Joe G

You can look up Arno Marsh afterwards. He'll hang 'till the sun comes up.

Plus it just sounds so good!

I've got some movements of several Bach solo violin suites worked up as single note guitar studies, and I'm continually refining them.

The heat didn't break last night (at midnight when I went to bed, it was still 84 F), but it looks like it will tonight. A nice thunderstorm is rolling in at the moment, and the breeze already feels cooler.

What he said!

'kay, that's where we'll search for the body first.

Didn't I say this lady has pluck? :rsmile: I had the pleasure of a brief meeting over iced tea with Julielyn yesterday, and I can report that she is just as ebullient and sincere in person. That's great news about the amount you've raised! And I have no doubt that Chelsea will get to where she needs to be. Good luck in Cleveland (and elsewhere), and drive safely. ---j.

I've never seen a show at Red Rocks, but I did walk around the site. Beautiful. Coming back out that way in Sept. for a short visit.

My neighbors are Hungarian.

Well, you're right in the thick of it now; the emotions are too strong to even begin to see those questions with any clarity. And I wanted to make it clear that that (the long view) is what I was addressing in my posts with my talk of what I gained from my experiences, which again are totally different from yours. Didn't want any misunderstanding of my intent, which was just to share, not to prescribe.

Hey, you just made me laugh, so rest assured that you won't get the boot from here.

We can control how we react to situatons as they arrive. We cannot control other people's lives or actions or events that we do not create (some would argue that we help create every event that happens to us, but I'm not one of them). However, we can influence them. I agree with your statement in principle, but there is an undercurrent of passivism in it that I don't necessarily agree with. Rather than passivism (which I'm not surprised that you, an extremely outward and activity-oriented person, would shun ), I'm referring more to that quality of openess, receptivity, and listening. You've got to hear the call before you answer it. Going back to the improvisation analogy; this is the receptive, listening mode that we strive to cultivate in order to create music with each other that goes beyond just our individual abilities. The other side to the coin is that we need to have the skills, confidence, and readiness to act on the impulse at the right moment. And, taking responsibility for your response to what life throws at you everyday is definitely a big part of the equation (i.e., not being a "victim"). Easier said than done, but easier done than not done. If you catch my drift. Just my way of telling Paul to hang in there and keep releasing any fears that he might be having about the future, as they come up.

My situation was totally different from yours, Paul; with my wife's illness, decline, and eventual death (April 2005), our relationship became more caretaker/patient and even parent/child than husband and wife. It was a very difficult situation, with her incredible suffering and poor quality of life, and me just kind of hanging in there somehow. I had many dark days and often wished I was removed from the whole scenario. But, something kept me there until the last breath (literally), and from where I sit now, I have to say that I wouldn't trade what I went through for what I have gained. There were moments of deep beauty and genuine caring between us, especially at the very end, that seemed to wipe away all the negatives. And of course a deep sense of release for both of us. But I also haven't forgotten those negatives, and that will inform the way I live as well - with a sense of appreciation for the good in life (including my service to others), and also for my own ability to survive difficult times. I'm coming around to the idea that what we need to give up is the feeling that we can control our lives. Let me repeat that. What we need to give up is the feeling that we can control our lives. Better to work at surrendering to the flow of it, like a good improvisation. Seriously. You have a generous spirit, and a valuable gift. I'm sure that many opportunities to give it are in the making for you. Grieve what has been lost, but by any and all means, move forward.

BTW Al, in the graphic, the second blue area from the top?... the river Styx.

Jimmy looks relaxed and happy!

