-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
johndiestler – Lafayette, California – Retired community college professor of graphic design, multimedia and photography, and chair of the fine arts and media department. johndiestler on Nude with a Hat Anonymous on Nude with a Hat johndiestler – Lafayette, California – Retired community college professor of graphic design, multimedia and photography, and chair of the fine arts and media department. johndiestler on Deep Dive johndiestler – Lafayette, California – Retired community college professor of graphic design, multimedia and photography, and chair of the fine arts and media department. johndiestler on I’m Stepping Anonymous on I’m Stepping Archives
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- November 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2017
- February 2017
Categories
Meta
Category Archives: Commentary
The Name Game
In Genesis, Adam spent a great deal of his first days, naming everything that he saw. This is a good thing. Asking for the “whatcha-ma-call-it” can present some amazing results. Existence can be broken down into discrete objects. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The Purpose of History
I love history, but I don’t often question the “why” of history. In some way, I delight in knowing something that is important, but widely ignored. Is this an ego thing or is it a process of bringing attention to … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Common Ratios
2/1 = .5, 3/2 = 1.5, 5/3 = 1.666, 8/5 = 1.6, 13/8 = 1.62, 21/13 = 1.615, 34/21 = 1.619, 55/34 = 1.6176, 89/55 = 1.61818, 144/89 = 1.61797 Math is an exact science, carried out to infinite sequencing, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Trophes
I was thinking about Venusians. Venus had been an early target for space probes, but we haven’t been back there in decades. Why? Perhaps because the probes sent back all the important information we needed. Perhaps it was because the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Rules for HitchHiking
Two things that are odd. 1) that there should be rules for something as iconically free spirited as hitchhiking. 2) that I haven’t thumbed a ride in nearly forty years. There is a chance I’ve forgotten a few things. So … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Songs of the Heart
Imogene Heap- The Moment I Said It The moment I said it…The moment I opened my mouth…Letting your eyelids…Bulldoze the life out of me…I know what you’re thinking…But darling, you’re not thinking straight…Sadly, things just happen we can’t explain. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The End of Childhood
There can be a lot of discussion about this. It happens to every person. One day, you are a child, the next day you are not. It certainly is not a calendar thing, or a particular age. It may also … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Reflections of Online Teaching
Susan, I am so completely with you on your reflections. There are issues that are limiting by their very nature. As a visual artist I have spent years teaching students to “look through their tool”, to see the work clearly, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Testing Some Ideas
The first idea that I would like to ponder is “nature versus nuture.”. This is an idea that has gone through vast swings in popularity. Since the 1990s, with advanced studies in genetics, the importance of nature has increased. The … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Strange Beginings
Much of my reading history began at “Lane’s Hole in the Wall”, a store that was a collection of used items, either found or purchased. There was an auction hall right next door, so I suspect in the beginning that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Cleaning up Language 2
‘At the end of the day”, or it’s even more inane second cousin “In this day and age” is clearly my number three and number four most irritating phrases. Both suffer from the position that the speaker implies, namely, that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Cleaning Up Language
1st- “It was a miracle!” So overused. “NES” the normal Hebrew word for miracles. The word actually means “banner” or signal. In Ancient Hebrew it is not the same word for miracles as Biblical Hebrew. Using NES is not wrong, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Yes, this is Weird
Why does this happen late at night? Because you can’t see so well, dummy. Well, I can hear twice as well at night to compensate. About thirty years ago we lived in a house that had a central hallway that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
We Make It So Easy!
