The Story

A lesson for a day is a lesson for a lifetime... Part Two

2011-11-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

I have everything and I have nothing.

Some days.

It's a secret life away from fame, age and prose.

A purely internal affair.

At the office.

In the factory or in the ditch...

Nothing beats that last Paycheque at a job you didn't want anyway.

Cheap talk, snickering, servility...

Some days I have it all.

Bad diet, empty feelings about the man you knew yesterday.

In a sense it told him nothing.

Under a heart.

A table or a cross...

Eventually.

All the stuffing comes out...

Catch a fart and blow it to a pretty girl.

Now That's true love...

-TheStory

I hope they never find Big Foot...

2011-11-11T22:34:00.000-08:00

I hope they never find Big Foot.

I hope he remains free.

Because if man finds Big Foot,

he will put him in a cage.

That's what man does best.

In his fear.

In his hatred.

In his rage.

In his triumph and self-abasement.

That's what man does best.

He has mastered the hunt.

He has mastered pain.

He has mastered the living in cages.

That's why I stopped going to Zoos.

The animals look sad.

See for yourself one day.

They seem depressed.

Captivity.

It isn't educational or scientific.

It's Prison.

And prison is punishment.

I hope they never find Big Foot.

I hope his kind lives free.

I hope he lives long after humans are gone.

Free from humans.

Free from captivity.

I hope they never find Big Foot.

I hope he remains free.

Because if man finds Big Foot,

he will put him in a cage....

Because that is man's testament to the living...

Make you Feel My Love - Bob Dylan

2011-10-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

"Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love" or "Just to Make You Feel My Love", is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. It appeared on his 1997 album Time Out of Mind. Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Bryan Ferry and Adele have had success with the song

"Make You Feel My Love" has also been recorded by Joan Osborne, Josh Kelley, Neil Diamond,Shawn Colvin, Luka Bloom, Timothy B. Schmit, Ronan Keating, Winifred Horan, Emily Loizeau,Elkie Brooks,Mary Black,Ruarri Joseph, Phil Keaggy, Bill Evans, Taylor Hicks, Jon Peter Lewis, Kris Allen,Maria Muldaur, Louise Setara,Jeremy Irons, Kelly Clarkson and Rebecca Ferguson.

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

A Letter from a Shelter Manager - Anonymous in North Carolina

2011-10-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

A Letter from a Shelter Manager - anonymous in North Carolina

I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.

First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.

Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.

If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.

I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.

Ambition Tickles My Bum

2011-10-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ambition Tickles My Bum

Mostly at night, consistently...

-TheStory

The Wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi.

2011-04-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

‎"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress

can be judged by the way its animals are treated ...

I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more

entitled it is to protection by man from

the cruelty of man."

- Mahatma Gandhi.

Wisdom of Charles ...2

2011-03-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

"Learn, he says, that there will be hours, days
and months ahead of feeling absolutely terrible
and nothing can change that; neither new
girlfriends, health professionals, changes of diet, dope,

humility, or
God. "
— Charles Bukowski

Haunted...

2011-03-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

The thing that haunts a man the most are the things he can't do...

-TheStory

A shit metaphor for life...

2011-03-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Nothing is worse than to finish a good shit,

then reach over and find the toilet paper container empty.

The same sentiment goes for life...

What are you going to do with it, save or spend it?

Thoughts on a Funeral...

2011-03-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

I was never a certain way long enough

for comfort to set in.

And if it were my funeral tomorrow,

everyone would have a different story

about who I was: the lost teenager,

the adventurer, the traveler,

the criminal, the drunk,

the addict, the hockey player,

the skier, the athlete,

the construction worker,

the dish washer, the lover,

the sensitive guy,

the good heart, the bastard,

the asshole, the artist

the writer and so on...

I was never in anything too long to be drawn into

just an existence...

You can't stop what is coming...

2011-03-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

I sit here a day older

than last.

I ask myself

who I am?

All I can come up with is

" I am a series of

experience. "

Over and over it's the same thought.

I guess the old saying is true...

You can't stop what is coming

You can look for it,

but you can't stop it.

The wins.

The losses.

They all add up.

Sometimes you look out the window.

look for what's coming...

-TheStory

The wisdom of Charles...

