flight

I know I should have written something about the inauguration of Obama, but I pass. There is too much chatter out there anyway. Instead I apprehensively watch this new turn in the road, watching that this "something" might arise, or at least get a feel and sense, a hint of a new aera to come - and then time will tell what kind of promises can be kept, more so than just the hollow words, or shadows of broken dreams.

the English version of this lullaby

Oh jeah, rock on ....

wait until it loads and starts playing. Once you get sick of it, hit the pause button on the embedded player in my former post.
I stopped auto play ... you got to go to the embedded player to start it.

lullaby for the children in Ghazza

I accomplished a few things: Got my USB microphone to work, made a test multitrack recording (Audacity, a free bare bone program but very handy), rummaged in an ancient scribble songbook of mine from the Norwegian days, and here is the result both visual and audible.
I am awfully sorry that the guitar part sucks, it has nothing to do with the technology, rather the technique ... the poor guitar that never gets any practice anymore. Also, the song is recorded somewhat bizarre in that it starts real slow and then speeds up throughout the verses. In addition, I felt too lazy to put some violin tracks on it, hence the open gaps... my apologies!
VUGGEVISE means lullaby - I spare you the translation because it is somewhat sinister, and I'm lazy. But if you insist ...
Oh, I believe the original was a Swedish song, but I did it in Norwegian because it is the only Scandinavian tongue I am familiar with.







Ok so here is a rough translation 'cause I sort of like the person who asked:

Winds are riding high on seas
over havens land and trees
storms are raging in a race
sorrow or death don't near my place

chorus:
Someone comes, and someone goes
people die in spring, who knows
but stars will still shine brightly

Life is weaving on its loom
all you did and thought or taught
all those things are just a color
the shuttle moves, and others follow

Maybe at some point in life
will you find that crown of strive
maybe after days of dread
will your hair find a silver thread

Where you stump and tread your shoe
many more come after you
look therefore that you do seed
flowers as a plowman's deed



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Ok, I actually like this song - maybe I get organized and sing the damn lyrics in English and have my brother help me out on the instrumental parts, he is famous to be good at that. Also, I took some liberties while translating, needed to keep the flow. Ciao - talk to you later...

unspecified musings

...maybe more words to follow. But I am presently making an attempt to give Aggie a hard time, and show her that what is sand and beach at her East Coast vacation place in NZ, equals snow and cold winds here.
The sun bathing chair collapsed in the snow, the other bench is also inhabitable, the little table is not ready for cappuccino either as it accumulated an other foot of snow after the last cleanup was done.
Winter once seemed fun when you were young - now it just drags on forever. I learned to ski when I was five, now I am fifty and just smile at the notion of racing down a slope - but I will go out there anyway, just to break a leg. Is it not that, this symbol of good luck, if you "break a leg"?
While you surf the waves in the southern hemispheres, I will try to save my neck in the northern territories.

8,000,000,000,000

There was $29 billion for Bear Stearns, $345 billion for Citigroup. The Federal Reserve put up $600 billion to guarantee money market deposits. With the bail out package of the auto industry, all told, the price tag so far: $7.2 trillion. Now comes President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. The bill is getting awfully close to $8 trillion...

Where the heck is my share?

the cooking contest

For years I scratched my head why my homemade pizza didn't turn out the same superb way as served at the local place who has an Italian style brick oven. Finally I found a recipe that made sense and can reverse this misery, and I don't even need a fancy oven. The secret is preparing the dough beforehand and storing it in a cool place (refrigerator or so) overnight and and then using a "pizza-stone" if possible (instead of a fancy Italian brick oven with "life-fire"). It's the dough dude!!!

In any case, as I get increasingly impatient with what is happening in the Middle East, I thought we might cook up something different, a COOKING CONTEST!
Participation is of course voluntarily and there are no glorious prices (like a two week vacation to the Caribbean, or so), but if you share some of your more successful recipes, at least I will try them out and follow your directions and then "judge" the outcome if it was mouthwatering or not...

The final and grand prize will get a surprise mailing, still to be determent.
(update: my pizza actually turned out quite all right after letting the doe "mature" for a day and cranking the stove up to max before putting the thing in)

4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 ounce) teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold (40°F)
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Let rest for 2 hours.

5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.

7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.

I am pissed

It has to do with the so called fake "mandatory vaccination" requests from colleges and their ignorant refusal to accept the law of state and land. If for any reason you as a person request not to be injected with substances into your body, that go against your belief, or also refuse to be injected with foreign substances by "force", whilst at the same time knowing that you are allowed to refuse those procedures , you should stand up and do so. No matter how much the intimidation factor might be!

