iTumbleweed

Ohhhhhhhh I should become a tumbleweed
Such a simple existence they have indeed
They just come & go & drift about as the wind leads
Very simple things and they really have no needs
But they're dead-damn it Jim-and so they are not free
They have no roots & so they are tossed about as a ship at sea
They have no intellect & they sure don't breathe
Can we learn anything from them as they be?
Keep it so simple comes to mind you see
Don't get caught up in the world's materialistic greed
Make positive, helpful, & encouraging morals & values your creed
Slow down & look all around at nature from the ground to tops of trees
Slow down world. What's the hurry? Why go at such high speed?
Do you even stop to enjoy the meal upon which you feed?
Sit down, take a while, & put up your feet
You there, doing a million things a day, how well do you sleep?
Oh the complicated tangled web society dost weave
You must buy this or get that or be this & that becomes our belief
What seeds are you sowing? That's the harvest that you will reap
Have you ever sat & listened to the symphony of silence & found peace?
We live here in the present now & can only focus on today's keep
Get out of the fast lane, go on, take that big leap
So many run themselves into the ground & crumble into a heap
What have they gained in their chase of their perhaps foolish dreams
I'd rather float along upon a soothing stream
I've no idea what this has to do with tumbleweeds; what does this mean?
I don't know & it sure beats the heck out of this me
Become simple like a tumbleweed perhaps, I guess, & it seems
Much of what we toil for & after amounts to a hill of beans
Welp am done now & well wasn't that keen?

iDontNeedIt

So it's come up in casual conversation a few times recently that as long as my Treo 650 smart phone works, I have no need to upgrade to a new phone. The only reason I use a smart phone is because it's my brain for remembering events/appointments/etc. If it's not in my datebook, I won't remember it. Verizon has the new phone every two years incentive to try to lock in you in for an additional 2 year contract after your initial contract expires. I've been eligible for a new phone upgrade for a while. No need for it. Does my phone make & receive calls? Yup. Do my reminders & contacts & memos still work? Yup. So therefore, I dun't need to take advantage of the phone upgrade option. Well that is until today anyway.

Apparently as of today mine Treo 650 won't let me hear anyone on my phone unless I put them on speaker phone. Bummerz. So onward upon the Verizon website I journey to look at the upgrade options. I came across a Palm Centro smart phone as well as the few flavors of Blackberries. I looked at all the hype & hoopla surrounding all the gadgets. And the simple conclusion is...I'll just stick to the Palm Centro. I don't understand why one wants/needs to browse the internet from their phone. I tried it with my Treo for a while then concluded, I don't need it. I don't understand why you'd pay the $30 or so per month to be able to do so. One already pays their internet service provider for at home use unless you use a portable & just use hotspots. And we thought the internet was free eh? ha. I don't send/receive enough emails to need the messaging features of Blackberry nor do I want to pay for the "staples" of the Blackberry service. I can't think of any personal emails I've received that needed my now & immediate response. My experience is that it usually doesn't matter when a personal email is read as compared to when it was sent. And for those who think they need such features, why not try calling & having an actual conversation with the people involved/concerned? I don't need/want to take pictures from my phone. I have a digital camera that does that well for me. I don't need my phone to be a video game console either. I just need my phone to be a phone & do it as well as possible along with the datebook stuff as in "this is my real brain outside of my brain." An added bonus for me is music media playing so I don't have to carry around a music player such as an iPod or other music playing device.

The assumption is that we, the people, are lemmings & embrace the technologies companies create & try to persuade us to purchase. They prey upon us to make us think/believe we must have what they offer or we'll surely perish. Most of it is all toys, bells, & whistles that are luxuries. Am I saying it's wrong to want for such gadgets & features. No. If you think you'll enjoy the something & services, then great. Go for it. Yes there is real business need & justification for taking advantage of it. Yes there is the 'fun' & 'wow' factor of having such things as well.

For today & now I say "pleah" to the being constantly wired & connected via the Blackberry paradigm. I'm John & I vote & so what & I say phones should be phones & they should not drop calls.

Until later comes, turn it up to ring ring.

T'was Two...

T'was two days before Christmas & holy cow
Much to tend to still & finish and how
Be careful out there as you journey through the crowds
Go buy that, wrap this, & find a moment for some chow
I'm going to get done earlier next year & that's my vow
It sure creeps up on ya faster than you realize & you go "like wow"
Never mind all that you say as you wipe the sweat from your brow
There's stuff to do so let's get to it & get it done like now
Crank up the tunes & get to jammin' with the holiday sound
No time to just hang out or just lay around
Get your feet a runnin' & hit the ground
Come on & get on with it already as Santa's comin' to town
You better not pout & there's no reason to wear a frown
Ya done with that wrapping yet? Just add it to the tree's mound
Ya stressed out, or tired, or tightly wound?
Well ya can recover later; perhaps then some peace will be found
Move it, move it Christmas soldier! Double time it! The clock is countin' down
"Hey come back here with my ribbon cat" you say as he runs away with a sarcastic meow
"Why you I outta" you say to yourself aloud
Careful now as you move from here to there & all about
We wouldn't want you to trip on the stuff & fall & smack into the ground
T'was two days before Christmas & holy cow
May you find some quiet as if drifting on a cloud
Me hopes you liked this ditty & merry Christmas from this rambling clown

T'was Three Days...

