Feels like I’ve been partly cut off from the world for a few weeks. Finally had cable TV and internet installed in the new apartment this afternoon. I can resume blogging. Taking requests.
Wired
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Called out of ourselves by the scent of a wild rose, the stunning yellow spike of goldenrod – and we answer back
Wow. Now that’s what I’m talking about. A moving meditation by Laura Sewall. Is it poetry or prose? It would be easier to read with some paragraph breaks, but that’s the only change I’d make. I wish I could write half that well. Even ten percent that well. — John
“Crickets call to the east. A chopper ratchets a mile to the west. I sit in the middle, my left ear seduced by the soft cadence, the evershifting song of crickets in spring. My right ear is hollowed out, hard, both braced against and invaded by the clipped din of machinery. I am beginning to cry. I have felt the breath and nudge of the Dreamtime and know that it is beyond my threshold of perception, just beyond my reach, just a slip of consciousness away. I long for my serpentine thirst to be quenched by the dreaming, long for the look and feel of ultimate belonging and the sensuous play of being embedded, in bed with the world, dug in and dirty. But the phone rings, my endless list of things to do nags, haunts, and fills my consciousness. I too perceive the invisibles. In this case, they are…
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Civic Volunteer Announces Bid, The Dispatch, Nov. 8
Great story in the Maryland Coast Dispatch about Democratic candidate Judy Davis, a longtime teacher and civic volunteer on the Lower Eastern Shore. She’s also a graduate of the Maryland Emerge Program, which prepares the best of prospective female candidates for public service. See you at St. Paul’s By the Sea on Nov. 16. — John
OCEAN CITY — Ocean City resident and career volunteer Judy Davis this week announced she was throwing her hat in the ring for the newly created House District 38C, adding another candidate to what is shaping up to be a highly contested race.
Davis, a Baltimore native, has lived on Lower Shore for 40 years and has been a tireless civic volunteer and advocate ever since. She earned her undergraduate degree from Salisbury University and a Masters from UMES before embarking on a 22-year career as an early childhood teacher and special education teacher on the Lower Shore. For the last 40 years, she has supplemented her professional teaching career with volunteer work as a children’s advocate and volunteer in numerous civic organizations.
“It’s a natural extension of my career as a volunteer and advocate,” she said. “I do feel I have the experience and the time to represent this…
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What chance do we have against this Evil? Zero. Nada.
“To the age-old question of “what do women want,” Lay’s thinks it has an answer: Chocolate-covered potato chips. This month, Lay’s is rolling out milk chocolate-covered potato chips. The chipmaker says the salty-sweet combo is tailor-made for young women, who apparently can’t get enough of the stuff. Lay’s senior director of marketing, noted: “the increasing popularity of chocolate-covered snacks among our target audience, millennial women. … They are looking for those more indulgent, savory/sweet combinations.” The product’s debut will officially be a trial run, but the product could become a permanent part of the Lay’s arsenal if shoppers love them. As for other chocolate-covered chip combinations, “the possibilities could be endless,” says Saenz. (Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek: “Men Like Potato Chips. Women Like Chocolate. Who Will Like Chocolate Potato Chips?“)
The possibilities could be endless. Right. Got it. May this NOT come to a store near me…Please.
Source: Thank you Steve Layman
It’s The Customer Experience That Matters
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“All of the razzmatazz we hear about facilities doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. It’s the customer experience.”
— Steve Wynn owner of “megaresort” destination casinos in Las Vegas and Macau China
Confessions of an Aging Blogger
I have this habit of disappearing without warning. It’s one of my many deficiencies as a blogger.
Some days I walk around wondering, “Where did I put my head?”
My photography skills leave something to be desired. The new Canon has a miraculous zoom lens, but my hands are unsteady. This egret is quite a distance off, and I can’t for the life of me capture all of her in one frame. So I try to salvage pictures using iPhoto. Powerful hardware and software should not be left unattended. Or, as a wise manager told me long ago, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”
I nearly had her, that time! My goal is to write short and sweet. But often I’ll go on and on, trying to capture an argument that’s as elusive as an egret at 100 yards.
I need to learn to be satisfied with an incomplete picture. Incomplete and fuzzy writing. That’s my style, more often than not.
I frequently veer off topic on a whim. That’s a blogging no-no. Which reminds me, have I posted a photo of Princess Lola recently?
Once I get into the zone, I could blog all night. It’s not as if I have a shortage of ideas. Definitely no shortage of cute and regal cat pictures. (When I really get going, I throw in random adjectives and adverbs, not to mention parenthetical references.)
I have a compulsion to cover the subject in depth and variety. Cats come in so many interesting shapes and sizes. They’re so cute when they’re sleeping. I’m not above stating the obvious.
Lastly, I frequently write about taboo subjects. Not religion; I’m talking politics. Boring.
Now that I’ve retired from gainful employment, I’ll have more time for blogging! I’m trying to decide on a course of action. Should I start a new blog? I’m searching for the perfect niche. Preferably one that will draw a wide audience resulting in astounding statistics and minor income from the WordAds program.
While I’m awaiting inspiration, I’ll probably write about retirement. And that’s all I have to say tonight.
— John Hayden
Long Morning Commute? Stop Complaining. Be Happy. Be Very Happy.
For more on this traffic jam, see Daily Mail: Great Crawl of China.
For more on topic: Forbes: The Worst Traffic Jams in History.
Image Source: themetapicture.com
Retirement Ennui
Folks who earn their living in a seasonal beach town get an adrenaline rush during the whirl of summer. Naturally, letdown and loss follow when the music stops. By Christmastime, the “Wait till next year” anticipation sets in. Anticipation is good to have during the dark night and the cold winter.
This October, the music really stopped. For the last time. Retirement. Fin de siecle.
The motel will reopen in May, but it will reopen without me.
The initial experience of retirement is bittersweet for most lifelong workers, I would venture. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It’s disorienting, unbalancing. But probably not as bad as quitting smoking cold turkey.
I’m making too many changes, more quickly than is advisable. I’ve been thinking about and planning the changes for a year, at least. And heaven knows, I’ve experienced plenty of other changes along the way.
Equilibrium will return eventually.
— John
“In my years of…
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In my years of elected office in Annapolis and Washington, I’ve never seen such reckless and irresponsible behavior.” Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland
Rambling On About Writing, Editing And Blogging
Stephen King’s House in Bangor, Maine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Nearly all bloggers are interested in improving their writing. You can find an interesting post about criticism and editing — and how bloggers respond to same — by Michelle at “The Green Study.”
Hands collaborating in writing or editing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Which calls to mind a Baltimore Sun blog, “You Don’t Say,” by John McIntyre, a curmudgeon and drudge, as well as a longtime Sun copy desk chief. If you’re interested in language and editing, you could do worse than to follow his blog. It’s always informative and sometimes amusing. Continue reading
Living Simply And Still On The Grid 