My 2011, as told by my tweets/Facebook statuses. (https://twitter.com/tom_swiss, https://www.facebook.com/tom.swiss ) Typos left intact.
Happy New Year! 2010, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out...
Least favorite way to start the new year: "OMG the server's down!!!!" & of course I didn't bring a laptop to the NYE party...all fixed now.
Just saw that 11/11/11 will be a Friday, and thus suitable for parties. Start planning your Six Aces Day party now...
should not watch film noir (The Third Man) on a cold and lonely winter night. Too much gloom all at once.
Little girl in Bean Hollow with the walking stick: my inner child has a crush on you and your ready-to-take-on-the-world attitude.
Today's run: on streets due to snow. Google maps says 6.2 miles -- first time I've measured. 64m 25s. Not too bad, given some serious hills.
Thanks all for the b-day love. I plan on heading over to the Judge's Bench around 9ish tonight for a beer or 3, if anyone cares to join me.
Re: the birthday thing: couldn't have done it without Mom, who did most of the work. Thanks. :-)
Kagami Biraki. 1000 punches, good sweat, good kiai, a little zazen. Kagami Biraki also (sorta) means tapping the keg, which I'm about to do!
"We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society." -- MLK. Read this speech: http://bit.ly/hmkgbz
After a rough day, it helps to chill with a beer, my dog, and an Akira Kurosawa chanbara on Netflix.
is boycotting Bean Hollow, at least for now. (Ask why off-line.) Where in EC/Catonsville can I linger over a cup of joe & a vegan sandwich?
"To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem." -- Douglas Adams
"when did you forget you were a flower? when did you look at your skin and decide you were an impotent dirty old locomotive?" -- Ginsberg
Seeing reports of people stuck on the road for 7 hours. Very glad to have gotten home around 4pm, just as the rain started to freeze.
Yay snowplow!
is going to be buying 10 acres of land in West Virginia. Camping time.
I don't know if you burn more calories running with the snow with a pit bull. But you ought to get more experience points for it.
Hint to novice bartenders: giving me my change as a 10 and a 5 makes it hard for me to leave a tip. I'm probably not tipping 100%...
New bootlaces. Simple pleasures.
For why I'm boycotting Bean Hollow, see http://www.facebook.com/michener . And hug Sara.
Last night, partyin' with a Wiccan coven; tonight; sitting with the Zen Buddhists. Life is not an "exclusive or".
"Football combines the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings." --George Will (rare that we agree!)
Telesma at the 8x10. It's like a flashback to my 20s but with new music...
Not only herding cats, but trying to get them to agree to a budgeting process for it. I knew the job was dangerous when I took it...
Thanks to everyone who came to the long but useful FSA meeting for your patience, energy, and contributions. Together we shall make magic.
Following on recent discussion w/ some friends, tonight's movie: A Huey P. Newton Story. Slanted, but well done. Humanizing history.
Seriously, I'm on someone's Twitter list of "Interesting Famous People"??? Must be my 15 minutes. I'll try to live up to it...
Not to be un-PC, but I think it's odd when a fitness facility has obese (not just overweight, seriously obese) people at the front desk.
Martini time. (Raises a glass in salute to the man who introduced me to Bombay Sapphire.)
Last Friday, 70 degrees; tonight, snow and sleet accumulation of 4 to 8 inches. Ugh. Just when I was ready to celebrate an early spring.
has just found Babylon 5 on Netflix streaming. Go ahead and snow me in.
Irony: I protest A's action taken against B w/out A getting B's side of the story, & A complains that I don't have A's side of the story.
The Manhattan (bourbon or rye, vermouth, bitters) was my mother's father's drink whenever we went out to dinner. I toast his memory.
AP reports Wisconsin protestors not leaving: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110227/ap_on_re_us/us_union_demonstrations
Last night I had a dream where perfect peace & acceptance bubbled through my heart. I awoke almost enlightened. Today sure broke that!
now owns 10 acres of woods in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Week-end campouts TBA...
BSA open mic @ the Whistling Oyster. After my set someone asked if I had a CD. Nice compliment but a reminder of long unfinished projects...
Have not yet seen a robin, nor a blossoming flower. But there's a softball team out on the diamond. Spring is here.
