Headspace Clear...

Folk #1: We have been doing a better job at "clearing the head-space." How to do it? Chill out in the secret garden. Watch the trees swaying in the wind, under a vast, hovering blue sky, big puffy clouds rolling overheard, and the hummingbirds dancing over, & around the flowers. Listening to the cicadas singing; a love song, a death song, a song of worship, a cry for help, a prayer to the great "Whats-It?" Hard to know. Lots of flapping & flying, and flopping, death throes, on the ground. The squirrels & rabbits rooting around, and munching, on the delicacies of a green lawn. Dragonflies, incredible, multi-winged, little entities, buzzing, swooping over us with authority. Long silences from the Humans. We just hit the wall. Nothing to say, no point to make, happy to be breathing. One of us floating. One of us sitting like an empty Buddha. Sometimes, no reason to dwell, to sink, to fall, to delve into anything, instead, ride the wave, skim the surface, skate the day. A determined shallowness abides. Pure existence. It's good. A brief jump into a different, much less hectic timeline. A retreat into a oddly timeless zone. The day elongates. A numb clarity emerges from the chillness. Good medicine & a new, required, discipline.

Ha. He's Not the Only Insane & Insanely Dangerous One...

Folk #1: I probably will go to see the movie. But, of course, I don't need to see the movie to know that this grossly-wealthy man is insane, super-racist and totally dangerous to Democracy & Freedom. Read his posts on X if you dare dip into a toxic pool of B.S. & Shite. All one needs to do is witness & pay attention to the day to day details of the toxic idiocy dribbling out of this tech-bro clown. Also, of course, Musk isn't the only insanely powerful one lording over us. Time for a reset, a Revolution in the Head, the common ones need to step up, and reassert their agency. Every frigging billionaire/trillionaire is a policy failure. Tax the rich! A reckoning for the Epstein Class is long overdue. Going after their money is the most direct action we can take. Also, of course, let's see what other crimes they have committed that need a just accounting. The day for a new policy is here now. Yes. Let's name the next new era: The Days of Reckoning. Viva la Revolution!

Sometimes a Great Notion...

Folk #1: Sometimes Shit Just Happens. Right? Maybe there is no greater, or deeper, lesson to be learned, beyond, well, Sometimes Shit Just happens. I mean, you are free to come up with reasons & theories, but maybe your reasons & theories are not really all that important, or on the money? You tell yourself a story, you try to process the shit, still, maybe the shit is just the shit? Maybe that is the lesson? You are left to deal with it however you can. You don't have to own that shit, or descend into a deep existential crisis over it, just acknowledge it, and then, carry on. Sure, you can tell yourself "take nothing for granted, be aware, alive, aware at all times," but maybe that's just whistling past the graveyard? Shit will still just happen. You move forward, no extra processing required, except, Somtimes Shit Just Happens. Could that simple affirmative recognition be a guidepost, the spark, the hard, spiky, kernal of true wisdom? Who knows?! I mean, you just put that in your kit-bag, Dear Pilgrim, & go forth into the blazing day, or deep-dark night. "Skating away on the thin ice of a new day." Sure, turn to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, why not? Insight can come from any corner...

Disperate Not Desperate Thoughts this A.M.

Folk #1: This morning a million fleeting things floating around in my head. "Glonzo" - An incorrect belief or conspiracy theory held by voters that can be exploited by politicians to achieve their goals. vs. "Material Reality"- the physical world and everything in it that we can touch, see, and measure.

There is a major battle playing out at the moment in the USA and the wider world too. Folks driven by "incorrect beliefs" & bat-shit insane conspiracy theories vs. Folks sticking to things they can touch, see & measure. Seems the world is falling apart; truly something is dying. We are watching the death throes. There will be a hard reckoning, and then, folks will rise up, pick up the pieces, and create something new.

You may ask what about Spirit & Mystery? Ask away. Some things are unanswerable...

I am reading "The King in Yellow," by Robert Chambers, from the Pushkin press.  Yes. It's fabulous. Weird, oddball, strange, interlocking tales of conspiracy & madness in it's many forms. Think unreliable narrators left & right.  4 stories, linked by the King in Yellow. Actually I read this book once, and immediately went back to the beginning, and started reading again. Yes. It speaks of today. It is some kind of map & Holy Grail of madness.

I have been listening obsessively to the Japanese instrumental band Mono. Beauty & fire. Harmony & distortion. Powerful and floaty. Hymn to the Immortal Wind  (2009), is probably my favorite at the moment, but everything I have heard by them is quite exceptional, inspirational & magnificent.

