Farewells July 28, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Friends, Verse , add a commentBelow is an old favorite of mine by the late Raymond Carver. 
In the Year 2020
Which of us will be left then –
old, dazed, unclear –
but willing to talk about our dead friends?
Talk and talk, like an old faucet leaking.
So that the young ones,
respectful, touchingly curious,
will find themselves stirred
by the recollections.
By the very mention of this name
or that name, and what we did together.
(As we were respectful, but curious
and excited, to hear someone tell
about the illustrious dead ahead of us.)
Of which of us will they say
to their friends,
he knew so and so! he was friends with ______
and they spent time together.
He was at that big party.
Everyone was there. They celebrated
and danced until dawn. They put their arms
around each other and danced
until the sun came up.
Now they’re all gone.
Of which of us will it be said –
he knew them? Shook hands with them
and embraced them, stayed overnight
in their warm houses. Loved them!
Friends, I do love you, it’s true.
And I hope I’m lucky enough, privileged enough,
to live on and bear witness.
Believe me, I’ll say only the most
glorious things about you and our time here!
For the survivor there has to be something
to look forward to. Growing old,
losing everything and everybody.
Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon and Keto Shimizu July 24, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Friends, Movies , add a commentI walked into the DPL at Emerson today and there was a familiar song playing, but I couldn’t quite make it out at first. Keto was sitting in an office there staring at a computer with the music playing, then it struck me what the song was. It was, Trouble, by Cat Stevens. It seemed so out of place hearing that song from the 70’s being played there, by such a young person. It wasn’t even one of Stevens’ biggest hits. It is from the soundtrack of the film Harold and Maude and that is why Keto was listening to it. It was a special moment and a wave of pleasurable lament swept over me.
I thought of putting the lyrics to the song here, but changed my mind. So in honor of the of the 70’s, Cat Stevens and the old soul Keto Shimizu, I decided to put something else here. I know it’s sappy, but thats what nostalgia is about, right?
If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out
- Cat Stevens
Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
cause theres a million things to be
You know that there are
And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
cause theres a million ways to go
You know that there are
You can do what you want
The opportunitys on
And if you can find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see ah ah ah
Its easy ah ah ah
You only need to know
Well if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
cause theres a million ways to go
You know that there are
And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
cause theres a million things to do
You know that there are
Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
cause theres a million things to be
You know that there are
You know that there are
Web Tool July 23, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging , add a commentI’ve really felt thwarted by WordPress, MySql, CSS, Php and such since I started to teach myself web design/management by re-working this blog. I knew just enough about Dreamweaver, before I started this process, that I felt confident I could manage the redesign without much work. I think I was wrong. My hope was that I could noddle around a little, make a slight change here and there and look for the effect. However all of my efforts seemed to have no affect on the site.
Today Jeremiah showed me a plug-in/extension for Firefox that has changed that for me. In the short time I’ve used it, I’ve learned a bunch. Its called Web Developer Extension and it was designed by Chris Pederick. Wow, I love this thing.
By the way, I’ve changed my Header/Banner and the Icon for the site. You may have to clear your cache to see it.
Big Dig July 18, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging, Rant , add a commentGod, it’s hot here! One of my housemates is from Bangalore, India. When I first met him he said, “It’s a hot and chaotic place. One should never feel the need to visit there.” (You add the Hindi accent) So with the heat, the Summer tourists and the chaos of the Big Dig, I feel like I live in Bangalore on the Charles.
Everything is a mess here and we’re in Commuting Hell, otherwise known as the10th Circle of Hell, which makes everything Dante wrote about seem like a dip in a cool pond. Even without the latest disaster, the Big Dig had the roadways and the other commuting systems strained beyond belief. In the last few weeks the MBTA has been doing a major reworking and construction of some the Subway lines. They have also been opening and closing stations to update the way fares are collected. While I like the Charlie Card system, imposing it now, during the heavy tourist season just doesn’t make sense. Especially when you consider that most of us commuters want the people that know where they’re going to get out of way. So we have the added mystery of which stations take the new cards, with tourists in our way too. Now add the new problems with the Dig and the heat. What chaos
Whose fault is this? We can blame the contractors, Bechtel, it’s a pretty awful company (not to mention what they are up to in Iraq.) We can blame the sub-contactors. Those guys that make and haul concrete, you fill in the cliché here. We can blame penny pinching bureaucrats. I imagine ultimately, we all want to blame the politicians. Which ones though, this thing has been going on for so long, do we blame the Democrats or the Republicans. Its pitiful here in Boston, watching the pols on TV, all trying to take charge of the investigation or showing their plans to fix the mess. It is disgusting.
