Ramble On (Page/Plant)

Leaves are falling all around,
It's time I was on my way.
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay.
But now it's time for me to go.
The autumn moon lights my way.
For now I smell the rain, and with it pain, and it's headed my way.
Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do...

Ramble On, And now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song.
I'm goin' 'round the world, I got to find my girl, on my way.
I've been this way ten years to the day, Ramble On,
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams.

Got no time to for spreadin' roots,
The time has come to be gone.
And to our health we drank a thousand times, it's time to Ramble On.

Ramble On, And now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song.
I'm goin' 'round the world, I got to find my girl, on my way.
I've been this way ten years to the day, Ramble On,
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams.

Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear.
How years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air.
T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fair.
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her, her, her....yeah.

Ramble On, And now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song.
I'm goin' 'round the world, I got to find my girl, on my way.
I've been this way ten years to the day, Ramble On,
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams.

Gonna ramble on, sing my song.
Gotta keep-a-searchin' for my baby...
Gonna work my way, round the world.
I can't stop this feelin' in my heart
Gotta keep searchin' for my baby.
I can't find my bluebird.



Like all other traveling minstrels the Bittersweet Symphony of life is calling me down the path. This happens when your work is done in one town. It's a gypsy's life. Time to Ramble On...

Assumptions and Saviors

Today's Sunday Sermonette will be especially brief. We've discussed the nature of reality and whether or not we can rely on certain assumptions and if our "reality" is all there is or if there is some other reality outside of what were experience. Personally, and this is probably a religious assumption, I think that there has to be a reality outside of what we experience. It really seems pretty obvious even when you try to say that "it's all in your head" and so on because your head has to be somewhere too. ;-) There is Something Out There. I have faith in that assumption.

But in real, everyday life some assumptions are pretty dangerous. There's an old saying that goes something like, "Never assume anything because it makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'. Sometimes that's true. I try not to make many assumptions about other people because I don't like being made an ass. And in real, everyday life we need more 'evidence' to back up whatever assumptions might be considered necessary for progress. I can (hopefully) assume that my children will still love me even when I have to fuss at them. But with many people it is difficult to maintain assumptions if they don't engage in any kind of communication one way or another.

Unfortunately, at this particular moment I can't deftly weave saviorism with assumptions so just trust me that they are related somehow. Saviors are faced with a dilemma after they have done their savioring. Jesus had to be crucified. In fact most saviors seem to end up getting killed. That's kind of a shame, but I guess that's the best way to make an impact or point, well, as long as you have a sizeable audience. Without that, it's kind of a waste. And once people have been 'saved' they tend to get lazy about expressing their feelings about it. I guess maybe they've just assumed that they've been saved and that there isn't anything left to work out.

Well, I had some really brilliant points that I just can't remember now so I should probably leave it with this.

Have you hugged your Savior today?

And that's today's Sunday Sermonette.

Backfire

Greetings from North Carolina. I have insomnia which is definitely not what I was planning for this weekend. I should be sleeping soundly without the possibility of some small person jumping in the bed, "momma, momma..." at some ungodly hour. But for whatever reasons I can't sleep despite a couple of different chemical assistants. Maybe it's the full moon. Maybe it's all those cute little kittens that I keep thinking about. ;-) It's hard work being sweet.

Maybe we should have found a Duke lacrosse team party to attend?

Call Me the Breeze

I keep blowin' down the road... (Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Call Me the Breeze")


Later today I'll be blowin' down the road to Durham to spend the weekend there with my friends. I'm getting a little "momma break" which is much needed. Everyone have a safe and happy weekend! I know I will!

Telepathy Explained?

In an interesting 23 minute podcast called How Human Brains Are Wired To Connect, Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence (which I haven't read but have read about ;-) ) speaks about his new book, Social Intelligence. Much of what he discusses sounds kind of similar to The Four Agreements and Magic Words and Alchemy. ;-)

He begins by explaining that "social intelligence" is an aspect of "emotional intelligence." He briefly defines emotional intelligence as self-awareness, self-management, and "channeling" positive emotions leading to the social aspects of empathy and skilled interactions with others. It seems he is saying that social intelligence is a kind of subset of emotional intelligence, which makes sense enough and sounds kind of familiar. ;-) His ideas are based on the findings of an emerging field called "social neuroscience" that studies how social interactions affect neurology. He describes "mirror neurons" that act as "wifi" that connect the physiology of two or more brains. (though he doesn't explain how this happens, only that it does; maybe there's more of that in the book?)

