• Black and White,  journal,  musings,  writing/reading

    Another Journal

    Another  Journal

    Started another journal on October 5th. This is my 22nd book since my first journal entry back on October 7, 1990. The first entry consisted of five sentences at a time of struggle. There was a lot going on inside mading it difficult to express myself in any coherent way.  I wrote about a struggling marriage, family issues, job changes, entering into another unnecessary war and the downward spiral of our society. That was 24 years ago. The marriage ended 9 months later. There are still family issues, I’m now retired, we’re still senselessly killing and our society still has a broken thinker.

    I’ve noticed my writing style has changed. I’m not writing to necessarily find answers but to pursue other questions. My journals are a mix of diaries, writings to a Higher Power (God) and co-authored with him. My audience is for family and friends as well as myself. The journals have been therapy for me. Some things I write and then read back over can enlighten me to a deeper knowledge of myself and allow for an acceptance of the world around me. I find it brings clarity, focus, slows down my troubled thinker and helps organize it. It has become an important part of my life. Now, if I could put words in some sort of coherency instead of feeling like I’m babbling.

  • musings,  rants

    A Ramble on Technology

    My Glasses
    My Glasses

    Technology has added much to our lives but along with it has come side effects. First, we’re so accustomed to these technologies that life would seem unbearable without them: electricity, gas, clean water, supermarkets, medicines, etc. And, arguably, some side effects may cause more harm than benefit. We have come to feel our luxuries are really necessities such as television, microwaves, phones, automobiles, etc. Can’t live without them. But can we?

    I was taking in all the beauty while walking the path along Spring Creek when I realized I could not enjoy this beauty without the my glasses. For me my glasses are both a luxury and necessity. I had to laugh and knew I wanted to write about it. But first, I wanted to know who invented or discovered eyeglasses? Using one of my other technological tools I did a google search.

    Wikipedia states: The earliest written record of magnification dates back to the 1st century AD, when Seneca the Younger, a tutor of Emperor Nero of Rome, wrote: “Letters, however small and indistinct, are seen enlarged and more clearly through a globe or glass filled with water”. Thus began the invention of using optics so “I” could see on my walk. Without optical technology I would not be looking at the world through my glasses or camera or writing this post. And, that would not be a good thing. 🙂

    And, it’s snowing this morning.

  • musings,  writing/reading

    Living Life

    Journal and Pen

    “You just have to live and life will give you pictures.” 

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

     I do not always know what will be found between the lines of the pages on my journal. But for over 20 years I’ve taken my pen in hand and opened myself to those blank pages. Words then come, as a gift. And, I think life will also give us words as well as pictures.

  • musings,  writing/reading

    Reading Books

    An Open Book
    An Open Book

    “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”  ― Ray Bradbury

    When I was younger I seldom read books. Homework? I glanced through them for the book reports. College text books, yuck! Novels? Very few interested me. After high school I spent 4 years in the military, began a family and pursued some form of a career and reading was not part of that.

    Fast forward into my 40’s and a shift of interests lead me in search for nonfiction books on philosophy, spirituality and religion studies. I ‘m still searching. No longer were the answers that important as I became enticed with asking  more questions, a full time student without taking finals. I feel the searching for more questions lead me to discover more about myself and the world around me. I began to collect a nice little  library. Many of these books, and their authors, became my friends. I no longer allowed Hollywood to create a scene but I let the book and it’s author lead me to create my own scenes, inviting me to explore with my own imagination. When I reread some books I found them even better the second time. Since purchasing an e-reader I read even much more.

    In looking at the above image what does it say to you?

    Do you read more or less as you’ve aged? Has your subject matter changed over the years and if so why?

  • musings

    It’s Still Cold

    20140205-054415.jpg

    This image is straight out of my iphone. I thought about running it through Photoshop to change the minus sign to a plus sign and put a 7 in place of the 1. I’d leave the igloo image, because it’s kool. We are expecting to warm up to a whopping 5 degrees today. Have I been transported to Michigan? Damn it’s cold!