From our friends at the Onion... Tenth Circle Added To Rapidly Growing Hell September 23, 1998 | Issue 34•08 CITY OF DIS, NETHER HELL–After nearly four years of construction at an estimated cost of 750 million souls, Corpadverticus, the new 10th circle of Hell, finally opened its doors Monday. The Blockbuster Video-sponsored circle, located in Nether Hell between the former eighth and ninth levels of Malebolge and Cocytus, is expected to greatly alleviate the overcrowding problems that have plagued the infernal underworld in recent years. The circle is the first added to Hell in its countless-millennia history. "A nightmarishly large glut of condemned spirits in recent years necessitated the expansion of Hell," inferno spokesperson Antedeus said. "The traditional nine-tiered system had grown insufficient to accommodate the exponentially rising numbers of Hellbound." Adding to the need for expansion, Antedeus said, was the fact that a majority of the new arrivals possessed souls far more evil than the original nine circles were equipped to handle. "Demographers, advertising executives, tobacco lobbyists, monopoly-law experts retained by major corporations, and creators of office-based sitcoms–these new arrivals represent a wave of spiritual decay and horror the likes of which Hell has never before seen," Antedeus said. Despite the need for expansion, the plan faced considerable resistance, largely due to the considerable costs of insuring construction projects within the Kingdom Of Lies. Opposition also came from Hell purists concerned about the detrimental effect a tenth level would have on the intricate numerology of Hell's meticulously arranged allegorical structure. In 1994, however, funding was finally secured in a deal brokered between Blockbuster CEO Wayne Huizenga and Satan himself. Prior to the construction of the tenth circle, many among the new wave of sinners had been placed in such circles as Hoarders and Squanderers, Sowers of Discord, Flatterers and Seducers, Violent Against Art, and Hypocrites. Hell authorities, however, say that the new level, the Circle of Total Bastards, located at the site of the former Well of Giants just above the Frozen Lake at Hell's center, better suits their insidious brand of evil. Frigax The Vile, a leading demonic presence, is one of the most vocal supporters of the new circle. "In the past, the underworld was ill-equipped to handle the new breed of sinners flooding our gates–downsizing CEOs, focus-group coordinators, telemarketing sales representatives, and vast hordes of pony-tailed entertainment-industry executives rollerblading and talking on miniaturized cell-phones at the same time. But now, we've finally got the sort of top-notch Pits of Doom necessary to give such repellent abominations the quality boilings they deserve." Pausing to tear off the limbs of an Access Hollywood host, Frigax added, "We're all tremendously excited about the many brand-new forms of torture and eternal pain this new level's state-of-the-art facilities will make possible." Among the tortures the Corpadverticus Circle of Total Bastards boasts: the Never-Ending Drive-Thru Bank, the Bottomless Pit of Promotional Tie-In Keychains, and the dreaded Chamber of Emotionally Manipulative Home Shopping Network Products. The Circle also features a Hall of Aerobics, where condemned TV-exercise-show personalities, clad in skin-tight Spandex outfits soaked in flesh-dissolving acid, are forced to exercise for centuries on end, covered in vomit and prodded with the distended ribs of skeletal, anorexic demons, accompanied by an unending, ear-splittingly loud dance-remix version of the 1988 Rick Astley hit "Together Forever." In a nearby area, corporate raiders are forced to carry the golf clubs of uneducated Hispanic migrant workers from hole to hole for eternity, withering under a constant barrage of verbal abuse from their former subservients as crows descend from trees to peck at their eyes. In one of the deepest and most profane portions of the circle, unspeakable acts are said to be committed with a mail-order Roly-Kit. "In life, I was a Salomon Brothers investment banker," one flame-blackened shade told reporters. "When I arrived here, they didn't know what to do with me. They put me in with those condemned to walk backwards with their heads turned all the way around on their necks, for the crime of attempting to see the future. But then I sent a couple of fruit baskets to the right people, and in no time flat, I secured a cushy spot for myself in the first circle of the Virtuous Unbaptized. Now that was a sweet deal. But before long, they caught on to my game and transferred me here to the realm of Total Bastards. I've been shrieking for mercy like a goddamn woman ever since." His face contorted in the Misery of the Damned, a Disney lawyer said: "It's hell here–there are no executive lounges, I can't get any decent risotto, and the suit I have to wear is a cheap Brooks Brothers knock-off. I'm beeped every 30 seconds, and there's no way to return the calls. Plus, I'm being boiled upside down in lard while jackals gnaw at the soles of my feet. If I could just reach the fax machine on that nearby rock, I could contact some well-placed associates and work something out, but it's just out of my grasp, and it's out of ink and constantly blinking the message, 'Replace Toner Cartridge, Replace Toner Cartridge, Replace Toner Cartridge.'" He then resumed screaming in agony. Grogar The Malefic, a Captain in Hell's elite Demon Corps and supervisor in charge of admissions for the new circle, said Hell's future looks bright, thanks to the new circle. "Things are definitely looking up," Grogar said. "We're now far better equipped, and we're ready to take on the most Unholy Atrocities humanity has to offer." "We're really on the grow down here," Grogar added. "This is an exciting time to be in Hell."

What do you mean?

I did kinda like that design.

Oh great. Now I'm going to be known around here as "Joey".

Another typical organissimo-type crowd. All female, you ask? No, small.

Just goes to show that when you are doing what you believe in, doors will open, and support can come from unexpected places. And that attitude is everything. Thanks for getting in touch with us here, Julielyn, and do keep us posted.

My apologies to Lon and Jim - I missed these last few posts until just now. Yes, I'll definitely be going for that participant offer. Probably this evening. I appreciate the ongoing commentary that Jim especially is posting here; there's inspiration in the air at the organissimo camp, and the comments I'm reading here are making me think!

I dig the super groovy chicks in that clip.

I bet not. :bwallace2: