Tonight I doubled the number of quotes that are in the box at right. Oh, you didn't notice that there would be a different quote in that box when you come here? ahem. Pay attention!
My collection of quotes started out being about art and art-making. I've thrown in others from time to time, just things that grabbed me. Today I added a whole lot of quotes about peace and peace-making, a few more about art and some others just because.
There's a whole lot in the world being quoted. There's not enough people making art and there's sure not enough people in the world making peace.
I feel strongly that everyone can make art in their own space, in their own lives, for themselves and others. I feel even more strongly that each person can make peace, starting in their own space, inside their own heart and then giving it to each person they touch along the way.
Think how many people you come in contact with each day. If your kindness or smile makes a difference to one or two of them and that one or two is kind or smiles on one or two more... what a difference those individual acts have made. We do make a difference in the world.
Change and peace come by each small act as much as by standing strong for what we know is right and against what is wrong.
My contribution to the National Day of Poetry Against the War -- February 12, 2003:
Art and Peace
Within each of us is the making of art. Big people come along and squash that out of us while we're impressionable. And we live in fear that if we try to make art or speak beauty we are fools.
Within each of us is the making of peace. Important people tell us that only killing makes a difference and we come to believe that too. And we live in fear that only war is the answer and are afraid to ask, well, what's the question?
Let's be foolish then and make art Some beautiful thing that speaks from our soul and heart. We each can .
Let's ask aloud, why not be peaceful? Why not be kind and generous? Let me start here today. We each can.
For some time I've been sneaking what can only be described as a guilty pleasure - the new oreo half and half cookies - MINT. Yum! I could hardly believe how much I enjoyed eating these. I tried to show some restraint and was pretty successful. We all now how difficult it is, for instance, not to eat the WHOLE package of mint girl scout cookies. Well, some of us will admit to it anyway.
OK, so I've kept my little secret long enough. And why am I coming out of the closet now? Because I bought a new flavor and it's also wonderful in a whole different way. The coffee flavor! I was doubtful. I like good coffee. I like most things mocha. I like coffee flavor ice cream. But the cream part of oreos? Well. Where the mint variety is very minty and very sweet, the coffee flavor is soft and rich and not so knock-you-over-the-head sweet.
So there you have it. Go forth to the store and buy. Try not to eat the whole thing at once so you can feel virtuous about it. You can do it.
finally, while you're eating and all, think about replacing your crockpot. Susan and I have come to the same conclusion: the crockpots of the early 80's are dying. So replace them! Here's what I got a month or so ago and I just got one for my folks: Farberware 3 qt Slow Cooker, $19.99 at Macy's.
I think the migration is pretty much done and successful. As a reward to myself, I bought "Cookware Deluxe" and "Recipe Cleaner" from, wait for it folks, DigitalFried Chicken! Actually what happened was that I went to Versiontracker to look at something and there it was in today's updates. Cool. Downloaded it and poked at the limited edition and said "what the heck?"
Perhaps it from hanging out on a bunch of restauranteur pages lately, but I have the urge to put my recipes in order. Right now they're in a big binder, in a stack of newspaper pages, in a shelf of cookbooks etc. Let me hereby resolve that in the future I'll put each recipe I use into this new system. I'll comb my emails for the mailed versions and throw them in and throw the emails out. It'll be a good thing. I'll gather up recipes for my friends and family and be able to print out tidy copies of them or send them as compatible files.
This all goes with the idea that a new hard drive is like a fresh start on life. My life is complex enough that I just can't start with an empty mailbox of course, but it does give you the opportunity to think - do I really use this software or that? How about we archive that on disk for awhile and see what happens? Oh yeah, let's get the newer version of that once and for all. Where the heck is that original disk of software and the registration number.
So you see that new computers give you the chance for a cleaner start if you keep your wits about you and don't give in to the whiney frustrated mind-set. And as a reward, might I suggest a new software that you've been hankering for?
PS Just a note to say that this morning I confirmed that all of the print drivers I needed were just in there - I plugged in the epson and there it was. Looked for the HP and there it was. It all works and it's all good.
