The end of the world as we know it

Photo - By Marco Fulle on April 16th, 2010.
Sounds bad I know but looking at the grounding of flights in the EU due to Eyjafjallajokull volcano on Iceland makes one realize that humanity has become dependent on technology for survival. Imagine what would happen if another few volcanoes decide to go active? This serves to remind us how powerless we are against nature. It also serves to remind me that no matter what, God is always in control and that no powers or principalities can come against him.
Maybe we need to re-evaluate both our techno-dependency and our relationship with God, the creator of the splendors of nature we are now witnessing in Iceland?
While getting some of the links for this I came across this funny poem about the recent travails at BoingBoing... By Jeff Skoll... E-Bay's first president... Sums it up thus...

This is an ode to the volcano
That sent our travel plans into the draino
I'm not really one to complaino
But this all hurts my little braino
Madrid, Casablanca, Amsterdam, Rejkavik on cruiseships
The trains will fail
All the escape routes that we planned
Are blocked by nature or by man
We heard the French trains may soon be striking
At this rate we'll all be biking
With our luck we'll all be struck by lightning!
This is all rather frightening
So better we all meet at TED
That is what I should have said
So thank you June and thank you all
Damn the volcano, let's have a ball

"[Poetry] is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake." Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)

Here on Earth

Missing you...



Tiësto feat. Cary Brothers - Here On Earth
And the sun has fallen, and the backbeat's telling truths
That you want to hear, and you want to hear again
And the closer that you get, with the force of all the weight
And it's also clear, do you want to feel her

Want to feel her, want to feel her

For as long as you are, here on this earth
I feel alive
For as long as you are, here on this earth
I feel alive

And you take your time, because we've got all night
Saturday or nothing, we can do what we want
I'm a sucker for your game, it's the way you tease
And it's so unreal, when we touch the ceiling

For as long as you are, here on this earth
I feel alive
For as long as you are, here on this earth
I feel alive

Make it so, it shakes your heart
Nice and slow, but can you let it go
And you feel life fall away, and you have no fear
And you let it go, just let it go
And you feel life fall away, and you have no fear
Can you let it go, let it go

For as long as you are, here on this earth
I feel alive
Feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive
Feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive
DJ Tiësto has always been a favorite of mine but I think he has outdone himself with Kaleidoscope, must try and get hold of it. It has some very laid back tracks for Trance... the Nelly Furtado track is brilliant!
So while MD is up in Ganstaparadise I will do some music catching up to share with her when she gets back.

"Love much. Earth has enough of bitter in it."
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Para mi amor

I miss you like the desert's miss the rain...
Where do you go to my lovely...
Please don't go... you're the only Angel I know...
Just some songs from No Mercy that help pass the time while MD is away in Johannesburg... The guitar playing of this group always makes me wish I could! The notes seem to tug at my heart...
Especially after our trip to Argentina I have gotten very fond of Latina music, particularly the ones from South and North America, they have a vibrancy and energy that is contagious.
So until mi amor is back I will console myself with music and doing some solo riding on the bike...
I found this amusing quote that sums up how things have gone the last few days as fitting in with the title of the first song...
"Either I've been missing something or nothing has been going on." Karen Elizabeth Gordon

Livin la vida Mushroom

Once again I have to change plans I had for the weekend because no one informed me that we have to close the system a week earlier!
I normally do not mention work on my blog but I need to rant somewhere!
So this weekend's trip to St Francis is fading fast, so sorry Moondancer!
I hate it when that happens...
However... this will give me a chance to update some of my draft postings from Argentina.
Unless... just maybe I can figure out how to get away...
“You must grow like a tree, not like a mushroom”
Janet Erskine Stuart

Life Markers

This cartoon reminds me of how blogs remind me of Biblical memorials where stones were piled up to mark an event or to remember someone by, Joshua 4 speaks of this. Today everyone does so in some way or another, some have scrapbooks or family photo albums, family bibles and family trees, others use a modern stone pile, blogs. I call them life markers. Each one is a conglomerate of thoughts and experiences of the person writing a picture of their lives and each one is unique. Thanks for making a pawprint to prove that you were here today...
"Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great." John L. Motley (1814 - 1877)