2011-03-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

"The trouble with a mask is it never changes"
— Charles Bukowski

March 17, 2011

2011-03-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard.

Shane MacGowan is more than a genius.

He's a magician. And when he writes and sings,

it comes from the same place...

His heart.

His art is pure and natural, as is his penchant

for a good time. He is a master of traditional

Irish ballads, loved and respected

by his peers. His motivation, I believe, is to

express his soul. His emotions, his stories

are about the human condition in a World

gone insane.

He sings of joys so great

you can't help but feel happy.

He sings of sadness and hardship

so brutal you can't help

but feel torn.

And in "a song with no name" he sings about

a broken heart...

By Shane MacGowan (1994)

Long years ago I fell in love
With a lady proud and fair
So passionate were she and I
We made fire in the air
I loved her more than life itself
She loved me just the same
And it broke my heart
To think we'd part if she ended the affair

But I was brutal, I was ignorant
I was cruel I was brash
I never gave a damn about
The beauty that I smashed
No sadist I, I took delight
In making my Love cry
Now I'd pray for a single kiss from her
To be lashed and crucified

And now I feel this lady fair
Can never more be mine
Long gone are night in my lonely bed
All suffering and crying
And though I fear that through this life
She'll only call me friend
'Till I'm dead and buried in my grave
My Love will never end

As an Irishman, I share the same emotional

sensitivity as Shane. We are an emotional

bunch. We express our emotions full on, no

matter the consequences... Our emotions

,even though at times misunderstood, are

true... We live with our hearts.

I Love Shane for his gift of art to the World...

Enjoy!

-TheStory

I knew

2011-03-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

You'd read this...

loyalty and Compassion

2011-03-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

There is beauty in life. For myself, I have

witnessed more beauty in other beings, like

the dog in this video, than I have from people.

I could only wish people would be as loyal

and compassionate to each other as this dog is

to his friend.

This dog has more compassion and loyalty than

a lot of people I have known in my life..

Hence "Have known."

Please donate and support animal welfare organizations

in Japan and in your own community....

http://nipponspca.com/

Wisdom of Charles

2011-03-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get myself to read the want ads.

The thought of sitting in front of a man

behind a desk

and telling him

that I wanted a job, that I was qualified for a job,

was too much

for me.

Frankly, I was horrified by life, at what a man had to do

simply in order to eat, sleep, and keep himself clothed.

So I stayed in bed and drank.

When you drank the world was still out there,

but for the moment it didn't have you by the throat."
— Charles Bukowski

Hacker...

2011-03-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hacker Hacker on the wall

who's the best of them all?

Sloppy...

2011-03-06T22:34:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been getting sloppy with my writing.

Questions...

2011-03-05T23:50:00.000-08:00

Who to Trust?

U2... Perceptions Change

2011-03-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

No words can describe the goosebumps,

the adrenaline, the high

I get when I am at a U2 concert.

Since 1986 I've been lucky enough to see

#U2 over 25 times all across the world...

To be in a stadium with 80,000 U2 fans singing...

No words can describe that feeling of solidarity.

Enter U2's impact on my life...

Growing up as an Irish kid in Canada,

people had a different perception of the

Ireland I knew. More often than not,

the first thing people would say

to me when they found out I was Irish

was..... "Ahh the I.R.A."

It was a common occurrence that

happened with teachers, neighbours

parents and countless times at the

border.

Eventually as U2 gained world-wide popularity

the perception of Ireland changed.

Today, more often than not, when I tell people

I'm Irish, they say... " Ahh U2"

That folks makes me proud to be an Irish Man.

Let's face it... U2 has done more for Ireland's image

and Irish Foreign Affairs than all the elected Irish

government(s) combined in the last 30 years...

Through their music and campaigns for peace,

U2, among other Irish Peace Activists and artists,

exposed the blind fold of romanticism

that far too many Irish people shared for the I.R.A.

Believe me, Irish people romanticized the I.R.A.

It was an ugly sense of National Pride that was passed

down from generation to generation.

U2 exposed the senselessness in romanticizing

the I.R.A in songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

and "Grace." And the I.R.A. responded to Bono

and the boys with death threats. But they stood

their ground and eventually the people of Ireland

understood peace was more important for their

nation than war. It took thousands of lives and

decades of terror, but the Irish people realized a

new day. U2 helped them to see that day with the

popularity and success of their music.