Also, still deep into the Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street band catalog too. Songwriting at it's finest. Great r&r. Bruce's character is a bit gnarly & daunting; a conflicted-perfectionist, an inspired & inspiring artist making amazingly beautiful, overwhelmly great records. His obsessions have become my obsessions too. Maybe there is something about a guilt-ridden Catholic boy, wanting to create something great & beautiful, & trying to find his way in a very weird and fucked up world that totally resonates with me?

Reflections on our Orange-Wanna-Be-King. He is the madman who broke the Republican Party. He now is trying to break the USA & the rest of world too. Instead, he, himself, is breaking apart at the seams. And the folks who have followed him are breaking apart too. It is all very ugly, and perilous. But glonzo can only so far. Material Reality will have it's sweet revenge.

Turns out tax cuts, hate, transparent lies, AI-slop, & gutter-racism are bankrupt, pernicious ideas & phenonmena that have hard limits. No way to run a country. How does any of this shit work for the people?! Well, it really doesn't.

Anyway, for some insight on madness, the downfall, and glonzo on steroids, check out the the Yellow King. Surprisingly, despite all the hurly-burly, feeling pretty optimistic & hopeful this morning. Maybe a form of my own particular madness? Who knows?! Maybe it's just the coffee?! Yes. The coffee is good, indeed.

Corruption is a Process...

Folk #1: Brilliant insight from Emptywheel: "Corruption is a Process..." This Trump character is corruption personified. Anyone who engages with him, works for him, interacts with him, is stained, diminished, & corrupted too. There is no easy way to deal with him. Shine the Light of Truth. Stand Apart. Call him out. Shun, Banish, & Imprison him? Anything short of that risks contamination. Any society, any political party, any culture, or country, that embraces or tolerates the man is fatally corrupted too. We are living in deep corruption now. Sometimes you want to laugh, but it's not really funny, or cry, but tears have no agency. This is a deadly game we are playing. So, so ugly. If there is a change of course, starting with the Mid-term elections, we will need a total cleanse & reboot. A Truth & Reconciliation Committee devoted to bringing the corruption to an end, and a spiky, gnarly righteous, Justice for all.

A Teacher & Taskmaster...

Folk #1: A bit at a loss for words this morning. Rare for me. So, feeling my way forward cautiously, one word at a time. I awoke with this thought: "Reality is a hard teacher & a relentless, unforgiving task master." No matter who you are, or where you come from, you will have to face the music & grapple with reality. You know, even if you don't believe in it. Some of us are really great at denial, evasion, distraction, out-right insubordination against the real. There are vast empires, and fortunes built upon conjuring up, and selling, alternate worlds & fantasties. Still, dues must be paid. There are some things you just can't fabulate or wish away. Of course, some folks will fabulate & wish away til their last dying breath. They are total fools. No way to conduct a life. Best to adjust, morph, evolve, recalibrate, rethink, remake yourself when reality rears up in all it's mighty, gnarly, unforgiving, glory.

Sometimes You Tune Out the Dystopia and Have a Pool Party!

Folk #1: My partner & I are probably too politically aware, and engaged, which means lots of awareness of, wallowing in, and worrying about, the on-going shit-show, the horriyfing fascist dystopia looming over us all. Both of us are also super-aware of the Clmate Catastrophe threatening all life on the planet. Heady stuff. We often write about these things in our songs. It's kind of a heavy burden we live with every day; it's in our kit-bag of being fully, super-woke.

Still, we do try to manage our head-space, try to find other things to occupy, entertain & divert us. Yesterday in our neck of the woods, the weather was absolutely perfect, a long, meandering, summer day. We made our appointed rounds earlier in the day, and then in the afternoon, we escaped to our little secret garden at the lakefront mansion we are "care-taking."

We had a full-blown pool party, which mainly meant cold drinks, (non-alcoholic),  my partner floating around on a "floaty," in a gorgeous backyard pool, while I played DJ. I was spinning CD's on a kick-ass little Sony boombox. Tiny speakers, massive sound. How do they make such great music players? It was all quite exquisite. Loafing, goofing off, chilling out; it turns out these things are essential. 

What was the playlist? Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band. We had recently re-purchased much of his back catalog. The albums sound better than ever, the music mastered by the great mastering engineer, Bob Ludwig (now retired). It's true the CD quality has gotten so much better, these little silver discs rival and probably, pretty much match, the vinyl. Be sure to check out the legendary 1990's Virgin remasters that Ludwig did for the Rolling Stones greatest (r&r Holy Grail), albums too: Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Get Your Ya, Ya's Out,  Exile on Main Street, Goat's Head Soup, Some Girls. All superb!

