In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. Albert Camus

"The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words begin there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible."

-Vladimir Nabokov

"You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write."  -Saul Bellow

Thoughts for Rob...

clipped from www.google.com The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.   - CS Lewis Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet.   - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thoughts

I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one
hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- EB White


You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.

-Saul Bellow

More Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com Ask a deeply religious Christian if he’d rather live next to a bearded Muslim that may or may not be plotting a terror attack, or an atheist that may or may not show him how to set up a wireless network in his house. On the scale of prejudice, atheists don’t seem so bad lately.   - Scott Adams Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.   - George Carlin

Thoughts

"Every man's memory is his private literature."

Aldous Huxley

My boy... Asher Moses

The day has finally arrived! My wife gave birth to my son, Asher Moses! He and momy are healthy and very happy. They come home tomorrow!!
Words just can't express the feeling I have for this little bundle of happiness. I thought my wife was the person I loved the most, now I love him just as much!

Thoughts...

There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there ever be.
--Doris Lessing

Powered by ScribeFire.

Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.   - Robert Frost

Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.   - Mark Twain In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.   - John Adams

Thought for the new year

"Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep is accurate, keep it clear."

-Ezra Pound

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Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not. - Eric Hoffer What I look forward to is continued immaturity followed by death. - Dave Barry

How to look cool

How to Roll a Coin on Your Knuckles - wikiHow

Entertainment vs. Fiction

Well, it's official. This morning I received the glorious news that after months of legal battles in the entertainment world, New Line Cinemas is going ahead with their long-awaited Lord of the Rings Prequels (yes, plural) or originally know as, "The Hobbit."

From the Director/writer of such jewels as "Meet the Feebles" and "Kate Winslet is Nude Again" comes not one, but TWO movies created from the well-loved classic tale of simplicity, hidden heroism, smelly dwarves, talking animals and retarded humans who always fuck shit up, that's right: THE HOBBIT!

JRR Tolkien/LOTR/D&D/fantasy/Manga/fans the world over are cringing to see how badly another retarded human fucks up another masterpiece of 20th Century fiction.

In the last ten years, J. K. Rowling's printing powerhouse Scholastic clear cut the rest of the Amazon to print Harry Potter and the End of Trees (thanks Jon Stewart), so Peter Lord-of-the-Rings Jackson had to completely ruin the perfection that was the Tolkien Legacy by infantalizing not only his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, but now he comes full circle to butcher The Hobbit. (I'm taking bets on whether or not we encounter Tom Bombadill somewhere in these prequels.) After months of legal battles with New Line Cinemas, Jackson was finally chosen to take them helm of producing and directing the Hobbit Prequels.

Here are my casting predictions about these new movies:

Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of Smaug the Dragon ("I am tired of these mother-fucking Hobbits in these mother-fucking caves!")

Sean Connery as the voice of Gwahir, the Lord of the Eagles in Middle Earth ("Eagle, Gwahir the Eagle"or "I'll take The rapists for $300, Alex)

Shia LeBouf as a wiry, wise-cracking, yet wise beyond his years, Bilbo Baggins.

Keanau Reeves and ten pounds of face make-up as Galdalf the Grey (Peter Jackson got rid of Ian McKellan when he found out he was gay and even liked Meet the Feebles)

The cast of Little People, Big World as the uninvited host of Dwarves who travel with Bilbo to the Misty Mountains (ouch, that was uncalled for)

Mel Gibson does pennance as the filthy cave-dwelling anti-semetic Gollum.

Mike Myers reinvents the character of Beorn, a human who can turn into a bear, and will now be playing Shreorn, a human who can turn into a complete asshole, with a Scottish brogue.

As mentioned before, Tom Bombadil will make an early appearance, even though he is not mentioned in the Hobbit, and will be played exquisitely by none other than Steve Carrell.

Finally just to make sure the movie sells, there has to be some sort of love story, so Aragorn and Arwen will be inserted into this movie, but at the beginning of their love story. Aragorn and Arwen will be played by young hearthrobs Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, respectively, from Disney Channel's High School Musical fame. (Vanessa promised to keep her clothes on during the filming of the movie.)


Aw, who am I kidding! I am totally psyched for these movies!! But my brother, Robert, who is a male stripper in Sheffield, England, is planning a mass suicide/sacrifice on the grave of JRR Tolkien to appease Tolkien's restless haunted spirit.

Peter Jackson will not be there.

Thoughts

"In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning, day after day. - F. Scott Fitzgerald"

It finally means something...

In my search for truth, knowledge, understanding and direction, I found Agent Mulder.

