Ever wondered what is "normal" for Wilkes Community College, as compared to the week most of us see the campus as it is set up for MerleFest?
Driving on U.S. 89 to The Blue Ridge Museum near Galax, VA, just before crossing the border from North Carolina, a traveler passes thru Low Gap.
When I saw the subject of this post, I turned around.
Seems the enterprise leaned a bit heavier on fire than rescue.
Hype can be deceiving.
But in the case of this extraordinary film written and directed bY Martin McDonagh, who created IN BRUGES and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, the "buzz" — from my point of view — is well deserved.
I'm a huge fan of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon, and thus perhaps I was predisposed to enjoy their work, which was nothing short of fantastic.
The film was beautifully shot. The plot is quite simple, and in the hands of lesser creative folks, it would have been a mildly disturbing snooze fest.
But that's not the case.
Precision and nuance guided all involved.
It's one of those stories that you keep thinking about it long after you've finished viewing.
Colin Farrell, particularly, disappeared into his character and gave us a remarkable, haunting portrait. One of the very best of excellent performances I've ever seen.
Woke up feeling
So confused.
Wasn’t tired or hungry
or even
feeling used.
But I couldn’t eat.
Nor could I sleep.
After all that’s transpired,
Why am I a live wire?
So I called my doctor
and asked,
“What can it be?
What’s causing
All this fog,
All this misery.”
“Well,” she said,
With the warmest tone.
“For what you’ve got,
I can prescribe
just one remedy.
It’s not a pill
or something you smoke.
It’s pretty simple
You gotta get woke.
And by that.
I mean you gotta vote.”
Eyes open.
Shower.
Shave.
Make an espresso.
Trudge to the porch.
Sit in a favorite chair.
Then, just listen.
The coffee is strong.
One foot taps in time
To nature’s rhythm.
To the east, hints of the sun.
It’s not too warm.
Nor is it cold.
You check the phone for messages.
A long overdue acknowledgement has finally arrived.
Kindness begets kindness.
On this first day,
A simple thank you
Sets the tone.
It might be 24 hours.
It might be a thousand thousand years.
Your first day
in Heaven.
It's no doubt that what we're experiencing is The Summer of Discontent, made possible by a charlatan's coup of a political party in 2015 that has since fallen off its moral cliff. Toss in the long list of enablers — NRA, Rupert Murdoch, Mitch McConnell, Bill Barr, and a throng of elected officials who have chosen the dark path of payoffs, bribes, denial and sheer lunacy.
Trump's Supreme Court picks assured this evil.
Climate change. Human and animal rights. Voting rights. Gun control. And as of today, abortion rights.
Those still sitting on the fence about the direction the far right wing is shoving our country would be well advised to sit up and smell the thorns. Forget the roses. You lost that chance 6 years ago.
Woke up today with this Bob Dylan classic on my mind with the notion of rewriting the various scenes to depict the bullshit that has happened in just the past 18 months.
But honestly, why bother? Dylan's lyrics apply to now as much as they did when the now was 1965.
It's a long song with a LOT of lyrics. A big ask of time.
Just think about the first line and change one word ... hanging to lynching .... and i believe you'll get the gist.
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row.
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning,
"You belong to Me I Believe."
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave."
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row.
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune-telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row.
Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row.
Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
NOW, he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row.
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They ARE trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on the penny whistle
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row.
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get outta here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row.
At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row.
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row.
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the door knob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Or was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row.
i played a thriller author who wrote grisly stories and committed murder to find his muse for the telling.
Below are excerpts from a letter sent by producer/writer/director Quis Wallace.
Hello Everyone!
Such a great pleasure to work with Daniel Wilson as Tom Joad and have our work be directed by Melanie Simmons.
In addition to the Final Four this evening, featuring the epic confrontation between UNC and its arch rival from Durham, there is a lot going on.
Not that more is needed or wanted, but no one asked.
