Nope

 

"They Can't Kill Us All"

Procreate

Snapseed

~

Amerikkkan Ethos

 

"Shithole Country"

Nikon D800

Nikkor 50.0mm Lens

Lightroom

~

Updated Signage For The Statue of Liberty Fascism

 

Nikon D7200

Nikkor 10.0mm-24.0mm Lens

Lightroom

~

Yep

~ Not My Image ~

from: counterpunch.org

~

 

Never Together, But Close Sometimes

 

"deCordova Sculpture Park"

Canon G7x Mark II

Lightroom

Silver Efex Pro

~

A Sea of Vowels

 

"Deafness is Fun and Entertaining"

Canon G7x Mark II

Lightroom

Silver Efex Pro

As it must, my deafness has progressed now to the point where, without my expensive, annoying, tinny, hearing aids, I exist in a sonic soup of vowels. Without hearing aids (and many times even WITH them..) I strain to hear and understand what is said to me.  It's fucking exhausting. Music doesn't sound the same, which kills me. I've lost the high end, so unless the volume is turned way up, music sounds like it is being played through a mattress. Sound cancelling headphones help with this - but they're not perfect by any stretch.   And of course - let's not forget my faithful friend, Tinnitus. A constant ~8000Hz whine plays in my head 24/7. Like the deafness, the Tinnitus is getting worse.. Stress seems to be able to make it even worse some days..  It's not all bad though - as much as my deafness is a terrible burden to those around me because they have to repeat themselves, it is often a source of amusement to them as well as I "creatively mis-hear" what is spoken to me..    ~

Back Yard Visitor

 

"Barred Owl"

Nikon D800
Nikkor 70.0mm-300mm Lens
Lightroom
Snapseed
Brushstroke Pro

~

Well - This And The Natural World...

 

"Blue Coat" - Yayoi Kusama
On Display Now at the Rose Art Museum

Canon G7x Mark II
Lightroom

"I fight pain, anxiety and fear every day, and the only method I've found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art."  ~ Yayoi Kusama

"They Can't Kill Us All"

Procreate

Snapseed

~

Can't Stop. Won't Stop

 

"Endlessly Creative" 

Sister Wind and The Sea Queen

Ongoing Display at Parker River Wildlife Refuge 

Canon G7x Mark II
Lightroom

~

Outside of The Scriptures

 

"Mind-To-Mind Transmission"

Canon G7x Mark II
Lightroom

From Wikipedia: In the story, the Buddha gives a wordless sermon to his disciples (sangha) by holding up a white flower. No one in the audience understands the Flower Sermon except Mahākāśyapa, who smiles. Within Zen, the Flower Sermon communicates the ineffable nature of tathātā (suchness) and Mahākāśyapa's smile signifies the direct transmission of wisdom without words. The Buddha affirmed this by saying: I possess the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of Nirvana, the true form of the formless, the subtle dharma gate that does not rest on words or letters but is a special transmission outside of the scriptures. This I entrust to Mahākāśyapa.[1]

~

Lessons in Non-Attachment

 

"Wood Vase"

Canon G7x Mark II
Lightroom

Decades ago, when I had lots more money and tons more naiveté about my own "perfectability", I constructed a meditation room in my house. I bought the turned-wooden vase above for my altar.  The vase is made out of maple (maybe?) with beautiful grain showing. I loved it at first sight and paid over $200.00 for it at an art faire (such embarrassing pretense) - an extravagance and completely "extra" to the pursuit of the Dharma. Nobody needs a gorgeous wood vase to investigate the great matter of life and death. In fact,  gorgeous wood vases (and their ilk) may well serve as roadblocks to realization.. as they increase our attachment to the "Beautiful" and "Serene." My Dog, Tie, saw through my pretensions. He saw I was heading down the wrong road and tried to save me..  The first time I left him alone in the house after purchasing "my precious" Tie made his way into my "dharma hall" and attacked the vase. When I got home, I found the dried floral arrangement that I had carefully constructed in the vase strewn around the floor. And then - the horror.. I saw "my precious" laying on its side with claw marks all over it and pieces missing from the top because Tie spent some time chewing on it..  Well - Instead of being grateful, I flew into a rage and punished Tie. I don't remember exactly what I did, but I probably yelled at him and gave him a prolonged time-out in another room..  Therein lies the lesson he so selflessly gave me.. I was a fraud practitioner. I was hopelessly mired in attachment to "my precious" and even more - to my thoughts about being a "serious student of The Way."  He was trying to free me. And - for his efforts? Punishment..  Deep bows of gratitude to my beautiful canine Zen Master.  I am so sorry.