Anyway, a few years ago, I read my first Philip K. Dick novel, The Man in the High Castle. This is an alternate history in which the Germans and Japanese win WWII and the US is split in half; the Eastern half controlled by Germany, the Western Half controlled by Japan. The protaganist of the story frequently consults an ancient method of divination, the I Ching (pronounced ee-jing). I had never heard of this, so I thought it was part of the fiction.

I was intrigued to learn that the I Ching was real, so I started some research. It is one of the oldest Chinese manuscripts and is still used regularly today. I eventually purchased the Idiot's Guide to the I Ching and have used it for the last few years for guidance and inspiration.

The I Ching is also referred to as the Book of Changes. One can ask a question seeking guidance and direction and your recommendation will be found in the pages.

I recently purchased a new translation of the I Ching, written by Wu Wei, one of the foremost scholars of the I Ching.

I consulted the I Ching about the upcoming birth of my first son. I asked what I should expect when my son is born. After using the table to find which page my answer was on, I was shocked to find that my answer was on page 329 of the new edition. The reading went on to say that I need to be patient and not rush things, but still be ready to go when he comes.

I feel for the first time that this was the first real important 329 incident.

Thought on friendship

clipped from www.google.com The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.   - Mark Twain

Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com A thought is often original, though you have uttered it a hundred times.   - Oliver Wendell Holmes

The boy...

New photos of my boy, Asher. This one is just arms and legs.






In this one you can see his face a bit...










In this one, he has turned into a devil child. It gave me nightmares.

Days...

Sunday November 25, 2007 was the 329th day of the year.

Nothing happened.

I think I pooped twice that day. That was exciting. I did some yard work.

Oh, and all eleven planets were aligned exactly 45 degrees to the Prime Meridian, allowing intergallactic space travel throughout our quadrant of the universe.

Not much else.

Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past.   - William Faulkner The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time.   - George Bernard Shaw

Thoughts for Today

"Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood."
-Henry Miller


"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness."
- Joseph Conrad

329isms

I am confident that everyday, each of us overhears another person trying to use a big word or a cliche or some idiom, but fail miserably. For instance, instead of "Thinking outside the box" one might say "Thinking around the box." They might even combine statements into elaborately colorful clusterfucks. An perfect example would be, "Lets start off on a clean, fresh foot." Or "That's you, down to a 'T.'"

I have decided to start compiling these tidbits of wisdom and clarity into a category entitled "329isms." This might also include random statements that I feel should be passed on and used on a daily basis. Two such phrases, I overheard today, which, in turn, prompted me to start this collection.

The first statement was said by a man I think was a doctor. After a meeting I had today, this man stood up, addressed the other members of the meeting and said, "Well, I'm off to [enter any city here] to save some lives." Don't you wish you could say that everyday? I wish I could. So I think I will. After a meeting, I'll stand up and say, "Well, I'm off to Chicago to save some lives." It wouldn't matter if I was a janitor or a librarian or a McDonald's worker. It would be perfect.

Another memorable statement was said by my step-son. I asked him if he wanted a couple of slices of pizza for dinner and he said, "How about two?" I laughed and he didn't know why. So from know on, when someone uses vague terms, I will repeat them more concretely. Just to piss people off. "Do you have a few minutes to talk?" "No, sorry, I only have three."

Anyway, here's the list so far. Feel free to send me some more.

• Thinking around the box.
• He's on top of the ball. (combination of He's on the ball and He's at the top of his game)
• He's obliviated. (combination of Oblivious and Obliterated; used to describe someone really trashed)
• The whole kaboodle of wax. (combination of the whole ball of wax and the whole kit and kaboodle.)
• That's you, down to a 'T.' (combination of to a T and down pat, I think?)
• Alphabeticalized
• Discombooberated (instead of discombobulated)
• Would you like a couple of [anything?] response: How about two?
• Well, I'm off to [enter any city here] to save some lives.

I thought there were more.


Here are a few Idiom links:

www.funbrain.com/idioms/

www.geocities.com/Athens/aegean/6720/

www.idiomsite.com/

www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/

www.engrish.com

I want one...

329 is Safe...
329 is Fast...
329 is Quiet...

Check this out....

I'll take that...

Thanks to The Tongue and Pen for supplying my habit.

Thoughts

clipped from www.google.com Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane. - Philip K. Dick In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. - Robert Frost

Rooms...

The very first time I recall seeing the number 329 was my freshman year in college. I went to Clark University in Worcester, MA and lived in room #329 in Wright Hall. It was also the date I started dating my girlfriend at the time. That didn't turn out so well. She married one of my best friends. But it all worked out.