Goleman suggests that anecdotes of "ESP" in long-term relationships could be explained by the brains of the people in close relationships forming the same cognitive associations due to their physiologies interacting over time. I think that this synchronicity is probably rather variable and that it doesn't necessarily take a long time to achieve.

Probably the main point of his talk is that physiologies/neurologies seem to interact in non-trivial ways that we haven't been scientifically aware of until recently. Of course, these ideas have been around for a long time, but it is pretty interesting that there is now scientific research looking at them.

Goleman also discusses what we can do to regulate our receptivity/projection of these neural signals. Sure, we've all known people who can either light up a room or suck all the energy out of it just by being there. Apparently, meditative practices strengthen the neural pathways or "circuitry" responsible for the ability to block negativity and project positivity, but Goleman seems to be moving away from the scientific and into the spiritual (or at least speculation) when he talks about the larger implications.

I can't say I am convinced about his application of these neurological insights to the broader issues of society such as social, political, and economic problems. When he starts talking about possible "altruism circuitry" that "wants" to improve relationships and social conditions and how modern life impedes positive interactions and world relations, blah, blah, blah, he kind of loses me. Let's get the science of the individual interactions figured out better before we go making big sweeping conclusions about society. He mentions "compassionate capitalism" and so on, but it sounds too much like sociological mumbo-jumbo to me. Not that I'm against such things, but I feel some resistance to this kind of mandating of morality in much the same way as I am resistant to most Political Correctness.

Another idea Goleman suggests is that prisons should do more to "reform the brains" of convicts. (Actually, that sounds a bit like A Clockwork Orange.) Well, I tend to think that the brains of convicts are probably less "reformable" and that is probably why they are convicts in the first place. ;-) However, it would be okay with me if they used prisoners for this kind of research, and if they got positive results then yay for them.

Despite these sociological problems I think I'd like to read this book just to see if it makes sense as it's presented. And I'd like to know more about the actual research because you can't always trust other people's interpretations of things. ;-)


For those who are interested in other podcasts check out Science and the City.

Domestic Pleasures

(photo from Domestications.com)

I think there's something wrong with me. I can't seem to look at a bed without thinking about sex. I had to go get my glasses adjusted today because they were too loose. The closest way to LensCrafters is to go through JCPenney's upper level housewares department. That entrance to the mall is lined with 8 or so beds all made up to display their latests styles of comforters, etc. I wonder how many other people see those beds and imagine having sex in them.

I've noticed that this also happens when I look at catalogs with bedding, like the Domestications catalog. While I don't particularly like many of the styles in that catalog, it doesn't keep my mind from putting me in those beds doing things that would keep me from noticing the bedding anyway. ;-) I really do think there has got to be something wrong with me.

Maybe it's my blanket fetish, but not a fetish in the perverted sense (I don't do nasty things with blankets). I had a security blanket (I think I've already told this story, so sorry if I have, but I don't feel like looking back to make sure) when I was a baby/young child. I gave it up when I was about 4 and a half in exchange for a bicycle. Well, that's when I stopped carrying it around all the time, but I do still have it packed away in a cedar chest. It was/still is yellow. I wore out the satin binding from rubbing it while sucking my first two fingers (which might account somewhat for my oral fixation*), but as long as I had my blanket I could survive anything. I still catch myself rubbing fabric, or sometimes my purse strap, between my thumb and forefinger when I'm nervous or bored or just about anytime. It's just one of those unconscious habits.

Anyway, I continue to collect nice blankets and throws, especially if they are silky, satiny, velvety, or otherwise soft and soothing. So I guess it would be kind of natural when looking at a nice bed to want to plunge myself into it, and the natural progression of that thought is to have someone else with me. ;-)


*One should not get overly excited about that statement as it is a broader generalization than what some might be tempted to imagine. ;-) Not that their imaginings wouldn't be partially correct (after all, this post is largely about sexual thoughts), but it would be a mistake to assume a too narrow meaning. For instance, I generally notice people mouths first and then their eyes, and I like to watch people's mouths when they are speaking.

What a Cute Kitten!

Not about kittens exactly, but funny nonetheless:





via Tayster's World.