T'was three days before Christmas & all through the land
The sales were on & the shoppers had a lot of bags in their hands
What do I get him, or her, or them thar over there?
Oh I haven't a clue as some say while pulling out their hair
For many it is a hard, or even sad, season & they might just not care
But they try anyway to tend to their Christmas affairs
Some are so stressed & tired & they just collapse in a chair
Others seem to have endless energy like a solar flare
Some are calm & peaceful as they have well prepared
Others choose to wait till the 24th to enter the shopping lair
Out comes all the tape & cutters & the colorful paper
Ribbons, bows, ties, boxes, for all the wrapping layers
Can't we wait to wrap till a bit or a lotta later?
OUCH! I cut myself with the edge of the paper sharp as a razor
Can someone grab me a drink & a snack? Oh waiter?
Now where'd that thing for who'z it what'z it go that's as big as a freighter?
Can we just "Git 'r done" so says Larry who does the voice of Mater
The gifts are placed carefully under the tree
I wonder what so and so decided to get this year for me?
The fires are put out & the lights no longer glow
Off for a warm winter's sleep we go
Us older folk creak & crack & pop as we ache from head to toe
All that running about & doing the do isn't easy ya know?
Can we just take it easy now & just move real slow?
For we've been so crazy busy going to & fro
And this is the journey of the season where we just go with the flow
In the end it's simply about being with friends & family to enjoy & share
And to, for a brief moment, let go of all our burdens & cares
T'was three days before Christmas & all through the land
Slow down & relax & have a nice time that is grand

iSnap

Bonk ding doh-ing go the parts in me head
Snap ZZZzttt sproing go the parts that are red
It's a case of the bonkers which we dread
For which there's no treatment from what I've read
There's no putting it back together as it's dead
Yer just gonna have to face all that's ahead
Hey bonkoid did you hear anything I said?
Nope, notta, zip, zilcho there Mr. Ed
I'm going going gone fuzto instead
I'm slipping on my lost marbles heading to bed
Wake me up when the clock is half past fred
But only if you can track down my brain which seems to have fled
Cuckoo says I flying over my own nutzo nest
And all this just to provide daily bread
Phtphphtphthtpth says I as that sums up this season best
And of course this is just boredom drivel in which I jest

iMe

Hey me
I'm he
I be
You see
Yes, si
And indeed
Slow's the speed
Nothing to achieve
So I write & read
It's wow & gee
I sip coffee or tea
And I just breathe
It's crazy I believe
But it meets need
'Cause gotta feed
Our melting economy bleeds
Who has the lead?
Too many problems interleaved
Like too many overgrown weeds
I question land of the free
Ruled by corporate & political greed
Where wall street is their creed
Now there's broken lives & dreams
Time for new seeds
Well me that's it for thee
The news isn't too yippie
Maybe I outta just be a hippie
Well, uhm,er, ok then, well gee

iSuccess

The boys & I watched the movie "A Dennis The Menace Christmas." Mr. Wilson is the neighbor of the menace that Dennis be. When asked about things of Christmas Mr. Wilson called Christmas "shameless capitalism." In a time of the crumbling of debt laiden lives & companies, the last thing we need is to be bombarded by advertisements for buying things on credit. So this last weekend a commercial was on for Sears. Hey guess what? Get a Sears card & pay no interest until 2012. Today, Yahoo's main page has an ad for an Amercian Express gold looking card with the headline of "How To Say Success." What a crock of hooey. Success for me is simply having food, clothing, shelter, & some quality time with my wife & kids each day. The dangling of the buying power carrot in front of people continues. And it will always be there & will continue. Is it shameless capitalism on the parts of those offering such credit offers? It's certainly capitalism of course. And afterall customers buying things on credit has become the norm for retailers to sell their products & survive. You can just hear the robotic voice in mr. or mrs. retailer's head "Must make a sale. Must offer credit to all & their fleas to make a sale. We don't care if they can pay it back or not. Must sell sell sell." I'm sure this is part of the root issue with Circuit City's floundering & having to file. How the Tribune Company can accumulate billions in debt & still function is quite bizarre. But then we only need to look at our own states & federal government to see that defecit spending is the norm & accepted as is & the status quo. I personally wouldn't call such credit offers shameless but I think trying to continue with what has been the norm is a root flaw in our grand economic wheel. Stop the wheel I'd like to get off & just sit a spell in simple basics of life. When all else fails eat a hamburger or have some chocolate & enjoy something of nature nearest you.