Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Happy Whatever to You
Good morning Mickey and everyone in the universe.
I like all three ‘sez’. I find many levels of meaning in them. I don’t know what any of them are? One is acquiring...the act of attempting to acquire. Even acquiring enlightenment, whatever the hell that is, and is possible at many levels, is an act taking us from the present moment, ambition, addictive tendencies may get out of control narrowing our focus wrongly.
Giving up on acquiring enlightenment is not giving up on possibilities of evolving to higher consciousness if practice is of good intention and done correctly...whatever the hell that is?
Is Bruce Lee saying the search for knowing is endless, there is no arrival to anything, but deep awareness, what we think are the mysteries of life, that are only mysteries to a coercive, militant society, is ongoing?
This morning email read, “there still might be hope for the democrats”, which gave me the feeling of no hope for any movement beyond our killing for profits culture. WHO can anyone really have expectations of? Anything else is like hoping the candy store is not sold out of chocolate bunnies!
Posted by joe maine on from 10/03 at 07:00 AM‘Morning MZ and Joe, and Expendables yet to appear.
The quotes are spot on about personal motivation, but I have to pass regarding the state of life, the universe, and everything. It sucks seeing devolution happen before your eyes, and I can’t find any way around that. I’m re/learning that it’s a fine line between acceptance and capitulation, and can only concede that time is usually spent on life’s injured reserve list - no way around that, either.
If there is any strength left to do so, misery should be kicked in the hindquarters. But is rejecting misery different from embracing happiness? That’s hard to tell. But the stories are usually more interesting.
This topic makes me think of Fight Club, when Tyler Durden is behind the wheel, ready to smash the car into oncoming traffic: “Guys, what would you wish you’d done before you died?” “Paint a self-portrait!” “Build a house!” Chuck Palahniuk’s essay collection “Stranger Than Fiction” is good stuff.
Posted by Zen Prole on from Urth 10/03 at 07:31 AMHello Expendables from overcast Astoria. We’re off to a great start today...thanks to Joe and Zen.
Zen: You’ve inspired me to add a Fight Club quote to the original post.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/03 at 07:54 AMJOE - MICKEY - ZEN ** ACTS OF KINDNESS FOR THE MESSED UP .. So last nite , I purchase tix for my son’s concert—$17 a pop—and branch out my social horizons—by giving the tix to 5 acquaintances - FOUR OF WHOM - who toil at an owner-operated diner. The group was to consist of—2 single moms—a single woman who cares for her own mom - pregnant sister and her little 3 yr old daughter… My buddy M --( a single dad ) and I .. along w/ the owner/op—who works 7 days per week and employs the ladies and serves as a quasi-father/uncle to the 3 ladies AT HIS DINER.. We started out w/ dinner in a very nice restaurant—paid for by M .. We motored to the concert venue and things immediately went to hell—while I parked 1 of the two cars we were using. The single woman—who looks like Christine Applegate—gave our non-reserved seats away to 5 -50 something ladies who also came as a group—so they could sit together. Our motley crew—was left to fend for ourselves to fill in vacant single seats wherever we could find them ... “excuse me—is that seat taken”—kind of a deal --? .. ONE OF the single ladies in our party—31 yrs of age went ballistic at the offer of her co-worker—and refused to take initiative .. and instead went to the wine bar to order her own bottle of Merlot—to add to her already half-in-the-bag status! The rest of us were seated just as the house lites dimmed and the overture began ..... That’s the last I saw of my compatriots in the 225 seat acoustically tuned sound-atorium ... until M came up to me on the Veranda/outdoor smoker/drink space—to fill me in on what else had transpired from our separation point at 7:36pm—to the present moment of 11:36pm… The Merlot gal—pulled a Britt Spears routine—by consuming the Merlot—passing out in the women’s restroom—only to be removed by M midway through the first musical set—or face a nite in detox ... Single woman—ended up in a bar a block away—only to confront the owner-operator with her notice of .."I quit.."” to which his intoxicated self replied --- “Fine—F-off"”—The 3rd single mom—was an MIA—to be replaced by a single University-hottie—friend of single woman… M and hottie had to physically separate Merlot and single woman from engaging in a battle-royale-catfight—which ended by a few more choice uses of the old stand-by-- “F-off !!” .... owner-op taking care of Merlot and buddy M—taking hottie and single woman back to their single sleeping quarters—locking em’ in ....... and returning to find me 4 hours later --- to tell of the riotess events that rocked his world --- for 4 hours ... We closed the Veranda—at 1am .. proceeded out to breakfast and finally called it a nite at 2:45 am ....... and TO THE POINT --- M SAYS—the difference between M and me and our compatriots—is the level of dysfunction ... we allow to rule our daily lives ... NORMALCY is open to interpretation by each living soul… M says—“I was born into normal—but used every opp to screw it up.”