loliya lavu lesson 03 - modifiers

Note: Th version of loliya lavu that you see here I have decided not to continue past a very early stage. But, I have every intention of starting a new language based on it, hopefully soon! Check back at this blog in a few months, perhaps. Much love. updated: 2008-7-23

You learned in th last lesson about mode words, verbs, & pseudo-nouns. In this lesson, I'd like to tell you about modifiers, which work rather like adverbs & adjectives.

modifiers

Let's take a simple sentence:

a xalevu - I cook.

To give a little more information about how I cook, I might add another word. When we stick a few words together, th words after th first one act to modify it. So, for example:

a xalevu lavu - I energetically/divinely cook.
a xalevu baxiNa - I continuously/continue to cook.

a biNo wahimimi - I catly climb. / I climb in th manner of a cat.
a loliya cocu - I sharingly speak. / I speak in a sharing way.
a wahimimi coma - I happily cat. / I happily do as a cat does.

Thus do we modify our verbs. Th modifiers act like pseudo-adverbs in th above examples.

Similarly, we can modify our pseudo-nouns, making our modifiers act like adjectives. Let's take a simple sentence:

a biNo ki lolu - I climb a tree.

To modify our pseudo-noun, lolu, tree, we simply add modifiers immediately after it:

a biNo ki lolu maceka - I climb a fruit tree.
a biNo ki lolu xova - I climb a green tree.

a va ki wahimimi mali - I see/perceive a female cat.
a kawa ki beco vaxi - I go to an eating-house (restaurant).
aca we ki loca beku - I like this human-being.

You can use this to specify number:

maceka mu - one fruit
beco hi - some buildings

& you can use this to specify ownership/association:

wahimimi bu - your cat
beco ba - my house

This last method can cause confusion:

lolu wahimimi - cat tree or cat's tree?

I haven't decided whether or not I like this ambiguity. I certainly want ambiguity in loliya lavu, but maybe I will change th way ownership/association works. Thoughts?

Note: In English, we put our modifiers before th word they modify: "energetically cook", "happy cat", etc. In loliya lavu, we do th opposite; we put our modifiers after th word they modify. Don't let that throw you.

spelling numbers & letters

I came up with a dual system for numbers & letters. Basically, you have unique names for th numbers 0-15 which correspond perfectly with th sixteen letters in th alphabet. So we have:

yo - number 0 - letter y
mu - number 1 - letter m
xaki - number 2 - letter x
belima - number 3 - letter b
voNa - number 4 - letter v
ho - number 5 - letter h
kemiku - number 6 - letter k
li - number 7 - letter l
Naca - number 8 - letter N
cuxuve - number 9 - letter c
wi - number 10 - letter w
ama - number 11 - letter a
olo - number 12 - letter o
uNu - number 13 - letter u
ibi - number 14 - letter i
exe - number 15 - letter e

To spell numbers past 15, you speak each digit:

li Naca belima - 783
cuxuve mu yo ho kemiku xaki 910,562

You can also speak each digit to spell th numbers 10-15. They all have alternate names (mu yo or wi for 10; mu mu or ama for 11, etc); either name fits.

To spell words, you speak each letter:

li olo li ibi yo ama - loliya
kemiku exe mu ibi kemiku uNu - kemiku

I decided that some loliya lavu words other than mode words can begin with vowels. Proper Names will probably do that rather often. That area has yet to get developed.

clipping

One last thing before I go take a nap. It seems to me quite reasonable to allow speakers of loliya lavu to knowingly clip longer words to speak them quickly. For example, we can take th word maceka & clip in a few different ways:

macek'
mace'
mac'
ma'

Th apostrophe represents a glottal stop, a quick closing of th throat (think of John Lennon saying th "tt" in "bottle". Th cut words will thus sound cut. In theory, a listener shouldn't have any trouble distinguishing ma from a clipped ma'.

Clipping creates ambiguity. Does macek' stand for maceka or something else, like maceki or maceku? Ma' could stand in for many, many words. I like this kind of ambiguity. A loliya lavu poet can use it for puns & riddles. Hooray!

But exercise caution when clipping, because it assumes that th listener can read your mind & guess what letters you cut out. In context, it should usually make sense, but watch out.

Let's clip th phrase loliya lavu. First, loliya

loliy' (I don't think this one sounds different from loli', so I'd avoid it.)
loli'
lol'
lo'

Now, lavu

lav'
la'

& let's combine them:

loli' lav'
lol' lav'
lo' lav'
loli' la'
lol' la'
lo' la'

Th phrase on th top would confuse th least. After that, it gets more ambiguous. Just using th very few words I've already got, I can see that lo' la' can mean:

loliya lavu - energy language
loca lavu - energy person
lolu lavu - energy tree

When & if a more workable vocabulary of some thousand words gets created, lo' la' would become nearly indecipherable.

I like that.

By th way, clippings help greatly with counting. To count quickly, you could clip all th words of two or more syllables:

mu xak' bel' voN' ho kem' li Nac' cux' wi. . . .

Oy vey, I have to bother you with one more thing, but not loliya lavu-related. Tiffany just showed me something that her boss Lee showed her today at work. Apparently, it had come up that I rebel against th ridiculousness of English spelling. She mentioned how I like to spell things more logically. (Altho I do this less than I used to: I stopped using cut spelling except with a few words like th, tho, thru, etc.) Anyway, Lee showed her a delightful little puzzle that George Bernard Shaw had come up with to demonstrate th silliness of English letter-to-sound correspondence:

Pronounce this word:

GHOTI

Just do it. Do you think you have it? Now, let me give you th three hints that Lee gave Tiffany & Tiffany in turn gave to me:

1. Pronounce GH as in "enough".
   
2. Pronounce O as in "women".
   
3. Pronounce TI as in "nation".

Now how do you pronounce GHOTI?

loliya lavu lesson 02 - basic sentence structure

Note: Th version of loliya lavu that you see here I have decided not to continue past a very early stage. But, I have every intention of starting a new language based on it, hopefully soon! Check back at this blog in a few months, perhaps. Much love. updated: 2008-7-23

Ok, now that I've refried some pinto beans & cleaned up a bit, I'll add some meat to th bone I just threw you called loliya lavu.

basic sentence structure

Basic sentences unfold in th following order:

MODE WORD; VERB; ki RECEIVING ENTITY; bo GIVING ENTITY; ce 3RD ENTITY

"Receiving Entity" sort of means "Object," but not exactly. "Giving Entity" sort of means "Subject," but not exactly. I'll explain th "3rd Entity" when we get to it. When you come across ki, bo, & ce those words tell you that th word that follows functions as either a receiving entity, a giving entity, or a 3rd entity, respectively.

using mode words

What do I mean by mode word? Basically, a mode word tells how th speaker knows what he or she claims to know. I have devised ten mode words for ten modes of knowing information. Every sentence must contain a mode word; thus, every sentence must contain information about th speaker's mode of knowing.

Each mode word begins with a vowel; no other words do so. Therefore, you can easily recognize beginnings of sentences, because they will always start with a vowel. One tiny mode word, one or three letters long, can give much information.

Th complete (as of 2008-2-7, 9:41 PM Central) list of mode words, with one sample sentence for each, follows. Don't worry about correctly pronouncing th sentences yet. I have to explain parts of speech more before you can do it correctly. As you go, note how much information each tiny mode word gives:

1. a - knowing by means of th "5 senses"; knowing from seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, or smelling. a xalevu bo loca ce maceka - I know this by means of my 5 senses: Someone (or "a human being") cooks fruit.
   
2. aca - knowing by means of a "6th sense"; knowing from intuition; knowing from direct emotional experience. aca we ki maceka - I feel this way: I like fruit.
   
3. o - knowing by assuming; knowing by guessing; knowing by estimating. o we ki mali bo voli - I assume/guess he (or "th man") likes her (or "th woman").
   
4. oco - knowing by logical reasoning; knowing by deduction; knowing by applying th scientific method. oco biNo ki lolu beku bo voli - I have reasoned thus: He (or "th man") climbs/climbed this tree.
   
5. u - knowing by hearsay, but from a questionable source (by th judgement of th speaker). u moxiba ki loca bo bu ce wahimimi - I have heard you give people cats (but I don't necessarily trust my source).
   
6. ucu - knowing by hearsay, but from a relatively reliable source (by th judgement of th speaker). ucu moxiba ki loca bo bu ce wahimimi - I have heard from a reliable source that you give people cats.
   
7. i - actively imagining, but not claiming th event actually happens. i cocu ki ba bo bu ce xoxolo bu - I imagine this: You share your bodymind with me.
   
8. ici - dreaming, daydreaming, having a vision, but not claiming th event actually happens. ici cocu ki ba bo bu ce xoxolo bu - I dream this: You share your bodymind with me.
   
9. e - indicates a question. This & ece work differently from th other mode words. We'll get into them later.
   
10. ece - indicates a command. More on this in a future lesson.

sentencing

After th mode word comes a verb. All sentences (except occasionally answers to questions) will contain at least one verb following th mode word. Th simplest possible sentence consists of one mode word & one verb:

a cocu - I know this by means of my five senses: I share.

Cocu means to share. But where did th "I" come from in that sentence? Well, now I'll tell you a rule about meaning in loliya lavu that I really like. Whenever you don't specify who or what does something (th "giving entity"), it automatically means th speaker, so, in English, "I". This sentence means th same as th one above:

a cocu bo ba - I know this by means of my five senses: I share.

Bo indicates that th word that follows it functions as th "giving entity," that which "does something". Ba means I or me.

But let's flesh this out. Who do I share with? Let's say a cat. Wahimimi means cat (or, more accurately, to act as a cat). To make wahimimi th "receiving entity" we put it after ki, & we put ki after th verb. Ki indicates that th word that follows it functions as th "receiving entity".

a cocu ki wahimimi bo ba - I share with a cat.