So we had a long debate and discussion about all things Springsteen. We both agreed that Bruce's second album is an often over-looked masterpiece: "The Wild, the Innocent, the E-Street Shuffle." (1973). Bruce never made another record quite like it. Different E-Street band: Mad Dog Vini Lopez on drums, and the great David Sancious: piano, organ, sax, mellotron, string arrangements. Jazzy, funky, looser & more groovy than other Bruce bands; soulful r&b, epic, gorgeous vibe, lots of horns (even a tuba!), more swing, less rock, maybe a bit influenced by another New Jersey band, Southside Johnny and Asbury Dukes. A different vision, one that Bruce left behind on his next masterpiece "Born to Run." (1975). I spun both records so we could listen & compare.

So, yeah, we talked about the albums, the recording process, keeping a band together, the ebb & flow of creativity, Bruce's perfectionism & activism, things we are also very deeply-engaged in too. We talked about all of this as if these topics were so very important, the answers, and our lives, depended on getting it all right. It's was like falling into another dimension. It was all so engaging, relaxing, refreshing & renewing. Sure, it was good, so very good, we plan to do it all again soon. Maybe we'll move onto our other favorite Bruce records? You know, those other absolute stone-cold masterpieces: Darkness on the Edge of Town  (1978) & The River (1980)

Yes, we definitely need the time to clear the headspace! And the pool, and the boombox, awaits!

Pretty Damn Good, But, Not Perfect...

Folk #1: Sure, I have big ideas, my creative world is large & teeming with ideas, plans, wide-ranging journeys. That's my headspace. But, in the real, tangible, physical world, my foot-print is pretty small. A friendly little town, a lakefront path, a little community on the fringes of a major U.S. city. My day to day is usually a long, rambling circle thru the hood. A big circle in a small town.

Most of our adventures, for my partner & I, are in the creative realm. We found ourselves in a little cafe on Wednesday night, in room full of songwriters. It was just the two of us, a guitar, a tambourine, two voices, running thru a little history of our own very personal songwriting explorations.

Most of the folks in the audience were accomplished singers, songwriters, poets & musicians. These folks perform all around town, have done so for years & years. They are part of thriving, folkie, singer-songwriter culture in Chicago. It was quite intimidating to play our songs for these folks. Sure, we write songs, but, I think my partner and I feel we don't really belong, or fit, within any particular circle. All of our music seems so personal, hand-made, organic, very much us, but, decidedly quirky, gnarly, spicy, maybe a bit homely.

What was that little cloud hanging in the air of the cafe? Judgement.

We both swallowed our uncertainty and sang with deep conviction and purpose. It was all so, so intimate, folks right up close, taking in every word, & chord. Everything went off quite well, but, still, I had few kerfluffles, miscues, flubs on my fretboard, and in the middle of one song, my guitar went out of tune. Yikes. Chaos rears it's head near & far. For some reason I was playing with a new set of strings, not my usual ones, and I was using a new pick. What was I thinking? Trying always to refine my approach, and do better. 

Shite. I forgot. Everything counts. Every last thing. If you are going to make a change, best to test it out, before bringing it out. Ha. I know, you are probably thinking, "He's actually gonna blame the strings & the pick?" Sure. Why not? Although, I have a feeling it was also the "social distortion," the being aware of a very discerning audience, that distracted me, and contributed to my losing focus. I was playing songs I have played many, many times in every conceivable circumstance imaginable. 

Still, I'd say, we did really good, most our set was performed well, the audience response afterwards was overwhelmingly positive, giving & loving. But we both knew it wasn't perfect. Yesterday, I restrung my guitar with my usual strings, and I ditched the new pick, and went back to an old standby. Details, every last little detail my friend, really can be the difference between the hoped for perfect, and the not so perfect.

Sure, we know we may never actually get to perfect, it's a chimera, but it is the goal, the beckoning promised land that is always dancing just out of reach on the shimmering horizon.

Self-Sabotage > Cascade of Failure...

Folk #1: "Being a good writer." What does that mean? Having something interesting to say? Being direct, and to the point? Flowery language? Using lots of big words? Compelling? Enlightening? I'm not really sure. I just checked yesterday's post. Lots of words. Maybe I need to simplify?

We are in big trouble here in the USA. And it's all a "self-own." We sabotaged ourselves, gladly, stupidly, & enthusiastically. We elected a man at war with the law, the truth, reality, democracy, & common sense. This foolish, super-corrupt idiot and malefactor thinks he can use his will to bully and bend reality. Madness. We are now reaping what we all have sown. It's a full-blown "cascade of failure." You would think everyone would be up in arms, pants on fire, doing everything they could to stop the bleeding immediately. That's not what's happening.

Why is it not happening? Good question. 

USA: Abnormal Psychology Writ Large...

