Fortune Cookies in my Desk Drawer

The notion ocassionally crosses my mind that I have misenterpreted or abused Emerson's proposal to spend a lot of time with one's own thoughts, to look inward for spiritual growth and intellectual guidance rather than filling one's mind with others' writings of their experiences. To have "one's own revelations about life and connection with the truth, rather than trying to emulate the thoughts of past great thinkers." Each individual connection with nature is each individual's most valuable resource for growth.

It is possible that I am constantly harping on the same ideas and never improving my perception of the truth for lack of direction. Just playing word games, unaware that I have no special connection with truth but am stuck in a rut. All the time I spend unraveling my own meanderings and allowing my mind to float around to whatever natural thought occurs I could be spending collecting knowledge from sources that have already withstood the test of time and proven themselves worthy. When is it wise to turn to my own ever changing intuition in regards to questions concerning the truth? Intuition is based on conviction, yet convictions change with time and age; so how reliable of sources are they to enlighten us about the nature of reality?

For this reason, I keep a large stash of fortune cookies in my desk drawer.

Happiness is Important

as sung by same busker with the stained khaki t-shirt and Orioles ballcap:

Happiness is important
an extremely valuable commodity
it was expensive last fiscal year
now you can get it for free!
you can find it anywhere

Happiness is important
has everyone forgotten?
Even if your stocks are down
maybe they'll go up tomorrow
it ain't worth the trouble

Happiness is important
set an example for your family
pushing around so many papers
your getting old and grumpy
don't forget to pay your happy bills

Busking Song 1

as sung by a young fella on a street corner wearing an oversized khaki t-shirt with green paint stains, a sweat stained Baltimore Orioles ballcap, black dress pants and old Adidas Sambas:

standing here singing
I have no fancy tricks
just one little voice
no back up instruments

wait up just a second
and sing a tune with me
we'll make it up as we go
now follow my lead

everyone in a hurry
to arrive on time
all these overworked feds
with their speed-walking legs

now that was just that
a fun little tune
let's sing it again later
if that's what you like to do

Singing on Lunch Break

Today i sang on a street corner in DC for thirty minutes, and one good hearted little girl threw a nickel in the hat that I set out. I think people enjoyed it; a few slowed their walk down to listen to what I was singing which means they didn't find it unbearably painful and akward.

I made it all up as I went. I mostly sang melodies, not too many words. Suprisingly, I felt relaxed and enjoyed myself. My main goal was to feel comfortable singing by myself in front of a pedestrian audience and maybe to put out some colorful vibes for the routine-bound fed workers.

some good practice in, time outside, new ideas for songs: why not sing on a street corner?

reggio di calabria

I just posted a ton of rad photos of a trip I took to Italy three summers ago. It was time to edit those photos and organize them into something coherent.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?cropsuccess&id=7813440#/photo.php?pid=41406603&id=7813440&ref=mf

zeh ah ze photoz

Can you vibrate your eyeballs?

I've been able to shake my eyes since a kid. Most people like it, some people think it's disgusting. Here is an 8-step process to learn how to shake your eyeballs and a few additional pointers, thanks to wiki-how.

http://www.wikihow.com/Shake-or-Vibrate-Your-Eyeballs

Dear Longview Texas

Tex mex is best in Texas
with beans and meat to make you fart
cheese to coat your stomach
and oo mama i love those enchiladas

Longview, although you don't have much new in you, you are a place and deserve respect. I do not wish to spend too much time with you at the moment, but there are places nearby that interest me. I wish you would either destroy or remake a lot of your abandoned shopping centers. I wish that you would put more thought into design. You have many large things. I like your trees and some of the Spanish architecture.

Nope, those aren't egg rolls

Lumpia makes for the best parties.

Retirement

emotionless writing
meant for everyone to read
with a filter built in the pencil
and underneath every key
to prevent origionality
that's not what anyone wants to read
and to do what you love
gotta have money.
you gotta have money.
you gotta have money.

to do what you love,
you have to have money.
spend just a few hours a day doing what you hate
to get that money then
do what you love.

Be thankful that you can do what you hate
it is important to appreciate this
because whining spoiled children
never understand the plights of those less fortunate
who can't afford to do what they hate
muchless what they love.

and be thankful that you can love
love isn't for everybody

lay to rest the idealic phrases just for a while
just a little while
while reality and contemporary society can set in
to guide my investments into the propper places
to guaruntee that I will be able to do what I love
after I turn 65
and retire
hopefully I will be able to retire someday.

