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...

Losing the War Against Reality...

Folk #1: Ha. Ha. Ha. The Mad-Would-Be-King is at War with Reality. It really is hilarious. I mean, it's hilarious, except there are some real, dire consequences for the rest us. So, you know, it's a special kind of hilarious that also hurts & cuts deep. Funny stuff that is deadly too. Potent. People will die. People will be harassed & arrested, people will be bombarded with lies & idiocy. People will rise up and cry "Uncle!"

So, yeah, a war on reality, near & far.

"Over there," the War in Iran, is not going well for the USA. Not surprising in the least. The stupidest, least capable folks imaginable led us into a certain losing proposition. What does the Would-Be-Mad-King do when he loses a War? Lie. Rant. Pound the table. Demand that everyone see that he actually won. Shite. That is maddening for everyone involved. Not a little thing. Dead people. Lots of them. For no good reason. All those dead soldiers and civilians can't be lied away.

"Over here," the reflecting pool fiasco just keeps spinning out. Our Would-Be-Mad-King is sure there are "reflecting pool vandals" that must be punished. It's all a fucking mirage. The contactor fucked up. It was botch job from the first. A no-bid contract given to another fraud. What is fraud x fraud? More fraud. What happens when the world responds: "There were no reflecting pool vandals, you idiot?" The Would-Be Mad-King lies, rants, pounds the table once again. He demands we all see & hear what he wants us to see & hear. Fuck that. No deal. The raving loser doesn't get a win. The Would-Be-Mad-King can never own up to his own fuckups or failures. Fuckup & Failure? The ocean he swims in.

This War with Reality? For sure, I'm betting on Reality. 

Powering Through...

Folk #1: Powering through on discipline, common sense, gumption, perseversance and an ornery, gnarly commitment to the real...

Imaginary Figures in a Diseased Mind...

Folk #1: This morning there are many, too many to count, fucked up stories competing for our attention. Which one to write about? Maybe not the most important one, but probably one of the funniest ones.  

Charges against Olympian Canoist David Hearn, the "reflecting pool vandal," have been dropped. Who could have predicted this outcome?  Hmmm, well, any sane, rational human being! 

Turns out our President has shadowy, ghostly figures dancing around in his head. He conjures up all kinds of imaginary enemies: Antifa, Communists, Sandwich Guy, Reflecting Pool Vandals; you know,  all those folks eating the cats & the dogs."  

It is funny; all the ways a diseased mind can devolve.

Bozo > Asshole...

Folk #1: Does anyone else remember the Firesign Theatre: an American surreal comedy troupe? Super-funny and mind-expanding. I would listen to them do their thing on the local FM radio station that would frequently spin their records late at night. The station had no corporate-directed format, except DJ's playing cool records all the time. One of my favorite records, and titles was/is: "I Think We are All Bozos on this Bus." Although, that actually seems quaint now. A simpler era. I would amend & update it to "I Think We are All Assholes on this Bus." In the USA, and around the world, there has been a distinct turn to ass-hole-ish-ness in all it's many splendored-forms. This trend is ascendent both near & far. It sort of pisses me off. Which I guess feeds my own private ass-hole-ish-ness too. Super-gnarly, recalcitrant, edgy. It's a conundrum. This is the era where we are fed a daily diet of high-grade Bullshit. Reminds me of that famous Mad Magazine line: "Eat Shit, 50 Million Flies Can't Be Wrong." Our current President and his administration of cowards blatantly lie to the American people, and to the world, every fucking day. It's getting so you are suspicious of everything & everyone. Trust what you are hearing from these goons?! Hell no.  Maybe that's how they want it? Gives them license to rob us all blind, while they unleash a fire-hose of shite upon us. This time, this place: USA = Bozo > Asshole. Definitely not progress...

The Daughter has the Father's Number...

  

Folk #1: That creepy, nerdy, racist, fascist-adjacent, ketamine-infused, White South-African, Apartheid-loving, stooge, Billionaire, or is he still a Trillionaire (?), (so much of his wealth is inflated by the over-valuation of Tesla and SpaceX), is now the face of the over-amped, super-corrupt, Epstein-Class, Tech-Bro Oligarchy.  Musk has 14 children from 4 different women. Family values don't you know?!

