The Banal Chew

Ecco la Primavera!

Today is the first day of spring here in Australia, or at least it is for many Aussies. Some Indigenous Australians celebrate a seasonal calendar that is organized according to the interaction of climate and the immediate environment. 

For me, spring has always evoked an unusual blend of comfort and excitement. As a child, I saw the season as a herald of something new and intriguing, a time of undiscovered bike paths, spring calves and wildflowers, and more importantly, the end of the school year. It was as if the crocuses screamed an urgent and short-lived alarm, warning us all to live it up before we missed our chance. 

Although my childhood is far, far behind me, my eagerness to enjoy spring is not.

(Photo by Benson Kua, licensed for use by Creative Commons.)

 

Ecco la Primavera / Francesco Landini, performed by Ensemble Sarband

Rapture Schmapture

I just told Bonnee that the world is going to end this weekend.  She told me to shut my piehole and get back to work. 

And to stop playing all the Blondie and R.E.M. 

Jelly bean, Boom!

Poetry!

April is National Poetry Month (in North America).
To celebrate today, I am posting a couple of my favorites.

 

in time of daffodils
by e. e. cummings

in time of daffodils(who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remember how

in time of lilacs who proclaim
the aim of waking is to dream,
remember so(forgetting seem)

in time of roses(who amaze
our now and here with paradise)
forgetting if,remember yes

in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend,
remember seek(forgetting find)

and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me,remember me

 

 

Sonnet XVII
by Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as if you were a salt-rose, or topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn't bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving

but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

Cautiously Ecstatic

After a weekend of good news and constructive dialogs, I have decided to shelve my wallowing and let my spirit float.

Here is a sampling of what I've been using to keep the smile on my face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call It

Ever feel like your life is spiraling beyond any hope of management?

That everything you reach for and think you've finally managed to grasp with worthy intention ends up wilting from a poisonous touch? 

Time used to be my adversary. Now I look at him as caregiver, deftly taking my arm as I hobble forth. As he has done for countless souls.

Our lives are galleries, that much I know. I get lost in galleries, just like I do in shopping malls and hospitals.

I've been in this room already.  Haven't I?

Yes. Again and again. You don't recognize the dark mural? 

I may. I recognize everything. Problem is, I remember little.

Sonnet of Equality

by Zane M.

 

Why can’t all people just be equal today?

If equality was in everyone’s space,

Then everyone would have a better day.

Equality would make the world a better place.

 

If everyone could just get along,

(Why is it so hard for people to understand?)

Then in this space not as much would go wrong.

If equality were there then we would expand.

 

With racism comes no equality.

With equality comes peace on earth.

There should be no wars or poverty.

Everyone should be raised together from birth.

 

Finding someone who believes in equality

Is like finding a needle in a stack of hay.

 

(Posted with permission from the author. Bribing helped, too. What's an extra hour of Xbox anyway?)

This Makes Me Happy

"Holiday cactus" in bloom

I wish I could say it's mine, but it belongs to the flatmate. 

Baby Got Redback

Brilliant sunshine and 21 degrees in Sydney today!  (That's about 71 for you Fahrenheiters.) 

To take advantage of the change in weather, I cleaned up the back patio a bit.  Under the doghouse, I found a family of what I'm pretty sure were redback spiders.  There were two larger ones, probably females, and a smaller one, probably male. Yuck.

I had a suspicion something might be living under there, so I was sure to upturn the doghouse carefully.  The whole thing has now been thoroughly cleaned and fumigated.  A single bite from these spiders could easily kill a pet, and Bonnee and Kiwi actually like to hang out in the doghouse much more than Roger does. 

After shivering for about 5 minutes, I finally calmed down long enough to get the camera.  And bug spray.  The Buddhist approach to bug life goes right out the window when it comes to these dangerous critters.  They, and their many egg sacs, are all swimming with the fishes now. 

I probably did the male a favor, because after pleasuring one of those females with his pedipalp, she'd have just killed him.  Too bad he didn't get a shag first, but at least he was spared the grief of falling victim to the sucking stomach of one he loved.

Domestic Bliss

So, yeah.  This has been fun, getting ready to move to Tucson.  Good times.

When was the last time the toilets were cleaned?  Oh yeah, when I did it.

How about dusting and vacuuming?  Oh, same. 

And cleaning the floors?  I think you know the answer.

I'm just saying...

(photo by Dr Craig, licensed under the Creative Commons)

Worth a try...

Mark and I are getting close to blast-off with our upcoming, 10-month relocation to the U.S., and we are very anxious to find someone to sublet our unit in Sydney (Waterloo/East Redfern).

We're in a great neighbourhood...walk to train and bus lines (but we have covered off-street parking), next door to cafes and coffeeshops

...and best of all, you can walk to Mardi Gras and Sleaze.

The deal: in return for looking after our animals (Roger, our miniature schnauzer, and two very placid, retired showcats), we are offering our unit in the city for *greatly* reduced rent. It's a sweet deal for the right person, and surely that person is out there somewhere! See below for a full description of our place.

A dear friend of ours is renting one of the bedrooms, but she's only in town 6 nights a month, so we are looking for someone else who wouldn't mind sharing those 6 nights/mo with her and then have the place to themselves the rest of the time. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please give a shout!

---------------

Roomy 3 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath townhouse, fully furnished, Danks Street neighbourhood, avail 10 July for 10-month sublet.

Unit occupies three levels in a small gated community with secure, underground double carspace.

Ground level: lounge room, dining room, kitchen, laundry and half-bath. Wood floors. Two private patios, one in front and a larger one in back w/ bbq. Fully furnished, incl. LCD flat-screen TV, home theatre system, and hi-speed wireless internet.

First level: two bedrooms (one already taken approx. 6 nights/month), bathroom with separate tub and shower.

Second level: master bedroom w/ ensuite and private balcony.

Excellent location: walk to Redfern Station or Central, Centennial Park and Entertainment Qtr. One block from Danks Street cafes and galleries.

Price: $325/week, incl. hi-speed internet. In return for looking after our pets. We will cover all petcare costs.