Remember, we could have left out bo ba & this sentence would have meant th same thing.

Ok, let's add one more entity, th "3rd entity". Th "3rd entity" helps out when we need to talk about one more entity. In th case of cocu (to share), th third entity tells us what gets shared. Let's say that th cat & I share a tree. Lolu means tree (or to act as a tree). So we have:

a cocu ki wahimimi bo ba ce lolu - I share a tree with a cat, or, more literally, I know this by means of my five senses: That which acts as "I" share that which acts as a tree with that which acts as a cat.

Note that not every verb uses all three places: giving entity, receiving entity, 3rd entity.

emphasis within sentences

We've already mentioned in lesson 01 that you accent th first syllable in every word in loliya lavu. I'll mention one more thing. Within a sentence, you should never accent one-syllable structure words. We know a few of those already: a, o, u, i, e, ki, bo, ce. All other words receive accent on their first syllable. This includes: verbs like cocu & wahimimi; pronouns like ba (I, me, mine) & bu (you, your); two-syllable mode words: aca, oco, ucu, ici, ece. Some examples:

ici cocu ki ba bo bu ce xoxolo bu - Ici COcu ki BA bo BU ce XOxolo BU

u moxiba ki loca bo bu ce wahimimi - u MOxiba ki LOca bo BU ce WAhimimi

what sentences assume & don't

Ok, one last thing. What do sentences assume & not assume?

Sentences assume:

1. one actual event - by default, a sentence refers to one actual event, not a habitual event, not a hypothetical event, but one actual event. We have to add other words for those kinds of meanings.
   
2. physical entities - by default, th nouns in a sentence refer to physical entities, & specific ones, not generic ones. Cats climb trees refers to real cats climbing real trees, not just a figurative cat. To refer to th set of "normal" cats or th set of "normal" trees, for example, we'd need more words.
   
3. nowish tense: by default, th events occur in th relatively near past. Perhaps you mean this morning. Perhaps you mean five minutes ago. Perhaps you mean half a second ago. We don't talk about th "present" because by th time we make a statement about th present, it has become th relatively near past. We can become more specific than this with more words.

Sentences do not assume:

1. continuation - sentences don't tell you whether th event continues now or has come to completion. It could still go on, or it could have already finished.
   
2. number - wahimimi may mean one or a thousand cats. However, in context, th listener will usually know about how many you mean, & you can always specify "one" (wahimimi mu) or "some" (wahimimi hi). ((Note: you cannot say "always", "every", or "all". Those words don't exist in loliya lavu because one can never know what happens "always" or to "every" or to "all". One can only know about "some".))
   
3. sex - to refer to a person without giving th person's gender, just say loca, human being. That can function th same as "he/she." If you want to specify, you have a word for female (mali) & a word for male (voli). You also have words for androgynous (cili) & sexless/asexual (huli). However, most of th time, you needn't refer to sex at all.
   
4. animacy - you needn't make a distinction between so-called living & non-living things. In English, we often divide our universe into people & things. We objectify our environment, th animals we live with, th tools we work with, & even th people outside of our circle of empathy. In loliya lavu, I want to get away from that kind of thinking. Instead of thinking of people versus animals versus things, think instead of entities. Everything & everyone that manifests in our universe deserves some appreciation for what it/she/he does. So, I propose th word ko, which as a verb means to manifest in th speaker's subjective reality & as a pseudo-noun means entity. Everything & everyone that has some sort of physical reality (rather than completely abstract, like an unspoken thought) we can call ko. Ko acknowledges th personhood that all things deserve.

How do you like that for a rambling introduction to something I've only just begun to make sense of myself? Please please please, ask questions, offer suggestions, tell me what you think! Good, bad, responses, concerns, give it to me! I want to know how you respond to this.

Much love,
Andrew

loliya lavu lesson 01 - sounding, wording, verbing

Note: Th version of loliya lavu that you see here I have decided not to continue past a very early stage. But, I have every intention of starting a new language based on it, hopefully soon! Check back at this blog in a few months, perhaps. Much love. updated: 2008-7-23

I've started constructing a wee mighty language! Mostly for th fun & challenge, really, but also, potentially, for songwriting. I've made an effort to make this language reflect my current agnostic & increasingly-animistic philosophical leanings. At this point, I have only just begun, & every single element could change, if I need it to.

So I will start telling you about it here, on my blog, & I graciously & humbly welcome you to send me "fnords" (comments) thru this page with suggestions, comments, ideas - whatever comes to you as you explore!

As this language changes, these lessons will change to reflect it. I intend to keep updated links to each lesson on th left of my blog (under "featured entries"), so you can easily navigate thru them at any time, regardless of when I originally posted them.

& so let's begin at th beginning.

loliya lavu

I call this language loliya lavu (LOH-lee-ah LAH-voo), which means language of energy. Loliya means language (or, since most words function by default as verbs, languaging, as in using a language); lavu means energy. Lavu bridges th semantic gap between words like "electricity", "chi", "life force", "electromagnetic", "divine", "Tao", etc. It allows for science & mysticism together.

Sounding

I considered putting sounds in loliya lavu not found in English, but decided instead to keep th phonology relatively familiar to English-speakers. It has some important pronunciation quirks to note, but once you learn them, you needn't worry about exceptions. Every letter stands for one sound & one sound only, every time you see it.

Loliya lavu uses th following alphabet (not yet in any intentional order):

consonants: b c h k l m N v w x y
vowels: a e i o u

Some of th consonants you pronounce like in English:

h as in hug
l as in lanky
m as in moo
w as in wishy-washy (but never like caw)
y as in yam (but never like joy)

Some of th consonants you pronounce like in English, except that you can pronounce them voiced or unvoiced:

b as in bit OR pit
k as in tack OR tag
v as in van OR fan

Finally, a few of th consonants represent a sound in English usually represented with two letters, but in loliya lavu, you only use one:

c sounds like sh as in shuck
N sounds like ng as in gong
x sounds like ts as in oats or tsetse

Vowels sound much like they do in Spanish, Esperanto, & toki pona. I decided to make them really simple.

a as in father
e as in get
i as in machine
o as in more
u as in food

Wording

Words in loliya lavu consist of any number of syllables within reason; each syllable consists of one consonant & one vowel. Stress always falls on th first syllable of th word.

Examples:
loliya
lavu
wahimimi
ko
xoxolo
biNo

Verbing

With th exception of basic structure words, all words in loliya lavu work primarily as verbs. We can also use them as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc, but when we do so, we must remember how they work as verbs. We do something like this in English when we call someone who cooks "a cook" (one that cooks) or someone who gives "a giver" (one that gives). Loliya lavu does it that way every time.

For example, th word xova means, more or less, "to green," or "to register as green to an observer." So, instead of saying, It is green, we say something akin to, It greens.

Another example: loca (don't forget, c sounds like sh) means, more or less, "to act as a human being," or "to demonstrate human being-ness". So instead of saying, She is a human being, we say She human beings.

We can use those words like non-verbs; however, th meaning of loca as a pseudo-noun doesn't mean, "human being," but rather, "entity which human beings".

So, to show you how this might work, here we have a full sentence: a biNo ki lolu bo wahimimi which we could translate literally as, That which cats (acts as a cat) climbs that which trees (acts as a tree). But, in standard English, we'd more likely say, A cat climbs a tree.

What difference does that make? First, by thinking in terms of verbs, we infuse all our words with activity, energy, life. Second, it tells more honestly what we really see. Do we actually see a cat climb a tree? Or do we see an entity which acts as a cat climb an entity that acts as a tree? After all, maybe we say a squirrel. Maybe somebody painted a very realistic-looking tree on th side of a house. But, if we see a squirrel "acting as a cat" & th side of a house "acting as a tree," we have still accurately described this event: a biNo ki lolu bo wahimimi: That which cats climbs that which trees.

C8H10N4O2

I've decided to take a break from caffeine, at least for a few days. I consider its effects ultimately damaging to my something.

wonderberry gz funparade beluga

Hi!

I want to mention at this time of thinking that indeed, much fun did go, did go in th playing of songs at R.P.I.'s subterranean wonderplace called Ground Zero! It joyed me much to discover friendly persons old&new, wonderjolly bands to hear, & funtimes of completion of performance for mandolinight. We had happies of poundage plenty. I did things & things happened & also thingings thinged, as well, also. All things triumph.

I no longer intend to record setlists on this blog, as I've done in prior times. I played songs & other songs also, & debuted badger dog, a story of relationing between man & greyhound of Deadly Threats of Way.

Those things took place.

I hope that those who bore witness did enjoy as I did in their kaleidoscope multiverses of th eveningtimes that happened. So dancing ways in head.

Tell me your likes & dislikes if you wish it do, thru fnording beneath this posting of telling of doing of mandolining of jubilantagnosticwondermagick.

Truth

I love websites like this. From truthism.com:

When it comes to this kind of information (i.e., fringe subjects), you atheists, scientists, and skeptics all of a sudden start claiming that you need "irrefutable proof" in order to believe it. OK, fine. Then I'll turn the tables on you: Go and prove that the leaders of this world are in fact human. Oh, that's right, YOU CAN'T! Hell, you wouldn't even be able to prove who the actual leaders are in the first place.

So, in the same breath that you say, "Oh my gosh, I went to this one stupid website and the guy said that aliens rule the world," you should also say, "Oh my gosh, I believe that humans rule the world, even though I have absolutely no proof for my belief." As you can see, one cannot just posit that humans rule the world. Where's the proof??? Think about it for a second: Right now, assume that aliens do in fact rule the world; then, combine this with the fact that people automatically assume that humans rule the world. Now, what do you have: The perfect recipe for deception! But, this concept of aliens secretly ruling the world is not just a theoretical possibility, it also happens to be the actual truth! And, this is no coincidence--the Reptilians intentionally designed society to be this very way. That is, society was designed so that no one would ever question the so-called "basic truths."

