Let the Poems Begin!

This is me, ascending to new heights. Above, the theme for National Poetry Writing Month, April 2018. In keeping with this theme, my own offerings will be appearing on these pages. (Disclaimer: if you see your name, do not fret; it's all made up, you can bet.)

1) Sunday, April 1st. A little limerick to kick this off.

There was a young woman named Betty,

Who tried to pole-dance in her teddy;

Her routine was a farse,

And she slipped on her arse,

'Cause her hands were unusually sweaty.

(I tried to warn you ...)

2) Monday, April 2nd. I will deviate from simplistic rhyme ...

Things that are not

I. HMO - Health Maintenance Organization.

Is neither organized, nor maintaining your health;

let us call it what it is: Hustle Money Opportunism.

II. Orange Peeler - A plastic device to score skin.

On my way to the Tupperware party, I actually went,

with the idea of scoring a free gift, and bugging out;

I've never cared for storing my food in plastic,

even though they tell me it is leach-free and safe;

Besides, it comes in nifty colors, with a lid that goes, "burp,"

as I do, from scarfing down sacrificial food fresh made,

and stored in all those pretty nesting bowls;

Now I am part of the inert plastic, as are oysters -- poisoned,

from other plastic that was supposed to be safe;

I ponder this, as I have another pastry, and watch the hostess,

spinning salads and counting up her profits on a score-pad;

The things I love are being poisoned by plastics, trapped in bottle-nets, bloated by styrofoam beads, and yet, there are cookies;

I not spend, yet handed a gift on the way out the door:

a yellow stick for peeling oranges, or other citrus (not bananas);

And now, years later, I've lost the damned thing;

Maybe it will turn up in a fish somewhere, or,

hidden in a landfill, get lodged in the foot of a marauding bear,

making that hairy monster very crabby; no matter,

it didn't peel oranges anyway.

The Story part 2

Yesterday (whatever day, in 2014), I was sharing some connections I made while wandering around the Internet stratosphere. What seemed poignant at the time has gotten a little muddy. My yesterday has turned into a long-term sabbatical, but I am back.

In honor of the new day, I have decided to publish a poem I have written for each day, April, 2018. I also will be trying out some different fonts and edit capabilities, to keep things real and relative.

Publishing online is supposed to be fun, so let's take a journey together! Thanks. (no, this is not mine - it was taken by a gent who goes by the name of Bugsy Boone, and this is a beautiful sunny day-to-be on Lake Deveraux. I won't tell you where that is, you will just have to use your imagination.)

Clearing Out the Old

If you are like me, your life has become Clutter Central. Tonight, you and I are going to look the problem squarely in the eye: too much stuff. Now say after me:

      The clutter must go.
           Tomorrow, I will work on inventing a new, organized me.
                 I will take the first small step toward freeing my mind and body from a cluttered life.

There, didn't that feel good? You and I deserve to be free of all our useless stuff: papers, brochures, receipts, outdated clothes (oooh, that smarts!) and boxes of treasures.

So, how did we get here in the first place? And now that we are here, facing this, what can we do about it, and where do we start?

More will be revealed ...

Mind Wanderer ... Where Have I Been?

Time has passed, and I have been away but not wandering. I have criss-crossed the Country, laterally and vertically, and am back home. Today is another grey day, but it is good to be back.

My laptop traveled with me, and we are back online again. With a little sleuthing, you can glean anything from the Internet, or so it seems.

That is how I am spending my free time today, trying to fire-up my synapses.

This all started innocently, while reading email and trying to ignore the pesky "Windows Update" restart box. Now really, what could be so important that my mind-wandering has to be interrupted every thirty seconds or so by some nerdy reminder?

Okay, so I was feeling distractible today. The subject line from an email message grabbed me: BLOG FOR US AND FIND YOUR BREAKTHROUGH.

Wow, an email that caters to my vanity! I have been looking for a breakthrough all my life.

There are lots of opportunities listed in this message, some of them requiring a small investment. Even so, I carefully cut-and-paste the Top Story link into my browser.