April 2, 2022 is:
Learn a new skill and enjoy the self-satisfaction of “doing it yourself” on National DIY Day. Try knitting a scarf, building a chair, or cooking something new.
Spend time with your pet ferret, support a ferret rescue or adoption center, or learn about these fascinating mustelids on National Ferret Day.
Note: If you are considering a domesticated ferret as a pet, here are some important things to know. Ferrets aren't rodents – they are actually part of the
Firewalking is an ancient practice that relies on skill and confidence to literally walk through fire without getting burned. Learn from an expert—not at home!
Learn about the symptoms and effects, be better prepared to help those with autism in your life, or participate in a fundraiser or event on Autism Awareness Day.
National Love Your Produce Manager Day
National Love Your Produce Manager Day was initiated in 2012 to celebrate all the hard work that Produce managers put in to bringing us the best and brightest of the world’s produce straight to your storefront. Produce managers are members of a rarely seen group within a grocery stores administrative staff. They are responsible for choosing what produce their store is going to carry, and where it is going to be obtained from. The next time you are in the produce section of your grocery store, take a moment to look around and appreciate all the choices you have, and realize that someone has to keep those orders flowing, the shelves stocked, and new selections coming to you every day.
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
It’s a song. It’s an idiom. It’s one of everyone’s favorite sandwiches: get out your favorite fruit jelly and enjoy the iconic combo of Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Still, I kind of wondered about how it was decided that today was THE day for peanut butter and jelly.
History: Peanut Butter was first invented by the Aztecs, who ground roasted peanuts into a rich nutritious paste. Peanut paste has been used all over the world in many different derivations ever since, being an absolute foundation of many cuisines. One thing that made this protein and calorie dense food popular is it’s resistance to going off, and the ease with which it could be transported. Combine that with an amazing taste and texture, and it’s no wonder that peanut butter is a world favorite!
It comes in so many different varieties too! Chunky, smooth, natural, salted, unsalted, even premixed with jelly! Peanut Butter really is an amazing food, and has been used to feed those who haven’t been able to eat ‘solid food’ for one reason or another. It’s been used for a myriad of snacks, including ants on a log (Celery filled with peanut butter topped with raisins), peanut butter cookies, but it’s most popular derivation by far is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches were thought to be invented during the American Civil war, when the men mixed their peanut ration and jelly ration to create a delicious new treat while out on the field. When the men finally returned from the war, bedraggled and tired, they also brought with them news of this wonderful treat that brought them comfort on the field. Peanut butter and jelly sales soared at the wars end, all thanks to this delightful combination of sweet jelly and smooth peanut butter!
It’s referenced in a million different ways, across as many cultures and religions. “Do unto others as you’d have them do to you”, “You reap what you sow”, “What goes around comes around”, all of these statements speak of one suspected truth of the universe. That the energy you put out into the world is what will come back to you.
Tangible Karma is your opportunity to help yourself while helping others, by putting out those items around your home that you no longer need and passing the on freely to those who need them. The nice thing is, with Karma, you can expect it all to come back to you.
Tangible Karma is a company founded by Amber Nicole Dilger in 2005 and her idea was to recycle and reuse. You can visit their website to donate goods and track how they are used to help others.
Amber knew that a cluttered life can lead to a cluttered mind, which in turn leads to an instability of emotion and overall nervousness that can take away from the calming space that a home is supposed to be.
Combining this with her strong conviction of being a steward of the Earth and making the best possible use of its resources, she knew that recycling resources is a great way to tread lightly on our home.
International Children's Book Day
We all have our favorite books from childhood, ones that set the tone for our imaginations and that bring back memories of home when we remember them, and some small comfort when we run our fingers over the well-worn and loved spines of the stories of our youth. The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) founded Children’s Book Day in 1967. As an international non-profit organization promoting the importance of literacy and reading to our children, IBBY works tirelessly to promote Children’s Book and Authors, and organize events in schools and libraries all over the world to get children reading.