In other not-yet news, I'd like to form an Agnostic Temple & Monastery, a Cult of Not Knowing. Who wants in?

frankenlovely

Troyvisit commenced; I joined with Mr. Scott Marshall of fantasticking, with whom all coffees tingle to th power of triumph. We did doings of chattings, of eatings, of musickings, of divining to reveal present mysteries. In goings did arrive th mother & brotherGreg of wonderberry, also for th divining binary changes transformingly yes. We did illumining aluminium alarmclocks of color tu. Very in sock.

All wests.

luminous

REFLECTION MEANS METAPROGRAMMING

METAPROGRAMMING MEANS REFLECTION


ONE
MUST
SUFFICIENTLY
REFLECT
IN
ORDER
TO
DIVINELY
DISORDER
ONE'S
SELF

th spectacular clay pots of 30.3

An excerpt from th I Ching (as translated by Bradford Hatcher):

gua 30, arising: 3rd line

Th sun declines with its radiance
Not drumming on clay pots & singing
Leads to much of old age's lament
Unfortunate

for those many I've failed to warn...

...get th heck out of Dodge!

Yes, friends, I return for a short visit to th land of Troy, NY next week. I fly out on SaturJanu26 [Chaos 26] & return on SundaFebr03 [Chaos 34]. You can see me violently abuse an innocent mandolin in public [i.e. you can come to my Nodal Nim show] on SaturFebr02 [Chaos 33] at Ground Zero at R.P.I.

Yes.

languaging

I spend much time now driving from house to house to walk dogs. Accordingly, I listen to lots of radio & CDs. During my walks, I often fantasize about artistic projects: websites to build, instruments to acquire, music to compose, languages to learn, & languages to create. My thoughts don't always lead me to anything concrete, but I like to have them.

Recently, I've thought about getting some CDs & learning a language as I drive around. I've had a number of thoughts about which language to learn, based on various conflicting ideas about what I'd like to do with a language if I learn one.

AN INTERNATIONAL AUXILIARY LANGUAGE:

This means a language that someone has created for communication between different cultures, a logical, easy-to-learn, culturally neutral secondary tongue. I love th principle behind this. Esperanto represents th most well-known & -spoken IAL in th world. I started to learn this a few years ago, but I found a few things about it that frustrated me. In particular, it contains at least two biases: it borrows exclusively from European languages (no Asian, Middle-Eastern, Native American, etc. languages represented); & it retains some sexism from its source languages: many nouns for professions refer to males by default & females only if you add a special suffix. It also contains no sex-neutral 3rd person personal pronoun (a word that means "he or she"), requiring its speakers to constantly identify people by their sex, even when such identification hinders rather than helps communication. English has this shortcoming as well. In a language constructed from th ground up to help bring us together, I don't consider these biases acceptable.

After Esperanto had developed advocates & had existed for a while, a group of linguists revised it to fix th sex bias & a few other illogicalities. This newer language, known as Ido seems quite superior to me, but has far fewer adherents. Esperantists significantly outnumber Idists. Ido still maintains th Euro-centric bias, which bothers me almost as much as th sex bias, so I still don't consider it th ideal international language.

I wouldn't find many speakers of either of these languages, altho Esperanto in particular has its own little world I could become involved with. Given th peaceful goals of Esperanto (& Ido), I imagine I'd find these folks easy to get along with.

A few years ago, I studied Lojban & got relatively deep into it. Lojban attempts to eliminate ambiguity from human communication. Its designers based it not on natural language, but upon structures of logic. In some ways, it has more in common with a computer programming language than a human tongue. At first, I found this very exciting. I like how differently it works. It contains some structures that I still really appreciate. However, I eventually decided th philosophy didn't fit at all with th universe I live in. It contains way too much built-in assumed meaning. It takes itself literally, always, always. We live in a relativistic, ambiguous, symbolic universe, not th perfect fantasy of Plato. I don't think Lojban can handle th sublime, th absurd, th beautiful. Altho I wrote three silly songs in Lojban (which probably goes against th whole spirit of th thing), Lojban poetry seems to me an oxymoron.

Plus, I didn't get a very positive impression of th speakers of Lojban that I found online. I joined their email list, & kept up with it for a while, but then a couple Lojbanists started ranting & raving about exactly what two of th articles, "le" & "lo" really, really, really mean. Talk about a bunch of Grayfaces. These guys needed to experience a good Turkey Curse.

So I stopped learning Lojban, & my wonderful flashcards sit unused in a box. No other constructed language seems worth taking up at this point.

SPANISH:

Every person raised in th United States should have learned Spanish thoroughly from a very young age. We owe it to our brother & sister Americans who've immigrated from Spanish-speaking countries & deserve our recognition & understanding. In their shoes, I'd consider it an insult that your average white American knows about twelve Spanish words, & most of them represent Mexican foods.

So, to remedy this, I ought to consider learning Spanish. In Chicago, I would never have to go far to find someone to practice with.

But Spanish has lots in common with English, lots & lots. They both come from Europe & box your thinking into European thinking, to some extent. I want to learn a language that will really blow my mind, & I don't think Spanish will do that.

But for reasons of camaraderie & respect, Spanish makes sense for me to learn. Better late than never, si?

NON-WESTERN LANGUAGES:

To really learn to think differently, I have to learn to assemble meaning differently, & learning a non-Western language could really force me into that. Thus, I consider learning Chinese, Arabic, & a Native-American language like Anishinaabemowin, th language of th Ojibwe. I've had a look at th grammar of th latter, & it seems so incredibly different that I find myself really tempted by this one. It has no adjectives, it builds its words up from lots & lots of little particles, it allows free word order, & instead of distinguishing between male & female, it distinguishes between animate & inanimate (& has some interesting ideas about what constitutes each). Also, it has a so-called "4th person," really a 3rd person considered less important than another one. How perfectly, wonderfully, odd.

So I will continue to obsess about this, at least for a few more days (before I forget about it entirely & move onto another obsession).

Nim@Silvie's

I played a show last Saturday. It went ok & lasted about 45 minutes. I debuted two new songs: my beagle & Isbe. Thanks to Luke, Chase & Tiffany for coming & showing support! I stuck around for th Pawns, who rocked. I couldn't stay for th next band, but maybe I'll catch them another day. Fun abounded.

bluebinis a go go

Hello Discordianites,

Hdyd?

I eat a sammich of tahini & blueberry [preserve].

I continue to find my project of learning to speak in E-Prime daunting & somewhat pointless. I have gradually gotten worse & worse at catching "to be"s before they come rolling out of my mouth. I don't know if I care.

On another spectrum, I have done a bit of work studying th I Ching. I've memorized th names, numbers, & line patterns of all 64 hexagrams (more or less), & I've started learning th text. I switched to a new translation recently: from th out-of-date but still kind of standard, best translation in th Public Domain, that of Wilhelm & Baynes to th less-muddied Huang & Huang, which attempts a more accurate translation that does away with rambling commentary that Taoists & Confuciansists have added over th centuries. Much more poetic, th latter.

It frustrates me that no modern translations exist in th Public Domain. Th I Ching should belong to every human being everywhere. Maybe I'll write my own paraphrase [in E-Prime] from a bunch of copyrighted sources & put that in th Public Domain. . . .

I've also begun putting it into practice: doing regular divinations for myself & evening reading fortunes for friends. At any rate, I find it amusing to make sense of essentially random patterns & apply them to actual circumstances. I want to continue this. If anyone out there would like a free I Ching reading by an absolute amateur (but one with ministry credentials from th Universal Life Church, don't forget), then do get in touch!

Skeptics among us who find this whole concept silly & beneath them, I hear where you come from, but I've got about a dozen thoughtful reasons why divination may appeal to freethinkers as well as New Age-niks. I'll save that essay for another day, tho.

Much love & bluebini sammiches,
Rev Andr of Nimland, KSC, FaKr of th Flum.

a tasty toast

Last summer, I served as best man to my luminous friend Eric at his wedding to my luminous friend Steph. Going thru my files (by that I mean random scraps of paper lying around haphazardly - All Hail Discordia & a Befuddling Mungday to you!), I found th notes I used for th best man toast that I made! I spoke more or less what I see written today on these messy pages. It delights me to see that I wrote it all in E-Prime! [Pats nerdy self on back.]

I did insert an improvised story to illustrate my first impression of Eric when I met him, which I cannot reproduce (& probably didn't comply with th constraints of E-Prime). However, I want to share th rest of th toast with you now, for your delight (I hope you sob!) & for posterity, because I cannot guarantee that I will not lose these pages within th next few months, days, or minutes. (I will indicate where th improvised story fits in with three separation marks.)

I propose a tasty toast to th bride & groom, th groom & bride! Stephanie & Eris, Fauss & Fauss, enter today into a new universe of awesomeness & divine whatnot. Hooray for all!

I met Mr. Fauss at college orientation - he exuded a fascinating weirdness - we had to become roomates. It took a semester to get it worked out, but we managed it twice, & it rocked.

¤ ¤ ¤

I met Mrs. Fauss, Miss Formerly Thompson, when Eric brought her with us on a roadtrip. I found her fun, interesting, & easy to talk to. In short, she also rocked.

Little did I know what started brewing in those days.

Stephanie & Eric each champion peace & compassion, intelligence & wisdom, humanism & transcendence of th normal. Brought together, these attributes can only find strength. In their time, they have grown, grow today, & will grow oodles more.

A beautiful bond has formed here - we all see it - like two spiral galaxies meeting in th void & warping into something new & awesome. It has happened already - this ceremony only confirms it. I for one feel a great joy to have witnessed it.