So, in the State of New York - you can only argue with schools on "religious grounds" if you want to avoid mandatory immunization . Here is a form letter I put together for my daughter that actually worked when she applied for college. It took me a while to compose, but you are welcome to use it if you needs are such. The content does not precisely reflect my (or my daughters) actual believes, but I do urge you to be quite "fundamental" in your approach and argumentation when you set your own letter up.

STATEMENT

All vaccines are made in violation of God’s Word. Vaccines are made with toxic chemicals that are injected into the bloodstream by vaccination. All vaccines are made with foreign proteins (viruses and bacteria), and some vaccines are made with genetically engineered viral and bacterial materials.

Therefore a conflict arises because I believe that man is made in God’s image and that the injection of toxic chemicals and foreign proteins into the bloodstream is a violation of God’s directive to keep the temple of the human body holy and free from impurities.

Vaccines are a product of animal tissues. God’s warning is not to mix the blood of man with the blood of animals. Some vaccines are even produced in aborted fetal tissues, which in itself is a highly questionable procedure.
My religious convictions are predicated on the belief that all life is sacred. God’s commandment “Thou Shall Not Kill” applies to the practice of abortion, even on animals, since I believe that this practice of abortion should not be encouraged or supported in any manner, therefore I have a conflict with vaccines produced in aborted fetal tissue even though I didn’t have anything to do with the abortions from which the vaccines are made from.

The Hepatitis-A vaccine containing MRC-5 is obtained from human babies that were electively aborted. WI-38 was created from the tissue of an aborted fetus and is used for the rubella portion of the MMR-II vaccine. RA 273 was created from the tissue of an aborted fetus, and is used for MMR-II vaccine. Therefore a conflict arises, because my religious convictions are predicated on the belief that all life is sacred. God's commandment "Thou Shall Not Kill" applies to all practice of abortion. The acceptance of these vaccines promote abortion and deeply violates my religious beliefs.
The Chickenpox (Varivax) vaccine, containing MRC-5 and RA 273, is obtained from human babies that were electively aborted, it is the worst of all. We are talking about humans here, not animals. The acceptance of this vaccine again promotes abortion and severely violates the Sixth Commandment of "Thou Shall Not Kill".

Since I am a healthy person in general, and a strong believer of keeping God's word sacred, specifically in the realm of not disturbing living life with manipulation of human interference to what God had once ordained, I therefore declare that under present laws presiding in New York State, my rights to exercise the exemption to vaccinations shall be fully accepted.

so,,, there you go. I guess you have to shout before you get heard. I am pretty sure that God has no objections...

Third Hand Smoke and Coke

Me, despite being a chronic "distasteor" of conspiracy theories and also being a chronic smoker - finally found a conspiracy theory that tickles my fancy. And by all means, I hereby do not attempt to justify my dirty habits; mark that!
In a news blurb I read today, it said:

Toxic particles in cigarette smoke can remain on nearby surfaces, as well as the hair and clothing of the smoker, long after the cigarette has been put out, and small children and even unborn babies are susceptible. They are likely to breath in close proximity, even the future baby of the pregnant woman can be harmed by third hand smoke.

Now this is pretty bizarre. You step out onto the porch, light up a cigarette, come back into the house, mingle with the crowd, and then get sued for infecting the not yet born baby in mama's belly because your jacket has traces of nicotine?

This study was done by some nerds, led by Professor Jonathan Winickoff, from Massachusetts General Hospital. I mean, really - give me a break! They spend millions of dollars tracing micro toxins on the bow-tie you are wearing at a party - and then forget to ask what REALLY harms people and the environment. I get so sick of this.

The "conspiracy" is very simple: Take away any kind of luster, relaxation and - the "fanfare to the common man" (Copland) the system will collapse like Chevy, GM and Ford and their stinking SUV's. By declaring third-hand-smoke a viable danger and the average citizen obeying to it, the populous of the United States will become the guinea pigs on a test circle of a growing totalitarian state. Hit the poor first, make them submissive, the rest will follow. Brilliant!

The smoking issue is just a petty example on this course. The United States spits out the largest amount of money in health care per person in the western world, but the actual achievements are bitter-sweet and do not serve the majority because hardly any money is spend on prevention. Third-Hand-Smoke is an expensive joke, or maybe a "third hand conspiracy".

Similar attempts of "control of the masses" are in process to fight obesity, the now #1 cause for cardiac related deaths in the US. The other day the governor of the state of New York proposed an "obesity tax" on all soft drinks (sodas) sold. Now - even well meant, this approach is rubbish. It again treats the people like sheep instead of educating them and looking for ways that society becomes more even handed and that not only 2% of people sit on 90% of the nations wealth.

