Freedom?

William Wallace Quote: (to Nobles)

“You believe the people of this country  exist to give you power,   I think your position exists to give us Freedom!”

Wouldn’t we be better off if politicians thought this way?  Many of them look at us as only being sources of money for them.  Unfortunately many of them act like these nobles of old.  Funny how things change but don’t change.  Seven hundred years later and we still have the same thoughts.

Dave

 

Where PC goes

Hang on to your hats. It appears the way of the desktop PC is going the way of 5.25 floppy drives and tape backups. The latest from eWeek is that new OS is headed toward hand-held, phone size mobile systems with voice preferred options. Everything will be Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) and new program such as Adobe AIR will be used. Goodbye Microsoft. Now strange in the wake of these changes, MS is marketing new T-shirts that say “I love DOS.” This seems really strange to me. What happened to Vista? Dare I say? It’s dead. Memory for systems is dropping in price. It won’t be long that we’ll buy Terabyte memory for $99.00. The palm computer/phone/browser… isn’t far from replacing what we’ve known for a long time.

Kinda sad to see this go this way. I’m feeling the same way when my tape-drives weren’t needed to upload files with  Ohio Scientific Computer (became Commodore Computers!) and the first hard drives were table-top size! It was fun to program the computer by moving wires. (Am I showing my age with computer systems yet?) I subscribed to the top-of-the-line magazine called the Aardvark. It contained the neatest and greatest. Everything was basic (at the time) and I remember the excitement of buying two chips and having a searing 4K of memory! Then, I bought a trip 5 (555 timer chip) and I could actually have beep sounds when I ran my programs.

Well, I can’t wait to see what else can happen. I’m looking forward to my own Personal Access Device (PAD) like on Star Trek Next Generation!

Dave

 

Writing Good or Bad Poetry

After reading an article on good/bad poetry,  I have to admit a bit of confusion.   I’ve read some current poetry that was just plain vulgar but was treated as great and I’ve read some great poets that couldn’t get out of the starting gate.  So what is it that makes one verse a devine inspiration and the next one crap?  Is it like a painting?  The beauty of a poem is what it brings out in you?  The emotions, connections, memories, thoughts?  To me, that’s the connection.  Each of these poems on this blog are the result of an event, poem, thought or realization that occurred.  I’ve shared them with the hope that they will mean something to you as they do to me.   And the response is positive, 95% of the time.  Sure there are nickpickers – word over that word, or form, sure I make mistakes.  But in general, they are heart poems.  

So, my poetry is ideas, thoughts, and day’s events in verse.  Sometimes a painful place I’ve been.    Sometimes, they are typed quickly before the muse grows tired and leaves.  Sometimes they are started and finished later.   I’ve read that good poets write, let them set for months and come back to them.  Maybe that’s my problem – with a few exceptions, they hit this blog right after they leave my muse.

Elements of bad poetry?  Well according to Mike Chasar*, they are predictable rhymes, figures of speech, predictable tropes and sonnet form.   I’m guilty of some of them.  He’s suggestion of a writer’s toolbox – set forms to write in and formulas is foreign to me.  I write as I  write – form happens as the poem happens.  I don’t necessarily write to one form.  But Mike’s point was that deadline poetry (that poetry written against a deadline) requires a faster draw, an ability to pull together form, timing, content in mere hours.   I have to admit,  I’ve participated in challenges but I don’t always feel this produces the best poetry.

I’d be curious what you guys think of this idea.

 

Dave Barber

19 December 2008

* Mike Chasar wrote the article in “Poets and Writer’s” magazine, Nov/Dec 2008, page 39 “Writing good bad poetry”

 

Green Jobs?

What is a Green Job?   Brown, red, purple?   I heard this on the news- what does this mean to create Green Job.  Are Green Jobs actually going to help the economy?  Prolong the current crisis?  Supporting environmentalism?  This is what we need?   I don’t know how that helps anyone.   The environmentalist have already talked about how we’e destroying the planet –  we need more people to do that?  Why???????

 

Dave

 

Point of View

Clothes make the Man!

What?
What does that mean-

if clothes make the man, then

what about

you can dress them up

but not take them out?

 

A pig with lipstick

is still a pig.

 

Somehow,

All these statements

lead to nothing.

 

Dave Barber

 

The Matrix – Opinion

I enjoy watching various Sci-Fi movies.   One of my favorite is the move “The Matrix”  that came out about 10 years ago.  It’s interesting!   What do you think?  Anyone else like this movie?
Dave

 

Waking Up – Opinion

Is there a such thing as a food hang-over?  Man I feel it!  We ate so well yesterday, now I wake up with a blah feeling.   Unfortunately,  I have to work today because I was too slow to put in leave in time.  Therefore, I’m in charge because no one is here!  Great deal, huh?   So,  I’m sitting at my computer trying to pound out some semblance of logic here but struggling. 

Has anyone else gone through this?   I’d love to hear.  I enjoyed thanksgiving but now I wonder if I’ll eat anything today.   Hair of the Dog?  well,  I don’t know about that.
Dave

28 Nov 08

 

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who stops by and reads!   I’m excited to see that almost 7000 readers have dropped by since I started in September.  You’re awesome!!

This is a place you can drop by, read or even leave a poem of your own!   My new book will be out very soon!    The title is “Where the Fence Line Runs!”  As soon as the publisher tells me,  I’ll post a copy right here!

 

Thanks again!

 

Dave

 

Sharing the Moment

One evening as the sun was spreading it’s skirt on the horizon, my daughter called me outside.  She saw how the sky’s ragged edges had soaked up the remaining light and glowed n shades of crimson to lavender.   We stood out there silently for a long time, watching the sight of light playing on the clouds, dancing in vibrations and saw what she saw, felt what she felt.   The pale blue had almost completely faded when the deeper colors emerged starting the show all over again.   We felt a sharing that goes beyond any deep words I could have used to describe the event, or how the event penetrated our lives.  Now, every day, my daughter calls this the ‘magic time.’  She’ll say “Dad!  it’s almost magic time.”

   This is the main lesson of my writing to share that magic time with you.  I can’t always describe the feeling, but I can share with caused it and believe you will have similar feelings too.     You can share this sense of community of love I feel.   Thanks for reading!!!!

 

Dave Barber

 

Shopping or Where are the Gift Cards?

It’s that season again!  Get the list,  Where’s the list?   Jump in the car drive to El-Bigo Stores and begin Holiday Hell.  While it actually starts on the day after Thanksgiving, many folks are already braving the stores now to catch that quick holiday prize.   For me,  gift cards are a great way to go!   Hobby Lobby,  Walmart, Barnes and Noble –  the list is endless!   And I don’t feel cheated by  a gift card instead  of a huge box under the tree.  Now instead of getting that wonderful turquoise and purple, long sleeve, sheepskin, wooden button sweater,  I can buy what I want.  Really,  I don’t have one of those but I have received some strange gifts before!   So,  I tell my friends, family and fickle co-workers my preference. Trust me, It would be a great gift!  What do you think?   

 

Dave

18 Nov 08