& thus I propose a tasty toast th th groom & bride, th bride & groom - th Erics, th Stephs, th Thompsons, th Fausses! We have seen two become one, a unison. My heart melts - I feel humbled & alive. So let us raise glass & grin. Together we toast! Hooray for all!

Eric & Steph, I love you guys! Since I have now received my Credentials of Ministry from th Universal Life Church (they hang on th wall above my head as I type to you), do keep me in mind when you decide to renew your vows!

Munghello.

Enjoy Discordant Wee-Hours-Of-Mungday, Fine Little Ones.

E-Prime speaking becomes easier by th hour (except for hours during which I drink wine). When I slow down, I can get it, sort of (but I sound "funny"); I still find it difficult in more distracting situations, such as conversations with "new people." This very evening, I found myself saying, "I'm Andrew," instead of "I go by Andrew," but I did remember to say "I enjoyed meeting you," instead of "It was nice to meet you." Baby steps, I take, I take.

~Andrew Fenderson

Some E-Answers.

Obsessing as I do with my current obsession (what else would one obsess over but obsessions?), I have found some answers to my concerns about "small talk" & idiomatic expressions in E-Prime. From a great & thorough E-Prime introduction:

. . . .I (E.K.) sometimes resort to "pidgin E Prime" in order to avoid statements which. . . may sound slightly awkward. For example, if someone asks me "Who are you?", instead of replying "My friends call me Ed", I might simply say "Ed". . . . Instead of asking "How do you label yourself?" you might simply substitute a general request for more personal information as in the imperative, "Tell me about yourself". Specific situations allow other E-Prime variations such as: "Your name, please?", (great for hotel desk clerks or telephone operators), "Would you please introduce yourself? I don't believe we've met before". (good for formal social occasions), "What name do you go by these days?" (great with disciples of Swamis who have changed their name, or bank robbers with a number of aliases), or even (for singles situations) "If I want to find your number in the telephone directory, what name should I look under?"

. . . Instead of asking "How are you?", I might ask "How do you feel?", or "How has life treated you lately?" or even a West Coast alternative such as "How goes it?". On the telephone, instead of asking "Is Julie there?" I'd probably ask "May I speak with Julie?". Rather than asking "Where is X?" I might ask "Where can I find X?" or more elegantly, "Would you please direct me to X?" In my experience, even colloquial expressions have socially acceptable E-Prime equivalents, although it might take a fair amount of time and effort on your part to find one in any given situation.

On the other hand in the early days of trying to speak in E-Prime, I (D.B.), rationalized my use of polite formula "to be" dependent phrases in order to avoid the risk of sounding like a nut. Now I've decided to stick to E-Prime all the time, even if I do occasionally sound a trifle odd. Like my co-author, I also have found "pidgin E-Prime" useful during the transition period. Of course, we recognize that pidgin E-Prime can sound less than elegant, and condone its use only when necessary during the earliest phase. . . .

Isbe Dies a Very Slow Death. . . .

Hi!

So I began working on New Year's Resolution #2 today - "learn to think in E-Prime." For those who haven't heard of it (or had to listen to me blabber on about it yet), let me quickly introduce it.

E-Prime means th practice of removing all forms of to be from English speech: specifically, be, is, am, are, was, were, been & being, including their contractions, such as it's & I'm. Proponents of E-Prime claim that th practice of writing & speaking with to be introduces potentially unhealthy statements about objective reality & truth that lead to a false conception of th world. In contrast, they suggest that "use of E-Prime leads to a less dogmatic style of language that reduces the possibility for misunderstanding and for conflict."

You can read Robert Anton Wilson's talk about E-Prime at here & you can watch a video in which he discusses it here.

Anyway, I practiced talking & thinking in E-Prime today as I walked my dogs. I found it an interesting & formidable challenge. I had to correct nearly every sentence I thought of or uttered! "Is" permeates my speech & thoughts to an alarming extent!

I found it easiest to speak in E-Prime when I talked slowly & deliberately with myself & th dogs. I often corrected myself, even then, but at least I took th time to work it out. Later on, I visited my friend Chase at a coffee-shop where he works, & when we had a conversation, I found myself completely throwing E-Prime out th window. I couldn't hold a "normal" conversation while constantly monitoring every sentence & revising it in my head. I tried & failed miserably.

RAW & others suggest that by changing this pattern of thinking, one can see th world more clearly & strip away one's assumptions & unconscious dogma. I feel up to th challenge. My goal remains to think in E-Prime by th end of th year, but if I can speak mostly in E-Prime by then, I will consider my work a success.

In at least one instance, I found it helpful & insightful to reformulate in E-Prime. I love my dogs, but sometimes I get frustrated with them. Sometimes, they sniff around looking for poo to eat in th snow. I don't want my dogs to get sick, so I try to stop them, but sometimes they continue & I lose patience. I got annoyed with one dog today & muttered something like:

You're terrible; you think th outside world is a salad bar!

Obviously, I didn't really believe that th dog "was terrible." Anyway, I thought about how th sentence would translate into E-Prime:

I find you terrible.
You seem terrible.
I think of you as terrible.

Immediately, th agent of thought comes into th light: me. My reworded statements immediately reflect th fallacy of th speaker. Nothing can "be terrible." Th terribleness of th dog existed only in my head. I applied my own grumpiness in that moment to something outside of me, & came out looking rather foolish.

Many consider E-Prime a completely different language than English. I can understand why as I look at normal, everyday, idiomatic expressions & ways of talking that an E-Prime speaker must change. I will list some difficult examples:

How to introduce oneself.

Th usual ways:
My name is Andrew.
I'm Andrew.

Some E-Prime alternatives:
People call me Andrew.
My birth certificate says Andrew.
My name reads as Andrew.
I think of myself as Andrew.

Yuck.

It might work best to turn th introduction into a command:
Please call me Andrew.

That still seems awkward, tho.

How to locate oneself.

Th usual ways:
I'm at Michigan & Chestnut.
I'm located at Michigan & Chestnut.

Some E-Prime alternatives:
I stand at Michigan & Chestnut.
You can find me at Michigan & Chestnut.
Look for me at Michigan & Chestnut.
I find myself at Michigan & Chestnut.

Some of those would work in certain contexts, but all potentially sound awkward.

How to indicate th date or time.

Th usual ways:
It's 1:23.
It's Thursday.
Tomorrow's Friday.

Some E-Prime alternatives:
Th clock reads 1:23.
Th calendar considers it Thursday.
We call tomorrow Friday.

None of those sound idiomatic at all.

Anyway, I intend to proceed with this experiment. If I have success, I will come across as an alien to most people, or someone whose came to English relatively late in life. I find it easier to imagine a foreigner than a native-born American making some of those awkward statements above. Regardless of how much success I have, I may find this practice not worth continuing. It has its drawbacks. You can read some very intelligent & sound arguments against it here. I don't necessarily consider E-Prime "better" than English or more valid, nor do I necessarily agree with all th statements of its proponents. However, I consider th exercise of studying it very worth pursuing.

One last note. Th Isbe in th title of this post refers to a character I thought of that has remained in th back of my mind for a while now. Th name combines is & be, & represents a personification of normal English speaking patterns using to be forms. I have intended to use th character to illustrate th dangerous thinking patterns that reliance on to be forms can foster. Some day. . . .

Work on What has been Spoiled

New Year's Resolutions

[that I came up with this afternoon whilst walking my beagle in th snow]

1. every single day, further my development of self-awareness & self-discipline.
   
2. every single day, speak only th truth - speak not lies - learn to think in E Prime.
   
3. every single day, actively embrace with joy (& never with terror) th absurdity of th universe.

That seems a good beginning.

Ah, I know of a hexagram from th Book of Changes that fits this "resolution" game:

18. Ku
WORK on WHAT has been SPOILED [DECAY]



Work on what has been spoiled
Has supreme success.
It furthers one to cross th great water.
Before th starting point, 3 days.
After th starting point, 3 days.

¤

Th wind blows low on th mountain:
Th image of decay.
Thus th superior man stirs up th people
& strengthens their spirit.

I expect at least (& probably at most) one reader to have interest in this:

Shortspeak for Intervals of 31tET

scale degree	cents	longname	shortname
0	0	perfect unison	prsu
1	39	greater unison	gosu
2	77	lesser tone	leto
3	116	minor tone	mito
4	155	neutral tone	nuto
5	194	major tone	jato
6	232	greater tone	goto
7	271	lesser third	ledi
8	310	minor third	midi
9	348	neutral third	nudi
10	387	major third	jadi
11	426	greater third	godi
12	465	lesser fourth	lefo
13	503	perfect fourth	prfo
14	542	greater fourth	gofo
15	581	lesser tritone	letr
16	619	greater tritone	gotr
17	658	lesser fifth	lefi
18	697	perfect fifth	prfi
19	735	greater fifth	gofi
20	774	lesser sixth	lexa
21	813	minor sixth	mixa
22	852	neutral sixth	nuxa
23	890	major sixth	jaxa
24	929	greater sixth	goxa
25	968	lesser seventh	levu
26	1006	minor seventh	mivu
27	1045	neutral seventh	nuvu
28	1084	major seventh	javu
29	1123	greater seventh	govu
30	1161	lesser octave	leco
31	1200	perfect octave	prco

Some explanation: Here I have tried to create a logical, internally consistent way to refer to th various intervals of th microtonal division of th octave into 31 steps (as opposed to th more common 12 steps), 31-tone equal temperament, or 31tET.

Each interval "shortname" I've devised has exactly two simple syllables of two letters to facilitate its easy & speedy utterance. I have taken a set of common names for th intervals already in existence & used them as a jumping-off point. You'll notice I've done away with th words subminor, supermajor, diminished, & augmented in favor of th more consistent lesser & greater. In a system with more notes, those types of distinctions could prove important, but I believe it gets in th way here, so I've simplified.