In the end it is our fault. Why? Because we are afraid of leadership. So until we quit electing/hiring pretty politicians with good haircuts that tell what we want to hear rather than what we should hear, I guess we should put on some shorts and leave for work thirty minutes early. It’s our sin, so we have to be punished
Did I mention that it’s hot as hell here?
New Update July 12, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging , 2 commentsWell, I’m still working on it. If you subscribe to an RSS feed or its like, don’t change over to this site yet. The updates will drive you crazy. Give me a few days and I’ll let you know.
I would like feedback. Is the typeface used in the postings to faint? Is the blue used in the type too hard to read? I think so, but can’t change it to save myself today. Do you have formatting errors when you load? What film won Best Picture in 1928?
New Site July 11, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging, Rant , 2 commentsOK, so if you’ve made it here, then you’ve obviously been to the old blog and passed through the Black Hole and made it over here. Why have I made the move? After a 100 bucks and 12 Advil later I honestly can’t say. I think my goal was to learn a bit about the process. I think I’ve learned I should work harder, or longer, so I make more money and then hire someone else that really knows what they’re doing.
I’m FTP’d, SQL’d, HTML’d, XML’d and PHPooped out.
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Dead Horse July 10, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Layers , add a commentI know I’m overdoing the whole Raymond Chandler thing, but I just can’t help myself. There is a method to this madness. (And I ain’t gonna explain it today!) I found another quote yesterday that I have to share.
“Room 332 was at the back of the building near the door to the fire escape. The corridor which led to it had a smell of old carpet and furniture oil and the drab anonymity of a thousand shabby lives”
The Little Sister - Raymond Chandler
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New Look July 9, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging , add a commentYep, the site has a new look. I’m not crazy about it, but its a start. More changes on the way.
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Oh, missions July 8, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging, Layers , add a commentI’ve been busy. That’s good. I’ve been so un-busy the last few months, that I haven’t gotten anything done. I know that sentence doesn’t make sense, but for me it’s true. The less I have to do, the less I accomplish. “Too much time and not enough to do in it,” is how the phrase should read for me. I tend to procrastinate when I don’t have much to do.
The last few weeks have been a blur, but a lot’s happened and I have gotten a lot done.
- I’ve moved
- Helped someone else move
- Drastically reworked my resume
- Started working a on decent paying project (is decent the right word here?)
- Started catching up on films
- Learned two new computer programs
- Read a lot
- Written some
- I saw Don for the first time in six years
Not bad for a month, especially if you look at the preceding one. I’m not trying to brag or say it’s been a perfect four weeks, it’s just a start.
I feel bad about not posting anything of substance on this blog for a while now. As Steph said in When They Leave, “Can somebody else be me for a while? I need a break.” I’ll have to admit that I have felt that way for several months now.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051220/NEWS02/512200397/1025/ARCHIVES
http://www.millermosterrobbins.com/visitations/View.php?id=78
After Judy died, I slumped into a dreadful despair. I felt like I had been drawn into some cruel cataract and no matter how hard I tried, I could neither find the surface nor air to breathe. (Of course my Ptown adventure didn’t help my mood much either.) I’ve tried to hide it from my friends, mostly they’ve said they don’t notice, but I think they’re just being nice. I have tried to remind others to be positive about their lives, hoping that advice will stick with me. I’ve really felt more like Polonius and have often feared that I will soon be found behind the curtain. I also figured if I didn’t write here I would give fewer clues to the curtain I was behind. To quote Steph again, “I feel like I’m lying by omission.” (sic)
So now I’m busy again and trying to catch up on my omissions. I hope I have enough time.
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Marlowe July 6, 2006
Posted by Mark in : Blogging , add a commentI just finished another Raymond Chandler novel, my third in six days. While its not 10 saltines in sixty seconds, it ain’t bad either. Maybe it will help me shake off this Big Sleep and start writing.
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