The Fractal Universe

Posted by Pretty Alice

I like that anyone who as smoked weed
has thought of the concept
that there is a whole universe
on such a microscopic scale
that it is invisible to our eyes.

That makes me smile.

Possibly the birth of Dr. Seuss's,

"Horton Hears A who".

That makes me smile.

When one thinks of repeating cycles

in our own bodies,

of  nature on Earth,

our galaxy,

our universe,

is it so improbable

that from the infinitesimal to the infinite

that we lie somewhere in between?

That really makes me smile.

Whatever Happened To Natural Selection?

Posted by Scoundrel Ghost

Going through life not knowing what you are doing can be troublesome.

Of course,

sometimes you just get lucky.

Quantum Leap of Thought

By Scary Halloween

In my youth I use to subscribe to the idea

Dont Know, Dont Care.

Not to be confused with the concept that ignorance is bliss.

Meaning the idea that what you don't know won't hurt you or
what you are unaware of you will not miss.

So if you don't know how to do your taxes it won't hurt you as long as there are
accountants and you can afford their services, unless you don't need to do your
taxes or refuse to do so. Of course refusing to do so will hurt you
unless you like prison or life evading the law.

Fire on the other hand is hot and without that knowledge you will get burned
unless you never encounter fire.

Or, if you have never eaten at 5 star restaurant, visited a tropical island
you will not miss.

Don't Know, Don't Care is really about lazy indifference.

Know, Don't Care is more about indifference.

Don't Know, Care is about uninformed opinion.

What I do know is that

life consists of predictability of events, 

non predictability of events, 

predictability of random events

and 

non predictability of random events.

So with that, I now subscribe to

Choose To Know What I Can Know, Choose To Care or Care Not

Food For Thought

By Scoundrel Ghost

I'm trying to save the world one or two cheese burgers at a time.
However,  I must keep in mind, Rome didn't fall in a day.

Illusion Confusion Delusion Solution

BY Scary Halloween






It is late.
I stand in the suburbs amongst
the sleeping in their houses, the big yards,
elaborate swingsets and screened porches.


I am an alien here.


A song by Bob Dylan runs through my head,

There must be some kind of way out of here,”
Said the joker to the thief.

“There’s too much confusion,
I can’t get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine,
Plowmen dig my earth.
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth.”

“No reason to get excited,”
The thief he kindly spoke.
“There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we’ve been through that,
And this is not our fate.
So let us not talk falsely now,
The hour is getting late.”

I refuse to lie to myself, to you and others. 


For me it is not how to get out or how to get in.
I can't know what I know, even if I look the part,
I can't stomach it. I must remain.


There is no place for me but on my island. What have I
ever known except what I know now?


No mystery to the meaning of life. Love and be loved.
That is all anything is worth.


Everything else is an illusion. All of man and God's creation
is meaningless, empty and hollow without selfless love.


How much can one change if they even realize they need to?
Eventually you top out or bottom out. You go as far as
any individual can go. And then you are finished. You are done. All that remains
is memory in someone's head.

This thought came to me over dinner and conversation
with a man that I cannot even begin to compare.


Honest, kind, loving, tireless, strong.


Because of him and others I would have slipped away due to
mere indifference or out of pure boredom.
But their love for me has given me the gift of being able to love.

In The Swirling Cosmos

By Scary Halloween

Precision and Chaos

Yin and Yang

Healthy and Unhealthy

Hot and Cold

Evil and Good

Life and Death

Truth and Deceit

Is and Is Not

however you want to name it,

identify it,

exist as one thing

each is its fuel and exhaust.

My actions, my thoughts, my words,

even my posture and facial expressions

as mush as I don't want it

to be so, as much as I don't want

to be burdened by this,

possesses the power of both,

the power of dichotomy.

As we live we are dying

as I accept you I deny another/myself

as I deny you I accept another/myself.

It is the decisions we don't want

to make

that are the decisions

to make.

Yet, actions without decisions

although with potential for volatility

can be a solution. Volatility in of itself

can be a solution. But what remains?

And as I burn and exhaust

feed and eliminate my actions

this spiral of energy spreads out

swirling, combining and spiraling again

and against and within

all other living things.

There is no one path out

and no one path in.

Knowing this,

staying connected to this

listening, seeing, touching, hearing, smelling,

sensing this is

balance of human life.

Conscious of existence

choosing, deciding, accepting

is crucial everyday

every minute of that day.

Interaction and change is inevitable

but not always expected or understood

but that is where always the

struggle for balance performs.

Sharon. Thanks for the title change. 

The bomb the flood and the boy.

By Pretty Alice

It goes off in the chest no relief still

remaining. It is the feel of grip around

his heart. he stumbles

and trips from the start.

They will tell him the truth.

we have tried all of us. Here inside.

"you must return to the booth."

"you again must hide."

From the carnival barker

(with the quips from the words, the blades using

the power of the past to destroys lives)

so from outside he enters

with the barker's nod.

Protected. In the retro golden booth.

You know to face the velvet curtains because you

are odd.

So odd.

Why so odd? Why do

what you have done time and again?

He goes from his bed.

then his chair.

then to the place he fuels his head.

It is the mind the place from within.

He hears,

"Such a repetitive boy tinkering around with a dangerous toy."

Rushing, rolling, rising and exploding the voice speaks to him.

I will drown them all they will choke

and gasp to breathe no more.

so then I can open, so that I may be free

once more

outside the golden door.

I'm Glad Christ Wasn't Treated Fairly

By Scary Halloween

I was speaking to a dear friend today. Her daughter attended

the elementary school's annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Sadly each child was to hunt for only 14 eggs. Once they found 14 they were

instructed to stop so that each student would have 14 eggs.

This is so unfair. Now I don't usually subscribe to fair and unfair.

Life is for each person what it is. Some are

stronger, faster, smarter, and better looking than others.

It is the circumstance of genetics.

As humans we are responsible to develop or waste what we are given.

However, when our society starts attempting to make everything equal and fair,

then it is unfair to go against the natural order of birth and the individual.

It robs from our birth right the journey to discover our individual gifts,

our strengths and our weaknesses and place in this world.

Can you imagine what it was like for the students that have a better

visual acuity, are faster and more clever with the the context clues as

to the whereabouts of hidden eggs,

to wait around for the other kids to find their fourteen eggs?

How exciting it must of been for the more competitive children to

hurry up get their 14 eggs and then do nothing.

It must of been so great for the kids less skilled to be the last

still searching for the less obviously hidden eggs.

Why didn't the school just hand out the eggs?

It would not have been any more futile.

"Here kid, takes theses eggs and go home."

Kurt Vonnegut published his short story

"Harrison Bergeron", in 1961.

48 years later this tale of a society is coming true.

Soon we will live in Vonnegut's absurd world

where the strong are artificially weakened by sandbags to

exhibit equal strength to all,

the attractive are prosthetically altered to look plain like everyone,

and the intelligent hear a horrible noise every few minutes to disrupt

their thoughts so that they have the same IQ as everyone.

We wonder why is society slipping. How did entitlement

lead to this? Everyone gets the same? No suffering? No challenge?

No choice to work or quit to succeed or fail?

Giving people something for nothing

couldn't possibly take away their motivation and most importantly

their dignity.

If you think that socialism works you are a person

who lives in fear or anger, afraid and angry, going about life

wanting and jealous of those who have what you wouldn't earn.

Or

You "pity" those who don't have what you have

or you chose socialist beliefs due to guilt for having

more than others.

Regardless, I don't want any help.

Just love, encouragement and healthy guidance.

Let me find my way to natural ability,

earned self improvement. It is most human of us

to struggle and develop with independence

regardless of success or failure.

Banana Slip or Freudian Split?

By Scoundrel Ghost

What is in a word?

Nothing really other than its definition

if used correctly.

However the simple word can have a powerful impact,

a common everyday word can heal or destroy.

Its all in the context, the situation and how the word is spoken.

For example, the misplaced word.

Mom for Wife.

Dad for Husband.

or Bob for Bill/ Jane for Mary

(YIKES)

or even Bob for Mary and Jane for Bill.

(DOUBLE YIKES)

Take that now place in a less common

setting, not driving in the car having a friendly discussion,

or sitting with your therapist pouring out your heart;

but in the bed, in the throws of ecstasy,

the brink of climax, disaster strikes,

she says, "Oh Jim!".

And you are not Jim you are Spock.

