As I am rather busy with work and preparing to celebrate a number of milestones in my real life as well, I will be pressed for time and energy to write with any consistency or frequency in the near term. I’ll be taking a break from it all. I’ve made a difficult decision to moderate all comments here for the time being. This saddens me deeply, but as I don’t have a lot of time to visit here (and that will only become worse in the ensuing weeks and months ahead), I will not allow the ongoing drama that has infected this blog to continue to metastasize to yet another level of toxicity, especially with my diminished presence. I do hope you will all understand.
I will continue to visit your blogs and comment from time to time.
Gone Fishing? Well not really, since I don’t fish all that much anymore. Just taking a little break to get away and catch up with family and friends I haven’t seen in a while, and in doing so, enjoy a nice change of scenery.
Life is delicious – have a taste each and every day. In fact, don’t just taste it. Live it! Make something good happen! That’s an order!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Excerpt from A Psalm of Life ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
See you all soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The past few days on the East Coast have been nothing short of a steam bath, with temperature in the 90′s and humidity at the saturation point. Waves of rainstorms have done little to relieve the heat, but instead have managed to pump up the humidity even more, just when you thought it could not get any more humid. It’s the kind of weather that makes most adults rush into the home for shelter, yet I couldn’t help but notice a couple of neighborhood children just having a ball in the middle of a torrential downpour, soaked to the bone, and laughing as they belly flopped in makeshift puddles the size of small ponds.
There is nothing like experiencing the world through children’s eyes to lift the mood. We could all use a bit more whimsy in our lives. So inspired, and with no real plan in mind, I thought I’d rustle up a few Youtube links in honor of this stormy weather just for fun and to lighten my own mood.
First up is Billie Holiday cooing her way through Stormy Weather. I just love the way she phrases the lyrics musically. (I know, I know, this was a Lena Horne standard… sue me!)
Ah, now that you’re all relaxed, I thought I’d liven it up a bit with a song and dance number from the 1943 Classic of a movie titled (what else?) Stormy Weather. This clip starts off with Cab Calloway and Orchestra singing Jumpin’ Jive, and early into the number introduces the Nicholas Brothers in what might arguably be one of the single best dance performances ever captured on film – all in a single take to boot! The Stairway Jump Splits in the finale are breathtaking. I know I would have lost my breath, as well as my manhood and consciousness, if I ever tried a stunt like that – OUCH!!!
I need to relax after watching that! Let’s keep with the theme and pick another from the Billie Holiday songbook as a way to wrap up this blog entry. Here she is, Lady Day singing Stormy Blues.
Late night again, and looking for a nice way to unwind musically. I’m in the mood for some slooooow blues. If you are too, grab a nightcap of your choice, don a set of headphones while I cue up a set of blues songs, and drift off into some relaxation, blues style.
The Yin and Yang, a symbol of the interconnectedness and interdependence of seemingly polar opposites. One can not exist without the other against which it contrasts in order to provide meaning. There is no hot without cold, light without dark, joy without sorrow, and so on. Each side carries the seed of the other.
I was sifting through the old vinyl collection when I stumbled across an old favorite. Such a hypnotic and spellbinding musical sound, coupled with great lyrics worth thinking about as I relax and write. Enjoy!
Wrapped Around Your Finger
by The Police (1983)
Lyrics:
You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
Staring at the ring around your finger
I have only come here seeking knowledge
Things they would not teach me of in college
I can see the destiny you sold
Turn into a shining band of gold
I’ll be wrapped around your finger
I’ll be wrapped around your finger
Mephistopheles is not your name
I know what you’re up to just the same
I will listen hard to your tuition
You will see it come to it’s fruition
I’ll be wrapped around your finger
I’ll be wrapped around your finger
Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
Vanish in the air you’ll never find me
I will turn your face to alabaster
When you find your servant is your master
Oh, you’ll be wrapped around my finger
You’ll be wrapped around my finger
You’ll be wrapped around my finger
The end of another busy day, and I’m having fun surfing around with headphones on, listening to music to unwind. I’m not in a writing or a reading mood, choosing to satisfy my aural senses instead. Following are a couple of nice mellow and trippy selections from the old vinyl album collection, guaranteed to put you in a better frame of mind.
The World is a Ghetto – War. The long version with a really nice sax solo.
Edit: The YouTube link no longer is valid, so you can click on the following link to get the song on Groove Shark:
