tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46509286935655046252024-03-17T14:33:04.546-07:00Odin's RavensThe thoughts and memories of Dan HagenDan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.comBlogger2331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-44665984513495208382024-03-17T14:32:00.000-07:002024-03-17T14:32:15.544-07:00A Sign of the Times<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXP3i7PRvbNUxX8vNB3wL0yF8fxD_YU0jwzLV1lKZN558-UP6PVgCJp8-6zdbXx-jCI0zvcufbC-bnIlU3BPOyyqdRCXgbOn6OboOl2MSLW9WMyJ1BBzFRoHdb2gCf2xszs3sjV-Yu5iehc9ptC74jHFFTXFczn2OUzSXJQWQR_La9J7l7TSqED4DXcxl/s1024/AI%20wind%20sign.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXP3i7PRvbNUxX8vNB3wL0yF8fxD_YU0jwzLV1lKZN558-UP6PVgCJp8-6zdbXx-jCI0zvcufbC-bnIlU3BPOyyqdRCXgbOn6OboOl2MSLW9WMyJ1BBzFRoHdb2gCf2xszs3sjV-Yu5iehc9ptC74jHFFTXFczn2OUzSXJQWQR_La9J7l7TSqED4DXcxl/w640-h640/AI%20wind%20sign.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cold, high winds sent us</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A cardboard sign that said "Free."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A fine reminder.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-78629007338155303202024-03-17T11:08:00.000-07:002024-03-17T11:08:23.733-07:00Emerson on the Purpose of Life<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuruJhZM-zYt0eLQdPfCj-vT769xdLmQ4BvRESncUtoOek_pN4FGLmqK8HwqTq_ZaNYd2WF_hUQOmjZBlQavm1Pd-dg781F-paRj7cXtwrsON2opha8qeCWQeKuUwFUbITJTFni3KrEeFPJAJPY0UBSILmna4vhnsBKZCqag4vCNFvvX49KDAAOPqFS_-/s588/AI%20days%20are%20hgods.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuruJhZM-zYt0eLQdPfCj-vT769xdLmQ4BvRESncUtoOek_pN4FGLmqK8HwqTq_ZaNYd2WF_hUQOmjZBlQavm1Pd-dg781F-paRj7cXtwrsON2opha8qeCWQeKuUwFUbITJTFni3KrEeFPJAJPY0UBSILmna4vhnsBKZCqag4vCNFvvX49KDAAOPqFS_-/w573-h640/AI%20days%20are%20hgods.png" width="573" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Among Ralph Waldo Emerson’s primary perceptions about living were these:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>• There’s no other world; this one is it.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>• All important truths must finally be self-evident.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>• The purpose of life is individual development, self-expression and fulfillment.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>• Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm, and your work should be in praise of what you love.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>• The days are gods.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“On a day no different than the one now breaking, Shakespeare sat down to begin Hamlet,” explained Emerson’s biographer Robert D. Richardson Jr. “Each of us has all the time there is; each accepts those invitations he can discern. By the same token, each evening brings a reckoning of infinite regret for the paths refused, openings not seen, and actions not taken.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“There is nothing in this list that Emerson had not learned firsthand. These are not abstractions but practical rules for everyday life. The public consequences of such convictions for Emerson were a politics of social liberalism, abolitionism, women’s suffrage, American Indian rights, opposition to the Mexican War and civil disobedience when government was wrong. The personal consequence of such perceptions was an almost intolerable awareness that every morning began with infinite promise.”</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-10548530832027257802024-03-16T14:58:00.000-07:002024-03-16T14:58:26.527-07:00In Control of Consciousness<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1lzzdyVeN4v9tle0h7Ytn5jhhLzJxRXH0__A5E3Auz3yZLnUDh9C3q1bo5UmC7FuuGsbqeAEu75qvt8VRU6ZoSbt_s1NWaQtiHoqXsM_L_WXfaAjiCQTHZYDbvl5mZF8Oc483rzbAu8dH1a8cCxx5pURJygwo7HOLgOBOldvudQ3wjacQnXjePGlGPvo/s1024/AI%20Hurricane%20Eye.