"...yearning in desire / To follow knowledge like a sinking star, / Beyond the utmost bound of human thought." -- Ulysses, Tennyson
Pointing out that a problem is not as simple as you think & so your solution won't work, is not "making things complicated." Just sayin'.
"If you love, love without reservation. If you fight, fight without fear. He called it the way of the warrior." -- Babylon 5
is very happy to find out that Allegra (fexofenadine), the only antihistamine that really helps me at peak allergy season, is now OTC.
can't believe the hype about this "Supermoon" nonsense. OMG, it's a 1.8% closer than average perigee!
very much hoping that my Seido Karate family in Japan is safe.
Fake it till you make it; make it till you master it.
Days like today I could honestly say Bmore is a city artistically 2nd to none. Thanks Phil, Gallery 788, & Instant Gratification perfomers.
Got a nibble from an agent on the book, was invited to send a full proposal. w00t!
Weight control motivational plan worked: scale reads under 148 again. I'm now allowing myself beer again - just in time for Irish Pride Day.
The thing about St P's day is, all the drunks are ameteurs. Leave it to the pros, kids.
"I never trust anyone who's more excited about success than about doing the thing they want to be successful at." - Randall Munroe (xkcd)
Green tea and bourbon. I have decided this drink needs a name, and so have just dubbed it the "Gary Snyder".
Funny how there's no money for schools, health care, poverty relief, vet's benefits - yet there's still money to go shoot missiles at Libya.
Off to mail a book proposal to an agent, just like a real live grown-up writer. Wish me luck...
Happy 80th birthday Leonard Nimoy! Interview: http://startrek.com/article/orbiting-80-nimoy-looks-back-and-ahead-part…
Automatic drain snake, how I adore thee, opener of the way, remover of obstacles (of hair clogs, at least).
Regarding "Mercury retrograde": The more you believe in whatamores, the more evidence you will see for them. Do you really want any?
"...as a man's real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at last he chooses nothing..."
By all means send good intentions - and $ - to Japan. But please don't buy Masaru Emoto's fraud. http://bit.ly/ezdVkV http://bit.ly/ag9NYJ
Broccoli spouts are poking up out of the potting soil.
86 degrees yesterday. Currently, 45 degrees. C'mon.
New rule: when a predicted Armageddon (May 21st, Dec. 2012, etc) fails to occur, those who believed it may no longer speak in public or vote
Geez, a fat lip, haven't had one in a long time. Sort of makes me nostalgic. "Last time I got hit like that, I was a young brown belt..."
Just for a second I am the warm breeze in the tree.
150 years since anti-American pro-slavery terrorists fired on Ft. Sumpter. Some confused people take pride in those terrorists. Pity them.
50 years ago today, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Please look at the stars tonight & maybe raise a toast.
Sentient beings are numberberless, I vow to save them all. Even you, you asshole.
Freshly sharpened axes. Bwah ha ha.
Day full of yardwork/gardening. If I can just get Ringo the dog to understand that the fact that I'm digging, doesn't mean he should dig...
Power's out -- but laptop will run on batteries for a while, and the modem and wireless router are on a UPS, so...
I have the power! Thank you hardworking BGE crews, a blessing on you in my grandfather's name.
"Of course it's heavy. That's because it's full of mercy."
Trainee bartender. Hon, I don't care that you're petite and blond, if you want me to tip, just fill my glass with more alacrity.
Here comes the pollen. Allergy fight is on, on all fronts -- drugs, herbs, acupressure, neti pot, anything that'll help.
Somehow, this makes my day: there exists a titanium spork. Just say "titanium spork" and see if your mood doesn't brighten. Almost a mantra.
Watched the season premier of Doctor Who w/ my mom and dad. Yes, it's genetic.
The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy!The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy!-http://bit.ly/gzfGK7
Brushes w/ famous folks: so fellow vegan Woody Harrelson walked by about 3 feet away. Funny how different film/TV actors look in real life.
Happy Beltane! Hooray, hooray, the first of May!
if you need it, hereby gives you permission to dance.
I owe the Universe the sum of $1.00, payable upon request.
So know that we know we were chasing OBL in the wrong country the whole time, can get GTFO of Afghanistan now?
In honor of Intergalactic Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you): HAN SHOT FIRST, dammit.
Torturing the spreadsheets until the financial numbers confess. Ah, the glories of "leadership".
Does not ask for or expect tips for a shiatsu session -- but they are appreciated, showing the work is valued.