There was a moment there, when I first heard it, that I felt that I had been asleep, or inattentive for some time. Like a Rip Van Winkel, deep asleep, while bowling is all around him. But then I woke … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
My Connection to The Stooges
Okay, so the biggest connection is that I married my wife. Her mother was born in Pittsburgh, but her grandmother Jennie, was born in Yurburg, Lithuania. A sad story, because in 1941 the Nazis, along was some local Lithuanians, murdered … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Dracula
No, not the Hollywood version, the historical guy! Vlad the Impaler “Tepes”, “Dracula, Prince of Wallachia “. Yep, he was a relative, not a direct line grandfather, he was an 8th cousin, 18 times removed, not a close relative but … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Follow the Truth
Yes, that is a good thing. But how do we know it is the truth? So many things seem to on the basis of “a consensus of opinion”. Well, what if my opinion is different? Am I knowledgeable enough to … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
A Wise Saying
There is an old Jewish saying, “the death of one man, is the death of a nation!” Well, no truer statement can be made as I have learned so painfully in the last few minutes. I have been known to … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Black Friday Thoughts
I’m trying hard to wrap my mind around the day after Thanksgiving being called Black Friday. Clearly, this isn’t a thing where “Black is bad!”, but it also isn’t “Black is beautiful”. It’s just the day after a national holiday … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Last Road Story
The last road story is up on Terrorhousemag.com. In December I have two more in the pipeline, and one more story rattling around my frontal lobes. It’s an interesting process, words… Words that want to become. To push Michelangelo’s metaphor … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Tribute to Hodja 2
The girls were fighting, there were doors slamming. My peace was being disturbed. My wife didn’t seem to mind, she went on with her morning as if nothing was wrong. I glared at the stairs leading down to the landing. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Auðr the Deep-Minded
By now I’ve gotten used to finding my great grandparents with additional naming devices. Harald “Bluetooth”, Alfred “The Great”, Godefroi “The Captive”, Harald “Hard Ruler”, Charles III “The Simple”, Æthelred “the Unready”, and even Eystein “The Fart”. But now I … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Tribute to Hodja
So I’m constantly losing the channel changer, the clicker, or the remote. My wife misplaces her hearing aide. She has a built in GPS, but it has no beep. Fine, it’s lost in the house. How does that help? At … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Missing Teeth
(Another short story heading for Terror House Magazine) I know this is going to sound weird. This is why I’m doing this in my journal. I do this for several reasons. I do it long hand because I don’t trust … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
On Veterans Day
There is no point in me re-writing what has already been done so well. I give full credit to Julia Gusse and repost this excellent article. By Julia R. Gusse Every individual who has ever served in the U.S. military … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
A Study in 1992
There were 47 transplant patients in a study published in 1992. There had been many unspecific reports of a condition called “cell-memory transference”. The concept that personal memories exist in cell tissue outside the normal brain tissue where memories are … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
It’s All Over
Okay, maybe it’s not. Who knows, the devil is in the details. The interesting thing is the silence of friends and family. Some are sad, but don’t want to say anything in case I’m celebrating. Some are happy, but don’t … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Brigida Haraldsdotter Gille
Interesting person, my 23rd great grandmother. She was born in Hordaland, Norway. We think her mother was Tora Guttormsdatter Sudreim, but this is debated. Her father was Harald IV Magnusson Gille, king of Norway. Unfortunately she was also illegitimate as … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Richomer
He was a Frank in service to the Emperor Gracian, also known as Flavius Richomeres, born 350, died 393. For a time he was Consul of Rome, he was also my 43rd great grandfather. How does this barbarian Frank become … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
The Intersection
I’ve been pondering the complexities of “knowing” and “believing”. It’s oblivious to me that this is not a new concept, but sometimes it takes some research to find the shoulders of greater minds. The closest I found was Thomas Aquinas, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
What I Know, What I believe
I know about physical mortality, I believe in spiritual immortality. I know about free will, I believe in destiny. I know about evil, I believe in the ultimate conquest of good. I know about love, I believe it is attainable … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
I Believe
What a powerful statement! A verifying statement that determines the very existence of a thing or a thought. If you believe, it is there, if you don’t believe it isn’t there. At least that is one concept that is out … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Worst Day in History Time does exist, it may also be theoretical, but the reality of linear time is apparent to all. While “value” may be highly subjective, there has been some attempt to define the “worst day in history”. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
COVID Events
This could have happened in any case. But perhaps some AI has figured out that I would be interested. The older one gets, often there is less outdoor activity. Less activity outside often increases activity inside. With technology, increased indoor … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Language is Compressed Evolution
Sometimes a person reads a book and the ideas are so foreign that it takes hours of re-reading a paragraph, and in the end you still are unsure of the intent or the direction. It is as unsettling as sand … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Diestler Homes
Poking around Google Earth, I started a search for old residences of Diestler’s, at least the addresses that I could remember. This led to a general search of my photo file and the results where interesting. I tried to find … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Some doors are one way…
If only we knew for certain that all choices can be undone without penalty. I can help with that statement, that all choices come with a penalty. The problem is the size of the penalty. For example, you are walking … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
A Solemn Day
Today is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement that comes after the ten Days of Awe, starting with Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year. Obviously if you are Jewish you would already know this. For the first thirty years … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
What Films Can Do!
