Multitasking

One often hears the comment,
He or she can multitask;
Usually followed by a lament,
Only one thing at a time can I grasp.
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The truth is, as usual, more complex.
We all carry multitudes of thoughts;
Billions of neurons that can multiplex,
A trillion signals, something nature wrought.
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In the store, on the road, or at work,
Each of us awash in a sea of thinking;
Eddying currents of concerns lurk,
Intents, purposes, desires never shrinking.
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We twitch, fidget, shuffle our feet, drum our fingers --
Completing some tasks as other concerns still linger.


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- Now, what else was it I was going to do? Ah, yes...

Going out on a chilly September night

My workday will be done, thought I,
All done so I can relax and read.
Then my boss called, did not know why,
To tell me of emergency, then beg and plead.
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Could I go clean a building, way out west,
Just a quck trash and dash, nothing hard;
Co-worker gone to funeral - could not protest,
Sympathy caused me to lower my guard.
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So now I must venture out later tonight,
At the hour when I usually go to bed;
Drive twenty miles in the moonlight,
Show up to clean a building, brick red.
Despite leadened limbs and tired brain,
Will clean it quick and out, not complain.

------->And I did, made OT too<-----------------

They are at it again.
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Now the party, claiming to detest government control,is
Emplacing two mortgage entities directly under it!
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been taken over.
Officials high in the Fed and Bush administrations
Have decided that our nations future is too valuable,
To be left to market forces. Needing to guarantee
Financial markets, they have siezed control of two
Giant financial institutions, ones that underwrite
Home mortgages for millions of homeowners.
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Debts will be covered, but stockholders are left
Holding nearly-worthless paper. Poor investors.
So much for laissez-faire. So much for free-market
Economics. Welcome to closet socialism?
Maybe it will work better? We can only hope.

Relationships

Relationships, solid as rock, or ethereal as the wind.
Moving from one to the next, tarrying awhile.
Like a monkey grasping limbs to move about in the trees,
Some branches are solid, hold a long time. Others
Snap after a short time, forcing the monkey to move on.
Some relationships become more solid with time,
Enduring weathering events, gaining strength of character.
Others shatter easily, were never meant to be at all.
The monkey keeps moving, wondering to himself,
"When will I ever settle down?"
"When will I grasp that final limb?"
Only time will tell.

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The Last Gift
The Republicans have given us one last gift.
And it is a doozy.
One that will reverberate throughout the years,
Warfare clashing resonating throughout history.
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To recap, they gave us an unpopular war
In Iraq, one costing trillions of dollars,
As well as thousands of US soldiers, and untold Iraquis.
They showered big business with tax breaks,
And the rich saw their taxes go way down.
President Bush made enemies around the world,
Emboldened regimes like Venezuela and Cuba.
Antagonized our longtime allies, especially France.
Bullied countries large and small.
Basically pursued a line of helping the rich.
Corporate thieves get away with wholesale theft,
While small-time criminals do hard time. Wear
A suit, give money to the GOP, and you can seemingly
Do anything and get away with it.
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But now, the final gift, or rather, time bomb.
Georgias' president invades his own provinces,
Russia invades them back, upon a request for help.
And the U.S. jumps all over Russia, sending aid and munitions
To Georgia. The administration rounds up the allies,
NATO, and in general takes a confrontational tone
With Russia, riling them up big time.
So, in leaving office, George & Co have left the USA
With a huge debt, badly tarnished international image,
A reputation for torture and flouting international laws.
And now, we are also stuck with a new cold war.
Thanks a lot, G.O.P., you have destroyed our country.
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Love energy


What does it mean?
Down in the doldrums,
Sitting in a chair,
Several choices, none appealing.
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Mind gets made up, fingers punch buttons,
I call, he answers. "Sure, come on over!"
My heart soars. A place to go, full of love.
Visit him and his roommate, eat pizza,
Chatter like crazy, pet the cats, view hail damage.
At my home, I struggle to move through routine.
At his home, I'm on fire.
What does it mean?
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Who knows. It felt good to visit an old friend again.

Round Universe

Was noticing the other day, how a metal framework looked curved out of the corner of my eye. My very rounded eyeball, that is. This set me to pondering.

Our universe seems filled with round shapes. Planets, stars, asteroids, all spherical. Spiraling galaxies, going round and round, tracing some kind of circle.

Nature spins, whorls, coruscates, branches out in increasing diameters. There is so much that is round, and so little that is a naturally occuring square or parallelogram. Sharply-angled lines, boxes, geometric shapes seem to be an artificial imprint of humankind. We impose our gridded-out sense of order, to keep track of things. To make the universe hold still, show a count, display a picture. Even though we are ourselves a product of the universe, replete with all of our curved and rounded bodily surfaces. We square off everything to get a better grip on things. Which makes me wonder a few things.

Would we be better off with round houses? Circular rooms, that overlap perhaps? Round cars? Round TV's, computers, chairs, etc.

Are we a product of universal entropy, the final "running down", and our lines and squares and angles yet another manifestation of finality, entropy, and ultimately, an ending of things?
With the common state of matter existing energetically in a circular, rounded shape of being, should some of our philosophies and institutions better reflect this, to better insure our survival as a species?
Heady stuff, to be sure. Like the thought experiments we used to do as schoolkids, IE maybe our universe is a speck orbiting an atom in a giants universe, or vise versa. - maybe our solar system/galaxy/universe is a particle contained in a drop of water, that is falling as rain. or is in water being drunk or digested by a giant being. Silly, perhaps. Also, in a way, illuminating.

Which brings me round to light. Is light not a particle, or a wave, but a "something spinning in a circle so fast, it gives off a glow? What is the glow made of? Who knows. It makes my head spin (in a circle) thinking about it.
But our universe does seem to be made with roundness in mind. Perhaps we should incorporate more roundness into our devices - maybe they would mesh better with the external enviornment.
I'm sure I'm not the first one to think of this - but it does give me pause.
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Homeownership

Lessons learned from owning a home,
Include various remodeling skills;
Plumbing, laying tile, electrical code,
Roofing, painting, landscaping thrills.
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One ability no one warned me about,
One neccesary quality to survive and thrive,
Is a very thick hide, ignorance of doubt,
Ability to press onward despite jeers and gibes.
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For no matter what one says or does,
Someone is always complaining,
Criticizing, laughing as if it was
Any of their business pertaining.
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Every time I decide to go out into my yard,
Criticized or jabbed by some neighborhood retard.
Wish that they would be similarly jarred,
Cut down derisively, hoist by their own petard!
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Sometimes I almost don't hear anything at all,
Other times it seems to be a chorous of negativity.
It really is a shame.

The Iowa State Fair is Coming!

Pickups are lining the space along the fence now.
Rides are being erected, cranes dotting skyline.
Front Gates are barricaded shut now, no more pre-fair gawkers allowed.
Animals can be heard, lowing, mooing, bleating.
Sound systems tested, heard in ones' living room.
Ready or not, here it comes - the food, the noise, the hustle and bustle.
Worst of all, the endless traffic.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aug. 6th

Neighborhood quietude beautific, peaceful.
Sunday afternoon sunshine dapples quiet streets;
Children play in roadways, parents casually watchful.
Fairgrounds silent after weekend horse trainer meet.
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Silence soon shattered by frenetic increase
Traffic, activity pick up, campers begin streaming
Into lots, along with many pickups, without surcease.
Agricultural trailers, combines, grain bins massing ...
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Sky glider rides soon take flight,
Food vendors pile in, lining the avenues;
Trailers of every description fight
For any free space to unload their purviews.
In preparation, state fairgrounds fill up in a jiffy,
When the hordes arrive, it all must look spiffy!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Aug. 7th

The fair is here, the fair is now,
Come on out and see the butter cow.
Shaun Johnson in creamy yellow,
Other famous faces, also with a dairy glow.
Horses, pigs, sheep, and camels,
Variety of types of four-footed mammals.
Food stands galore, loaded with greasy goodies,
Dessert counters to top off high-calorie feasts.
Gawk at displays as you avoid travelling beasts,
Take in a free show, or artwork display at least.
Thrill to the rides, cruise the sky glider,
Enjoy people watching, can be even wilder.
Indulge yourself in fairs' sensory overload,
Before returning, satiated, to your humble abode!

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Like it or not, the fair is here. May as well enjoy it.

RAGBRAI
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One sweltering day in late July,
Humidity saturating warm summer air;
What do the news crews, cameras spy,
Many bicycles appearing out of nowhere.
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Thousands of enthusiastic riders,
Swarming down state highways;
Towns welcome the two-wheeled gliders,
Offering refreshments, and a hearty welcome always.
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After a grueling daily ride, hills and all,
Riders offered showers, food, other measures;
As long as one avoids flats and falls,
Then one can revel in post-ride pleasures.
Ragbrai, the huge bicycle party across the state,
Now a staple activity on Iowans summer plate!