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1lzzdyVeN4v9tle0h7Ytn5jhhLzJxRXH0__A5E3Auz3yZLnUDh9C3q1bo5UmC7FuuGsbqeAEu75qvt8VRU6ZoSbt_s1NWaQtiHoqXsM_L_WXfaAjiCQTHZYDbvl5mZF8Oc483rzbAu8dH1a8cCxx5pURJygwo7HOLgOBOldvudQ3wjacQnXjePGlGPvo/w640-h640/AI%20Hurricane%20Eye.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Despite its great powers, attention cannot step beyond (its) limits,” observed Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book <i>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. </i> “It cannot notice or hold in focus more information than can be processed simultaneously. Retrieving information from memory storage and bringing it into the focus of awareness, comparing information, evaluating, deciding — all make demands on the mind’s limited processing capacity. For example, the driver who notices the swerving car will have to stop talking on his cellular phone if he wants to avoid an accident.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Some people learn to use this priceless resource efficiently, while others waste it. The mark of a person who is in control of consciousness is the ability to focus attention at will, to be oblivious to distractions, to concentrate for as long as it takes to achieve a goal, and not longer. And the person who can do this usually enjoys the normal course of everyday life.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Now consider what digital media has done to shorten the human attention span in the decades since this was written. What does that imply about the ability “to enjoy the normal course of everyday life?”</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-33964864486805118852024-03-14T12:43:00.000-07:002024-03-14T12:43:14.803-07:00In Tepid Blood<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gLNocn1jqr6fopmIzu8_fpSFFobEV_mMfVlkSpZOh-cFyp6vUFg9O43TSQIXFzeDt3q0tGrkH2luHPb6htW6nguMeb1zUoS918m0eCiKhmTwqniLyfmUhf00drW3354ZBobEhC6SnspFW_Q6h5bBa9SfYUVAev7pgDX-oWhhUr9m5pfOIxHgEGRYGY6n/s1024/AI%20Capote%20Swans.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gLNocn1jqr6fopmIzu8_fpSFFobEV_mMfVlkSpZOh-cFyp6vUFg9O43TSQIXFzeDt3q0tGrkH2luHPb6htW6nguMeb1zUoS918m0eCiKhmTwqniLyfmUhf00drW3354ZBobEhC6SnspFW_Q6h5bBa9SfYUVAev7pgDX-oWhhUr9m5pfOIxHgEGRYGY6n/w640-h640/AI%20Capote%20Swans.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Although it was masterfully done, <i>Feud Season Two </i>left me feeling that I didn’t really care what happened to Truman Capote or his Swans.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Truman destroyed a great talent with booze and pills, and practiced treachery to boot. And the Swans were Sondheim’s <i>Ladies Who Lunch, </i>permanently pickled in their own frustrations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">People who have every imaginable resource handed to them and nevertheless manage to remain unhappy tend to drain the well of sympathy.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-444312052308128452024-03-10T09:27:00.000-07:002024-03-10T09:27:24.231-07:00Impoverished by Wealth<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9RfNbO2A33cpR2OaEUWddsbBt3kxP-w3DwtJzOGRJyMS0aMt775c0NF45SufBwyURZHMuAUV4VnSuhlhxJ6h1hFZuvfKODSpcdrCzxaInG9PvGsSyGaIPgozuzDY3LCMvhEjFwBgnLSaOPKupXgEssoCWI3M-jtNCheti18idKrQzKft6ZBkmRKJLKc2/s1024/AI%20materialism.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9RfNbO2A33cpR2OaEUWddsbBt3kxP-w3DwtJzOGRJyMS0aMt775c0NF45SufBwyURZHMuAUV4VnSuhlhxJ6h1hFZuvfKODSpcdrCzxaInG9PvGsSyGaIPgozuzDY3LCMvhEjFwBgnLSaOPKupXgEssoCWI3M-jtNCheti18idKrQzKft6ZBkmRKJLKc2/w640-h640/AI%20materialism.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Americans seem to assume that the alternative to materialism is poverty. Ironic, because it’s clear to me that the result of materialism is emotional and mental impoverishment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The alternative to materialism is an indifference to wealth that provides a relative immunity to greed.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-82113547888214181522024-03-09T16:23:00.000-08:002024-03-09T16:23:13.877-08:00The Tiffany Trick<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp63d3jR8p7sH7lSSbZUUQFziQK2sNb7Rj0BokCVmxKmUaJne9TzTQOJEFkFyiipvX1ilwCk_LbKtS8Z-UNz0eGVjejk1xB94ddOLRsMvQ7M6aKTjHi_EgB8ZAOA2Ockhwd7VODgI6vNYPI8q2nUUW4T9AMY3q8ur_PXlCm68r4E0PCt6zdJWbrLevcRkK/s1024/AI%20Tiffany%20trick.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp63d3jR8p7sH7lSSbZUUQFziQK2sNb7Rj0BokCVmxKmUaJne9TzTQOJEFkFyiipvX1ilwCk_LbKtS8Z-UNz0eGVjejk1xB94ddOLRsMvQ7M6aKTjHi_EgB8ZAOA2Ockhwd7VODgI6vNYPI8q2nUUW4T9AMY3q8ur_PXlCm68r4E0PCt6zdJWbrLevcRkK/w640-h640/AI%20Tiffany%20trick.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“During World War II, a man of middle age entertained a Marine one Saturday night. The man enjoyed himself so much in the Marine’s muscular embrace that he felt he should buy him something to show his gratitude, but since it was Sunday when they woke up, and the stores were closed, the best he could offer was breakfast.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“’Where would you like to go?’ he asked. ‘Pick the fanciest, most expensive place in town?’</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The Marine, who was not a native, had heard of only one fancy and expensive place in New York, and he said, ‘Let’s have breakfast at Tiffany’s.’”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">— <i>Capote,</i> Gerald Clarke</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And that anecdote gave Truman Capote a title.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-55250627091306001522024-03-08T07:02:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:02:41.725-08:00The Gent Takes Off<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ4x8p55Ai9ro87K1_O6aBu1N54RguShsqDGFy19RiBcDEH82lbeC_AMuo5kEXsOJ7H_oF_uDZnmSsYZZuTn4Vq_5d7QiNsrZECrT2PBKD7f6BKDdpsISBKwH1aOtZnxVzv2pVFe6WpMvhuY3UO-ztIeSFqXYCXOM9L6bbU752iNKH7DvNvLeeinOE4su/s1024/Gentleman%20Analyst%20exits%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ4x8p55Ai9ro87K1_O6aBu1N54RguShsqDGFy19RiBcDEH82lbeC_AMuo5kEXsOJ7H_oF_uDZnmSsYZZuTn4Vq_5d7QiNsrZECrT2PBKD7f6BKDdpsISBKwH1aOtZnxVzv2pVFe6WpMvhuY3UO-ztIeSFqXYCXOM9L6bbU752iNKH7DvNvLeeinOE4su/w640-h640/Gentleman%20Analyst%20exits%201.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The Gentleman Analyst exits his Observatory of All Things. And I observe that AI art is a hoot.</span><p></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-80873743737583551092024-03-08T03:00:00.000-08:002024-03-08T03:00:33.509-08:00When the Rain Dances<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37IXxgLy6GJPsaEXDA8kWNDh7u7CR1I9yV6CF9LqrQqYDVikufkOJzK0iaTKH-Y2HblVIaR95HSciw3abeFIFuY9TXZ9uCbyiLwAwEEMqJo02JdqpU51l381APV7elwfkWDv-mWt2_-0T-KIk6EsMrgorDeOZ2npSUGnrTFMRvOujyA89JDfQ7Kqr1VCX/s1024/A!%20rain%20dance.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37IXxgLy6GJPsaEXDA8kWNDh7u7CR1I9yV6CF9LqrQqYDVikufkOJzK0iaTKH-Y2HblVIaR95HSciw3abeFIFuY9TXZ9uCbyiLwAwEEMqJo02JdqpU51l381APV7elwfkWDv-mWt2_-0T-KIk6EsMrgorDeOZ2npSUGnrTFMRvOujyA89JDfQ7Kqr1VCX/w640-h640/A!%20rain%20dance.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Luxury listens</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">to the intimate tap dance</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">of rain on your roof.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-22405875187306535952024-03-07T06:56:00.000-08:002024-03-07T06:56:20.467-08:00How the Mind Can Manage Pain<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagOp1B0gsl-C2wR2zT2UQ71EuJn03wvzLCXWPW5C3xHsOb8TzyxLHGqpl9B7eMUhG_BdxdBRhfYK6gCYWp8dSGwYGOW9x_GnJchmBOLGgtTWi_h7PCNvJqcTOo2H449lh3tcEU6sgH_oGazMCl4tCwAOUYBCxwBy1UNyJBNV32bLBTX9F05woaTwr4KzS/s1024/AI%20Placebo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagOp1B0gsl-C2wR2zT2UQ71EuJn03wvzLCXWPW5C3xHsOb8TzyxLHGqpl9B7eMUhG_BdxdBRhfYK6gCYWp8dSGwYGOW9x_GnJchmBOLGgtTWi_h7PCNvJqcTOo2H449lh3tcEU6sgH_oGazMCl4tCwAOUYBCxwBy1UNyJBNV32bLBTX9F05woaTwr4KzS/w640-h640/AI%20Placebo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The largest-ever brain scan study of the placebo effect has revealed that it seems to act on systems in the brain that process the emotional aspect of pain, which could explain why sugar pills can ease discomfort,” wrote Moheb Costandi in <i>New Scientist</i> magazine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Expectation, suggestion and social cues can all influence the placebo effect, where a person’s symptoms lessen after taking dummy medicine that they believe to be an effective treatment.