Hmmm, says here I am on my way to fame and fortune, ten dollars for each top blog that gets published. Bloggers need to submit a bill to get paid on the 1st and 15th. And it looks like prospective authors need to sign up for a "business blog" site to receive a logon "token" ... which could cost money ... says here in the Acceptance Agreement.

A bell rings.

On to the next opportunity, which has to do with something called a "Waggle." This one involves joining (uh-oh, a J-word) some type of movement, then organizing a "job club." Again, a small investment is required.

I am getting the picture with these opportunities. A while back, I signed up for this email newsletter, but now I am thinking of unsubscribing.

I dig a little deeper: there must be a pot of gold somewhere for my time and effort. Yes! There it is, a contest for the best user-submitted video entitled, "Why You Should Hire Me."

Abandoning the computer, I race off to capture my best-dressed image on video, pleading for a job.

NOT.

Oh My God. I will never win this contest.

Too bad. I will never win a contest that requires me to act like a monkey. I would rather sit on the curb with a tin cup. Definitely need to unsubscribe from that newsletter.

Wait. The contest prize is something I had not seen before, a "FlipVideo" camcorder (next time, Tory, use Spell Check: the name is "Flip Video.")

Turns out, this is my prize for the day, a free preview of a new hardware gadget. Too bad the sound card on my computer went south, this looks like the next new thing from (yes! I still have stock!) Cisco.

I am momentarily captivated, but I have trained my finger to wait before clicking. Same principle as buying stock: don't jump when the monkey rings the bell, and NEVER invest in something that looks good to Paul Allen (sorry, Paul, but you are much better at music and real estate.)

So, Cisco acquired this company from a start-up. While the gadget is sexy, I fail to see how this is going to capture market share from other recording devices, such as cell phones. Furthermore, some of the Cisco links are broken on their web site ... not a good sign, especially the "Jobs" link.

Say, speaking of another "J-word", how are you all doing out there? Are you like me, cruising the Internet, running from the job-cops? Or are you still hanging on by your nails?

Hold your head up like I am, and say "no, thanks" to fake jobs. You know the kind: you have to pay something out to get something back. Say NO to even slicker job coaches.

Times are not good, but I prefer the system approach to solutions. No three-month "working interviews", desparate video clips, or begging. If I am going to beg, I will let you know up-front and will preface it with a "please."

It is time to stand up and say ENOUGH BS.

So what does this all have to do with Cisco, hardware gadgets, and Jobs? The other words I have not mentioned are Las Vegas, Hindu, IBM and Bangalore. Read my blog tomorrow, and find out. Among other things, I will tell you what ENOUGH BS stands for.

Day 1, and already behind ...

Another grey day on the Canal, the kind that slows down my body but keeps my creative juices flowing.

For those of you in a different part of the world, welcome to mine. It is so quiet here you can hear the Great Blue Heron swoop by. The birds-of-prey catch me unaware, when I am gazing out over the frosted Olympics and grey-blue water; eagles, heron, king fisher, crows, starlings, hummingbirds, seagulls, and many others.

If you are a bird-watcher or a nature-lover, this is your paradise. If you want city life, this place is not for you; there are no clothing stores, theaters, or culture of any kind (trust me.)

I've given you a little window, a sneak preview, and there is more to come.

I want to talk about the changes happening here: we are running out of oxygen in the Canal, folks, and the fish are disappearing. Nobody knows exactly why, but the State has invested tons of money for studies, so we'll see if anything comes of this.

In the meantime, there are plans in the works for a "world class" NASCAR track up the congested road (the only ingress-egress route around.) The "back the track" folks will not let this issue die. Stand by for BIG changes.

We have become a world village, of sorts: loggers, foresters, and Guatemalan brush-pickers share the same spaces.

This is where the snowbirds roost in the Summer. Increasingly, people are moving here because of the pristine air, water, and sense of community. We build, and they come. The scales are tilting more toward year-round residence, but the struggle to find work that pays a living wage can be daunting.

Lots of issues. I have lots of time. We'll chat some more, because right now, I am a bit behind.