The following year, I started to take notice of the number 329 popping up in my life in random spots. Because the first time I ever noticed this number was the room number I was living in, I started to look for room #329 wherever I went.

Since staying in room #329 in my freshman year, I have never seen another room #329. I've stayed in other dorms on the third floor, I have stayed in hotels, motels, B&B's, hostels, you name it. I have even made an effort to search other floors looking for room #329. Still nothing. When I was a senior in college, I stayed in room 302 or something like that. The rooms on that floor went from #301 to #340, but there was not a room #329. It was skipped. Every other number from 301 to 340 was there, except 329.

Tonight, I visited a friend who lives in an apartment building in a converted factory that overlooks the Hudson River. She lives on the third floor.

There wasn't an apartment #329. I checked.

Pages

The following is an excerpt taken from page 329 from "The Secret Doctrine" written by Madame H P Blavatsky.

[[Vol. 2, Page]] 329 CHANGES OF CLIMATE.

...authority of the Coccyx appended to their os sacrum, that rudimentary tail which, if they only had it long enough, they would wag in joy and for ever, in honour of its eminent discoverer. These will remain as faithful to their ape-ancestors as Christians will to tailless Adam. The Secret Doctrine, however, sets right on this point theosophists and students of Occult Sciences.

If we regard the Second portion of the Third Race as the first representatives of the really human race with solid bones, then Haeckel's surmise that "the evolution of the primitive men took place . . . . in either Southern Asia or . . . . Lemuria" -- Africa, whether Eastern or Western being out of question -- is correct enough, if not entirely so. To be accurate, however, in the same way that the evolution of the First Race (from the bodies of the pitars) took place on seven distinctly separated regions of the (then) only Earth at the arctic pole -- so did the ultimate transformation of the Third occur: it began in those northern regions, which have just been described a few pages back as including Behring's Straits, and what there then was of dry land in Central Asia, when the climate was semi-tropical even in the Arctic regions and most adapted to the primitive wants of nascent physical man. That region, however, has been more than once frigid and tropical in turn since the appearance of man. The commentary tells us that the Third Race was only about the middle point of its development when: --

"The axle of the Wheel tilted. The Sun and Moon shone no longer over the heads of that portion of the SWEAT BORN; people knew snow, ice, and frost, and men, plants, and animals were dwarfed in their growth. Those that did not perish REMAINED AS HALF-GROWN BABES* IN SIZE AND INTELLECT. This was the third pralaya of the races.**

Which means again, that our globe is subject to seven periodical entire changes which go pari passu with the races. For the Secret Doctrine teaches that, during this Round, there must be seven terrestrial pralayas, three occasioned by the change in the inclination of the earth's axis. It is a law which acts at its appointed time, and not at all blindly, as science may think, but in strict accordance and harmony with Karmic law. In Occultism this inexorable law is referred to as "the great ADJUSTER." Science confesses its ignorance of the cause producing climatic vicissitudes and such changes in the axial direction, which are always followed by these vicissitudes; nor does it seem so sure of the axial changes. And being unable to account for them, it is prepared rather to deny the axial phenomena altogether, than admit the intelligent Karmic hand and...

[[Footnote(s)]] -------------------------------------------------

* "Half-grown babes" in comparison with their giant Brethren on other zones. So would we now.

** Relates to Lemuria.

What?

Like I said before, half of the time 329 doesn't mean shit.

Buddhist Though of the Day

clipped from www.google.com A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden. - Buddha...

Backfire!

Apparently, I have some overseas readers. They saw my post "Poems and Haiku" and recognized Rob the Douche from their local Church community.

In the middle of service this morning, a teenaged boy, stood up, thrust a pointed finger into the crowd and yelled as loud as the vaulted ceilings could carry his sqeaking voice, "TERRORIST!" to which everyone turned and replied, "WHERE?"

Following his outstretched hand, they found Rob sitting with his wife, also wondering where the Terrorist was. Suddenly realizing everyone was looking at him, he lifted his massive frame, rubbed his balding and shaved scalp, and hid his wife behind him. Two laymen approached him, grabbed him by his thick forearms and attempted to escort him from the service. It is rumored that another church member overheard his wife mumble, "I knew it."

Rob was questioned by the authorities, over a spot of tea, and subsequently released due to lack of evidence. They discovered that Rob actually lived a life of peace, honor, community service and loyalty; quite far from the tennents of terrorism at large.

In fact, Rob is one of the best and most loving friends another man can have without being gay. He is selfless, hardworking and extremely durable. I have done a huge disservice to this man, and to that I am in his debt. I hope he will still let me crash at his place when I visit him.

Therefore, Rob is not a Douche.

Song stuck in my head

"You Were the Long Way Home" by 764-Hero

You saw all these stupid visions dissolve.
Showed up, hadn't been so worried in years.
You saw every single person you knew
Throughout eyes that won't impress you again.

And in winning you were the song beginning,
you were the long way home.
And in ending you gotta stop defending,
you were the long way home.

You love the way it's out of focus right now.
Hold on, it's not getting clearer, that's you.

The sight of you that don't want help from anyone,
Keep it down, keep it down.

Poem and Haiku

I recently wrote a poem that I would like to share with everyone. All of the people referenced in the poem are entirely fictional. The poem is titled "Rob is a Douche."

Here it is:

Rob Is A Douche

I know this guy named Rob E.
Who lives in England.
We were friends once,
But he moved to England
And turned into a douche.
Now he's still in England and
We're not friends.
If you see him, have him arrested because
He is a terrorist.


This picture is a stock picture that I found on the Internet. Not a picture of Rob from England. I also wrote a completely unrelated Haiku:

My soul is a tree
Rob has raked all my leaves up
Nude in the cold fall

Weird Dream

I am generally an Indie and Alt Rock fan, so it is not uncommon for me to have some crazy song running through my head. But when crazy rockers invade my dreams, I start to get a little nervous.
So last night I had a dream that my car was being fixed in a garage in the middle of nowhere. Isaac Brock (lead singer of Modest Mouse) was the mechanic and the rest of the band was practicing at the back of the garage. The band made it seem like I was an inconvenience, like they had to hit the road, and my car troubles held them up.

Next thing I know, Dave Grohl comes in and is in my face, telling me that Issac doesn't have time to fix my car and I needed to leave. He kept pushing me and spit was hitting my glasses and he was making me nervous.

Then he pushes me into some beater Fork pick-up, and we're on Jackass.

We're facing a ramp in front of a huge pit. Dave Grohl slams the gas and we're off, but as soon as we're at the bottom of the ramp, I know we are not going to clear the gap, and I have a feeling that he never intended to. We're flying, we're in the air, and the truck starts tipping to the left and, oh yeah, the gap is about five hundred feet across. We would have never made it.

The truck is falling and falling and we're on our side and I'm gripping the dashboard and Dave Grohl is screaming and laughing and crying and I'm not saying anything, just looking straight ahead at the dirt walls of the hole we're sinking in and the air is rushing by my face from the left because Dave Grohl's window is open and he's still screaming out it then

Bang.

We hit the bottom.

But Dave Grohl's not there. Just me and I'm not hurt at all. I only wonder if I Isaac is still working on my car.

I don't think I will look at Dave Grohl the same way.

And I will never have Issac Brock work on my car.











As for other news, I will be working on creating pages for some of my original fiction and Poetry. As if I have to remind anyone, all writing is copyrighted and cannot be used without my permission.

Or I will have Dave Grohl come after you.

Thought of the day

clipped from www.google.com It is less what one is that should matter, than what one is not. - Fingers Pointing Toward the Moon by Wei Wu Wei...

How I feel about writing

"The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible." Vladimir Nabokov (Russian Writer)

Thoughts for Today

clipped from www.google.com Thought for Tue, 16 Oct 2007 I have only one object in writing books: to demonstrate that there could not be anyone to do it. "The Tenth Man" by Wei Wu Wei... The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else. - Umberto Eco In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Buddhist Thought of the Day

Rrrright...

clipped from www.google.com Thought for Sun, 14 Oct 2007 What we know as 'life' is the analytical realization in the seriality of time of our eternal reality. - Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei...

Star Trek?

Tonight, my wife and I were watching Star Trek: TNG on G4 as we frequently do . It was the episode entiltled "Inheritance", which is from Season 7, Episode 10, and originally aired November, 20 1993. Data meets the woman who claims to be his "mother". Data announced half way through the episode that they would be in range of their destination in 3 minutes 29 seconds.

I wonder if this all has to do with Star Trek? I am certainly not as big of a fan of Star Trek as I am of Star Wars, but I enjoy the show. Given the coincidences between birthdays on the show, as I mentioned a few days ago, I now am going to have to do a little more research in this show.

Great. More to obsess about.

Good vs. evil

I have not decided whether this number is a symbol, a representation, an omen, a good luck number, a bad luck number or just plain nothing. I have done a lot of research trying to find relationships between the symbolic numerals and their significance in my life.