Below I have listed th two-letter particle words. In each case, at least one prominent letter (often two) of th original word you will find in its particle. You'll notice that I've changed some vowels from th original words. I did this to ensure that th particles sound distinct from one another. I have made sure that all five vowels appear in th suffixes & prefixes. You'll also notice that I've reversed th order of letters from some of th original words. I did this to put each particle in consonant-vowel form, to allow it to function cooperatively with th other particles to aid pronunciation.

prefixes.
le- :: lesser.
mi- :: minor.
nu- :: neutral.
ja- :: major. Note letter reversal. You could pronounce it jah or jay, altho I prefer th former.
go- :: greater. I changed th vowel for variety.
pr- :: perfect. Pronounce it like per.

suffixes.
-su :: unison. Note letter reversal.
-to :: tone, as in second.
-di :: third. Note letter reversal.
-fo :: fourth.
-tr :: tritone. Altho it's three letters, tri also works very well, & may sound better to you.
-fi :: fifth. Pronounce like fee.
-xa :: sixth. I changed th vowel for variety.
-vu :: seventh. I changed th vowel for variety.
-co :: octave. Note letter reversal.

manifesto
Druids of th Quantum Virus

People are meat-bots. Sometimes you just want to grab them by th sideburns & shake shake shake! But there are better ways to knock their socks off, to wake them up to th beauty & absurdity of th universe. . . .

Enter th Druids of th Quantum Virus!

Our mission: to give gifts of Chaos to those that need them. To gently yank potential humans out of their numb little bubbles. To illuminate. To befuddle!

Our method: to deliver our calling cards - original art, pictures, collages, poems, little bits of whimsy - to strangers on th street, by handing them out, leaving them where people will find them, mailing them like postcards, whatever we can devise within th limits of th law.

Printed on our gifts, you'll always find our symbol for consciousness renewal & th new aeon: th Quantum Virus. (See variants below.) Consider th QV a benevolent entity that helps us disorder as many minds as possible:

Enter You.

In order for this movement to work, it needs to spread. Make your own Viral Gifts & give them out to friends & strangers! Spread th word to everyone you know! Get in touch & get involved. I want to hear from you. Start Today!

~ Rev. Nimbus Quor ~ nimbusDQV@gmail.com

Rev. Heathwaite. . !!

Cathartic Castaneda Day to you ALL. . !!

Guess who's been ordained a minister in th Universal Life Church!
I can now legally perform marriages, baptisms, funerals, & all sorts of other ceremonies I may dream up someday. Th U.S. government recognizes it. Pretty nifty, huh? Check out that website; it's legit, believe it or not. They actually ordain anybody in th world who asks. & I asked. Thank you Jesus. . !!

I've already started brainstorming for th religion I'm going to found now that I've received Reverendhood. Any thoughts? It will probably fall under "wacky", at any rate.

I hope you've enjoyed your December 25th (Discordian: Prickle-Prickle, Aftermath 67). I haven't done today much other than become an ordained minister. That counts as something, tho.

Now I have dishes to do.

I bless you, my children. . !!
Rev. Andr.

happy

Happy Werewolf Day!
Happy Van Gogh's Ear Day!
Happy Eve of Odin's Hunt!
Happy Jul!

to you.

2007-23-07

Yes!
Tectonic 23 Day!
Humdingery HumanLight!

My beagle & I celebrated with Gnocci Tacos. Too much habanero, tho. O my.

~a

sophie & xmas & tao te ching & not xmas

I've not done great work keeping you abreast of lifehappenings. For example, did you know about th new dog in my life? I shall describe her as a wee four-year old beagle bitch that we have renamed Sophie (formerly Gabby). She had hip surgery before we met her, causing her to often hop on th back right leg. So we also call her Hopper. She likes to sleep & make humans rub her belly. She has eight prominent nipples. She lives with us, meaning me, Tiffany, Jordan, our cat Vega, our other dog Sparki(e) (our Corgweiler), & our hamster named Rocko. Quickly, he has settled into happiness & harmony here, more or less. We like her bunches.

Sophie melts my heart.

I had intended to tell you about her sooner, but I wanted to wait until we found th cord for th digital camera. Adorable pictures of Sophie remain trapped for th time being.

I won't be coming home - to Troy, NY - for xmas. I miss my friends there, but since I couldn't get a whole week off, I decided to postpone a visit until th last week of January - into February.

& while I stay here in Chi-town, Tiffany, Jordan, & Sparki(e) all will travel to Vermont to spend xmas with their family (as they all originate in Vermont). They leave within th next three or so hours, in fact. They intend to drive thru th night & arrive sometime Sunday. So first they sleep to prepare themselves for a long night.

We exchanged xmas presents shortly ago. I gave Jordan two unvideo games (Munchkin Fu & Devil Bunny Hates th Earth) & Tiffany a DVD (Jason and th Argonauts). They gave me a CD (Th American Song-Poem Christmas), a DVD (Donnie Darko), & three books from th Oz series (Th Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Th Emerald City of Oz, & Tik-Tok of Oz - I've read those first two, but not th latter. I'm excited to reread & read).

All seem pleased with their new possessions.

I also bought today, with th help of an xmas gift certificate, a pocket-sized translation of th Tao Te Ching that my friend Ali recommended to me long ago by Stephen Mitchell. I read it with delight. Several chapters really moved me. In particular:

Chapter 26.

Th heavy is th root of th light.
Th unmoved is th source of all movement.

Thus th Master travels all day
without leaving home.
However splendid th views,
she stays serenely in herself.

Why should th lord of th country
flit about like a fool?
If you let yourself be blown to & fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you are.

This chapter stuck out because I saw myself in it. I could describe my behavior recently as "flitting about like a fool... letting myself be blown to & fro... letting restlessness move me," etc. I intend to take these two weeks of living alone & use them to regain "touch with who I am." I haven't lived alone in a while. I intend to cleanse myself & work on meditation.

Another thing concerning xmas. What should I celebrate this year? Th fictional birth of Jesus doesn't excite me much. I won't have Christians in my midst. Some Discordians have their own celebration on December 25 (altho they call th date 67 Aftermath):

December 25 (67 Aftermath): Santa Claus Day (O)/(DD). Celebrate the Patron Saint of Children. Honor the jolly old man who loves children, wears funny clothes, has no legal address, holds boys and girls on his lap, urges them to share their desires with him, offers them a candy cane, dreams of sliding down their chimneys, sneaks into their homes at night, watches them when they’re in bed asleep, then gives them a package to unwrap. (This holiday is also known as Christmas. It’s also known as Don’t You Think We’ve Gotten So Paranoid About This Whole Protect Our Children Thing That We’re Actually Harming Them and Ourselves Day).

So that option presents itself. How cheeky, yes?

Also, tomorrow happens to register as December 23rd, & since 23 registers as a particularly holy holy number in Discordianism, all 23s ought to register as holidays, don't you agree? I could celebrate a 23 day tomorrow. Of course, given th vast variety of calendars that humans have created over th years, most likely every day of th year has some connection to 23 & could thus register as 23 day. How festive, yes?

Of course, generally speaking, I choose not to honestly say, "I am a Discordian," so I will not. I needn't celebrate any Discordian holidays at all (altho I like to when I remember).

Xmas has its roots in pagan winter festivals. I could celebrate one (or more) of those. A quick wikipedia search reveals lots of options.

Sadly, I missed Zamenhof Day.

Ah, how about HumanLight! A holiday devoted to celebrating secular humanistic ideals! Not bad!

Ok, enough of this. If you have ideas for what Andrew (& th cat, dog & gerbil that will spend these next two weeks with him) should celebrate, please write a friendly fnord.

Your humble chaotic rambler of soorts,
Andrew

a 4th & 5th Poem of Three ! ! !

4 . porous tie trips ~Nim
5 . Triumphant, wrinkled calligraphy ~Jessi

Hooray!

(Now we're cooking with canola oil!)

Orphanage Show (& Poems of Three) ! ! !

! a l o h a !

Great fun & wonder equals th Orphanage, fun & wonderful indeed, & th place where I didst play mine tunes on th night prior to this moment for fun & wonder.

Amidst other fine bands & such (Division & Honore, Missing Score, Chicago Rose), I set a set of 34 minutes. Mine joy did seep!


New friends did I give words to - three wee words each - so that wee Poems of Three could find development. Here I show three such Poems of Three:

1 . bears do inspect ~Vinnie
2 . clustered dogs dynamic ~Mark
3 . beastly fnord mirror ~Zach

In time, I hope greatly to add new Poems of Three to your eyeballs for reading!

Th set I set:

.. feed th ghost > kiss me moose
.. 2G's > e blu apratus
.. ant lizrd dragn man [lyrics by SMarshall] > prikl prikl
.. stripes
.. how to ferment th colon
.. this ladybug
.. 25% mor monstr > chupacabra
.. 5 songs of fish

I will do more doings in upcomings, but I have yet to schedule. I will inform.

Gracious Lovely Anteaterish Diagrammatical Eggs,
Andr Nim

Nimness @ Orphanage !! ! !!

A reminder:

Tomorrow I, Nodal Nim, do play mandosongs at th Orphanage!
!!!((( 643 W. 31st St., Chicago, Illinois 60616 )))!!!
www.theorphanagechicago.org


It's an all-ages non-profit artspace, & you will adore it!

I play alongside four other local bands : music goes from 7 pm - 1 am!
I don't know when I'll be on, but probably around 9....

$10 donation to get in & eat tasty veggie food.

Join me for mandogasmic ridiculousness !! ! !!

I want to tell you about my SAMMICH.

