Sunday, January 12, 2020

Building blocks 2 build your believes

BUILDING ON BUILDING. BLOCKS

As a semi-intoxicated comedian once said, ‘time’s fun when you’re having. Flies... and so on that. Note I  have decided to  install a new habit that I  started about a year ago, and lo and  behold, when “Building Blocks 1 “. Made the top ten list for last year, I did the Simpson forehead pound and thought—“let’s really. Build this into a  habit this year and. Get the. Poetry/lyrics out there instead of. Having them stew in the cognitive crockpot of my complicated mind.  In short, I’m bound and determined to do this and it feels good.  

So... before I lay down. Another building block... I wanted to  connect  this up with the peace and joy concepts so then I can write the  lyrics and  let them sit at the end without  babbling. Further.  

Let’s ay for giggles that. Actions are what we do— they are the results of habits plus random meaningful extemporaneous  behaviors.  Now habits they aren’t  usuallly just off the cuff things, except when they are used as the techniques of your creative. Mind and carried. Through so automatically  that they allow you to enjoy their results.ts without thinking about it... When does that happen?   When you are “in the zone.”  When you. Take the  22 footer from the corner and turn to run down court to play defense because  “it’s nothing but net” and you knew it  the moment  the pass hit your. Fingertips.  Or in the zone can be when you are writing and the words just  pop out and typing them or writing. Them is more. Difficult than knowing what. Must be written.  In the  zone can be knowing just how much salt to add to that coookie recipe  to keep the  cookies  sweet and salty together in just the right. Proportion... The zone is everywhere and habits  can create the ability to act  while.paying attention. To the zone rather than the  individual actions.  

Okay now. For my view on habits... Habits  come from  practice and practice comes from developing systems.  Systems  of behavior are built over time and  repetition and then on action.  In short if you don’t complete your  goals it’s probably not because you didn’t do individual actions, it’s because you didn’t build the systems that guide your. Habits.  Now you may ask why don’t we always build the systems or. Use them?  Mostly because. We don’t incorporate. These into our. Identity.  If you  believe yourself to be a musician, you might learn an instrument and practice it don’t you think?   So it starts with understanding and being honest about the identity and the identity  guides and is guided by our. Beliefs.  The beliefs  direct the systems that will be the rules for building behaviors and behaviors are the parts of actions that bring the results.  

So last year I  wanted to  offer some song lyrics/poetry in an unfinished for to the reader, and didn’t carry. Thorough because. That’s not something I usually do in my. Songwriting process.  So what?  If you always do the same things you’ve always done, you’ll likely always. Get the same results.  Okay. Enough already... Here’s a behavior I’m going to  make a habit because I believe in it and  writing has become  a part of my  growing identity.  

So in Building Blocks 1 the  Words were...as I remember them...

Every now and then. Peace and joy  slip from  your routine
Confusing. Rushes in filling all the spaces in between
Humbling. Numbing chaoscrahes down  into what was once serene 
That
S when you must  name. Your torments and  find out  much later what they mean 

Building Block 2 As you stand there in the rubble  somewhere in the distance there’s a chime
The cathedral  may be open or  maybe  the bells are tolling  for it’s closing time
The  hour has come to scream and sing your  rhyme
Though it’s too real for the scholars and  far too loud for the mime   

Block 3 ...next weekend :)


Saturday, January 11, 2020

It’s hard for the New World man to find peace and joy Rest In Peace Neil Peart

In HONOR OF. NEIL PEART DRUMMER

NEW WORLD MAN PERFORMED BY RUSH

Written. By  Neil Elwood PEART )RIP) 
Gary Lee Weinrib & Alex Zivojinovich 

He’s a rebel and a runner 
He’s a signal turning green 
He’s a restless young romantic
Wants to run a big machine

He’s got a problem with his poisons
But you know you’ll find a cure
He’s cleaning up the system
To keep  his nature pure

Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man


He’s got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend them as he makes
He’s old enough to know what’s right and young enough not to choose it
He’s noble enough  to win the world and weak enough to lose it
He’s a new worl man

He’s a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He’s a writer and a ranger
And a young man bearing arms

He’s gat a problem with his powers
Weapons on Patrol 
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control

Trying to save the world for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for third world man

He’s not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today 
He’s noble enough to know what’s right
But weak enough not to choose. It
He’s wise enough to win the world
But. Fool enough to loose it