Folk #1: In college I started out as an English Major, and then, when I found the Forsythe Saga too boring & daunting, I switched my Major to Psychology. Sure, I wanted to be a writer, but then, I rationalized that in order to be a good writer, I needed to study Human Beings, I needed to try to understand myself & others; I needed to know how Human Beings thought, & acted out in the world.  Now maybe I would have learned some of that if I would have stuck with The Forsythe Saga, but I was more into Vonnegut, Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, JR. Tolkien, Joseph Heller & Charles Bukowski. Fool kid, what did I know?! So, yeah, today, this morning, still a writer, and still a student of Human Psychology and motivations. 

I do think much of our Politics is actually Abnormal Psychology writ large. What to make of Trump and his relationship with the USA? Trump: the Bully, the Ignoramus, the Racist, the Criminal, the Stooge, the Sexual Predator, the Conman, the Coward, the Liar, the Thief, the Fool, the Fake Strongman, the Fat, Super-unhealthy Body, Mind & Spirit? You could not find a worse Human Being to lead a country. WTF?! 

Trump seems to want to punish us all here in the USA. His fans and followers are locked in a Toxic, Unhealthy, Abusive Marriage. And we all are on the sidelines stuck in the middle of the shit too. It makes no sense, and it is no way to live, but many of our fellow Human Beings are actually quite sick. Trump is all about Hate. I think a large pool of Hatred sits at the core of his being. Everything truly is about him, he thinks he is the center of the Universe, and wants everyone else to think so too, so yes, surely, a raging, toxic Narcissist. But funny enough, I believe he actually really hates himself too. He can never be happy or satisfied. It is Hate & Revenge that drives him. And I think that is true of his staunchest followers too. They are Haters willing to burn the world down, because, they too are unfulfilled, unhappy, looking for enemies & culprits who have caused them pain, when it is their own raging illness that drives them. They want to destroy anything and anyone who offers a different take on Life. It's ugly beyond belief. And it is astonishing that we find ourselves locked in the clammy grip of these Hateful Haters. Hopefully, we can move past this shite, and get to a healthier place. But it may get uglier as Trump's grip over us loosens and disintegrates. Dare I say it, Trump's end will not be good for him. The rest us? We will celebrate! Oh, yeah, and we will have to pick our way through the wreckage and the debris, and try to make a new USA, & get a fix, on a better way forward...

Morning of 2 Phrases...

Folk #1: Gliding across social media this morning, I come across 2 short phrases that hit home.

1. "Fomenting Chaos." - Yes, this is a very active impulse at the moment. Chaos Agents Fomenting. The rest us have to step up. Be clear-headed, responsible, and actively push back. Common Sense, Order, Responsibility, Clear-thinking, Active Reistance to the madness. These are the tools to lean on.

2. "An alliance of Hate is quite fragile." - Maybe so? We have seen the alliance of Hate actively wrecking our Democracy, and desecrating our land & common bonds. But the resistance to the Hate is vast and deep. Cracks are forming, the Haters have no loyalty, except to Hatred. It's a double-edged sword. The last stage of Hate? The Haters inevitably turn on eachother. Ugly. But True. The rest us need be prepared to pick up the pieces, and to do the clean-up.

So Damn Woke...

  

Folk #1 to Folk #2: "I am so damn woke, I am woke 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 & 4.0. All rolled into one. I am so damn woke, I can't sleep. Sure. It's a burden & a shame. As The Grateful Dead once sang: 'Wake up to find that you are the eyes of the world.' Or, you know, maybe that Jean Paul Satre idea: 'we are responsible for everything.' So, one very woke person is left with great worries, worrying about the interconnected web of life, worrying about sustainability, and the flourishing of all living things. Heavy shit.  But I can't imagine living any other way. Alive, Aware, Awake to the max. Being for something, and being staunchly against something. Fuck ICE, Fuck Racism, Fuck Trump, Fuck the Fascists, & Fuck the Republicans. Fuck the MAGA Idiots too. OK, yes, I use a lot of bad words, swears, I can't help it, it's the only way forward. This overamped wokeness will not be happy, will not be satisfied, until we totally remake the USA, and fix all of kinds of shit on this planet. We must work together as a thoroughly woke species. Back to common sense, goodness, an embrace of multiculturalism, science, liberalism, human rights, sanity, intelligence, good works, graciousness, kindness, the human melting pot, Truth, Justice, competence,  Democracy, Voting Rights, anti-corruption, a belief in a better day & a better way. These corrupt, incompetent people, must be tried & prosecuted. We need a real cleanse, a reset, & a reboot. All the major institutions need a major overhaul. Revolution in the Head. Woke to the max... The Harder They Come, the Harder They Fall... one & all..."

The Finest of Joyous Kicks...