As the dwindling middle class in America slides towards non-existence, over half a million jobs lost only in December, 2.6 million for the year of 2007, unemployment creeping up towards 10% - it is quite logical that the disillusioned crowd grabs a two liter sugary soda at the gas station within walking distance and complement it with snacks, then sit in front the TV and just "Veggie Out"!

The mindset of US culture has always failed to recognize that correcting a problematic issue starts with understanding the root causes and perhaps healing them. Instead we continuously become the victims of submission. Pain is "healed" by drugs that numb you down, regulations melt the tip of an ice-berg - and in the end, everything remains the same underneath.

Disease and poverty can not be cured by taxing it, suing it, trying to wipe it off the radar screen - it needs compassion towards the very human being to cure anything, may it be the cause of poverty, obesity, illness or smoking. All other methods are fraud.

The fairy tale moves on

It's the birthday of Jacob Grimm, born in Hanau, Germany (1785), one of the men responsible for collecting fairy tales like "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Snow White," "Rapunzel," and "Hansel and Grethel." He and his younger brother, Wilhelm, collected more than 200 German folk tales and published Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812.

Lots of people thought the stories weren't appropriate for children. There was violence, grief, an old woman who ate kids, abandoned children, and young women chopping off pieces of their feet to fit in slippers. But the book was still a big success, and it changed the way scholars collected folklore — trying to present straightforward narratives as people told them, instead of taking the basic story and turning it into a sophisticated literary piece.

In "Hansel and Grethel," Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrote: "The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her."

this citation is legally stolen from the Writers Almanac, hosted and written by G. Keeler. And the pictures were robbed from the world wide web. I don't have the uhmpf to write my own thoughts today, they would be somewhat bleak and apprehensive - so why bother. The New Year started OahKai though, no dramatic changes, unless you want to take in consideration cabin fever, Gaza strip, painting the studio, jobless days, too much booze, - put those items in a blender and add crushed ice then serve it as a cocktail... with two Pinto olives please.

A good thing, I got my USB microphone working all right in the mista of Vista. Took me a while though. The whole idea is to be able to collaborate and add to songs over the net via multiple track recordings. My brother Pete is in it, so is a surfboard maker in the South Americas who plays ... gosh I don't even know what.

to my blogger friends

It makes absolutely no sense to run "word verification" on your blogs, unless you are a hard core hippie and wish to have everybody have a flashback of psychedelic times. The thing is useless, shut it off. I did run my blog for six or seven months now without it and never got advertisement or spam. Just consider turning this thing off for a week and see what happens. You see, I am just tired to type in a warped code before I can post my comment, it is annoying. This would actually be one of the reasons why I did not frequent your place lately.
Happy New Year!

Hanukkah present to Gaza

It is probably one of the more (or most) complex scenarios which happened in 1967.
First I am going to argue for Israel.
The six day war in 1967 was warranted and a success. Israel had at that point been attacked and then responded with surprising force and determination. All good you think, but maybe not.
The mistake after the just victory Israel made is such. It seized water rights originally originated on Arab territory feeding people in need, destroyed olive trees and fruit plantations dating back to the birth of Christ, and worst of all, sprinkled illegal settlements all over to make the occupied territories look like an Ementaler Swiss cheese.
And then they started to build "the wall" to protect those settlements right through Palestinian territory. Reminds me of the wall the Russians build way back then in Berlin...

Now, Hamas in Palestine is and has been understandably mad, so are many people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. So what can they do? In their despair they launch hand made rockets continuously and shoot them to bordering Israel or the enclaves of settlers within their own land. Fair enough but not very successful. I understand their rage, I would be outraged too if I lived there. But it is futile to oppose the 4th strongest military power of the world with "Molotov cocktails".

So the tragic melodrama continues with no end in sight. Israel pounds onto the lands and people that have been there for centuries, before even a Jewish state was ever in site (just an other invention of the Brits for all your smooth talk doubthers).

What's the solution?
Israel will have to take down all the illegal settlements, rip down that "Berlin" wall, let people travel freely to and fro within their orchards and settlements, restore the water and land rights, and then - only then - bomb the living shit out of Hamas and it's cohorts if they still choose to shoot homemade rockets.
_________________________________________________________________

but as some of you already have commented, "my" solution will never happen. Palestinians will never aspire a state above martyrdom, and Israel will never give up lands they already have acquired. So there you go, a perfect concept for an endless conflict and war. Hallelujah!

pensive and no images

I had this dream,
and then I was lost
underneath rubble unforeseen.
The pages turned unpredictable,
movements that scattered the air scarcely made a difference.

Life is a loom where butterflies interfere at random, remind us to sway
run away from the gloom of eternal boredom that society uses on us every day.
But we always seem to miss this straight path and instead take that windy road.

