"Information is cheap, but meaning is expensive."

"We now live in a world where information is potentially unlimited. Information is cheap, but meaning is expensive. Where is the meaning? Only human beings can tell you where it is. We’re extracting meaning from our minds and our own lives." George Dyson


You may or may not want to read the entire piece here: The European

As usual in an article like this, the comments are priceless. . .the comments section of almost any online newspaper article, magazine article, etc. never fails to bring out wisdom, hilarity, and cruelty, all within six inches of each other. . .

The above all courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf Books

Dreamers on the Rise

“Listen to me.  You’ve got plenty of time.  Love and romance are akin to gegenschein on the distant horizon.”  I stopped while Amber took out her little notebook and carefully wrote gegenschein in her book, tallying up a point for me.  “It’s faint light.  You can’t touch it.  It’s love undefined.  Diffuse light in the evening sky that’s there one minute and vanishes with the stars. It’s dust particles shimmering out like fireworks on the fourth.”   I left her with that and went back out to the counter.

. . .from the forthcoming novel. . .Dreamers on the Rise. ..

Some times. . .

it's all about showing up and being patient. . .

Many, many pictures to process. . .a very good night with out "new" next door neighbor, Amy. . .I am awash with good looking women on both sides of me. . .it's a tough life, folks. . .there was some wine. . .and we finished with some port. . .life is good. . .

The Band is Still playing Waltzing Matilda, the beauty of Neal Pollack, and how Charlie Chaplin nailed what life is about in a poem instead of a 450-page self-help book with charts and graphs and implements of destruction. . .

I wanted to start off by talking about why we still need Peter, Paul and Mary.  But, alas, Mary is forever gone from us.

But, unfortunately, the need lives on.  Because this still goes on today:

. . .this song was written in 1971 by Eric Bogle.  There are many, many versions of the song. . .and although the song was written about Gallipoli, like all "good" anti-war songs, it is transferable.  .  .unfortunately. . .because. . .

.  .  .the war drags on. . .

Wars drag on. . .

. . .all this madness needs to end. . .

so that this little guy. . .

. . .I found so innocently running through the woods yesterday with abandon. . .

and most certainly this little guy. . .

.  .  .my youngest grandson, The Fabulous Baby J. . .

. . .never have to experience the horrors of war. . .

. . .but, that's really not what I came to talk about today. . .although, probably the most important. . .

I wanted to talk about the beauty, the charm, the wit of Neal Pollack and why we need writers like Neal. . .

My love affair with Neal dates back to 2000 with the publication of The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature.  Neal, at the time, was one of the hot young writers. . .and one of the things I loved about him and the book is that he made fun of himself constantly. . .I liked the fact that on the cover of the book he had:

FUTURE WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD


There are so many priceless moments in that book. . .in the chapter INTERLUDE: THE PARIS REVIEW INTERVIEW JUNE 27, 1976:

INTERVIEWER

What is the best advice about writing anyone ever gave you and who gave it?

POLLACK

When I was a boy of 12, Papa Hemingway sat me on his meaty haunch and said, "Fella, you are going to overtake me faster than a jeep on an elephant hunt."  When I saw him 10 years later, he was sleeping off a drunk and I didn't want to bother him, but I wanted to say thank you, because he had been perfectly correct.".  .

I bring up Pollack because, today, he is self-publishing.  After many books with mainstream publishers.  He's self-publishing.  And so what?!  He is still brilliant.  

Neal says this:

"If you'd download a copy, I'd be extremely grateful. If you'd tweet and Facebook about it, I'd be even more grateful. This isn't a book that's going to move via traditional channels. Its success won't and can't be easily quantified. But if the Internet does what it does best--spread the word about things that are awesome--then Jewball stands a chance in the glutted digital marketplace.

So enjoy the book, and, if you feel like it, help a brother out. Thanks so much. See you on the court, and hopefully not in court."

So, Neal, I'm attempting, in my small way, to help a brother out. . .

I also bring him up because all of us writers, whether we are published, not published, get Dan-Brown-like-advance-money, go with a small independent press, or self-publish. . .have to write. . .it's in the blood and there is no choice in the matter.  .  .and we can care or not care. . .but, most likely, 99% still dream of having the little circle on the front of the book that says something. . .even if it's future winner of the National Book Award. . .

. . .which is why when I post little bits of my novel Dreamers on the Rise. . .I put . . .from the forthcoming novel. . .when I can remember to do it. . .because, even though it's not published yet. . .you gotta have. . . .

. . .but, that's not really what I came to talk about. . .

I wanted to get to this:

As I Begin to Love Myself

At the age of seventy. . .Charlie Chaplin had a few things to say about his discoveries in life.  .  .if you don't take something away from this poem. . .please check your pulse. . .

I was going to close by picking out just one stanza from the poem. . .I was unable to do so. . .because it was all precious wisdom. . .

Go. . .do. . .be. . .

. . .and if you get a chance. . .maybe sit. . .and love yourself. . .

What are you doing TODAY. . .

As I went through Erie Street Cemetery yesterday in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. . .I couldn't help but note on the fact that one.  .   . It's a shame that the city--or whomever is responsible for the upkeep of this hallowed ground has let this place just go to crap. . .two. . .that all of these people resting quietly here once had people that cared about them--cared about them enough to erect some type of stone memorial--big or small because they mattered to somebody. . .and three. . .as in the case of Daisy Conley, who graced this planet for inside of one year, 126 years ago, you don't even end up a footnote. . .most of us don't.

We may end up as somebody's memory for a while.  .  .

But, eventually. . .the flame flickers out. . .

Folks, it will only be for a short time. . .which doesn't mean you can't be somebody's inspiration. . .