—he’s now 40—been bankrupt—bounced in KEY WEST—N’AWLIMS—BOSTON—NYC—PHOENIX—SEATTLE—DALLAS AND LA… HE’S AN OWNER-OPERATOR SEMI-TRUCK DRIVER NOW-/-AGAIN -/- flippin back and forth—east and west on I-94 --- and SOUTH AND NORTH ON I-35—IN A refridgerated reefer ... hauling the packaged apples—under contract—that u find at McDonalds—ARBY’S—BK—WENDY’S ETC ... SAYS HE .. “RICHIE—u and me keep ending up back in our family roots—cause’ someone is always praying for our salvation” ... In the case of the 3 ladies ... Merlot has faced the loss of her father at the age of 8—and 2 tragic deaths of her only brothers—both of whom she identified in the morque as next of kin—SINGLE woman lost her dad at the age of 3—HER MOM had children by 3 separate men ---MIA ... got hooked on METH—AT 17—GOT pregnant—sobered up at 22 and is now back in school—though she is on a heavy regimen of anti-depressants ... OWNER/OP—has been bankrupt—a single dad—estranged from family ... nearly died several times .. and at 58—now-- seems to have it mostly together ... if only if .. it weren’t for all the “single-fatherless/abandoned daughters in his life” ........that add to his DYSFUNCTION LEVEL........ oh well—one for the road—http://tinyurl.com/ywawqs == I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUZ—ELTON JOHN—FROM LAST NITE’S SHOW—MY KID COVERS ELTON IN FULL COSTUME ON HIS BABY GRAND ..... we’re sold out again—TONITE .... smile .... TONITE—I GO W/ MY BRIDE—AND 3 OTHER COUPLES ... MONDAY nite—I took my babygirl and her fiance’—i guess 2 out of 3 nites taint’ all bad ... I never claimed to be MOTHER THERESA OR FATHER DAMIAN ... smile ..
Posted by Richie on from N FT MYERS FL 10/03 at 10:07 AMThe experience of being fully present
in the here and now was opening up for me.
My mind wandered less and less to my past
or to my imagined future.
As I became fully aware of the present moment,
I was in the alternative reality.
More and more, a sense of harmony,
quiet and light surrounded each moment.
“Where am I?”
I often wondered during this period.
Babaji’s voice frequently responded from within:
“You are home.”What the hell is that...What are they talking about? Can anyone translate this so a common slave can understand? And who is Babaji?
Posted by joe maine on from 10/03 at 03:07 PMMZ, we Expendables are like the Grateful Dead. You can riff off my post anytime. But first you have to punch me. Anywhere. It’ll be a surprise. (I don’t think Brad Pitt will ever top that role.)
In the “Other Than That Mrs. Lincoln” Dept: Richie, I have your Purple Heart paperwork. Where do you want it sent?
Posted by Zen Prole on from Urth 10/03 at 03:36 PMGreat story, Richie...and I’ll second that Purple Heart.
Zen: Consider yourself punched in the solar plexus. Also, I think Pitt was excellent in 12 Monkeys, too.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/03 at 03:59 PMI just discovered this article. Anyone know anything about this man?
Dr. John W. Gofman, the medical physicist whose fight for what he considered scientific honesty in understanding the health effects of ionizing radiation made him a pariah to the nuclear power industry and the U.S. government, died of heart failure Aug. 15 at his home in San Francisco. He was 88.
Often called the father of the antinuclear movement, Gofman and his colleague at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Arthur R. Tamplin, developed data in 1969 showing that the risk from low doses of radiation was 20 times higher than stated by the government.
Their publication of the data, despite strong efforts to censor it, led them to lose virtually all of their research funding and, eventually, their positions at the government laboratory.
Most of their conclusions have subsequently been validated, but critics say the risks have been ignored by an electric power industry that sees nuclear energy as a pollution-free alternative to fossil fuels and by a medical industry that continues to use much larger amounts of radiation for medical tests than are required.