There's a lot that can be said about U2.

You can love them or hate them...

But as an Irish man I'm proud of their music

and that their music changed the perception

of Irish people from Terrorist to the place

where U2 comes from...

Cheers U2!

-TheStory

Bukowski on Love...

2011-03-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

"Love is a fog that burns with the first daylight of reality"

-Bukowski

Defences down...

2011-03-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Know that.

Defences down.

With the trust of a child.

I came.

Beware of those who only take.

Theirs is Deceit.

Theirs is Betrayal.

For they have failed completely.

To live their own lives.

For even at the most saddest moments.

My heart is my companion.

Bruised.

But not beaten into dank submission.

Roger Daltrey Happy Birthday

2011-03-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Roger Daltrey's 67th Birthday...

The Who are one of my favourite bands, Roger one

of my favourite singers. The Who were the soundtrack

to my teenage years and pretty much kept me

going...

Thanks for the music Roger. Happy Birthday!

Wisdom of Hunter...

2011-02-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

"These things happen. One day you run everything,

and the next day you run like a dog." - Hunter Thompson

Conversations from the Beer Store - The Lost Lady

2011-02-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

I was strolling through the beer store today

when I met a pretty Canadian Asian lady.

You know the kind. Born in Canada,

raised traditionally, blames everything

wrong in her life on her parents, like

self-esteem, her inability to relate and

interact with others on an emotional level...

She had slipped and fallen in the aisle.

I helped her up. Dusted her off. We talked

for some time. She told me about her life.

How oppressed she felt as a child.

Got knocked-up in her 30s and spent

five years in a marriage she never wanted.

I felt her story. Asked her what was different now.

She said she went on with her life. Divorced her

husband and experimented with her freedom.

From her purse, she handed me some photographs.

Nudes of her. She told me a photographer friend

named Philip took them while she was still married.

I asked her if it made her feel good.

She said it was a passionate night.

I said goodbye, walked away, thought about what she said...

I once had a heart of stone. Fought

the World with each breath.

Pushed the good ones to the curb.

Blamed everyone else.

Cheated. Inched. Betrayed.

For a sense of freedom.

It was a lie.

The plot was empty

and the soul

became dark.

And that is when I realized this lady had not

just fallen down in the beer store aisle.

She was lost.

I guess her inability to connect to others

on an emotional level is not her problem at all...eh?

-TheStory

The Genius Of The Crowd

2011-02-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Genius Of The Crowd by Charles Bukowski

there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average
human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it
and the best at hate are those who preach love
and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god
those who preach peace do not have peace
those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers
beware the knowers
beware those who are always reading books
beware those who either detest poverty
or are proud of it
beware those quick to praise
for they need praise in return
beware those who are quick to censor
they are afraid of what they do not know
beware those who seek constant crowds for
they are nothing alone
beware the average man the average woman
beware their love, their love is average
seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world
not being able to love fully
they will believe your love incomplete
and then they will hate you
and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond
like a knife
like a mountain
like a tiger
like hemlock

their finest art

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

2011-02-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

How would you like it

if someone did it to you?

Jesus! That's rich.

Look in the mirror much?

-TheStory

CareFree Highway....

2011-02-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

I was a kid of seven or eight years old in the

late 1970s when I first heard Gordon Lightfoot's

music. My Mom and Dad were big fans and

they taught me to sing along to his songs

as we took Sunday drives in our 1978 Buick Regal

across country roads, just north of Toronto.

I remember those times like they were yesterday.

So when I follow the white line from place to place

there is always some of Gordon's music with me.

If you haven't listened to Gordon's music, it's never

too late. He's influenced and has been covered by

the likes of Bob Dylan to John Lennon to Johnny Cash.

Carefree Highway is one of my favourites. It speaks to

that lust to wander in my soul... The lyrics say it all.

Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway

Picking up the pieces of my sweet shattered dream
I wonder how the old folks are to night
Her name was Ann and I'll be damned if I recall her face
She left me not knowing what to do

Carefree highway, let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away, slip away on you

Turning back the pages to the times I love best
I wonder if she'll ever do the same
Now the thing that I call living is just being satisfied
With knowing I got no one left to blame

Carefree highway, got to see you my old flame
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away, slip away on you

Searching through the fragments of my dream shattered sleep
I wonder if the years have closed her mind
I guess it must be wanderlust or trying to get free
From the good old faithful feeling we once knew

Carefree highway, let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away, slip away on you
Let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, got to see you my old flame
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away, slip away on you

For the Record...

2011-02-20T16:15:00.000-08:00

If you notice, there are a few poems missing

from my blog... Well I thought about it and

you just aren't worth it.

-TheStory

FootBall Season is Over...

2011-02-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

"I don’t see how you can respect yourself

if you must look in the hearts and minds

of others for your happiness." -Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter is a hero of mine and today marks six

years since he decided to leave us.

Bob Dylan was one of his favourites.

One of mine as well.

Res ipsa loquitur... Let the good times roll...

-TheStory

The Dog chases its tail

2011-02-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

And the Moon wields Mercy as Moons will do

and painters will paint as paint will dry

and by the grace of God, the Sun shall set another day.

And flowers will bloom as they always have

and tomorrow will be another day as

tomorrow often is.

And over time the machinery will break down

as time takes its toll.

And all of this has happened before

And will again

The dog

chases its tail...

Nick Cave -Straight To You

2011-02-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

I first heard Nick Cave while I was staying with a friend

in France during the early 1990s. I was lucky enough to

see Nick Cave in November 2010 at The Phoenix.

If you have never listened to Nick Cave's music, it's

never too late to get it on...

Here is one of my favourite songs.

Adios Douche Bag...

2011-02-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

There goes victory carrying one bucket of blood

Stumbling over the past like a tossed salad

that fell of the table & crashed to the floor...

To wake and face the Sun with the realization

There isn't a single Douche Bag in my life

is an equal feeling to winning the Lottery...

Adios Douche Bag...

-TheStory

The Pass -Neil Peart

2011-02-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

I was in my twenties when this song came out.

I remember exactly how I felt. How it resided,

the first time I heard it.

Lines like "Electrical storm in your veins,"

"Martyr without a cause," "Static on your frequency,"

"And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge,

staring down into a heartless sea."

Man! You bet those lines ran deep...

The angst of growing up. The pressure of conforming

to someone's ideals, to something's rules.

I felt crippled. I felt isolated. I felt alone.

And I dealt with those pressures in the most

destructive way possible. I became reckless with

my life, with my heart, with my soul...

So much that 19 seemed like the end of the line.

I didn't care about myself.

I got into the passing lane at a young age.

I had the torque. But my reasons were wrong.

I just wanted to escape. That's what I did.

Let's put it this way... By the time I had reached 19,

I had more living under my belt, more experience,

both good and bad, than most people have in a lifetime.

My life felt like a movie. Hollywood couldn't make a better

story than the one I was living...

It wasn't all bad either.

I hitch hicked across Canada, met some interesting

people along the way and earned a few hard dollars.

And by Hard, I mean sacrifice. Sometimes my body,

sometimes my sanity and sometimes my soul...

So when I hear this song, even now, in my late 30s,

the lyrics bring me back to that time when I felt like

the whole World turned its back on me...

And I was that kid out there on the ledge...

And while everyone turned away,

I didn't turn away from myself.

I never gave up.

If you watch the story in this video you'll see the kid

is a survivor. A warrior of life. There is no suicide at

all in this song. He is literally talking himself off the

ledge and when he says, "Christ, what have you done?"

That is the moment where he actually snaps out of it

and realizes where he has put himself.

In the video he does turn around...

That's the key to life... YOU ALWAYS HAVE A SECOND

CHANCE...

Be brave. Reboot. Reinvent yourself.

And don't let the BASTARDS get you down...

Rush

"The Pass"

Proud swagger out of the school yard
Waiting for the world's applause
Rebel without a conscience
Martyr without a cause

Static on your frequency
Electrical storm in your veins
Raging at unreachable glory
Straining at invisible chains

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Can't face life on a razor's edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be

All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razor's edge
Don't turn your back
And slam the door on me

It's not as if this barricade
Blocks the only road
It's not as if you're all alone
In wanting to explode

Someone set a bad example
Made surrender seem all right
The act of a noble warrior
Who lost the will to fight

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Done with life on a razor's edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be

No hero in your tragedy
No daring in your escape
No salutes for your surrender
Nothing noble in your fate
Christ, what have you done?