So if that sparkle in your eye is still valid
that tear that drops is heartfelt and not a fake commotion
then my dreams will come true
that you and I will fill this cavity
and bestow an essence of light
to spaces that live in darknes.

All right, I'll admit defeat

OK, first I have to admit something. When I turn on the computer and then go to my "homepage" - it directs me to the BBC news. So far so good. They have a well organized web-front-page, not too much commercials, and graphically pleasing (compared to others, like CNN). So while I have my morning coffee, I browse through the head lines. It's all right, somewhat informative for a news junky like me.
But lately I noticed a bias, or a trend in the British newscast. The focus was dominantly directed towards reporting the misery in Africa, most of them former colonies or protectorates of the British Empire. This got me thinking a bit.
Why is it that wherever the Brit's tried to rule in the past, the countries after they left and "found" independence turn into chaos and quagmire? What is it with these English conquistadors, that all they can do is leave chaos behind?
There is something very sick about this. The collateral damage that the Brit's infused all around the globe is pretty heinous, they are actually responsible as well for the dilemma in the Middle East, as they were the ones who sliced up the cake, drew the borders for essential countries around the rivers of Euphrat and Tigris, the tribal area which once was known as the greater Persia.
It is this time of year where the Christian world calls for peace and celebrate Christmas. That is all very well. But it makes you wonder what this festival means in past and present tense. The ghosts of past misdoings, and I particularly mean the British (former?) Empire still haunt us to this very day. The artificial borders drawn up during and after WW2 became the reason for the rivalry of peoples both in Africa and in the Middle East, hence the killings, the grotesque stubbornness between tribes, the looting and so on...
I wish that some day the queen will take of her crown, stand in front the House of Commons (or Lords, who cares) and admit that the so Great Brittan has utterly failed history. In essence say: Wherever we previously had a colony, our mandate has failed and was only dictated by greed. And the countries we once occupied are therefore suffering and in utter chaos.
So BBC, I am tired to hear about famine, tribal slaughter, government incompetence and all the other details. It is the British Empire who brought it up unto themselves. Instead of lamenting - fix it!

Merry, merry Christmas to you all,
and a happy new year!

If you wish, you can share your fondest holiday memories here, any anecdote, happy, sad, hilarious, whatever...

now comes the tricky one

Sorry, haven't finished my real Christmas card yet, a block print with three angels on it holding a chalice of light. I hope it turns out alright, I am sort of picky these days.
Will be done tomorrow or so... according to the "master-plan".
If you intend to receive an original hand made print, let me know by e-mail. But as I sensed before, there is a good bunch of people among you who don't care about this event.
I do understand very well, that Christmas has turned into a commercial zoo over the years, replacing shopping instead of giving heartfelt presents of trust and beauty, little pebbles to make known to the beloved that you care for someone beyond the borders of egotism.
I am sorry that it turned out this way, but there is still time to change it around. Perhaps the latest economic global crisis will assist you in this and nudge you to reconsider how you deal with festivities like this.

In any case, Merry Christmas to you all!

As you all know, I am not a big fan of organized religion, it always smelled like trouble to me. But I am a big believer that each persons individual path can lead to spiritual enlightenment.
And consider this, it is presently the turning of the year of 2008 to 2009 - a turning point. A turning point in the respect that over 2000 years ago a so called god gave his life in form of a human being, a remarkable deed indeed. Did it alter the course or destiny of karma of the earth? I do believe it did... in many ways, Even the world of Islam recognizes this event and uses to this day the "Christ Calendar" as we speak.
So now, when we celebrate this festival of the "Jesus-baby-born" , with all the wrapping paper, the food, the candles, the unnecessary obese presents and the electronic gadgets we supply to each other, it is worthy to remember that someone died to resurrect in order to convince the ones who would not be easily assured. It is that deed of Christ as a human, that sacrifice, which eventually made him a god to the peoples of this earth.
The churches obliterated this being, stigmatized it, run the fake imagery for power purposes, propaganda and profit. But that is not what we celebrate this year. The compassion of my heart knows no limits. It is easy to become a person who believes in nothing these days, or just "spirits" who haunt the woods. But is this really the answer?

PS. Sorry for being so "dense" - but I had to get this out of my system

Days of hibernation

Despite the one foot of snow yesterday, I decided to join the locals at "happy hour". Sipping on a Bloody Mary...
My niece Jess showed up with her male-friend John, the electrician; and a to me unknown local dude separating the two.
Jess is a lovely woman who I once taught woodcarving when she still was a kid and I still was employed as a teacher at a Rudolf Steiner School in Great Barrington. Now she has evolved to be an excellent landscaper, beautifying the surrounding of these houses of the riches.
Lately she is complaining about a sore back and wishes to become a secretary of sorts. I guess we all slave and overdo it.
A quick shot this morning. Pico is excited about the snow, but since she is a prairie dog of more southern hemispheres, she doesn't "last" very long in the cold before begging to get back into the somewhat warmer climate of my studio.