Bread:
* oats
* groats
* brown sugar
* whatever else Tiffany put in it

Innards:
* peanut butter
* habanero chile (1/4 of one pepper)
* garlic
* red bell pepper (1/4 of one pepper)
* cumin
* Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute

Seasoning Ingredient List:
* onions
* black pepper
* celery seed
* cayenne pepper
* parsley
* basil
* marjoram
* bay leaf
* oregano
* thyme
* savory
* rosemary
* cumin
* mustard
* coriander
* garlic
* carrot
* orange peel
* tomato granules
* lemon juice powder
* oil of lemon
* citric acid

Grilled In:
* olive oil
* soy sauce

dogng about th UPTOWN

Hi hi!

I continue to do dogs. We walk from place to place & back to place. We lick each other (mostly them me). We clean up each other's poo (mostly I theirs). I can't believe this autospellcheck doesn't know th word 'poo'!

(( But I have no trouble believing that it doesn't know th word 'autospellcheck'. ))

I had more dogs to walk than ever today. I had no time to breathe & I had to do multiple dogs just to keep up. I enjoyed it, tho, & it will pay.

Three dogs at once I found an interesting challenge. Little dog continually tried to hump medium dog (I guess he felt th need to compensate for size?) & big dog continually tugged everybody everywhere. All survived, even me.

I basically work alone, which I've never really done before. I drive to people's houses, nab their dogs, walk 'em, & put 'em back. Then I do it again. I run into people on th street ("Wow, those are big dogs! Are those Great Danes?"), but I don't have any co-workers to speak of, just two bosses that I call twice a day to check in with.

So I talk to th dogs. & myself. I also sing to them, when nobody's around. In a few months, maybe I'll have recorded an album of odes to my canines.

(( Or maybe I will have checked into an asylum. ))

I consider myself fortunate to work close enough to Northwestern University to pick up their campus radio station, WNUR. I've never found listening to th radio so pleasing. Every morning they play whacked out jazz until noon. After that, I find it hit or miss, but I always enjoy it better than any Clear Channel station on this planet.

(( On two separate occasions, I caught them playing Steve Reich's, 'It's Gonna Rain'. ))

I have one dog that drives me crazy: Tallin, a retired greyhound (still a greyhound, but retired from racing, presumably). He suffers from separation anxiety, they say, since his owner-mama started working again after some time at home unemployed. People who don't qualify as 'owner-mama' can only get him to cooperate by bribing him with salami. I do this, but he doesn't trust me. He lets me know this by barking & nipping at me. Every day. Without fail. Presumably, he does it to keep me in line, let me know who plays th boss, warn me not to try any funny business. But it makes me crazy! If I do th wrong thing, he could hurt me. No dog has ever made me this nervous.

I suppose my bulldog experience from two weeks ago (finally got th last stitches out this morning, but it remains a frightful sight) doesn't help my state of mind. I'd hate for two dogs to maul me. Anyway, everyone has been showing me support - bosses & owner-mama - & I continue doing what I can. His last walker eventually had no troubles. It just takes time.

But other than Tallin scaring th bejeebus out of me, dog-walking goes fine!

So now you know.

some say his name is Tallin

Who is this greyhound-faced god? "His name is 'Everlasting Devourer,' and he liveth in the Domain [of Fire] (the Lake of Unt). . . . who feedeth upon the dead, who watcheth at the Bend of the Lake of Fire, who devoureth the bodies of the dead, and swalloweth hearts, and who voideth filth, but who himself remaineth unseen. . . . "Hail, Lord of Terror, Chief of the Lands of the South and North, thou Lord of the Desert, who dost keep prepared the block of slaughter, and who dost feed on the intestines [of men]!"

~ a bit of terror from th Egyptian Book of th Dead.

boat toast

Somebody wants updates. I'm sure somebody wants them.


Nimlys:

1 :: Last Wednesday I played Heartland Cafe open mic for th first time. I enjoyed it! but only got to play one song. By friendly request, I played 'vejtbls u'v nevr herd of'.

2 :: Und Last Thursday I played at th glorious Gallery Cabaret & had great fun bribing people with haikus to get them on my email list! Hooray for $4 pitchers of booze & nice human beings big & small.


Dogs (Doogs):

I walk them. Such is my new jobby.

An event took place on th first day of my job, that known as Monday. I encountered a 'bad dog,' as they say, a bulldog named (no lie) Spike who decided to get a good chomp on my right hand, completely unprovoked. He bit hard (as bulldogs will do), & now I have eight pretty blue stitches in this fortunately still five-fingered hand of mine. No great damage did Spike do, but enough to necessitate sutures, antibiotics, & a trip to th ER.

But I still love doggies & continue to walk them.

Many a wonderful dog do I walk - from gargantuan Great Danes (my largest clocks in at 200 plus pounds!) to a teeny-tiny Shitzu (or something) puppy that I (with my wimpy mandolin arm) could probably throw quite high into th air. (I will not attempt to make this happen; do not fear for th adorable puppy who chases his tail & fights his reflection!)

I am still in 'training,' since I cannot grip leashes with my damaged but faithfully healing right hand. Soon, tho, perhaps tomorrow or Friday, I will work alone, driving from house to house, walking fantastic canines & cleaning up their poo.

This job floats my boat.

multiverse spatterings

Hi there, multiverse, how do you do?

I sit on Monday afternoonish eating a home-made burrito with mushrooms & tarragon. My sweet Corgweiler friend Sparkus sits in whiny beg. Th Captain wails away 'Ice Cream For Crow'. All things go.

As of a week minus a day ago, I no longer work for Greenpeace. I enjoyed my time there, but th time came for newthings. Approaching hundreds of grumpy strangers for money every day grew wearisome.

I spend days diddling on my mandolin & job-fishing. I scheduled an interview today at a dog walkery not far from my bedside. On th Saturday that cometh next, return to walkery I will. Walkin' makes money. I like pupples.

In meantime, I seek opportunities for mandolinnery. I want to do many shows all of times. I want friendlies to do visitations & dance. Suchness makes happiness. Isness makes fallacy.

I will assemble information about th upcomings when they upcome.

Many Lovely Glove Spatterings,
Andrew th Nim

Airplanes all fly level on this Plane earth.

Aim: To carefully observe, think freely rediscover forgotten fact and oppose theoretical dogmatic assumptions. To help establish the United States...of the world on this flat earth. Replace the science religion...with SANITY

The International Flat Earth Society is the oldest continuous Society existing on the world today. It began with the Creation of the Creation. First the water...the face of the deep...without form or limits...just Water. Then the Land sitting in and on the Water, the Water then as now being flat and level, as is the very Nature of Water. There are, of course, mountains and valleys on the Land but since most of the World is Water, we say, "The World is Flat". Historical accounts and spoken history tell us the Land part may have been square, all in one mass at one time, then as now, the magnetic north being the Center. Vast cataclysmic events and shaking no doubt broke the land apart, divided the Land to be our present continents or islands as they exist today. One thing we know for sure about this world...the known inhabited world is Flat, Level, a Plain World.

We maintain that what is called 'Science' today and 'scientists' consist of the same old gang of witch doctors, sorcerers, tellers of tales, the 'Priest-Entertainers' for the common people. 'Science' consists of a weird, way-out occult concoction of gibberish theory-theology...unrelated to the real world of facts, technology and inventions, tall buildings and fast cars, airplanes and other Real and Good things in life; technology is not in any way related to the web of idiotic scientific theory. ALL inventors have been anti-science. The Wright brothers said: "Science theory held us up for years. When we threw out all science, started from experiment and experience, then we invented the airplane." By the way, airplanes all fly level on this Plane earth.

rocktocky comeback (th impossible)

I made up for my three days of no sign-ups with two days of great awesomeness, which means I'll average out above quota for th week, after all. I've rediscovered canvassing consciousness. Equals hooray!

Thanks to those of you who expressed support. Your fnords & phone calls I did appreciate.

With love,
~a

spametry of today

I've got a 12 inch


jigsaw
advise
aides
blend
enoch
yukon
pascal
.kenton
.olive
aerate
ceres
onto
kevin
grief
icebox
ceq
.

abode
wattle
.

dark night of th soul

Th time has come for me to reassess my goals with Greenpeace.

Why do I canvass?

.. To secure new members for Greenpeace so it can continue to defend th Earth.
.. To make enough money to live.
.. Because I already have this job & I'm used to it.
.. Because I work with amazing people that delight me.
.. To allow myself to replace my 'I'm not a people-person' programming script with an 'I can talk to & relate to anyone' programming script.
.. Because I can canvass well.

Securing New Members

On an abstract, logical level, I see th connection between my conversations, my sign-ups, & th great work that Greenpeace does all over th world. Lately, I've had trouble feeling motivated by that. Members leads to support leads to good work leads to a healthier planet, I know, but on a day-to-day basis, standing on street corners, that seems too abstract to inspire me recently.

Affording to Live

Important. I've finally stopped needing support from my mother for student loan payments, cell phone bills, rent, car insurance, etc. I live with Tiffany & Jordan now, & I help them every way that I can. I'm not getting rich, that's for sure, but I'm not freaking out about bills. I can actually afford to relax, eat out now & then, pick up new books, & other such little niceties. Th money issue inspires me to keep doing this job, but it doesn't make me like it.

I'm Used to This Job

I found that I can do this. This is what I do. What would be th alternative to canvassing? I don't want to substitute teach again. I'm still unsure about teaching music, also. Yes, I'd enjoy doing more of my own music - sometimes it really gets me down that I'm not - but I can't survive as a full time Nodal Nimist! In general, job hunting terrifies me. In Greenpeace, I have found employment.

Amazing People

I've never known as many fantastic, interesting, intelligent, warm, alive, intriguing, hilarious, inspiring, beautiful, complex people as I do now through Greenpeace! Altho I still miss so many Troy & Potsdam friends, I feel very loved here now. I would miss these people unbearably if I didn't see them five to seven days a week.

