untitled poem 1/7/12

When I go apart
to be alone in prayer
I bring a book of memories
bindings burst and worn
from countless readings

Your chapters remain
an epic and untold anecdote
lacking significant dialogue
tastes not torn from croissants
in cafes of uninspired cliches

Mornings with stimulants
galvanize a disorganized mind
billowing and gossamer whispers
refrain the echo of regret...
distances untraveled during formative times

Glancing south and east
scanning horizons for
unanticipated reciprocation
for an invitation less requisite
than curious to acknowledge

Unfortunate reluctance
toward optimism
omniscience is your birthright
guarded beneath such gauche trinkets
as would provoke curiosity
so I remain. Quietly.
Poised for disappointment

Counseling that beloved stumbler
into an estranged uncle's offering
which could surpass all ambition
but only when and only if
you should remember to ask

Give 2 The Max Day - November 9th

Donate to KUNZANG ODSAL PALYUL CHANGCHUB at Razoo



Here is why I chose to give to the max today!

While of course I hope that people will go directly to Razoo and give at a level of $10 or more... if anybody just has some "chump change" to toss in... here is a link that allows you to offer $1 via Paypal!


Thanks and GIVE TO THE MAX!

Embracing my 99%-ness

Sooooo, where to even start documenting what it is like to be alive in this movement that will no doubt be the history studied by future looker-backers. Students in some distant 2050 classroom may be living in the effects of what this "Occupy __FILL IN THE BLANK" movement brings about. The question as we witness the protests is will those future citizens have MORE or LESS civil rights and  creature comforts?

We certainly all have our opinions as to what the outcome of this generational outcry SHOULD be... but someday we will be living in the reality of what that outcome IS. And that, honestly, scares the bejeepers out of me at moments.

I am a double Libra in the the natal chart-ness. What that implies is that I am likely to... no I am someone who finds it is IMPERATIVE to... look at issues from both sides. You have seen those tilty scales that Lady Justice holds up high in front of the courts, right? Those tilty scale thingies symbolize us Libras, so in essence I have to look at the protesters point of view AND I have to consider the opinion of those being protested. This is the essence of double Libra-ness.

So I absolutely easily gravitate with empathy towards the masses of people fed up with putting their lives on full throttle for day after year-long-day only to come up with less than what they need and so much that is still wanted. I get how frustrating it is to have done all the proscribed activities for "success" and to still identify internally as something short of  successful(if not smack dab in the middle of feeling a sense of failure.)

I also can imagine what it must be like to have amassed quite an impressive amount of material comfort, political influence and charismatic clout... only to feel the very affront of a population calling itself not just the majority, but by referencing 99%... implying it is "everybody but you" and demanding that you now share or redistribute your hard earned earnings.

But what is super tricky about being a Libra-Balance-Scale tilty type... is that you actually necessarily vacillate back and forth in your alliance and allegiance... not so much to the politics of either side... but to the fact that no matter how loud we scream or how righteous the claim... at the center of either opinion is a person merely trying to be happy.

Oh sure, that may be too reductionist and simplistic for something as meaty and philosophically charged as the "ows" or #ows slogans - but it is in my nature to hope that we can peacefully engage in revolution and compromise.

Inconvenienced? They are banking on it.

None of us can stand a mosquito, buzzing around with that high pitched whine and sucking our blood. Sure the sanguine sip is too small of an amount to cause harm... but definitely we are left uncomfortable enough to scratch at that point of irritation until it fades.

I am not going to advocate that you begin (or continue) killing mosquitos... you know my Buddhist "no kill" position... but I wanna talk about where we can swat at mosquitos metaphorically. In paid services and supporting companies that count on our unwillingness to act because we are dependent on their luxuries... these bloodsuckers don't mind that they have to sting us, and leave us scratching just to maintain their bottom line.

Some cases in point for me recently. 1) Netflix 2) Most Airlines 3) Bank of America.

I cancelled my Netflix account the day they announced the splitting of their services into streaming vs disks as two separate sites (communicated as an "oh by the way" during an email apology for their recent price hikes.) My protest is not because I am oh so bothered that I would have to navigate twice as much and pay twice as much to be entertained. I did think it was a horrible decision on their part to remove the thing I so valued in their company - awesome convenience when I wanted to be entertained. I am easily capable of doing what their changes to service would require, but since I pay them to provide ME with service and instead they keep flipping me the finger like a heartless dealer to a mindless junky... I will get my fix elsewhere.

They get you hooked on a good thing and then make you do unsavory acts that you do not agree with because you have to have that fix. I decided even though I know they don't give a rat's a$$ about my $18 a month (heck that is a lot of entertainment for the price of one movie at the theaters these days)...  I felt good deciding  I was going to stop sending it to them for a while. I am sure they didn't notice... but I stand by my principles.