Anyway, his first child is "Vivian Jenna Wilson (born April 17, 2004) an American-Canadian social media personality and model.[2] She is the eldest daughter of Elon Musk and his first wife, Justine Musk (née Wilson). In 2020, Wilson came out as a transgender woman, began treatment for gender dysphoria, and became estranged from Elon Musk, changing her legal name two years later."

Vivian seems to have her father's number for sure. I think she, like many of us, have embraced the "woke mind virus," you know, it's a good thing, seeing clearly, sticking to truth, facts, reality, leaning to the light, being progressive and supportive of human beings in their many-splendored glory. One can only hope that Musk inspires a renewed movement to address income inequality. 

As AOC reminds us: "Every Billionaire is a policy failure..."

Addictions Good & Bad...

Folk #1: There was no internet service over here at the big house yesterday, so I wasn't able to write a post. I usually don't want to miss writing in this particular space. I mean, I am usually a bit obessive about writing in the morning. I have an addictive personality. I find the trick is to channel my addictions to either healthy or harmless pursuits. So, yeah, deeply addicted to drinking a pot of coffee in the morning (it seems to work for me), addicted to music, (my love & passion), addicted to reading, (essential to being human), right now, addicted to avocados (they taste amazing and supposedly good for you). The Next Big Thing. Oh yeah, I am also addicted to always finding The Next Big Thing. It's embedded in my being. I am also addicted to writing & blogging (I can't imagine not writing). But yesterday I just had to let it go. I ended up sitting in a comfy chair, looking out the big bay window, watching the sun rise over the lake, sipping coffee, just staring off into the great distance. If I had anything to say, anything to write, or to think, I just let it all drift away. I couldn't surf the internet for the latest on the relentless shit-show, which actually was nice; a brief reprieve. Too much shit-show makes the baby go blind. Anyway, the internet  is back on this morning. So I type. It feels good. You know, you have to be the monkey, & to feed the monkey. So happy I never smoked cigarettes, I gave up drinking alcohol a long time ago, and gambling, which I used to love to do with a great passion, betting on the ponies, is now just a distant, strangely-unreal memory. I can't imagine how gamblers today are going to survive, they can now bet on pretty much anything via their little smart-phones, which is conveniently directly connected to their bank accounts. Holy Mother of God! Bankruptcy looms for a generation of lost, frantic gamblers just trying to get even. That is a fucking losing proposition. No doubt. Not good for the health or wealth of the monkey...

Environmental Dystopia...

Folk #1: The world is on fire. Figuratively, literally. Sure Climate Catastrophe. Helped along by the Climate Change Deniers. The same folks who go out their way to deny Truth & Reality.

We had a taste of environmental dystopia yesterday. A small, short micro-burst blew threw town destroying trees, knocking out power. Expect more of this kind of violent weather. It is the new normal. Over here at the compound, the mansion on the lake, everything failed. That's how it goes sometimes. You ask yourself: "What can wrong?!" The answer: "Everything!"

The power out, the backup generator refused to fire up. The sump-pumps dead. Water flooding the basement. I spent lots of time in the dark playing an acoustic guitar. Yes, I played music while the storm raged and the water rose. Then, lighting candles, walking around with a little, surprisingly, powerful flashlight. I have got to buy one of my own trusty little flashlights. One tiny needlepoint flashlight can light up a whole room. It's gratifying to find something that actually worked. Who knew?!

My smartphone ran down quickly. No internet.  Cut-off. Suddenly alone, stranded, transported back to the 1980's, before personal computers, smartphones, crazy-ass social media. It's wild how we all take so much for granted. I sort of felt like I was the designated caretaker on the Titanic. I was on-duty. Guarding the citadel. The ship was surely going down. All I could do was watch it slowly sink. WTF?!

Late last night, a repairman, lurking in the dark, jump-started the generator, it was small, easily fixed fuckup, and then, magically, all the power in the place came back on. Funny. It's like it never happened. At least, if you don't go down in the basement, or go out in the streets. Trees & branches strewn around some crazy-ass party that got totally out of control.

