Little White Lie

When up went down I lost my ground

All the way down I threw up into a cup

When left went right I lost my sight

When right went left I was again bereft

Of absolute, objective, dead reckoning

Be it large be it small, be it short be it tall

Be it thin be it wide, alone or in a pride

Be it vast be it dense, be it only faintly sensed

I need it I need it I need just one

One unmovable point from which to build my sun

My sun of morals my sun of laws

Go unheard, unfelt, unlived if we hem and haw

Hesitate, vacillate, an infinity of wait

A perpetual DMV line of moral relativity

All because we can’t decide on just one spot to be

All of your subjectivity has landed you here, are you satisfied?

Let’s agree on objectivity, even if it’s just a little white lie

Rachael Price - "Skylark" [Studio Version]

Some mornings something sublime is given to you. This morning on a more than usual god-awful commute up 95 north in the ocean state something sublime was given to me. Now one has to do more than a little bit of searching these days to find jazz on FM radio. Upon moving to RI, I found such
an FM station in WRIU. With programs like Bill Melone’s Swing Shift and Friday’s morning program with the ‘Eggman’ for “those tunes that have fallen through the cracks” I have enjoyed music I can’t really hear anywhere else on the radio. On this particular morning, doing songs
from Johnny Mercer,the beautiful song,  Skylark was played.

Not only was it played, but this sparse, haunting version from Rachel Price was
presented to me…and I gratefully embraced it. Sublime.

sub·lime

səˈblīm/

adjective

adjective: sublime;
comparative adjective: sublimer; superlative adjective: sublimest

of
such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe.

In And Down, From The Feet Up

In And Down, From The Feet Up

Let the water rush over me

In and down, From the feet up

A blind spot allows me to see

Many things, I used to believe

In and down, From the feet up

Nothing is needed for me to be

Perspective, change, open a different door!

In and down, From the feet up

Our time is finite, forever more

Rehearse, repeat, set it in stone

In and down, From the feet up

At bottom, where it counts, sole, alone

Musical Ability

Talent could be defined as the ability to master some skill in a shorter amount of time or energy.  Consider 2 people who take up playing guitar. Each spends the same amount of time on the same exercises. After 1 year each is evaluated and one player is judged as better.

Musical ability. Some have it, some do not. Anyone can practice, anyone can run scales, anyone can train their ear but not everyone can move you to tears with music. Not everyone can make others want to make music. Not everyone can inspire. Isn’t this the worst of all possible worlds? With all due respect to Leibnitz, because, let’s think about it, those two people might WANT it the same amount, to the same degree. BUT, they both won’t get there. The worst of all possible worlds.

Sellin' Cars, See?

So I just finished up Icicles, a short story in William Gass’ In The Heart of The Heart of The Country and I loved the voice of one of the real estate agents – kind of like a reporter in an old movie of sorts, which led me to this:

Look see here now Smithie. You gotta get right in there, get right in their noggins see. Time is money Smithie. How long you been at this, a year now? You should be selling hotcakes by now, hotcakes I say. What’re you waitin’ for? Christmas? Gotta get in there. Look, it’s easy. Everybody wants something right? You want something, I want something, they want something. You got what they need, see? They wouldn’t be on the lot if they didn’t need it. No no no, forget about that. Look in their eyes, see. You gots to commit, just like an actor see. You commit, they buy. Why I could sell batteries to solar powered people Smithie. Because I commit. DeNiro’s got nothin’ on me Smithie. He commits, I commit. Now you gotta commit. It’s easy, it’s an exercise in Psychology. Don’t matter if it’s Ford or Chevy, Chrysler or Dodge, pick-up or station wagon – just commit. They don’t want a car, see? They need a car. You have a football field of cars now dontcha. Remember when you committed to a broad at a bar Smithie? You were payin attention, smiling, getting rounds, listening some more, paying attention – that’s commitment Smithie. See, it’s the same thing Smithie. Just commit, see? Pay attention, listen, agree, provide…you getting all this? I’m giving you gems here Smithie. I’m doing you a solid here son. You aren’t gonna get this at some seminar or night course Smithie. This is years of experience and natural talent, see? Nah nah nah, you just listen up here. Time is money, remember that Smithie? I have this time for you Smithie because I have so much money. See how it works? Gems Smithie, gems for you, for the taking. Open those ears up and shine your shoes Smithie. This ain’t no exercise. Smithie, you committed yet? I know you have a wife and kids Smithie. Not the point. They have wives and kids too and they need a car. Whose gonna sell one to em? You, if you commit. C-O-M-M-I-T, see? It’s all there now isn’t it? Used don’t matter. They need a car. They have time. They have money. They are on the lot. Smithie Smithie Smithie… time is money. Is that the tie you wear most days? Everything matters! See, look, calm down, it’s not like I don’t know old boy. Been there. Had a few slumps, very few but a few. I’m just sharing the wealth, doing you a solid son. I know I know I know. Take it easy son. Just a hump….must be Wednesday. See, see there, now you got it. Same thing out there on the lot see? Relax and commit. Commit and relax. Hotcakes in your future son. Hotcakes. What’s that?

For more kicks and giggles: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/11/11nfriday.phtml