Chuck Berry. American music.
"[P]ollen...Saturday...greater than today... & extend further into the very high range." Sumimasen, anyone I sneeze on @ the dojo tomorrow.
60ish couple from Western PA visiting Bmore, enjoying drinks & music at Leadbetters, my ordinary hangout their special destination.
Installing a new programmable thermostat that make my heat pump not heat, is not an acceptable solution, Mr. BGE Peak Rewards Installer.
Good: new students at Catonsville Seido Karate. Annoying: low-level bit twiddling in PHP. Mixed: long-delayed papers finally arrive in mail.
"If I didn't know this was hasenpfeffer, I'd swear it was carrots."
New _Doctor Who_ ep by Neil Gaiman. Squee!
"Are you fooling me, or am I fooling myself, into thinking that I am chained, when in fact I am not?" http://unreasonable.org/node/3347
"Nobody who lived through the '50s thought the '60s could've existed. So there's always hope." -- Tuli Kupferberg
Will be presenting workshops at the Starwood Festival again this year. Details will follow when I've got 'em...
"Experimentalist monotheism...we believe there's one god, but we're trying to find the error bars on that number." -- http://xkcd.com/900/
Six mile run in the rain -- soaked through but feeling *alive*!
Programming is partly the art of naming things. Designing code w/ anonymous structs without good cause, puts you on my "to be smacked" list.
Hanging at a pub that kicked out a guy claiming to be Jesus earlier - how else to spend the evening of the non-Rapture?
will be hosting the Bardic Circle at FSG with "Mindfulness & Panache" (or at least someone thinks I will be). http://bit.ly/jHPoZH
Polishing the book proposal over (vegan, cheeseless) pizza and Return of the Jedi.
Took Ringo on a 5k run. Think I actually managed to tire him out!
Hot sunny days...smell of honeysuckle...thunderstorms that blow thru and dry up...maybe we'll have a real summer after all.
So there's a dance remix of "Get Rhythm". Not sure if that's awesome or sacrileg
Last day for FSG pre-registration is May 31! Register now: http://bit.ly/dUiG4L
I've got "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" stuck in my head. A cheerful, uplifting little tune from Warren Zevon...
Thanks to Kate & Aaron & Gayle for last nights party. Ringo had a blast.
Sowebo festival!
Tough dude w/ full sleeve tats pushing baby stroller - love you, man.
Happy Birthday, Uncle Walt. Every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
Kicking myself over a timing bug that put a program in sorcerer's apprentice mode. I'll be cleaning this up for a few hours...
On my way to New York"s New York.
Wow. Just found out - via Facebook! - that my brother got engaged! Congratulations Jim & Crystal! And Logan - I'm going to be a step-uncle!
Back in Bmore. Love & thanks to Kaicho, Nidaime, & all the Seido Karate black belt students & teachers I sweated & kiaied with this morning!
BB&T - you do *not* want to end up on my enemies list. For your sake, get this paperwork problem sorted out *now*, lest you face my wrath.
Boosting signal: Male Terrier found near Elkridge Road, 6/8, in a.m. No collar, recently groomed. 443-717-3845 if you know where he lives.
Can't believe I just filled the tank at $3.73/gal and thought, "Wow, how cheap.'
Thunderstorm!
Living the cliche "if it wasn't for the last minute nothing would ever get done." Keeps life from being boring, at least.
"Adventure, excitement -- a Jedi craves not these things." -- Yoda
is experiencing extended wait times for dealing with drama. If your drama does not relate to FSG, expected hold time is 2 weeks. Thank you.
En route to FSG -- just as soon as I pick up some beer.
Accio PA speaker cabinet! At FSG, this works. (If you know King "Bob" Solomon's First Key to Magic - Get off your ass - & know who to ask.)
Drummed in the dawn at FSG. Exhaustion and exhilaration that we had four fantastic fire circles this week. Thanks for the magic!
"We have done the impossible, and this makes us mighty."
On its own, the tip of the spear is only a splinter.
An important rule from improv comedy that can be applied to many aspects of life: "Yes, and..." http://bit.ly/awfzlr
This morning, running the trail, I was followed for a while by a fawn. A moment of peace with a fellow sentient being.
Should not feel this blah on such a lovely summer night. Think I'll take the dog for a walk.
