, a glint, a spark, a smile, a kind word, a sunny morning, a good sleep, an excellent coffee brew. That's it. Just the slimmest of slim reeds to grab on to. 

Friday, March 01, 2024

Knotty, Gnarly Conundrum...

One of the knotty, gnarly conundrums of an examined life...

Do we "make things happen?" Or do they "just happen?" Do we "just believe" we are free actors, doing free actions? It that really how our Universe works? Or is it all momentum? Fate? Destiny?

Is "what happens" the only thing that could happen? What of luck, random chance? What of Human will and intention?

How to explain the trajectory of a life? 

Hmmm... 

I don't know the answer to any of these weighty questions. Yesterday, I was "trying to make something happen." I've been there before. Often it feels like shadow-dancing. Casting shadows on the wall, wondering if anything will stick.

There are the fields of opportunity and the fields of futility.  Knotty. Gnarly.

Finally, just living the best I can, doing the things I do. And, well, of course, full speed ahead and "damn the torpedoes."

Thursday, February 29, 2024

A Simple Formula...

A simple formula...

Our over-heated, always on, 24/7, rage-inducing, information & disinformation, super-over-loaded, media monster is always stoking the fire, fanning the flames, constantly playing up our fears & prejudices, and makes us into mindless, over-emotionally-wrought angry zombies and numbed-out drones.

Fury = Stupidity.  You can take it to the bank.

How to short-circuit the fury? Take a deep breath. Sit in silence. Listen to your heartbeat. Let the light in. Feel the Chi.  Really.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

For Me Mojo = Chi...

"The Art of the Straight Line: My Tai Chi."

It's not the book I expected. I thought it was a diary, or long narrative, from Lou Reed. It's not. Seems Lou wanted to write a book about his practice of Tai Chi, but he never got around to it. He was way too busy with music and the practice of Tai Chi which he did right up until his death.

Most of the book is a collection of other voices, those folks who Lou collaborated with, those he inspired, those who inspired him. It is a beautiful book and testament to an incredibly, complicated, compelling, fiercely-creative life.

Lou was married to Laurie Anderson, an American avant garde artist. What a fabulously uncommon, extraordinary couple. It is so gratifying to know that they found each other. Two strange, beautiful, exotic birds.

They had Three Rules for Living:

1. Fear No One.

2. Always Have Your Bullshit Detector On.

3. Always Be Tender.

So. So. Good. 

Reading a book about Tai Chi, without ever having practiced Tai Chi might be a bit like reading the Kama Sutra without ever having practiced sex. Kind of oddly mysterious.

I often talk about Mojo, you know, a magnetism, an energy. I realized I really have been talking about Chi, as in "your life force, the energy that flows through you and through everything. It is that which gives you life." 

Right. I do know what Chi is, I have experienced it, I experience it all the time. It flows thru me when I am fully alive, aware, awake and engaged in being a human being in the Universe.

Yes. For me Mojo = Chi. 

I don't actually practice Tai Chi, but there are many things I do practice that opens me to Chi: meditation, walking, listening to, and playing, music, eating nutritious, healhty food. Simple, soul-enriching, life-affirming things.

We also own a Chi Machine. Which I use just about every day when I am home. It's a very passive way of waking up Chi. But it works, and you know, it's not cheating.

Anwyay, so much of the book totally resonates with me. It's a good read. Recommended.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The Masque of the Red Death...

I am going out on a limb this morning. I don't like making predictions. I do think if folks talk about nebulous phenomena like the future, or god, they are really just betraying their own fears, hopes, dreams, insecurities, and prejudices.

So, yeah, take it all with a grain of salt.

Let me hazard a guess. Ok. I mean, I am projecting, and conjuring the vision that I want  and hope will materialize. But at the same time, logic and common-sense leads me to this scenario...

We are worried about Fat-Boy Slim destroying our Democracy. We are worried that the Republican Party has been infiltrated, and infected by Russian disinformation. and we are horrified to see that they are running with that disinfo to slime Joe Biden and the Democrats. It is an act of desperation. Turns out the Republicans have given up on Democracy & Policy, and Governing. They are stuck in a weird performative, attention-seeking display of cynicism and degradation.