Righteous Wrath

I was going to post something different but these thoughts came to me as I was reading an e-mail earlier this evening and remembering something from yesterday.
Yesterday I popped a gasket as the saying goes and felt so rotten afterwards even though I felt I had a right to shout back... got me thinking why it happens and being a Christian how we let it happen. Then I remember another Righteous Wrath and I see a similarity and I am amazed that this is how God became flesh to show that even He could lose His temper while He walked on earth, Jesus was human, He had to be to die and take all our sins on the Cross. If this was not so we could not have the power to live as He did and strive to be perfect. This power comes not from the fact that He was/is God but because He had the Holy Spirit to guide and protect Him, just as we do today. We are blessed to have this Power inside us as well as covering us like a cloak. Just think of that, God gave us the thing that all SciFi and Fantasy fans want... an Invisibility Cloak that hides us from the power of darkness... amazing! Truly there is nothing new that was not already thought of by God.
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” - Proverbs 29:25

Eina!

I think I overdid my exercises yesterday... I have backache, bellyache, and even my arms are sore... so I only did two sessions today... and I can move my foot more than yesterday, yay! Tomorrow I will see if I can get behind the wheel... Shrek has been serviced and repaired and should be back under the carport on Tuesday... seems like it will still be at least 5 weeks before we can head out on the highway again... dang! I have an itch that needs scratching...
TUT had this to say today "Think of everyone on the planet, everyone, as your special friend...And so they shall become. Dang."
When I look at my favourites and my Blogroll I can see that, some of those bloggers feel like close friends and some even are. Others touch my soul and others make me think, then there are the guys that just think like me. However others have faded from the scene... as one fades a new star usually rises. It makes life interesting.
No music or vids today... I am on a musical sabbatical, I am not in the mood for music at present, it kind of hurts too much... I am working on a music blog though... keep watching for Angelic Voices, it will be worth it I promise.
"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." Rita Mae Brown
Footnote: Eina is an Afrikaans colloquialism for "Ouch".

Sound familiar?

Please meet Jean at Pondering... the force is strong with this one. She writes some stunning poetry that touches my heart and reflects many of my moods and experiences. I hope she does not mind me taking this excerpt from her blog...
Write your life...

Whether it be like this or in letters to yourself,
as in a journal, or a diary.
Write everything about you so that others
may know. How you lived.
What you thought. When you cried.
Loved and laughed. Did you dream?
It may be found some day, and those who
knew you. Might cry. Might laugh.
Might gasp, "That's why!"
"That's when!" "That's where!"
Then again, a stranger might find you
in your words. And know you better than
all those others. Take you home.
Live with you another life.
See in you another way. Love their life again.
Find the path. Forgive their pain.
See the stars.
You are a book. A poem. A song.
Write your life.

Another person that believes in being a witness to others lives, I am linking to her blog to do so... May she prosper and grow strong. (Jedi theme today)
"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity." Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC), Pro Publio Sestio

Lessons from walls

This posting has been long in gestation and today in Church I got the final threads to finish it off as promised previously... It is neither a lengthy or noble dissertation, just something that I have felt needs to be said.

Life is a procession, some may call it a comedy of errors, others call it a learning process. I call it an adventure these days...We all get hurt by life at some time or another, some build defensive walls and attitudes to protect them from the hurt. Others carry on regardless in their selfish ways. Others hide away in despair. Others take on the poisoned chains of pride.
Then there are people that want to throw off the yoke of past experiences to be able to live again as we are supposed to.Joyfully and adventurously.I am one of those people, but before I could do that I had to love myself again, to see that even with my bruised ego, broken heart and mangled self worth I was a person that was worthy to be a creature of joy again. Part of this was accepting and realizing that God loved me no matter what I did or had done. He had made me and He had loved me enough to create a way for me to be with Him eternally. How could I doubt my worth if the God of creation considered me worthy?
Once this was out of the way I realized that I had to get rid of my fortress that I had built around me as a result of past experiences.I had to get my psyche naked, this was the toughest part, because when you are exposed like this the flame of a passing soul is like a blowtorch, some have a flame of hatred, others of jealousy, even friendship scorches...
However if you persevere the freedom of not hiding behind a wall or mask is bliss itself, you know that you mean what you say and do what you mean. This honesty is sometimes disconcerting to others catching them off guard and flowing over them like a tsunami. I keep forgetting that part...

