Year of the Monkey

Today is the start of the Chinese New Year, the year of Monkey (or fire monkey to be slightly more precise). When I first thought of this the old maxim “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” immediately came to my head, with the well-worn image of the three wise monkeys, Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru:

Although this is better known from Japanese iconography, popularized in the 17th century, it supposedly has its roots in the teachings of the venerable Chinese philosopher, Confucius, who originally wrote, “Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety” in the Analects of Confucius 1800 years before. This was later simplified to the nine words we know today.

In these recent days of political bombast, bully rhetoric, vitriolic speeches and general mud-slinging by people who vie to be our would-be rulers it would be gratifying to see them heed this maxim, if only for a short while. Imagine how refreshing it would be for them to opine only positively; to layout their well-thought out plans for the country; to ignore sound bites and twitter hits, and actually attempt to act like the statesmen and stateswomen they purport to be.

But, that being said, why should we be so hard on our politicians? We should all consider this behavior and attempt to act this way in our own lives. I know that I am easily drawn into the trap of “water cooler moaning” during the day, and I too should know better.

One thing that I noticed a few years ago, when I took up photography seriously, was that my outlook on the world did actually change. it seems that somehow looking through a viewfinder, and searching for a well composed shot literally focused my mind on seeing things in a different way. I’m not saying that I do this all the time, but when I am in my “photographer mode” I certainly am a more positive person.

So, here’s a challenge for you: Try to be mindful of the simple phrase “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” throughout the day and try to deliver on it.

Oh, and a Happy (Chinese) New Year!

~Richard

February 8, 2016 0

Souper BowL

Today is the fiftieth time that champions of the American Football Conference (AFC) will play their counterparts from the National Football Conference (NFC). It is a time when a huge number of Americans will sit round their TVs to watch the pre-match show, ads that cost $167,000 per second to air (yep, that’s right), see ColdPlay perform during half-time, and also watch some football.

I was briefly a fan of the game back in the UK in the 1980s when it was first aired on Channel 4 and became trendy for teenagers to beg Dolphins or Raiders shirts from any friends or family who had traveled to the US, but not so anymore.

I could whine on about how the game has become a money obsessed behemoth, obscenely dominated by advertising and revenue generation; how sportsmanship seems to have been lost; how the reliance on technology, trickery, sleight of hand, rule-bending, and non-sporting tactics have spoiled the game. I could even drone on about how society turns its collective blind-eyes to the clear use of performance enhancing drugs and the continued worshipping of women beaters, simply because they can throw or catch a ball, but there’s no real point. I have nothing particularly deep to add to the information that’s already out there. To be honest, I now find the whole NFL shebang quite a disturbing indictment on human behavior.

But, on the other hand, today is a rare day which will also make many people happy. Perhaps it will enable grudges to be forgotten by the attendees at a local Super Bowl Party; maybe it will get people together face to face to talk, cheer and tease each other for a few hours rather than pressing their fingers into their phones all day. That could be a good thing and is one aspect that should be applauded. This year is also touted as “the most giving Super Bowl ever” and the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has committed to dedicating 25% of all money raised to be used for philanthropic causes in the San Francisco Bay Area through the “50 Fund.”

So, it is with mixed feelings as I consider the day, whilst typing at my keyboard. But whatever way I view it the hackneyed, but increasingly relevant catchphrase, “follow the money” just keeps spinning in my head…

160207_SouperBowl50

~Richard

February 7, 2016 0

Wake Up and Taste the Food

Today I inadvertently left my phone charging at home and didn’t realize it until I was halfway to work. I toyed with the idea of going back to get it but then thought better of it. As one of those people who often complains about modern society’s need to be permanently tethered to the internet (and yes, I do include myself in that statement) I thought I could manage the day without the little box of joy in my pocket for the duration of the workday.

All went well throughout the morning and suddenly I realized the time and had to grab a late lunch before the cafeteria closed its doors. All my usual lunch companions were unavailable so I popped to the cafeteria to fly solo. To be honest, this does seem to happen quite often, and I really should do something about my time management skills. However, as I sat down with my food it was only then that I realized how reliant on my handheld companion I have become – no, not as a phone, but as a source of “amusement” during such solitary periods. It’s not that I was being particularly anti-social; the cafeteria was very sparsely populated at this time and most customers were doing similar to what I had intended, namely browsing the web, anyway.

