Laissez l'amour rouler!

In the midst of the media maelstrom about the first anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, I just wish to stop and to remember all those who died and those whose lives have been uprooted and profoundly impacted by this disaster.

Our government failed us, but the American people didn’t fail New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. There was a major outpouring of love, concern, prayer and money. We can not falter in this.

It’s our responsibility to educate, inform and tell the stories in order to keep us vigilant about never allowing this blatant disregard for human life to happen again.

http://www.redcross.org/

Wander+Lust=

A love of travel.

I saw this on Blankbaby, and I HAD to do this.

Got at b3co.com!

The day we lost Pluto

or (And your little dog, Goofy, too!)

It’s official, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), founded in 1919, has defined (I never had that much time in my life to define something -- most of my identify and define tests were given in the time frame of 40 minutes, slackers.) what a planet is:

A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has
sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it
assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit.

According to this definition, Pluto has been demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet.

A dwarf planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.

Pluto is a dwarf planet by the above definition and is recognized as the prototype of a new category of trans-Neptunian objects. All other objects orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".

This definition was hammered out during two meetings of the IAU, after which Jay Pasachoff of Williams College, was quoted as saying, "I think that today can go down as 'the day we lost Pluto' ".

Does that mean we're going to lose Goofy, too?

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/24/pluto.ap/index.html

My Idea of a Songline, part II

One of the things that I wanted to talk about my trip to Syracuse and my traveling on my songline is that I picked up a copy of the Syracuse New Times in order to figure out what social activities exist in Syracuse. It reminded me of the Philly Weekly. While perusing the New Times, I came across Rob Brezsny’s Horoscope column.

For the week of August 10, 2003, he wrote for Pisces:

"Anger or bitterness toward those who have hurt you will block your path to higher ground," said inspirational author Vernon Howard. "You can have anger toward people or you can have freedom from people, but you can't have both." I suggest you make that one of your guiding thoughts in the coming week, Pisces. An undreamed-of burst of liberation is now possible for you if you compel yourself to experiment with radical generosity on the wild frontiers of forgiveness.

The wild frontiers of forgiveness, what? I’m Irish, we grudge. Don’t suggest that I change, damnit. I’m not in a mood to forgive, but I was overwhelmed by emotion this past weekend. It was my deep seeded wanderlust creeping out during the drive. It was my soundtrack that I pulled together from Sting’s Fields of Gold, to Sheryl Crow’s C’mon, C’mon, from Rob Thomas’s Something to Be to Madonna’s Bedtime Stories. It was in enveloped in the religious ritual of the weekend. It was part and parcel of a family function.

During the past year, folks randomly have said "Dude, you’ve got to let it go" and I was offended. I felt that they assumed that I was holding on to my anger as if it were security blanket or a swimmie to keep me afloat. For me anger is a part of the fabric of my being and if you don’t know that about me, you don’t know me. However my emotions vary in tensile strength and some last briefly before they snap or others last longer and worn away with time and actions. Some of my angrier feelings have been weakening and they have frayed. I should at least meet Howard and Brezsny part of the way and slough off the anger emotions that have snaped and clean off the rough edges of the fabric and strength wherever there are holes.

This idea of my songline in the key of E flat minor, this is all about self-discovery which never ends.

I can remove my anger, I just don't have to forgive.

...In priestly black like a murder of crows

I have nothing yet original for this blog, so I quote to express my feelings. My roadtrip to Syracuse to attend Christopher’s, my cousin, vow ceremony (he’s a Jesuit now) was like going for a walkabout: a little religious faith, a little bit of travel and a lot of time to ponder. Having traveled on I-476 and I-81, I can add them into the weave of my songline as part of the line as I listened to following as my song:

If he loved you
Like I love you
I would walk away in shame
I'd move town
I'd change my name

When he watches you
When he counts to buy your soul
On your hand his golden rings
Like he owns a bird that sings

When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings

The priest has said my soul's salvation
Is in the balance of the angels
And underneath the wheels of passion
I keep the faith in my fashion
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings

I'm still in love with you
[I'm gonna find a place to live
Give you all I've got to give]
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings

If I could break down these walls
And shout my name at heaven's gate
I'd take these hands
And I'd destroy the dark machineries of fate
Cathedrals are broken
Heaven's no longer above
And hellfire's a promise away
I'd still be saying
I'm still in love

He won't love you
Like I love you
He won't care for you this way
He'll mistreat you if you stay

Come and live with me
We'll have children of our own
I would love you more than life
If you'll come and be my wife
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings
When we dance
Angels will run and hide their wings

I'm gonna love you more than life
If you will only be my wife
I'm gonna love you more than life
If you will only be my wife
I'm gonna love you night and day
I'm gonna try in every way

[I had a dream last night
I dreamt you were by my side
Walking with me baby
My heart was filled with pride
I had a dream last night]

***

Surely whoever speaks to me in the right voice
Him or her I shall follow

Who needs the sun, when the rain's so full of life
Who needs the sky
It's here in your arms I want to be buried
You are my sanctuary

