*sigh*

Tom the Dancing Bug is on the web HERE.

This'll lift your spirits:

[embed]https://youtu.be/UKwq6UW9bnU[/embed]

...smile

"From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax and be peaceful, we may wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we can walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on Earth."  ~Thich Nhat Hanh, in Being Peace

Human, being.

I am very glad, indeed, to have this opportunity to address the two Houses directly and to verify for myself the impression that the President of the United States is a person, not a mere department of the Government hailing Congress from some isolated island of jealous power, sending messages, not speaking naturally and with his own voice-- that he is a human being trying to cooperate with other human beings in a common service.

Those are the words President Woodrow Wilson used to open his first address to a joint session of congress.

I like them.

I think people sometimes forget that behind the grandstanding and theatrics of Washington life stand  real human beings, bearing the same strengths and frailties we all do.  Not gods, not demons; just a bunch of guys.

"You keep using that word…"

An excerpt from Alben W. Barkley‘s autobiography That Reminds Me–, ©1954:

He (Republican rival Colonel Hendrick) did, however, take after me on the grounds of being "socialistic" because I advocated federal aid for roads.

The Republican Party:  using "Socialist" as a pejorative since 1910!

Sign O' The Times

An excerpt from Alben W. Barkley's autobiography That Reminds Me--, ©1954, written when he was 77 years old:

From time to time one hears that modern kids are being raised "too soft," and that the modern generation is "going to hell."  In my own adult life, covering more than half a century, I have heard this so many times that I almost start to believe it myself every now and then.  But then I see how youth stands up under such cruel and arduous tests as two World Wars and the Korean conflict, and I am convinced that this talk of "soft" youth is a lot of bunk.  What I say goes for the girls as well as the boys, for many a time I have heard lamentations and wailings over the reckless course of the "flapper" and the "jazz baby" and whatever they call them today; yet American girls are making intelligent and devoted wives and mothers.

No, I have a great deal of faith int the so-called "modern generation"-- and I have seen quite a few of these "modern generations" go by.  Whatever the peculiarities of the the times are, they usually work out their own problems according to the needs of their generation.

...and I gave her a lanyard.

[embed]https://youtu.be/0EjB7rB3sWc[/embed]

The great thing about Billy Collins is that he’s accessible; you don’t have to have a dictionary and a degree in literature to understand him.

Via Ron Davison, who is on the web many places including HERE.

The Station

I pointed out the nearest exit to Mona while we were at the concert last night, and the lady next to her laughed at me and said I should get up on stage and give a safety lecture.

Screw her.

I have never forgotten the tragedy of the nightclub fire at The Station, where one hundred people died and over two hundred were injured.  Most people instinctively tried to leave the way they came in, creating a huge bottleneck at the back, while there were exits at the sides that went unused.

Almost everyone could have gotten out safely if they had known where to go.

 

Kevin Farley

We got to see Kevin Farley's standup last night, and he was wonderful!

He was funny, he was personable, and he has the knack of making a bunch of strangers in the audience feel like family.  We had a great time.  If he's in your area, it's a show you won't want to miss!

Word o' the Day

I'll save you a search.  From Dictionary.com:

Definition of fard
transitive verb
1 :  to paint (the face) with cosmetics

Frazz is on the web HERE.

(Edit:  I just realized that replacing the D with a T in “splentid” was part of the joke. :D )

Maybe…

Cat and Girl is on the web HERE.

Weeps

[embed]https://youtu.be/oDs2Bkq6UU4[/embed]

George Harrison, Jeff Lynn, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Ray Cooper, Elton John…

The sad part is how many faces you saw reunite to perform this song at the Concert for George.

All sense of proportion

[embed]https://youtu.be/QAK0KXEpF8U[/embed]

Via Ron Davison, who maintains a blog HERE.

I have a knee-jerk reaction against the term "political correctness." In my life, I've never heard anyone denied their right to say unkind things-- but I've heard a lot of people say unkind things followed by "I guess I'm not 'politically correct,' hur-hur, hur-hur," apparently believing that the suffix converts them from bigots and bullies into Fearless Defenders of Free Speech.

I gave this a chance because I trusted Ron's judgement, and I'm glad I did because it's brilliant.

(He also pointed out that I've been mispronouncing "Cleese" for my entire life.  It's not pronounced the way you think it is.)

As if I didn't know that…

https://youtu.be/HvliMzAFWHM

She comes back to tell me she’s gone…
As if I didn’t know that!
As if I didn’t know my own bed!
As if I’d never noticed
The way she brushed her hair from her forehead…

Full lyrics HERE.

There have been so many fatal addictions that began with chronic pain: innumerable athletes, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, now (presumably) Prince.

I saw myself trending that direction once. Two ibuprofen worked wonders on my back pain, but but after a while it didn't work anymore so I took four. Four worked wonders for a while, but after a while it didn't work anymore so I took six…

I was fortunate enough to recognize the trend, and found alternative treatments that worked. I still need pain medication about once a week, but yoga and stretching keep the pain manageable (yet always present) the rest of the time.

I was lucky that a non-pharmaceutical solution worked for me, but what if it hadn't? Not to be overly dramatic, but when six pills stopped working and I was considering more, I was having thoughts that perhaps a life of constant pain wasn't worth living.

I could very well have been the one on the slab today, surrounded by people saying "tsk-tsk, such a waste…"