What I also have found is that I have lost the art of picking up hidden cues... I do not expect them because of my directness and openness... why should others play games when I cannot? But they do, mostly not intentionally but on a constant basis... I have to retrain myself to read these signs I suppose. Then I go read a recent study on kisses and I seem to be once again the exception to the rule as my goal when kissing is not to end up in the boudoir... I put a lot of emotional value in a kiss, to me a kiss is not part of what they say, a kiss is like cement for my heart, it fills in the cracks and makes me whole again. Yes it does set my heart racing but it also tells me that I am not alone in the adventure of life or the building of a relationship. Without a kiss it just a great friendship... but with a kiss once in a while there is a hint of something that may well grow to become that once in lifetime experience.

Being a gentleman is also a given when one has chosen the path I have, considering the other person and respecting their wishes is worth it, trust me, as the other way of being a boor and throwing a tantrum is not going to get you any points either. What I am talking about is when you have told the object of your affections your feelings, respect what you get back, I know it is hard to have to reign in your emotions but unless you expect instant gratification you are far better off being a friend than earning instant enmity. I actually think that the Victorian era had perfected this as a man would very often court a woman for many years before even telling her what he felt, rather getting to know her over time through many conversations and countless letters... we have forgotten that art gentlemen! Time to back track and do things in a proper and fitting fashion I believe. Chastity has it's own reward...

However as mentioned in a previous post, I think modern men are losers when it comes to understanding their purpose in the scheme of things, I am not excusing myself either, I have learnt that lesson well and have been shown the error of my ways regarding our responsibility to children we bring into the world. Only when we understand what the true meaning of being a Gentleman is will this change. Leaving a child in the lurch is a cowardly way to excuse
yourself from your responsibility. Just as God loves you you should love that child and do all you can to provide for this gift you received. At the same time if you had followed the proper order of things you may well never have gotten in this place at all... passion has both a price and a place.

Now all I want is to nurture those I love, to protect and serve and lead by example, in some small way show them the love I have been shown. When I see one of them hurting I wish I could take that cloak and put it on myself and bear their pain instead. I cry more easily because of this... I seem pray more often as well.
Lastly I leave you with this test of love that I only recently came to understand in full and without this any relationship is doomed to failure:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - I Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)

20/20

I am watching the 20/20 Cricket and the RWC... be back later... busy channel hopping.
Cricket delayed by rain... Cape Town this time of year can do that... Now Duckworth/Lewis comes into play... Looks like Zimbabwe may just have the cat in the bag and beat the mighty Australia. And they did... by 5 wickets!
Italy and Romania are slugging it out and my money is on the underdog Romania! Alas it was not to be...
Italy 24 Romania 18.
On the subject of 20/20 here is a song from the Beach Boys album of the same name...

[via FoxyTunes / The Beach Boys]- Cotton fields.

20/20 also means perfect vision, since I wear glasses I do not qualify but perfect vision could also mean that one has a sense of purpose and direction in one's life... something that has become clearer to me lately although the final direction could well be influenced by other events... time will tell.
"There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking." Alfred Korzybski (1879 - 1950)

Dates

No not the romantic kind but dates on the Calendar, looking back things seem to happen on the teen days of months, I was born on the 11 th, got married on the 18 th, M was born on the 17 th , L on the 19 th. The list goes on. Nothing much happens on the first few days or so I thought. 070707 was the exception to the rule... must say I like a change in pattern, it must be a sign of change and change is a good thing.
I am one of those persons that remembers the good dates too, I will have to dig in my files to find out on what day bad things happened. Dwelling in the past is a futile exercise for me, I would rather look forward to tomorrow to see what surprise it has in store...
So as I head for bed after a very lazy Sunday I am exited to see what Monday hurls my way. Still busy with that big posting, I may have it done by tomorrow... thats if I do not get abducted and go on some mad adventure during the day...
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000)

Little Things Mean a Lot, on the day I was born.