I can get my jollies over at hulu.com now. And since we have DirecTV and there is a Redbox in most grocery stores nowadays... I presume I will not have to die from lack of entertainment without Netflix (nee Netflix/Quikster). But I will send the message that I do not pay my well earned compensation to companies which treat me poorly! I loved my time with Netflix. I referred them to everyone once I was hooked. Now I feel like they moved into my house, slept with my spouse, slapped around my kids and just expect me to keep paying their rent. Well... I choose to say NOPE to that red envelope. (I will need to find another way to get excited about checking my mailbox every few days... but I digress).

Airlines have undoubtedly encroached slowly over the years on what used to be an assumed part of the hundreds of bucks we shell out to them. I am sure that the privilege of traveling encased in their logo emblazend aircraft is not a cheap service, but why bother pretending you provide anything REMOTELY close to customer service anymore? Forget about brand loyalty, I am just a frequent flyer number to them and unless you travel CONSTANTLY they are not that loyal in return. It is like selling your soul for the lowest priced insult... sans the perks of yesteryear. (Wow Mr. Airline... a whole bag with three pretzels in it... just for ME?? Gosh you SHOULDN'T have!! I was gonna pay that $40 for my luggage anyhow, but now that I know I get to enjoy half of an off-brand soda pop during my flight... well I bet that I will fly with you forever!!)

In 2009 I also walked away from Bank of America as a customer to protest their rapidly deteriorating customer service practices. Sure they have ATMs everywhere you go, and you can deposit money and withdraw from practically any state if you are traveling or working from the road. That decision to leave them was after forgiving them many transgressions and I haven't looked back. I LOVED their website and the services plus a great mobile application they offered - but I was never impressed with how they would just start imposing higher fees randomly and how if you found yourself trying to get customer service assitance via their phone numbers you were put through a song and dance of transfers and impersonal service.  Now I understand that they are on the brink of imposing the $5 a month debit card fee? Wow. If I were still with them I would leave again! Seriously. The country bailed them out of debt and to thank their loyal customers they are gonna charge you for using your ATM card which they FORCED you to get because you cannot make a transaction at a teller window without swiping it even if you have 80 forms of ID. And a while back they charged you money to speak with a teller if you can conduct the same transaction at an ATM (though I think that fee eventually got taken away). I preferred the good ole days when every bank fought for your loyalty by giving you a goofy gift if you chose their free checking account. Coolers, tools, clock radios... I racked up on them in college simply by gravitating towards the appreciation. Now it is buyer beware. (My new favorite bank is ING Direct - great interest, great website... and they pay me to refer friends to them. Seriously! So if you want a new bank hit me up and we will split the dough!) Another digression though...

Whatever your political. economical or personal opinions... you have a lot of power as a consumer if you are willing to assert it. The work is on us to make a small effort to move our business away from a company that doesn't ask what we want, and reward companies that look out for us. I know you can get anything at Walmart for dirt cheap... but do you KNOW what that is costing you as a citizen of this planet? Your very soul is the price you pay! (Okay bad hyperbole for me cause the soul is not a Buddhist concept). Rather than reward a conglomerate that imposes fees on us to get what works for them, or abuse their power through political interests or monopolizations... we should show companies that loyalty is earned through being a welcome beacon of correct consumer interests and ethical behavior.

I know we approach the end of our golden era as a materialist super power, but my feeling is that intelligent consumerism could be very effective. It is time to be showing this Golden Calf we idolize the way that we customers expect to be treated for that much coveted green paper. It is time to reclaim the consumer portion of the supply and demand equation by embracing your power to demand or boycott. Speak softly and carry a big debit card balance.

Spend your hard earned resources deliberately. Check out less shiny,  but sustainable-minded, up and coming businesses that are bending over backwards to attract clientele away from maniacal over the top corporate competitors who are becoming so large they are crushing your civil rights and also slowly bankrupting us with hidden fees and penalties. Like barbarians they are raping our planet of resources and yet they remain comfortable in their choices by observing that we will continue to allow it in marketplace. Seriously... are we destined to whore our income out so that their method works? I bet they are banking on it!

Pepco Prepares for Irene

The National Weather Service has stated that the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area could experience damaging conditions, including high winds, heavy rains, and potential for flooding. Montgomery County, working with its utility companies (Pepco, BGE, Allegheny Power) urges customers to prepare for potential power outages, with the possibility of multi-day outages in some areas.

