The Return of All that Matters

This is one of those days when I curse myself for allowing my software knowledge and abilities to wither from infrequent use. There was a time, not so very long ago, that I could quickly and easily burnish my understanding of software. But disuse over time has buried some of those capabilities under an almost impenetrable coating of dust. And where once I had an enviable degree of concentration that allowed me to take as much time as I needed to figure out how to make software work for me, there is now an enormous mound of impatience that leads not to solutions, but to frustration and abandonment. All of this is to say I have been unable to successfully resize some too-large photographic images so WordPress would allow me to upload them to this blog. Damnit! Had I been able to do what I attempted, this page would display images of two views of an insulated Yeti mug and one image of a Sweet Poppy Cat, a whimsical creature created from used cashmere sweaters. The mug and the Sweet Poppy Cat were surprise gifts from two very generous, caring, wonderful friends. If my patience allows, I will continue attempting to resize the photos I took and will post them here; the images say much more than I can with mere words. I should mention that the Yeti mug has “John” embossed (I think) on one side and the word “Soubhiyé” embossed on the other. Soubhiyé, for those who did not see or do not remember my blog post of January 26, is a Lebanese Arabic word, which when translated into English means the whisper of dawn, when the house is still in slumber, allowing one to savor the stillness before the day begins. Here is a link where images of the whimsical creatures may be seen of the Sweet Poppy Cat, in whose heart (I was told) I can place all my worries and be done with them. I hope the friends who gave me these precious gifts feel the intensity of my love and appreciation. Despite cursing the creeping Luddditism that prevented me from posting photos here, the two gifts boosted my spirits yesterday and they continue today. I am drinking coffee from my Yeti mug and feeling the gaze of my Sweet Poppy Cat, sitting on the bookshelf behind me.

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Some people may have noticed that I did not post here yesterday. I started the day unusually late, feeling approximately rotten, and continued on that path until late morning. During that period, I returned to my primary care physician’s office for pre-physical lab work, where the phlebotomist (who usually causes no pain when she stabs me) was off her game. After returning home to attempt a brief nap, I went to my oncologist’s Village office for an infusion of magnesium. By the time that process had been completed, I felt considerably better. That improvement was enhanced considerably by the arrival of a package (containing my Soubhiyé mug) and a short visit by a lovely friend, who brought with her my Sweet Poppy Cat. Care, compassion, and love are incredibly powerful. At any rate, I opted not to write a post for late in the day. Instead, I took mi novia out (well, she drove) for an early Japanese dinner. And then we watched a couple of episodes of Griselda (a dramatic miniseries based on the life of a real-world cocaine “godmother” whose network pushed $80 million per month in cocaine).

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I have serious mixed feelings about the U.S. response to the Iran-backed drone attack that killed three American soldiers and injured some 40 more. The fact that the U.S. is calling the response (which hit some 85 locations in several Middle Eastern countries) a “first step” is especially concerning to me. In my view, the response is far beyond “proportional”
and appears to me to be an invitation to an enormous upheaval in an already-dangerous situation. War—and its precursors and after-effects—cannot be legitimized by tit-for-tat retaliation. War is the province of idiots.

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War does not determine who is right – only who is left.

~ Bertrand Russell ~

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The fact that I have bounced from feelings of joy and appreciation to brittle anger condemning war and its indefensible excuses is reason enough to retreat into remote isolation with no access to news. If there is to be more conventional warfare or even thermonuclear war, let me learn of it only when it arrives with a blinding flash at my remote doorstep—so sudden that my knowledge of the cataclysm will last no more than a fraction of a second.

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Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.

~ Henry Van Dyke ~

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Enough of this. I return to my celebration of friendship, love, and the beauty of care and compassion. Have a good day, please, and make it last for years and years.