"My Teacher"

~

November

 

 

"Great Salt Marsh - Parker River Wildlife Refuge"

Nikon D800
Lensbaby Composer - Double Glass
Tangled F/X
Snapseed

Brushstroke Pro

The greens and yellows of summer have transformed into the somber palette of late fall - burnt umbers, greys, dark golds, oranges, and lead-grey skies.. The air has a bite to it - presaging the skin-peeling temperatures of December, January and February. Some don't like it. The find it a drab sight - the bare trees and fallen leaves. They don't like the short days, the long cold nights, and the frigid mornings.. I relish it all.  This is my season - the season of death and renewal. The Great Wheel in motion. ~

A Single Counterforce

 

"Fin"

Canon G7x Mark II

Snapseed

All things do not pass.

Sometimes, that which does not kill you

Sits heavy over you

Until all of the things

That did not kill you

Turn into a single counterforce

That might...

~ Hanif Abdurraqib, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us ~

~

 

My Secret Drug

 

"Wing"

Canon G7x Mark II

Snapseed

“My secret drug is death

I take it whenever I see you

And you don’t see me”

~ Leonard Cohen ~

~

Either

 

"Late Afternoon - Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary"

Canon G7x Mark II

Lightroom

Snapseed

Brushstroke Pro

I took this image late in the day after
a long walk around the perimeter
of the Sanctuary. 

The image is either about the
gathering darkness 

- or -

the indomitable

light.

~

The Beautiful Season of Death

 

"Rocky Neck Arrangement"

Canon G7x Mark II

Snapseed

~

Still...

 

"Rocky Neck Jizo"

Canon G7x Mark II

Snapseed

He's still at his post after nearly 4 years.

All the hustle and bustle around him have not deterred him in the least. 

Every day, he offers:

May you be peaceful

May you be happy

May you awaken to the light of your true nature

May you be free

~

A Distinction Without A Difference

 

(Not My Image - Found On InterTubes)

Saw this image a few days ago. Certainly, it captures the current M.O. of many many Christians in the US.  But -  Really -  The oppression and violence we are currently witnessing in the Empire is not solely sourced by MAGA Christians, is it? No.  It's not. Oppression and violence and murder is what comes when Christianity sidles up to power. It's a devastating mix.. Christianity and power.. And these days? Christianity just isn't sidling up to the powerful, it is down on its knees fellating them... There's no need for me to regurgitate all of that 'spiritual' tradition's transgressions.. You can find them yourself by googling "christian atrocities through the centuries" In our own little shit-hole country, Christians have been on the wrong side of history since us whiteys set foot on North America...  The highlights: Genocide of Indigenous Peoples Slavery Civil rights Women's rights Church-sponsored pedophilia Guns over children Electing a manifestly fascist pig to run the country I could go on - but you get the picture...  So - there is no need to qualify the term Christianity by using the modifying word "MAGA."  Straight-up "Christianity" will do..  ~

The Cost of "No" - Stark. Spacious. Bare.

 

"Self Portrait"
Canon G7x Mark II
Snapseed
Hipstamatic

Saying "No" every minute of every fucking day has been the center of maintaining weight-loss..  "Do you want a dessert?" - NO "Do you want a beer?" - NO "Do you want some candy?" - NO "Do you want a late-night snack?" - NO "Can't you just eat in moderation?" - NO NO. NO. NO.  Just fucking NO. As I've written before saying "NO" has permeated the rest of my life.  Am I willing to people-please? - NO Am I willing to always put my needs second (or third) to other people's needs? - NO Am I willing to fall for "I've been thinking about you. I miss you. Can you do something for me?" - NO Am I willing to go on letting people ridicule my lack of knowledge about trivial shit like coding (for example) - NO Am I willing to not just fucking be myself in order to make others feel more comfortable? - NO All this NOing has worked so far - I have kept the weight off and my blood numbers are primo.  NOing / setting boundaries does come with a significant cost. It's best summed up by Emily Brown in her recent Tiny Buddha piece titled "The Lonely Ache of Self-Worth That No One Talks About"  A small excerpt: They don’t talk about this part. The hardest part about knowing your worth—after doing the work, setting boundaries, and getting crystal clear on what you want—is the ache. Not just any ache. The ache of being awake. The ache of knowing. The ache of not settling. I remember the first time I walked away from someone who didn’t mistreat me but who also didn’t quite meet me. I had spent years unraveling my old patterns: the people-pleasing, the over-giving, the “maybe this is enough” mindset. For the first time, I didn’t override my intuition. I didn’t pretend I was okay with something that didn’t feel like home. I left. And I felt powerful. But two days later, I sat alone on my kitchen floor, not crying, not spiraling—just aching. Aching for company. Aching for closeness. Aching for the comfort of being chosen, even if it wasn’t quite right. That’s what no one talks about: the emotional hangover of choosing yourself. No one warns you how lonely it can feel when you finally stop contorting yourself to fit someone else’s story. When you stop abandoning yourself just to be loved, there’s often a pause before something new begins. A stillness that used to be filled by “almosts” and “maybes” and “well, at least I’m not alone.” When you’ve been used to bending, standing tall can feel stark. Spacious. Bare. You’re no longer wasting energy explaining your needs or trying to make the wrong person understand your heart. But that clarity comes with a cost. And sometimes, that cost is company. The ache of growth is quieter than chaos, but it cuts deeper. It lingers in the in-between: that sacred space between no longer and not yet. There’s grief that comes when we raise our standards. A grief for the illusions we used to cling to. A grief for the comfort of something, even when it wasn’t truly nourishing. ~

The Doctor Will See You Now

 

"Modern"

Canon G7x Mark II

Lightroom

~

Clean Desk Policy

 

"A Clean Desk Is A Secure Desk"

Canon G7x Mark II

Lightroom

I was in the library of the Addison Gallery the other day when I noticed this immaculately barren work station. The sight transported me back to my days as a wage slave at JBAC.  When I worked at JBAC, the exec-u-teefs were around the fucking bend about not letting their precious "Intellectual Property" out in the wild. They were convinced that there were actually people out the real world who wanted their shitty, bloated, bug-ridden code..  As if..... Their collective delusions about the desirability of their code provoked them to institute a "Clean Desk Policy" where employees would have to clear their desks of confidential documents (in our case that meant mainly program listings..) at the end of the day. To enforce this stupidity, managers would walk around after hours to inspect cubicle  and write people up if listings were found on desktops..   I used to leave post-its on my mouse pad that said "Confidential Information Under Mousepad." Underneath the mouse pad I used to put another post-it that said "Made you look!!"  The most absurd facet of the Clean Desk Policy was the "30 minute printout rule." The 30 minute rule demanded that printouts needed to be retrieved from the printers in 30 minutes or less from the team printer room. They even had a JBAC exec-u-teef send out scold emails to teams who underperformed in this important area of corporate security..  I used to actually feel bad that a grown man had to spend time bad-dogging over-worked, under-staffed development teams over what amounted to printouts of software nobody in their right mind would ever (ever) want..  But that was JBAC - paranoid and delusional.  ~

Charlie Kirk, Christian Thought Leader - Matthew 7:15-20

 

[Not My Image - From Blue Sky App"

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:15-20  - New King James Version Saint Charlie's Fruits -    Black people “Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more.”  Black pilots “If I see a Black pilot, I’m gonna be like, ’Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’" Black women “They're coming out, and they're saying, 'I'm only here because of affirmative action.' Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously."  Civil rights “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the mid-1960s.” The death penalty "[The death penalty] should be public, should be quick, should be televised… I think at a certain age, it’s an initiation… At what age should you start to see public executions?"  Democrats “The Democrat Party supports everything that God hates.”  Empathy "I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made up new age term that does a lot of damage."  Feminism “Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You're not in charge."  Gay people “You might want to crack open that Bible of yours. In a lesser referenced part of the same part of scripture, is in Leviticus 18 is that, ‘thou shalt lay with another man shall be stoned to death.’ Just sayin’! So Miss Rachel, you quote Leviticus 19… the chapter before affirms God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.”  George Floyd “This guy was a scumbag.”  Great Replacement Theory “It's not a Great Replacement Theory, it's a Great Replacement Reality. Just this year, 3.6 million foreigners will invade America. 10-15 million will enter by the end of Joe Biden's term. Each will probably have 3-5 kids on average while native born Americans have 1.5 per couple. You are being replaced, by design.” Guns “It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.”  Jews “Jewish donors have been the number one funding mechanism of radical open-border, neoliberal, quasi-Marxist policies, cultural institutions and nonprofits. This is a beast created by secular Jews and now it’s coming for Jews, and they're like, ‘What on Earth happened?’ And it's not just the colleges. It's the nonprofits, it's the movies, it's Hollywood, it's all of it.” Martin Luther King Jr. “MLK was awful. He's not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn't believe.”  Muslims “They aren’t even hiding their intentions. Muslims plan to conquer Europe by demographic replacement. Will Europe wake up in time?”  Palestine “I don’t think the place exists.” Transgender people “You’re an abomination to God.”  Quotes from  https://zeteo.com/p/charlie-kirk-in-his-own-words     ~

Ancient and Inexhaustible

 
 

"Water Lily"