Folk #1: Slow to write a post this morning. The last few days have been all about doing things. Carrying on. Persevering. Powering thru the days, even if our energy surges & retreats. We performed at a little wine shop, with a beautiful back room, and a dangling chandelier on Friday evening. It was just four of us: bass, violin, guitar, percussion two voices. Very, very intimate setting. The audience right in front of us. Super-friendly crowd. Lots of folks we knew, and many who just discovered our music and band. We were happily surprised by the turnout. You never can tell who is gonna show up. It was an incredibly satisfying show. When everything clicks, there are moments of complete transformation. Everything drops away, you find yourself by losing yourself, fully alive in the moment to moment. It is an incredible expenditure of energy. Exhausting, thrilling, and afterwards, there is an emptiness, a profound hollowness that hangs over and inside of us. I suppose it's just a major clearing, a bold opening, a doorway to the next thing. There is nothing better than that kind of all-consuming performance. The finest of joyous kicks. The only way forward is to find the next opportunty, the next time & place, to do it all again.

Running on a Record of Plague, Pestilence, Endless War & Famine...

Folk #1: So we are hurtling towards the mid-term elections. This will be little experiment. The Republicans are running on a platform of Plague, Pestilence,  Endless War & Famine. Oh yeah, and Bankruptcy, Corruption, Concentration Camps, Murder, Censorship, Fraud, the Epstein Class, Lies, & AI Slop. They are really challenging the loyalty of the MAGA Cult. The question on everyone's mind: Will the MAGA cult eat a Shit Sandwich, and say it's tastes good? Inquiring minds must know...

Bat-shit Insane x Bat-shit Insane = Tragedy...

Folk #1: I hate to harp (hee, hee),  on this Natalie Harp story. But it is truly bat-shit insane, and actually quite serious, like national security catastrophe type serious. One thing I can say about myself, I can see Looney-Tunes from a mile away. Sure. This unfolding story of madness is kind of gobsmacking, and sort of sadly hilarious, but super-serious too. The gatekeeper to the President is clearly a deeply unwell human being. Take one bat-shit crazy human being feeding AI slop & idiocy to another bat-shit crazy human being, one who happens to have one of the most important & powerful jobs on the planet, and well, basically we are all vulnerable, we are all fucked. What does that say about these people? Nothing good. What does that say about a country that would put these people in positions of great power? Nothing good.

Unwell. Very, Very Unwell.

 

Folk #1: Okay, let the outrageous speculation begin. What is the latest crazy-ass controversey unfolding in Washington D.C. at the moment?  Is Natalie Harp Trump's lover? (I know, gross, and seems improbable). Or as some have suggested, his "diaper nurse?" (I know, also really gross). Or a Spy (Maybe a bit more plausible)? Or just an insane woman infatuated with an insane, overstuffed, criminally-inclined, dementia-leaning, Facist, Wanna Be Dictator? (Hmmm, pretty sure that is a yes, no matter what the other evidence points to). I suppose the safe assumption would be All of the Above!

It's hard to tell what the fuck is going on. The more we learn about this woman, and her unhinged relationship with Trump, the weirder & crazier it gets. Unwell. Yes. All parties seem very, very unwell. Welcome to crazy-land. This idiotic Christian devotional shit is off the charts lunacy. As some very astute folks have pointed out, these two folks are also "gutter racists," the lowest of the low, dressed up in Biblical B.S. How did we end up in the clutches of this fucking insanity & ridiculousness? Inquiring minds want to know. Yikes!

Sense & No Sense...

Folk #1: David Byrne of Talking Heads once sang: "Stop Making Sense..." I think he was hoping folks would dig a bit deeper & rely more on using intuition in their daily lives. Made for a good line in a good song, but maybe not the best strategy for better living? Today, so many of us are scratching our confused, over-saturated heads asking: "Can We All Please Make Sense?" The unhinged-ness of our present 24/7 Facist Dystopia is getting more over-amped, crazy-making & unhinged every day. Yikes. Folks can't be this idiotic, simple-minded, deluded, wrong-headed & ridiculous? I mean, can they?!?

The Real Thing...

Folk #1: Working on a new song, one line in the last verse: "Find the Truth inside the Real."  I think it's an essential imperative, which is imperiled in our present circumstances. Too many people recoiling from the real, afraid of the real, in denial of the real. The real happens to be our best teacher; no doubt, the real is a hard-grader, no-nonsense, impossible to bargain with. You have to step up, and get your head around the real. So much of our present unhinged culture is about denying & trying to escape the consequences of the real. It's a fool's game. Sure, one has to adjust, change, morph, evolve, improvise, & deal with adversity, you must admit to yourself that not everything is about you. You aren't a fully-functioning, fully-realized human being if you don't come to terms with the real. The lessons & demands of the real are hard & true. A life honed, shaped, bounded by the real is the real thing.