He’s a new world man 
He’s learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to  catch the heat of the. Third world man

HE’S A NEW  WORLD MAN

PHILOSOPHY

Since this is a cross-over. Post  between. My Peace and Joy Blog and the Rock and Roll Philosophy  Blog I’ll try to limit my  comments to those that. Fit both.  Neil “Elwoood” PEART passed onto the never-ending  heart-pounding  solo section of his spiritual life yesterday and boy could he bring it.  Most of the time there was  subtle  joy in his driving  style as he punctuated every Rush  lyric and backed almost any sound that this  remarkable. Three-person  group could crank out.  He was a human. Controlled. Explosion  and yet he never. Covered up  the Rush lyrics which almost always had  a social. Justice or observation  message and made it clear that living in todays world was complicated and changing.  Neil  brought. The group. Right to the edge of the change with his beat all the time and  the lyrics took it the rest of the way.  
In my listening career and that includes a lot of hours I haven’t heard better....I have heard some equal drum solos sometimes because. Let’s face it drummers get possessed by their  spiritual rhythms and  do remarkable things in a flow and peace and joy come in a flow.  

New world man (this song I have  selected among n many) tells us to pay attention to the world around us and differences between the  old and new worlds and all the perspectives  each of us can bring to their experiences.  The song clearly says the  best can happen but it will have to be chosen.  
The  song tells us that those caught in the  new world are well aware of their. Situation and those of their fellow man.  For a  song written nearly 30 years ago  the message of the “new world” generation screams out true even today.  

REST IN PEACE
 Neil


We’ll return to a more. Regular post tomorrow.not change is  going to  be with us now and In HONOR OF. NEIL PEART DRUMMER

NEW WORLD MAN PERFORMED BY RUSH

Written. By  Neil Elwood PEART )RIP) 
Gary Lee Weinrib & Alex Zivojinovich 

He’s a rebel and a runner 
He’s a signal turning green 
He’s a restless young romantic
Wants to run a big machine

He’s got a problem with his poisons
But you know you’ll find a cure
He’s cleaning up the system
To keep  his nature pure

Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man


He’s got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend them as he makes
He’s old enough to know what’s right and young enough not to choose it
He’s noble enough  to win the world and weak enough to lose it
He’s a new worl man

He’s a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He’s a writer and a ranger
And a young man bearing arms

He’s gat a problem with his powers
Weapons on Patrol 
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control

Trying to save the world for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for third world man

He’s not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today 
He’s noble enough to know what’s right
But weak enough not to choose. It
He’s wise enough to win the world
But. Fool enough to loose it

He’s a new world man 
He’s learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to  catch the heat of the. Third world man

HE’S A NEW  WORLD MAN

PHILOSOPHY

Since this is a cross-over. Post  between. My Peace and Joy Blog and the Rock and Roll Philosophy  Blog I’ll try to limit my  comments to those that. Fit both.  Neil “Elwoood” PEART passed onto the never-ending  heart-pounding  solo section of his spiritual life yesterday and boy could he bring it.  Most of the time there was  subtle  joy in his driving  style as he punctuated every Rush  lyric and backed almost any sound that this  remarkable. Three-person  group could crank out.  He was a human. Controlled. Explosion  and yet he never. Covered up  the Rush lyrics which almost always had  a social. Justice or observation  message and made it clear that living in todays world was complicated and changing.  Neil  brought. The group. Right to the edge of the change with his beat all the time and  the lyrics took it the rest of the way.  
In my listening career and that includes a lot of hours I haven’t heard better....I have heard some equal drum solos sometimes because. Let’s face it drummers get possessed by their  spiritual rhythms and  do remarkable things in a flow and peace and joy come in a flow.  

New world man (this song I have  selected among n many) tells us to pay attention to the world around us and differences between the  old and new worlds and all the perspectives  each of us can bring to their experiences.  The song clearly says the  best can happen but it will have to be chosen.  
The  song tells us that those caught in the  new world are well aware of their. Situation and those of their fellow man.  For a  song written nearly 30 years ago  the message of the “new world” generation screams out true even today.  