Case Study: Typing vs. Handwriting

Five literary scholars assigned four hundred volunteers to engage in different writing activities for the purpose of comparing the functionality, advantages and disadvantages of Typing and Handwriting. Each volunteer was monitored separately using a video camera. Their heart rate, pulse, and breathing patterns were recorded. The volunteers were asked to write a small sample of poetry, a short story, an outline of a novel, a business letter, and an essay in a random order using either a 15 inch laptop, blue ink on notebook paper, black inc on paper recycled from various leaves, or chisel and a peice of bark.

After the writing samples were completed, each volunteer was asked a few questions orally in regards to their opinions on Typing and Handwriting. These are the most common sentiments expressed about the two mediums:

Typing:

- quicker
- easy to write stream of consciousness
- tangents happen naturally
- many bad writers use this method
- it’s hip
- you need $ to buy a computer or typewriter
- finger dexterity is important
- good for long, boring papers
- good for spontaneous, noisy poems
- looking at a screen can be exhausting



Handwriting:

- Time to think and edit as one writes
- Old
- Traditional
- Slow
- Used by Shakespeare
- Hand cramps can be an issue
- Not using electricity
- Do it outside
- Different kinds of paper is fun
- Different kinds of inc/lead is also fun
- Not looking at a screen


Results:

Poetry should always be typed on a typewriter, business letters should always be initially drafted using bark, short stories come out best in blue inc, novel outlines cannot be drafted in pencil, and essays should never be written.

what is the government

I currently work in a public affairs office at the national branch of a government agency; thus I get phone calls from people all over the United States every day asking questions about government policy. But not only do I get questions about government policy, I get personal stories about peoples’ lives and suggestions about how to run the government because it isn’t doing its job. To this last group of callers I represent the government and all its failures.

Many people call my office because they are going through tough times and need the assistance of my agency, others call because they found the phone number in an old book somewhere and it said “Washington D.C.” for office location. People call saying, “yes is this Washington D.C.? Yea, you need to tell your secretary, and your president about...” etc. I’m thinking to myself, “okay sir, I’ll let Barack know when we share our afternoon granola bar.”

But the president and I don’t share a granola bar in the afternoons. And I’m not a place, or a government. I am a person working for the government.

Are they the same thing? What in the world is the government? I’m a fed – I have a badge, I take a vanpool from a nearby suburb into the city for work every day, I handle government forms, obey government regulation; and yet the government is still a big mystery to me. What in the world is everybody doing around here?

Pushing around billions of dollars everyday. That’s a lot of dollars. As I sit on a bench on the national lawn and watch all kinds of people walk by in their business attire, I wonder what they do in their offices, who they meet with in conference rooms and how much money they are in charge of.

what's your deal

So,
I have just deleted two other blogs that wrote in on a mostly daily basis because I write too much junk. There comes a time in every man's life when...

he realizes that he writes/eats/wants to collect too much junk. This happens to women too.

And,
I like to begin sentences with conjunctions.

So,
after this blog consolidation, I must revamp my approach toward Songs From the Office - shall it be just a summer blog, as I will not be working in an office this fall? Which begs a bigger question about the nature of blogging: should I write one blog about whatever I want without placing topical limitations, or should I create and manage a few, each with its separate personality and purpose?

And,
Should I write in a stylistically consistent manner or allow myself to use words like Paul Cezanne used paint?

So,
I'm going to stop 1. beginning sentences with conjunctions 2. writing/posting rough, rough drafts and 3. defining my personal philosophy on blogging because, who cares about that?

For this first non-song-form blog entry (although, you are welcome to put this entry into a song if you so desire) I will voice a message to this Blog entity:

What is your deal, blog. What do you actually do.

passion vs. stability

passion vs. stability.

In which areas of life are the two incompatible?