The last message from my partner late last night: "Don't do anything Stupid." Ha. Tell that to everyone on this fucking teetering, careening, quickly, definitively, frying, planet...

Many Minds...

Folk #1: Wandering? Yes. Good. Rambling thru the streets & paths of our little town, on a Summer day, delightful. Chatting up folks. Promoting our upcoming r&r show. The sun glinting, white puffy clouds passing, humanity in all it's many splendored glory out & about, just living.

A Wandering Mind? Not so good. Distinctly different from aimless & enjoyable Day-Dreaming. For some reason, when my mind wanders, it goes to the dark places, the moody valleys, lands on the fuckups, the missed opportunities, the slammed doors, the broken dreams.

Better to focus on one thing after another. Occupied Mind. Focused Mind. Engaged Mind. Busy Mind. Directed & Disciplined Mind. Yes.

Chip on My Shoulder...

Folk #1: I can't explain it. I believe I was born with a "chip on my shoulder."  Not sure how, why, or when that happened. A quirk of birth? Do you believe in Past Lives? I am deeply unsure. Although, I kind of like the idea. It is appealing to think we are engaged in a long series of repeating lives, working through our shit, having to come back over and over, because some shit just takes multiple lifetimes to fix. So, anyway, I have spent much my Life attending to that chip. Tuning out the "needing, wanting, grasping" radio station, and spending many, many hours trying to perfect a state of Peace & Calm: meditating, concentrated deep breathing, chilling out, trying to sand off the sharp edges of my Spirit & Being. You know ZEN & Be Here Now. I take that chip off of my shoulder and put it away in a dark corner. Funny, it can easily be placed right back on my shoulder in an instant. Some days, I wake up with that chip, edgy as fuck. Or, sometimes it's a comment, or a situation, or just a certain look from a certain person and wham, that chip is right there pointy, cutting, sharp as a razor. And, of course, the crazy-ass nature of our out of control, totally unhinged shitshow of our current time makes having a chip on my shoulder seem like the right and natural state. What's happening in the world right now? I am against it! So, I have used that chip, that edgy-ness, to drive myself, to prod others, and to try to "make things happen." Which may be an illusion. Does anyone really make anything happen? Or does shit just happen? And then, well, I face the music, attend to the details, and make hash of my own little reality. Lately, I have been  starting my days, which sometimes start at an ungodly hour in the morning, when it's still pitch-black out, listening to Lou Reed's song Junior Dad. He recorded it with Metallica. The lyrics are dark, sad, violent, recounting a difficult relationship with his (the character's),  father. It was one of the last things Lou recorded. There is a beautiful extended droning instrumental at the end. 19 mintues of turmoil, sadness, anger & bliss. I don't know, this song speaks to me right now unlike anything else. "The greatest disappointment..."  I can't deny that chip is sitting there, asking to be fed. It's there, has always been there. I am working on it, doing what I can make it work for me, and not against me. It's at least one life-long process...

Diseases of the MInd...

Folk #1: Over here, peace & calm. But, silly me, I check in with the national scene. It's a nasty habit, taking the temperature of the world.

What do I find? 

Ethnic Cleansing, Murder in the Streets, Racial Profiling, Measles on the loose, Parasites in Lettuce, Explosive Diarrhea, Concentration Camps in USA, Fascists in the White House, Stupidity on Steroids, Rich Fucks using Government as a Feeding Trough, Criminals & Rapists: the Epstein Class empowered, a River of Lies, a New Forever War, the AI Scam, our Idiot President yucking it up with the White House Reporters. Fuck. One wonders if Idiocy, Corruption, Fascism, Racism, Stupidity, Greed, Lying, & Evil are contagious? Diseases of the Mind.

Radically Sincere...

Folk #1: Lately, my most radical stance in these trying times? Being sincere. You know, believing that being sincere is important, a good quality to aspire to, & being it. Taking a hard stand and sticking with it. Through thick & thin. Being honest, genuine, pure? Seems so otherworldly. Old-fashioned. Out of step. Everything today seems like a moving target. Also, of course, being a Human Being means there are no absolutes. Absolutely honest, genuine, pure? Seems impossible in the Human realm. All one can do is try one's best in the moment to moment. And if Nature teaches us anything, nothing is truly pure. Still, best to Lean to the Light. Clinging to anything, holding fast, seems recalcitrant, gnarly, contrary. I recently found myself "standing on principle," and it was a bit embarrassing. Every hill is made of shifting sand. Calling attention to myself. I admitted that I had a "code of conduct," you know, for instance: "I don''t hang with Nazis or Assholes," and sticking with it. I was met with a thundering silence. Maybe I dated myself to another time, and another place? Oh, well. It's where I'm at. Fuck it. Damn the torpedoes.

The Days of Reckoning Looming on the Horizon...

Folk #1: These Nazis, or maybe better to call them the Neo-Nazis are not good at governing. If there is one lesson learned from the 20th Century, it would be: Fuck these Nazis. Brutalzing human beings, caging them, deporting them, murdering them, dividing them & humiliating them across racial lines, is just retro, anti-human trash, and Crimes Against Humanity.

These Nazis are liars too. They lie about every damn thing. Their ideology is built on lies, and everything flows like toxic waste from that point forward. You cannot believe one word dribbling from their mouths.

What to do? We are all soiled and diminshed by these Nazi Creeps.

We need to do a little bit of housekeeping. Those who have committed crimes should be arrested and sent to face the music at the International Criminal Court, and made to answer, and take responsibility, for their actions. 

This all needs to happen once we vote, & sweep these Nazis out of our Government.

We need Justice for Humanity. There is a long list of Folks who have violated the law, common sense, & decency. The Days of Reckoning loom over the horizon. So be it.

Turns Out Some Things Can Be Un-Fucked. But Not Everything...

Folk #1: On Monday, this week, I wrote this post: World Gone Wrong. Basically a post about "fuck-ups," near and far. Seems the Universe is so large & diverse, there are forces at work that foster and encourage fuckups. Chaos & Entropy are hard & busy teachers.

Turns out my near to hand fuckups, have been royally un-fucked up. 

A twisted-into-a-pretzel bike chain? 

No worries. Sure, I had to walk that bike across town to the bike shop, a long, winding journey thru the busy streets, but the bike technician put my bicycle on the rack, and in about 3 mins, worked out the kinks and reset the chain. "No charge!"  The bike tech is a serious pro. He doesn't give you any "warm & fuzzies," he just does the work, gives you a little nod of recognition, and gets busy, onto the next thing. It does "take a village." And it helps to frequent local businesses. These folks stand behind their work & their bikes. Gratifying. 

Also, the short-run vinyl vendor who ran an order of 20 vinyl records was deeply apologetic about sending flawed, defective records to us. He assured us that he will re-cut 16 new records to replace the ones that came out poorly, and ship them out next week. Again, refreshing to find someone who stands behind their product & company, and takes responsibility when things go wrong. We were worried we'd have to go to war to find some kind of solution. Nope. Again, the magic words: "No charge." Satisfying.

And, well, the winds shifted, and the smoke in our little town cleared. A gorgeous day yesterday. Lower temps, cleaner air. Felt like "Endless Summer," was back on in full glory. Of course, we are captive to the direction of the wind. Those fires in Canada are raging. But, a reprieve for now. Encouraging.

What about Climate Catastrophe? Oh, well, that fuck up is still on in full force. The Tricky Monkeys aren't even dealing with it. I mean, expect it to get worse, with all kinds of unfortunate consequences across the board. Yikes.

And what about the War? 

Total fuck up. An Expanding fuck up. Clearly our prodiously stupid President and his cowardly boot-lickers are greatly over-matched. Figure that the fuck ups will continue, and continue to replicate & multiply. There is a limit to un-fucking things up, and you need competent, honest folks with smarts & integrity, willing to roll their sleeves up and to do the work, & to make adjustments, recalibrate, renew. This administration is incapable of taking any responsiblity whatsoever. They can never, admit mistakes, they think they can just bullshit & bluff their way past reality. They just constantly lie, shout & rant.  Disheartening. 

So, yeah, a completely mixed bag. Things will often fuck up. The question is, how does one deal with it? In my own little circle things seem on the upswing, in the bigger picture? Fuck no.

Embracing the Arbitrary Nature of Existence...

