All bowls, all the time

I put together an iTunes playlist consisting of eleven hours of Tibetan singing bowl music. Makes for a very cosmic experience.

It's not just the blog

I know this blog has slowed down a lot over the past several months. And it's not the only thing.

I don't get out as much as I used to. I used to go to the coffee shop every day, and be there for hours, visiting with all the folks who'd come and go. Now, I go two or three days a week, and usually stay less than an hour.

I still eat most of my meals out, but I often eat alone. If I'm with someone, it's probably my friend Kathryn or Ms. HRP, or sometimes DianeC.

The group still meets for dinner on Wednesdays and Fridays, as it did for a decade or more before I showed up. But I drop by for that about once a month now.

There are some friends I used to see daily that I now see rarely. We didn't have a falling out; it's just the natural ebb and flow of relationships.

I don't even check my email much anymore.

I spend a lot more time at home. I sleep a lot. There are a lot of routine household things I could be doing, but I really lack self-discipline for chores.

A modern Cold Mountain

The man who lives without money

This link was passed along to me on Facebook yesterday from men.style.com.

Several months ago, I was waxing prosaic about Cold Mountain, the Chinese philosopher/poet who lived an isolated life under a cliff.

Here's a story about a guy doing much the same thing today. As you'll see, a lot of the romanticism is stripped away.

I don't think I ever seriously considered living in a cave. I was thinking more along the lines of Walden: isolated, but not completely cut off. And with running water. And heat and air. And broadband Internet.

Losing ground

The house looks worse every day. Even the Very Dark Room, which I had pledged to myself to keep tidy, is starting to get cluttered. I care, but I don't care enough to devote a day to house cleaning, which I hate worse than anything. Except the dentist.

Sunday or Monday, I guess

I have nothing to report.

Take away the nothing

Imagine that the whole universe is a single empty room with white walls. Now, take away the white. Subtract any concept of color.

Next, take away the walls. In fact, take away the whole room. What's left is nothing.

Now, take away the nothing. And what's left is what I think the universe really is. Or maybe it's what I want the universe to be. But if I take away the 'I,' then who or what wants it?

Fortunately, thinking about this stuff is optional.

Michael Jackson

I try to not get caught up in pop culture stuff, but the dynamics of the Michael Jackson coverage interest me.

My own perception of Jackson at the time of his death was that he'd been incredibly big about twenty-five years ago, and since then had just been fodder for late-night comedians and supermarket tabloids.

Suddenly now (or so it seems to me), he's been elevated to a stature loftier than he ever held in life, and even people who weren't born when 'Thriller' came out are buying in to the Elvisization of Jackson.

My suspicion is that they are simply taking cues from the media coverage rather than thinking on their own. I almost think they'd have the same reaction if Al Yankovich died, assuming the media afforded him the same hysterical, overwrought coverage.

Random notes

When I was in my twenties, I didn't care about having plants or pets. I didn't want the hassle of caring for either one. Even now, weed-pulling and vet visits are chores I'd rather avoid. But I do enjoy having some animals around, and the collection of plants in my yard makes it seem more tranquil.

My goal is to make my yard - especially my back yard - a sort of sanctuary where I can spend my time. I feel old and tired, and I just want a place where I can sit quietly and have no stress.

It looks like I'm just a few weeks away from having it all finished. The plumbing on the garage has been inspected and approved, so we're clear to install the shower and toilet. The electrical has hit a snag with the city, which I hope will be resolved next week. They'll be putting exterior sealant on the siding this week, and if the electrical issues are resolved, spraying in insulation as well.

There's a small pond in the back that still needs a pump installed. Before we run electricity for that, I'm trying to get some info on moving the gas meter, which sits right in the middle of the back yard. I hope to have that resolved by week's end as well.

I'm having a new section of fence put in between the house and the garage, and that is also dependent on the electrical inspection, since there's a trench for the electric service right where the fence will be, and it can't be filled in until the inspection is complete.

The landscaping has been going on for about a year now, and the garage about ten months. I am ready for things to get back to normal around this place.

I had planned to do some work inside the house as well, and even started part of it, but I'm not going any further with it. I need to conserve my financial resources, and I need to have peace and quiet around here.

Nothing to report

I have a few random notes to post, but not right now.