Canon G7x Mark II
Lightroom

l. Choices  We are what we think.  All that we are arises with our thoughts.  With our thoughts we make the world.  Speak or act with an impure mind  And trouble will follow you  As the wheel follows the ox that draws  the cart.  We are what we think.  All that we are arises with our  thoughts.  With our thoughts we make the world.  Speak or act with a pure mind And happiness will follow you  As your shadow, unshakable.  "Look how he abused me and hurt me, How he threw me down and robbed  me." Live with such thoughts and you live in  hate.  "Look how he abused me and hurt me,  How he threw me down and robbed  me." Abandon such thoughts, and live in  love.  In this world  Hate never yet dispelled hate.  Only love dispels hate.  This is the law,  Ancient and inexhaustible.  .... The Dhammapada - Thomas Byrom Translation ~

Single

 

"The Whole World Is A Single Flower"
~ Zen Master Man Gong - 1945 ~

Nikon D800
Nikkor 105.0mm Macro Lens
Lightroom

~

Meanwhile....

 

"Bee"

Nikon D800
Nikkor 105.0mm Macro Lens
Lightroom

~

It's In Their Nature

 

"Boutte Liquer - JBAC Executeef"

A new crop of Authoritarian supporters is blooming at the Joe Big-Ass Corporation (JBAC). Goose-stepping technologists and administrators are back at the suppression game, humping the legs of repressive regimes, just like they did in Germany during WWII and in South Africa during apartheid: From The Associated Press: ".. the AP found a Chinese defense contractor, Huadi, worked with IBM to design the main policing system known as the “Golden Shield” for Beijing to censor the internet and crack down on alleged terrorists, the Falun Gong religious sect, and even villagers deemed troublesome, according to thousands of pages of classified government blueprints taken out of China by a whistleblower, verified by AP and revealed here for the first time. IBM and other companies that responded said they fully complied with all laws, sanctions and U.S. export controls governing business in China, past and present. Across China, surveillance systems track blacklisted “key persons,” whose movements are restricted and monitored. In Xinjiang, administrators logged people as high, medium, or low risk, often according to 100-point scores with deductions for factors like growing a beard, being 15 to 55 years old, or just being Uyghur." Take a bow, you brown-shirted geese....  ~

When You Live With Kids

 

 

"Zoey's Breakfast"

Canon G7x Mark II

Lightroom

When kids live with you, you can feel your own life being subsumed

into their rambunctious, chaotic, emotional, heart-filled world..

And - your once tidy living spaces become populated by

things like half-eaten breakfasts, and...

...an abandoned shopping cart filled with a stuffed otter, two purple
princess slippers, and an Iron Man action figure. 

~

Tiny People Trying to Figure Out the World

 

"The Frankness With Which She Regards Me"

Canon G7x Mark II
Lightroom
Snapseed
Stackables

I prefer not to force the Wee Ones to "smile for the camera." I like to capture their expressions as they are, with whatever emotion is present.  The Wee Ones see everything. They are always watching. Always.  They often understand more than we give them credit for.  Tiny people trying to figure out the world. ~

the dark trees, blessedly neutral

 

"Tree - Lynch Park"
Nikon D800
Lensbaby - Double Glass Optic

So, now I shall talk every night. To myself. To the moon. I shall walk, as I did tonight, jealous of my loneliness, in the blue-silver of the cold moon, shining brilliantly on the drifts of fresh-fallen snow, with the myriad sparkles. I talk to myself and look at the dark trees, blessedly neutral. So much easier than facing people, than having to look happy, invulnerable, clever. With masks down, I walk, talking to the moon, to the neutral impersonal force that does not hear, but merely accepts my being. And does not smite me down." ~ Sylvia Plath ~ Via: Alive On All Channels ~

The Impotent Blue Blob

 

"The Impotent Blue Blob"
"How Did That Genocide Support Work Out For You?"
"How Did Supporting a Doddering Old Fool Work Out For You?"
"How Did Voting For Genitals and Skin Color Work Out For You?"

"You Are Nothing More Than Glorified Collaborators"

 

Nikon D7200

Nikkor 10mm-24mm Lens

Photomator

iColorama

Stackables

Brushstroke Pro

"We now stand in the middle of a raging crisis the party has helped create through its complicity, corruption, and disastrous decisions. Every single day we see new evidence that party leadership cannot meet this moment. They failed to win power and they now fail to supply actual resistance. The numbers make it clear. The party has a 33% favorable rating and are enjoying historically low approval. Honestly, I’d say they’ve earned that and more. I get asked a lot where I think the Democratic Party needs to go. And I wanted to expand on that, but also make it clear that I don’t see this as purely a political question. What the party does now will affect the rest of our lives. If the Democrats continue down this present path, it will enable further fascism and suffering. And, it needs said, that if the status quo of the party wins out, and if they continue warring with their supporters and the vast majority of Americans, we’ll need to look elsewhere for representation." ~ Dispatches From A Collapsing State | Jared Yates Sexton ~ ~