Written by Neil Peart and performed by RUSH

The Weapon - Neil Peart

2011-02-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite writers, lyricists, musician and

fellow BMW motorcycle rider wrote this song.

His name is Neil Peart. The song is about Fear.

Fear used as a weapon.

Like Anger.

Like Pride.

Like Resentment...

Rush - The Weapon

We've got nothing to fear...but fear itself?
Not pain, not failure, not fatal tragedy?
Not the faulty units in this mad machinery?
Not the broken contacts in emotional chemistry?

With an iron fist in a velvet glove
We are sheltered under the gun
In the glory game on the power train
Thy kingdom's will be done

And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us...

He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors worse than your Hell
He's a little bit afraid of dying
But he's a lot more afraid of your lying

And the things that he fears are a weapon to be held against him...

Can any part of life be larger than life?
Even love must be limited by time
And those who push us down that they might climb
Is any killer worth more than his crime?

Like a steely blade in a silken sheath
We don't see what they're made of
They shout about love, but when push comes to shove
They live for the things they're afraid of

And the knowledge that they fear is a weapon to be used against them...

Written by Neil Peart for "Signals" and performed with heart and passion by RUSH.

You should have been in my shoes yesterday...

2011-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

The Worst.

The Best.

Hand in Hand in Hand.

go.

Call it

our

unholy alliance.

Neither of us

liking

the odds.

But

you

should have been

my shoes

yesterday...

Time well spent...

2011-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

How it happens...

You meet her.

You get to know her.

You share some laughs, a few sob stories.

You confess your secrets.

This is my life.

This is my love.

This is my dream.

You make love daily,

as two people were meant to.

And she starts to grow with you and in you.

She says the words that build you up.

Words that eventually force you to a new madness.

The notion of possibility, to believe or not to?

The illusion is that you believe these good times

will last, that they are strong enough to keep the

lions from circling the room.

The reality is you can hear the lions growling

in her....

And that is how it happens. Time well spent.

-TheStory

4077

2011-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

When you have issues/conflict with a person and you don't deal with it,

you bury it for another day, or for another person to take the brunt...

-TheStory

Sylvia Plath

2011-02-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

“And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter—they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long.”

-Sylvia Plath

*Found and borrowed form Smashmisha's blog ... Read her stuff. You'll be moved.

Wisdom of Hunter...

2011-02-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

It is always bad business to try to explain yourself on paper – at least not all at once – but when you work as a journalist and sign your name in black ink on white paper above everything you write, that is the business you’re in, good or bad. Buy the ticket, take the ride. I have said that before and I have found, to my horror, that it’s true. It is one of those half-bright axioms that can haunt you for the rest of your life .

- Hunter Thompson

*Stolen from "Generation of Swine" without permission but used with respect and honour

of Hunter and the full torque of the Gonzo brand. Long may it ride...

PSA...

2011-02-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

The aim of my blog is not to offend or belittle

anyone, but to tell of the experiences of

the human condition through my own

learning. Sometimes those experiences are

shared with others. If you find offence in what I

write, then perhaps you can learn something

about yourself as to why you take offence.

-TheStory

Everyone knows an Asshole

2011-02-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

Assholes were plenty in 2010.

Assholes will be plenty in 2011.

Fakes were plenty in 2010.

Fakes will be plenty 2011.

God knows I've had my share.

And I left them far behind -Life in the Passing Lane.

So to all the Assholes and Fakes in the World

I give you this song....

Far Behind

Social Distortion

With friends like you, who needs enemies?
You ain't right, you ain't never gonna be
You're out of the car, I'm afraid you've been declined.
You shake my hand, while you're pissing on my leg
I'm cutting you loose, I don't need this misery
Your soul is toxic, you ain't no friend of mine. NO!!!

You talk real trash, when I'm not around
To build yourself up, you gotta tear me down.
You'll have to excuse me, I got better things to do
You smile through your teeth, you talk out you're neck
Every chance you get, you're going to stab my back
Your time's run out, I've got nothing left for you.

