(Not) Just Another Day

I had a plan for my day off.  To go to the Dahl Arts Center to view a photo exhibit of a friend.  A friend that I've never actually met, but somehow that doesn't seem to matter.  Sometimes you just know who your friends are, right?  And as my plans often go, one thing led to another and I ended up doing several unplanned things that combined to make it a good day.  Seems like I've been having a lot of good days lately, and whatever the reason, I'm thankful for that.  Maybe I'm finally realizing after all these years that every day can be a good day.  It's pretty much up to each of us to make it that way.
As I walked in I thought I was entering the Dahl but found myself somewhere else instead -

The photographs were beautiful and inspiring.  And I liked it that beside each photo was a quote from the writings of A.A. Milne.  You know him because of Winnie the Pooh.  There was so much more to his work than just a chubby little bear walking around in the woods trying to look like a little black rain cloud.  The wisdom of the Pooh is legendary, but he also wrote other stories, books and poetry.  After seeing some of the quotes you may want to go and take another (or first) look at his work.
Two photos that stood out for me were Dakota Midnight and In Tune.  You can see those and others at http://bonzeye.asiostudio.com/somewhere-else-instead but I suggest you go to the Dahl by the end of the month to see them in person.

Next was a stroll through Art Alley.  I hope they find a solution to revitalizing and improving this place.  Too much graffiti now and too little art.  Someone said to me, "...but graffiti is art."  I responded, "Not always."  And especially not when it covers true art.  I always enjoy going there, and usually find some hidden gem that is new or that I haven't noticed before.  When you go - don't forget to look up.

 

Right around the corner is one of my favorite places to browse.  Bag Ladies Antique Mall.  It's like a time machine in there.  And Claudette is awesome.  She has a turntable behind her desk and keeps a stash of great records under the counter.  Kind of like an old saloon where they kept the "good stuff" under the bar and only brought it out for 'certain people'.   For some reason I was 'certain people' on this day and was treated to a couple of songs from the album The Nightfly by Donald Fagan.  If you've ever heard Steely Dan you've heard Donald Fagan. He was one of the founders of the group and the band's influence is very obvious on this solo album of his.  I was attracted to the album first because of the cover...a picture of him in a radio station studio with a turntable, classic desktop microphone, clipboard and large faced clock on a wall made up of acoustic panels, and a pack of Chesterfields next to a full ashtray.  Exactly how I remember it from my old days in radio, except that for me it was Parliament Light 100s with the recessed filter instead of Chesterfields.  But it was the music that really got to me.  Claudette's copy wasn't for sale (good for her) so I did the only other thing I could.  As soon as I got home I looked to see if there was a copy on Ebay.  Of course there was, so I 'bought it now' and it's on the way. 

 

So, not a particular exciting day, or one filled with great adventures.  But still a pretty good day.  And that's enough for a cold day in February.  I'll take it.

 

 

-0-



 

And I quote...

This is the part of winter that's the hardest.  Our worst cold snap is over but it's still February, and there just isn't much to do.  For me anyway.  So this is my season of reading.  I like to read.  Typically I have a book in progress at all times, and usually one or two in reserve so there's no delay between finishing the current one and jumping right into the next.  But after finishing "Ways of Seeing" by John Berger the other day I realized I didn't have another book on deck, in the wings, or standing by.  Oops.  I was bookless.  Not really though.  I just walked over to my bookshelves to find one that deserved a second read, or third or fourth.  As I was considering my choices I noticed how many markers I had in the pages of so many books.  That's it!  This would be a great time to browse the pages and review some of my favorite quotes and passages.  Sort of a "Best Of..." adventure.  It's actually quite easy for me to do that because many years ago I discovered page points.  Not just any page points.  Levenger Page Points.  Those cool copper colored ones that slide easily onto the page and stay put.  One of the greatest inventions ever in the literary world.

 

 

So, here are a few of my favorite passages.  Some may be familiar.  Some may inspire you to go out and find the book in which they appear.  Some may just give you pause or make you smile.  So, enjoy the best of the best from my collection.

