Too Little Time, Too Much Stuff

Sometimes my brother would get fixated on some new dish or drink or whatever. He’d say he had a “kick” about it. There have been many things I’ve had ‘kicks’ about over the years. I am interested in lots of things. Lately I’m trying to revisit a few of them and share some of my ideas with you. I hope you will interact with me and tell me which one of these things you’re interested in.

The Buddha

I am a Buddhist. Before you get your shorts in a wad, don’t go thinking I believe Buddha is god. Buddha was a flesh and blood man just like all of us. Unlike most of us he was extremely loving, caring, determined and brilliant. He developed a philosophy that is the ultimate answer to humanity’s problems. Sadly, humanity doesn’t know it and people are too “attached.” Alas, I struggle with this too. I should specify that I follow Theravada Buddhism, There are no mystical elements to this sect.

Aş time moves on I’ll share some interesting tidbits I find about Buddhism.

Poetry

I could be a poet and didn’t know it! Really I could. So, corny jokes aside, I have written a few poems and lots of song lyrics. Also, there is a great deal of joy for me to read beautiful poetry. I lean towards the traditional and traditional style but I’m not averse to any style. I also love Shakespeare. My wife and I have gone to a few “Shakespeare in the Park” presentations. Those were great. Hamlet is my ultimate favorite, with its absurd comedy, heart-rending grief, soulful sadness and ultimate tragedy. Other plays I know less well. It would be a great pleasure to strike up a conversation with visitors and discuss great poems or Shakespeare packages.

(This is true. When I was driving a truck for CX transportation one of the ways I kept myself entertained was to listen to audio on my cassette player. (remember those?) I had a tape of Shakespeare poems. What would all those people on the road thought of a big, tough truck driver listening to poetry?)

A lot of people say they find poetry boring or effeminate or some-such but the fact is that anyone who loves music with vocals appreciate poetry. Songs are simply poems put to music. In the ‘back days’ I was pretty good at writing song lyrics. I was not nearly as good developing a tune to go with them.

My favorite works are the classics, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost and “There Are No Islands Anymore,” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay is one of my great poets. Free-verse poetry does not excite me so much, but when it is real and authentic it’s nice. The important point for you is make sure the poem is original and unaltered. With AI producing poetry and lyrics by the boat load people could get swept up in the artificial and lose touch with the real.

Looking at the Big Wide World

Eventually I’ll drop some of my personal works on this page. I’ll have to dig some of them out of hiding and others, muse willing, I’ll write some more. Until then, here’s a peep at a few great sites where you can spend your time after you’ve browsed and read up on this site, of course.