(TRIPLE YIKES)

It can happen and it can be a simple slip

that leads to a split

regardless of the fact

that is just one simple spoken word

in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Prince by Giacomo Puccini

Posted by Scary Halloween
Nessun dorma, nessun dorma ... Tu pure, o Principessa, Nella tua fredda stanza, Guardi le stelle Che tremano d'amore E di speranza.	No one sleeps, no one sleeps... Even you, o Princess, In your cold room, Watch the stars, That tremble with love And with hope.
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me, Il nome mio nessun saprà, no, no, Sulla tua bocca lo dirò Quando la luce splenderà, Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio Che ti fa mia.	But my secret is hidden within me; My name no one shall know, no, no, On your mouth I will speak it* When the light shines, And my kiss will dissolve the silence That makes you mine.
Il nome suo nessun saprà E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir.	No one will know his name And we must, alas, die.
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò!	Vanish, o night! Set**, stars! At daybreak, I shall conquer!

WARNING BEWARE: Normal is a relative term.

By Scary Halloween

I spoke to a friend tonight.

She reminded me of a kind act

I had shown her years ago.

I had totally forgotten.

In my new awakening, my reintroduction

to people of my past

I am hearing several stories

similar to hers.

Conversely, tonight I heard

an honest assessment of a

" first impression"

that I displayed.

I had to laugh in total agreement.

I do not blame this person

for their judgement. They are not alone.

Twice in this week I have been told

what I know all too well about myself,

I like to stir the pot.

"if I don't, the beans will burn."

And I don't mince words, however

I agree that it is less shocking when words are

delivered from the heart with kindness,

love and understanding.

There is a musical artist that speaks of

understanding.

( I deliberately don't mention the artist

for he is subject to judgement and his words

you might not hear) This is a diversion form the theme of this Blog.

Honesty and challenged perception.

But the point I want to make

is important enough for me

to make this exception to my rule.

By the way not a big fan of rules.

Basically, he says I'm not you

and you are not me. That is a good thing.

But, when you or I get off

on getting on another person, well

that is judgement.

I don't believe in sin

but judgement is a human character flaw

that we all have. It stems from the basis of fear.

A form of prejudice.

Judgement is a way to rationalize our on behavior,

our on way of living/existence.

However, through our level of ability

to

understand ourselves, to know ourself

that

we can have compassion,

understanding and

rethink our gut reaction

and evaluate our feelings/opinnions about others.

Those who do not know themselves, or

have lived only one way of life

lack frame of reference for compassion

and understanding of those who are "different".

I'm not speaking of pitty because pity is judgement.

For the grace of god there go I.

In my path of spirituality,

I know who I am. I except the things

that make me whole. In this journey

I am working hard to erase judgement.

An impossible task? Maybe, but

I will certainly never obtain it if I

do not attempt it.

I have an advantage over others and

that is I have lived in varied social, economic

and political groups. I have blended in

very well despite my outer appearance.

I have found acceptance in those groups.

But only by mimicking them, not by being who I am.

So who was really more accepting in that circumstance?

My point is simply this. What I am

is not what I will always be.

I am not one thing. I am a dichotomy.

So to know me is your interpretation.

I am grateful for you and what you can

teach me about you and myself.

We all have greatness, and gifts to share.

And I give the benefit of doubt to all

because I am a person who challenges

myself to grow and change, to being open,

willing and honest.

Hey! I have had

some stumbles, and major falls

and my share of road blocks to self actualization.

But I haven't given in and whether I get there

or not, it is the journey, the point on the horizon

I focus on that brings new growth new understanding

a new Scary Halloween each day.

I HAVE NEVER

By Scary Halloween

I find myself repeating the words,

I Have Never.......

A friend asked me, "You have never what?"

I replied, "Yes, exactly".

I am having never and I hope to stay here.

See, I don't ever want to have had never.

I feel as if I am floating in a clear blue ocean

on a warm, breezy day waiting for her

to swim out to me.

Is this nirvana? Is this truth?

It feels like it.

My frame of reference

would suggest

yes

more than

no.

My self will had kept me from

my journey

which is simply my fate.

Self will is aggressive, selfish and

blinded by fear.

But all that I have been

in life up to this moment

has lead me here,

preparing me to be.

It is a lasting, sustaining euphoria

for me to remain

moving toward

an ever changing horizon of

each moment in time as it occurs.

There are no

coincidences.

It is a divine arrangement

that the universe performs

and I am grateful

having never. Moving

always to

what I never have had or

what i can

have,

be

or

do.

Like This Together by Adrienne Rich

Posted by Pretty Alice

Like This Together

1.