I'm leaving you far behind
I'm leaving you far behind
Stop wasting all, all my time
I'm leaving you far behind, Yeah!!!

So I'm pulling out the weeds, I'm taking stock
You can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk
Your narcissistic ways have gotten the best of you
So I'm leaving you to sink in all your glory
For you and me it's the end of the story
Get out of my way, I've got better things to do.

With friends like you, who needs enemies?
You ain't right, you ain't never going to be
Your soul is toxic, you ain't no friend of mine.

Friends - Don't take me for Granted

2011-01-31T21:01:00.000-08:00

I don't feel that it's all necessary to tell you

how I feel about the principle of friendship.

But if you express yourself the way I do, people

will come and people will go from your life for one reason

or another...

But every now and then someone new comes aboard,

into your life, and they fill your cargo hold up with words,

confessions and truths and polish your deck with

charm and sentiment. And it makes you think

you are sailing with precious cargo.

And then one day the waves get rough

and the vessel starts to take on water

and your so-called authentic new mate says

"Fuck the Cargo, I was only on a cruise"

and abandons ship.

You find yourself left at the helm, going down

with all the cargo that you thought was an

investment at port, but turned out to be worthless

and fake.

In those times, when the water is rising,

you call on yourself, you call on your faith

and you call on your friends...

Friends are the ones that have already gone

from port to port. They know the waters can be

dark and rough at times, and they won't jump

ship during those times...

"Don't take me for Granted" is a song about friendship.

I have some of the best friends a guy, like me, can have...

Don't take me for Granted

Social Distortion

I’m your worn in leather jacket
I’m the volume in your fucked up teenage band
A Pack of smokes and a six pack
I’m the dreams you had walkin’ down the railroad tracks
You and me

I’m your first taste of romance
I’m your first broken heart on a Saturday night
Guys like us ain’t got no chance
But I’m the thing that keeps you and me alive
But not forever

Chorus:
So take me down the road
Take me to the show
It’s something to believe in
That no one else knows
But don’t take me for granted

I’m the blood on your guitar
I’m that wave you caught back in 1975
I’m as strong as a thousand armies
I’m as soft as a petal on a long stem rose
I am love

So take me down the road
Take me to the show
It’s something to believe in
That no one else knows
But don’t take me for granted
I’m with you when you’re born
You can take me when you die
With all the reasons why
But don’t take me for granted

No one knows
Don’t take me for granted

Rise -Ed Vedder

2011-01-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Each generation has a young talented man of its own

that wanders off into the wilderness and vanishes.

Christopher McCandless belonged to mine.

After graduating from Emory University in 1990,

Christopher abandoned his possessions, gave his

entire $24,000 savings account to charity and

hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness.

Along the way, Christopher encountered generosity,

danger and a series of experiences that shaped his life...

I first heard about Christopher's story in

Jon Krakauer's article "Death of an Innocent",

which appeared in the January 1993 issue of Outside Magazine.

I read Christopher's story while on the road

and it hit home.Here was this young guy,

a few years older than myself, turning his back

on a modern existence in an attempt

to live a life unencumbered by material things.

I felt a spiritual connection to Christopher's search

for liberty, to his story.

I had just graduated high school,the year before,

when I decided I would hitch hike across Canada.

I was also seeking a purer and simpler place to think

and feel in; just like Kerouac, Thompson

and all of my heroes that took to the road in search

of a natural experience, a new frontier, a fool hearty ramble,

a notion of possibility and to better understand who they were...

Christopher McCandless made it to Alaska

in the Spring of 1992, where the last person to see

him alive was an electrician that gave him a ride in his truck.

After four months, which he documented in a series of

journal entries and photographic self-portraits,

he was found dead in the broken-down Fairbanks

city bus that had become his home.

After having survived for two years by his wits,

by his spirit, by his sense of adventure, he had been

defeated by the dangerous torrents of an unforeseen

spring run-off and had starved to death.

Christopher's story isn't one about death, reckless behaviour

or bad choices. It's about how to live...

The principle of individuality and liberty.