It's good to have dreams. . .while you carry out your dreams . . .your goals . . .your aspirations.  .  .you may be somebody's inspiration.  .  .that's all we're given. . .really.  .  .sure, we have to cut the grass, get the house ready for winter, look forward to or dread that tomorrow is a Monday and it, as if life somehow starts on Mondays, all starts over again. . .

So as you go about your business today. . .what are you doing?

Are you even conscious?  Are you looking back at the past with regret?  The what-might-have-been?  Are you doing, being, living NOW?  If you are around younger people, you are being watched. . .I'm not saying you have to be a mentor--but, we are all mentors in some way. . .and when you get to be a certain age (and, I must admit, I probably AM no longer on the wall here. . .you tip over that wall eventually, but it doesn't mean you wallow in Jello and listen to Rush. . .and I don't mean the music group). . .people may just pay attention to what you are saying.  .   .

Our twelve-year-old grandson lives with us. . .we are being observed. . .this is how you carve out a life. . .this is how you treat people. . .this is what it means to be responsible. . .this is what it means to be active. . .LIFE IS NOT A VIDEO GAME. . .


We have two sets of great neighbors on either side of us. . .one couple is around forty-five. . .the other couple is in their late thirties.  .  .we are the old folks. . .but, we serve a purpose. . .our house is in the middle. . .it is the gathering place. . .and while we share wine and food.  .  .we talk. . .we are observed. . .and in some small way, maybe we make a difference. . .we all speak from our hearts. . .and then everybody goes home. . .


But, one day, it all comes down to this:

But, you have today. . .you have this hour. . .you have this minute. . .you can make a difference in somebody's life. . .if you're extremely talented and lucky. . .you may end up a footnote. . .most likely, not.  .  .99.9% of us are not Mozart.  .  .we are not Melville.  .  .we are just Mary, Joe, Alice, John, Jane. . .in the end, we all end up less than footnotes. . .but, you can never know the difference you can make in one person's life. . .


In the year 2137, somebody will look down on you. . .

. . .and maybe somebody will take a photo (or mind-meld the image immediately into their digital storage unit in their brain). . .and probably KNOW everything about you. . .so, just maybe. . .we are thinking too small.  . . . .maybe there are no footnotes. . .maybe what we do today will be known in some metaphysical sense 126 years from now. . .please.  .   .do something that makes a difference. . today. . .don't have that person look down on you and shake their head and say.  .  .on Sunday, October 23, 2011. . .this person actually spent an hour of their time watching Desperate Housewives. . .


And so it goes. . .


For better or worse. . .

Somebody is watching you. . .somebody is paying attention

Pushed Out of the Nest

Whether you believe in a God, a higher power, spirit, or a bag of rocks. . .I found great truth in these words below. . .I personally am going through a ton of things right now that I find challenging--and, I'm not sure if I have been pushed into something new or pushed out of the situation I was in at work.  No matter what, there will be change.  And when we cease to grapple with changes--with sanity. . .we might as well not exist.


Today, although it's still dark out, I'm about to head out with my camera. . .probably to go visit, as my friend Paul would say. . .Graveyards. . .where I find I can capture, in the fall, the essence of the season best. . .colors. . .and that natural cycle of the season of life. . .in contrast. . .


Today--Erie Street Cemetery--opened in 1826. . .among all the usual markers and statues I like to photograph, I'll be looking for a few specifics--the markers for Joc-O-Sot--he was an Native American who fought in the Blackhawk War and is rumored to haunt both the cemetery and Progressive Field across the street where the Cleveland Indians play ball.  I'll also be scouting for Chief Thunderwater--reportedly the model for Chief Wahoo.  .  .


uh, rambled a bit too much up there. . .if you have time, read below . . .photos, some music, and maybe a book review to follow sometime today. . .possibly.


Pushed Out of the Nest

Thomas Keating

God's training of people is compared to an eagle training an eaglet to fly. In ancient times it was believed that eaglets learned to fly by being pushed out of the nest, which was usually perched on the edge of a cliff.

This is a marvelous image of what we feel is happening to us. God seems to push us into something that we feel totally incapable of doing. Or, God pushes us out of whatever nest we are in. We wonder if God still loves us.

Like the eaglet desperately flapping its wings, we seem to be heading straight for the abyss. But like the mother eagle, God swoops down and catches us just before we hit the rocks. This happens again and again until the eaglet learns to fly.

After we have been treated in this fashion a number of times, we too may realize that it is not as dangerous as we first believed. We begin to be content with these hair-raising escapes. We learn to trust God beyond our psychological experiences. And we become more courageous in facing and letting go of the dark corners of ourselves.


A shoutout to The Church of the Savior in Washington D.C.--maybe the coolest church in the country for sharing the above Keating lines this morning in their daily sharing Inward/Outword.

To learn more about The Church of the Savior--and how they evolved over the years--because it was never a "church" in the conventional sense--this gets you to some interesting information. . .about how they always perceived a "church" to be:

Church of the Savior

What I always like best about them--and I was fortunate enough to go on a retreat at Wellspring, one of their missions, many, many years ago is the general "mission statement" summed up in the above article:

"A commitment to serious, inward contemplation as well as ambitious social justice work. No spectators. Action over institution."


Time for me to roll. . .have a great day everybody. . .

Matraca Berg--You and Tequila--Coming to the Kent Stage

Matraca Berg will be at the Kent Stage on Saturday, November 19, 2011.  Also appearing will be local favorite Alex Bevan.  I haven't seen Alex since he opened for The Kingston Trio about thirty years ago at The Tangier.  Looking forward to this show!

If you live near the area, please go to the show and help support two great artists!