People make mistakes in life through believing too much, but they have a damned dull time if they believe too little.  James Hilton from Lost Horizon

The human eye adores gazing; it feasts on the wild beauty of new landscapes, the dignity of trees, the tenderness of a human face, or the white sphere of the moon blessing the earth in a circle of light.  The eye is always drawn to the shape of a thing.  It finds some deep consolation and sense of home in special shapes.  John O'Donohue from Anam Cara

The only controls available to those on board were two push-buttons on the center post of the cabin - one labeled on and one labeled off.  The on button simply started a flight from Mars.  The off button connected to nothing.  It was installed at the insistence of the Martian mental health experts, who said that human beings were always happier with machinery they thought they could turn off.
Kurt Vonnegut from The Sirens of Titan

All human accomplishment has the same origin.  Imagination is a force of nature.  Is this not enough to make a person full of ecstasy?  Imagination, imagination, imagination!  It converts to actual.  It sustains, it alters, it redeems!   Saul Bellow from Henderson, The Rain King.

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. 
Paulo Coelho from The Alchemist

The secret of  this kind of climbing is like Zen.  Don't think.  Just dance along.  It's the easiest thing in the world, actually easier than walking on flat ground which is monotonous.  The little problems present themselves at each step and yet you don't hesitate and you find yourself on some other boulder you picked out for no special reason at all, just like zen. 
Jack Kerouac from The Dharma Bums

The Ride is best played out on a motorcycle.  It speaks to every aspect of how I see life in that poetic way - the need for balance, confronting your mortality, accelerating, braking, refueling, tune-ups, repairs, accidents, accepting passengers, and so on. 
Garri Garripoli from The Tao of the Ride

If photographs are messages, the message is both transparent and mysterious.  A photograph is a secret about a secret.  The more it tells you the less you know. 
Susan Sontag from On Photography

He has showed you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8 from the Bible

Now go find some of your own favorites, and be sure to mark them with page points.  Levenger page points.  You know - the cool copper colored ones.

                      -0-                              

(Photos by Roger O'Dea)

             

Single Track Ahead

I've talked about the winter blues before, and with all the cloudy days and cold weather recently I could feel them coming on again.  That meant some therapy and preventative medicine was in order.  So, on a Tuesday in January when the temperature was hovering around 20 degrees, and snow flurries were in the air,  I decided to do some window shopping.  And what was it that caught my eye?  A bright shiny red mountain bike.

A little out of season I admit, but I've been thinking about getting back into biking.  Not the motorized kind.  I still do a lot of that when the weather allows.  I'm talking about the kind of bike with pedals and big knobby fat tires.  I used to do a lot of that.  Even competed in a couple of mountain bike races back in the day when my son was riding competitively.  He was the one who got me into it.  It was a great family activity for all of us, and we traveled hundreds of miles in all directions to races or just searching for a great trail to ride.  From the King of the Rockies in Colorado to the Rage in the Sage in Nebraska, a lot of wonderful memories were made.  I've been thinking lately that I want to start riding again.  Not racing.  Not even in the old man category.  I think they may call it "Veterans Division" now.  That may be a nicer way to say it, but it's still for old guys.  Not this old guy, though.  I don't think I could clean even that first hill at Alkali Creek, or survive a wicked endo like I had at Big Hill that one time, or be able to clip out of my spuds in time to avoid a wipe-out while hammering down a gnarly singletrack at Old Baldy.  That's mountain bike talk for us "veterans."  I would just like to be able to get out once in a while and hit the trails.  Besides, it would be good exercise.  I could use more of that, too.  It's not much of a workout riding down the highway on a 700 pound machine powered by a liquid cooled 1520cc horizontally opposed 6-cylinder engine.  Fun, yes.  But not much of a workout.
I stopped in at both local bicycle shops and was re-educated on the new technology, and was reminded why I will buy from a local independently owned store.  They know their product and it matters to them that you get what is the best fit for you personally.  Both places informed me that 29 inch tires are the new standard and the only way to go.  A lot of the bikes look mostly the same as they did 15 years ago when I was riding a lot, except for those tires.  29 inches!  That will take some getting used to.  A lot of cool new colors now, also.  Orange and red seems to be a popular combination these days.  Plus, that color combo would match my motorcycle.  Bonus.

There are still a couple of months to study up and consider my options.  But I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it.  So, if you're hiking around Mt. Roosevelt or anywhere on the Mickelson Trail this summer and you hear some scrunchy gravel noise behind you, then someone shout "On your left!" It could be me and my hardtail out on a three-hour tour. 