Folk #1: Funny. A very good sleep last night. No dreams that I can remember. Just a deep submersion into silence, quiet, darkness. Very refreshing.

What am thinking about as I type this morning? I am thinking about the arbitrary nature of our existence. Random. Incidental. Accidental. Shaky. Winding. Circular. Evolving. Devolving. 

Doors, open & closed. 

All the experiences that make a mark on our consciousness. The trauma & drama of having, and being being aware of, having a body.

We construct a narrative arc. We piece together the all of the signs & wonders. We perceive and decide. 

We tell the stories. We dream the dreams.  We crash & burn on the shoals of reality. We modify and draw conclusions. And then we often tear those conclusions up and try on some others. We modify our appearance, our clothes, our attitudes, our opinions. We try to draw a few lines in the sand to stand upon. They slowly vanish under assault from the waves & the breeze & the arbitrary vicissitudes of a well-earned life.

World Gone Wrong...

Folk #1: Things going wrong near & far. You ask yourself, somewhat beseechingly: "What Can Go Wrong now?" Well, pretty much everything. Words like Entropy & Chaos leap into your mind. You know, things like randomness, disorder, failure & fuck-up-ness rear their ugly heads. Seems these phenomena are just in-built in the Universe. As Neil Young once sang: "Rust Never Sleeps." 

Yes, locally, things have been falling apart in my little circle. I keep bringing my main means of transportation, my trusty bicycle, into the bike shop for repair; flat tire, twisted into a pretzel-like chain, gear shifter stuck. How did any of these things happen? I have no idea. A series of little freak occurances. Tiny fuck-ups that led to major fails. 

Also, we ordered up from a boutique custom vinyl shop, a limited vinyl run of one of our albums. The vendor sent us 20 copies. We discovered to our dismay that 16 of them were defective with all kinds of issues. Only 4 copies played without issues. WTF?! Something went drastically wrong with that production run. Yikes.

Then step back, move out a little farther, and the wind currents blowing a certain way, means that ugly toxic smoke from out of control Canadian fires engulfs our little town with unhealthy, toxic, noxious, air. Hiding indoors, wearing mask outdoors, another kind of fuck-up-ness alive in our corner of the world.

Then step even a little farther afield, extreme temperatures from the stupid humans throwing too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, trapping heat, fucking with our goldilocks evironment. Yes. Major fuck-up. Chaos baby, in it's many splendored forms.

Finally we hear that the USA is now again cranking up the War with Iran. Fuck. "What could possibly go wrong?" Oh yeah. Fuck. Everything. Especially because the USA, and it's delusional, seriously-unhinged, & super-uninformed electorate, royally fucked up by electing an incompetent, corrupt, greedy, brainless, quite-disgusting, fucking idiot. Does he know what he's doing? Fuck no.

Let's zoom back in time & check in with the great William Shakespeare, from his play Julius Casear: “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war…”

Days of uncertainty, chaos, entropy. World Gone Wrong.

Failure, Success, Madness...

"She knows there's no success like failure / And that failure's no success at all," 

Bob Dylan's 1965 song "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" on the album Bringing It All Back Home. 

Folk #1: Yes. A quiet Sunday morning. Thinking about living under a government that is at war with it's own people, and how that same government is desperately, frantically, nonsensically, pleading, threatening, assaulting & punishing folks every damn day, and at the same time, they are demanding that things are great, even though we can see the country is locked in a robust, ever-expanding shit-show, & that despite the evidence of our own eyes & ears, we should all get in line & vote for them once again. Because... well... Fucking... Madness...

I am also thinking about Success & Failure. It is a certain private obsession built into the fabric of my being. I mean, it's embedded in me, not by choice. A sort of cross to bear. I suppose, I would amend Dylan's line like so: "There really is no success, only infinite degrees of failure." 

Not as poetic or musical. But, my experience tells me it is essentially "true." The trick is to navigate through the murky cloud of failure, and deal with it as best one can. 

Revenge of the Stupids Tour...