Happy 65th birthday Keith!

I was never a big, big fan of the Rolling Stones, but I did pick and choose and really liked some of their songs. But what might have fascinated me most was their professionalism, endurance and dedication to whatever they did.
Keith Richards, the guitarist of the Stones, turns 65 today. Pretty crazy how time flies by! I think that one of Keith's virtues was to be able to "serve the band", blend in ... instead of being a selfish egomaniac.

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for my brother, the cello man

check this out this is cool, simultaneous life cast around the globe, synchronized by some freaks with a mixing board somewhere in the US, everybody is chipping in, all the tramps and street musicians, a choir from Africa, a cellist from Russia and many more... (uTube link)
This is pretty amazing stuff...

ice and dog days

As some of you might know or heard about, there are an estimated 500,000 households without electricity here in the North East of the US, affecting millions of peoples life. People are running generators (the ones who have one) others who are fortunate enough to have a fireplace are burning wood.
OK, so gradually the mess of this ice-storm is being cleaned up. But it is a slow and cumbersome process. A few ten thousand homes have their power back by now, others will have to wait until next Wednesday at least, using candles as their main illumination source. That's a week in deep freezing temperatures without electricity.
Last evening we were invited to friends to eat "Sauerbraten" and even the main County road was like a major slalom obstacle with fallen down trees, downed power lines and all. When I drove home in the dark, it was even more challenging. Later I found out that the county had declared a state of emergency and had imposed a non-driving curfew after dark... Wish I had known!
I am lucky like something. Our little town was spared out as if it was an oasis. Four miles away chaos, here we have electricity and all to run the oil burners and the water pump.
So it is approaching Christmas, and all the churches have closed. That's odd. The generators are running out of fuel, because there is no fuel to be pumped at gas stations around, unless you are willing to travel some unusual distances. Pretty messy all around.
I pray for the elderly people who have no clue what to do. I hope that this event will spur amongst others, that what I always preach: Community solidarity!
On an other note, Pico the prairie dog got a winter coat. Pretty, don't you think?

wheels

Christmas 1963
by Joseph Enzweiler

Because we wanted much that year
and had little. Because the winter phone
for days stayed silent that would call
our father back to work, and he
kept silent too with our mother,
fearfully proud before us.

Because I was young that morning
in gray light untouched on the rug
and our gifts were so few, propped
along the furniture, for a second
my heart fell, then saw how large
they made the spaces between them

to take the place of less. Because
the curtained sun rose brightly
on our discarded paper and the things
themselves, these forty years,
have grown too small to see, the emptiness
measured out remains the gift,

fills the whole room now, that whole year
out across the snowy lawn. Because
a drop of shame burned quietly
in the province of love. Because
we had little that year
and were given much.

"Christmas 1963" by Joseph Enzweiler, from The Man Who Ordered Perch. © Iris Press, 2004
________________________________________________________________________________________________

All I try to say, don't spend a bundle on what you don't have anyway just in order to please your uncles and your aunts. Maybe "giving" will arise to a new level, a finer product, a heart gesture ... if we start to make presents again with our own hands... may it be cookies, cut out origami-style stars, self-made candles, a food basket, little things - a gesture!
Contentment is not bought by shopping in malls, joy begins with the touch of your hand, your hand that is connected to your heart.

I look at my kale and cabbage plants who are still sort of alive after several deep freezes. Problem is, I am tired of eating those greens. There is just so much you can handle.
The weather has been weird in Upper Hudson Valley of New York. Yesterday mild and springlike weather, today pouring rats and ass like crazy, gradually turning into sleet and snow. Tomorrow a snowstorm is in the forecast. Lots of it!
Was at a jury selection for a second degree murder case the last two days. Fortunately I was tossed out of the pool of jurors in the second round because I personally knew the defense-lawyer. Made me to be too biased I guess. I am glad though, my nerves don't assimilate brutality and gory details well these days.
You know, I had in mind to write something about the billions going to the big car companies again, but now I lost interest in it while I was rambling about my own surroundings.
So, this is a meager post, not much content, something you can fly over quickly and then dismiss it. And now, I am going back to carving...