Ha. The insight this morning, my guess, my feeling, my intuition: We are watching Fat-Boy Slim destroy the Republican Party from the inside out. All that raging, and dementia-fueled nonsense, all that toxic noise is actually more destructive to the GOP than anywhere else. Trump & MAGA are the virus of destruction for that politcal side of the equation.

It's all very ugly, noisy, & worrisome. And, sure, we should be worried. One of the major political parties in America is sick, infected, imploding. We should be just worried enough to stay active and to vote. But all the hurly-burly, rolling and tumbling, are the deeply-dark, death throes of that very retrograde, nihilistic movement. The MAGA SNAKE is eating it's own tail.

There is a certain fatal logic at work. A cascade of failure. The kiss of death for that political movement. Yes, it's scary & ugly, but it seems inevitable. My prediction: American Democracy will survive. The center will hold. We can look forward to better days. Really. I suppose it's my inner optimist taking the wheel this morning. You know, the coffee is good. And it's supposed to be unseasonably warm today. Alive and well in America!

Monday, February 26, 2024

Trump, Putin: The Gangsters Trying to Steal Our Democracy...

This Teri Kanefield post is a real eye-opener, head-spinner, you know, a real break open the head kind of read. It is a deep-dive into Russia, Putin, and the seemingly incomprehensible, Republican Party's love for Corrupt, Authoritarian Governance, and love for lawless Oligarchies: "gangsters who got rich by stealing."

From Teri: "One way to understand people like Peter Thiel and Paul Ryan is that they believe a few wealthy people should control the nation’s resources and industries and they believe these billionaires should be able to pull the political strings. They offer a few theories for why this is good and sensible. One theory is the “makers and takers” theory which holds that a few clever people drive the economy with their innovation and business brilliance. These “makers” create jobs and wealth for a lower class of people called “takers,” who are generally depicted as lazy and immoral. The trickle-down theory similarly holds that if you remove regulations and let clever people do their thing without limitations, they will create wealth and jobs for everyone.

People who hold to the makers-and-takers theory have a hierarchical worldview. They think nature forms a hierarchy and some people are naturally at the top. While most of us see regulations as creating fairness so people can’t get rich from stealing, those with a hierarchical view believe that regulations take from the competent and give to the undeserving.

The way to understand Donald Trump is that he wants to be like Putin and control the oligarchs."

Do yourself a favor. Get hip and smart to the present moment. I suggest you read the whole thing. It's really worth your time &  attention. It clearly and definitively explains so much of our present condition in the here and now of America. Trump, Putin & the American Oligarches are at war with American Democracy.

We truly are at a crossroads. Those who believe in Democracy, need to rise from their slumber and stand up for this wonderful American experiment in a Government for and by the People. A government for the many, not the few. Really, it is now down to supporting Joe Biden and the Democratic Party to "save the soul" of our country. Yikes. 

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Quotes...

Quotes from 2 smart authors and a Monty Python Comedy Genius...

"Even the best of us are at least part-time bastards."
- Mary Karr

"I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version."Don DeLillo

"As an openly old man, I still believe there's a difference between forgetfulness and outright insanity." - John Cleese 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

False Starts...

A couple of false starts this morning. 

I think that's where I am at this early Saturday morning. False. In the midst of a few false starts. Grasping at invisible straws. Weird. Feeling disconnected. It is imposssible to hold onto the moment to moments that are quietly floating just beyond my grasp. Life. Right. It's sometimes like that. Don't want to judge it, I think, "this is where I am at right now."  Slightly off, adrift. It's not totally unwelcome, you know, maybe something new is soon to be birthed? Ha. That's the eternal, always-conjuring optimist that resides deep in the core of my being.  Yes. Let's say these false starts are the essential, tiny cracks in the firmament that let glimmers of light to be revealed. It's those little glimmers which will lead to the next thing. I am sort of sure of it...

Friday, February 23, 2024

Loaded Question from Across the Pond...

Loaded Question from across the pond...