Dental floss. Don't underestimate it.
Saddened to hear of the death of Peter Falk. Half expect him to sit up and say, "just one more thing..."
Wishing a speedy recovery to Zoey the Cat.
Is it too much to expect the waitress at a sushi place to know what kappa maki is?
Ready to drop State Farm: http://on.fb.me/lS7rB7 Anyone have good/bad experience w/ Nationwide or Progressive?
May be getting some tatami mats. Hooray!
Maybe I'm fooling myself. But then, maybe I'm fooling myself when I think, "Maybe I'm fooling myself."
All Star Trek series, except the animated one, are now on Netflix streaming. w00t!
Another roadside bodhisattva: guy running the Gulf station that still lets you pump first, then pay.
Unexpected X-Day bonus: Zero Defex, the hardcore band w/ Zen priest Brad Warner on bass, just played a set.
Is greatly enjoying being at an event where he is Not Responsible for anything beyond his volunteer shift and a few workshops. Off to th ...
So once again it comes down to this: no one and nothing between me and the Divine.
So one of the founders of the modern Pagan movement came to my workshop on ritual magic - & liked it. A good day.
Winding it down at Starwood after the big bonfire-until-dawn last night. Just relaxing and slowly packing today, back to Bmore tomorrow.
Erring on the side of saying, rather than not saying. This may get me into trouble, but if I don't say, I'll always wonder...
Safely home from Starwood. Made great connections with magical and wise people, had deep realizations about life, & danced around big fires.
Stuck in my head, though I haven't heard it for years: "On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?"
An old favorite: "'Some say he is a holy man. Others say he is a shithead.' Hearing this, the man was enlightened." http://bit.ly/roq0
Can now be found on Google+: https://plus.google.com/111964956013818194569
"Hit it into the sky, don't hold back. Before he swings the bat a real slugger imagines an arc inside his heart, arching directly to heaven"
I don't if it is Artscape, I'm not paying $15 to leave my car somewhere! With persistance found a spot on the street for $1.75.
Dear Google: no, I will not give you my location data in order to use Google+ from my phone, and it's stunningly lame of you to require it.
Boy, 501(c)3 tax laws are a fun topic to read up on. :-/ My on-the-job training continues...
So I can run for miles, or dance all night around a fire, or train karate kicks, just fine, only to pull a calf muscle while walking around?
"If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are." - Capt. Picard
And BB&T utterly fails it again.
"And is it not the first attribute and distinction of an American to be abused and slandered as long as he is heard of?" -- Emerson
So suddenly some square looking guy stands up in the middle of the bar and starts talking about 23 and Jack and Coke(?) http://bit.ly/oXPXoU
I'm at the open mic at the Diamondback Tavern in EC, drop in if you're nearby, will be playing my three song set at some point...
New draft of my Zen Pagan book "Why Buddha Touched the Earth" is done. Like a peek? Have publishing connections? Contact me!
Glad to have AC but sick of it. Going to go a little early to karate tonight & do kata in the park for a bit. Why? http://bit.ly/pykc4J
Happy 75th birthday to Tom Robbins. Think it's time to re-read _Another Roadside Attraction_, one of my all-time favorite novels.
Magic is to life as poetry is to language: a more subtle, sensitive, & powerful use of the same elements, producing delight & amazement.
Oh, these limes are produce of Mexico? How appropriate to combine them with tequila to make a margarita, then.
And sometimes I feel just like I did at 15, full of longing for something I couldn't name, some lost part of me like a half-remembered song.
Instant Gratification @ Gallery 788, Pigtown -- music, spoken word, art, some of Bmore's grooviest people.
"This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke." -- xkcd (Don't sweat it if you don't get it.)
The irony of the GOP's hatred of fair taxes on the rich: the market collapse they're causing will take more away from them than taxes would.
Thought my playing had deteriorated, but turns out my guitar's neck is coming loose. Off to the luthier first thing tomorrow. Wish me luck.
"Isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway?" -- The Tick
The news on the guitar repair front is uncertain. Exploratory disassembly is planned. This will hurt my wallet for sure. Still, onwards.
Looking for poets and singer/songwriters to perform @ Ellicott City Fall Festival, Sept. 24. Contact me if interested.
