commonality

commentary
common territory
the common's terrier

what do all of these have in common?
first glance it's difficult to see
but after three reads most all can see the commonality
try it.
one,
two,
three.

no title

Optimism is not to be underrated

are you Bohemian?

Find out:

"Any good mixer of convivial habits considers he has a right to be called a Bohemian. But that is not a valid claim. There are two elements, at least, that are essential to Bohemianism. The first is devotion or addiction to one or more of the Seven Arts; the other is poverty. Other factors suggest themselves: for instance, I like to think of my Bohemians as young, as radical in their outlook on art and life; as unconventional, and, though this is debatable, as dwellers in a city large enough to have the somewhat cruel atmosphere of all great cities."
-George Sterling

Prone to Ramble

Writing longhand forces one to expand his/her vocabulary to be able to write more condense ideas in fewer words. Writing too much is tiring. In this way it deters rambling. I am prone to ramble.

The Draft

I found the 'best places to work' in the government. Data was collected and used to rank agencies based on pay and benefits, family friends culture, work life/balanace, training and development, support for diversity and effective leadership just to name a few.

http://data.bestplacestowork.org/bptw/overall/sub

Environment and Natural Resource Division is number one on the list. The last on the list (of 216 agencies) is the Office of Postsecondary Education. Congratulations nature preservers! I'm sorry, teachers.

Tax division comes in at #9

Office of Water at #113

Bureau of Prisons and the Secret Service tie at #164.

Office of Timothy Hall at #22 and

the Office of Thrift Supervision (treasury) at #39

now go to USA jobs (dot com) and work for the government!

maybe, if you want to.

*this message was paid for by tax payers

Listing

Lists increase productivity, stress, lead and inc usage, knowledge of one's ideas of meaning and hopefully the ability to carry through with goals.

Lists decrease the average number of years that trees live, stress, and the number of times one can use the excuse "I forgot."

To list or no? For beginners, a good place to start is to make an all-inclusive list of everything one wants to do, ever. Run across a continent, live with some nomadic indigenous folks for a while etc. Don't start with narrow goals because narrow lists produce narrow results.

narrow.
narrow.

or, as kids say, 'narrow-uhh,' with the additional vowel sound at the end of the word to increase dramatic effect.

Then if you feel content with a life list - break it down chronologically.
Years list, then month list, then week list - and for the ambitious a daily list. Maybe even an hours list or a minutes list. I could spend all day making lists! I love lists! Lists for everything!

A few list qualities:

1. have numbers.
2. ebb and flow like paper boats floating down a creek.
3. (if written on paper) can catch on fire, just like other kinds of paper.
4. can be your friend, or they can be your enemy. Diplomatic power is important when dealing with lists.
5. You can write them on mirrors with deoderant.
6. You can write them on yellow legal pads with wet tree bark.
7. Or Microsoft Word.
8. Lists annihiliate boredom.

The endless abyss of list possibilities is worth exploration.

A kid, a pig, and some cow feed

<- There I am in my office.

That is the photo that I used during my presidential campaign->

I took this photo at the Agricultural Research Center right outside of D.C. I do not understand why the liquid that the pig is basking in is neon green. It looks like a large puddle kiwi-apple flavored energy drink.

<- Cowfeed covered by plastic that is weighted down by rubber circles.

Cheers to logic!

cheers to logic and all it's successes!
cheers to tradition and how far it's brought us!
cheers to well-laid foundations!
cheers to our forefathers and their forefathers before that!

To progress, they looked back
but while you are climbing, don't look down
because you might see a twinkie on the ground and want to pick it up and eat it.

But leave that twinkie there, it's not good for you.

Instead, eat grapes. Grapes are good, especially when ripe and juicy. Slowly your cravings will change and then everything you read will seem new and exciting. When your diet is full of vitamins and nutrients, the future is more likely to feel new and exciting. No reason for it not to be. No reason to choose twinkies over grapes.

So, like the greats before me, I'll build a disciplined diet based on principles firmly rooted in the historical tradition that I ascribe to and sidestep those twinkies!

The King's Decree Ordering Men to Wear Breifs

Dearest citizens of my lands,

There are a few rumors that I must cofirm as it is my responsibility to be a transparent and explanitory leader. I must set an example of all that is right, and so I meditate on my image day and night, to ensure that I eminate upright vibes, especially in terms of the arts. In my castle: I only allow G-rated movies, all of the paintings are of Biblical figures, all songs sung are Gregorian chants, so why do I enjoy prancing around with no pants? I will tell you why, citizens of my lands. Consider my thinking:

This is the new age! We must leave the old ways behind and embrace the new truths. To be more specific they are new versions of old truths, like putting those gel soles in old battered shoes. Pants are unnecessary, we must understand! It is all part of the evolutionary plan!

A conservative king strutting about in his breifs? I don't want to be scandelous - I want my knees to feel free! I went from a robe to a suit, then from pants to capris, but now I have realized that I only need breifs. Kings of other nations are doing the same, though we still wear socks because we don't condone streaking.

Speaking of streaking I would never dare streak, that's as profane as growing hairs on your exposed face cheeks. Beards are old-fashioned, evil and dirty. Mustaches are worse; one of the seven deadly style sins.

Citizens of my land, a new decree has been made for the men. Obey these rules, they are the Mighty Fashion Trends:

1. Breifs and Socks are the only articles of clothing permitted for men to wear in public.
2. No beards.
3. No mustaches.

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