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And this research points to a mechanism by which mindfulness can be used to manage emotions and thereby alleviate the perception of pain.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The placebo effect is a way for your brain to tell the body what it needs to feel better,” explained Harvard Prof. Ted Kaptchuk.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-25395455136529204322024-03-05T15:13:00.000-08:002024-03-05T15:13:30.380-08:00Maigret's Prose<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoy4KLAEHnDghBHlI6lAFydBxQr5aeY93vxD4LDgiN99hg_1q5l017RRib0hCxP9IVQna03A9hgkhMU5pDaIW1fNVpHkMP8PWcLxNud8Vb4GVm1M1TGpbRQ3jAh9Crifioiz5ysEK2MMUDeC-PH4qp24tqBoWUhkCNRFAEK-U15xEzREjrcQjq96NhCy5D/s1024/AI%20Maigret%20Spring.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoy4KLAEHnDghBHlI6lAFydBxQr5aeY93vxD4LDgiN99hg_1q5l017RRib0hCxP9IVQna03A9hgkhMU5pDaIW1fNVpHkMP8PWcLxNud8Vb4GVm1M1TGpbRQ3jAh9Crifioiz5ysEK2MMUDeC-PH4qp24tqBoWUhkCNRFAEK-U15xEzREjrcQjq96NhCy5D/w640-h640/AI%20Maigret%20Spring.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The memories reached him in waves, because this was another year when spring was early, and that morning he had left home without his overcoat. He felt as light as the sparkling air. The colors of the shops, the food stalls, the women’s dresses were all bright and cheerful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“He was not thinking of anything in particular, just a few disconnected little thoughts.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">— Georges Simenon, <i>Maigret’s Pickpocket</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I always enjoy the quotidian aspects of the Maigret novels — the specificity of weather, the satisfaction of meals, the small vivid impressions — as much as I do the crime stories. He’s one of those characters who wanders around in your mind, knocking out his pipe, after the story ends.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-41296417427386932822024-03-05T05:42:00.000-08:002024-03-05T05:42:02.058-08:00The Secret of Nostalgia<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfqHyha_FvR8phZbKCqGOinU2W8anNzgZF84cqwMFTHOAvtzX0cd4paMak6tNep8cjgTpYt27D2Y9NBxQ6ZiV5M8G9BVl-A8AAwzsXVJcsIMmaERWZ11Ied-XQrn8jU-euFo2-T1cYNZqCFy3YisnhtZEAiyUkpVHIBJGo2pMoPFX4AsePvWMiyej84UU/s1024/AI%20Nostalgia.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfqHyha_FvR8phZbKCqGOinU2W8anNzgZF84cqwMFTHOAvtzX0cd4paMak6tNep8cjgTpYt27D2Y9NBxQ6ZiV5M8G9BVl-A8AAwzsXVJcsIMmaERWZ11Ied-XQrn8jU-euFo2-T1cYNZqCFy3YisnhtZEAiyUkpVHIBJGo2pMoPFX4AsePvWMiyej84UU/w640-h640/AI%20Nostalgia.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The simple secret to nostalgia for the past is that we know how things turn out, a comfort that the present reality — the only reality — never gives us. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It's like a favorite movie we can watch again and again.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-76152390114244306292024-03-05T04:24:00.000-08:002024-03-05T04:24:07.201-08:00Meteorological Theatricality<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLVRsbyWm-EDy6gSiORgdEpMQS-9C1buPC4F7zkCHD3D0eUVWVyNzdiAzz7c27cX3re6bKdl9iD-WrlAU-IyJBJUNN0Xp60BLFbsASsrq9IlQtsxywre-7D3tmAvI1Kaqi4QcwqYPQei6JuyPN9XMyjSxiwwHJIfM8ZKrAkGgpMqMX3F1Y23znb082DL5/s1024/AI%20thunderstorm.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLVRsbyWm-EDy6gSiORgdEpMQS-9C1buPC4F7zkCHD3D0eUVWVyNzdiAzz7c27cX3re6bKdl9iD-WrlAU-IyJBJUNN0Xp60BLFbsASsrq9IlQtsxywre-7D3tmAvI1Kaqi4QcwqYPQei6JuyPN9XMyjSxiwwHJIfM8ZKrAkGgpMqMX3F1Y23znb082DL5/w640-h640/AI%20thunderstorm.