Rise

Eddie Vedder

Such is the way of the world
You can never know
Just where to put all your faith
And how will it grow

Gonna rise up
Burning back holes in dark memories
Gonna rise up
Turning mistakes into gold

Such is the passage of time
Too fast to fold
And suddenly swallowed by signs
Low and behold

Gonna rise up
Find my direction magnetically
Gonna rise up
Throw down my ace in the hole

Long may you run...

2011-01-29T22:20:00.000-08:00

I'm thirty something years old and I'm about to sell

the bike I've had since I was in my early twenties.

I know its silly but I can't help but feel a little bit sad

at the thought of seeing her go.

It wasn't anything suped up or fancy

but it saw me through some tough times.

And it remained constant while everything around me changed.

I feel like that bike is the last thing left that's keeping me

from being a full-fledged "grown up".

-TheStory

*Written September 2010...

A Prayer for 2011

2011-01-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

Say the unsayable

Love the unlovable

Live the unliveable

... with a steady superiority over life.

-TheStory

Haruki Murakami

2011-01-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

Each of us possesses a tangible living soul.

The system has no such thing.

We must not allow the system to exploit us.

-Haruki Murakami

The Best Things in Life...

2011-01-29T20:42:00.001-08:00

I met and old time Canadian today.

You know the kind, the talkative 1950s

down east kind of fella. Met him in line

at the beer store. Talked about the absurdity of life.

He said the best things in life often break.

And sometimes all we can do is sit there

and take it on the chin.

I said goodbye, walked away, thought about what he said...

The Promises

The Faith

The Truth

The Spirit

The Trust

The Will

The Soul

The Love

The Heart

The old timer had a point.

They all broke. One by one.

And sometimes in twos.

And often by their own hand.

And I thought to myself,

those are the taxes you pay

for the best things in life...

-TheStory

*Conversations from the Beer Store

Security - By Hunter Stockton Thompson (1955)

2011-01-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Security

by Hunter S. Thompson (1955).

Security ... what does this word mean in relation to life as we know it today? For the most part, it means safety and freedom from worry. It is said to be the end that all men strive for; but is security a utopian goal or is it another word for rut?

Let us visualize the secure man; and by this term, I mean a man who has settled for financial and personal security for his goal in life. In general, he is a man who has pushed ambition and initiative aside and settled down, so to speak, in a boring, but safe and comfortable rut for the rest of his life. His future is but an extension of his present, and he accepts it as such with a complacent shrug of his shoulders. His ideas and ideals are those of society in general and he is accepted as a respectable, but average and prosaic man. But is he a man? has he any self-respect or pride in himself? How could he, when he has risked nothing and gained nothing? What does he think when he sees his youthful dreams of adventure, accomplishment, travel and romance buried under the cloak of conformity? How does he feel when he realizes that he has barely tasted the meal of life; when he sees the prison he has made for himself in pursuit of the almighty dollar? If he thinks this is all well and good, fine, but think of the tragedy of a man who has sacrificed his freedom on the altar of security, and wishes he could turn back the hands of time. A man is to be pitied who lacked the courage to accept the challenge of freedom and depart from the cushion of security and see life as it is instead of living it second-hand. Life has by-passed this man and he has watched from a secure place, afraid to seek anything better What has he done except to sit and wait for the tomorrow which never comes?

Turn back the pages of history and see the men who have shaped the destiny of the world. Security was never theirs, but they lived rather than existed. Where would the world be if all men had sought security and not taken risks or gambled with their lives on the chance that, if they won, life would be different and richer? It is from the bystanders (who are in the vast majority) that we receive the propaganda that life is not worth living, that life is drudgery, that the ambitions of youth must he laid aside for a life which is but a painful wait for death. These are the ones who squeeze what excitement they can from life out of the imaginations and experiences of others through books and movies. These are the insignificant and forgotten men who preach conformity because it is all they know. These are the men who dream at night of what could have been, but who wake at dawn to take their places at the now-familiar rut and to merely exist through another day. For them, the romance of life is long dead and they are forced to go through the years on a treadmill, cursing their existence, yet afraid to die because of the unknown which faces them after death. They lacked the only true courage: the kind which enables men to face the unknown regardless of the consequences.

As an afterthought, it seems hardly proper to write of life without once mentioning happiness; so we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?

You will find, You'll be fine...

2011-01-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

From one Hell of writer... @Smashmisha

You will find, you'll be fine.