All this sequestering has upped my cinematic experiences. I have a tendency to select action films. Action plus historical fact is a guaranteed winner for me. As far as genres, it is only a very narrow slice of what is … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
Who are you voting for?
There are few direct questions that gives me more grief. Immediately my brain goes to “Why?” And my mental answer is always the same. It goes through the filter, “Is this person so confused that they are seeking clarity from … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
I am old enough
I am old enough to remember the Free Speech Movement, not from the newscasts of NBC, CBS, and ABC (the only main sources), I know it because I caught a bus and walked up University Avenue. I didn’t have a … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
4 Comments
Nuremberg Chronicle Map
Mentioned in a birthday gift from a good friend. Thank you Peter. Also known as The Liber Chronicarum, of Hartmann Schedel, printed in Nuremberg by Anton Koberger in 1493. A complete history of the world from creation to the publication … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The Ignorance of My Youth
This could be a very long blog post. I will limit it to a very short subject. There was a time, when I was first introduced to Medieval Art, probably in high school. I was impressed by most, and some … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
William I
My 25th great grandfather is William the Bastard, or William the Conqueror, as he was known later. That month of October in 1066, I had four great grandfathers fighting for the right to be king of England. Three that were … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The End
There was a beginning, there was most certainly a middle, it only makes sense that there is an end. I just never thought I would recognize it. I thought it would come like a thief in the night. That it … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Newsflash
I have some very stressing news. I just read a news article that I trust very much. It reports on trends based upon hard data, and it seems absolutely reliable. The hard data calculates (with a 98% accuracy) that within … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
3 Comments
I Grew a Flower
The more I think about it, I have come to the original source of most of our woes on this planet. That’s a bold statement, so it should be “thoughtfully” thought about. I was thinking about Robert Heinlien’s book “Stranger … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Terror House Magazine
Terror House Magazine is published on-line by a division of Terror House Press, based in Sheridan, Wyoming and Tirana, Albania. A combination that is international and certainly unusual. The magazine was founded in 2018 in Budapest, Hungary by author and … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Trees Wearing Pants
You never know what you are going to find in a Google search. I once put that title in three different search engines, and I got nothing, zip, zero. Not even a literary reference. I suppose you are thinking that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Writing Prompt- City in the Sky
Someone I know had the grace to encourage writing by constructing a small phrase that may have a cascade effect. A few words that opens a gate for a torrent of words. Of course I only know her by the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
The New Normal
I’ve been moving around on this sphere for over a half century, so that has given me some perspectives. Some things I have seen, and some things I am seeing again. That is as it should be. But there are … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
I Think Gestalt
I think what I love about poetry,Is the spaces it creates. Not only the scenery,With the wild descriptions,And the subtext messages. But also the gaps of the story,Filled in by the reader. It is a sort of joint project,The poet … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
12 Comments
After a Time
After a time, a very long time of muteness, a word was made. It was a very good word, or so it thought of itself. Perhaps it thought too highly, because the word left to go search for the best … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Hollywood Art
http://www.youtube.com/watch Check paxvox.com for some great music.