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Torrents, floods, flashes, booms. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A simple spring rain can be </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">quite the drama queen.</span></i></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-7789784956355828602024-03-03T06:29:00.000-08:002024-03-03T06:29:32.491-08:00Fountains and Feathers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8dk3exwI7Jx7z_hastqj6xfD5D8_Eo_B9Lcrj8OexBvlBLcmpIGGftO3UVB9C0miLRZbnKVeNDn299YaoRJH5-V9vV-QYeUGXBZSQFE3OJ-ojx02Drs9s9taFSi3C9sSSiMzCtWK7-U3BwY-OkMPqsoQFE0kqXAVmyIS54onr4FAh__gZYuoeEvxpIeJ/s1024/AI%20starlings%20fountain.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8dk3exwI7Jx7z_hastqj6xfD5D8_Eo_B9Lcrj8OexBvlBLcmpIGGftO3UVB9C0miLRZbnKVeNDn299YaoRJH5-V9vV-QYeUGXBZSQFE3OJ-ojx02Drs9s9taFSi3C9sSSiMzCtWK7-U3BwY-OkMPqsoQFE0kqXAVmyIS54onr4FAh__gZYuoeEvxpIeJ/w640-h640/AI%20starlings%20fountain.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Starlings splash wildly,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">improvising a fountain,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">washing off winter</span>.</p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-70509497137998946212024-03-02T04:55:00.000-08:002024-03-02T04:55:49.758-08:00A Reassuring Glow<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRd1kZdsPEc3Lsnc9XuadXynX6U1cInkNdW9lrIBbx6lnhFjP_ERnQF602rtyrf5umn1fTMAl-CV1AVeFW3Ao0ItEy8_dUwSlynxJXbDgxVVgjPKL8dYwCkF_HqlmA8injnOjcjdZ0d5ZSZXG7zs4EJT6p4-4yy-2UCevThDxpaSu1JDLjOb2mDY3BAAy/s1024/AI%20streetlight%20in%20haze.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRd1kZdsPEc3Lsnc9XuadXynX6U1cInkNdW9lrIBbx6lnhFjP_ERnQF602rtyrf5umn1fTMAl-CV1AVeFW3Ao0ItEy8_dUwSlynxJXbDgxVVgjPKL8dYwCkF_HqlmA8injnOjcjdZ0d5ZSZXG7zs4EJT6p4-4yy-2UCevThDxpaSu1JDLjOb2mDY3BAAy/w640-h640/AI%20streetlight%20in%20haze.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The soft yellow cones</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">of the streetlights in the haze</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">welcome weary eyes.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-6849173423160065542024-02-29T13:29:00.000-08:002024-02-29T13:29:39.379-08:00The Devil's in the Downward Dog<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHivptQaYSFWZca_0q810dJjK3Dfu-iSIk6oS1hS_WmNU4kiK6872rjhBlX4vrACK2ya40suoepa6KHFqLuwyW0b6xXu29au8fbDhvD3fheOkyD9r_NYASBPHzC1wkWs1n9FpndOKGxMgfTmoTJ0M_OsaRKYIixgf4aBj5JGUZ7_TlbMByU51bUrAqLYv5/s1024/AI%20Cthulu%20yoga.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHivptQaYSFWZca_0q810dJjK3Dfu-iSIk6oS1hS_WmNU4kiK6872rjhBlX4vrACK2ya40suoepa6KHFqLuwyW0b6xXu29au8fbDhvD3fheOkyD9r_NYASBPHzC1wkWs1n9FpndOKGxMgfTmoTJ0M_OsaRKYIixgf4aBj5JGUZ7_TlbMByU51bUrAqLYv5/w640-h640/AI%20Cthulu%20yoga.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So apparently “anti-yoga Republican” is a thing now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The satanic sin of stretching, I guess.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-1617527303739296682024-02-26T15:18:00.000-08:002024-02-26T15:18:15.749-08:00The Remembered Taste of Grape Soda<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvh2x1QGpJDEkLiA10UTTek_Shhyphenhyphen9MPm9rTnJ5zSU3FD7EjT9MPXDAYfD33t1Mk-0aLVe-m6fgCtldKEEH5tSYDjmhV24TJ8mOyZHDoh2Ne2PfjTSc3qpCoZpgUekjV-0_5_8qDLrGiu_NHQS-niPih4ZVe6SrWD12ju0GDBMuFX29yLPqZkZHsfqAhFQ/s1024/Gentleman%20Analyst%20grape%20soda.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvh2x1QGpJDEkLiA10UTTek_Shhyphenhyphen9MPm9rTnJ5zSU3FD7EjT9MPXDAYfD33t1Mk-0aLVe-m6fgCtldKEEH5tSYDjmhV24TJ8mOyZHDoh2Ne2PfjTSc3qpCoZpgUekjV-0_5_8qDLrGiu_NHQS-niPih4ZVe6SrWD12ju0GDBMuFX29yLPqZkZHsfqAhFQ/w640-h640/Gentleman%20Analyst%20grape%20soda.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Doing Photoshop art upstairs, I had a sudden urge to watch <i>Father Knows Best</i>, and wondered why. Not really a great show, after all. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Then I realized it may have been because I was drinking a grape soda, something I’ve tasted very rarely since early childhood. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I think it took me back to living with my grandparents in those earliest years, with that warm-as-a-blanket sense of absolute security that never comes again. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I used to watch that TV show with them on CBS Monday nights, often drinking a bottle of grape soda from a six pack that my grandmother would buy at the neighborhood grocery store just down the block.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-32455623159007595502024-02-23T04:37:00.000-08:002024-02-23T04:37:45.290-08:00When the GOP Dial Got Stuck<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWw-k_mtR0Ge6hgJdNgADRE05_HNMhwTGqa1TK96xwj9SQSQF4oxA8Wf9R-KVvcxKJC7y00FIyBTJrADt3eOiwyRQNF1lbzFqvahFZ7nthvpOd0MkjP4y66EN_1cEMqNKx0OPGXth01pJv2rlsFzVNCKt_KPKUR25piPOeh0ul2tYgxMiDq3J2xX6_Bwt/s1024/AI%20Lies%20of%20Fox%20News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWw-k_mtR0Ge6hgJdNgADRE05_HNMhwTGqa1TK96xwj9SQSQF4oxA8Wf9R-KVvcxKJC7y00FIyBTJrADt3eOiwyRQNF1lbzFqvahFZ7nthvpOd0MkjP4y66EN_1cEMqNKx0OPGXth01pJv2rlsFzVNCKt_KPKUR25piPOeh0ul2tYgxMiDq3J2xX6_Bwt/w640-h640/AI%20Lies%20of%20Fox%20News.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I wrote this: “The problem is that at least half the country is being fed a largely fictional narrative, every day, and accepts it to be true. That’s the Fox News Effect.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“I realized 20 years ago that if lying propaganda could be substituted for news, this country’s ruin would follow in short order.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And I got this thoughtful reply from Mouse Detective on the Washington Post website: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Same here professor. Believe it or not, I grew up in a Republican family, and used to listen to Rush Limbaugh every day. I remember during the first Gulf War, he was always enraged at CNN, and wanted them muzzled for reporting what happened, and whined about the “liberal media,’ </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“I remembered what Ben Franklin had written about an informed electorate, and felt uncomfortable. It took me awhile to leave but I have never looked back. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“That was before Fox ‘News,’ but it was universally accepted by Republicans that the media was biased in favor of liberals. I thought that was BS, and that you had a rich buffet of choices from both extremes to the middle. But I think that was a time when many Republicans began to choose only far right sources. AM radio was loaded with Rush wannabes and I think that’s when my generation got stuck. There, but for the Grace of God go I! I don’t think I’ve voted for a single Republican since about 1995...”</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-65250931329847906512024-02-20T05:35:00.000-08:002024-02-20T05:35:04.374-08:00Of Thee I Sting<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KYb1OMOJL84fPY-5KRjncJ3NmP7am9dpwi4WgRCOO3_7HqS20lcgLcngJHR0F_FO4MykJNz3gwHNIf5LnOaAjPp0B9xBIjiUmNPLhn4M8PZN-IldwwaraKebJ_rHr-Y4keJ9tt5NEc9Rs-8AmIBgz04aIcOOncqcK0GFGxkk2q7uR6iVtjXLIyJoxVZM/s1024/AI%20scorpion%20flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KYb1OMOJL84fPY-5KRjncJ3NmP7am9dpwi4WgRCOO3_7HqS20lcgLcngJHR0F_FO4MykJNz3gwHNIf5LnOaAjPp0B9xBIjiUmNPLhn4M8PZN-IldwwaraKebJ_rHr-Y4keJ9tt5NEc9Rs-8AmIBgz04aIcOOncqcK0GFGxkk2q7uR6iVtjXLIyJoxVZM/w640-h640/AI%20scorpion%20flag.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Our national symbol shouldn’t be an eagle. It should be a scorpion stinging itself to death.