Out of this Kingdom of Rust
By: E.J. Tower
We live in the bones of our grandparents economy,
Worshipfully preserved; behold its corpse in gruesome detail!
Empty eye socket buildings staring out across this kingdom of rust,
All safely guarded against the arrival of change.
We people of no name,
Looking for identity in ruins of what was,
Seeing not the self-made self in what could be
If only our chains would rust away too.
We who dream with such hope,
Each day set out to build an empire out of vestiges,
Each day returning with bleeding dusty hands,
Our undertakings thwarted by clout unseen. Fret not!
We are the flames of life breathed into this dead blast furnace,
To smelt away the rusted impure.
We rise each day from ashes, and spread wide our fiery wings to fly.
They cannot stand each day in crucible for long.
Ejtower's Journal
My Podcast Link
05/05/2006 02:16 #22043
Out of this Kingdom of RustCategory: explore buffalo
05/04/2006 14:30 #22042
Biking BuffaloCategory: explore buffalo
I told myself that at $3.00/ Gal I would start riding my bike to anywhere that I could reach in 30 min or less. Well It hit $3.00/ gal and I have been riding my bike to everywhere but school (UB North Campus).
Its fucking awesome! I have found that I am in much better shape than I thought I was in, and now I am exploring buffalo because I am not taking the highways. When you aren't in a car you really notice the scenery.
I have been looking at some maps of the city recently and from my house on the east side, everything is pretty much 30 minutes from where I live by bike. When I say everything, I mean everything I do on Elmwood, on Allen Street, Everything Downtown, and Everything I do out on Transit Road.
Trips I have Planned For The Coming Week:
1.) SPoT DT by bike via Walden To Genesse
2.) Allen St by bike via Walden straight shot
3.) North of Elmwood Heights by bike via a very sketchy route I keep having second thoughts about.
Explore Buffalo Topic
I am also going to be doing some biking around sections of the city that most folks don't go to, mainly my neighborhood and the areas between south buffalo and the east side. I hope to get a camera to take pictures. I intend to post them under the above topic heading on this bloggy.
Its fucking awesome! I have found that I am in much better shape than I thought I was in, and now I am exploring buffalo because I am not taking the highways. When you aren't in a car you really notice the scenery.
I have been looking at some maps of the city recently and from my house on the east side, everything is pretty much 30 minutes from where I live by bike. When I say everything, I mean everything I do on Elmwood, on Allen Street, Everything Downtown, and Everything I do out on Transit Road.
Trips I have Planned For The Coming Week:
1.) SPoT DT by bike via Walden To Genesse
2.) Allen St by bike via Walden straight shot
3.) North of Elmwood Heights by bike via a very sketchy route I keep having second thoughts about.
Explore Buffalo Topic
I am also going to be doing some biking around sections of the city that most folks don't go to, mainly my neighborhood and the areas between south buffalo and the east side. I hope to get a camera to take pictures. I intend to post them under the above topic heading on this bloggy.
05/04/2006 11:17 #22041
Rain WalkingCategory: philosophy
Rain is very innocuous; it is water that falls from the sky onto the planet. It has been an essential part of every human culture that has ever existed, and remains a vital part in our lives today. It brings life to everything around us. The Navajo used to rejoice at the sight of the rain, and go out into it. Yet, we are saddened when we wake upon a rainy day. We cringe and run for cover at first sign of those drops on our skin.
Why do we act this way? It is a sign of what we have come to value in society. Some of us cringe and run for cover because we want to protect the array of electronic equipment we carry. Other’s cringe to protect their vanity; be it make-up, hair, or clothing. I am not, as many others are, against these two reasons. I have no problem with people who wish to protect their investments in communications, and image; it is all perfectly reasonable.
The problem that I do see though is our inability to let go. Even when we have our equipment firmly secured in our waterproof bags, and we are not dressed to kill; still even then we cringe because we cannot let go, we do not relax. In a world of increasing complexity and ever more demanding responsibilities, we must learn to relax.