I had an email exchange with my best friend from from across the pond in Poland. We are "two peas in a pod." Totally different backgrounds, brought up in totally different culutres, but all that falls away when we engage. I would hazard the guess that our "original essense" springs from the same source. We are as close as can be, eventhough we live worlds away from each other.

We haven't actually been in room together for decades. We we do chat on the phone, and when we do, time melts away, our differences reflect off of each other, revealing the truth that we are two very kindred souls. 

This comes from a  very recent email exchange:

My Friend: "Well, it looks that the future resident of White House might be chosen not by the nation but by the resident of Kremlin. The question: Is the US still a super power leading the world or just redneck country faraway behind the great water?

I hope you don't feel offended by this question. But your nation's fascination with this useful Kremlin's Idiot,  is a complete disappointment to me. I always felt that I can be honest with you and I hope it stays like that. Next time I try to give you a bit deeper analysis. You take care, and fuck Republicans."


My Response: "Ha. Nope, not offended at all. America is a very divided country. I happen to live in a very Democratic, Blue Bubble, super-progressive City and State. But much of the country, at least 40% of the population, is definitely a "redneck country faraway behind the great water." 

Yes. Great description. Indeed. Turns out the old Confederacy, the slave-holding states, never joined the future. And Trump, Putin's Fat Poodle is riling up those retrograde, wannabe fascists, and died in the wool racists for all he is worth.

Luckily the Democrats, the Progressive ones actually outnumber the Rednecks. But lots of chicanery, and disillusion, and disinformation swirling around in the crazy shite-storm of a world. Hopefully Democracy does not die in America. But it is certainly gonna be a battle. Here's hoping for a better day!"

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Connecting the Dots...

This Heather Cox Richardson's "Letter from an American" post on Substack connects the dots. A well-written, straight-forward narrative that explains so much about Ukraine, Russsia,  & USA. There is a direct line from Putin > Manafort > Stone > Trump. It has been obvious to some of us for a long time that Putin's interests, and Trump's interests are totally intertwined.  It is shocking and scandalous. And it's maddening that the Republican party has decided they are happy to be complicit facilitators for this anti-democractic shite. The USA, Ukraine, Europe, Democracy, are all under threat because of this toxic reality.

It begins simply...

"Although few Americans paid much attention at the time, the events of February 18, 2014, in Ukraine would turn out to be a linchpin in how the United States ended up where it is a decade later."

And then the kicker at the end...

"Now, ten years later, Putin has invaded Ukraine in an effort that when it began looked much like the one his operatives suggested to Manafort in 2016, Trump has said he would “encourage [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that don’t commit 2% of their gross domestic product to their militaries, and Trump MAGA Republicans are refusing to pass a measure to support Ukraine in its effort to throw off Russia’s invasion.

The day after the violence of February 18, 2014, in Ukraine, then–vice president Joe Biden called Yanukovych to “express grave concern regarding the crisis on the streets” and to urge him “to pull back government forces and to exercise maximum restraint.”

Ten years later, Russia has been at open war with Ukraine for nearly two years and has just regained control of the key town of Avdiivka because Ukrainian troops lack ammunition. President Joe Biden is warning MAGA Republicans that “[t]he failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.”

“History is watching,” he said.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Patty-Cakes with Skulldugery...

I hear the name "Smirnov," and I flash on that time my partner and I, (this was the long ago, in a land far away), polished off a bottle of Vodka, while playing an intense, deep into the night, marathon game of Risk. As I recall, we were both hung-over & sick for three days after that binge and bender. Yikes. Thankfully those days are long gone.

But, of course, Smirnov and Smirnoff are not the same thing at all. This latest Smirnov is "an FBI informant," who has just been arrested in Nevada, a person who has had "extensive" contacts with Russian intelligence agencies. Smirnov appears to be a pawn in Vladimir Putin's own personal game of Risk, and his brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Turns out this "informant" is the main source of lies about Joe Biden and his son Hunter, which he has been feeding to prominent folks in the GOP. Republicans like Jim Jordan, James Comer, Bill Barr, Rudy G, GOP Senators like Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have been mainling these lies into the American politcal bloodstream. Total Russian disinformation filtered thru the Repbulican Party! Oh yeah, and don't forget fat-boy-slim Donald Trump sitting on top of the swamp. These folks are either willing agents of Russia or  supremely "useful idiots." 