"...and this Enlightenment isn't good enough. The mountains are just mountains again." - Anonymous (Brad Warner's blog: http://bit.ly/po4L0q)
Seeing vegetarian(ish) housemate in Catonsville. http://baltimore.craigslist.org/roo/2521994153.html
"Real courage is risking one's clichés."
Ambiguity is what makes both quantum computing and poetry work.
"Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the bridge. Do I make myself clear?" -- Capt. Kirk
Looks like we have a quorum to have Zelda's Inferno poetry camp @ Playa Del Fuego this fall.
It's complicated.
If you need to speak your heart's truth, go and sit by the edge of the water.
"The true test of a warrior is not without. It is within." -- Lt. Worf
Mom is in the hospital for some tests. Nothing too serious but certainly spikes the stress level for the whole family.
"I neither enjoy the idea of command, nor am I frightened of it. It simply exists, and I will do whatever logically needs to be done."-Spock
So much fear, so much hope, but both are delusions and the cure is the breath of this present moment. Or so I tell myself...
Mom's coming home from the hospital. Thanks everyone for well-wishes and prayers. Looks like we have a diagnosis and things are in hand.
The guitar is fixed! Will go pick her up this afternoon.
Spend a lot of money on camping gear today. The mountain fastness will soon be prepared.
has decided to stay in, drink beer, and play guitar tonight. Good way to spend a melancholy evening.
Spent 5 minutes looking for the keys that were in my pocket the whole time. That's got to be a metaphor for something.
Thinking about starting an eclectic qi gong, self-shiatsu, and meditation class on Tuesday nights, 6-7pm in Oella. Contact me if interested.
"Captain, the most elementary and valuable statement in science, the beginning of wisdom, is 'I do not know.'" -- Lt. Cmdr. Data
Cannot believe the bullshit 9/11 conspiracy theories that are still going around after ten years. Many "truthers" make Bachmann look sane.
Drinking a martini & watching MacGyver (thx Netflix) while I work on the karate & shiatsu sites: http://bit.ly/qhp9HU http://bit.ly/ojUqCx
Does not like wrong number phone calls @ 3am.
Feeling brokenhearted, lonely,melancholy. But also knowing this opens me to compassion. Weight lifting 4 the heart. Strength don't come easy
First time I've ever felt an earthquake here at home. 5.8, centered in Virginia,felt it in Catonsville. http://on.doi.gov/q6kBvi
Guess what is only a few miles from the epicenter of today's earthquake? A nuclear power plant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Anna_Nuclear_Generating_Station No damage -- this time.
Hurricane rain says "no" to me camping in WV this weekend.
"I've had the blues / The reds and the pinks / One thing for sure / Love stinks." - J. Geils Band
Ok, now it's getting interesting. Power's still on here but 16k+ folks in Bmore County are out. Winds picking up, 30mph now, 65 expected.
Internet restored. Thank you, power-outage at WiMax tower, for motivating me to move wireless modem to attic where it can see more towers.
So, having someone break off a romantic relationship over the phone? Even for the polyamorous, every bit as much suck as I thought it mi ...
Dislike: cold enough out that I want to put on a jacket to take the dog for a late-night walk. Like: the brilliant shooting star I saw.
"Grapes of Wrath kicks Atlas Shrugged's butt anytime" -- Lisa Voith. Seriously, if you haven't read G of W, do. It's eternal.
After a very...complicated...August, is ready to start September chilling at Wisteria. See you at the Cornstalk Festival.
Spent the night at my mountain fastness, now arrived at Wisteria.
The Earth bears me witness. The Sky bears me witness. The Fire bears me witness.
Spent the morning beating a railroad spike into a knife at Spirit Forge. Excellent therapy.
Hmm. Seems there was more wine left in that bottle than I thought when I decided to finish it. Will sleep well tonight...
6 mile run in rain & thunder suits my mood this morning. Angry egoism - interesting emotional defense: "I'm too good for that bitch anyway."
Hoping my friends down the hill in historic Ellicott City are staying dry. Seeing photos and vids of serious flooding down by the river.
"Sometimes, Number One, you just have to bow to the absurd." -- Capt. Picard
Like: getting back to training with my sensei after a session break. Dislike: forgetting critical piece of safety gear & not getting to spar
Perhaps nothing is as depressing as online used car research. According to the Internet, all dealers are crooks & all models are lemons.