I am still at a loss.

I have woken up in the middle of the night at 3:29am.
I have opened books to page 329.
I also look for birthdays on March 29, like these people are supposed to have some significance on my life. I have not yet met anyone with this birthday. And nothing significant happens each time March 29th rolls around.

The stock Market crashed on March 29, 1929. Capitalism almost tanked, big deal.

I recently went to Italy for my honeymoon. It was wonderful. The best trip of my life, with my best friend. Twice I found 329 when I wasn't looking.




Once above a brown, paint-chipped door along the Grand Canal in Venice.










The second time was in Rome. I looked up at a tree to my right and noticed a red tag nailed to it. I looked closer and saw the #329. Purely random.








I also ran into Modest Mouse in my Hotel lobby the first day in Rome, on June 2, 2007. They were pissed because the elevator was broken. Isaac had a black eye, so I wasn't about to approach him. Even though they are my favorite band.

I guess it might be good and bad luck at the same time.

Thought for today

clipped from www.google.com Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand - Kurt Vonnegut

Mr

Alarm Song--"Mr. Jones" by the Counting Crows

Thoughts for Today

clipped from www.google.com Thought for Mon, 08 Oct 2007 It is only with total humility, and in absolute stillness of mind that we can know what indeed we are. "The Tenth Man" by Wei Wu Wei... Biography lends to death a new terror. - Oscar Wilde

March 29th birthdays

When I started obsessively keeping track of the times the number 329 randomly popped up, I felt this number might be a sign or a message or an omen, from whom I have no idea. Therefore I began an existential compulsion to connect with the sender, even if it is simply that my own mind began to filter out all other three-digit numbers and only see this one.

I would scour the Internet for clues of the significance of this number. I never found any.

I had also hoped there would be other people as obsessed or haunted by this number as I was. I found out there were no other people that even contemplated this number.

I did wonder if the date had some significance. Who knows. Here's a list of some people born on March 29th (3/29). I only included the people whose names I recognized or felt were important. Therefore the politicians and religious leaders have been excluded.

Mort Drucker--Mad Magazine Illustrator
Perry Farrell--Lead singer of Jane's Addiction/Porno for Pyros/Satellite Party/Lallapalooza MC
Brendan Gleeson--Mad-Eye Moody (Harry Potter anyone?)
Eric Idle--Monty Python Comedian (“Nudge nudge, know what I mean, say no more”)
Christopher Lambert--Connor MacLeod in Highlander ("There can be only one!")
Lucy Lawless--Xena, Lesbian Warrior Princess
Jennifer Capriati--Tennis Player (who cares?)
Elle Macpherson--Supermodel
Oscar Mayer--Famous for his Weiner(s)
Mehmed the Conqueror --Ottoman Sultan, destroyed Byzantine empire (?)
John Popper--Blues Traveler Frontman, Harmonica player, gastric bypass survivor (meaning he's fat again)
Annabella Sciorra--Actress no one knows
Secretariat--That's right. The Famous Race Horse.
Man O'War--Yup, the Other Famous Race Horse. Very Interesting...Is Catherine the Great born on this day too?
Amy Sedaris--Are my teeth straight?
Marina Sirtis--Deanna Troi, Start Trek TNG
(oddly enough her character on TNG has her birthday too, as well as fellow TNG character Beverly Crusher. I wonder if the writers new there are 364 other days to choose from?)
Cy Young--Yeah, I'm a huge baseball fan.
Vangelis--Greek composer/keyboardist V. Papathanassiou (music of "Chariots of Fire"
Sue Fogleman--American golfer, LPGA Tour member; career earnings: $78,826.59. Wow.

That's all for now. Digest this and let me know if there are others I am forgetting.

Buddhist Thought of the Day

clipped from www.google.com Thought for Sat, 06 Oct 2007 By becoming attached to names and forms, not realising that they have no more basis than the activities of the mind itself, error rises and the way to emancipation is blocked. -Buddha...

Music to Share

Music I'm listening to right now:

The Kooks
Cursive
The Hold Steady
Cold War Kids
Augie March

and of course Modest Mouse


Song Stuck In My Head:

"That Time" by Regina Spektor

329 days per year

one day i started seeing 329 everywhere.
I lost count how many times i've seen it.
so i decided to write them down. only, i don't really know why.
and i don't really know why i keep seeing it.


i think spongebob gets it.


329 is a little bit of everything: music, photos, quotes, thoughts.

and random run-ins with the number 329