“OK,” I thought, time for a moment of quiet reflection. It was during this brief interlude that I also made the decision that , for today I must really taste my food. I admit this idea was sparked, in part, by the memory of consuming a few strawberries last night that were some of the most delicious I have eaten in a very long time. So, combined with an attempt to keep to my self-imposed policy of healthy eating (at work, at least) wherein I had made up an eclectic mix of items from the salad bar which included a strawberry and spinach leaf salad, I commenced to consume my carefully collected comestibles.

Now, it may seem like a trite thing to say but, in all honesty, I wonder how often we do really taste what we are eating? I can only speak for myself when I say that rarely do I truly appreciate the nuances of flavor and actually savor the subtlety of the food that I eat, although I will hypothesize this also applies to many diners with whom I have shared a restaurant, at least from their outward behavior. Eating slowly and actually trying to appreciate the textures and flavors of each of the components of a forkful of food is quite an eye-opening experience. Or perhaps it would be better to call it a tongue-freshening experience.

The upshot of this exercise was that I partook of a relatively simple meal, in solitude, and actually took my time to truly enjoy it. It’s quite interesting trying to slowly taste each mouthful to the full and, in some ways and interesting, almost meditative activity. I invite you to slow down and try it too!

~Richard

February 4, 2016 0

Groundhog Day and Memories

Today is Groundhog Day! For those of us living in Pennsylvania it means it’s time when the State gets a little more air-time as the news crews descend upon the small town of Punxsutawney, PA where a poor old groundhog, designated as “Punxsutawney Phil” is dragged into the limelight from his home in the ludicrously named “Gobbler’s Knob” and, through some magical ceremony, prognosticates on whether Spring will be early or late.

The statistics of Phil’s accuracy are interesting and, with a 39% rate of being correct are significantly worse than chance. This being said, then I am assuming that we will have a long Winter this year since the unreliable rodent has opined that it will be an early Spring. Let’s see!

Of course the other famous Groundhog Day is the now classic 1993 film of the same name directed by Harry Ramis and starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. In my opinion this is much more fun! The idea of reliving the same day repeatedly but being able to alter it though your own behaviour is quite fascinating from a philosophical point of view. As Murray experiences in the film, after the initial shock and boredom wears off, there are myriad ways one can explore one’s own psyche as well as that of others. Now that is quite a fascinating concept. Imagine the ability to simply erase the mistakes of a day until, in the end you create what you consider to be your perfect day. Could you do it, or would you go mad trying?

I, on the other hand am going to approach this from a more mundane and blatant angle by posting one image below a link to a few images of the town where I spent some of my childhood many years ago.

The number of days we kids spent roaming around and playing in this area, especially over the school holidays, meant that we were always searching for that “perfect day” and, although we wouldn’t have called it such, perhaps this was our own Groundhog day of sorts…

~Richard

February 2, 2016 1

Pardon the Pun

It is only two weeks (yes, guys that’s only 14 days!) until Valentine’s Day. The fabulous 14th of February when we have a chance to express our affection to our cherished ones. I think I’ll probably write a bit more about my thoughts on this subject on the actual day but suffice to say that I am so grateful that myriad Jewelry stores, car manufacturers and Hallmark have been so thoughtful in reminding us of this celebration since the New Year began. Nevertheless, I wanted to make a post related to this today for a couple of reasons:

Firstly, I was still thinking about my previous post concerning the great work of Kevin Abosch. I had been mulling this around in my head for a few days and then suddenly had the thought to try something similar myself. “Ah, but how to make this unique?” thinks I, as I ponder the situation.

It was when we were in the kitchen last night and my wife asked me to make up a salad to accompany our dinner, and I was absentmindedly thinking about Valentine’s Day and what was the best way I could show my affection in the next fortnight (pretty advanced planning for me, in actuality), that I had one of those so-called “moments of inspiration”. Now, my cerebral pun-engine is always turning over in the back of my head (probably due to having been raised on a diet of British comedy, not least the Carry On films) but this time it leaped to my consciousness and delivered a classic (to my mind). So, I scurried to my basement studio (aka an ironing board with a tote lid covered in black material underneath a large LED shop light), stood on a chair and created the following image:

I also created one as fine art (i.e., without any text) in true homage to Mr Abosch should anyone wish to have a large leafy print adorning their home 🙂

~Richard

February 1, 2016 0

Politically Inspired Graphic Art

I have found the last several months of rhetoric, bombast, bigotry, and other political shenanigans that have poured forth during the run up to selection of political candidates for this year’s White House run to have been more depressing than usual. However, rather than simply getting angry, or demoralized I have used the time to inspire me to create some graphic art.