"Little Things Mean a Lot" by Kitty Kallen was the top song on the day I was born... and I thought I was a Rock'nRoll baby. Some more on the lady here;
http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/kallen.html
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_kallenk.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Kallen

Born - February 2, 1922 Philadelphia, PA
Real Name - Genevieve Agostinello
Marriage - Clint Garvin
Little Things Mean a Lotsung by Kitty Kallen. Decca 29037. This great record reached Number 1 on the charts on April 17, 1954 and saw a half year on the Billboard charts. Miss Kallen so believed in this song and in "Chapel in the Moonlight," that she financed the recording sessions herself. Her label, Decca, refused to pay for the sessions because they saw no commercial value in these songs. Little Things Mean a Lot was the biggest selling and most popular record of the Golden year 1954, when popular music reached its peak.

Little Things Mean A Lot:
Blow me a kiss from across the room
Say I look nice when I'm not
Touch my hair as you pass my chair
Little things mean a lot

Give me your arm as we cross the street
Call me at six on the dot
A line a day when you're far away
Little things mean a lot

Don't have to buy me diamonds or pearls
Champagne, sables, or such
I never cared much for diamonds and pearls
'cause honestly, honey, they just cost money

Give me your hand when I've lost the way
Give me your shoulder to cry on
Whether the day is bright or gray
Give me your heart to rely on

Send me the warmth of a secret smile
To show me you haven't forgot
That's always and ever, for now and forever,
Honey, little things mean a lot
"As we look deeply within, we understand our perfect balance. There is no fear of the cycle of birth, life and death. For when you stand in the present moment, you are timeless." Rodney Yee

Moonlightning

APOD: 2004 October 7 - Moon Lightning
Another stunning picture from this exccelent site, one must visit the site for the full effect, here is another Moonset for comparison. It always amazes me to see the moon rising and setting, it seems ageless and so serene. Makes one want to dance in the moonlight, speaking of wich, I managed to get Onka's big moka, Toploader's debut album (wonder why their site is down?), another bargain from Kloppers CD bar at the Waterfront. I just wish they would get all that building finished. Something that never seems to stop these days here in Bloemfontein. Always some new building mushrooming up overnight.
As the theme is moonish today here is one of abovementioned group's songs:
Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader
We get it on most every night
when that moon is big and bright
its a supernatural delight
everybodys dancing in the moonlight

we get everybody here is out of sight
they dont bark and they dont bite
they keep things loose they keep it tight
everybodys dancing in the moonlight

dancing in the moonlight
everybodys feeling warm and bright
its such a fine and natural sight
everybodys dancing in the moonlight

we like our fun and we never fight
you cant dance and stay uptight
its a supernatural delight
everybody was dancing in the moonlight

dancing in the moonlight
everybodys feeling warm and bright
its such a fine and natural sight
everybodys dancing in the moonlight

we get in on most every night
and when that moon is big and bright
its a supernatural delight
everybodys dancing in the moonlight

dancing in the moonlight
everybodys feeling warm and bright
its such a fine and natural sight
everybodys dancing in the moonlight
I am quite surprised to see how many songs in my collection have "moon" in the title... Some favourites are Can't Fight the Moonlight - Leanne Rimes, Who Painted the Moon - NiaNell, the lady from Namibia with the silver voice. Also The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys and of course the ever popular Bad Moon Rising by CCR. Well that is enough mooning about for one day. I think the quote fits the theme like a glove..
"Beauty is a form of genius--is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon." Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