  -0-

Resolution Road

Time to make those resolutions for the new year.  But, what if this time we go beyond the typical vows to lose weight or quit smoking or any of the other usual promises we make but don't really intend to keep?  Not that those aren't noble goals for many people.  They are.  But what say we dig a little deeper this year?  Let's get out of our comfort zone, shift the paradigm, even let down our guard and open up a little more.  Even at the risk of raising a few eyebrows.  Be specific or be general.  Or, like me, be both specific and general.  Just make sure to write them down.  It's always better to write things down.  I'll go first.

1.   Spend more time with people older than me because I can learn from their experiences, and maybe catch a glimpse of what's to come.
2.   Spend more time with people younger than me because...well..because they're just more fun to be  around. 
3.   Put one of my photographs up in Art Alley.
4.   Go somewhere I haven't been.
5.   Offer to help if the opportunity presents itself, even if there's a chance my offer will be refused.  
6.   Trust my intuition.  Always.
7.   Be thankful everyday, and express my thanks out loud. 
8.   Make another hike to the Poet's Table.  This time with a friend who's never been there.
9.   Sleep outside...more than once. 
10. Solve a mystery.

There are a few more, but they are of little or no interest to anyone other than myself so I will spare you the details.  That's not to say that anyone will have any particular interest in my list above either.  I offer it only as encouragement.  Statistics say that 44% of Americans make New Year's resolutions.  Less than half of those keep them.  Be the 20%.  Make some plans.  Write them down.  Hold yourself accountable.  Then just go ahead and do it!

-0-

                                 

A Short Note On The Road Ahead

Well, we're all still here.  Most of us anyway.  No giant comet.  No massive solar flares.  No huge UFOs hovering over major population centers.  Whew!  If our luck holds out maybe the groundhog won't see his shadow on February 2nd.  I did hear of some end timers planning to jump off a mountain in Argentina, but I suspect maybe even they had second thoughts when the time came. 
I'm not suggesting that all is right with the world.  It certainly is not.  Actually,  things seem to be getting worse.  And I'm not making light of the fact that we need a change.  We certainly do. So, rather than being the end, let's all hope this is a beginning.  A beginning of a major shift in consciousness and awareness.  A beginning of a time when people will realize that we just can't go on like this, and decide to do something about it.  It has to start with each one of us individually.  Even if it's just small random acts of kindness.  We are hearing about more and more of these all the time.  Let's hope it's a trend.  Which may become a movement.  Which may become a way of life.  Wouldn't it be great if millions of people suddenly realized that we should be more tolerant, more forgiving and just stop hurting each other?  I really do believe that leading by example makes a difference.  If someone sees an act of kindness, or hears a positive message or words of encouragement, or notices people helping each other in any way - the observer can't help but be affected by it in a good way.  So let's all try to not only be a light, but also a flame.  A flame that sparks something in people so that they will be inspired and in turn want to inspire others,  Not toward their own beliefs or values, but simply toward the greater good and benefit of everyone everywhere. 

Perhaps the Hopi are right when they say "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

-0-

The 30 Minute Cure

S.A.D. - Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I have it.  Like a lot of people, every winter I go through periods of melancholy where my energy level sinks and I just feel a little down.  I'm not really depressed.  It's more like an occasional case of the wintertime blues.  There's a song called Summertime Blues but I can't believe there really is such a thing.  Who could get the blues in summer?  But, winter?  Yeah.  I'm certain it happens all the time to lots of people.  The days are shorter so there is less sunlight.  The grass is brown, the trees are bare, skies are gray, and on many days it's just too cold to do anything.  All that sounds depressing.  But in my case it's more due to the fact that I don't do anything in winter.  I don't have a snowmobile.  Can't ski.  Too old to snowboard.  Skating would likely result in moderate to serious injury.  So I end up indoors a lot, which is exactly the opposite of my summers.

But I've found a cure!  And it's only about 30 minutes away.  That's how long it takes to find a scene that makes you realize there's beauty all around, even in...as Paul Simon wrote... "a deep and dark December."

