"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio..."

And who said the world isn't a strange place...
I haven't seen it, yet, but I hear tell that Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) put a bullet in the brain of the Republican Convention. The way I hear it, he was speaking and acting in a somewhat disjointed, vulgar, and disrespectful manner. There are two different views I have heard expressed on this live, surreal display by someone I believed to be a remarkable actor, as well as an incredible director, in the motion picture industry. The first view, which would be the most damaging to him personally, is that he is suffering from some possibly mild, but definite form of dementia, or he truly is a horrible person. Although, in a much more forthright approach, he is expressing exactly the same amount of respect and consideration that the entire Republican Convention is showing to President Obama. Which brings me to the second view: that Mr. Eastwood performed the strange impromptu bit of stage acting on purpose, in order to bring discredit upon the Convention itself, and show up the Republicans for who they truly are in a more direct manner. 
Well, not having seen it, I can't really give an opinion. I can only say, I really hope he wasn't expressing his own sentiments, because I do have a lot of respect for the man, at least up to this point. And that's all I can say about that. 
Moving on in this strange and wonderous world...
You know, I've been a batchelor, and living by myself for a long time. I haven't even really dated anyone seriously, or for that matter dated seriously period, for a helluva long time. There are a number of reasons for this. One being, not having met the right person. Another being, that I am quite comfortable living by myself, and yes, it is safer. 
But a considerably younger woman (30 yrs. old), not that the age matters (OK, it shouldn't matter; but to one degree or another, it does to some of us), has me thinking it might be time to really let the monkey throw a wrench ( yeah, I'm sure you get it, monkey-wrench) into my life. I am very set in my solitary lifestyle. I do have my good friends, Eddie, and Albert. And, of course, my many other friends that I see upon occasion. They, however, are all platonic friends, and just about entirely all married. And none of them require much of my time, or that I make any big adjustments in how I live. Yep, safe, and comfortable.
Now, I'm not saying I will spend time with this particular woman, or even get to know her any better than I do right now. But she makes me want to expand my life beyond just looking out for myself. Remarkably, she does have that effect on me. And just recently, I have begun to realize what a big change that would be. Yes,  I have been thinking about the fantastic (not fantastic in the sense of wonderful, although it very well could be, but in the sense of:  unbelievable) possibility of sharing my life with another person. Think of the Big Bang, but think of it in terms of your world view expanding in an explosive manner. I can't really stress enough the impact upon my view of the world.
As I've said before, reality is all in your perception, which is most assuredly influenced by your perspective. Change your perspective radically, and well, the world seems to be an entirely different place.
Anyroad. For the moment, I have nothing else to say about that...or anything else...but Dr. Who is in his tardis, and all is right with the world... 

Looking for a Fortress of Solitude

I can always tell I'm reaching the close to exhausted stage by the sudden craving for sugar. I've given up most of my unhealthy sweet treats. Things like cake, ice cream, milk chocolate, frosting (yep, just frosting out of a can), m&m's (peanut, of course), etc., etc. But when my energy level hits its dregs (bottom of the barrel), well, my sugar jones (addiction) hits with a considerable impact. Yes, I am whining about being tired. Thursday nights I like to try to get to an informal Mandarin class at another Mandarin student's house, but I haven't made it in quite a bit of time. Either I have too much I have yet to get done, or the wind has gone out of my sails, which is the case this evening. I am quite the party pooper. C'est la vie. 
Of course, Eddie is always happy to have me home, as I'm sure my seven wives would be. If I had seven wives. And I always have a book to read. Many, many books, actually. I also have no trouble telling the world to go away on an evening like this. It's good to relax and regroup when needed, which is more often than I would like, but sometimes it is much easier to go with the river current , than to fight your way upstream.
So, the update goes like this: Albert is still out in the world somewhere, but I expect I'll see him soon. Those nasty, smelly Republicans are still down in Tampa, pulling every dirty trick they can think of, to make President Obama look bad. There currently haven't been any more attempts on doing bodily injury to my person, but as they say, I am watching my back. 
The world can appear as a dark and dangerous place. But we must not forget, it is also a wonderful place. And there is no better time to be alive than now. Trust me on this. Squeeze out all the enjoyment and wonder you can. And there is lots of wonder, of all kinds, to be had. I'm sorry there has to be so much darkness in the world. But I do like a bit of darkness in my world. To paraphrase the title of a ghostly anthology I happen to like, I am "Acquainted With The Night".  