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
I’m a Big Fan
I’m a big fan of Annie Dillard. I read most of her work in the 1980s, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” and “Teaching a Stone to Talk”, to name a few. I really was fond of her short stories, never quite … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
“I don’t understand!”
“Well, I’m not surprised. Did you perhaps take any theoretical physics classes? Do you have a vague understanding of ‘string theory’? Are you at least aware of the electrical activity of your physical brain?” “Yes, of course. I know about … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
The Orders
Teutonic Knight, Wilhelm von Ütgenbach, Herr zu Ehrenstein. My 18th great grandfather, and his grandfather, Teutonic Knight, Gerlach von Ütgenbach und Ehrenstein. My 20th great grandfather, Teutonic Knight, Gottfried III, von und zu der Heess. My 17th great grandfather They … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
I am pondering
This is always a potentially dangerous start. On this blog it could be literally anything. This thought is about numbers, and how we use them to find an edge to a concept. My daughter just gave us a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Is it the Person? Or is it Fear?
I have the pondered the point of writing this. Do I expect that I will change minds? Sadly, no I don’t. Primarily because on the basis of WordPress analytics I have approximately 7.5 readers per week, and three of them … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Brunehilde der Wisigothen
Or better known as Brunnhilda of the Visigoths. I am stepping out from my usual story telling to include this tale of the wife of my 40th great uncle, not grandfather, Sigebert I, King of Austrasia. For some of us … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Another attempt at Terror
Snick! There was a satisfying weight in his hands. Weight meant significance, weight implied power and meaning. He had hold of a chunk of steel with power and meaning, and weight! The folding knife with its six inch tanto styled … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Chlotilde of Burgundy
My 43rd great grandmother, and wife of Clovis I, King of the Franks. Chlotilde was a Christian, but she married Clovis who was a very vigorous pagan. The Salian Franks were primarily pagan at this time, but a few were … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Stephen, Count of Blois
His full name is Étienne Henri ‘Stephen’ II, Count of Blois, de Champagne and de Meaux. And he was my 28th great grandfather. This is yet another sad tale, which ends with Stephen dying in battle, a thousand miles from … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Latest renderings
I have been looking at ancient sculpture, recognizing that most were painted realistically afterwards. Thinking that rendering in color might bring something more to the Stone.
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix
Most commonly know as simply “Sulla”. So much has been written about Rome, the Republic and the Empire. Fortunately there are a lot of surviving documents written during and soon after the events being described. Unfortunately, the documents written about … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
3 Comments
This is a Sad Tale
There was a people that were displaced, and finding it hard to make their way in the world. In the east there were hordes of men on horseback that were killing and enslaving the survivors. Each year they seemed to … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Count Godefroi I, the Captive
Godfrey I (died 1002), called “the Prisoner” or “the Captive” ( le Captif), sometimes the Old (le Vieux), was the count of Bidgau and Methingau from 959. and the sovereign count of Verdun in 963 to his death. He was … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Dusk
Dusk brings quiet. The noise of work slows, even the birds seem to shelter in place. We are still sheltering in place. One early evening, after about a month of sheltering, I heard what appeared to be a coyote. It … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Fulk, King in Jerusalem
He was my 24th great grandfather, also known as Fulk the Younger. He was the Count of Anjou (as Fulk V) from 1109 to 1129 and the King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death. During his reign, the Kingdom … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Bertrade de Montfort
She was my 25th great grandmother, and a very interesting lady. First, she must have been extremely beautiful, and secondly she didn’t seem to mind being a bigamist. She was born in 1070, and lived to 14 February 1117. She … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
So, I’m learning a lot…
Who knew that heraldry is a thing. I mean, as a graphic designer I was certainly aware of the concept, but I treated it more like a primitive logo. Not so… it has rules, and structure, and meanings… very complicated. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Royal Crests
These are the crests of the lines that I have recently discovered in the genealogy of my father, and my mother. It turns out there is an entire field of study in the creation and meaning of crests. I have … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Theodoric the Great
This is a story about my 44th great grandfather. I suppose I can call him “granpoppa”. But it’s not necessarily going to be a good story. Sometimes people live in times that are “significant”, sometimes we are not just along … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