There is a sale every Thursday

if you ain't got much time
then you ain't got much time
go to the store and get some more
before everyone else buys it
the best times are on the third shelf
right after you walk in the door
the good ones are expensive
but there is a sale every thursday

these times aren't so bad
there is plenty good to choose from
the market provides a lot of choices
pay attention to the packaging
avoid phrases like 'satisfaction guaranteed'
check out different brands equally
spot the diamond in the rough
and invest in a good product

if you ain't got much time
then you ain't got much time
go to the store and get some more
before everyone else buys it
the best times are on the third shelf
right after you walk in the door
the good ones are expensive
but there is a sale every thursday

Buy the best and if you run out of money
then run up your debt, I think it's okay
you'll have until the end of the month
to buy some more time
categorize your purchases
arrange them neatly around your home
if you don't know what you have
how will you know what you need to buy?

if you ain't got much time
then you ain't got much time
go to the store and get some more
before everyone else buys it
the best times are on the third shelf
right after you walk in the door
the good ones are expensive
but there is a sale every thursday

buy good time
i'm tellin you, it's worth it
don't buy it in bulk
those are too heavy to carry
buy the little packages
just enough to last a week
does no good to pile up old stuff
it goes out of style quickly


don't forget
the good stuff is on the third shelf
right after you walk in the door

interview

Interviewed the big boss today
he has a bald spot on his head
his politician's charm was shining
like the bald spot on his head

Though he's old he seems young
but to career folks he's just a kid
political apointees jus' don' get it
cuz they ain't been around too long

working for the trees
and working for the farmers
these businessmen get their papers signed
and the government reaps its harvest

bam bam bam

interviewed the administrator for farm service agency today
talked with under secreatary of national resource conservation agency
bam bam bam
big time ag politician.
bam bam bam.
i can grow some trees.
bam bam bam
i'm forgetting my music roots
but bam bam bam
they need some wata

stick it to the man

put together a breifing book
print 400 pages
they print in sets of 4 and 6
and every third it skips

make sure and take it out of the printer
before the next page begins
or you'll be under a pile of papers
and there is no time for reprints

printing faxing file attachments
telephone calls and sticky notes
i'm drowning in office supplies and duties
under these florescent lights
the photocopier doesn't like me
the printer disobeys my commands
i accidently hang up on customers
all I want to do is stick it to the man

my pay check is my inspiration
money is the driver
kind of pathetic how i sell my time
to a bunch of office supplies

printing faxing file attachments
telephone calls and sticky notes
i'm drowning in office supplies and duties
under these florescent lights
the photocopier doesn't like me
the printer disobeys my commands
i accidently hang up on customers
all I want to do is stick it to the man

rad dew

i want to grow a rat tail
and a mullet also
i'll start with the latter
then trim it to the former
start with the class
then end with the fun fun

i want some fun hair
not lame hair or old hair
gimme some stylin cuts
and lots of grease gel

people say, "wow, what a hair!"
i say, "yeah, i'm hip, i know"
then the money comes in day after day
just because I flip it to the side

side flip rat tail
that's the dew for me
i'll get my cousin
to cut it for free

move plans

want to live in a city
with many colors
and sounds
and folks of different types
real creative ones
think outside the
uhh
box.

want to live in cheap place
not pay much
close to music.
not flashy music, but good music.
where to find good music.
have to get a job.
umm.
start with a job and if dissatisfied
end the job.

loft.
apartment.
windows.
okay with dirt and rodents.
make soundproof room.
transportation?
got a car.
got an old bike.

want to hear music every night
want to play music every night.
gotta make cd.
gotta live frugally.

think austin is it.
don't want another college.
but lots of good things.
hmm.
we see.
i find people who live there

rodent games

he wants enough feed
to get him through the morning
but the royal family says
he should get his food from elsewhere

those kernals are for the birds
nuts are for your type
it was declared last teusday
in the king's third decree

forced to scavange for food
as there are many of his type
born into the wrong class
grew up in the wrong schools

sometimes in the late evening
when no one is watching
he scales the metal pole
and grabs a bit of food

some kings could care less
realizing there is plenty for all
some have no patience
and shoot bullets as a warning

what kind of king am I?
oh, I am not a king
i am just a middle man
somewhere inbetween