Who needs the sun, when the rain's so full of life
Who needs the sky, when the ground's open wide
It's here in your arms I want to be buried
You are my sanctuary

Who needs a smile, when a tear's so full of love
Who needs a home, with the stars up above
It's here in your heart I want to be carried
You are my sanctuary

Who needs the light, with the darkness in your eyes
Who needs to sleep, with the stars in the sky
It's here in your soul I want to be married
You are my sanctuary

And the earth was void and empty
And darkness was upon the face of the earth

Is all of this pain so necessary
You are my sanctuary

Surely whoever speaks to me in the right voice
Him or her I shall follow
As the water follows the moon, silently

Who needs the sun [with fluid steps]
Who needs the sky [around the globe]
Who needs to sleep [I hear your voice]
You are [you are] my sanctuary
You are [you are, you are]
You are [you are] my sanctuary

***

My life is brilliant.

My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
Fucking high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.

Ah, You give me beaver!

Beaver jokes are tons more funny when women make them.

A., L., J. and E. are some of my female co-workers and their names have been initialized to protect the innocent and gulty. Here's a neatened transcript of our latest e-mail stream of consciousness. (I have edited some of the details, truncated some sentences, omited a few too absurd non sequiturs and re-ordered some of the text to improve the flow.)

A.: (to me) Have you been making out with your boyfriend wikipedia again?

L.: Wikibeaver

A.: Obvi.

Me: Le duh! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver

A.: E. totally loves European beavers.

J.: Seriously, Bob probly thinks I'm wicked retarded b/c I can't stop laughing. He loves Casey's wikipedia find.

E.: That's why I can't get a girlfriend!

L.: Dude, I'm glad my beaver doesn't weigh 55 lbs.

A.: Goddamn, me too.

Me: I'll take my love, heavy on the beaver.

J: Seriously I'm choking...

E.: I would like one about 5'7", 130 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes!

A.: I'll keep my eyes open!

J.: Okay I'm changing the subject. When are we going to Macy's?

Me: To find a nice beaver pelt?

J.: SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! Seriously, I need to come up for air. I can't stop laughing!

A.: Beaver's really hot right now.

E.: link to a tee-shirt

A.: BEST. SHIRT. EVER. Let’s get them – they can be our AR team t-shirts! E., maybe you should buy one!

(L.: Now this is some STUPID beaver... link to a video on youtube)

J.: Save a horse, ride a cowboy. Oh and it should be "save a tree, eat a beaver."

L.: Now THAT’S hot – move over KC, we’ve got a new motto.

J.: How can I get anything done with all this talk of beaver. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO MACY’S?

L.: Dude – lets go fer lunch one day this week.

J.: Friday?

L.: I’m down.

Me: But will Macy’s have THESE shirts on sale? Have fun on Friday, I’ll be going up to ever-exciting Syracuse.

link to to TELL-YOUR-BOOBS tee shirt

link to SNAKES-ON-A-PLANE tee shirt

J.: I’M TALKIN’ BOUT SNAKES… ON… A PLANE!

L.: I WANT THAT SHIRT!

Afterwards, L. comes running in to see us shouting: I’M TALKIN BOUT BEAVERS ON A PLANE!

Qui Sont Des Anges?

(Confessions Tour, interlude)

A little bit electronica, a little bit chant...



This was a great song in the concert!

Ah, Flavor Flav!

From a commercial for the Flavor of Love 2 on VH1:

A black chickie-poo and a white chickie-poo are talking about dating Flavor Flav.

White chickie-poo: I wanna have dark babies.
Black chickie-poo: There's something wrong with her. You just don't go around sayin' that.

Ah, Rum drinks!

One the 29th, I met my friends, Gerald and Chris, out at Copa Miami for lunch. This conversation remained funny to us a week later:

Chris: A mojito, what's that?
Casey: It's a delicious cocktail of rum, lime juice, mint and simple shyrup.
Gerald: Shyrup?
Casey: That's what I said. Shut it.
Gerald: Look at all the varieties and flavors the mojitos come in.
Casey: Maybe we should get some rum and play with the flavors.
Gerald: Perhaps we should just get one of each from the menu.

Lance only HAS one ball

While I'm sure that many are a buzz about Lance Bass, he's not the Lance I'm talking about.

I was out last night with a friend. During our night of drinking at the Black Sheep (and have the Monty Python's Holy Grail Ail while you're at it) the conversation turned to Floyd Landis and the Tour de France. Most people believe that he did dope, and the only outside chance for an explanation would be that he has testicular cancer. Yet, as of today, that seems more and more remote.

As we all now, our favorite 7-time winner of the Tour de France was diagnosed with testicular cancer (which had metastasized to his brain and lungs) and the current Mennonite winner-for-now is diagnosed with a bad hip. So, we were talking about their health. Hip replacement is not that horrible of a surgery; the recovery from that is faster and better than from a knee replacement.

However fueled by Holy Ail, I went off on Mr. Armstrong. Lance only has one ball! and he dumped Sheryl Crow because she had breast cancer. That fucker!

Then the conversation took a nose dive talking about guys with one ball. I didn’t have anything to contribute to conversation.