June 2004
June Highlights: My blog takes a back seat to . . a personal electrical dilema . . . . . and a visit to "The Shore of the Turquoise Sea" . . . .
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Lights On posted: 6-27-04
I'm in hot water up to my neck
Well, although I haven't tested every outlet, light and piece of equipment, I think I'm back. I have lights, hot water, cable TV and the internet . . . YAHOO !
Power is not working at my detached garage, but I wanted to replace the very "un-code" romex wire that a previous owner had strung thru the air with an up-to-code underground power cable in conduit and also add a second conduit for cable TV and phone. Now that I have a modern breaker panel with a master shut-off - I can cut the power from the meter and add the power leads to the lugs built into the breaker box. That is a project for the next couple weekends (I think the trench has to be two feet deep.).
There were many hurdles to overcome in the past several weeks - and some minor hardships. I seem to be well beyond the "nerve wracking" worst of it; now I can breath a little easier.
Zorba
My blog work has taken a definite back seat, but - I will not give up on my Zorba entries. There isn't enough time left this month - so next month - the Greek Speaks !
Pressure Cooker posted: 6-04-04
Nearly Powerless
Over a week ago I scheduled with the power company to de-energize my electricity at the pole. I also managed to get a three day weekend - everything was falling into place for me to replace the damaged ancient meter box and ancient breaker box with a new combination meter/service/breaker box.
Powerless Against Monopolies
I could have sworn that, at the time I scheduled the disconnect, that I confirmed that I didn't have to be home. Well - guess what? - the power company didn't turn off the power - because its against policy - without customer being present. I made two calls to the power people and spoke with a supervisor. Supervisor Margaret told me they would send someone back - so I rushed home during my lunch hour . . . of course . . . NO ONE SHOWED UP!
So, I was not able to use this three day weekend to replace the old equipment. This is probably a blessing in disguise - because I still have unanswered questions (ex. meter and box compatibility) - so maybe its all for the best. I called and rescheduled - after over 20 minutes of hold time - and Jessica assured me there would be no problem getting power turned off . . . this time . . . probably - on the morning of the eleventh.
Getting pretty practiced with sponge baths; thank goodness its warming up.
I've reworked the menu and added monthly lead subjects - so as to make it easier for me to go back thru my archives. Someday I'll have a "Gallery" archive - so that I'll be able to go directly to all my favorite songs, poems, films etc.
This Month posted: 6-01-04
Zorba The Greek
TC the cat is pestering me; my pressure cooker (heating water for my sponge bath) is hissing at me and the clock says its time to wrap things up and get to bed.
I wanted to make an entry about Memorial Day and another about the war in Iraq - but . . . times up!
Oh HECK! - Also to say that I will be focusing on Zorba this month.
a Favorite Quote
"That it was always himself
that the coward abandoned first.
After this all other betrayals came easily."
"That night I thought long about what must become of me. I wanted very much to be a person of value and I had to ask myself how this could be possible if there were not something like a soul or like a spirit that is in the life of a person and which could endure any misfortune or disfigurement and yet be no less for it. If one were to be a person of value that value could not be a condition subject to hazards of fortune. It had to be a quality that could not change. Long before morning I knew that what I was seeking to discover was a thing I'd always known. That all courage was a form of constancy. That it was always himself that the coward abandoned first. After this all other betrayals came easily." - Dona Alfonsa
Dona Alfonsa confides in John Grady - her story of the unrequited love of her life and how his tears for her soul transformed her.
All The Pretty Horses
by Cormac McCarthy
The film, directed by Billy Bob Thornton and staring Matt Damon, was beautifully faithful to the novel - http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0149624
Painting
The Shore of the Turquoise Sea
Albert Bierstadt
1878. 108 x 163.8 cm. Oil on canvas. Manoogian Collection.
"Recognized as the foremost painter of the American frontier during the nineteenth-century . . . "
www.artrenewal.com
(Best viewed with browser "view" set to "full". You may also be able to use your browser to enlarge this image - to view details.)
a Favorite Film
Reverend Clayton (Ward Bond):
"The prodigal brother. When did you get back? I haven't seen you since the surrender. In fact, I didn't see you at the surrender."
Ethan Edwards ( John Wayne ):
"I don't believe in surrenders."
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0049730/
"The Searchers (1956) is considered by many to be a true American masterpiece of film making, and the best, most influential, and perhaps most-admired film of director John Ford. It was his 115th feature film, and he was already a four-time Best Director Oscar winner (The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952)) - all for his pictures of social comment rather than his quintessential westerns. The film's themes included racism, individuality, the American character, and the opposition between civilization (exemplified by homes, caves, and other domestic interiors) and the untamed frontier wilderness."
http://www.filmsite.org/sear.html
Poetry & Prose
Zorba
" Yes, I understood. Zorba was the man I had sought so long in vain. A living heart, a large voracious mouth, a greate brute soul, not yet severed from mother earth. "
Zorba The Greek
A friend invited me to watch the film - Zorba The Greek - (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0057831) years ago. I enjoyed the performances of Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates. I was moved and entertained by this romantic, cinematic vision. But, it wasn't till a few years later that I discovered how the film barely scratched the surface of the novel - the brilliant manifestation of Nikos Kazantzakis.
I purpose - in this entry - to revisit Zorba and glean some "truth, goodness and beauty". This is not a "book review". I simply want to capture some essence of Zorba's persona - as well as the protagonist's struggles - and what Zorba may teach us all.
The Tale Takes Place In The Greek Islands:
" The sea, autumn mildness, islands bathed in light, fine rain spreading a diaphanous veil over the immortal nakedness of Greece. Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea. . . . No where else can one pass so easily and serenely from reality to dream. . . . " -chapter 2
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Perceptions from our story teller:
" Out of my pocket I drew a little edition of Dante - my traveling companion. I lit a pipe, leaned against the wall and made myself comfortable. I hesitated for a moment. Into which verses should I dip? Into the burning pitch of the Inferno, or the cleansing flames of Purgatory? Or should I make straight for the most elevated plane of human hope? I had the choice. Holding my pocket Dante in my hand, I rejoiced in my freedom. The verses I was going to choose so early in the morning would impart their rhythm to the whole of the day. " -chapter 1
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Alexis Zorba:
" Yes, I understood. Zorba was the man I had sought so long in vain. A living heart, a large voracious mouth, a greate brute soul, not yet severed from mother earth.
The meaning of the words, art, love, purity, passion, all this was made clear to me by the simplest of human words uttered by this workman. " -chapter 1