Posted by joe maine on from 10/03 at 05:52 PMWasn’t True Romance Brad Pitt’s crowning performance? But didn’t Joe say we should prosecute Brad Pitt? I lose track…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 10/03 at 06:13 PM#9...Well James, I’m certainly glad you brought this to our attention. Perhaps we need a consensus on whether Brad Pitt should be prosecuted or not. I have never seen his movies. Has he ever used his high profile to speak boldly about anything to help bring the U.S. out of the pits of eternal chaos?
I always thought the newest generation of actors are to remind us of the older generation of actors, elicit same response, buy movie tickets, buy what the associated commercials tell us to buy and I don’t know who is who since they all seem to look alike...boy, I tell ya...I just don’t know, I’m perplexed about this whole subject......I think we might need to prosecute all of them...?
Posted by joe maine on from 10/03 at 06:49 PMJoe, a few sites have posted articles related to John Gofman, and CounterPunch noted his passing in August. Reading his stuff made me start passing on needless x-rays.
Brad Pitt could be charged with ‘Meet Joe Black’ in the first degree, but there were few witnesses.
Posted by Zen Prole on from Urth 10/03 at 07:30 PMZen...11...yeah, the VA hospital wants to Xray everyone for any damn thing...gives them a feeling of accomplishment I guess since thinking is off limits.
I just escaped all realities for a moment and looked at a Joule Electra, tubed audio amplifier...boy are they nice!
Posted by joe maine on from 10/03 at 08:08 PMjust wanted to point out that christopher hitchens is an arsehole
Posted by michael on from scotland 10/04 at 08:53 AMGood afternoon everyone...it’s 80 degrees in Portland, Maine, sunny clear, beautiful colors of leaves and life on the plantation sucks just as it did 150 years ago...nothing has changed, plantation owner is an 11 year child in a 50 year old body...it is no wonder americans enable wars when a ceo can’t even acknowledge 50 people who make his dead ass rich and he contributes absolutely nothing. It’s an instant replay of everyplace I have worked in america where life doesn’t exist for those who must feed the parasites. R
Posted by joe maine on from 10/04 at 02:14 PMHere we go again, again:
http://www.countercurrents.org/symonds041007.htmPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/04 at 04:45 PMGood article on cancer for profits Mickey.
There is much written about Johanna Budwig’s cure for cancer and is not recognized by the state. Her original method is not vegetarian, but can easily be.
She states, feed the healthy cells and don’t feed the unhealthy cells as opposed to kill all cells. Alkaline, acid balance.
Posted by joe maine on from 10/04 at 06:21 PMThanks, Joe. I’ll post that article here tomorrow.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/04 at 06:46 PMI don’t want to completely slander Christopher Hitchens, because even today he does some good work - even offering up the extreme indulgence of forgiving him for supporting Bush’s crusades. But to imply the US Constitution is “sacred text” would be laughable coming from a Christian. Moreover, the word that was excised, after much debate, to make room for “happiness” was “property.” Moreover still, if Hitchens wants to talk about “sacred text,” he ought to talk about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which makes the US Constitution look like toilet tissue.
Like the Bruce Lee quote!
With all due respect Mickey, don’t like yours. In re: Tyler Durden, I know there’s an emoticon for a broad grin; what about a hearty chuckle?
Joe, excepting the likes of Kucinich - whom word has it is considering a presidential run as an independent - Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Cynthia McKinney - whom I unnerstand has renounced her Democratic Party membership - and their ilk, the Democrats are worthless. Two words: Nancy Pelosi [make it five:] and Harry Reid.
What would I have done before I died? Recapture the state of consciousness I achieved the first time I did two barrels of White Lighting.
Joe #5. I think Babaji is Baba Ram Dass; whose book “Grist for the Mill” opens with the pull quote of a definition of the common East Indian greeting of Namaste, which means I acknowledge that place in you where, when you and I are both in it, we are in the same place.
Wasn’t Brad Pitt also in “The Seven Deadly Sins”? That movie sucked. To be fair, I thought his movie “Legends of the Fall” was excellent; as was “A River Runs Through It.”
Joe #10, if you’re looking for perfection out of Brad Pitt, maybe you should look for it first in yourself. Whatever Pitt’s faults, likewise George Clooney’s, they do much important work. How about the example Pitt and Angelina set, and their humanitarianism? That ought to count for something, no?
Posted by Tracy McLellan on from Chicago 10/06 at 03:08 AM
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