troubadour days of past and future

So there he comes, running around the bend, unnoticed - still my friend. Picks up one of my guitars, starts playing a tune that sounds very sweet, a bit of blues - some portions of knowledge included. Age matures the mind, like well kept Parmesan cheese in the fridge. Bernt left me three songs, one of them I will put out here ... for you to hear.
We used to play together, and we played that night. He is living in Europe now since a while. It's a stretch to get there on a midnight call...
But unexpected droplets of nectar are precious. I love it when those donations do happen.

press play button to listen!
I switched off auto-play

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Arnold scores

The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a great statement the other day:
"Hwui must invest in the future, the infrastructure of this country. For four decades nooothing has been done." He is right!
So here I go, listening to my local Public Radio station, and the speaker announces that Vermont might shut down AMTRAK services because the states budget has no money left to subside the train. This is a sad move - and a bad move.
Why is it bad? Because the United States of America has forgotten how to invest into the future. The trains, once a viable network and grid, now appear to be in shambles.
Same with the roads and bridges, serving the "big three" and not the country, the automakers, who presently are begging for billions in Washington just like stupid little boys who got caught steeling lollipops. What will they truthfully get arriving this time in their hybrid cars in DC instead of private jets at the first meeting? It's a joke. Did they fly with their private jets anyway and "planted" their hybrids at the airport? Wouldn't surprise me. What is their bargaining chip anyhow, now that we all know that they let us down so many times before!
I don't want to sound like a "sensationalist" or a fiend of negative (re)evolution. But something has to be done now to shift this cooperate short term greed and transform it to a long term investment for the people, by the people. Otherwise this recession, that has merged into a depression, will swallow us all.
In the mean time, I don't give a rat's ass about GM and Chrysler. I care about Ford, because I drive their pick up truck. But this is just a sentimental statement and has nothing to do with factual values.

Wednesday musings

alternate ambitions

Natalie Portman and Hillary posing. Pico the dog I'm dog-sitting, showing off. All three are females no doubt. One is elected to be the Secretary of State by Obama today. The other is a fine actress with "fame" all written over her, and the last one is Pico, a girl that hunts moles and squirels.
They have one thing in common - they all are ambitious, hunting down the avenues of glory and adventure by avoiding to become prey themselves.
I just hope, that Hillary Clinton does not fall into the trap of "power-management" as Secretary of State. She is a tough cookie and an intelligent person. Nevertheless, most of the troubles aching US politics are framed in the Middle East (and now also the Far East). A woman will have a tough time to sit down with Arab leaders. Their culture is not very woman-friendly, tea maybe, but no diplomatic concessions. So, I wish all these woman good luck as they hunt Bin Laden, moles or fame.

On a personal note, I cleaned up major parts of my studio, eradicated trash and tidbits on my work bench, did a few other things that help me to breathe. So maybe, sculpting and carving will become my "Christmas passion"....

P.S. Don't you think Natalie is sort of gorgeous, the Hippie Tree Huger from Hollywood? Ah, nevermind...

Nemesis

Of course it is all right to have an opinion, that's a good thing. Of course you need to be biased, that is only human.
But all of this is only helpful if perpetuated towards what already is established, of where we are now. And it remains to be asked: How are we waltzing into the future? A lot of questions are unanswered, also by a charismatic person like Obama, who just got to be the president-elect of the USA.
As much as I like him, I am realistic about one thing. CHANGE (his motto) does not come with a lottery ticket or a mandate from above. There is more to it. My hope for change, is that he stays independent and doesn't bow his ass to the ones lurking around the corridor of power.
I am not sure I completely agree with PLATO in present times (as is depicted on the statement posted image) but I do share a lot of sympathy for that sentiment.
In the end (the bottom line) it is the small efforts of you and I, those things will make all the difference.
Just go out there, do the best you can and then enjoy the brilliance of small steps forward.

not done quite yet

The chill is on. A mile away from my homestead they create artificial snow for the slopes. Temperature is hovering around -10Celsius/5Fahrenheit. Some like this stuff - I don't anymore. I'd rather be in a hammock with Aggie, kissing sun rays and spilling drinks because the damn thing keeps moving back and forth. Who cares, we can clean up later.
So today I am doing this "personal" kind of post, let you in into my secret closet, there is no Time magazine, USA-today newspaper, Le Monde or any other kind of scary written stuff to be found. It is just me with a chewed up teddy bear, resting peacefully where the spiders like to dance.
Oh shit, I almost forgot what I meant to say, what I am actually talking about.
Some of you know my struggles, it is that education thing. Sometimes I am brilliant, and sometimes lousy. Depends what's on the menu.
To enlarge the possibilities, I decided to get certified as a teacher in New York State. It will take some random stupid facts of learning, funneled into my brain by bureaucrats and I will have to spit these tidbits back to them, to get the points I need to score. But so be it. I am willing to transfer from being a free agent in the private educational system, to an approved person who can walk the high-wire of public stardom.
Wish me luck.
P.S. I am working on that "fall" song. Need to figure out the details of sending audio files back and forth so they stay 'multitrack'. Some of the contributed lyrics will be incorporated ... deffinitely!!!!

