Franklin had a big secret. It was the kind of secret that he had to keep to himself. It's not that he wanted to tell anyone the secret. It was just that his secret preoccupied him much of the time. He didn't think that anyone did or would ever detect that he was preoccupied . . . he didn't think. In fact though, he was. Most of the time as a matter of fact. Would telling his secret to someone else be of any help to him? Would it relieve him of being preoccupied with it or would it make no difference at all? That was a question that Franklin could not readily answer. He would like to have thought it might do some good. Might lessen his load. His burden, if you will. But even of this he was not absolutely certain. It was not a certainty either, whether he really wanted to tell anyone his secret at all.
OHO's
"Ocean City Ditty," the
CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if
you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
. . . not so poetically but ever so sincerely, about friends. . .
I think a lot. Sometimes I think I think too much. I suspect though that I'm not that much different than most people in that respect; at least not that much different than most thinking people.
Lately I've been thinking about the importance of friends. At this point in my life, not only do I sincerely place a very high value on the good friends I have made in the recent past, I have also resumed contact with several good friends from the not-too-recent past, thanks to technology (i.e., the internet). The satisfaction and pleasure of expressing myself musically with Oho cannot adequately be described in words. Likewise, the reunion and periodic gatherings with my old radio friends from a wonderful, developmental time in my youth brings a contentment like no other. And only in the last several days, still additional reconnecting with more friends, more geographically dispersed, reminds me of just how rich my life has been in my short two score and sixteen years.
Dear Global Economy, we thank thee for thy economies of scale, thy professional specialization, and thy international networks of trade under Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage, without which we would all starve to death while trying to assemble the ingredients for such a dinner as this. Amen. - Eliezer Yudkowsky
Let us take a moment to think about where the food we are about to enjoy has come from and to acknowledge those who worked to bring us this food. Let us appreciate the earth, the sun, the air, and the water needed to nourish the plants and animals. Let us thank the farmer who cared for the plants and animals and the migrant worker who toiled to harvest the crops. Let us thank the laborer who processed the food, the truck driver who brought the food, and the grocery store workers who displayed it. Finally, let us thank our friends who prepared this meal and have provided us with the opportunity to be together and share each other’s company. - Herb Silverman
We return thanks to our mother, the earth which sustains us. We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water. We return thanks to all herbs which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases. We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have given to us their light when the sun was gone. We return thanks to the sun, that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in Whom is embodied all goodness, and Who directs all things for the good of Her children. - Iroquois Prayer
This food is the gift of the whole universe - the sky, and much hard work. May we eat it in mindfulness, so as to be worthy to receive it. We accept this food so that we may practice the path of understanding and love.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
In the spirit of humility we give thanks for all that is. We thank the great spiritual beings who have shared their wisdom. We thank our ancestors who brought us to where we are now. We are grateful for the opportunity to walk this planet, to breathe the air, to taste the food, to experience sensations of a human body/mind, to share in this wonder that is life. We are grateful for the natural world that supports us, for the community of humankind that enables us to do many wondrous things. We are grateful that we are conscious, that as intelligent beings we can reflect upon the many gifts we have been given. - Unknown
Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still I'd like to express my thanks - I got the sun in the morning and the moon and night. _ Irving Berlin
At the end of the day
Back to the drawing board
Bang for your buck
Bottom Line
Close the deal
Dive deeper
Drill-down
End of play
Game-changing
Get the ball rolling
Going forward
It's on my radar
Keep your eye on the ball
Low hanging fruit
Move the needle
Move the goal post
No brainer
On my plate
Positive momentum
Reach out
Run the numbers
Shift paradigm
That Being Said
Think outside the box
Touch base
Touch points
Value added
When the rubber hits the road
Win-win
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the
stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must
rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and
act anew.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Adam Serwer recently summarized conservative objections to the nomination of Tom Perez (to the office of Labor Secretary):
"Since Perez took the helm, (as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division) the division has blocked partisan voting schemes, cracked down on police brutality, protected gay and lesbian students from harassment, sued anti-immigrant Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio for racial profiling, stood up against Islamophobia, and forced the two largest fair-housing settlements in history from banks that discriminated against minority homeowners."
What
do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html
You can NOW download
your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE
(from "Life Among the Lutherans" by Garrison Keillor)
". . . In Lake Wobegon, you learned about being All Right. Life is complicated, so think small. You can't live life in raging torrents, you have to take it one day at a time. And if you need drama, read Dickens. My dad said, "You can't plant corn and date women at the same time. It doesn't work." One thing at a time. The lust for world domination does not make for the good life. It's the life of the raccoon, a swashbuckling animal who goes screaming into battle one spring night, races around, wins a mate, carries on a heroic raccoon career, only to be driven from the creek bed the next spring by a young stud who leaves teeth marks in you butt and takes away your girlfriend, and you lie wounded and weeping in the ditch. Later that night, you crawl out of the sumac and hurl yourself into the path of oncoming headlights. Your gruesome carcass lies on the hot asphalt to be picked at by crows. Nobody misses you much. Your babies grow up and do the same thing. Nothing is learned. This is a life for bank robbers. It is not a life for sensible people. . . "
What
do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html
You can NOW download
your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE
