Only obituaries come to mind

Hoping to rekindle my muse I’m buried in deep wilderness. My only companions: loons, chippies, and coons. Occasionally a deer peeks in, or a humminbird hits own image in the window. Ideal conditions for writing, on the surface that is, because… weather is such that only obituaries come to mind. Wind, rain and darkness. Cold. With the fireplace on, dog at my feet, I read. I devour novels. Passionate reading by the fire. Then, hot as a brick, I find that only a quick dive in the lake cools my head. Ouch! Trembling I rush back inside, to the red hot pulsating heart. All’s good again, except… writing. My Muse’s name: Dolour. Dolorosa, I call her in hope she’ll show a kinder face.

Fat luck! Bad weather kills my creativity. There are writers who work in any and all conditions. They produce regardless of outside stimuli. No this one. I do not make notes, do not collect material, and do not plan ahead. How can I? My characters are alive, at least in my head. They live day-to-day lives, as do I. How can I guess what will happen tomorrow? I do not. Certain characteristics, clues left by my heroes’ actions lead me to the next scene. In the past few weeks my characters are under the weather, as I am. They coast, barely able to keep their eyes open, sleepy, lazy, tired of all I put them through and not inspired to go on. They lie on the couch and read books. Good pastime, but… not a good subject for a book…

Floating Columbia

I found this Columbia moth floating on the lake, pulled her out and let her dry in the sun…

Pleasant shivers of the unknown

I admit I often judge a book by its cover. It’s not the graphics that draw my attention, though. It’s the text, lack of it or its contents. Unless a book is recommended to me by a trusted friend, I almost universally decline to pick it up if it features blurb, this enthusiastic endorsement from peers and VIPs.

Why?

Simply put: blurb does not deliver. Far too often those one-sentence praises are not representative of the contents. Sometimes I get the feeling that some folks make it their living to provide blurb, or there exists a central repository, sort of a stock of ready made blurb that anyone can download and affix to their product book. I got an inkling into this practice following the publication of my first novel, which led to some brusque requests from soon-to-be-published authors to “submit blurb” in exchange for a free copy of a book, or even for a reciprocal praise. Meaningless few words.

I wonder whether blurb works for readers? Am I in the minority, perhaps a lone freak? Perhaps. A quick visit to my local bookstore confirms that readers appreciate this form of praise, their eyes gobble up the back flap before they even open a book. But, whereas some appear to be interested in a book following a quick scan of VIPS’ comments, others seem to be entirely satisfied with just the blurb, and I get the feeling from the way they put books down that for them  blurb or a short synopsis is the book. “I think I might’ve read it… or something similar…” Says a guy across the table, drops the book he just fondled, picks up another and scans the blurb again, frowns and puts it down too. Makes me wonder… can blurb be responsible for unsold books?

I recall a time, in another World, when books had no information on the covers, none, not even a description of what they are about, or who the author is. Yet books were flying off the shelves. Readers seemed to know what they were after. I have a huge stack of such books, and I must say that I am strangely drawn toward them. When it’s time to pick a new book my first steps are to that section of my private library that shelters the unknown. Sometimes I can spend hours just leafing through the pages, savoring them passage after passage. There is certain pleasure about the unknown book that makes me shiver…

Graceful take off

Graceful take off

Partners in crime no more?

I said it many times already: it pisses me off when my deranged “leaders” use me as a milking cow to fund their thirst for blood, to kill people in their wars. The SS used to this: forcing new members to commit atrocious acts was a way to bond with the force, to become partners in crime… Using taxpayer money to murder peasants in distant lands is the equivalent to SS initiation. I say: Enough!

Well, apparently I’m not alone. Bill Siksay, Canadian Member of Parliament, NDP, introduced a private members bill that will allow Canadians to register as conscientious objectors and divert their tax money away from funding the military…

One But: But, what about “private contractors” who too are paid by my deranged “leaders”, with my money, to kill on my behalf?

Listen (or download) the MP3 interview here.

Visit: Conscience Canada

Guardian Angel(s)

Some people have a guardian angel …

… but a dog has two!

Nothing left

Spent a few weeks overseas, much of it in Poland. Disappointment. Poland of the time of EU is as anyplace else. Warsaw, Krakow or Gdansk feel like Paris, London or Berlin. Same billboards, same supermarkets, same products in supermarkets, same tasting food, same schlock in movie theaters, and same books in bookstores, only in translation…

People? Rushing, as everywhere else, perhaps even more what with the wild-East economy. I remember time when almost every passerby would find a moment to give direction and chat awhile. Today Marszalkowska Street, or Nowy Swiat are like Fifth Avenue or Champs-Élysées, where they’d sooner push you off the sidewalk than stop to exchange a few words. When you catch someone they talk to you in an incomprehensible language, something of a Polglish, or anglicized polish – very “in” these days, from the Foreign Affairs Minister to a street bully (not that there is much of a difference between them).

What did I expect? Not really sure, but something else. Nothing that hits you over the head. Something more subtle… a smell, or a taste perhaps; nothing overt, but requiring sixth sense…

Why did I expect anything to begin with? I recall a day from a couple of decades ago, when fate made me change continents for an extended period. What struck me then was not the different political system, not the difference in technological advancement, or different culture… No! What hit me then was the food. On the first glance it was the same food from back home, but the taste! Food tasted different. It tasted like food. Twenty years ago one could eat real food in Poland, grown on real manure, not on the carcinogenic fertilizers we all gobble up these days. Whether in a restaurant, or supermarket bought, or home made, everything tastes the same today, this due to strict EU regulations.

In mass-culture and in mass-production everything feels, looks and tastes the same, and everything is plentiful. But, in fact, there is nothing.

Best medicine for a Bad Day

Bad day at work? Here’s a pill that always perks me up:

Transcript (partial):

- Buddy is, of course, the name of your donkey.

- Buddy is my ass. That’s correct.

- Can you describe your ass for us, please?

- My ass is about 300-pounds and it’s three-and-a-half feet tall and my ass is kinda furry…and very well groomed. And he’s housebroken.

…

- Now, what was the point in bringing him in?

- The best evidence of my ass’ behaviour is looking at my ass face-to-face. I mean, if they’re gonna talk about my ass, don’t you think maybe they ought to be able to see it as opposed to seeing pictures of my ass?

- So did the jury get a pretty good look at it?

- All six jurors got a face-to-face picture of my ass right in the courtroom…I gave them the opportunity to pat my ass or talk to my ass, and then after they observed, my ass went back home.

Rough winter

Someone didn’t make it through the winter.

Electronic income tax filing drawback

Filed our income tax using software version with the electronic netfile, convenient and easy to use. Been using it for a number of years and am considering going back to paper. What bothers me about the electronic filing is that it offers no opportunity to leave instructions for my government on how my taxes are to be used. With the hard copy, a paper version, one could always scribble clear instructions, whereas the electronic forms offer no space for comments…

“My taxes are not to be used for: wars, invasions, occupations, killing people, torture, corruption, and bailing out failed industries.”

or

“My taxes to be equally divided between: public school funding, universal healthcare, global disarmament, environment protection, Third World debt reduction…”

Whether paper or electronic, income tax forms should allow taxpayers to voice their concerns. I would like these forms amended to include instructions on how money is to be spent. The following also must be included:

“By accepting this taxpayer’s money the government agrees to the above conditions. Failure to comply releases the taxpayer from any financial obligations and all monies paid shall be promptly returned to taxpayer.”