REST IN PEACE
 Neil

We’ll return to a more. Regular post tomorrow.not change is  going to  be with us now and In HONOR OF. NEIL PEART DRUMMER

NEW WORLD MAN PERFORMED BY RUSH

Written. By  Neil Elwood PEART )RIP) 
Gary Lee Weinrib & Alex Zivojinovich 

He’s a rebel and a runner 
He’s a signal turning green 
He’s a restless young romantic
Wants to run a big machine

He’s got a problem with his poisons
But you know you’ll find a cure
He’s cleaning up the system
To keep  his nature pure

Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man


He’s got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend them as he makes
He’s old enough to know what’s right and young enough not to choose it
He’s noble enough  to win the world and weak enough to lose it
He’s a new worl man

He’s a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He’s a writer and a ranger
And a young man bearing arms

He’s gat a problem with his powers
Weapons on Patrol 
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control

Trying to save the world for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for third world man

He’s not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today 
He’s noble enough to know what’s right
But weak enough not to choose. It
He’s wise enough to win the world
But. Fool enough to loose it

He’s a new world man 
He’s learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to  catch the heat of the. Third world man

HE’S A NEW  WORLD MAN

PHILOSOPHY

Since this is a cross-over. Post  between. My Peace and Joy Blog and the Rock and Roll Philosophy  Blog I’ll try to limit my  comments to those that. Fit both.  Neil “Elwoood” PEART passed onto the never-ending  heart-pounding  solo section of his spiritual life yesterday and boy could he bring it.  Most of the time there was  subtle  joy in his driving  style as he punctuated every Rush  lyric and backed almost any sound that this  remarkable. Three-person  group could crank out.  He was a human. Controlled. Explosion  and yet he never. Covered up  the Rush lyrics which almost always had  a social. Justice or observation  message and made it clear that living in todays world was complicated and changing.  Neil  brought. The group. Right to the edge of the change with his beat all the time and  the lyrics took it the rest of the way.  
In my listening career and that includes a lot of hours I haven’t heard better....I have heard some equal drum solos sometimes because. Let’s face it drummers get possessed by their  spiritual rhythms and  do remarkable things in a flow and peace and joy come in a flow.  

New world man (this song I have  selected among n many) tells us to pay attention to the world around us and differences between the  old and new worlds and all the perspectives  each of us can bring to their experiences.  The song clearly says the  best can happen but it will have to be chosen.  
The  song tells us that those caught in the  new world are well aware of their. Situation and those of their fellow man.  For a  song written nearly 30 years ago  the message of the “new world” generation screams out true even today.  

REST IN PEACE
 Neil

We’ll return to a more. Regular post tomorrow.not change is  going to  be with us now and In HONOR OF. NEIL PEART DRUMMER

NEW WORLD MAN PERFORMED BY RUSH

Written. By  Neil Elwood PEART )RIP) 
Gary Lee Weinrib & Alex Zivojinovich 

He’s a rebel and a runner 
He’s a signal turning green 
He’s a restless young romantic
Wants to run a big machine

He’s got a problem with his poisons
But you know you’ll find a cure
He’s cleaning up the system
To keep  his nature pure

Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man


He’s got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend them as he makes
He’s old enough to know what’s right and young enough not to choose it
He’s noble enough  to win the world and weak enough to lose it
He’s a new worl man

He’s a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He’s a writer and a ranger
And a young man bearing arms

He’s gat a problem with his powers
Weapons on Patrol 
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control

Trying to save the world for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for third world man

He’s not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today 
He’s noble enough to know what’s right
But weak enough not to choose. It
He’s wise enough to win the world
But. Fool enough to loose it

He’s a new world man 
He’s learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to  catch the heat of the. Third world man

HE’S A NEW  WORLD MAN

PHILOSOPHY

Since this is a cross-over. Post  between. My Peace and Joy Blog and the Rock and Roll Philosophy  Blog I’ll try to limit my  comments to those that. Fit both.  Neil “Elwoood” PEART passed onto the never-ending  heart-pounding  solo section of his spiritual life yesterday and boy could he bring it.  Most of the time there was  subtle  joy in his driving  style as he punctuated every Rush  lyric and backed almost any sound that this  remarkable. Three-person  group could crank out.  He was a human. Controlled. Explosion  and yet he never. Covered up  the Rush lyrics which almost always had  a social. Justice or observation  message and made it clear that living in todays world was complicated and changing.  Neil  brought. The group. Right to the edge of the change with his beat all the time and  the lyrics took it the rest of the way.  
In my listening career and that includes a lot of hours I haven’t heard better....I have heard some equal drum solos sometimes because. Let’s face it drummers get possessed by their  spiritual rhythms and  do remarkable things in a flow and peace and joy come in a flow.  