I would hazard the guess: Maybe both?! 

I am not one for conspiracy thinking. I don't think it's a smart or healthy way to parse what's happening in the world of human affairs. Conspiracy-minded thinking seems lazy and paranoid, and usually pretty stupid too. BUT of course, sometimes folks do conspire. Sometimes there really is a "there, there."

So, yes, we have evidence of a coordinated campaign, a multi-years long campaign, since at least 2016. It truly is "Russia, Russia, Russia." The mind reels. Many folks in that "grand old party" the GOP, the Repbulicans, have been actively spreading Russian disinformation as their primary tool to corrupt our American Presidential Elections in 2016, 2020, and now 2024. Republicans seem to have given up on Democracy, and winning votes with their policies, instead they turn to Russian Disinfo to lie, confuse, and and cheat to win. A sad, tragic, deadly-comic turn of events.

It been so ubiquitious & obvious. So obvious, like the air we breathe, it's almost invisible. Well it is not invisble anymore. There is a whole contingent of folks who have poisoned themselves by playing paddy-cakes with the worst of Putin's skullduggery. 

BTW - For those who want to know more about this cooridnated Russian Disinfo campaign implicating prominent folks in the GOP check out this handy Q & A with the fabulously great Marcy Wheeler.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Bubbles of Unknowing in the Slipstream...

Opinions. Everyone has them. And folks can't wait to tell you what they are, even, and especially, about things they really know very little about. Which when it comes to it, the realm of the things "we know little about," is vast. We all are very limited in our knowledge of the Universe, and all the pretty things in it. Still, despite that lack of knowledge and insight, Human Beings have no problem wielding their opinions like deadly weapons. Folks love to hammer each other with their opinions. It's a major past-time, a cultural phenomena,  a full time job.

Most of the blather and chatter on TV, Podcasts, Radio, Internet is just Human Beings spouting off about all the shite they know little about. It's just the truth.

Personally, when I was a Wee Lad, and maybe a Lad not so Wee too, I could slings opinions with the best of them. I was one of those people who prided themselves on having an opinion about everything. A motor mouth propelled by a spark of knowledge, and lots of nervous energy. That describes a whole genre and class of Humans right there.

I opted out of that class gradually, over the years. I find myself a bit more comfortable in my skin, and a little bit more cautious about floating bubbles of unknowing into the slipstream. Often, I now find myself saying things like, "I don't know," or "Maybe?" or "Who knows?," Or  "Beats me," or "We shall see?" Or, "I need to do a little more research."

Anyone talking about future events is just slinging hash. Really. Usually those folks are just revealing their own fears, insecurities, prejudices. Same with folks talking about "God." It's a fool's game. Folks just making shit up. And, folks having opinions about other folks motivations is a sticky wicket for sure, and again, probably more of an insight into the speaker's psyche than anything else.

I do know a lot about a handful of subjects. My list includes music, movies, song-writing, playing in a band, literature, politics, pop culture, dogs, guitars, football, meditation, headphones, coffee, oatmeal. But even these subjects can go deep, and the depths are mysterious, and interesting. So, yeah, more thinking, less opining. A friend of mine recently told me I was a "Master of Deflecting." I do think it is one of my finely-honed skills. I can easily manipulate a conversation to avoid what I don't want to talk about, and redirect it to what I do want to talk about. 

I think of it as a good mode for living: Reflecting and Deflecting.  Look into your soul. Listen to the silence. Speak less, act more, think deep, live lightly.  Oh yeah, and tune out all that noise floating all around you. Not every topic or event needs to be slapped around the ears with your opinion. Sometimes a stunned silence is the perfect response. Humility in the face of all things. Uninformed Opinion. It's sort of like a nasty virus. Avoid.

Monday, February 19, 2024

Contingent of Common Sense...

When asked how Fascism starts, Bertrand Russell once said: "First, they fascinate the fools. Then, they muzzle the intelligent."

Yes. The wise, the learned, the philosophizing, the inspiringly-intelligent Bertand. So smart & pithy. 