9/11 paranoid conspiracy theorists: please, for today, STFU. Most days your rants are just misinformed & irrational; today they're rude too.
Has tickets for PDF. Zelda's Inferno folks, I got extras, let me know if you need the hook-up.
We're all in this together. You, me, the grocery cashier, the dude yelling into his phone, the woman who broke your heart -- all one.
Riker: "You're out-manned, you're out-gunned, you're out-equipped. What else have you got?" Worf: "Guile."
Cold weather. Yuck. I want my summer back.
It's complicated. I'll take it anyway.
'cuse me, but could you have you phone chat about your infected wound somewhere other than in front of the hummus case @ Trader Joe's? Thx.
Got reamed by the yen/dollar exchange rate buying a new karate gi. Ouch.
"Capital punishment" is nothing but human sacrifice, meant to appease a twisted, delusional American imagination of Justice. RIP Troy Davis.
Dragging after being woken at 3am to spend two hours fixing a server problem. Feh.
When I go running in weather like this, I can take off wet muddy clothes when I get home. Ringo, not so much. #whatamess #dogbathtime
A thrilling evening re-caulking the bathtub.
The weather is fine at the EC Fall Festival.
Airplane! I'll be hanging out in EC for a while...
New phrase in my vocabulary, from Muriel Strand: "Nonviolent insistence." Thanks!
Probably the meanest personal letter I've ever written, but if I didn't send it I'd scream it.
Maybe 200 people at OccupyBaltimore planning meeting @2640
Well, looks like I need a new tent for PDF. Fortunately REI's Kingdom is on sale...
#occupybaltimore General Assembly, 8pm daily.
Solidarity with #occupywallstreet protestors abused by NYPD with yet more chemical weapons.
I'm sorry to hear of the death of Steve Jobs, but also sorry to hear the distorted hagiography. Marketing genius even in death. Still, RIP.
We tried the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of a few back in the feudal era. Failed then, and it fails now. #wearethe99%
"If you did not want us to take to the streets you should not have put us out on the streets." -- Chris Chandler
Stayed up late last night drinkin', woke up and did qi gong and karate and went to a Zen meditation class. PDF -- it is what you make it.
A farewell to PDF and the festival season, a hello to the dolphins at the beach at a quick sidetrip to Cape Henlopen.
Hope. Fear. Love. Striving for openheartedness. Transformation. Big things coming on several fronts, either falling apart or coming together
Hey Bloomberg! Clean Wall St. first, then worry about Liberty Plaza. http://occupywallst.org/article/emergency-call-action-prevent-forcible-…
Off for action and intrigue in the city that never sleeps.
For just a few seconds the hint of a rainbow thru the tinted bus windows as we head up the New Jersey Turnpike towards New York.
How is an A train making F trains stops, not an F train?
Seido 35th anniversary tournament was great! Though I may have broken a toe...still, wonderful people, & a personal peak kata performance.
Not only up and about before 9am on a Sunday, but in a coat and tie? Things I do for karate. Gotta watch it, people'll think I've gone legit
Occupying Wall Street with dance for a few minutes.
Dear Facebook: some of us need a "it's *really* complicated" relationship status...
My dive bar sense has served me once again, late night 2-for-1 drinks just when I need it...
The drumming & dancing & sense of play @OWS, reminded me that "The only solution is a Yin Revolution." http://bit.ly/pGGbqN #occupywallst
One thing about the NYC subway, it sure does demonstrate that the map is not the territory...
Seems the US Park Service fears that I will use the awesome power of my Gerber multi-tool to disassemble the Statue of Liberty.#foiledagain
Do you think we should we take romantic advice from possibly schizophrenic panhandler in Penn Station?
Jaqui MacMillan, an anchor of the Free Spirit community, needs our help: http://eepurl.com/gurBj
Home after emotionally intense (in several ways) weekend in NYC. Thanks to my Seido family; & thank you Jen for whatever this ends up being.
While sore, swollen, black-and-blue, and not suitable for running, I don't think the toe is broken after all. Thank Tao for dit da jow.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs...the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization -G Weinberg
I'm filling in to lead sitting mediation at #OccupyBaltimore this evening, 7-8pm. All are welcome, no experience/dogma needed. Zenarchy now.