The Dark & The Light

The world keeps on spinning, life plunges on, and we do what we do. The Human being tends to be the only animal that thinks, sometimes overly so, before acting. Animals always know what to do by instinct. The human must consider things before deciding to move forward, stand still, or move backward. Or, to put it a different way, the three F's. Fight, Freeze, or Flee. 
We are capable of creating our own reality, be it for the good of all, or for our own selfish purposes. There are always those who are telling us what we can, and what we can't do. I have always had trouble with those who believe they are the authority on what can and can't be done. I believe we can do anything if we want to bad enough. But, anything, could be good, Light if you will, or bad, Dark. "Don't go to the Darkside, Luke."
Of course, we don't have to do anything. We can lay on the couch watching TV and eating ice cream. Which, I think we all need to do occasionally. But it does leaves a lot to be desired as a lifestyle. Now, I'm not much of a revolutionary, since I don't believe violence solves anything, but in point of fact, generally makes things much worse. So, I must channel my anger into non-violent, and yet, productive outlets of expression. Which can take certain amount of thought, and creativity. Not quite as easy to do as I'd prefer. We live in an age of violence. Which is maybe how it's always been, since man first gained intelligence, of a sort. And in our culture, the gun rules. We prize winning at any price. This is the age of not only making sure you get yours, but also making sure that they, don't get their's. Fill in whoever you don't like for they. Ah. Remember Robert Duvall's line from Apocalypse Now? "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It reminds me of victory." 
We haven't come very far since the dawn of Man. At least in a truly spiritual sense. I would hate to have to bet on whether we are headed for the Light, or the Dark. And no. I am not talking about the next world. I'm talking about this one. 

We All Live On This Planet, So Give Me Some Elbow Room

Well, life seems to be happening still, at least for the moment. Lots of things going on, including the Klu Klux Klan Con -oops!- I mean the Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida. There's also a hurricane in that neighborhood, but unfortunately, it won't be whisking all those horrible excuses for human beings over the rainbow. Although I'd settle for anywhere far from our shores. You know, with all the lying, cheating, and stealing of democracy, mainly in the form of attempts at preventing many Americans from exercising their voting rights, these rich and almost exclusively white, fat cats have crossed the line, and become traitors to the principals this country was founded on. As far as I'm concerned, they are traitors to democracy, and should all be prosecuted for treason. Their current strategy seems to be coupling all their usual tactics together, which would be turning the truth around, or spinning the truth if you prefer, outright lying, and spending billions of dollars on political ads. I really hate those people. My Grandmother, if she were alive, would tell me it's wrong to hate anyone, so for her, I'll just say, I really don't like those damn #%^*...well, you get the idea. 
And, once again, to quote a famous fictional character, that's all I have to say about that.
Albert is doing some travelling at the moment. He's trying to unite some of his brothers of the fur (bears of all colors) in his battle against the destruction of the planet by the rich and corrupt humans. Can't say I blame him in the least. Lucky for me he's made me an honorary bear, of sorts. He can be a bit scary when he's upset. Anyroad, he doesn't feel he can be away for too long, since he believes my life is in danger, and he has decided to be a kind of unofficial bodyguard. I'm twice lucky, since he seems to like me. At least for a human. 
Hmmm. What else is going on...not much I can think of at the moment. 
Finished reading Michael Cisco's The San Veneficio Canon. Yikes. Don't even know what to say there. His language creates amazing images, and I can't even begin to say how incredibly strange the atmosphere of his story is from beginning to end. And that's not even mentioning the weirdness of the story itself. I still am not completely sure about how I feel about the book, which includes two novels, his award winning The Divinity Student, and its sequel, The Golem. I am quite impressed. And I can tell you this, I will not be forgetting the characters, or the story, anytime soon.  
Moving on...A barbecue that some of my Chinese friends, and English learners, had planned for today was cancelled, due to potential bad weather. A shame, but I'm sure we'll reschedule it, or something like it, for another time. 
Final thoughts for the day. The world, is a lot larger than we can possibly conceive of at any given time. But the most important part of the world, is what is right in front of us, and all those we share it with. We do need to look out for each other, regardless of our differences. So, be kind, stand fast when needed, and remember, corporations are not people. But animals are. Or at the least, they deserve our protection. Eddie made me put that in. He is right, though. I have met far fewer animals than people that I didn't like. But, after all, I am only human, and I am very far from perfect.

I Might Wish I was a Dragon, But Eddie's Glad I'm Not

The way life appears to us really depends on the moment. Our perspective influences our perception, and how we are feeling has everything to do with our perspective. Imagine you are pure spirit, detached from the flesh, and with the ability to see all of reality. Not just the world as our poor human senses perceive it, but as it truly is. Can you imagine that? Of course not. We aren't pure spirit, but stuck within this physical body of flesh and blood. Well. I suppose if you are some kind of transcendent zen master, it might be possible to stand outside your body, and be at the center of things. Just a thought.
Some days when I awake, I feel neutral. After I've gone out and tortured myself by jogging, I start to actually feel like life isn't such a bad thing. Other days, I awake under a dark cloud. These are days that I wish I could take a sledgehammer to the workings of the world. I don't, however. I believe negativity breeds negativity. The same being true for violence. But that doesn't stop me from having days when I wish I were capable of being violent. Not randomly, of course. Against enemies of Humanity. You know, like tyrants, dictators. And yes, the Republican Party. Luckily, my Mother raised me to have great respect for life, even when that life seems pointless and destructive. 
But there are days when I awake feeling like I am the dark cloud, instead of having one over me. Or, if you will, the Dragon in me rises to the surface. It's appropriate. I was born in the year of the Dragon. The trick for me, is to channel my anger at the petty, destructive, ignorant, greedy, and selfish actions of the unenlightened, into constructive and productive actions of my own. Isn't that what an ancient, and exceedingly wise Dragon would do? (Ok, I am not only not ancient, but I can't really claim to be all that wise, either). Emotions, like anger, can cloud our minds. Well, my mind at least. We are (OK, I am, anyway), only human, and as human, we will not be able to divorce ourselves from our emotions. But we can choose to see the world in a wider perspective, and channel our emotions into worthwhile actions. 
Albert, meanwhile, tells me I'm full of sh--. According to what I can make of his bearish language, he says there's only life. You're either eating dinner, or you are dinner. And if you're eating dinner, you better enjoy it. 'Cause something will be eating you soon enough. He's a cheerful guy. 
Have a good dinner. 
  