An Affirmative Alternative...

Folk #1: It was an incredibly hot & muggy Sunday. The air thick, the heat oppressive. A day of rest for us. A long lazy morning, then on our bikes, off to the big art & music fest a mile or so South of our neighborhood. Trekked over to another little Chicago neighborhood famous for being shaggy, baggy, arty, edgy, wildly-diverse, distinctly-bohemian, a bit raw & uncooked. The pavement vibrated with heat. Lots of pageantry on the street, the human tribe exuberantly displayed in every conceivable color and flavor. Young, old, and everything in between. Lots of tattoos, hair in every stage of growth; long, short, coiffed, rolled, cascading, and shambling, hair painted in exotic vibrant, vibrating colors. Folks dressed up and dressed down in flowers & finery, leather & denim, silks and feathers. My partner and I definitely felt right at home, in some ways these are truly our people, our tribe; artists, poets, musicians, street folk, trans-folks, boys & girls, boys with boys, girl with girls, strange birds, odd characters; everyone seemingly very comfortable in their skins, out to see & to be seen, and to hang on the street, check out the music, sample the food, peruse the merch displayed in the vendor booths. A classic Chicago street fair. We pinballed back forth from the East stage to the West stage and back again. We bumped into a few folks we knew, chatted for a bit, then went back to wandering. The music was quite good. We saw two bands fronted by compelling, engaging women. One band was fiery, powerful, the other was dreamy & hazy. Both sounded great. There was a woman walking around with a clipboard reminding folks to register to vote. Otherwise, the fascist dystopia was not mentioned at all. Really, it was the fest itself, the gathering, that put the lie to the fascist agenda that the retro motherfuckers are trying to shove down our throats. Sure. It was a celebration, and an affirmative alternative to the soul-killing shit emanating from Washington D.C. It was good to see that this other America, dare I say, the real America (?),  still really exists, and despite all the manufactured stupidity, prejudice & mayhem, seemingly, amazingly, exuberantly defiantly, thrives! One burly, bearded, joyfully-militant-looking dude, wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with words in bold, white lettering:"They Can't Kill Us All!"

Cheat Code for Better Living...

Folk #1: Yes. So these fools are even destroying our military (see previous post). Appoint drunks, criminals, bad reality TV hosts to important jobs, and well, you will reap what you sow. 

This all got me thinking about  "logistics."  You can think of your own life as a campaign, an operation, a long-running adventure. You need stuff. Best to seek out & purchase top-quality, well-made things. You must pay attention to the details. That is what separates the idiots & dolts from the smart cookies.

All the little details can make your life a heaven or hell. It really comes down to logistics. Simple things can be everything: a bar of soap, well-made boots, a flashlight, a hot shower, loose-fitting pants, a sharp knife, toothbrush/toothpaste, shampoo & conditioner (is it a good hair day?), leather belt, woolen socks, underwear, toilet paper, coffeemaker, coffee-bean grinder, a razor, a good book (learn from others what it means to be human), shaving cream, an excellent pair of headphones, leather jacket, a pair of Levis, t-shirts, a barn jacket, a comb or hairbrush, nutritious food, a jar of peanut butter, coffee mug, Samsung Smart TV (entertaining ourselves is important too), sunglasses, sunscreen, electrolytes, a toaster, Ezekial Bread, some kind of music box: home stereo, turntable, Sony Walkman (always be spinning vinyl & CDs), a bicycle, comfy bed (not too hard, not too soft), fluffy pillow, sleep mask, a reading light, reading glasses (no longer 20/20 vision), iPhone, Chromebook, a vintage guitar, assortment of guitar picks, phosphor bronze guitar strings, capo, guitar tuner, tool box filled with tools, bicycle pump, gaffer's tape, bug repellant, band-aids, Arnica gel, Bio-freeze gel, various braces (knee, ankle, wrist), baby aspirin, iron skillet, wooden spoon.

I mean, hell, this list can go on & on. The more you pay attention, the more you see. A life of things, makes a good thing of one's life...

Cowards. Afraid of Reality...