We have been watching the Fools in America fascinating themselves with a Racist, Conman, Fraud, Sexual Predator, Anti-Democratic Seditionist, Liar, Wanna-Be-Authoritarian, a Whiny-Baby of Blimp-like proportions.

The Intelligent Ones, the Contingent of Common Sense, unfortunately, sometimes, seem to get swamped over, their voices drowned in the Vast Sea of Idiocy. We must swim to higher ground, huddle on little Islands of Enlightenment. Yes. We must. There is no glory in Embracing & Celebrating Stupidity.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Dumb & Dumber Meets Perry Mason = Karmic Perfection...

There is "karmic perfection," to be found in the story of a fabled rich guy, a fat, dissolute man, who inherited his daddy's wealth, and then embarked on a lifetime of fraud and illusion. This particular rich guy has a "super-power" that allows him to lie and bluster without an ounce of shame. Big lies, small lies, totally stupid and transparent lies, lies that only self-deluded idiots would believe; this particular rich guy wields these lies on an epic scale and he has used that super-power, and that life-time of lies to his great advantage in the public square, in the political arena, and in pop culture writ large.

Those of us who have never bought into any of the idiotic shite this rich guy spews, can only sit back and marvel and wonder how that river of lies, bluster and total nonsense could ever have been believed. This guy can lie shamelessly with a straight face, and legions of folks gladly, and enthsuiastically, swallow his total, all-encompassing, trumpy, bullshit sandwich.

Now, interestingly enough, here's where that karmic perfection comes in. All those lies, all that bluster and idiotic nonsense falls apart in a courtroom. In fact, that super-power suddenly turns into the most deadly and toxic kryptonite for the hopes and chances of that rich guy. Facts and evidence have the uncanny ability to melt and vaporize the lies. Every trumped-up lie that rich guy tells, makes things exceedingly worse for him. All of his bluster & bullshit is now just the garnish on top of a series of dire, very costly consequences. His overloaded shit sandwich is now his very own very toxic, very deadly, happy-meal.

And the rich guy can't help himself. He can't stop lying, blustering and raging. Even if it's totally contrary to his own well-being, the brain-numbing spew of lies continues. And in the courtroom, every lie that he floats just makes things worse and more detrimental to him.

Yes. Ha. It's almost Shakespearean. Although, it's really a deeply dumbed down version of Shakespeare. You know maybe old Will is reincarnated in 2024, and he writes for a revived Mad Magazine, or he scripts new episodes for a resurrected "Three Stooges."  Dumb & Dumber meets Perry Mason.

It is gratifying & supremely entertaining for anyone rooting for facts, truth, justice and common sense to carry the day. Lying rich guy gets hit in the pocketbook for a string of epic $ judgements. What to say? 

Sweet, sweet, karma, baby! Perfection...

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Russia's Nelson Mandela...

Yesterday, I heard from a long-time friend of mine who lives in Poland. He, just like me, is totally crushed to hear the news that Alexei Navalny has died in a Russian prison. What was Nalvalny's crime? A desire for Freedom and Democracy in Russia. Freedom from corruption, Freedom from the Iron, Dictatorial Hand of Vladimir Putin.

Alexei Navalny left this message behind in the event he was killed:

"You're not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. We need to utilize this power, to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don't realize how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don't be inactive."- Alexi Navalny - Born June 4, 1976 – Died February 16, 2024


"A month later, Navalny flew back to Moscow. His friends had tried to talk him out of it. He wouldn’t hear of staying in exile and becoming politically irrelevant. He imagined himself as Russia’s Nelson Mandela: he would outlive Putin’s reign and become President. Perhaps he believed that the men he was fighting were capable of embarrassment and wouldn’t dare to kill him after he’d proved that they had tried to. He and I had argued, over the years, about the fundamental nature of Putin and his regime: he said that they were “crooks and thieves”; I said that they were murderers and terrorists. After he came out of his coma, I asked him if he had finally been convinced that they were murderers. No, he said. They kill to protect their wealth. Fundamentally, they are just greedy. He thought too highly of them. They are, in fact, murderers." - Masha Gessen

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