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-16758479037341081802024-02-17T11:43:00.000-08:002024-02-17T11:43:36.701-08:00China in the Sky<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgzaeWCK1W5fNS13RuAulF3MZz7tVH-SWD6XbFJtPzhl0V-SgUvCbfRp52zl9ORFFch4OmZm5D6dVc3nTaPZJrhSAU7D1rn_MO6e27L-uJ7zXnjpJQpNqBhM216XfvIg2YvzDLwC9CKBYjlkZX5fUDtBDhcQRg7s206vT81KiP4PwjtkND5uka0RcCZ86/s1024/AI%20sun%20on%20snow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgzaeWCK1W5fNS13RuAulF3MZz7tVH-SWD6XbFJtPzhl0V-SgUvCbfRp52zl9ORFFch4OmZm5D6dVc3nTaPZJrhSAU7D1rn_MO6e27L-uJ7zXnjpJQpNqBhM216XfvIg2YvzDLwC9CKBYjlkZX5fUDtBDhcQRg7s206vT81KiP4PwjtkND5uka0RcCZ86/w640-h640/AI%20sun%20on%20snow.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A sky as blue as</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">bone china, and a silence</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">as deep as the snow.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-28997776282340952022024-02-17T07:51:00.000-08:002024-02-17T07:52:27.165-08:00Less Than Meets the Eye<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfm0iM_T-ZPD_4NtKFGw7GCidII6jKpYGNoI-o3hEgkqYeP8NpaBUjXcmXcKdNC48UWd4FRlqg_ljDQVPP_JZqPP7O7pwfGbis9RmTEiyJupMtpjWwq0pI2QZrs_ZGHVYzrvbH_CVAjAyNQMbJcLgxU5L6Dr0Yt_oqvJ0xS12CNKORIWH3rnc-sDKEaEs/s1024/AI%20Being%20Seen.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfm0iM_T-ZPD_4NtKFGw7GCidII6jKpYGNoI-o3hEgkqYeP8NpaBUjXcmXcKdNC48UWd4FRlqg_ljDQVPP_JZqPP7O7pwfGbis9RmTEiyJupMtpjWwq0pI2QZrs_ZGHVYzrvbH_CVAjAyNQMbJcLgxU5L6Dr0Yt_oqvJ0xS12CNKORIWH3rnc-sDKEaEs/w640-h640/AI%20Being%20Seen.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The whole hackneyed concept of being “seen” now has narcissistic vibes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What we actually need is to be moving toward a principled goal — whether we are “seen” to be doing so or not.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-36434870586555516982024-02-15T13:30:00.000-08:002024-02-15T13:30:30.396-08:00Care for Some Very Stale Pie?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2GZSbmWjiIPInPdUpoYq2LtE7TLSIVruaovBgu1YEDacKRelQsd8m0pQtoWyHZTDxcezFJdoo05cFm8uAT4jvfnh7q0PaD92796I6jYiDACergWYWfEPXU1wCkQ8i69TuNoyP8VcsmY4l-cDFf7tEymQXB88y4Bu2aiU_6KCGkSgkfDeJdAyYv7qaF-u/s1024/AI%20pie%20in%20the%20sky.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2GZSbmWjiIPInPdUpoYq2LtE7TLSIVruaovBgu1YEDacKRelQsd8m0pQtoWyHZTDxcezFJdoo05cFm8uAT4jvfnh7q0PaD92796I6jYiDACergWYWfEPXU1wCkQ8i69TuNoyP8VcsmY4l-cDFf7tEymQXB88y4Bu2aiU_6KCGkSgkfDeJdAyYv7qaF-u/w640-h640/AI%20pie%20in%20the%20sky.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Evangelical Christians will burn the whole Earth to warm their pie in the sky.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-23406944528414182992024-02-14T15:23:00.000-08:002024-02-15T03:31:11.416-08:00Level and Level-Headed<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN10CU8I4d7IVsSuPHJznCC1VeBEzfeWNie-S65gNbP9uBtRztam9N2ZuvmUcUipkna9QR1KXwYZOV_qn6p0lpCkjyGF81nI8X-MevvgXbtNsmxJEMwKw8YlLHtQM2Y1Lu9gFESnFTmzd1vZZoK6eUueIOxMT9rFprMkD26kk2lfbe2RO4OhvdO_8lzQ53/s1024/_7253af69-59fe-49f0-b466-5aeed0d6d06a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN10CU8I4d7IVsSuPHJznCC1VeBEzfeWNie-S65gNbP9uBtRztam9N2ZuvmUcUipkna9QR1KXwYZOV_qn6p0lpCkjyGF81nI8X-MevvgXbtNsmxJEMwKw8YlLHtQM2Y1Lu9gFESnFTmzd1vZZoK6eUueIOxMT9rFprMkD26kk2lfbe2RO4OhvdO_8lzQ53/w640-h640/_7253af69-59fe-49f0-b466-5aeed0d6d06a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Kilimanjaro </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">can kill, but in Illinois,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">no mountains mock you.