generally cruddy

when my blog began, many of the entries consisted of sections of an old manuscript of poems and meditations I put together in the early nineties called Ache for Eternity: A Journey in Verse. my writing from this time tends to be more naively sincere and less nuanced than my current writing, but still, nonetheless, [...]

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Melancholy/Beautiful

Here is a list of songs that at various times have made me long, ache. For what? I am not sure. Maybe beauty. Maybe love. Maybe eternity.
“Pure” by The Lightning Seeds from Cloudcuckooland
“Sit Down” by James from James
“The River Will Flow” Whiteheart from Freedom
“The Dance” by Servant from Swimming in a Human Ocean
“Sar Kiye Ye [...]

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Overcoming “Prejudice”

Almost four months ago, I wrote this highly prejudicial piece about the new remake of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Alas, I should have taken the theme of the book to heart and not been so pre-judging.
I did not plan to see this movie so readily, but last Friday night when my friend Rachel was [...]

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“He Puts the Lonely in Families…” Part II

I was thinking about my latest post as I was driving around today and feel that it needs some further development. I wondered if it left the impression that I believe that only families can be purveyors of true hospitality. I do not, even though I do value family life very highly….

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“He Puts the Lonely in Families…”

Last night I slept over at the house of the sibs who teach me about tension management. The little ones were nestled all snug and we sat on the floor and looked at a children’s atlas, complete with the little drawings of corn or sardines or hockey players which tell one what is produced or [...]

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In Delight of Winter or Master Lloyd Sleeps on the Deck

Winter has returned to the St. Louis area, and this time with a bit more earnestness. Its first appearance about a month or so ago was merely a flirtation, a day and a half of promises of sweater and hat weather and then it was off again. In truth, even though I like the progression [...]

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Tension is to be Loved

I do not like tension. In fact, I carefully structure my interpersonal interactions to try to avoid it, to a fault. I know, though, that when tension is there it is no good to simply ignore it. Ignore it and it will just come back again at a more inopportune time, and then likely with [...]

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Three Hymns for All Saints Day

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The titles of each of these are links to MIDI versions of the tunes which I first used to sing them. Often time this turns out to be my favorite tune, perhaps just because of associations with the place, literal and spiritual, in which I was when I learned them.
I find modern tune updates for [...]

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