Cowboy Names

I wasted a lot of time Saturday watching old John Wayne movies on AMC. I couldn't tell you the exact movies without doing research which I'm not inclined to do. They're pretty much the same anyway. John Wayne's a cowboy or John Wayne's a soldier. In these, he was a cowboy. The first movie had a very young James Caan in a supporting role as the greenhorn upstart cowboy and his name was Mississippi. The next movie had a young Ricky Nelson (sadly there was never an old Ricky Nelson) in the same supporting role, and his name was Colorado. I expected to meet Dakota or Nevada in the next movie but I didn't. It was Johnny (played by Ron Howard). I started wishing I could meet a cowboy named Vermont or New Hampshire. Men from those states had to go west, right? And what about Georgia or Virginia? That would have given those John Wayne movies an entirely different tone.

The Cow Poetry Commonplace Book

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus


Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
African Proverb


In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Robert Frost


If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
Anonymous


The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
Bertrand Russell


Nothing primes inspiration more than necessity.
Rossini


Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.
George Carlin


Deep within the soul of the lonely caged bird
Beats the rhythm of a distant forest
Etched upon its broken heart
The faded memory of flight. 
Ginni Bly


A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.

Pioneer Girls Leaders’ Handbook


I, myself, have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute.
Rebecca West

So many gods, so many creeds,
so many paths that wind and wind,
while just the art of being kind
is all the sad world needs.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox


How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
Abraham Lincoln

Commonplace Books

Here is a summary of what Wikipedia has to say about commonplace books:
 
Commonplace books were a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into blank books. They became significant in Europe around the 17^th century.

Such books were essentially handwritten scrapbooks filled with items of every kind: medical recipes, quotes, poems, tables of weights and measures, proverbs, prayers, legal formulas. Commonplaces were used by readers, writers, students, and scholars as an aid for remembering useful concepts or facts they had learned. Each commonplace book was unique to its creator's particular interests.

I learned about commonplace books quite a few years ago and started filling a small tablet with any quote or saying that I came across and especially liked. I still have it and I still like it. More recently I’ve started doing the same thing digitally – I have a “commonplace book” document on my computer and copy into it snippets of writing that interest me.

It wasn’t too much of a leap, then, to decide to keep a commonplace book on my blog.

In fact, I think everyone should keep a commonplace book just for the pleasure of it. It’s not like journalling, which can be accompanied by a sense of guilt (at least for me), but it’s still reflective of your personality and personal interests.

Easy to access, easy to update, easy to share.

A lot like Pinterest, come to think of it.

Unexpected Bliss

Expectations decline.

Not a rut, a routine.

Work, home, eat, sleep.

An occasional departure

planned in advance.

Then suddenly,

unexpected bliss

anoints us like a blessing.

A fiery sunset sky

seen by eclipse,

a warm, whispered sigh

from a time thought passed,

an unbearably sweet smile

from a new-found friend.

Unexpected bliss.

Incandescent moments for which

we didn’t even know to hope.

English as a Second Language

A few funny (and disturbing) abuses of the English language -  

Directions on an online solitaire game:

"This game is not as scary as it sound it is quite the contrary! Spider Solitaire is an amazingly fun game. This is the spider solitaire game in one suit."

(These directions were not well written, it is quite the contrary!)


From Facebook:

"The older alum has been asking about The Memorial monument in front of the old high school honoring servicemen. Well here is what Marilyn M class of 67 has wrote in a message to Tom P class of 60"

(Jean G class of 73 has wrote off this entire post)


And, my old favorites, online customer comments from my place of employment:

"I have worn these paints six times. I have had to sew these paints twice at the seams. This is the second pair of tall paints I purchased lately that I have had to saw. Please keep the quality of the clothing well."

(She's wearing paints? Must be a Comfest-er)


"Cause I had purchase something in the store it would be ship to the store n I paid the next day ship n it don't come in 4 days later I was every upset cause I needed that for a weeding"

(Apparently she's every picky about what she wears in the garden)


"the bras givd goo soupoty "

(Say what?)


"i did buy a Bra but next day i ahve to change for a diferent size i went to the store with my recsive but the employee the day before did not put code correct tehy dont eant to exchange my bra the manager of the store treat me like i was a liar, i was stiling from the store, she did not even apologize, i have to argue with her for over one hrs to get my bra change, the other one bother me."

(I, too, hate it when I get treated like I was stiling, especially when it lasts over one hours)

FML

Hard to believe, I know, but this upstanding fellow has had a minor scrape with the law: drunk driving his truck with a zebra and parrot on board. (read the article)

That's not what bothers me, though. What bothers me is he is 55 years old. LOOK AT HIM! Dear god, he's younger than me.

FML.

Why My Job Is More Fun Than Yours

The office building I work in is undergoing renovation. Like most office buildings, the work areas consist of actual offices with walls and doors, and cubicles. In my area, the cubicles have all been reconfigured and we are adding two actual offices. The offices in the building are all consistent with a nice wooden door next to a large glass wall that's framed by nice wood to match the door.

Two large wooden frames without glass are propped up in our hallway, waiting for installation. A lot of people probably walk by them and take little notice. A carpenter might see them and think "that's really nice wood." An accountant might think "Wow, I'll bet those cost a pretty penny." Count on an art director, however, to say what he's thinking: "We should totally set fire to those and jump through them."

I love working with creative people.