One Month

Been posting for a month now and the creative juice has ebbed and flowed according to my moods... and boy do I have moods... looking back I see this and now understand why keeping a journal of any sort is theraputic and at the same time insightfull... At least this is cheaper than an analyst and more fun!
Looking back over this past month I found new friends, did new things, grew a little wiser and lived a little wilder (in a good sense)... all in all well a great month. Got Sarah Brightman on at the moment and my mood stinks, I think I am going top watch TV a while and come back to the blog...
Been watching Cold Case, once again a interesting twist to the tale and great music that always seems to fit the episode theme... Jewel's song "Hands" was featured in the closing scenes, others were REM, "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", Eagle Eye Cherry "Save Tonight", TLC "No Scrubs", Tal Bachman "She's So High" and Len "Steal My Sunshine". I also found the site that lists the music in all episodes; Cold Case music on Have-Dog
Just watching the news updates and there has been another accident at an illegal drag race... when will the powers that be start clamping down on this? As I am involved in motorsport this always irks me that the organised events battle to get assistance but nothing is done about illegal racing. Here are todays lyrics... suiting my earlier mood:
Once in a lifetime - Sarah Brightman
Let me dive in
To pools of sin
Wet black leather on my skin
Show me the floor
Lay down the law
I need to taste you more

Refrain:

Then I feel your sea
Raining down on me
Can this be my once in a lifetime
Hell's at heaven's door
As I need you more
You know you're my once in a lifetime

When you take me
And make me cry
Then I feel you satisfy
Show me the cage
It's all the rage
And lock it up

Found a part of me
That's a mystery
That will be just once in a lifetime
When the moon is high
Passion never dies
Will you want me for all a lifetime

Once in a lifetime
Once in a lifetime
Once in a lifetime

Giving you my soul
Letting you control
Took away a part of my lifetime
Memories of you
Left me black and blue
Now I know you're once in a lifetime

Refrain

Found a part of me
That's a mystery
That will be just once in a lifetime
When the moon is high
Passion never dies
Will you want me for all a lifetime

Refrain

Found a part of me
That's a mystery
That will be just once in a lifetime

I do believe I know why my mood has been so grey today... especially after reading those lyrics, I seem to have a lot of work to do on my pshyce... darn, I thought I was ok...
"A ship in harbor is safe--- but that is not what ships are for." John A. Shedd

CICO and other acronyms...

Blush... what an experience... had a coffee date with Shaz that turned into a minor farce... hope Shaz will forgive me for flipping out but Coffee In Coffee Out and the weather did not improve my capacity either... Next time rule #9 will apply and be moved to #1 when going on a date... Oh... how did the date go? GR8T! What an interesting person! Hope to have loads more...
BTW... The rules can be found here; CODA, once again thanks!
More wows about the WWW... RfaBD is actually being read! Thanks for the positive comments folks, it is wonderful to know people out there enjoy what one has written, salut to my fellow RfaBD traveling companions! Kat (what? no blog?) and Rich @ MissingLink great hearing from you both.

Winamp played Hello she said by Mean Mr Mustard as I typed this up... quite apt for the nights events. I really am begining to think it can sense my mood! Now it is playing Baby be Brave by The Corrs ... I love this song for the flute and violin bit... it has tones of Lord of the Dance , well being an Irish group I suppose that is a given! come to think of it, Ireland has been quite prolific in the last few years when it comes to music and dance...
Baby be Brave by The Corrs
Baby be brave ‘cause what’s the point of it all
What’s the point of it all yeah?
Baby don’t blow it, tell me what’s it all for
If you’re not terrified to fail

(Confide in me, tell your story)
Are you terrified to fail?
(It’s your fear that makes you worthy)
I am terrified to fail
(Confide in me, tell your story)
Are you terrified to fail?
(It’s your fear that makes you worthy)
Winamp is signing out with Time of our lives by Paul van Dyk & Vega4... Wierd how the one song has merged perfectly with the next tonight...

No recipe today... I think that will be reserved for Monday Blogs from now on, like the result of the weekends experiment thing...

Most quotes used on this blog were mined from The Quotations Page.
"The day is coming, and it ain't going to be long, when you ain't even gonna have to leave your living room. No more schools, nor more bodegas, no more tabernacles, no more cinneplexes. You're going to snuggle up to your fiber optics baby and bliss out." Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Heal Thyself, 1993