Undistinguished Guests Of Dishonor

Doubt like acid
Raining on his hopes
Like Dick Rowe stating guitar groups are on the way out
Doesn't want to spend the rest of his life trying to live it down
Minutes pass as if hours
Can't seem to hear a word clearly
Everyone moving as if underwater
Out of focus passersby and trees of light
A lost dog in an alley
Looking for a way to get home

Try recklessly
Try without regard
His mind screams at him over and over 
Trying to fan the flames of desire
Shouting down that bully, uncertainty

A Horse Without A Kingdom

Reasons To Be Grateful, Part IV

Some people have everything, some people have nothing. Then there are people like us, We have something, enough something to keep us happy...and help us forget the people who have nothing,

Damn, gotta find a way to help the people who have nothing that helps and doesn't hinder their path to self-sufficiency,

These Two Idiots

You know what's awesome? Awesome is having two dogs that never stop wagging their tails when you come home from work. Pisses the cat off, but what the hey.

A Few Things I'm Not Going To Do During The Holidays This Year

The holidays are upon us in the U.S., and by holidays, I mean the Christmas holidays (inwhich I include Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, & Festivus). Truly, they have been upon us for six weeks or so now - quite a few stores had Christmas decorations for sale in early October, and now there are houses in the neighborhood that are covered in lights and assorted plastic Santas and inflatable snowglobes.

Dwelling on the blatant commercialization of it all is a pointless exercise - heck, Linus did an excellent job of that in the cartoon A Charlie Brown Christmas which was made in 1965, so yeah, that horse has been beaten enough.

I have though, been thinking about what I can do to lessen the effect of the over-the-top consumerism that rears it's ugly head at this time of year, at least the effect it has on me and my attitude, and I have come up with a few ideas.

For starters, I'm going to try to avoid being judgmental of people who do get caught up in the more commercial aspects of the holiday. If people want to go shopping at midnight on November 27th, if that's what makes them happy, so be it. I will not be critical of them simply because it's not something I would ever do.

Second, I'm going to try to be more aware that for a lot of people, these are very special holidays. There are people who celebrate Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice/Festivus with solemnity and seriousness (okay, maybe not the Festivus crowd), and I will confess to having been judgmental of them, too. When someone greets me or wishes me a "Happy...whatever," I will return the greeting with a warm "And to you and yours as well."

Third, and this is a biggie...I'm going to flat out just enjoy the fact that the majority of people who are out taking advantage of the myriad sales and promotions during the holidays are doing so with the intention of finding something nice for the people in their lives who matter to them, who are important to them, and who they want to make happy.

Because heck, if rampant consumerism can get people to stop and really think of the people in their lives who are important, who matter, and who are the people they want to make happy...even if it's only for a short while...then it's a good thing.

Some Faces, Some Hands, Some Feet

                         Sketches With Fine Tip Sharpie, Ballpoint Pen, CRB 12 23 2014

Parking Lot Glacier

The problem with the big piles of snow in the parking lot is readily apparent. The temptation to drive up them is immense, especially if you have an SUV or AWD about which you have been curious as to it's true capabilities.

That in itself would not actually be a problem if the temperature had stayed in the high-twenties or low thirties.

Then the snow would have stayed relatively soft...but with the temperatures falling below zero for a few days in a row, the piles of snow became piles of ice, small glaciers if you will.

And all you get when you try to four-wheel over one of those is a lot of slipping and sliding...backwards.