Day One, 2017

Happy New Year.

Is this idea of a "new" year merely a stupid fantasy? Oh well. Who cares? As Heraclitus said, change is the only constant. In that light, painful though it may be, here's hoping changes in this new year led to new, better beginnings.

Also, in keeping with the season, I published a new poem on AnnaSadhorse, Horary for the Third Millennium CE.

Winter Solstice I Ching - 2016

First hexagram:

K'an - #29 - Danger

Changing line #5

The dark waters of this pit will rise no higher.
Your greatest danger now lies in panic.
Keep your wits and you will escape.


Changing to:

Shih - #7 -  The Army

Good fortune.
No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.

It's Sober Santa time again

The Christmas season is upon us and one of the my few loyal readers made a special request . . . that, for old time's sake, I re-post Sober Santa. So, without further ado, I give you Sober Santa.

Ho-ho-ho!
Merry Christmas!
Let the games begin!

Click here to play

Other places . . .

On the move again.

Bangkok mailbox

At the moment we're back in Taiwan, the rainy island

Taipei Cultural Center

which is either a sovereign country or renegade province

Rainy day in Taipei

depending on who you talk to.

Sovereign movement

Tomorrow we fly back to the U.S.

Photo tags poem

for Christmas with family and friends.

Snowman in Taipei

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone . . .
the kids, still overwhelmingly sweet, raucous and innocent
and the adults, cherished friends. Ain't life grand?!

Open when not closed . . .
- Taipei shop -

I can't wait to commiserate with them about the goddam fuck show of a
U.S. Presidential election. Trump? What irony! America's self-appointed
new-age elitists, good ol' boy women and the USSR jointly elected an
impulsive, revenge driven, gold-plated vaudeville scammer.
America has fallen through the trapdoor. 

Life in the gap
- Taipei -

Then, after the first of the year, it's back out into the dirty old world again.

Biker dude dog

While his human was off shopping, this little fellow seemed to be enjoying a fabulous adventure on the motorbike.

When he realized I was standing there he turned and said, in no uncertain barks, "Get outta here". I immediately regretted ogling him. He was deep in his game and, quite understandably, did not appreciate by-standers photographing him.

Don't worry. It all worked out OK. I quickly moved out of sight, though I did take one last photo before going on my way. As for the dog, the second I disappeared from view, he roared off again on the open road.

Supermoon over Bangkok

Hello moon . . .

. . . old friend.