The second book is Resurrection of the Bike Spirit, a collection of poetry and a few earlier prose pieces, overall spanning several decades of writing. This is my second book of poetry, the first coming out in 2003 (Feathers in the Lint Catcher). The topics of the poems touch on pretty much the entirety of human experience, encompassing joy and sorrow and a variety of topics to ponder. The writing is sprinkled with a few of my drawings and watercolor paintings, creating a 100 page ebook for you to enjoy.

If you’re interested but happen not to have an e-reader, no worries. The site of caliber-ebook.com generously provides an e-reader that will work just fine on most computers. They also provide a nifty way of storing your ebooks. These two books, as well as previous books are available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Happy reading!

The soldiers were all very young and quite seriously devoted to their tasks. I saw the table where the truce was signed in 1953, ending the Korean conflict. Oddly half of that room is in North Korea and the other half in South Korea.

I try to avoid an “us” and “them” mentality, but from what I learned then and since, the North Korean people are incredibly isolated from information about world culture, completely without the resources that you or I completely take for granted. The control of the media is so absolute that people believe what they are told about anything outside their country. Poverty is rampant. I was told that South Korea became discouraged about donating food to the north as most of it went to the political and military.

There was a souvenir shop at the DMZ zone. I looked at everything but didn’t buy anything.

People grieve differently.  This weekend in honor of Ebert’s incalculable contribution to the film industry I decided to enjoy my own movie marathon, watching some of my favorites again–the truly trite, marvelously familiar, hauntingly classic, and surprisingly artistic–Man of La Mancha, Clueless, The Glass Menagerie, and The Artist.

I don’t know what Ebert thought of any of these films, but for my taste, in his biting words, none of them are “worse than a colonoscopy.”

You’re skating on your own miniature pond

minding your own business

and suddenly

you’re upside down

hanging awkwardly from the sky.

Then particles float down

silent forces

cover awhile

melt

refreeze

and melt again.

happy housewife

In recent days I’m realizing how much I deeply enjoy being my own domestic goddess.  It’s satisfying to putter around my place, simmer some soup for a cool day, write letters to dear friends and relatives, burn incense and scented candles, paint a bookshelf, wash the dishes, and listen to Ravi Shankar, Rodriguez, and lots of classic soul. Ah, truly delicious!

dancing queen

Antique Photo

Antique Photo

My friend, Peter Dawson, does professional antique photos.  We spent a marvelous afternoon with his wife, Jeanne, one day recently, horsing around with costumes and  old farm machinery at a museum in Simi Valley.  I don’t know what non-creative people do to amuse themselves, but we sure had a good time.

The rusty equipment reminded me of my grandfathers’ stuff.  I remembered as a child spending happy hours astride a mechanical corn sheller, I guess the Post War version of a Hot Wheels.  If you want to learn more about Peter’s work, you can email him at pwdawson55@yahoo.com or visit his website at pwdawsonphotography.com.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Coping with Perfectionism

I have two new books out!  The Everything Guide to Coping with Perfectionism is your handy guide to understanding this difficult tendency and how to overcome it.  The language is simple, and the suggestions are in bite-sized chunks that you can quickly put to practical use.  To those readers who contributed comments on an earlier post, when I started the book, a great big Thank you! Available from either Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

Also just now available is The Everything Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This book is a good companion guide to the book on perfectionism.  It digs a little deeper, helping you to find the origins of less than desirable thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and offers suggestions for snuffing them out.  It’s a practical guide that you can use by yourself or with the help of a therapist.  Be prepared for major life changes! Available from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

dragging their stacked suitcases with entitled boredom?

Any normal person would stop dead in their tracks

marvel at overlapping ripples of sound

breathe it in as sustenance

feel the dissonance in the cells

jazz to the relentless parallel progressions of major 6th and 7ths

extravagantly gobbling up the keyboard

as if there are only a few more moments of the year

to pack in all the available percussion before it’s too late.

Myself

I’m a supremely appreciative audience of one

riveted to the hotel upholstered lobby chair

motionless

gorging myself on piano calories

and I am happy.

dulcet language bubbles of the city

whoosh on the Red line from North Hollywood to Wilshire and Vermont

soak in angelic harp arpeggios and pulsing pipe organ overtones

eggnog-y rich sound strata mingling colliding harmonics.

Greensleeved Handel and Waltzing Flowers take a jingling Sleigh Ride.

Charlie Brown and Alvin Chipmunk couldn’t make it (prior commitments).

The season of madness is upon us and I am happy.                      Photo credit theseattletraveler.com

night cyclists

Aztec and Black warm-skinned art

Forty or so sinewy night cyclists flash mob the buffet,

cast-off military uniforms

mixing with detached bearded gazers.

Cyclists have a side car sound system blaring techno.

I bite into a fresh fresh fresh slice of succulent melon,

little pinky appropriately aloft.

Pinky twitches to the techno and I am happy.