Folk #1: The signs of America's Decadence & Decline are not subtle. Dementia-Laden, Bulbously-Criminal, Greedily-Corrupt, totally-incompetant President? Yes. That's a fucking hot clue right there. Over-stuffed, prodigiously-fortified, outrageously-expensive Military Machine, unable to provide decent food, toothpaste, tooth-brushes, toilet paper, hot-showers to long-deployed service members on a ship in the Persian Gulf?  Logistics are too woke for these idiots. Ha. Ridiculous. Astonishingly, gob-smackingly mind-numbingly goofy. Hollow, hair-gelled, in-over-their-heads, leaders willing to bald-faced-lie in the cold light of Truth?  Cowards. Whiners. Babies. Afraid of Reality. Every last one of them are the creepiest of creeps & cretins. Hmmm, yes. Pretty much on the nose: Decadence & Decline.  Did everyone get fucking amnesia? What the fuck happened to this country? This is our lovely USA today, riddled with the worst people possible.

Daffy Nutzo-Land...

Folk #1: I have been working under the idea that we all have entered a totally unhinged era. Collectively we have all gone through the looking glass. We are now in Totally Daffy Nutzo-Land. What drove us all insane? Maybe it was the Covid? Maybe it's the phones & social media? Maybe it's the giving up on the Future? Maybe it's the effects of Climate Catastrophe?  Maybe it's that the day to day weather is too hot, too extreme? Maybe too many of us are now on the Planet, and we can all see & hear just how inadequate, flawed, and arbitrary, we all really are? We all seem so afraid, and full of rage & dread? The $ have gone to our heads? We are all looking to cash out, and we are all just crashing out? We have lost the thread of the plot? What to believe? Seems so many of us are just casting about, reaching for straws, totally kooky, crazy, stupid; constantly fabulating crazy-ass alternate worlds? How is it possible that the USA could hand the job of President to a liar, a fool, a criminal, a racist, a sexual predator, a pedophile protector, a brain-mushed idiot? How could a political party stand by and support that man? Total fucking bonkers. Am I painting with too broad a brush? Notice every sentence I write ends with a ? Sure, I mean, I bet there are a few folks just like me, watching the unfolding spectacle, and thinking "This is not the way!" Seems we are the outliers. Out of step with the times. I don't have any secret knowledge, but I am constitutionally not built to follow the herd. I am sure that I am crazy in my own particular way, but, I lean on humility, I gravitate to clarity, I sit back, take a breath, and am totally astounded & gobsmacked, by the actions, thoughts, dreams & aspirations of my fellow human beings. WTF?!

Career-Defining Incident...

 

Folk #1: Yes. This decoy plane story, you know the President hiding in a catering cart, is just so pitch-perfect. Let's say it's "carreer-defining" for this overblown coward, creep, liar, blow-hard, fake-strong-man, & decidedly not so great person. Sometimes it's just one incident, one scene, one snapshot, that captures the whole strange saga. The one indelible thing that sums up a man. THIS IS IT! And it is so freaking hilarious...

History via "Dog-Brained Aristocrats..."

  

Folk #1: You realize, pretty much every day, that reality is a hard teacher. It's complicated, contradictory, weird, strange, baffling, disconcerting, disappointing, darkly-funny. Often you try to match up the pictures in your head with the world around you, and they just don't fucking match up. Then, there are days, when the pictures in your head sync up perfectly. You are then rewarded with the thought: "I'm not totally fucking crazy." Still you have be careful of falling for "confirmation bias," you don't want just stoke your own prejudices, beliefs, values, decisions. You have to be open to facts, evidence, and the wisdom & insights of other voices. You must be willing to change your mind, change your ways. You must adjust, evolve, morph, adapt. You must learn from your mistakes, and dear Lord, you will make mistakes. A change of consciousness can happen in an instant. Change your Mind, change your Life. Humility, Clarity, Clear-thinking, Clear-seeing, these tools, are doorways, passageways, they can be so enlightening & liberating...

Real & Fake, Oh Yeah, Hilarous too...

 This headline is REAL...

This photo is FAKE, but also, TRULY, FREAKING, HILARIOUS...

Eternal Sleuthing...

Folk #1: A Universe of signs & wonders. Trying my best to crack the code. Thinking there is some formula, some equation, some simple sentence, where it all adds up. Maybe a fool's quest? And still, I find myself always on the search, dedicated to an ever morphing & evolving, eternal sleuthing. It's a very funny, strange, odd, way to occupy one's time. Filling one's head with details, facts, scenes, secrets, potions, rituals, & incantations, reading the cards, casting the spells, wondering, always wondering & imagining...

From Hate to Love in One Day...

Folk #1: You can't tell from yesterday's post, but I woke up with the thought: "I hate everything." Let's just say it was an accumulation of factors. Sort of overwhelmed my normally sunny nature. And then, I flashed on the realization that this is a mode that is actually quite familiar to me. 