I make no public claim or overt political stand with this – the viewer can read into it whatever messaging s/he sees fit. Perhaps they would make for a good discussion too?

This is going to be a long year and I just needed to get this off my chest early in the game…

~Richard

January 29, 2016 3

After nearly 70 years – the end of the True Landy?

I just heard today that TATA, the parent company of that classic British car marque Land Rover, will stop manufacturing the Land Rover Defender tomorrow. Admittedly, this had been announced some time ago but I had not seen it.

The Defender is the last of the “true” Land Rovers, and it’s a shame to see it go after 67 years of evolution. How ironic that it lasted nearly “three-score years and ten.” It will be replaced by a more street-worthy vehicle carrying the same name but it will be interesting to see how it can bear the history of a vehicle that is so iconic and was once advertised as the road vehicle you can plough a field with. And if you don’t believe me try looking here and then watching this excellent promotional video from the 50s.

I drove several Land Rovers over a prolonged time in the mid to late 80’s when I was working in the agricultural sector and I admit I loved their basic ruggedness and the fact they could go just about anywhere over the fields. I even towed a small plot combine all over the UK with a 110 V8, at one point having to park this behemoth, with its appalling turning circle, in the center of Edinburgh each night as that’s where I was staying over the summer. Now that was an experience.

With the demise of this quintessentially British icon, much like the original Mini, I feel we are losing a bit of our heritage, but I guess the real Landy has had its day. Maybe it says more about how society has moved on – perhaps we are simply less rugged, or rather more refined, than we used to be. It would have been an anathema to install air conditioning and electronic gadgetry in a Land Rover of old, after all the vehicle was designed so that the interior could be cleaned with a hose, or so I am told, but the new Defender will undoubtedly come with all the whistle and bells that today’s discerning, Hunter-welly-clad, Barbour-jacket-wearing clientele desire, neatly fitted into its monocoque, chassis-less design.
So, as part of my farewell to this Best of British post-war Engineering I am running a Land Rover image contest for fun this week under the auspices of the Quintessentially British Group that I curate. Why not take a look to see what people have entered?

~Richard

January 28, 2016 0

What’s happening to All the Young Dudes? They’re getting old…and dying, but that’s OK

Yesterday morning I heard that Dale Griffin had died at the age of 67. Although not a household name, I enlighten you. He was the drummer with the 70’s British band, Mott the Hoople, who are probably best known for their famous anthem, “All the Young Dudes,” penned by David Bowie, which went on to become a staple song of the glam rock era. That’s right, David Bowie, who died only a few days earlier at the age of 69, only a few days after Ian “Lemmy” Kilmiser, at 70 years old. As I was contemplating this, I heard than Eagles co-founder, Glenn Frey, also died the same day at the same age as Dale Griffin.

My initial thought was WTF is happening to the musicians that shaped my youth? They’re dropping like flies! Who will be next? Given I have a fairly eclectic musical taste and I have already lost Frank Zappa, Ian Dury, Joe Strummer, and too many others to mention who provided background to my adolescent years and beyond, or possibly shaped it, it’s hard to say but one thing is for sure: this trend ain’t ever gonna stop. After all, as the oft quoted adage goes: only two* things in life are certain – death and taxes. We can perhaps avoid or defer the latter but the first is unavoidable, even for the rich and famous.

When I was much younger I would have probably made some smart-alec remark like, well they were old, what did you expect? But now I have grey hair and ache a bit more in the morning I seem to see it a little differently. Lemmy only made the traditional “three score years and ten” by a few days and the others didn’t quite get there. We live In an era where magazines espouse that “60 is the new 50,” life expectancy is generally rising, and people who we would originally classed as “the elderly” when I was a kid (i.e., people who are of retirement age) are now expected to have gym membership.

Perhaps we need to be reminded sometimes that it’s not the length of time we have lived but how we have lived and the impact we have made.

And look at the lives these guys led! They sure packed a lot of living into their time on earth. Being a rock star may be a hedonistic lifestyle, but it’s also creative: listen to what they left for us. They represented different musical genres but they each allowed their millions of followers, be they angst-ridden teens, partying youths, or older adults to indulge in their creativity for a while. They made us smile, cry, and just think about life, the universe and everything, even if only for the length of a single song. We should celebrate that, and not dwell unnecessarily on their deaths.

