A Furious Dance...

Folk #1: Hell. I am not an alarmist, just a thinking person, stuck in the middle of a world of alarmists. Still, I have an unpeaceful, uneasy feeling that something major, major is gonna go down. Funny. I can't pinpoint it. Look around. and anyone can see there are many pressure points, hot-spots, bad actors, negative trends. There is bad shit going down every day. Still, that's not it. I have a vague premonition, one without a name or subject. Is it something expected or unexpected? I don't know. I surmise it's something world-changing, mind-blowing, maybe apocalyptic, catastrophic, or at least something that will be undeniable for anyone paying attention. Is anyone paying attention? I am not saying "the end is near,"  that seems foolish, but I do think we humans will be compelled to rethink much of what we take for granted. We have been hurtling thru our days at a super-fast, accelerating clip; the world is in a furious dance. There is a day a time sitting out there on the near horizon. I suppose it is a day of reckoning, or a day of chickens coming home to roost. I don't think it has anything to do with a god, or an extraterrestrial alien invasion. Although, who knows?!  I am more in the camp of this being something of our own doing, a major self-sabotage, a total fuck-up with consequences for many of us. Yikes. Is it gonna be fun? Depends on how you define fun.

Woke Working Folks...

Folk #1: My partner & I are working stiffs, and come from a long line of working stiffs. Woke working stiffs. Happy to have jobs, able to work, making an honest buck, happy to be woke too. You know, fully Alive, Aware, Awake. 

Labor Day 2026 we both had a day off. We did lots of goofing off. Riding bikes on the lakefront. Lazing on the grassy knoll, looking across the lake at the shimmering Emerald City a tiny city of toy skyscrapers way off in the distance. Eating vegetarian Beyond Meat sausages (no animals were sacrificed in preparation of  this meal) (yes, that's woke), and saueted potatoes for lunch. 

Then, we decamped to our secret garden, played CDs (Steely Dan, Mono, Fontaines D.C.)  on our amazingly great Sony boombox & left most of the drama & trauma behind. We marveled at the geese honking and flapping in the blue sky overhead. We watched a tiny little spider building a silky web, yes, we were entertained and amazed by that little spider tossing irredescent, silky threads, pool-side, from one metal handrail to another. The spider web was an intricate, complex, gorgeous thing. Talk about working for a living, working for the next meal. That spider showed us the value of the doing good work, one silky thread at a time. 

We sipped non-alchoholic drinks (yes, that's for sure woke), & sat in silence for long stretches of time. Time seemed to stand still. The day just elongated.

We were still talking about, & laughing at, that white, middle-aged, prosperous-looking woman who accosted my partner the day before. It was at the local Trader Joe's. My partner stopped to give some change to a young girl (from a marginalized segment of the population),  panhandling at the entrance of the store. My partner & I always give money to the panhandlers (men, woman, mothers with children, men with children). Sometimes it's quite the scene. It's part of our shopping routine. We are even casual friends with some of the needy folks, chatting, laughing, talking about the weather, and the spooky, uncertain ways of the world. 

The store is a popular location for down on their luck folks asking for money. The woman walking behind my partner shouted: "That's just like you woke people, rewarding bad behaviour." My partner was stunned, and firmly silent. She gave that woman a stern look in return. The woman then marched into the store, stormed over to the store manager and complained about the panhandler. The manager replied: "She has a right to be there."

Why were we laughing? 

We couldn't imagine the thought-train of being against lending a helping hand, reaching in a pocket for some small change, an easy gesture of kindness & care extended to one of our fellow human beings. Why was that young girl asking for money? Really? Who knows? Bad luck, unfortunate decisions, trying circumstances, self-sabotaging habits, accidents, trials & tribulations, the hurly-burly of life, difficult childhood, an inordinate amount of trauma & drama, you know, I mean, whatever. A person who appears to be in need. Treat them kindly. Not such a big ask, or heavy burden.

WTF?!

You know, we fall back on those two old Biblical-style ideas "There but for the Grace of God, Go I."  "Do unto others as would have them do unto you." And one we coined ourselves:  "We are all one catastrophe away from catastrophe." Empathy & compassion are good, necessary drugs. We see ourselves in the faces & places of other people. We aren't really even church-y people. Small acts of kindness, that just seems like a logical & rational way forward; we imagine a world of kindness, care, & generosity, I mean that is the world we certainly want & hope get to live & to thrive in.

Anyway, yes, it's good to know, and to live by, the ideas & actions you are aligned with, and to know & walk awary from what you don't really believe in at all. Embrace: Love, Kindness, Genrosity, Compassion, Empathy, Reject: Hate, Racism, Selfishness, Greed, Cruelty.  

It was a very good day. No labor, all casual goofing off. Good medicine for the headspace & the heart & spirit too.

Underestimating the Cruelty & Horror...