New world man (this song I have  selected among n many) tells us to pay attention to the world around us and differences between the  old and new worlds and all the perspectives  each of us can bring to their experiences.  The song clearly says the  best can happen but it will have to be chosen.  
The  song tells us that those caught in the  new world are well aware of their. Situation and those of their fellow man.  For a  song written nearly 30 years ago  the message of the “new world” generation screams out true even today.  

REST IN PEACE
 Neil

We’ll return to a more. Regular post tomorrow.not change is  going to  be with us now and In HONOR OF. NEIL PEART DRUMMER

NEW WORLD MAN PERFORMED BY RUSH

Written. By  Neil Elwood PEART )RIP) 
Gary Lee Weinrib & Alex Zivojinovich 

He’s a rebel and a runner 
He’s a signal turning green 
He’s a restless young romantic
Wants to run a big machine

He’s got a problem with his poisons
But you know you’ll find a cure
He’s cleaning up the system
To keep  his nature pure

Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man


He’s got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend them as he makes
He’s old enough to know what’s right and young enough not to choose it
He’s noble enough  to win the world and weak enough to lose it
He’s a new worl man

He’s a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He’s a writer and a ranger
And a young man bearing arms

He’s gat a problem with his powers
Weapons on Patrol 
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control

Trying to save the world for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for third world man

He’s not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today 
He’s noble enough to know what’s right
But weak enough not to choose. It
He’s wise enough to win the world
But. Fool enough to loose it

He’s a new world man 
He’s learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to  catch the heat of the. Third world man

HE’S A NEW  WORLD MAN

PHILOSOPHY

Since this is a cross-over. Post  between. My Peace and Joy Blog and the Rock and Roll Philosophy  Blog I’ll try to limit my  comments to those that. Fit both.  Neil “Elwoood” PEART passed onto the never-ending  heart-pounding  solo section of his spiritual life yesterday and boy could he bring it.  Most of the time there was  subtle  joy in his driving  style as he punctuated every Rush  lyric and backed almost any sound that this  remarkable. Three-person  group could crank out.  He was a human. Controlled. Explosion  and yet he never. Covered up  the Rush lyrics which almost always had  a social. Justice or observation  message and made it clear that living in todays world was complicated and changing.  Neil  brought. The group. Right to the edge of the change with his beat all the time and  the lyrics took it the rest of the way.  
In my listening career and that includes a lot of hours I haven’t heard better....I have heard some equal drum solos sometimes because. Let’s face it drummers get possessed by their  spiritual rhythms and  do remarkable things in a flow and peace and joy come in a flow.  

New world man (this song I have  selected among n many) tells us to pay attention to the world around us and differences between the  old and new worlds and all the perspectives  each of us can bring to their experiences.  The song clearly says the  best can happen but it will have to be chosen.  
The  song tells us that those caught in the  new world are well aware of their. Situation and those of their fellow man.  For a  song written nearly 30 years ago  the message of the “new world” generation screams out true even today.  

REST IN PEACE
 Neil

We’ll return to a more. Regular post tomorrow.

Friday, January 10, 2020

From Moses to Mozart in the land of Peace And Joy

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN MOSES AND MOZART SEEKING PEACE AND JOY IN YOUR. OWN WAY...

Okay let’s start by admitting sometimes we have a serious week and we haven’t laughed. Enough...that’s been my week.  Have I smiled some—yes, I’m not dead just a little on the somber side.  Therefore today I’m sitting down to.write with that  all too often ignored writing prompt—“What would you write if  someone told you the theme of your writing was “screw this, laugh at yourself and get over. It.”  So  in that spirit...
Moses

I believe there was. A Moses.  I believe he was a leader of some folks who said k”hey we’ve had enough of this slave gig” and through divine intervention and human  ambition they left their captures.  The Ten Commandments... I don’t believe  they were true.  Now, I do believe there may have been  some commandments  that were inspired in the soul of Moses and that somehow  got written on some stone, but  in the Bible  the number. 10 is not very  frequently found.  I think there were.twelve to begin with.  So what happened?  Well  one of two things seem likely.  Moses ran out of space on those. Two pieces of stone or  got tired of writing with a rock on another  rock.  You ever. Tried carving something into a stone while God was watching?  Heck I had trouble diagramming. A sentence  with a nun watching...and that’s small potatoes  by comparison.  The other. Possibility and I think probably  the more likely, is that these commandments were meant for future generations and Moses didn’t understand them so he said let’s stick with this ten and someone else can do the last 2 later.  I’m not going to. Suggest my biblical scholarship is  astute enough to  pinpoint the missing two commandments, however I will offer  five  possible commandments that we should have  learned.