I am very fortunate to live in an area that offers such a wealth of beauty and amazing scenery in all seasons.  And so much of it is only about 30 minutes from my front door.  Here's another view I noticed on my recent short road trip ---

Scenes like this are all around, no matter what part of the country you live in.  And, with the right kind of eye, you can find them on almost any day.  Sometimes you don't even need 30 minutes.  Sometimes it's only 3 minutes away ---

I took this photo at dusk yesterday a few blocks from my house.  I love the simple beauty of this tribute to the season, and look forward to seeing it every year.  It's somehow reassuring.  A comforting sign that warms my heart and reminds me that Christmas is near. 
So, when you get a touch of the winter blues, go for a short drive or even a short walk and keep your eyes peeled.  Even when it seems like there is none, there really is beauty all around us.  Look a little closer.  You'll see it.  And you may just get healed.

                                                                                    -0-

Black Friday on Thursday

First, a few questions.  If it's called Black Friday, why does it start on Thursday?  And, why is it called Black Friday anyway?  Doesn't 'Black' imply that it's a bad thing?  So, I went looking for some answers and here's what I found on Wikipedia:   The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black".
I guess that explains the name, but what about this Thursday thing?  Nobody seemed to have a reason for the early start this year, other than the fact that retailers like to invent  new ways to make money.  Nothing wrong with that, but how far can they take it?  Next year we could see a 'Green Wednesday' to symbolize the color of money. 
Since I'm not about to get up at 4 a.m. to go shopping, as has been required on past Black Fridays, I decided to take advantage of the early sales starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday this year.  It was my chance to observe in person the madness that I've been hearing about all these years.  My first stop was the local Kmart.  Sorry.  It's Big K now.  (But it's still Kmart to me).  This was the scene that greeted me as I pulled up to the store ---

I'm not sure how long the guy in the chair had been there.  Obviously a long time since he was first in line.  There must have been a Super Doorbuster deal on a 60 inch TV because I don't think they would all be waiting in 26 degree weather and 30 mph winds to get first crack at a toaster for $4.99.
The scene was quite different down the road at Walmart.  Everyone was allowed to come inside to form the lines.  But you had to choose your department and the deal you wanted most.  If you wanted a Blu-Ray player AND new sheets, well, that's what family is for I guess.  Divide and conquer.  I decided to take my viewing post in what was previously the produce section.  Right in there with the tomatoes and onions were displays of DVDs, video games, and accessories for Nintendo, Wii and Xbox 360, all wrapped tightly in clear plastic waiting to be let loose on the hoards of anxious shoppers. When the time came, a Walmart employee moved in to cut the wrapping and that's when the madness began.  The people with a plan seemed to make out best.  Like the ones who swooped up as many games as possible with both hands then ducked behind the battery display to rummage through their loot and keep only the ones they actually wanted.  The others were discarded for those who were less aggressive to sift through like last year's toys.  I felt bad for one kid who finally wormed his way in close enough to reach for a prize, but instead of an Xbox 360 controller all he came up with was a red bell pepper.   And those weren't even on sale.

I had heard stories of people acting badly during these type of events, but I didn't really see any of that.  I saw a lot of smiles on a lot of faces, and people generally seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

But, for those of you who were hoping for tales of mayhem, I will provide a link at the bottom of this page to some of the worst Black Friday disasters, including the Waffle Riot.  

After my Big Box Store adventure I decided to drive downtown and see what might be going on.  What I found there was...nothing.

But 'nothing' was what I was hoping for.  And it just seemed right.  It was actually a peaceful and calming experience in stark contrast to what I had just experienced.  So I wandered the streets, window shopping, thinking about what I might want to buy tomorrow on the real Black Friday.  And when Friday arrived I went back downtown,  a little after 9,  and found everything I wanted.  At a good price, too.  I realize there really are some great deals in those big stores during these crazy sales and would never criticize anyone for taking part.  It's just not my thing.  I like the personality of the smaller independent retailers.  It's in those stores that you can actually have a conversation with someone who knows their products, perhaps even the owner, and who is actually glad to see you come in.  

Oh, one more thing, and this might be a good lead-in to the link that follows --- I overheard two guys talking while waiting for the sale to start at Walmart.  One asked the other if he was going to try for the new Call of Duty game for PS3.  His friend replied with a bit of what is probably good advice,  "No.  I don't want to mess with the Gamers." 

Here's that link.  Caution - If you might be offended by certain "colorful" language and some violence I would urge you to go to lolcats.com instead.

http://mashable.com/2012/11/22/black-friday-violence/

                                                                            -0-