Folk #1: Think of Trump and his cowardly boot-lickers as the Revenge of the Stupids Tour. Every day it seems we are assualted with more & more stupid shit. It's exhausting. Attacks on our intelligence, on our public health, on our legal system, on logic, truth, and clear-thinking. Most of us know all of this shite is so wrong, and it grinds on one's good cheer. These folks have no idea how to run a government, they are dismantling & looting government while feeding the Epstein Class of Trillionaires & Billionaires. The Stupids are afraid of the American Voters. They are super-afraid of accountability & reality. Think of the extreme temps, the blazing out of control fires, as reality making a nasty comeback. Yes. Climate Catastrophe is Woke. The Trumpers can lie & rant, flail & fail all they want, they can deny & try to con their way out of the plain truth staring them in their fat, blow-hard, faces, but it's all to no avail. I think we finally, mercifully, are reaching the Limits of the Stupid. The Con, the grift, the deep in the bone corruption can only go so far. Sure, lots of folks have been riding the Money Train, but that too is loaded with Bad-Faith, Stupidity & Corruption. Much of our economy now is built on the foundation of Fraud & Theft. What next? The Age of Accountability. It's gonna get really spicy & dicey around here. Lots of hard work ahead. Many of these folks in the current adminstration will finally have to face the music. Let Justice & Accountability prevail. Thinking the Revenge of Reality Tour. The Counter-Revolution in the Head. Welcome to Woke-Ville fuckers...

We Have Cooked Our Own Goose...

Folk #1: Man-made Climate Catastrophe Part II (see previous post). Sure, Climate Change is real, we done did it to ourselves via our industrial ways, burning fossil fuels, factory farming of livestock, & the planet is suffering under extreme heat, too much carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, the heat gets trapped, and everything burns. The Humans have been very poor caretakers of the Planet. Extreme heat leads to super-dry conditions on the surface of the land. Below is NASA's map of fires that are raging out of control in Canada and the USA. The world is burning. And we are the arsonists. Yesterday, because of the direction that the air was blowing, it was so smokey in Chicagoland, the air so unhealthy, folks were directed to stay inside, or, if they asolutely had to go out, to wear protective masks. Lake Michigan was shrouded in a thick, gray, smokey haze. You could smell and taste ashes in the air. My partner and I cancelled most of our outdoor activities. Yikes. The new normal is definitely not fucking normal. We Human Beings have cooked our own fucking goose! WTF were we thinking?!

Man-Made Climate Catastrophe...

Folk #1: Yes. Incredibly hot in the Heartland. My partner and I have navigated thru the streets and paths under a blazing Sun the last week or so. Even a few hours outside is a challenge, and pretty damn exhausting. I must say, yes, we Tricky Monkeys have totally fucked oureselves Climate-Wise. Burning fossil fuels and throwing massive amounts of carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere have really done a number on our "Goldilocks" climate on Earth. We are seeing ungodly temps all across the planet, and more frequent & violent storms. Madness for sure. How can a Species be so unthinking, uncaring, self-sabotaging? I guess it's Greed, Hubris, Arrogance, Stupidity, Blind Fucked-up-ness. Yes. Book it: Man-Made Climate Catastrophe. Some of us are hoping for a Miracle Cure, a Silver Bullet, but we are fast approaching an irreversible Cascade of Failure on all fronts.Yikes. Those Environmentalists, Poets, sensitive Singer-Songwriters & Hippies were so right way back in the 1960's & 1970's. We doubled down on the Madness. The Future is looking Hot, Super-Fucking-Hot. We were born into Paradise, and turned it into a Blazing, Smoking parking lot. Fuck. Stupid Tricky Monkeys.

Lessons in Summer 2026...

Folk #1: 10 Lessons in the Summer of 2026...

1. Never, ever, rough-house with an English Bulldog.

2. Toast is good; a food-group all it's own.

3. Electrolytes will save your ass.

4. Cooking food became a common practice in the Human Clan for a reason.

5. Listen to the Crazy People to know what's up in crazy-land, & at same time tune them the fuck out.

6. Pay attention to every last detail in your own little orbit.

7. Live lightly & in the moment.

8. Silence truly is golden.

9. Find a buddy, and live & die by the buddy system.

10. "Be humble, it's the Universe, Jake..."

Crimes Against Us All...

