the great soul

Today I was looking at a website of World Prayers. My thoughts were provoked. I came across these words from the Mahatma. He was indeed a "great soul"...

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice, and
Politics without principle.

the seven deadly sins - mahatma gandhi

A friend of mine admitted to the fact that she and a friend of hers had a pet name for the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in England (was it Leicester?). ieeeee, it made me laugh. Lets just say it reminded them of a character of LoTR. They felt very bad when they realised just whom was represented!

http://www.worldprayers.org/frameit.cgi?/archive/prayers/invocations/may_the_road_rise_up.html

heiiiii ye gaeiiin? yeeei good

Tonight I learned of the peaceful swastika, the Japanese fireman who tries to blow out fire with one eye closed, the influences of midget artist Toulouse-Latrec and the traditional Newcastle greeting, "Heiii ye gaeiiin?" (How ya goin?) to which the traditional reply is, "Yeeei good." (yeah good). Apparently it is ok to dwell on the yeeeeei for as long as you like before emitting a clipped 'good'. Thanks to Nick L for insights, Jas and Noah for being a two headed slug (silvery flaccid), and Jen for general beauty and gorgeous fun. Oh! and good beer - I love my friends.

whateves

today I have a bad case of the 'Whateves'

The Whateves are the enemy of passion. They are little tiny soldiers with sound strategy, stalking, surrounding and attempting to subdue the rigid monoliths of devotion and dedication.

Surmounting the obstacles of Anything-you-might-happen-to-care-about, the Whateves march on in their thousands stomping and swarming in unison with their tiny footed stamps and cry's until they have thronged your urge to stand up to them and poured up then down their numbers, forth descending the black crevasse of your rent throat, choking all desire to speak, to reach out, to care...

The Whateves are the enemy of truth. In their lilliputian glory they think to Submerge truth's authenticity and Bind it's power. They create a thin film, Obscuring its clarity, Obfuscating your perception.

While you are covered, conquered by the Whateves...
You... cannot... be... true...

Today they are too many. I am 'overpowered'. The Whateves have me in their teeny little clutches.

It's quite irritating.

On days like today, when there are enough of them - piled on in bunches, gripping tight to my heels, grappling with one another, those who can't reach as far as my sock clasping tightly to the Whateves around and beneath them until they drag behind and under in great piles of writhing, high-pitched teeniness -

...they actually create something of a lag. An itsy-bitsy slowing down effect so that my steps are slightly shorter and take a little bit more effort. If it goes on for many more days, I may even need a short lie-down of an afternoon.

Then those victorious Whateves will shriek with tinny laughter as they redouble their grip and call up reinforcements....

Who will save me?

SNZ are not the only thing that make me happy

Ah, many things make me happy. This weekend I experienced at least one...

...I was treated to hearing two young blokes playing their brass/woodwind instruments. Jonno and Andrew. Both are learners. Neither are yet fluent - but ah I enjoyed seeing and hearing them in all their amateur glory. Both looked extraordinarily cool. I do love a good brass/woodwind instrument (If only Emsie still had her trombone those Collins kids could have been their own brass section for a blues brothers style covers band. V cool). Singing 'Be thou my vision' and learning about chord inversions was pretty happy-making too.

Another thing that made me happy was watching William Carey CS' Beauty and the Beast last night. Some really lovely singing (esp Maurice and Gaston ;)). Be My Guest looked fantastic! Way too much ad-libbing - I would have killed my kids if they had deviated from the script like that! It was also fun sitting next to Chris and Emma - awww legends.

Long strong discussions about life, the world, money, growing up make me happy. And people talking about what really matters to them (so long as what really matters is worth a damn). And yummy rolls for lunch. Finding out that one of my first ever students who HATED school is training to become a teacher (hehehehehehehehehehehehe - he'll be REALLY good).

Old times that become new times make me happy! I love friends that shape and bless you and make you LAUGH! And drawing pictures on the train while listening to murder mysteries. Having friends who love to pick you up from the train station after deciding not to walk home through murder park in Islington at night. Pad Thai. And messing about with watercolours. And sleep....

so now I'm listening to Squirrell Nut Zippers. Begin the day with brass... end the day with...

Can you tell me something 'bout last night

Hmmm - a good kind of couple of nights.

Friday:
The grandeur of God flamed out like shining from shook foil...

Extreme jazz with the Civic Big Band live at the View Factory. Three trombones, five saxophones, four trumpets, rhythm section and keys... crazy arrangements, the solid bright caramel of tenor saxophone competing with the shimmering blonde liquid of the altos...we marinated in sweat, we danced until our ears and feet bled.
We hooted.
We howled.
We did not go gentle into that goodnight - no, our old age did burn and rave at the close of day. We raged, raged against the dying of light.

Saturday:
Ah! morning the brown brink eastward sprung...

Youth and poetry as we dived into the smithy where words are wrought into iron and came up grasping a few gem encrusted brands, hilarious, enthralling...linguastic (that's not a typo and thank you very much to Caleb for making up the word).

One funny little skewer for your enjoyment (thank you Elisa)...

Tenderheartedness
by Harry Graham

Billy, in one of his nice new sashes,

Fell in the fire and was burned to ashes;

Now, although the room grows chilly,

I haven't the heart to poke poor Billy.

I l o v e i t

Vide cor meum

Today I bought the soundtrack to Hannibal. Rather a disturbing film, I don't recommend it. But as part of a mini opera that Hannibal goes to see, the film contains one of the most beautiful arias I have heard. I think it is the reason I watched the film four or five times when I first hired it out - though I didn't understand it at the time. I thought there was something strange and compelling in the film itself. No, it was this music.

This piece of music moves me indescribably.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zty3SL-8Azg

resent-...(ah) ment-...(ah)

Ahh - savouring the speaking of that word.

It is an ugly one.

resentiment

And when its sentiments rise and swell,
like an uneven ocean or a clanging bell,
I place a careful smile on my face...
(Is it fooling anyone in this place?)