Precautions and Recommendations:
•Do not approach or attempt to move downed power lines.
•Immediately report damage or an outage to your utility.
o Pepco: 1-877-737-2662
o BG&E: 1-877-778-2222 or 1-800-685-0123
o Potomac Edison (Allegheny Power): 1-800-255-3443
•Never use a candle when fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern, since the candle flame can ignite fumes from the fuel.
•Try to stay in an interior room or away from windows.
•Stay calm and do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.
•If flooding occurs, turn off electricity at the main breaker.
•During a power outage, turn off major appliances. This will minimize losing power again through a power surge and protect the equipment when power returns.
•Do not go outside. Flying debris from high winds is a danger. As the eye of the storm passes, there will be a short period of calm followed by rapid wind speed increases to hurricane force that will come from the opposite direction.
• Customers are recommended to go to the websites of their utility companies for status updates regarding service.
•For downed trees on public property, call 3-1-1 (or 240-777-0311 from outside the County or from a cell phone) or go to http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/311 at any time to report the problem. If live wires are involved, the tree is blocking a roadway, the tree is on a structure, or if persons are trapped under the fallen tree, call 9-1-1.

Sent to Montgomery County Severe Weather (E-mail accounts) through Alert Montgomery
... powered by the Roam Secure Alert Network
----
- You received this message because you are registered on Alert Montgomery or on one of the local municipalities' alerting systems.
- If you are registered on Alert Montgomery you can update your account or authenticate this alert by going to https://alert.montgomerycountymd.gov/myalertlog.php?s_alert_id=7630
- Tell others about Alert Montgomery! Have them sign-up for this free county service at https://alert.montgomerycountymd.gov

In the Aftermath

When the Trevor Project first came to my attention - I was very inspired by other people in the world that were giving young lgbts hope and sharing the message that "it gets better". It does peeps. WAY better.

And therefore I downloaded a song that Adam Lambert used to raise funds for the Trevor Project. Next I popped the media card out of my Blackberry and  into my laptop deciding that whatever images I had captured from my life at that moment... I would turn into my "It Gets Better" montage.

So here is the narrative I have come up with via some light editing to make it all seem... I dunno... even more random. lol.



Peace y'all,
-Bowdawg

Artistic Endeavors

Now it does not take the eye of a critic to see that my "art" is childish and not technically advanced... but it is a great way I am finding to reduce stress.


Thanks to a friend and co-worker I have taken to the canvas again with acrylic silliness. My friend Anne who hosted a workshop for amateur painting gave us some fun tips for creating visually festive paintings and unleashing our inner Picasso.

Here are some of the images I played with since the workshop. I follow my own technique and "rituals" of sorts and I find painting to be a lovely way to unwind and release the creative beast that is less happy when it spends eight hours analyzing spreadsheets!

Inspired Living

I love to mix my metaphors. So today I say:

"Get out of bed on the right side of your brain!"

We could certainly say start the day on the right foot... but this is going to need a lot of creative process if we are going to change the world. And make no mistake... you are here to change the world.

From all I know in life, the quickest way to effect global change is to manage your internal subtle shifts. Dealing with your worst habits in a gentle, honest and consistent way is how (I truly believe) you can stop global warming, bring peace to an entire planet and feed a starving population.

Now, I cannot give you all the magic information in one day. Perhaps it is because my discovery of this sorcery is just beginning! But it is not something this blogger feels is impossible anymore. Impractical? Yes. Challenging? Most def! But impossible? Not. At. All.

Join me in this effort to live a simple but inspired life. I promise to be as authentic, entertaining and open as I can remain while presenting my opinion in a public venue.

Start the adventure today. Inspire yourself in a simple way this morning (or whatever time it is.) A simple suggestion... write a spontaneous postcard to a friend or stranger. Make it quick, fun and complete it NOW. Write it, buy the stamp and mail it off. You are done! If no time or postal capacity on your hands... an email is a less exciting alternative (though a bit of a cop-out since it requires much less effort... and I understand cop-outs! I am the KING of cop-outs.) I want your inspiration to be something that another person has the joy of receiving. Surprise Snail Mail is a great way to bring a smile across space and time.

A'ight... when I write sentences like that last one - it is getting too "woo-woo" up in here and I need to log off.

Peace ya'll!

The more things change...

There, there reader(s), I have NOT abandoned you. Indeed I was with you all along... just too freaking tired to maintain my personal blog!

I hope you have been visiting our work site which we try to post to daily (www.itsBetter4you.com) and granted it is more "fast and factual" type blogging... but you might sense a little Bowdawg shining through!

I have picked up my paint brushes again and even blew the dust off the poetry pages. The creative monster is on the offensive and I am glad to be under attack.

Anyway... let us see where this leads.