Folk #1: ICE is murdering Human Beings in the streets of America. The latest murders happened in Maine & Texas. ICE agents shoot folks down and then lie about it. Often they lie even when the video reveals their crimes & their lies. So obviously wrong & evil. This, of course, is terribly intolerable, horrible; dastardly evil crimes against us all. Think: State Terrorism. We are all under assault. If we are silent, we are complicit. We are all implicated in these crimes. Abolishing ICE is an essential first step. These armed, masked thugs acting with lawless impunity must be charged and tried in the courts. This kind of senseless, inhumane violence coming from a Government Agency is beyond the pale. Any & all politicians who support, and voted to fund this violent agency need to be voted out, shamed, shunned & kicked to the curb. Yes. This violence in our streets is happening in America 2026. Appalling. Heart-breaking. We must stand against this horror-show. Organize. Protest. Vote. Demand accountability. What an abomination & a terrible stain on our beloved country. No time for tears. We demand Justice. NOW!

An Expanding Day...

Folk #1: The expanding days. Yesterday was a long day. It just seemed to expand moment to moment. My partner I were attending to multiple duties. Lots of to-ing & fro-ing. On the go pretty much all day. It was exhilarating & exhausting. We definitely fully experienced the day. The beaches were alive with activity, the paths & walkways busy with humans doing their human things. We just threw ourselves into all of our tasks, chores & responsibilities. We didn't have time to think. It was a day of doing. A working day. Finally, when I had moment, all I could do was sit in silence. Too tired to think. Clarity. Just a bold clarity descended upon me like a halo or aura. What did we accomplish? Not so much. There was the beat, the churn, the pulse of Life. We floated, we flowed, we trudged, we persevered, we stuck to the tasks at hand, put our shoulders to the wheel. We did every thing we had to do. It was a long, long day.

Doing Good, Being Good...

Folk #1: No tears shed for the untimely death of the evil-doers, those who spent their time on the planet making life a misery & chore for other folks; those nasty folks who punched down, and brutalised the poor, the weak, the hungry, the vulnerable, the needy. When one of these folks pass, the first thought: What a terrible human being & a terrible legacy. Sorry to say, there are some folks who are irredeemable. If they are on their way now to meet their maker, well, let's hope they are held to account for their crimes against humanity. Accountability in Big Sky! Some of us really do think we should all go out of our way to make the world a better place; kinder, gentler, more giving, willing to lend a helping hand to our fellow human beings. I think of musical inspirations: Nick Lowe's "What's so Funny about Peace, Love & Understanding," and Jerry Garcia's & Robert Hunter's "Wake up to find you are the eyes of the World."  It's not that complicated, but it does seem to be against the larger trend. Maybe the question on everyone's lips should be: "What can I do to make this a better, friendlier, place?" Doing good, being good just because. Sounds naive, sappy, too hippy-dippy? So be it. Ha, I mean,  Fuck It. It's ok to lean to the Light, to take a stand, to shun & condemn the evil-doers, and to stand with, & root for, the good-doers...

Monster for a Day...

Folk #1: I am staying at a lakefront mansion with a couple little furry creatures. It is one of my gigs. There is a superb sound-system here, and an excellent coffee-maker, so I am well-fortified for a nice stay-over. Yesterday, I had a super-busy schedule, lots of to-ing & fro-ing. I was lucky to have a decent night's sleep the night before, so I was feeling totally up to the task. There was a Monster Energy Drink in the fridge, someone else's beverage, something I would never normally drink. I drank it down with gusto. OMG. It was total rocket fuel. I kind of felt like Superman. Pretty sure I could crash through a wall. Now, I am not endorsing this energy drink, it's loaded with caffeine, and I get enough of that with my coffee addiction. I have sneaking suspicion it's not actually a healthy beverage. I told my partner I drank it, and she said: "I forbid you from drinking that ever again." Funny. She is the only person I ever really listen to. Ha! Oh well. All I can say, I flew through the day, sailed through all my appointments, did everything I was supposed to do, & I felt no pain. Early evening I was pretty spent. It was a good day. Still, I know, one needs to pick & choose one's poisons wisely. "Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing..." But Monster for a day, yes, sure that did the trick...