Received a box at my desk. It was plain and a bit beat up. It contained a vast amount of padding and a perfectly preserved individually-packaged crystal bowl, which I had chosen for my five-year service award. It arrived three weeks in advance of the anniversary.

It contained a blank "Congratulations" card and a sheet with suggestions on how to give a presentation that will make an employee feel appreciated.

It's a nice bowl.

She is cat and he is dog
He is air and she is fire
And he is consumed.

She is red and he sees blue
She is legs and he is wings
And she's under siege.

He is South and she is East
She's looking into the light
And he seeks the heat.

She is tin and he is zinc
They are church bells and trumpet
At penny fountains.

She's a voice in wilderness
He's an orchestra alone
Love is blind, not deaf.

She's the altar where he prays
He does not think she's a saint
Love may be the way.

Retranslated from Japanese:

Deep blue eyes searched mine,
and twilight sang to me.
Her kiss was like a waterfall,
her smile a burning beam.
The brush of her flowers left a deepening blush.
Her heart was coral, cool and sharp,
part sea and part sky,
and could not be seen by mortal eyes.
The works of her life flowed from dark blue to light.
From sea to sky, all emotions are water,
And she was every blue color.

( The poem: )

( Translated into Japanese: )

( Translated back to English: )

I welcome comments, especially from those of you who actually know Japanese (and who probably got some unintended laughs).

I've gone back and tagged entries from the beginning, including the best of me. What do you think--too precious?

If someone met you just once, and then read your LJ/blog/etc., would they get a fairly accurate picture of you? Put another way, gentle readers, how "me" am I here?

Went to Mountasia in the rain and double-bogeyed every hole. Enjoying a vacation as only a bachelor can: check.

In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night
No evil shall escape my sight
Red is grey, and yellow white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion.


(bonus points for the first to identify both, not that it's hard)

Got a friend asking for advice on how to get in contact with a publisher or agent. He's a first-timer wanting to sell a fantasy novel. I don't know, but I think I know people who could suggest where to start...

After Hours will appear at Trilogy in Marietta Friday evening (May 1, 7-9 pm) and in Duluth for a benefit at Red Clay Theatre Saturday evening (May 2, 9 pm).

Press release

So, I finally finished watching Buffy and Firefly/Serenity (unspoiled!), and I started David Tennant. Torchwood up next. Last season of Highlander on tap, followed by the new Highlander movie. (OK, 2006 is new for me.) Eventually, Battlestar Galactica. Soon I'll be able to converse with people I know, read blogs, browse the internet, and turn on the TV without hazarding hours of future enjoyment.

Saw this on a few friends. Why not stir things up a bit.


Just because I'm curious, have a meme:

The One Question Meme (edited to suit me a bit better)

# 1 honest question, should you care to.
# 1 honest answer, from me, to that question.

You get to ask me 1 question. Any question, anything, no matter how $ADJECTIVE it is.

One catch, that should go without saying: no mentioning the questions or answers to others (actually, this isn't a big deal to me).

But I challenge you to repost this. And see what people ask you, assuming they do (my luck with similar memes is atrocious; I rarely get asked anything.)

Questions and answers are screened and will be unscreened only with permission.

Business geek moment: I'm doing a Six Sigma project on my personal life...

Well, the first part anyway, which is a series of exercises to determine focus. For the last six months or so I've acted as though my purpose in life was to clean my house. That's more of an obstacle than a goal. As we get older, the world we live in grows larger, so maintenance of any sort is a losing game.

So instead of focusing on the home environment or financial goals, I'm looking at why I'd want a home and money, or more precisely what I'd do with them if I had time. So the project is, make more music!

Speaking of which, quintet is playing again next Friday at Trilogy.

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

Now, let's see how many find the hidden joke...

"Beneath the glorious monotony of the stars he saw the universal mutation of earthly things, and their vanity, yet also, almost everywhere, the beginning if not the fullness of beauty; and this intuition, at once rapturous and sad, liberated him from the illusions of the past and from those of the future." --George Santayana, on Giacomo Leopardi

Last week's misunderstandings are yesterday's sins, today's truths, tomorrow's regrets, and the dreams that give us pause. I was Hamlet to her Ophelia.

So, I've had a fab few days. Some things worked at work Friday. Friday evening's gig went well. Saturday I hit some estate sales then went antiquing with Dad. I found a copy of Boulevard of Broken Dreams (not the original), framed, for less than ordering the poster online, to say nothing of shipping. I've been looking for that for years. Saturday evening I did a jigsaw puzzle with Mom--always fun. Sunday morning, two Easter services including Stanley's Trumpet Voluntary on the piccolo--great piece. Sunday afternoon, couple of my sisters came by; ate too much. This morning, the radio station moved the fun DJs back to the morning show. I took the day off; I mean, I went to work, but I didn't actually do anything. Tonight I bought a chocolate bunny on sale and did some cleaning around the house. Wonder what tomorrow holds?