May twenty fifth two thousand and sixth.

Change.

There are times change comes like water on stone

other times

it is found between the hammer and anvil.

What I have learned today - May twenty fourth two thousand six.

There are bugs that communicate by vibrating plant stems.

That the stress of commuting is hard to measure.

I am strong however it is not easy.

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media:

"I told him that in Mexico the poor say
that when there's lightning the rich
think that God is taking their picture.
He laughed."

A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media: "Young people are pessimistic enough these days without their elders complaining about things. Shut up. Life is pretty good when you grow up. You own your own car, you go where you like, and you sing along with the radio or talk to yourself or chat on your cell phone. You pull into the drive-up window and order the Oreo Blizzard. What's not to like? "

Sheldon VanAuken's book A Severe Mercy

'It is, I think, that we are all so alone in what lies deepest in our souls, so unable to find the words, and perhaps the courage to speak with unlocked hearts, that we don't know at all that it is the same with others.'

Unsolicited advice
is always
self serving.

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "The word 'Easter' comes from an ancient pagan goddess worshipped by Anglo Saxons named Eostre. According to legend, Eostre once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning the bird into a rabbit. Because the rabbit had once been a bird, it could still lay eggs, and that rabbit became our Easter Bunny. "

When someone invites you to a burn pile at their place make sure you ask if everything is all ready in the pile. If not you are in for a hurtin pile of work.

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media:

'We Bring Democracy To The Fish' by Donald Hall

It is unacceptable that fish prey on each other.
For their comfort and safety, we will liberate them
into fishfarms with secure, durable boundaries
that exclude predators. Our care will provide
for their liberty, health, happiness, and nutrition.
Of course all creatures need to feel useful.
At maturity the fish will discover their purposes."

Dating at 50.

OK, wait a minute.
I am supposed to do what?
wait a minute.
OK.
That can't be right.
I don't want to do that.
that's ridiculous.
No way.
o' fuck.

New Moon

The crone rises
and sets unseen.
I rise and set
unseen.
Perhaps as the moon
fills
so will I.

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "Eugene McCarthy said, 'Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game and dumb enough to think it's important.'"

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media:

"Poem: 'Trees'

by W. S. Merwin from The Compass Flower. Macmillian Publishing Company. Reprinted with permission.

Trees

I am looking at trees
they may be one of the things I will miss
most from the earth
though many of the ones I have seen
already I cannot remember
and though I seldom embrace the ones I see
and have never been able to speak
with one
I listen to them tenderly
their names have never touched them
they have stood round my sleep
and when it was forbidden to climb them
they have carried me in their branches"

A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media: "The Republican Revolution has gone the way of all flesh. It took over Congress and the White House, horns blew, church bells rang, sailors kissed each other, and what happened? The Republicans led us into a reckless foreign war and steered the economy toward receivership and wielded power as if there were no rules. Democrats are accused of having no new ideas, but Republicans are making some of the old ideas look awfully good, such as constitutional checks and balances, fiscal responsibility, and the notion of realism in foreign affairs and taking actions that serve the national interest. What one might call 'conservatism.' "

Ides of March - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi!"

Kill Your Television--The Zen of Television: "For an avid television viewer, their period of zen is sitting in front of the TV screen for hours. This is their life. The buddha says: 'Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.' Letting go means ridding oneself from desire and want. The television shows all the things we don't have and tries to light the fire of consumerism. The TV says, 'Buy a new car,' 'Buy microwave french fries,' 'Buy Pepsi,' and 'Buy Coca-Cola.' The Zen of Television does not want to let go. It wants you to hold tight . . . to keep watching . . . and to desire the things you don't have. The buddha says: 'Joy comes not through possession or ownership, but through a wise and loving heart.' "

A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media: "But torture is something else. When Americans start pulling people's fingernails out with pliers and poking lighted cigarettes into their palms, then we need to come back to basic values. Most people agree with this, and in a democracy that puts the torturers in a delicate position. They must make sure to destroy their e-mails and have subordinates who will take the fall. Because it is impossible to keep torture secret. It goes against the American grain and it eats at the conscience of even the most disciplined, and in the end the truth will come out. It is coming out now. "

Amen !

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "Ulysses S. Grant said, 'The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can and as often as you can, and keep moving on.'"

"In creating goals, you create your future by outlining your destiny. When you choose your goals using your head and heart, you take the first step in manifesting what you want. You grant your own wishes every time you achieve another goal."