They are at it again *grin*

Planetary Spectacle

Fun celebrations of US Independence Day,
Barbeques, music, fireworks galore;
Throngs of citizens, festive and gay,
Enjoying time off, concerts, parties and more.
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Television showing cooking, drink concotions,
Inexpensive, enjoyable activities for families;
Financial cares, employment woes forgotten,
Viewing sky spectacles, hearing patriotic homilies.
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Yet even as we celebrate, a bigger show is coming,
Many nations are gathering, joining efforts together;
Scientists from around the globe are meeting,
Conferencing, writing papers, taking measures.
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Future Space exploration, colonization efforts,
Will be international, combining many abilities;
Dwarfing any one nations' more meager effort,
We will occupy our living space with more agility.
Humans, whether Americans or other nationalities,
Will leave our cradle, discover amazing new possibilities!


Something I wrote around July 4th.

Mirror crack'd for good

First day back at work, after vacation,
Pushing myself through the paces;
Rejoining working peoples' convocation,
A sunburned rat rejoining the races.
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Cleaning routine pursued with vigor,
Until encounter with first floor restroom;
Seeing piles of broken glass was a trigger,
To reduce my mood to uncharacteristic gloom.
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Slivers and shards scattered all over the place,
On sinks, countertops, toilets and the floor;
Jumbled piles of heavy, jagged mirror face,
I gripped my broom, feeling a touch of horror.
Eventually much sweeping, vaccuuming too,
Made ugly shards dissapear, renewed my mood.


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What a welcome back. But I got thru it okay.

Aftermath

Now the ugly brown waters are receding,
Absorbed fecal, diseased detrius leaving;
Powdery coating of destruction left gleaming,
A dry, sunny afternoon, now a cleanup proceeding.
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Some lucky cities dodged the bullet this time,
Many unfortunate ones got hit dead on;
Weary Iowans once again begin the climb,
From disasters' human and economic prostration.
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Yet somehow we do it, over and over again,
We grit our teeth, square our shoulders,
Pick ourselves up and gradually regain
Our capacities, though weary and older.
Midwesterners are like the trick punching dolls,
Leaning and rolling around, still we will not fall down.
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And it is a good thing for the hungry people that we keep going, and going, and going....

Flooding


Silent but deadly,
Waters creep upward,
Engulfing everything,
Even hope and optimism --
They could be the black mists of the underworld,
Or perhaps what Greek mythmakers emulated.
Our homes, our livelihoods, our future hopes,
All drowning in the ponderous sea overtaking us.


And me without a paddle.


The whole Midwest is really getting socked this year.

Devastation


Went out into the yard today, and what did I see,
Twigs and branches everywhere;
A limb of a large tree almost hit the house;
Barely missed a big Insurance claim,
And an even bigger mess indoors.

Still, I am fortunate.
Pasrkersburg, Iowa was leveled by an EF-5.
Sights of people gathering scraps of belongings,
Amongst devastated piles, formerly houses.
Lives were lost, family tragedies wreaked.
Will take them years to recover from this blow.

But the summer storm season has barely begun,
More tornadoes are on the way I am sure;
Seems like we delude ourselves with temporary,
Fleeting pleasures and hopes, while Mother
Nature prepares to deliver her next punch.

Life is like a series of brief oases of
relaxed happiness, bounded by lengthy
Periods of unceasing struggle against adversity.
"Where is the happiness?" small part of me wonders.

"Might as well get used to it," real life responds.

It was a nasty weekend in parts of Iowa last Saturday.