Charlemagne
He has been known as Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, since the Norman invasion of 1066. Before that he was called Charles I, even though his grandfather was also a Charles. The leaders of the Franks were not so quick … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Magnus Barefoot Olafsson
Magnus was the son of Olaf, and the grandson of Harald Hardrada. Harald was the famous Warrior King who fought in Italy, Sicily, Syria, Constantinople, Crimea, and Kiev. Then he went back to Norway to fight and become king. Later, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Blog Cruising
I was spending a little time blog cruising today, farming snippets of thought here and there. I must apologize in advance because I don’t really read for content, and certainly not carefully. When I’m “farming” I’m looking for ideas that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Golden Shovel
Softly we sing, We Voice the innermost thoughts that Are Hidden behind the furniture of our mental rooms, As Guests relax on the sofas, Blind To the melody that clings in the air like Vines The world is madly Spinning … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
10 White Witch Stories
My brother is older and has some first hand knowledge of the White Witch. Often, a group of his friends would be driving around, usually “dragging the main”. For a diversion they would drive out to Wildcat Canyon and park … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The White Witch
If you grew up in the late 1950s, early 1960s you heard the stories of the White Witch of Wildcat Canyon. She lived in a haunted mansion behind Alvarado Park in Richmond, CA. There was a “speculation” highway built with … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
5 Comments
Great Grandparents
This is my attempt to justify the hours of research into genealogy. I have been on an interesting path, at first I was just collecting names, dates, and places. I would quickly gather then move on for more. It was … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Sailing Life
I spoken of my love of sailing. So many analogies to real life. The great one is relating the tongue (or thoughts) to the tiller/rudder. A very small shift can end up putting you miles off course. There is a … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Perspective
I love the double and triple meaning of words. “It all depends upon your perspective.” What does that mean? Converging railroad tracks in the distance? Or, what you see depends upon where you stand. Generally, I know this to be … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The Great Kosher Chicken Prank
There was a time when we would seek out kosher chicken from the butcher, not Safeway. There was probably not much difference in the quality of the meat, the Safeway chicken had the label kosher so my guess is that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
5 Comments
Common Sense
I don’t usually repost, but this was just too snarky to pass up. British sarcasm! An Obituary printed in the London* *Times…..Absolutely Dead Brilliant!!* 👌👌 Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Futures
Been thinking about freedom. It’s a complex issue, always a two-sided coin. You can’t discuss freedom without having constraint. If there is no constraint, then… you just are. In the same way, a lifetime of constraint doesn’t mean much, until … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Great Grandparents
I am surviving. I come from a long list of survivors. Oh, they eventually died, but before they did, they passed on their DNA. I am so amazed that if just one of my thousands of grandparents had died as … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
The Virus
So, let’s check the boxes. I am old, not terribly old, but old enough not to be confused with young or even middle-aged. I have diabetes. I’ve recently had a heart attack, and heart disease is another box that’s ticked. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Tax Season & One Things
My lovely wife did me the favor of collecting the yearly documents necessary to present to our tax person. Our new tax person, because our old tax person retired after thirty years. This has been a troubling time. For years … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Lyrics Shaping a Decade
I am of an age where my memory has been somewhat selective. I have professed to my children that the music from the Sixties was far better than any decade since. I had forgotten that the 60’s had its share … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Tangential Knowledge
What is it when we are not looking for something, and then we find it? It’s hard to be thoughtless in the literal sense, which is somehow different than the emotional uncaring sense. The pure thoughtless is almost like the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Some of our Students
Some of our students just returned from a week at our nation’s capitol. Can you imagined what they must have learned? What a perfect opportunity to witness history, to actually see the government in action, to hear live presentations from … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Hollywood
I have recently been intrigued by the classic black and white headshots of the 1940s. I’m not familiar with any names of the photographers, but I am admiring their work. Wikipedia sometimes gets the actual names of the actors wrong, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
Now?