I do think much of my late childhood, early teen years, and well into my 20's & 30's that "hatred of things," sat easily on my shoulders, and was useful to me. It was just a general hate. Not happy with my lot in life. Edgy, gnarly, quick to be a smart-ass. It gave me purpose. Not the best place to meet the day, but it was there. I used it in my day to day, and I used it in my creative pursuits: writing short stories, poems, plays, and learning & playing guitar. I liked the dark & edgy shit. Yes. As Johnny Rotten once wrote: "Anger is an Energy." You can use hate & anger in useful, non-destructive ways. But of course, it's a double-edged sword too.

Funny. I, by & large, left that behind after lots of work on myself. I became a long-distance runner, I gave up drinking alcohol, I changed my diet, became a vegetarian, I learned meditation, and did "psychic-spiritual work." I had a lots of great relationships with interesting & creative people. I had a few major revelations including a deep insight & understanding of the interconnected nature of all living things. Ha. I lived for inspiration & transformation.

Anyway, yesterday that "hate everything mode," was a way of touching bottom. A starting over. It actually wasn't a bad way to start the day. You can't get any lower than that, the only way forward is "up." Simple things like a good cup of coffee, Neil Young singing & playing on the stereo, a good meal, communing with my best friend, a long, lazy afternoon sitting by a shimmering, gorgeous pool, playing a borrowed Martin guitar, singing all the random cover songs I know. Laughing about all the stupid shit that currently intrudes on our lives.

No sting in the hate. It just sort of evaporated in the air. I found all the things, small & large, that I love. The journey of a day. One day in the life. It was renewing, refreshing, relaxing. We conjured up some new dreams, and a few kooky ideas. Engaged. Diverted. Entertained.

Taking the Initiative...

Folk #1: It's sounds heady, maybe self-absorbed, & a bit improbable, but I find that most of my life has been about "forging my own path." Left to my own devices. I am suspicious of my own idea of "making things happen," but it is true, waiting around for someone else to take me by the hand, lead me to the riverside, just never worked out. Looking back, all the key steps forward came pretty much from my own intiative. This initiative most often came out of an existential crisis, an act of bleak desperation, stultifying boredom, & even, sometimes, great inspiration, excitement & enthusiasm. All of this has been bounded by pretty hard limits. A small foot-print, a circumscribed reach. Maybe most of these limits have been self-imposed? I just don't know. Limit of imagination, limit of intelligence, limit of "talent," limit of organization, limit of finances, limit of understanding the ways of the world.  I have had no great plan. Improvising moment to moment. "If I don't do it, it won't get done." I think this is true of the great & small events in my life. Still, I wonder if really, it's all been a misunderstanding on my own part? Is having "agency" an illusion? And how have I limited myself? How many doors were open, and I just didn't walk through? What were the decisive decisions that sent me down this long, winding, crooked path? Not knowing what I am doing, and still doing it anyway has been rewarding: writing, acting, directing, playing guitar, song-writing, performing with two bands, living creatively and with total commitment, but it has  also been damning: bad decisions, wrong turns, dead-ends, crushing failures. And, still, just fucking carrying on. You know, fuck it, & damn the torpedoes. Maybe not the best code for living a full life. But, it has been my method by choice, or maybe by default?

The Pen MIghtier than the Sword...

 

Folk #1: I have always been a fan of good political cartoons. Cut to the chase. Get to the nub of the situation. Depict simple truths with very few words. What's happening right now?! This is from Bill Bramhall.  Exquisite.

Yes. This low-state is real...

Folk #1: Some days the pricks & kicks, the slings & arrows, come fast & furious. One must be nimble & quick. If one avoids the fatal blow, there is time for reflection, recalibration, & renewal. You assess the damage, attend to the wounds, try to piece together a coherent narrative of what went wrong, and why you have been laid low. You vow to live in the real, so there is no way around it. This low-state is as real as stone, but not a final judgement. All of this can be fuel for your next adventure, your next steps forward. You gather up your energy & wits & venture out once again. No one knows what's next. The not knowing is probably helpful & necessary.

The Very Stupid People are Doing Very Stupid Things...

Folk #1: I don't mind trying to sum up life as it displays itself to me in the moment. I realize any take is partial, probably a bit arbitrary, & certainly kind of reductive. Will my particular take stand up over time? Who knows?! Maybe sometimes there is a certain intelligence baked into the simple?

Fuck. What is going on around here with my fellow Human Beings? 

The Very Stupid People are doing Very Stupid Things. 

Turns out even the People you thought were not Stupid, are in actuality, Quite, Very Stupid. AND, these Very Stupid People are immensely happy, I mean, like fucking over-joyed to Show & Tell the World just how Very Stupid they truly are! They fucking advertise it, and expect you to adore them for being so Very Stupid, and to emulate & follow them down the Rabbit Hole of Being Stupid too!

What is the best response to this Grand Stupidity? Just don't be fucking Stupid...