Folk #1: I suppose our greatest fault as a species is underestimating the level of cruelty & horror some folks will unleash on other folks, in the name & the cause of racism. We woke folks, want to give others the benefit of the doubt, "there but for the grace of God, go I," and we tend to assume the best of others. You know, we are big believers in the interconnected, mutually beneficial web of life on the planet. We honor and celebrate the human family in it's gloriously-broad, splendor & diversity.  In the worst light, maybe that is a shaky, misleading, and fatal assumption? There are malefactors, bad actors, literal Nazis seeded amongst us here in the USA and around the world. They are horrible, dastardly-terrible people. They should be shunned, shamed, and prosecuted when they act out. How to tolerate the intolerable? It's a conundrum. Instead of these folks being marginalized & stigmatized, they have been mainstreamed (for instance see MAGA & the Republican party) & rewarded. It is so very painful to see, and also, so very hard to believe. But, you know, there it is, reality again...

Ha. The Lightness & Hilarity of "Don't Be Here Now."

Folk #1: Just let it go Sisyphus (see previous post). Living my philosophy day to day. Funny how you discover that some of this shite associated with living is not really that hard, you know, it doesn't have to be hard. You actually have agency. Maybe you just let go of the rock? Let it roll down that damn hill? What was so important yesterday, is now so unimportant today. I suppose that's one of the reasons I never got a tattoo. What do I want imprinted on my arm forever? No thing. A blank slate, an open book, a naked arm.

My partner & I were confronted with a glad-handing, faux-friendly, wanna-be sage and wise-man last evening. He engaged us in conversation, friendly-like, but really, it was an assault, a power move, letting us know we were in his domain, and well, we were not quite worthy, we didn't really belong.  It was all conveyed with smiles, and gentle words. He repeated that Ram Dass idea: "Be Here Now," living in the moment, taking one day at a time. We have parroted that same philosophy for years. Coming from our wanna be wise-man, it was so transparently a clown-like put-down. Funny. It just sounded toothless & silly & besides the point. 

The point of no point. 

Once he turned away, a profoundly foolish man, we laughed. Sweet belly laughs came out of us. Not snide or cynical. Pure joyful laughter. I whispered to my partner: "Don't be here now." We fell into a  sweet, sunny pool of laughter. Liberated, released, renewed. Everything fell away, no worries, no enemies, no unfulfilled desires. There was a beautiful, rosy haze around everything and everyone in the room. A bold rosy glow.

I looked it up this morning, wondering if anyone else coined that line? Yes. Indeed. Zen Peacemakers "Don't Be Here Now."   Ha. Right. But, of course, there is no one to follow, no one phiosophy to hold us, or to pin us down. No club to join. No dues to pay. The joy is in the complete letting go. The laughter is a doorway. How easy it is go thru an open door. Alive. Aware. Awake. Being. Day-dreaming. Imagining. Surfing the wave, riding & reading the energy of any room. Watching all the rocks rolling down all the hills. Forever. Watching our fellow human beings spinning, gyrating, colliding, knocking against each other in a long-running tragedy & farce. 

Finding an essential purity of existence. Beyond all that shite. Not a nothingness, no, instead an everything-ness. Embracing it all, but with a very light touch & embrace. Embracing & letting go simultaneously. Joyfully, truly, madly, deeply. No clinging, no needing, no wanting, no grasping, no holding on.  No fighting or hanging on. No fear or desperation. A bold, empty, but incredibly gorgeous clarity.

Yes. So, so very funny, yes, and so, so very good.

Pushing that R&R Up the Hill...

Folk #1: Pushing that rock & roll up a hill like a modern-day Sisyphus...

The above line reflects an uneasy sense of futility that often hangs over some of the things I do with my time on the planet. That rock & roll will also tumble down the hill, & I will watch it with a feeling of deep helplessness. Sure, that sense of futility & helplessness will pass, I have learned that my feelings are not final, but sometimes the bad juju can overwhelm me in the cold light of the morning.

I am one of those human beings who want to create amazing, beautiful, powerful things. Mainly through music & lyrics, but also in my daily interactions with other humans. Living a life with meaning; mind, body, spirit aligned. I know it is all just up to me, plus opening the door to inspiration from all corners & comers. Committing to my own private preoccupations with all the attention, dedication and creativity I can muster, knowing that everything I do has limits. Delusions of grandeur?  Ha. I am well-aware that I am a flawed, quirky, imperfect being doing my best to be the best version of myself I can be. My imagination may exceed my actual reach, and I suppose that's fucking obvious.

What to do? Fall back on clear-seeing, knowing that reality is a hard teacher, acknowledging that shit just happens & intervenes at inconvenient times. Still, despite everything, "damn the torpedoes," & gathering up my energy, using those hard realities as rocket fuel for the next song, project, human interaction & moment. Oh, yeah, sometimes reaching out to sublime transcendance. Yes. that happens too sometimes.

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.