Ask yourself when you see the rain coming down; do I have to run this time? Is it really going to hurt my clothes to get wet on a spring or summer day? If not, take the time to let go. Learning to walk in the rain and coming to accept being wet, takes time. The whole point of rain walking is releasing the habit of cringing, of realizing that you are safe in the rain, and that it is not your enemy. It is a practice of active awareness, of brining yourself to break with ingrained reactions, of knowing if the reasons for your actions are founded or not.
Why do we act this way? It is a sign of what we have come to value in society. Some of us cringe and run for cover because we want to protect the array of electronic equipment we carry. Other’s cringe to protect their vanity; be it make-up, hair, or clothing. I am not, as many others are, against these two reasons. I have no problem with people who wish to protect their investments in communications, and image; it is all perfectly reasonable.
The problem that I do see though is our inability to let go. Even when we have our equipment firmly secured in our waterproof bags, and we are not dressed to kill; still even then we cringe because we cannot let go, we do not relax. In a world of increasing complexity and ever more demanding responsibilities, we must learn to relax.
Ask yourself when you see the rain coming down; do I have to run this time? Is it really going to hurt my clothes to get wet on a spring or summer day? If not, take the time to let go. Learning to walk in the rain and coming to accept being wet, takes time. The whole point of rain walking is releasing the habit of cringing, of realizing that you are safe in the rain, and that it is not your enemy. It is a practice of active awareness, of brining yourself to break with ingrained reactions, of knowing if the reasons for your actions are founded or not.
leetee - 05/04/06 16:10
I love the rain.
When i was a kid, i begged my parents to get a pool. I even promised to dig it myself. Of course, that never happened. Those big buckets of water that would fall on hot summer days were my pool. I have been known to jump into puddles, even as an adult.
I'm not a big fan of the sun.. probably the goth chick in me. I love those rain all day kinda days. And still love those sudden strong thunderstorms of summer. You'll find me with my face to the sky on those kinds of days....
I love the rain.
When i was a kid, i begged my parents to get a pool. I even promised to dig it myself. Of course, that never happened. Those big buckets of water that would fall on hot summer days were my pool. I have been known to jump into puddles, even as an adult.
I'm not a big fan of the sun.. probably the goth chick in me. I love those rain all day kinda days. And still love those sudden strong thunderstorms of summer. You'll find me with my face to the sky on those kinds of days....
ladycroft - 05/04/06 14:10
my friend and i got caught in that wicked rain storm a few weeks ago. we walked about a mile down elmwood in it, and enjoyed ourselves. :)
my friend and i got caught in that wicked rain storm a few weeks ago. we walked about a mile down elmwood in it, and enjoyed ourselves. :)
05/04/2006 11:14 #22040
Not so Entirely Back afterallAlright so I don't really care about the atheist essay responces and I don't feel like writing it. I tried, but I got bored. So I am sure I will write on this topic again, and I am sure your responses will be almost identical so we'll wait till next time and I will just continue onwards.
~E.
~E.
03/10/2006 14:44 #22039
I am BACK!Category: potpourri
Hello Everyone,
After some many weeks of not having a working computer I am now fully operational again. I am also fully wireless now thanks to (e:enknot) . My first order of business will be to read and respond to all of the comments that were left for me about my Atheist Life essay. I look forward to stiring the drama with you all.
~E.
After some many weeks of not having a working computer I am now fully operational again. I am also fully wireless now thanks to (e:enknot) . My first order of business will be to read and respond to all of the comments that were left for me about my Atheist Life essay. I look forward to stiring the drama with you all.
~E.
GRRRR!! I really need to get my bike fixed! Great idea. Just be careful out there. I'm not that safe myself, I don't wear a helmet. There is always this paranoia for me when I'm riding, cause I think someone is going to open their car door on me and send me flying. I feel like you should probably go with your instinct if you feel any area is dangerous and avoid it. I used to not care until I had repeated bouts of problems on East side. It sucks those experiences I had made me afraid to go where ever i want.
I want to bike to work (it's just over 2 miles) as much as I can. I notice much about the scenery too, including how sidewalks in the city (on main street, no less) are in terrible disrepair. Our tax dollars, at work.