Consumption Crash

Watching gas prices soar,
Am reminded of the times before...
We had several warnings about this,
Ignoring them all, in our hubris.
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1973, the first OPEC oil shock,
Then only ten percent of our stocks;
Threw everyone into consternation,
Began talk of energy conservation.
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Measures were adopted, large and small;
Soon reneged on, as prices began to fall;
Another round of shortages in late 1970's,
Renewed concern, brought back measures.
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Early Eighties, and prices sunk once again,
Drillers went broke, Motorists bought bigger.
Nine-eleven, 2001. Price shock repeated.
Brief station gouging, followed by charges.
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Today, there is no relief on the horizon.
Our only hope, relief from four-dollar gas,
To discard our pride which caused it all.
Consumption of petroleum must crash.
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Lowering pride, and riding a bicycle;
Humbling oneself, and taking the bus,
Daring to be different, walking to work,
Finding another way, buying a smaller car.
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Our time is running out. Our pride
In what we drive, image of our "ride"
The biggest thing standing in the way,
Between ourselves and a solution.
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Do we have any moxie left as a people?
We could be better than previous generations;
Discarding profligate consumptions,
Humbly returning to simple transportations.
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We must crash the petroleum market,
Crash our fuel consumption,
Crash the greedy traders who profit from our pain,
Crash the whole energy-guzzling infrastructure.
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Returning to simpler times,
With cleaner air to breathe;
Life might get more fine,
A cleaner world, we can leave.
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-One can hope anyway

No Slavery

What if the USA had never enacted slavery?
What if no state ever deemed it economically necessary
To turn a race of African people into property?
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Would we have electged a black president by 1876?
Would there have been more rapid interbreeding,
a more thorough mixing af races, more half-and-halfs?
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There probably would have been less resentment, less
Intergenerational hatred, less ineriority complexes, less
Drug addiction. Having never been made unequal,
There would never be any questions of equality, period.
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Because of an economic and political set of decisions,
Mainly by sourthern states, in the 1790-1810 time period,
We wreaked a disaster upon a race of human beings,
And we as a country are still paying the price for this.
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In America, it seems, there have always been big winners,
And even bigger losers. We should learn from past blunders,
Strive to do better in the future. Morality counts as much
In economic affairs as it does in sexual ones, if not more!
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Just musing today

Busy Saturday

Got the groceries bought, all put away;
Time to plant more flower seeds;
Things line up for another busy saturday,
Chores and pleasures plentiful indeed.
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Thank goodness I got to sleep in,
Rest uninterrupted by shrill alarm,
Body energized for work and sin,
Weekend pleasures should do no harm.
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Perhaps after all the frenetic running,
Scrambling around, doing variety of tasks;
There will be time to sit and do nothing,
Take deep breath, stretch, relax at last.
Put on a movie or documentary,
Peacefully lazy, contentedly sedentary.


So sedentary, I did not enter this until Monday.

Three power world

Since China is a major player on world stage,
Possessing nukes, missiles, warheads galore;
New world strategic framework is presaged,
Time to include them in Start talks and more...
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America, faded glory notwithstanding,
Is still a Superpower nevertheless;
Russia's military is still outstanding,
Capabilities give US planners no rest.
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China has advanced military power,
Largest army, giant navy, missiles galore;
Strategic nuclear arms make them tower,
Over other Asian nations, and more...
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Now is the time to forge a new treaty,
Limit three sides to deterrent-only capability;
If USA, Russia and China - the Big Three,
Sign strategic compact, peace is a high probability.
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We should do it, in my ever so humble opinion.

Bikeride

I rode my bicycle again today,
Was out on a cool April evening.
Softball teams playing out a ways,
Boisterous groups of girls competing.
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Two locomotives tugged railcars lazily along,
Seeming not to be in any particular hurry;
I rode past the screaming softball throngs,
Their frenetic catcalls not my worry.
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A car would occasionally roar past me,
Thankfully giving me a wide berth;
Crossed a bridge over a swollen creek,
Frothing waters seemed to burble with mirth.
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Finally reached the main bike trail,
Flat tunnel through tree-lined prairie,
My scenic exercise landscape, holy grail,
Toddlers and kids out, had to be wary.
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My legs churned along on automatic,
Deep, steady breathing similarly routine;
To watch attentively for pedestrians is pragmatic,
Appreciating attractive ones, without acting obscene.
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Frogs, insects serenading in shallow pools,
Left by rains alongside the trail;
Deposited in long ditches, temperature cool,
Parallelling trail and nearby rails.
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Bright green grass, flowers on lawns,
Greeted my eyes pleasantly as I rode;
Not going to be any television pawn,
Trapped by obesity in my humble abode.
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Though I endured the usual catcalls,
Bratty teen idiots making sarcastic remarks;
Exercise, fresh air, beauty - I enjoyed it all,
Head and body recharged; health and hope sparked!
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Not even all the smart-assed alpha males on the East Side dampened my mood that day.