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-46165719480298342672024-02-14T09:22:00.000-08:002024-02-14T09:22:49.774-08:00The Bird: Do What You Were Created to Do<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QUY2_0LjJGVUEt4LDxVpn1K_TkFehklkpDr1oSsoZBW_cHtPeiy8bZctz0vnFo8s-Y9R4o1vHYObpp4veUxnvR21ij03Sm68GXiRZISNrLr4DskFZ5wHCUYF9NnsL8PzqohYHvNl8WvjeOYZR5AoDM8zheq5cNnXPVd_tXI_DSCmwXivU_AJRconyyB0/s1024/416233893_649433547403572_5606817165212596937_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QUY2_0LjJGVUEt4LDxVpn1K_TkFehklkpDr1oSsoZBW_cHtPeiy8bZctz0vnFo8s-Y9R4o1vHYObpp4veUxnvR21ij03Sm68GXiRZISNrLr4DskFZ5wHCUYF9NnsL8PzqohYHvNl8WvjeOYZR5AoDM8zheq5cNnXPVd_tXI_DSCmwXivU_AJRconyyB0/w640-h640/416233893_649433547403572_5606817165212596937_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“I don't know what to tell you. A statement is easy, and here it is: Be yourself. Try to matter. Be a good friend. Love freely, even if you are likely — almost guaranteed — to be hurt, betrayed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Do what you were created to do. You’ll know what this is, because it is what you keep creeping up to, peering at, dreaming of. Do it. If you don’t, you'll be punching clocks and eating time doing precisely what you shouldn’t, and you’ll become mean and you’ll seek to punish any and all who appear the slightest bit happy, the slightest bit comfortable in their own skin, the slightest bit smart.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Cruelty is a drug, as well, and it’s all around us. Don’t imbibe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"Try to matter. Try to care. And never be afraid to admit that you just don’t know, you just don't fucking know how you’re going to make it. That's when the help — the human and the divine help —shows up.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>— Tennessee Williams, Interview with James Grissom, 1982</i></span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-78731873557322164102024-02-13T04:38:00.000-08:002024-02-14T09:23:12.264-08:00On Finding That You Remain Alive<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PtqgvlBPvw87QqEoBjM9llgqPfaApCwwi2cKk9yYFY_5NIACHQGHaCui9iPfIuABJ5fOkGQ4kotodg6aNpBsdPYt56tssDa7UaEzlbASDB-ijG8DU4MacpJ_yhTtIq3QsPgsXONhFLk2kevzK4ONsy5cOQH4HjQkeRqYQQjWj4xVyBVOeRUXuHIE1wWn/s1024/AI%20Gentleman%20Alive.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PtqgvlBPvw87QqEoBjM9llgqPfaApCwwi2cKk9yYFY_5NIACHQGHaCui9iPfIuABJ5fOkGQ4kotodg6aNpBsdPYt56tssDa7UaEzlbASDB-ijG8DU4MacpJ_yhTtIq3QsPgsXONhFLk2kevzK4ONsy5cOQH4HjQkeRqYQQjWj4xVyBVOeRUXuHIE1wWn/w640-h640/AI%20Gentleman%20Alive.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I find I’m alive, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">and I’m still striving to thrive, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">or at least survive.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4650928693565504625.post-60825214854164903702024-02-12T08:41:00.000-08:002024-02-12T08:41:59.054-08:00When No Wind Whispers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05R0KoUOUn6FMfA_2stMm9WIQ9fgeBgTGYaomsIXiywZEpJiuSSHrKwSPx4_c0gat-NDTnqvm97CaawBEczVYhpo8mi3pD93n7c6AdhWuYMY-MIvELU1vzFp9RU7vk2srMlKw5aPN2UOCOIh2vwGSKoh9UI5W1H4S6CHiasXeeuf6XsdwTs0wxRZ8wzCY/s1024/AI%20Cedars%20and%20Pines.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05R0KoUOUn6FMfA_2stMm9WIQ9fgeBgTGYaomsIXiywZEpJiuSSHrKwSPx4_c0gat-NDTnqvm97CaawBEczVYhpo8mi3pD93n7c6AdhWuYMY-MIvELU1vzFp9RU7vk2srMlKw5aPN2UOCOIh2vwGSKoh9UI5W1H4S6CHiasXeeuf6XsdwTs0wxRZ8wzCY/w640-h640/AI%20Cedars%20and%20Pines.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">One that makes me think of my friend Jim— </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“When Ryonen was about to pass from this world, she wrote another poem:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Sixty-six times have these eyes beheld the changing scene of autumn,</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>I have had enough about moonlight,</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Ask no more, </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Only listen to the voice of pines and cedars when no wind stirs.</i>”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">— R.H. Blyth,<i> Zen in English Literature</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ryōnen Gensō (1646-1711) was a Japanese monk and poet who taught poor children.</span></p>Dan Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16577238849397958248noreply@blogger.com0