Another Week

What I am really saying is that you don't need to do anything, because if you see yourself in the correct way, you are all as much extraordinary phenomenon of nature as trees, clouds, the patterns in running water, the flickering of fire, the arrangement of the stars, and the form of a galaxy. You are all just like that, and there is nothing wrong with you at all.

--Alan Watts
Still the Mind

Well, not exactly a grandiose way to re-enter the blog world. I'm only about a week away from having gone a month without blogging. It'd probably be nice to say I did it as a self-prescribed renunciation of the world and it's many shiny, distracting objects, but in truth, my life has just been completely uninspiring. There was the wedding [title links to Jimbo's picture page], which was an amazing time and took me back to my roots a little (yes, I consider my roots to be those years of mine considered formative which happen to coincide with my time in New Orleans). But there wasn't too much to post on here about all that. And outside of that trip, my life has consisted of working 40 to 50 hours a week and then going to Fatty's in the evenings...practically every evening. It's been a really good time with a couple really good people, but no mischief about which to wax philosophically. So, in turn, I've provided a quote from Watts to start me back off. We'll see how far it goes.

Standing Apart v. Standing Out

Everywhere, truly,
those of integrity
stand apart.
They, the good,
don't chatter in hopes
of favor or gains.
When touched
now by pleasure,
now pain,
the wise give no sign
of high
or low.

-Dhammapada, 6, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Currently Listening to...

For some reason, with my full list of songs stored on my computer, this song really struck my attention tonight. So here's a bit of the lyrics;

So glad to see you well
Overcome and completely silent now
With heaven's help
You cast your demons out
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you off your cloud
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're plannin' to go about makin' your amends
To the dead
...to the dead.

The Noose
A Perfect Circle