Developing a 'People-Person' Script

I (like all humans) cling desperately to my limited definition of myself, my habits, my ego. My self-consciousness has th potential to socially paralyze me. When I succeed in 'getting over myself,' I can canvass. All that exists in those moments is canvassing. No 'Andrew' (as I define him) & no 'Stranger' (also my definition). This doesn't happen all th time. It comes in waves. When I cannot reach this place, & languish, suffer, stress out, get angry & spiteful, fail to canvass. I want very much to shed this self-consciousness. In fact, I've seen myself do things on th street I would never have thought possible, things that would terrify me if I let them but can seem so easy! Lately, I've been pulling back from that, back into my own shell, back into 'Unfriendly Andrew,' my self-fulfilling prophesy, my illusionary ego creation, my stumbling block.

Skillful Canvassing

I can do this job. I know I can. I've done it. What seemed impossible I proved possible months ago. When I see this happen, it builds on itself, & I kick butt. Confidence helps me soar. Lately I've forgotten this, fallen back to bad habits, lost confidence. But I know I can do this. I need to remind myself. I need to prove it to myself again. I need to get over myself.


My canvassing funk has reached an all-time low. Three days in, I have signed up no new members. I'm behind expectations & requirements. I can't help but have thoughts like "I can't do this, I suck at this, I'm in th wrong job, I hate these people, these people hate me, I'd rather be home in bed, I bet I won't sign anyone up today, they're going to fire me, what am I doing here?". But I have a couple days of weekend to reflect now, to reassess. I had something & allowed myself to drop it. Well, now I'm going to pick myself back up. Now I'm going to face my fears & bruised ego & trepidation & make something new happen. I'm going to evolve.

I will emerge victorious from this dark night of th soul.

Here Comes Everybody

Finnegans Wake, James Joyce's otherworldly experimental (many say unreadable) epic, has occupied my consciousness, time, & happyspace in recent weeks, as I have diligently read it aloud to myself page by page, whilst tallying hours spent (my chart currently shows seven hours & ten minutes of reading). Altho I've had th book for a while & have often enjoyed thumbing thru it whilst grinning, this represents my first cover-to-cover reading. First of many, I hope.

Th experience of reading no other book comes close to that of Finnegans Wake; it defies rational grokking. Its 628 pages of complex, multilayered puns, riddles, dreamscapes, bits of wordmusic & total lucidity entrance me. Altho oodles of articles & books have been written on it, nobody on Earth understands it completely (or probably ever will), & I think that rocks. Timothy Leary claimed that "Joyce's prose prepared [him] to enter psychedelic space."

So I plan to read it first cold, without any guidebook to help make sense of it, simply read it from cover to cover. After this, my second reading will allow one or two guidebooks (of th very many that are available - perhaps A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake: Unlocking James Joyce's Masterwork, by mythographer Joseph Campbell &/or A Reader's Guide to Finnegans Wake by William York Tindall). My third reading might incorporate another (perhaps Annotations to Finnegans Wake, by Roland McHugh, considered quite encyclopedic). After a while, perhaps I'll start writing my own guidebook.

At some point, I may take to th bustling streets on my weekends & recite th Wake one chapter at a time to a baffled Chicagoan audience.

It's been said that not until a person has put in 1000 hours of reading time does one start to grok th Wake. Hence my tally chart.

While not reading guides exactly, I've been reading a bit here & there about the Wake. Here's an interesting bit from Robert Anton Wilson, from his book Coincidance: "The 'nat language' of Finnegans Wake, in fact, can best be described as hologrammic prose. Just as a hologram is so structured that each part contains the whole, Finnegans Wake is structured in puns and synchronicities that 'contain' and reflect each other, creating the closest approximation of an infinite regress ever achieved in any art form."

This study may eventually lead up to a massive music project. I won't go into that now, because it may take years to get around to.

~a

0 3 9

I worked tonyt to produce mini-CDs, which I theoretically offer to those interested parties, but which I have ignored in times recent. I will do givings in times soon of oldthings & newthing - a 23-part Erisian Ode of Soorts. It has sat in uncompleted ways on hard drive in iBook, but will emerge in a state in a time.

0
3
9
30
33
39
90
93
99
300
303
309
330
333
339
390
393
399
900
903
909
930
933
939
990
993
999
3000

fixx om 4

On Wednyt (at Fixx Coffee Bar) did play I:

.. glockenspiels
.. science

On Tonyt (at Greenpeace office party) did play I:

.. stelr nursery > baby star > brown dwarf
.. 25% mor monstr > 2 G's
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of

I'm thinking of trying out Heartland Cafe's open mic next Wednyt.

~a

Drew & Great Friends Great Time Happened

One Greenpeacefriendman by name Drew did invite Andrew Aaron Heathwaite (frabjous self) to do playings of Nimlibits at th former's (et al) party-for-we-have-an-apartment-now. Inside happy garage, under beams of florescence, charmed by proximity to green of pingpong, with friends I knew & didn't standing in viddy, I played one set as bard Nodal Nim.

I will make no attempt to recreate th song title content of th set.

I will speak of th fun. I had lots of. I hadn't played a longish set in longish a time, only doing occasional open mic things for lukewarm audiences. But Drewfriends all seemed to greatly enjoy, & that made many layered smiles manifest inside & out.

Th time arrives for me to seek shows about. I must start making contactings & schedulings & th like. I wish to do playings at all possible times & invite.

Thanks to Drewfriends & Myfriends & Allfriends who did stand in viddy to enjoyments.

Many abounding omniloves I send!

fixx OM 3

What fun! For my third visit to Dan O's open mic at Fixx Coffee Bar, many many a wonderful Greenpeace friend did do showings! I played tunes for great enjoyment of self & all with extreme fnord. Zowie!

Mine songs performed:

.. how to ferment th colon
.. 2G's [requested by Amy R]
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of [requested by Chase]

So finally I feel appreciated in doing doings. I hope to continue in songery & seek shows in near dates. On Saturday, I may do friendparty mandolinings; such remains likely but questionmarked.

fixx om 2

Make it known 'round th globules that Nim did play two tunes at Fixx Coffee Bar:

.. 2 Gs
.. Pablo

Home [is where th absinthe isn't]

So I moved officially into Tiffany's apartment last week (while she & Jordan, her 10-year-old, were both away in Vermont), & now that they're back, we're doing some things to get organized. Kitchen things are put away, th SEGA Genesis & Nintendo (old school!) are both set up, & my tie rack sits proudly on th bedroom wall. Much work remains yet to be done, but I look forward to doing it.

FNORD!

I made a fantastic vegan sandwich just a moment ago! It consists of:

.. green beans
.. tarragon
.. cashews
.. peanut butter
.. vegan buttery spread (Soy Garden)
.. black pepper
.. sunflower seed bread

I stir fried th veggies, then fried th bread like a grilled cheese, with butter on th outside & peanut butter on th inside (to help th ingredients stick). Th Soy Garden works just like butter for frying & spreading!

=Hooray!

~ a vegan, domestic, overbearded aah

p.s. Don't drink absinthe. You will regret it. Especially if you're "trying to sober up." Don't do it. Not even two little swigs. Not even if you see your friends waving their fingers in front of your face & hear them saying, "absinthe... absinthe... absinthe..." as if trying to inspire a psychedelic experience for you. Even if th absinthe appears blue. That's no excuse. You will regret it.

fixx om 1 dot finnegans friend

Nodal Nim did play tunes at Fixx Coffee Bar this prior evening. A Greenpeacer named Dan-O did host, played guitar, invited goodtimes. In addition to my frabjous self, I saw some guitarists, a djembist, &, wonderfullest of all, a sitar player. All did doings immeasurably. I did:

.. 25% mor monstr
.. cal it Home
.. 5 songs of fish

This place did I enjoy: persons & friends listened intently as I played; plum oolong tea appealed to my buds.

FNORD

On th trainride home, wondermagickal togetherhappenings did manifest. It began as I sat on my mandolincase whilst waiting for th train & reading from Finnegans Wake, James Joyce's masterwork in dreamlanguage non-linear holistic complexity. I enjoy partaking of said tome by opening to random pages & reading a few sentences, a paragraph or two, maybe, then opening to a new random page et cetera. I have not yet begun a cover-to-cover reading, altho I intend to when time ripens.

So as I sat with book, th wind blew pages, turning them randomly for me. Rather than grip th pages to prevent their turning, I enjoyed having th wind make my anti-decisions. So there I sat at th terminal, reading a book whose pages flapped in th wind, grinning & not seeming to mind.

A fellow (I estimate 32 years of age, thin, redheaded, only somewhat inebriated), when I glanced his way, handed me a Thing. I identified said Thing as a worn playing card, a two of hearts, actually, with an image of Elvis Presley on th front & back. Th fellow's explanation: "Bookmark." I thanked fellow with a grin, stuck th "bookmark" between some pages near th back of th book (sticking up so I could see it in peripheral vision), & continued doing exactly what I had been doing, amused that a confounded fellow found it appropriate to intercede in my peculiar reading practice.

I do wonder what he thought, seeing me do this. (John Cage might understand.)

So we rode th train together, & in th car, since no wind found its way to my book, I flipped th pages myself again, continuing to let th bookmark sit in its place. Th fellow sat not far away. We both got off at th Irving Park stop (Brown Line "L"), & at th bottom of th stairs:

HE: [Evidently amused.] Your bag is unzipped.

I: [Continuing to walk, not surprised or disturbed by th news.] Thanks!

HE: Wait, let me get it.

[I stop & th fellow begins to zip up a pocket on my bookbag.]

HE: I'm putting these matches in your bag. They're from my restaurant - you should come in sometime. [Drops in matches & finishes th zip.] I used to do this in grade school on purpose to make friends.

I: [With a chuckle.] Thanks again!