I have no land of my own
i have no feed to share
i do other things
and besides, I don't really care

yoda

gargantuan sizes
and playful words
serious themes
in silly little worlds
little red berries
in the hands of a girl
her dress changes colors
as she does a little twirl

quadruple x large
how much space those messages need
they're so heavy and rough
smooth and deep
they are bluer than they used to be
when just a wee lad
their form has evolved
as they've grown into their skin

this is the plan for good
go line by line by line
no matter how much effort
no matter how much time
follow the correct formula
and the correct answerse you will find
ask our dear friend yoda
he will speak to you in kind

hear me roar

greetings day!
I know it's four in the afternoon
but it feels like seven in the morning
maybe it's because Ive sat at the same desk all day

either way i feel new
glad to be breathing
kicking and thinking
bout to go sing some tunes

love to sing tunes
songs, cantadas whatver
as long as they have a melody
I'll give it a shot
by shot I mean try
and try I mean attempt
success is irrelevant
hear me roar

time is also irrelevant
that's what the clock told me
it was an indirect statement
through a lot of saying nothing
just tick tick ticking
reminding me the day is new
it is new until tomorrow
then it's yesterday's news

love to sing tunes
songs, cantadas whatver
as long as they have a melody
I'll give it a shot
by shot I mean try
and try I mean attempt
success is irrelevant
hear me roar

that's my song

mi,
mimimimi
that's my opera song.

la,
lalalala
that's some soulfedge song

tra,
tratratratra
that's the number three in another language

farm,
farmfarmfarmfarm
that's my summer internship

none,
nonenonenonenone
that's how much time i put into writing this song

soon,
soonsoonsoonsoon
my music career will take off thanks to this amazing song

day

one day I will edit my writings.
but that day is not today.

one day I will grow up.
that day is tomorrow.

one day I will eat chili-flavored chocolate.
that day is today.

one day I will remember how to live in the present.
that day was yesterday.

beginning, middle, and end

beautiful beginning
to something that I don't understand
like a freshly cut fruit
or a sweet potato just pulled out of the ground
natural, nutricious
delectable.

from the outer edges of the corner plots
come the greatest fruits of our time
chalked full of vitamins
that could sustain a pack of ten thousand people
or a herd of wildabeast
or two parrots

a bit tired in the middle
not as unknown as the initial stages
a calmer understanding of what it means to be ripe
still has a place in an advancing society
the ground needs a bit of tilling
and it time it will yeild

plopping out of stems and
bushes popping out and
roots emerging from the dirt
and formation of different shapes, sizes, volumes
variation to suit the needs of any person

the end.
only two steps past the middle,
which was just two steps beyond the beginning.

garbldy gook

garbldy gook.
i like these words.
garbldy gook.
I liked them even better the second time.
let's go for three.
garbldy gook.
Hmm. I think the second time was more fun than the first and third.

But there's no harm in trying a third time!

plant hymns

sing the song of the saints
learn it from the plants
they are the recorders of history
with a sound method of documentation

holy green leaves
containing secrets of old
carved into their stems
legible through a microscope lens

each plant of every fifty
has songs notated on it
chants, hymns, and choruses
that are waiting to be sung

ancient chord progressions
are light and heavy at once
good for the head voice
then and still today

i am money

the day of independence

celebrate liberty

everyone go to work today

and have an office party

the best of days belong to me

if you want your paycheck

i'll give you what you want most

i am money

crispy

my forehead is burning

i spent too much time in the sun

the sun streamers

wrapped themselves around my top layer of skin

multiple times

and now my skin is pink

pink pink pink

as a tenderloin steak

pink pink pink

like bubalicious bubble gum.

my legs are aching

lower back a bit stiff

i was dragged behind a boat

slapped against the water

at a bent u angle

crazy, really.

i am content

with a crispy and aching body

as the hummingbird still flutters

so does my heart for life

the first of july

my first song in july.
hello first song.
are you related to the others?
or do you have a theme all your own.
will you set the sound for future songs?
or be discarded the next day.
there is no way to say
except tomorrow when I know

the song of the month
and the song of the day
which one is better?
which makes me feel the best way?
I like the best
to be the best and feel the best
best best best best song!
this is the best first of july song

it's the first of july
i have a computer in front of my face
my brain's a racin across my head
swishin back n forth
trying to think of a july song
and how it should be wrote
the song won't be ready
until the second of july

first of july
at twelve pm
I'm about to go grab grub
then back to the desk again
dominoes are lined up straight
yesterday I had some coworker cake
this song reminds me of july
because i wrote it then, or, now

it's the first of july
i have a computer in front of my face
my brain's a racin across my head
swishin back n forth
trying to think of a july song
and how it should be wrote
the song won't be ready
until the second of july