Barbecued English, and Some Translation from Bear

Language is a living thing, and it is always "evolving". Expressions, greetings, and even curse words/phrases, change in everyday use, and somewhat regularly. From What's Up (or wassup, if you prefer), to the Where you at? of New Orleans, How are you?, How you?, Howdy?, and of vourse the infamous New York, How you doing? As well as all the simplified greetings: Dude, Yo, Hey, etc. 
English is not a simple language, and definitely not an easy language to learn, particularly on the run. Most of us Americans don't really put much effort into our pronunciation, or into making an attempt to speak slowly. It's gotta' be hell for someone trying to learn English. In trying to tutor English, or in my case, simply trying to make it easier to learn English within an open conversation group, not only have I personally learned more about the language I speak, but I now find it much easier to understand bad English, broken English, and even some very badly pronounced English. I also find, that even when talking to native English speakers, I now do a lot of talking with my hands. Seems I can't help myself. But even at it's most trying, I love leading the conversation groups for ESOL learners. I enjoy myself so much, that I should probably pay them for allowing me to be there.
Plus ( a bonus), if the hurricane that's supposed to hit Florida Sunday, doesn't arrive here on Tuesday, my wonderful international friends are organizing a big barbecue in a local park. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I feel quite blessed, as well as lucky, to know these wonderful people.
And now, before I hunt down some lunch, a word from Albert, my large black bear friend. From what I gather, he did his best to track the person/thing/evil-monster-that-looks-like-me, after he bit his hand off. Which by the way, saved my life, in case you haven't been keeping up with current events. Anyroad, from his description of the track he followed, and where he lost all trace of it, I gathered that my double came from, and went back to, Little Valley, my hometown. Albert could not penetrate the barrier, or spell (if you don't mind my calling it that), that makes it very difficult for anyone, except those who have always resided there, to enter its boundaries. And so, it would seem that someone (maybe more than one someone), or something back in Little Valley wishes me harm. Seems I may have to watch my back while I try to find some answers.
Well, for now, I plan on relaxing for the remainder of the day. After fixing some lunch, I shall, hopefully, have time to read a book, and give Eddie a head-rub or two. And barring any assassination attempts, maybe I'll get a decent night's sleep. Happy trails...

Being Enlightened is a Good Thing. So there, You Bunch of Stupids!

Anyhow, getting back to the way I feel about Dr. Who...I just finished reading a collection of stories by Howard Waldrop, titled "Howard Who?" It was first published in 1986, and recently released in a beautiful paperback edition by Small Beer Press. Waldrop is a national treasure. He writes mostly science fiction in the form of alternate history, but like no one else ever has, or could. Absolutely wonderful stuff. Anyway, one of my two favorite stories in the collection is called "Man-Mountain Gentian", which is a story about a sumo wrestler in a future where the sport has become a mental exercise with the help of electrical energy. But its mainly about two sumo wrestlers, and the build up to their big match, with both their careers on the line. It is an extremely wonderfully written story. But for me, the best part was the ending. The match is over. (Spoiler warning!) Man-Mountain has taken his wife out to dinner to celebrate. They have gone back home, climbed onto their futons, and turned on the TV. And the story ends with the line, "Gilligan is on his island. All is right with the world." I love that line. I laughed out loud. If, however, you never heard of Gilligan's Island, an old TV show, well...you might not get it. Anyroad, that's a bit how I feel about Dr. Who.
When I was walking with Mom a little earlier, I saw two Muslim women, who were walking as well. I didn't really think about my typical, neutral behavior at the time, but I did afterwards. My Mother is very friendly to everyone. I am not, particularly. It's not that I'm unfriendly. I'm just kind of neutral towards everyone, meaning, I just don't pay a lot of attention, and tend to mind my own business. But later I realized, that for those people who probably get a lot of negative attention, I do need to try to give some positive attention towards. Just a smile, or hello. It seems like the enlightened thing to do. There are a lot of very unenlightened people out there, that the rest of us have to make up for. Better to be adding positive energy to the world, than negative energy. 'Cause let's face it, we are either doing one or the other.
So, time to put some rice & vegies together. I just got back from walking with Mom, Eddie's (my cockatiel) done yelling at me for the moment, and I need to start reading "The San Veneficio Canon" by Michael Cisco. For now, I can only advise you, if you haven't already done so already, find the place where, for you, all is right with the world. And then, Stand Fast.