I once saw a man with a tattoo of a watch on his wrist. Periodically it had the correct time, at least twice a day. The theoretical concept is that if he had more tattoos, it will increase the ratio … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
My friend Bob
I am inspired by his work http://www.youtube.com/watch
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
What do I make?
Well, in simplistic terms, I make art. It is art because I say so, not because I have mastered any particular media. It is art because I have recognized that in the making, that the image has crossed the threshold … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
When is it Sin? When is it Evil?
A good friend posted an article by Dennis Praeger and suggested that I read it. I’m good with that. I have several of his books and I have enjoyed his writing. No red flags there… Well, maybe one. Praeger has … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
More Encouragement Thoughts
Encouragement can be found in a vast mountain lake. A reservoir filled to the brim, more encouragement than you can receive in several lifetimes. And yet it is untapped for most of us, for most of our lives. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
DuChamp
I have lost count of what I have done and how many. Apparently my storage system is a little wacky, because I remember working on the image, and then I can’t find it. Later, it pops up like an Easter … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Various New & Revisted
I can’t leave it alone. Gotta try reworking. And I’m really only using two different brush styles. Okay, the last one is my grandson’s.
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Mucha Studies
I wanted to focus on the Mucha women, mostly their expressions, so I removed the background.s. Then I could see the faces, and naturally I took some liberties to make some changes. Changing color and line weight was a good … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
Some New, Some ReWorked
Steve Jobs had very strong opinions. Way back when the Newton was a thing, he liked it but couldn’t stand that it had a stylist. “It could get lost!” Well, yes, Steve. It could get lost, and it did get … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Been Busy
I finally upgraded an old iPad that cracked a screen. On the way to better vision, its getting hard to see detail. the doctor says its all good but I struggle. So i busted for a 12.5 iPad Pro, and … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The Big Island
“The Big Island Today I stepped on new earth. Earth that rose from magma, Mother giving birth to child, As unlovely to look at as can be imagined. Yet time will pass and the child Will change, gaining the Rainaments … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
New Earth
I’m back in the land of new earth. Dirt that is younger than I am. Yes, I know, composting trees, brush and vegetables creates new earth. But this place belches new earth from the core of the world. The Big … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
In Search of Truth
Diogenes was noted for holding a lamp during the day, saying he was looking for an honest man. He often disrupted the teachings of Socrates and Plato, by bringing food and drink to their lectures. He even criticized Alexander the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
End of Trip
Jerusalem We have been back for two or three days. Somehow with the international date line, we may have missed a day. The last few days were a blur but I will try to summarize. It was a great trip, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
The Ladder
Jerusalem I’ve been here several days, and I will stay several more. It is a city of contrasts. In many was it is like most modern cosmopolitan centers. It has traffic, noise, the bustle of people. It also has history, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The Garden Tomb
Jerusalem The city is filled with wonder, places of history, places suspected of history. When the British general Charles Gordon was here, he brought a piece of land that he felt was important. People had said that this was Golgotha, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Three Things
Okay, I have three things to ponder; living water, being hopelessly trapped and living the good life. I am currently in the Judean Wilderness, it’s not sand dunes, it’s ankle twisting, barren brown desert rock. It’s an intimidating place, made … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Golan Heights
This is a place of conflict. Conflict in the past, and likely conflict in the future. We were brought to an outpost that looks over the natural path for an invasion of Israel from Syria. It was used in 1948, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Peter’s House
The church in the air. I am in Capernaum, the famous village on the shore of the Galilee Sea. It is the town of Peter and his fishing home port. There is a ruin of a Beit Knisset, or synagogue, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Galilee