"...the artist is not a harmless eccentric but one who under the guise of irrelevance creates and reveals a new reality." -- Alan Watts
"...a sentence w/ 'buffalo' repeated any number of times is grammatically correct (according to Chomskyan theories...)" http://bit.ly/ooTSWK
"Sarek of Vulcan never confused what he wanted with the truth." -- Captain Picard
Tie-dyed duct tape??? How was I not notified that this existed?
Free Spirit Alliance members: I'm asking for your vote, so we can continue to put FSA back on track. http://www.infamous.net/FSAPresStatement-2011.php
No immediate threat of evictions at #OccupyBaltimore, negotiations with the city will continue.
Rumor says there were Feds spying on #OccupyBaltimore last night. If so, guys, please spell my name right and don't confuse me w/ my cousin.
Among local union chapters endorsing #OccupyBaltimore is the Fire Officer's union - which my grandfather helped form. Feeling extra proud.
#OccupyBaltimore being addressed by a leader of the Egyptian revolution!
Breaking unconstitutional restrictions on the right of peaceful assembly is not a true crime, restricting 1st Amendment rights is.
Great victory for #OccupyCleveland! Federal court TRO prevents eviction by city. http://bit.ly/sKqxfU #OccupyBaltimore #OccupyWallStreet
"It's a coincidence. Happens. It's what the Universe does for fun." -- The Doctor
If I only had no conscience, oh, the things I could do...
Turns out it's not just cats who will chase a laser pointer spot. Ringo will too. Ha ha. (OTOH - do I need to rile up the pit bull?)
So my scanner can now be an ATM, at least for check deposits. Cool. Well done SECU, why does anyone use a big bank again?
Hmm. Did I just hear a door open? Just a whisper of a rumor, but this could be interesting...
Let's do the Time Warp again!
RIP Smokin' Joe Frazier, truly one of the greats.
"Your call is important to us..." No, it's not, or you would have answered it already.
"It's just a ride." -- Bill Hicks
Organizational politics -- *pagan* organizational politics -- plus personal drama? Today will be fun.
Congratulations to Fred as he takes over as FSA President - may the job give him fewer grey hairs than it gave me.
Beautiful day to rake leaves. Hey, there was a patio under there, I'd almost forgotten!
Best part of teaching shiatsu? Making students work on me.
The system's response to #Occupy proves that the system is broken, and thus justifies Occupy. Federally coordinated riot cops for campers?
"I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit, using stone knives and bearskins." -- Spock
Utopia is impossbile, but utopian dreams - getting rid of kings, women's suffrage, civil rights, LGBT equality - drive American progress.
"Pain is a thing of the mind. The mind can be controlled." -- Spock
The kanji for "patience" shows "knife" pressing against the "heart" -- truth in ideograms. Shikata ga nai.
Instant Gratification @ Gallery 788 tomorrow -- I'm playing around 5:15. http://on.fb.me/vBZ89H
"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true." - Spock
Is there a word for "partly amused, partly horrified"?
Sometimes you have to let a thing fall apart so you can build something better from the pieces. Shiva keeps dancin'.
Instant Gratification, Gallery 788, Pigtown. Music, poetry, art, magic.
Bonus Army. Alcatraz. Lafayette Park. Anti-apartheid shanties. Tiananmen. Tahrir. Occupying space is political protest, not camping. #occupy
I keep hearing people who have not been paying attention ask, "Waht does #Occupy want?" Read the gorram declaration: http://bit.ly/pLcnXy
Wheeling and dealing.
@MayorSRB Mayor Rawlings-Blake: please don't bring shame to Baltimore. Respect the people's right to assemble and protest. #OccupyBaltimore
"If change is inevitable, predicable, beneficial, doesn't logic demand that you be a part of it?" -- Captain Kirk
Sending love and all good energy to Jaqui MacMillan for her surgery today.
"I have been told that patience is sometimes a more effective weapon than the sword." -- Worf
It's not about the food, it's about the people. We've had our moments but my mom & dad are two of the best. Thankful to see them tonight.
plans to Buy Nothing tomorrow, except maybe some beer. (Necessities don't count.)
When a loved one mentions a health concern involving a vital organ, don't Google it, it will not be conducive to your peace of mind. Fsck.
Walking down a path I usually run -- different perspective.
Acupuncture. Gadzooks but I needed that.
Frustrated by a PEBKAC error.
"One can begin to reshape the landscape with a single flower, Captain." -- Spock
Practicing queueing theory at the MVA.