He passed me & turned right out of th station - I turned left. Only as he passed did I smell a touch of alcohol on him. (Yes, most people returning from a night out at 11:00 would have had a few beers - just plum oolong for me.) He found my private antics amusing, it would seem, & he found himself intrigued enough to invite me to his restaurant. I wonder what overall impression he got of me, how he explained me to himself. I felt elated by th whole strange thing (altho I didn't understand why), & I laughed & grinned all th way home & on & off until sleep overtook me.

veganism hello

Hello.

I really can't take th Hare Krishnas seriously, I decided. I won't accept any religion that takes its books literally. I heart healthy skepticism.

In th meantime, I've just finished moving into Tiffany & Jordan's apartment. I'd lived with George all year, but had spent much of my time there, so now I've made th move. I feel good about it.

I decided to embrace veganism, th boycotting of all products that come from animals. Since sixth grade, I've practiced vegetarianism, th boycotting of all meat products. I have done this not because I think humans shouldn't eat animals (historically, humans have always demonstrated omnivorous behavior, hunting & gathering, farming plants & domesticating animals), but because th meat industry raises animals in miserable conditions wherein they suffer as lifeless objects for our abuse. Meat in modern times implies animal abuse, which I decidedly do not condone.

Veganism goes one step further, refusing not only meat, but milk, eggs, cheese, honey, butter, etc. Obviously, it requires more discipline, since dairy products appear in many more foodthings than meat products. I used to say, "Cows don't die to make milk," which skirts th issue that, altho they don't die, they live unnatural lives wallowing in their own filth, hooked up to machines in factory farms, getting pumped full of hormones. Dairy in modern time also implies animals abuse - I knew this for years but chose to ignore it. I didn't want to commit to such a disciplined eating constraint.

But since starting at Greenpeace, I've met a handful of vegans who have shown me that veganism can work. It doesn't take much to become cognizant of animal products & avoid them in all forms. I feel great about my decision to stop lying to myself & stand up against an effed up form of animal torture.

Krsna Christ

So I recently checked out a nearby temple of th International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a.k.a. th Hare Krishnas. I had met a kind fellow on th street who offered me a book, Sri Isopanisad, which I took home & read with interest. Sunday I went to an open house promising:

* Musical Performance & Mantra Meditation
* Transcendental Philosophy
* FREE delicious vegetarian Feast

(I do enjoy feasts.)

I have found many things about th Hare Krishnas that I like a whole bunch. They advocate living a natural, simple life devoted to peace, love, & appreciation for th universe. They sing songs & chant, welcome people with open arms, & work to expand their consciousness. They consider all things Godly.

I have found a few things about them that irk me, also. Altho I can think of few more open-minded organized religions (they accept Jesus & th Buddha as holy men, even tho they don't connect directly with their movement, & they acknowledge that their path is one of many), they believe in Krishna as th Absolute Personality of Godhead, rather than one of many possible metaphors for an otherwise nearly unknowable God. They consider their path Supreme or Best & their holy books (particularly th Bhagavad Gita) Absolutely Perfect.

I don't accept Absolutes, but Relatives. I acknowledge Einstein & th Quantum Physicists & what they have taught us about th limitations inherent in every model.

For example, Hare Krishnas say that all forms of God emanate from th supreme, Krishna. Krishna has th attributes of a blue-skinned four-armed male anthropomorphic deity, who, while omnipotent & able to change forms, reduces absolutely to a blue-skinned four-armed male anthropomorphic deity. As soon as we accept this as th perfect image of God, we say that God cannot truly be black-skinned, twelve-armed, female & feline. But of course, ideas of God have emerged of so many different types that it makes no sense to me to limit our concept to one Absolute image.

Th idea of Krishna, like that of Isis, Yahweh, Tlaloc & Prometheus, can help us make sense of th universe & become more spiritual human beings. I find Krishna a beautiful metaphor, but not one that I choose to take literally.

That said, I intend to continue my exploration of th Krishna Consciousness Movement, thru reading, chanting, meditating, conversing with th very friendly monks, & trying to experience th Absolute Personality of Godhead as best I can while remaining agnostic.

one fine poem by mine Self & Scotthew

sandy crushed ants in scepters
stinging raspberry red fingers
bags of random piles and globs
bankers of men fishers of Steve
rotating mama's llama's
point zero one elephantitis
paint me a picture quiet one
with your soft sand wax
drippling organic crashmaidens
until cohering to swizzlesticks
fraternizing with Chandra
you and your fan mail (will you/won't you)
sing me a return address
I'll scribble down simple hydrocarbons
Be it the one or the many
skies win on down the roads
roadus barrels roll
in moon clocking fish fashion
orgies on bended knee
stale bites between binded bands
bungalow dungfaeries swell eight
times polygon orcs
wild times will do thee good
peckish whims on button gardens
acidic gardener cracks paste
& counsels bumping ornate slates
virgin victims upon solid centers
wane from thy temptation

chaosfeast

There happened feastings.

Last night, in recognition of my awaying (which awayed just this morn), we (my Self, Ameh, Bleh), created from chaotic brain embers & hats just such a meal as did ignite fine wonders. I speak of a four-bibbit amazing. We three did makings - we added Nick Borden for eatings.

Appetizer of crunchy yum: Toast with Sundried Toe-mah-toes, Green Olives, Red Food Dye.

Drinkly of chunky yum: Watermelonjuice with Mintleafings (from Gardenpicked), Amaretto, Fine Bibbits of Horny Fruit (Green Globules which do Encasings of Seedies) for Sittings on Top.

Main Course of complex yum: Okra & Zucchini, Onion & Limejuice, Garam Marsala & Unboxwine, Allspice, Waters.

Dessert of commodius yum: Grapefruit Quarters, Yumsauce (Cotton Candy Quite Melted, Jam&Waters).

a hitching

A wedding I did attend - th hitching of Eric Fauss to Stephanie Thompson & vice versa! Fun abounded in bounds - from togethertastic lovely fronds of vows & speakings, to a ringing & a counterringing, to dances & cocktails & toasts, to smiling bibbits of most excellent happy. I felt honored & awed to participate (as Best I could). Hooray for all!

I did carpooling with th lovely Scott & Gillian. We encountered fun, adventure & secrets with our sexy GPS robot named Nuvi. Good friendlies at feastings included Jen A, Nathan S, Rachael F. I enjoyed seeing & meeting family & friends from all walks. Togethermagick abounded in ways. Hooray for all!

A goodness & sweetness & triumph & yay.

Troytown Ithakatown Dublintown

Today I did arrive in Troytown for th doings of wed & happies; also, I did complete one full reading of Ulysses by James Joyce (here you can find an interesting essay on Ulysses & cybernetics slash hypertext).

Holy hey diddle diddle

Holy hey diddle diddle (didl didl in cut spelng for those curious explorer types), I've been working at Greenpeace for an effing month! So weird, it seems to me, that I do what I do.

Often in life, I've felt like some space alien who crashlanded on th wrongest planet possible. I have never bought others' reality, never excelled at assimilation, never found myself easily grokked by th people around me. Chicago has seemed like just another miserable city on th planet of th squares slash ueber hip slash conformists slash nonconformistconformists. As always, I can find no culture, no subculture, of Andrews.

But since I stumbled into Greenpeace, I very recently realized that I have things that I can fairly & proudly call friends. We're th office of th misfits, & I effing love it.

I have stumbled upon friends in th past of course. It happens thru avenues of theatre, music, clay, & chaos - thru art - transcendent, chaotic, divine, explosively rich & challenging art. Thinking of this, I reach a realization that we Greenpeacers do art.

It goes like this:

Every day, I go to some given streetcorner in Chicago, approach hundreds of absolute strangers - each in their own reality tunnels trying to get thru th hectic day without losing their minds - & start conversations:

How are you today, sir? How do you feel about Global Warming? - Ma'am, you wanna help save a Polar Bear today, right? - This guy looks like an environmentalist! Have you heard about Greenpeace, man? - Come talk to me about saving our Mother Earth!

I find it utterly fascinating how absolutely th same everyone seems & how absolutely unique at th same time. I never have th same conversation twice. Never! (But th goal remains th same, more or less: convince th mark that Greenpeace is worth donating to & get em to fill out my form & give me eir credit card number.)

In conclusion, we do art:

.th art of conversation
.th art of manipulation slash persuasion
.th art of selling (a reality-tunnel, an organization, a future)
.th art of rhetoric
.th art of canvassing (as this activity gets officially called)

No one does this job th same. No one paints th same painting (slash reality-tunnel slash conversation etc). We do art - transcendent, chaotic, divine, explosively rich & challenging art.

((((( So it feels on a "good day." )))))

331

Since my last post, I missed birthdays - mine & at least two others, probably millions - & also Discordian holydays - Confuflux & th 23rd of July (I think all 23s ought to be holydays). I also failed to mention another Gallery Cabaret open mic that I played last week. I don't think it worth mentioning except to say that I wound up 23rd on th list thru no conscious action of mine.

FNORD

I've quite by accident discovered another holynumber of some importance: 331.

A few weeks ago, Greenpeace Chicago got 331 new member sign-ups, breaking th national records of all Greenpeace offices. It stands as our personal best.

A few days ago, another Greenpeacer & I signed each other up as members. Here's how I determined what I would donate: about a quarter a day is 12 dollars a month. Twelve dollars is slightly more than minimum, which is 10 dollars. I decided I like th number 13 better than th number 12. So I wrote 13. Then I decided to make it a palindrome, so I added .31, making th donation 13.31. See th 331? I didn't intend it, but it seemed fitting.

This didn't seem weird until this morning, when I bought a feta pasta salad. Th price? $3.31.

I'll keep you posted on further occurances of this number, & I invite you to do th same.

By th way, how does 331 fit with th Law of Fives? Quite simple:

3 + 3 - 1 = 5.