I just have to do this

I understand that 86% of my blog visitors are females, and I know that they also don't like to hear all the time this "worldly-political-stuff". You know, the things that an other gangsta was hiding in this closet, financial breakdowns around the curb, filthy rich CEO's getting mullah to retire wherever they want to, and so on.... We, the club here, mostly stick to poetry and music. But sometimes music will not tell the tune.
So I can't help it. There are so many bizarre things happening around the globe. It is tough to keep up with them and with that overload of information in order not to become estranged, detached and insane.
This thing freaks me out a bit though ladies, and I will do this free hand since I lost my "cut and paste" stuff altogether.
So there are these pirates on the east coast of Africa, they capture any kind of vessel, even super-large oil-tankers and keep them for substantial ransom; and they get away with it. I can't believe this is actually happening.
All right, so the Pirates are coming in with speed-boats, well armed and such. Their aim is to mount the boat and get control. But with all the gadgets (gps, sound blasting canons, security wire around the premises and so on, why is this still an
issue? Now on top of it, Islamic extremists are searching for the hijackers in the Somali port of Haradheere because they believe that this Saudi registered ship is not to be captured, a sin against Allah. An Arab boat is not to be touched.
What the heck is this. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish etc. etc. boats?
A boat is a boat.
The other thing that bothers me, and then I will shut up, is the consistent misery found in Africa in general. I don't even want to go there where (again Muslim extremists) slaughter innocent people, but rather to the last cholera outbreak, the famine, the droughts, the incompetence of any - yes ANY - kind of political system to make any difference for the common people in that continent.
AFRICA is the lost ground, it all could be different - but it ain't.

Change

what are you going to say now, Aussie friend?

OK, so I am sort of halfway unemployed, an artists choice I guess. I could work for WallMart part time, Home Depot or Radioshack (if I shave first and then put a tie on) or the local grocery store if I handle to stack shelves with fried bean cans. I don't imagine my future to be this way.
OK, so here is my final proposition. I will open a Chinese restaurant, right here in downtown Hillsdale. I like to cook and I like Chinese people. What a combination!
All I need now is start capital. Would you please donate through the PayPal link below? You thereby could become a shareholder for my venture. It is indeed a viable thing to invest in local initiatives. You knew that, but I just would like to remind you of it.

So the Banking Situation is not fixed in the US, the DOW has dropped to 7500 something, Oil is below $50 a barrel, naughty executives fly from Detroit in three separate private jets to bargain with congress for a 25$ billion bail out?
Let's scrap the private jets - then talk!
Even Red Neck folks have no mercy anymore, and they should know...
Go to CNN and read the last articles.
Am I upset? Fuck no - I am devastated, and so will you be in the end.
Time to change gears. Time to invest locally. And I am not even going to be mad if you don't invest in my Chinese restaurant called "Golden Dragon"... Just be mindful to put effort into your own local community!!!

dog talk

Check this dog out her name is Gin. Never have I seen anything like it!

by the way, if you get sick and tired of that song, just click the pause button on the embedded player below! Will take it down eventually...

the eat out

They eat out
by Margaret Atwood

In restaurants we argue over which of us will pay for your funeral
though the real question is whether or not I will make you immortal.

At the moment only I can do it
and so I raise the magic fork over the plate of beef fried rice and plunge it into your heart.

There is a faint pop, a sizzle
and through your own split head you rise up glowing;

the ceiling opens a voice sings Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing
you hang suspended above the city in blue tights and a red cape, your eyes flashing in unison.

The other diners regard you some with awe, some only with boredom:
they cannot decide if you are a new weapon or only a new advertisement.

As for me, I continue eating; I liked you better they way you were,
but you were always ambitious.
"They eat out" by Margaret Atwood, from Selected Poems 1965-1975. © Houghton Mifflin

naked tree "competition" for lyrics

As we approach yet an other week of labor and sweat, nature is whispering: Calm down!
Listen to the cranky voice of Tom Waits for a few minutes and it will make you kick your audio system into shambles and make flying little pieces flaring around in mid air in no time. Nothing against Tom per say. He got some good blues tunes worth listening to. But he is sooooo Monday; or was that so mundane? Without his back up band he would barely compete with a rooster having pneumonia. But hey, he's got some fine lyrics. Maybe that's what counts these days, and that's where you come in...
This is not a Haiku competition even though there is a Haiku on that photograph from my evening walk. This is a competition about you doing the lyrics - you write them, and I and my friends will come up with the sound. So, go ahead and be creative. A personalized mp3 version will be awaiting if you happen to be the "winner" of the lyric crafts contest!
Have an excellent Monday and a fair sailing in the week ahead!
Sharpen your pen and write something that makes a tune roll...
The final blockbuster hit will be published here - and everywhere else of course, let's make history!
Oh, I forgot to mention, the theme is: FALL !

