Oh, what I would give to just tap into Bob Dylan’s psyche. Yeah, yeah. I know it’s there in the music…but damn, I just want to know where all those words came from. Hmm.





When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue
I’d go crawling down the avenue
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

Calderon said: “All life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams.” Ever since man has existed, he has sought life’s meaning. Who are we? Why do we live? What is our goal? Has man been made in the image of God or God in the image of man? Each concept has its opposite: life/death, yes/no, light/shadow.

Life’s meaning rests in the eye of the beholder and in our constant desire to approach perfection. Life is so immense and complex that there is no one truth, only the rule of destiny. Regardless, here are attempts at answers.

We do not choose life; life chooses us. Yet we try to follow our destiny, our passion, our drive. We must live every minute as if it is our first and our last. Never give to receive in return. Never be calculating. Give more than you receive.

Let your judgment, above all, be guided by compassion. The meaning of life lies in our desire to help others. Let us show compassion for those weakened by compromise while honoring those who are exceptionally enlightened and humane.

Earthly life is an eternal miracle. In a moment of grace, we can grasp eternity in the palm of our hand. This is the gift given to creative individuals who can identify with the mysteries of life through art. It is a divine gift, this spirit of humanity. It is the fight for light over shadow.

-Marcel Marceau (France’s maestro of mime)

Holden

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it."


The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 3
By J. D. Salinger
Published 1951

Nice to meet ya, 2012.

First hike of the year.

Picture taken on 1/2/12 at 1647.

Curiouser and curiouser!

The moon looked an awful lot like the Cheshire cat’s smile tonight. Some say that it is a bad omen though like the famous cat’s enigmatic grin, perhaps it just means that there is a little sense of mischief in the air. That's not always a bad thing, by the way.

One day, Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, it doesn’t matter.” − Lewis Carroll

The Leo Strut

Lately, I’ve been amusing myself looking for any new additions to the strutting Leonardo DiCaprio memes out there. It’s very counter-productive but I’m allowing myself to just chill and veg out this year for the holidays. Hope everyone had a bright and merry Christmas! If not, check this out:

In Memoriam

My brother came over to visit and somehow, the conversation went from cameras to Tim Burton to pets that we all shared together as siblings. And so, here they are anonymously and in somewhat chronological order (animals listed not when they achieved pet status, but rather, at time of demise):

• Dog (1)
• Dog (1)
• Guinea pigs (2)
• Bunnies (2)
• Birds (Too many to count + they always loved their freedom = we let them go fly wherever they wanted...but they never flew back home. Bye, bye birdies).
• Cat (1)
• Hamsters (4)
• Turtle (1)
• Dog (1)
• Fish (Also too many to count but honorable mention goes to 2 bettas that lasted roughly 2.5 to 3 years).

It is a fairly decent list of creatures for four siblings to share, each pet leaving us with its own set of memories, some more than others. The last dog in particular was probably the family’s Numero Uno in terms of pet love. When that mutt (the best-looking Boston Terrier you’ll ever meet) lost the twinkle in his eyes four years ago, everyone was truly heartbroken. He was way too awesome, even when he was being a brat.

Incidentally, my brother and his girlfriend’s dog died unexpectedly about a week ago so I can only imagine how they might be feeling right now. It’s not easy losing a pet. Actually, it just plain sucks. I just hope their Sheltie ran into our Boston Terrier in doggy heaven by now, sharing stories over steaks, peaches, and grapes in between marathon couch jumping. I’m 99% sure doggy heaven has lots of ripped couches. Just a feeling.

(Painting: Mark Ryden)