Wind rocks the car.

We sit parked by the river,

silence between our teeth.

Birds scatter across islands

of broken ice. Another time

I'd have said, "Canada geese,"

knowing you love them.

A year, ten years from now

I'll remember this—

this sitting like drugged birds

in a glass case—

not why, only that we

were here like this together.

2.

They're tearing down, tearing up

this city block, block by block

Rooms cut in half

hang like flayed carcasses,

their old roses in rags,

famous streets have forgotten

where they were going. Only

a fact could be so dreamlike.

They're tearing down the houses

we met and lived in,

soon our two bodies will be all

left standing from that era.

3.

We have, as they say,

certain things in common.

I mean: a view

from a bathroom window

over slate to stiff pigeons

huddled every morning; the way

water tastes from our tap,

which you marvel at, letting

it splash into the glass.

Because of you I notice

the taste of water,

a luxury I might

otherwise have missed.

4.

Our words misunderstand us.

Sometimes at night

you are my mother:

old detailed griefs

twitch at my dreams, and I

crawl against you, fighting

for shelter, making you

my cave. Sometimes

you're the wave of birth

that drowns me in my first

nightmare. I suck the air.

Miscarried knowledge twists us

like hot sheets askew.

5.

Dead winter doesn't die,

it wears away, a piece of carrion

picked clean at last,

rained away or burnt dry.

Our desiring does this,

make no mistake, I'm speaking

of fact: through mere indifference

we could prevent it.

Only our fierce attention

gets hyacinths out of those

hard cerebral lumps,

unwraps the wet buds down

the whole length of a stem.

6.

The severed hand still suffers

beyond the stump.

But new life, how do we bare it?

You or huge tree when lightning strikes.

Fresh new flames spurting

through our old sealed skins,

susceptibilities ours, and yet not ours

sucking blind power from our roots.

What is there to do but

hold on to the one thing we know,

grip Earth and let burn.

High School Crucible

By Scoundrel Ghost

Crucible

1. A severe test, as of patience or belief;

2. A place, time, or situation characterized

by the confluence of

powerful intellectual, social,

economic, or political forces.

I really don't like starting any form of writing with a definition.

It is lame, weak, the feeble attempt of a feeble mind

grasping to make concrete of the intangible.

However, in this case,

if every freakin parent in America

with a child less than 11 years of age

can lower

their standard of parenting,

by using High School Musical as a baby sitter,

why would I fucking hold

to any of my standards, I might have left?

There is really two problems here.

One, the use of the TV as a baby sitter.

(Get a real one, a real sexy one)

Television.

That mind numbing, glass teat,

spewing fear, propaganda, superficial false realities

of the once American dream turned into a series

of ironic tragic comical nightmares

that only could be conceived by

the likes of

David Lynch,

Tim Burton

and

Stanley Kubrick.

Of course this problem as been going on

since the time of corporate sponsors

lawyers and advertising.

Please understand I'm all for

a capitalistic economy.

If it wasn't for the free market,

we would be filling

prescriptions for leeches

at the barber shop/ apothecary

instead of the novel

ground breaking chemical compounds

that we see so nicely portrayed

and explained by actors meant to

look like us in our American fantasy.

I think you know where all this is going.

Nothing new here.

Second thing is this High School Musical Bullshit.

I heard some idiot say,

" High School MUSICAL IS THE NEW GREASE.

There are soooo many things wrong with that statement.

Simple. Grease was not marketed to children.

It was a PG 13 rated movie

with obvious sexual overtones.

At that time video technology

was not junk throw away cheap equipment

found in every home from the top 10%

over to the welfare recipient.

So when Grease

unlike HSMfucking 1, 2 and 3

was

produced, directed, marketed

and released,

it wasn't for the

sole ( or lack of soul)

intention to strategically

precisely aim

with the devious intentions

of

bilking stupid parents out of their money.

Who is more mindless,

the slop maker or the slop eater?

Here piggy piggies come gobble it up!

I don't blame but i fault the Disney Machine.

I helplessly seethe and rage

at the parent or parents

of our

smelly, sticky, nasty over indulged

most valuable resources.

Children.

I don't know where mine are.

But, I like to think, I hope

on some warm saturday morning

they are inside quietly mesmerized,

wrapped comatosely in a

snuggie of indifference

sucking on the boob of

Barney

and those

adorable

gay teletubbies.