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the music you hear was a totally spontaneous session between brother Pete (cello) and me on guitar, voice and violin on July 4th... There you go, you're up for trouble. Win this contest and become immortal. We will be doing a much better job than we did with these Dylan lines you listening to right now, maybe your own song therefore will sparkle and stand out like a gem ....

Hairy business ahead

I am still pondering what kind of "change" the new elections in the US will bring for real.
The Democrats are now talking about a bail-out of the "big three", GM, Chrysler and Ford - in essence rewarding them for their misdemeanors and mismanagement in the past and thereby giving them a green light to continue business as usual. I see no "change" in that.
In utter despair the government throws money here and there, not only for bank and other acquisitions, but now also as droplets to homeowners. Where does that money come from, where is the printing press to keep up with such a demand?
As much as I like Obama and his charismatic personality, I stay a skeptic of the course ahead. There is too much hairy business to wade through, entrenched in sieves above the drain.
Now that the USA per say has become a socialist country, I wonder when the knuckleheads in Washington realize that the present "free market system" has failed. But no, they are hanging onto it as if their lives would be saved on a magic raft, while their actions only prolong the inevitable course of drowning. Maybe that is a human instinct: Let's stay on the course we choose, no matter what happens.
But there is a way to avoid the iceberg and savor this moment of present uncertainty and turn it around to our advantage. People who are looking for "self regulated", decentralized, community orientated businesses, are definitely on the right track.
I happened to be in Detroit when Bush gave his speech To the Union. I also cruised around then, and all I saw was desolation and decay. The image was as vivid as a city seen after a war. The palaces of the "big three" were still there, but they turned into shopping malls on the ground level, cheap jewelery from China, leather belts from Mexico and twirling stands of postcards depicting times long gone. I thought right then, that I was participating involuntary in a SiFi movie.
The answer is not to bail out these aging giants so that their ruthless course will continue. Detroit will not benefit from it either. The unfortunate side effect is, that there will be colossal collateral damage, thousands of people jobless.
But so be it. Maybe we could focus on a brand new economy, one that serves the people of each country and not the top 2% of jerks running the show.

head's up

the task of race

Now that the big wave of orgasmic election days are done, ripples of water trickle into the ground, the leftovers of that ejaculation.
I am cautiously optimistic and that does not make me a "true blind believer". But you see, this nomination has great merit. Two hundred years ago, the United States raised its wealth and existence on the bleeding backs of imported slaves from Africa and they called them niggers. Now such a man of color is president-elect of same country. A marvelous transformation indeed. Only in America such a transformation is shown to be possible in such a short span of time, historically speaking. (could you for example envision a woman or man of color as president or leader in Sweden? See, you can't - the question therefore is, why not!)
So the present road ahead is not without obstacles. Obama will face challenges unprecedented compared to any other US leader before him: The "western-capitalism-model" is in shambles, there are multiple wars still dominated by US-forces, nature takes its toll each day and little is done to reverse that trend.
It will be tough to reverse some, if not all of these issues within four years of presidency.
Now that said, I have confidence that Obama will try his best. He has a good heart after all, one that seems to be uniquely human, a heart that reaches out to all people!

(photo, Vinalhaven, Maine)

the song: This is your victory!

I had a night, that was not blessed with lot's of sleep
but I guess the sheep
whispered
I took no time to count them,
others did.

The miracle is not in the making anymore
the janitor has already cleaned the floor
Obama must now carry the sun
undo what others have begun

The hope is high, the hope is slow
what will turn out, you only know
the leaves will fall this autumn day
and that's as much I dare to say.

Hallelujah

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth the fitht
the minor fall, the major lift
the battled king composing Hallelujah.

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
she broke your throne, and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah...

(LEONARD COHEN, and five more verses after these two)


I had the luxury today to recline outside on a stretcher, nah - you don't call it that, some kind of mobile steel tubed sofa for 45 minutes. What the heck, you get what I mean. So I gazed up into the sky and followed the tracks of hypersonic-fat-ass-military planes scratching artificial clouds into the sky. To some extend it was pretty how the patterns evolved - and then dissolved again. There is something poetic about momentary existence, be it in clouds, or the pulse of the heart of a reclining person staring at the sky.
Sometimes life can be so simple, even hours before a groundbreaking general election.