Closure to the Missing Screw Saga

We took the glasses to
the glass store & met a
wonderful man who has 1
of the two eyeglass stores
in town.

Zazen

Searching for Clarity

I was ready to go to "sit" when
my glasses broke--a screw fell
out. Unable to see, and all alone,
I found the screw by feeling around
in my shoe (I didn't hear it hit the
floor (and I don't have cuffs)). I
tried to put the screw back using a
magnifying glass but I still could not
see well enough. Finally I remembered that
my wife had an old pair of glasses, so
I went to get those and was able to see
well enough to put the screw back in.

But I never wanted to have to tighten that
screw again, so I gave it one more half
turn, stripping the threads and causing
the screw to come out. I finally fixed
the glasses with a piece of nerdy looking
duct tape.

On my way to "sit," I stopped at the
local optician for a quick repair job.
They referred me to a shop that only
repairs glasses. The good news was that
it was next to one of my favorite Thai
restaurants. Tomorrow I'll get a new
screw, a bigger tapped hole...
and a great meal.

Maybe.

The Truth (Isn't)

My daughter told me
2 day that there are
no universal truths
and that each of us
has to find our own
stuff.

Who does
she think
she is?

The Light in Austin

I met a man 2night &
told him I was an a-
rtist in Austin, "How's
the light," he said. We
were then interruped,
giving me a moment
2 think, "the energy is
great," I replied.

Light in Austin

God, . . .

God, you tell
her why.

See the movie,
Be Good, Smile Pretty.
about a daughter's journey
to know her father
who died in Vietnam.

The Old Way

it was a novelty
2 write lots of letters
2 day & 2 put stamps
on them.

US

The old way

Dog Barking Horse

The dog next door has been
barking all evening. I wonder
why it doesn't realize that his
complaining will just make it
horse.

Dog turning horse

You
might not
believe this
but it just
stopped.

My Wife's Confused?

So we were ready 2 hit
the road when I discove-
red a flat tire. I told
my wife I'd drive 2 the gas
station to fill my air tank
with air so I could* drive
to the gas station. I cou-
ldn't understand her con-
fusion.

*fill the tire and

Air

No Art Today

I don't have time for
art today. Took apart a
stubborn table, went 2
nice party, made dinner, &
carried lots of boxes down
the stairs. Oh, and had 2
shave with a razor because
neither of my electric razor
s would work.

Double Negative

I don't resolve nuthing 'cept
to reduce the not too inor -
dinate use of the do -
uble negative.

No unhapi
nu
yur

School
4
every1

Flowering Tea

Now I see it wiggle.

Uneventful

We had an uneventful
trip back.

Ocean Land

Dorothy's Coming Bday

Dorothy will soon
be 88, then 89, then 90
We'll have a party 4
her
2.

Happy Birthday Del

Ninety Yrs.
Happy Birthday Del
90
We love you.

Is it "me?"

I asked why he says
that a photo of him is "me."
He then asked his parents,
"what is grandpa doing?

Jasper is Watching

Jasper is watching m-
e do a drawing.

Crash

I'm going to fly today
as is Santa. I hope we
don't crash, as it would
delay his proceedings.
_______________________
Merry Xmas
2 all & 2 all
a good
nite.

Bad Weather

So sometimes we say "bad weather" just meaning that it was not as good as yesterday. This is "bad weather" in the relative sense. We compare two things and make a judgment based on the contrast between the two. On the other hand, I tried to imagine "bad weather" in the absolute sense. It might be the raining of arrows, as happened to Buddha (in his mind) the night of his enlightenment. Luckily he put up a Buddha shield and the arrows turned to flowers. If he hadn't done that, he would have experience truly "bad weather."

Read more about the middle way.

Too Close

Sometimes they got a
little too close . . .

Go Figure

Go figure. I sold a box of
books for $19 to the 1/2
price bookstore. So I took
a second box of better
books (I was hooked) and
only got $4!!!

Books

Buddhism and Intimacy

You can't
be far
away

&
still have
intimacy.

Before a Buddhist talk this am we were asked to move closer to the front of the room. Then the priest said that intimacy is important to Buddhism. Here's an excellent article "The Intimacy of Engaging with Suffering" by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel (http://tinyurl.com/98f6xq) which explains the importance of intimacy.

Batteries aren't Forever

Some toys use batt-
eries. They run out of
steam
too.

Coffee Now!

Some toys drink coff-
ee. My daughter said the
words shouldn't tell e-
verything so you'll need 2
look @ the picture.

Give
me my
coffee now!

Wired

Totally Lost

Some haven't found their
keyhole. They have lots
to learn.

Clueless in Texas. The sun
(sic) as a
spiderweb.

Unfortunately, for these
folks, school may not
be the right answer.

Stretch

Wrong Key

Sometimes we use some-
one else's key because
we can't find our own. It
doesn't fit right & som-
etimes gets stuck.

Lost Key

Some toys would be
ok except they have
lost their keys. So
they just stand there
praying that someone
or something will turn
them on.

Thumb
Twiddling

Give me key

keyhole

Nada

How do you draw nothing?
I'm thinking of a toy that
doesn't exist because the
factory closed BECAUSE of
the dismal economy.

“Nada” and the Nature of the Universe

For Hemingway, man is born into a completely naturalistic and totally indifferent universe: a universe without supernatural sanction, and thus without purpose, order, meaning, or value. The “nada” (or “nothing”) then focuses on man’s confrontation with the absence of God, the indifference and seeming hostility of the universe, and thus with the absence of purpose, order, meaning, and value in the universe and in human life. (From Mel Miles: http://www.elcamino.edu/Faculty/sdonnell/hemingway.htm)

Nada certainly could make one throw up one's hands. It's fighting against an unbeatable foe. Hard to get in the ring when you know you're foredefeated. However, it's not what Nada is or what it can do to us that is important; rather, it is how we react to it that makes the difference. We cannot control the vagaries of chance and accident in a world full of nothing, but we can control how we react to it. Hemingway's Code is, simply put, an attempt to redefine how we handle unwinnable situations against unbeatable foes, in this case, Nada. Throwing up one's hands is defeatist. Standing up with dignity and saying I can, even when one can't, that's the Code! Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea said it best: "A man can be utterly destroyed, but not defeated." By man, I'm sure he meant one who follows the Code. Of course, Hemingway did blow his head off. . . . (Sean M. Donnell)

Perhaps I should.

Some toys never make it
out of the factory. They
are not up to snuff. I
do not grieve for these
lost souls. Perhaps I should.

Misfit Bad

Sedentary Lifestyle

Sometimes the toy will
be broken or even the key
is lost. You can either see
this as death or as just a
more sedentary lifestyle.

Not a Metaphor?

I realized today that
there are many other
states for a wind up
toy besides wound & un-
wound. One such state
is "over wound" where the
spring is uselessly too
tight. It will go nowhere
and it is not a metaphor
or is it?