Well. *That* was a waste of time. For the want of a signature...
Shall I bang my head on the table, or have a good stiff drink? The latter, I think. Sake, take me away.
"You" are a vortex of qi, not separable from the Universe. Can't take a whirlpool out of the water. Does a wave try to transcend the ocean?
MVA, take 2...
Not rich in money, but boy is my life rich in weirdness.
"...life is not acted out in the area in which we think & neither...in...our perceptions. Our life is action in the here and now"-Nishijima
Six mystery keys on my keyring, no idea what they go to.
Oh yeah -- this is why I hate crowds...
Foggy cobblestone 2am Baltimore, city of Poe, perfect setting for misty heart conversation.
Just too dumb to keep my mouth shut.
I'd expect the Better Business Bureau to respect the Do Not Call registry & not solicit me on my cell about accreditation. Stay classy, BBB.
Turned on Pandora for the first time in months, and it gave me The Kink's "Father Christmas". Now the holiday season may begin.
I truly love panicked late-night bug reports that turn out to be a problem somewhere other than in my code...
Delighted to find out that beautiful women dream of me rescuing them from ninjas. #egoboost
We are not "spiritual beings having a human experience". We are the experience itself, the experience dancing atoms are having. No duality.
Shame that the ST:TNG ep "The Outcast" is still relevant almost 20 years later. An "Anvil That Needed To Be Dropped". http://bit.ly/14Mm99
Not a big football fan, but anyone from Baltimore feels good hearing that the Ravens delivered a smack-down to the Colts. w00t.
About 35 people back at the #OccupyBaltimore site for GA. Thought you could shut this down? Sorry.
Dammit, I hate finding bugs late on a Friday afternoon. Looks like late night hacking for me.
A few nice words from someone whose opinion you value can really brighten your day. (Maybe someone values your opinion?)
Best part of buying wine? Trying it on. @ The Wine Bin, Ellicott City.
Even wise men get the blues.
Facebook's new "timeline " thing is so busy and full of crap that it reminds me of MySpace...
Bellyache. Let's straighten up down there, digestive system. Go Spleen Qi go!
More adventures in late night hacking...
"On Vulcan, the Teddy bears are alive, and they have six-inch fangs." -- Spock
Remember to keep the Sol in Solstice this year.
My one ceremonial string of lights is up. Meeting friends for a party/ritual later. Happy Solstice one and all.
Stumbly vagrant comes in Leadbetter's, asks to borrow my phone. 20 minute tearful conversation w/ ex-wife (?) ensues. Hope he finds his way.
Likes getting a text from someone I worked on saying "Asian Medicine wins again!"
First roadtrip with Starbug
"Xmas Eve -- another pointless day where I accomplish nothing." -- Bender
"Nice try, but my head was built with paradox-absorbing crumple zones." Santabot (Futurama)
Got spam about "cheap true religion jeans". Almost poetry. Maybe someone found true religion jeans under the tree this Xmas, just their size
Off to Xmas dinner w/ the parental units, and if I am lucky, drinks later w/ a truly wonderful lady.
They're towing away my old Subaru ("Scooty-Puff Sr.") -- hail and farewell to a faithful vehicle.
No one younger than me is allowed to complain about old age setting in -- especially if I just had a client twice you age.
New Year cards are a fine Japanese tradition & I think they still count if they arrive the first week. Great for procrastinators like me.
There's a Seido Karate tournament in Nagoya in April. Ooooh. Gonna have to get more information and think about this...
"Like we were in junior high, but with more appliances." - Suzanne X describes our adult lives
Dear car dealers: if I sent you e-mail months ago & didn't follow up, I bought a car elsewhere. Won't buy again for years. Stop spamming.
Santorum surging in Iowa? Yuck! I hope they clean it up. http://spreadingsantorum.com/ http://blog.spreadingsantorum.com/ (Links NSFW.)
No votes for lizards in 2012: http://wso.williams.edu/~rcarson/lizards.html
Dancin' it out to the Megdrives @ the Metro Gallery.
Damn you rhinovirus for sickening my friend making her cancel her NYE party. Fortunately I think I have a backup plan. Costume change, tho'.
"Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before." - Neil Gaiman http://bit.ly/tZRhch
Planted several interesting seeds in 2011. We shall see what sprouts in 2012.