On the shore for several days. Ruins, boats and a kibbutz. Largest body of fresh water below sea level. It’s the truth, but I’m not certain of the meaning. Clearly in scripture this was an important area. Even in a … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Nazareth
Many people believe that something unique happened here. They believe that Joseph, the carpenter had his shop here, and raised his family. They believe that his wife Mary was visited by an angel and something wonderful was told to her. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Acco
My readings of crusader history always mentioned Acre. I did not know that it was known before, and later, as Acco. We are in Acco, on the shore of northern Israel. The area is beautiful, the sea is warm, enticing, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Via Maris
We are on the famous Via Maris, the Way of the Sea. For thousands of years, people, traders, and armies, moved from Egypt to Lebanon, and Phoenicia to Damascus, keeping the Mediterranean on the left, or the right, depending on … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Netanya
Landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday early evening, I bet it took two hours to get off the plane, through passport, and through baggage. And then it was another hour to get to the hotel up north. We are on … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Spinning in Less Than a Week
In less than a week, actually in four days, we will climb into a tube, breathe recycled air, rise in the atmosphere. and the Earth will spin beneath us. It will spin showing us the Sierras, it will grow dark … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Fear the Intermittent
Something has gone wrong. It’s okay, nothing works forever, it isn’t a perfect world. And we have gifts, talents, abilities… We can fix things! All we have to do is to have the right perspective. We need to approach the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
Father’s Day
It was a good day, all my children remembered, and wished me well. Mostly they remembered good things, some even great things. Some things were suspicious. For a lot of years I had a later start in my day, so … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
2 Comments
Eidolons
At the moment of the physical death of the body, the ancient Greeks thought that the essence of the person was separated from the flesh. The eidolon. First, we know that death is complicated. Sure, the heart stopping is clearly … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Growing Old in Berkeley
I dunno, I think I was a sophomore in high school, so that would be 1964, or there about. I had spent the summer going without the monthly haircut. It wasn’t long by today’s standards but wow, it was long … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Sparky Left
The power is off… again! The utility company warned us that it would cut power in case of fire danger. There is no fire, or fire danger. Power is just gone in a patchwork pattern through the countryside. We have … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Please Yield!
Okay, so this is basic driving 101. If you hit a pedestrian you immediately fail the driving test. Seems fair. If you fail to yield you also immediately fail the test, even if you didn’t hit anyone. Ha, and if … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
1 Comment
Next year in…
I have a headlamp. I haven’t always had a headlamp, but I was told I should get a headlamp. Because it is dark in Hezekiah’s Tunnel. I am going to walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel… well, wade through the tunnel. There … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Colleagues
I’ve been thinking again, Always a potentially dangerous activity. A friend of mine is considering retiring from the same college where I retired. He put in forty years, adding his years as a student. I put in forty years, adding … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
Voetica Poetry Spoken
I’m very happy with how the songs stood on their own, without the melodies. Voetica Poetry Spoken — Read on voetica.com/voetica.php
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
What do I know???
Gosh, apparently it’s less and less as time goes by. Well, I once knew, but then I didn’t. In most cases it is not a matter of dementia. At least not yet! It is just that I had a certitude … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The First Author
I have never really thought about who the first author was. I suppose I’ve always known that it was knowable, I just didn’t know it. Hmm, knowable. That implies that there are things unknowable. That seems to be a fact. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
16 Great Lines in Music
1. My friends are gone, my hair is gray, I ache in the places where I used to play- Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song 2. I wanna be safe, safer than I am now- Ilya Anderson, Personal 3. Second floor … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Leave a comment
The Purpose of History, pt. 2
Yesterday I wrote that the biggest threat to history is the lack of truth. Will Durant, an eminent historian, once said that history is mostly guessing, and the rest is prejudice. This is similar to “History is written by the … Continue reading →