So, as I bid farewell to these great artists I unashamedly steal some lyrics from the Hoople/Bowie song in celebration of how their musical legacies “carry the news (there you go)…”

~Richard

* or three, if you know the old adolescent joke, but that’s another story.

January 19, 2016 0

Corporate Dreaming – a perspective

Today my colleagues and I have the dubious pleasure of another 4 hour meeting with a group of management consultants who have been brought into our organization to tell us something. I am not entirely sure what we are supposed to gain from this exercise, as it wasn’t made clear during the first 2-day exercise, and a quick straw poll of several of my co-workers has revealed that they too are equally in the dark. However, as is often the case in such situations I am sure it will be seen as money well-spent by the corporation hierarchy. It baffles me how executive management of corporations are hailed as being successful managers and stewards of an organization when they need external consultants to do their job for them, but then as the old adage goes “no-one ever got fired for hiring McKinsey” (even when they do a poor job).

Anyhow, in an attempt to maintain my sanity in this ocean of madness what this means for me is that I have a credible excuse for posting some of my motivational irony that I have produced over the last couple of years, usually after similar exercises, so here goes:

Firstly, I am tired of seeing bombastic scribbles which proclaim just how important we are as individuals, and how we should embrace this thought. To me this somewhat misses the point. Yes, individuals are important but we are only one tiny part of a greater society. Perhaps we should be reminded of this more often, and perhaps our seemingly ever increasing proclivity to narcissism may be held in check. We should be able to deal with this perspective.

The other hackneyed rhetoric to which we are often subject is to “think outside the box”. This truly annoying phrase has been with us since the advent of the management consultant and apparently has links to the old “nine dot puzzle” which is occasionally rolled out as if it is some kind of magic trick. As someone who solved this the first time I saw it, it never ceases to amaze me how many people who are proponents of the out of the box concept struggle with this simple puzzle and its derivatives (yes it can be done with 3 lines and even one line as long as it’s on a sheet of paper (big hint there). Anyway, I digress. My antidote to this, as a Whovian, is the following poster:

And finally, to summarize my view of the whole management consultant affair, I offer the following picture to consider if you too also have to deal with hour after hour of meaningless metaphors sprinkled with irrelevant platitudes:

[rant over!]

~Richard

January 15, 2016 0

Makes you think – Coincidence, fate, serendipity or just plain weird?

I will try to live up to my blog subheading “Philosophical Photography & More,” at least in part today, by recounting the events of this morning…
My wife, Michelle, is an artist who was finishing a watercolor for entry into a local art exhibition today, along the theme of “clean slate.” For this she produced an image of a Monarch butterfly emerging from its cocoon, entitled “Rebirth” which she asked me to frame.

160109-Rebirth

I asked her for details of the work and uploaded it to her online gallery but, in doing so, I noticed that today’s Google Doodle also featured a butterfly design. 160109-Google

That’s odd, I thought, and clicked the link to find that today is the 41st anniversary of the discovery by Ken Brugger and Catalina Trail of the Mountain of Butterflies, and more specifically Monarch butterflies. After many years of searching and tracking Monarch butterflies this spectacular site in Mexico was finally discovered on January 9th 1975 (although it was well known by locals for hundreds of years). The site has now been made a World Heritage site where over one billion of these lepidopteran beauties spend the winter.

So, back to the main point of this post: a close friend of mine who is considerably more spiritually inclined than I would ever admit to being, would probably say this is fate, the gods, or the universe sending a message to either me or my wife, or perhaps to us both. Maybe this is a sign that heralds a metamorphic change for us. Who knows, only time will tell…

Personally, I just say “wow, that’s weird” and let it pass, but it certainly makes for a mildly interesting story. What do you think?

~Richard

January 9, 2016 0

Category: percontation

Year of the Monkey

Souper BowL

Wake Up and Taste the Food

Groundhog Day and Memories

Pardon the Pun

Politically Inspired Graphic Art

After nearly 70 years – the end of the True Landy?

What’s happening to All the Young Dudes? They’re getting old…and dying, but that’s OK

Corporate Dreaming – a perspective

Makes you think – Coincidence, fate, serendipity or just plain weird?

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