Hello Cthulhu

Aaww, isn't he cute? I've spent the last couple of days doing various unemployed type things, in addition to interviewing for new jobs- tomorrow morning is interview number 6, so wish me luck! I'm not too worried, there seem to be no shortage of positions out there, so I'm sure something will come up. One thing that helps is to know what you want to do- it's just a question then of finding the ways and means to do it. It helps put things in perspective and gives you something to work towards. Apart from the endless stream of applications, resumes and cover letters passing from me out into the world, it's been pretty slow going. I've been keeping up the garden and the house and generally trying to keep busy. In this (undoubtedly temporary) period of unemployment and the large amount of accompanying freedom, it's easy to get into the habit of doing nothing all day. But apart from that, the weather is nice, and there's a great many hiking trails not far from the house. When I'm not pounding out resumes, that is.

Conversations With a Lack of Sleep

This Is The Impossibility of the
Existence of Anything-
Mushroom cloud I saw in
garish black and white-
“That’s all, Folks!”
Does the world end with
old men in the bunker
Do they laugh at us, or is it
just a dream-inspired
lack of sleep?
Christmas lights winking in
the night, are we
home again?
Driving all night past the
desert, mountains always on the horizon
Give me bikinis and islands any day
over Godzilla landslides and yellow dust, the
Green electric fire from Hollywood burning
men, women, children
Burns, scars, bandages
cut me to the core, if I
could catch that bomb
hide it away
I’d lose my own legs if I
thought it would help

To Avoid Fainting Repeat...

In regards to the great feedback I received- Ryan, best of luck in the old job search- I know it's rough, but hang tight! I've found that the path you're supposed to take will eventually become clear. My advice is do what you are made for- first find that out, then go for it. I am giving serious thought to going for my CDL (Commercial Driver's License) and putting in for a job driving a truck. Ever since I was a boy, this type of thing has held an interest for me, and after all, the money's good, and that's my main concern. If the wife and little one are happy and taken care of, that's good enough for me. Anonymous, so sorry to hear about the tinnitus- I recently stumbled across this story, and it put a new face 0n things for me- funny how inspiration comes from the oddest of places- "Once in a while you get shown the light/In the strangest of places, if you look at it right"- Robert Hunter-
Time before time, when the world was young, two brothers shared a field and a mill. Each night they divided evenly the grain they had ground together during the day. Now as it happened, one of the brothers lived alone; the other had a wife and a large family. One day, the single brother thought to himself: "It isn't really fair that we divide the grain evenly. I have only myself to care for, but my brother has his children to feed." So each night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother's granary to see that he was never without.
But the married brother said to himself one day, "It isn't really fair that we divide the grain evenly, because I have children in my old age, but my brother has no one. What will he do when he is old?" So every night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother's granary. As a result, both of them always found their supply of grain mysteriously replenished each morning.
Then one night the brothers met each other halfway between their two houses, suddenly realized what had been happening, and embraced each other in love. The story is that God witnessed their meeting and proclaimed, "This is a holy place- a place of love- and here it is that my temple shall be built. " And so it was. The holy place, where God is made known, is the place where human beings discover each other in love. "
Hope this helps...


Near Bodh Gaya, on Pilgrimage

Starting out early, a day’s walk to reach the temple-
strange how here a bald head and robe does not
seem the least bit strange, we
wait for the bus rattling and swaying on the narrow street,
old woman stops before us, smiles with missing teeth,
Old enough to be my grandmother, yet
bows a gray head, requesting blessings from us monks,
Old woman, the blessing is from you to us

(Bodh Gaya is the village where Buddha was said to have spent a night in contemplation, and at the end of that night realized enlightenment. There is a temple built on the site now, and a descendant of the original tree that it is thought the Buddha himself sat under is kept there. It is considered a holy site, and many Buddhists make a pilgrimage there. I'm told the temple is quite a sight to see- as I imagine all India and Nepal must be. It is my wish someday to travel there, time and resources permitting.)

At Sea

It's been a while since my last post, mainly because I got laid off a little over a week ago. Which really bites, in my learned opinion. And so the new daily grind is lining up interviews and sending out resumes. I think I'm up to about 50 so far, and have interviews lined up for next week. So there's no shortage of prospects, which is good. In that regard, perhaps it is for the best. I was kind of looking for a new job anyway. No shortage of motivation now... Judging from things so far, I'm sure it'll all come together. Wish me luck!

The Architect

When I look up
from pages, the
work of hands and
see the sun, stars
Moving to the music of the
spheres, a
blazing path of
air and water, held up to
the fire, like us
Held back by
unseen hands, at bay
waiting to consume us
meld us into the
soul of the world
make us
phrases in the
great thought, silence
becomes more real.