  1. thou shalt not keep your remote control near the. Couch—you see we have violated that and men have been wasting  hours of their lives searching  in the hell of commercials as punishment. 
  2. Thou shalt  not sell coffee for  over. $1.00 per cup—Now the Jewish  people were still into. Wine and the  majority of civilization was. Heavy into drinking. Different. Forms of ale.   It is  reported that. The workers who built the pyramids were given 5 quartz  of beer as part of their daily pay. 
  3. Thou shalt not take the tags off  your matress—it’s a law of the Gentiles now we aren’t sure why so it must be one of the “mysteries.”
  4. Thou shalt not have your phone on in the. Movie theater..—Look Moses was writing on a rock and even the Chinese  were only using the abacus ... Somehow getting this one reinstated would  be great does anyone. Have the Pope as a facebook friend:
  5. Thou shalt not ever, under any circumstances, tell a pitcher to swing away. On a three ball-no strike count.  If you don’t understand  this one, find any true  baseball  fan and they’ll explain it to you chapter and verse.  

Mozart

Well where to begin...I don’t really know much about.”classical” music, however, if somebody said you have to pick one of the classics to listen to. For a couple hours every day Mozart would get the nod.  Most  of his tunes are quick-paced and “simplee”, yet bold and require musicians  to flow through scales and feel the rises and falls rather. Than sitting back and waiting for the audience to wonder  if this is a serious piecw, hw ahoots a faster higher pitched instrument over the  top  of the bass score and you know right now that this is  a meaningful section.  Also  you know that Mozart. Couldn’t have happened in the time of Moses or any earlier time when writing  things down took a long time.  He uses so many  notes and changes in so few. Measures that he wouldn’t have  made it on two tablets...it would have taken  carving. One side of the Grand Canyon or something...Mozart is probably. The closest thing to  rock ‘n’ roll.  The thing. About Mozart is, for me, I can’t really just play it in the background, I have to pay attention to its flurries and it touches my emotions.  Now, I can listen a bit and then be emotionally  fired up enough to create almost. In any way—write a poem or song—write a blog—edit a photo—reframe a  lingering  problem or puzzle... I. Mean it strikes me in that. Way.  I think it is Mozart that was played in those  “baby” studies that  were conducted and that led to claims that. Playing classical music led to quicker development  or smart babies... My kids heard mostly  social justice. Tunes so when  they were. Two they protested everything.  Oh your kids did that too—well  who do you think was sending them the underground messages through Barney and Sesame  Street?  

Anyway what’s all this have to do with peace and joy?  Moses put out  10 rules and  probably two others that said “treat Mozart people well and here are the boundaries for doing that.  In short, he started a path for us.  Mozart said “hell...I’m a classical guy but screw the elevator, I’m going to jam.  He told musicians to. Grab an idea and run with it...Run till you reach your limit if you have to, but don’t sit around. Wondering what the. Limits of your. Creativity might be.  He’s saying don’t ever. Stop and then say “I wish I would have seen where that road went.”  I find peace in Mosesa and Mozart because they. Created some iconic  tools for running  experiments with  life.  
For  Mozart the 11th commandment  was Thou shall not hesitate to push the creative. Sap ace and your musicians will come along with you.  
Mozart didn’t care that his sound was different.  I doubt if he ever. Even looked at the billboard charts to make sure he was still no. 1.  Mozart wrote for the living... I’ve never heard ay of his classics at a funeral.  So maybe when. I have my ashes  shot from the gun placements at Crapo park into the Mississippi It will be  at the end of some funky. Simon and Garfunkel/Hunger Strike/Metallica/Mozart mash up.  

So to sum upas we head into  2020 approaching peace and joy for me and I imagine for some of you means  building some foundations (Moses) and then  getting the fuel to let yoursaelf fly (Mozart)—I’m with you on that and let’s all use our 20/20 visions  to seek  peace and joy through all the great experiences and experiments that we can have. With every breath we take (no I’m not trying to get the Police’s endorsement) 


Check out Mozart’s music to study by on Spotify .... and come back here soon.