Mind magnetic, attracting thoughts

of what went, what could've been;

breathe, deep inhalations of the now

and what is.

Strugglers hagglers in the city,

hanger-ons and wannabes...

Deceit runs deep in urban arteries...

They got dreams but no honour;

dream on.

Your destiny is undecided, your dreams

are your own; eternal sunshine,

keep an open heart a spotless mind;

and you will find, you'll be fine...

- Smashmisha ... http://twitter.com/Smashmisha

A Friend of mine said...

2011-01-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in life, when you walk away

from all the drama and people who create it.

You surround yourself with people

that make you laugh, forget the bad

and focus on the good.

So, love the people that treat you right.

And Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Falling down is part of LIFE.

Getting back up is LIVING...

There is a similar saying in Spanish...

A caer se permite
Quedarse abajo no es

To Fall down is permitted.

To stay down is not.

-TheStory

Have a Good Life...

2011-01-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

In 2001 I travelled South Asia and South East Asia

on barely a dollar...

I was looking for something, and by God I found it.

l climbed like Hilary, got lost like Marlow

hiked the Himalayas in old running shoes,

swam in the Indian ocean on a dare,

dove in the Andaman Sea with hardly a breath

and in between it all...

I met some interesting people along the way.

I travelled to remote places in Northern India

and did the same in Western Nepal.

I fell in love, sat on rooftops at sunset,

read when I was alone, cried,

got my heart broken, lost it all

and found the strength to start again.

I caught flights on old Russian cargo planes

and rode in the back of dusty trucks

with migrants and livestock as a matter of choice.

I was travelling in a place worth the living.

I met people that invited me

into their homes, fed me what little

they had and gave me a place to sleep.

Salt of the Earth type of people.

People that didn't have much

but were rich in generosity.

We were Worlds apart.

But we had drink and we had heart

and that closed the distance.

We laughed when there was a joke

and we cried when it was time to part.

Those times tie me to the mast...

I don't remember all their names.

as I remember their faces.

But most of all, I remember their hands.

That memory is burned deep.

Weathered and torn hands like my fathers.

Hands that said more than

a lifetime...

I learned a lot about life from these people.

I learned how wrong I was living my life.

And then months down the line,

I found myself hitchhiking a lonely road

in Southern Thailand.

A blue eyed Angel named Kitty

from the Netherlands pulled over and

offered me a ride. She was straight out

of a Dylan song, in every way possible.

We were both travelling on the roll of a drum

to the same destination, Koh Phi Phi.

By the skin of our teeth, we spent

the next two weeks side-by-side,

sharing every thing nickel by dime by baht

that made us and kept us alive.

She used to be a hot shot executive for a Dutch

oil company. Then one day the bell rang backwards

and her life just changed.

Her best friend died of cancer.

She quit her job.

Material possessions became useless.

She moved to the north of Holland

and found herself in a one legged village

working as a waitress.

She said she found where it was at and made real

connections and friendships with each person

that walked into her life...

Through a great loss in her life,

She had found what she was looking for.

Often I'm drawn to her memory. It's how I hold

her hand. There were so many moments

where something she said, did or even

with a glance moved me by miles.

And in those moments, I would quietly remind myself

how I was the luckiest man on the planet.

We said we wouldn't exchange emails or addresses.

We left it to what it was. A moment in time.

A pure experience of Love.

Then we parted...

I shed many tears reckless and lost

and spent countless days

thinking about her... But it

was a nice memory to have

on the road, and a companion to me now.

I'll never forget her last words, the way

she said it, the look in her eyes

and how they still cut true to this day...

"Have a Good Life, eh."

And that memory folks... is my pocket ace for life.

-TheStory

Paintings

2011-01-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

These are digital versions of a few paintings I've done over the last month...

Home I'll Never Be...

2011-01-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

I found Kerouac and Hunter Thompson when I was a teenager, and it saved me. Growing up without a real dad, I was always looking for a father figure, and those guys sorta became my father figures.

Kerouacs nephew had a tape recording of a song written and sung by Jack, and asked Waits to record it. When Ginsberg died in 1997, Tom Waits sung this at his memorial.

Luckily someone recorded it, and Waits later added it to his album Orphans, a compilation of his various oddball and forgotten about songs.

Home I'll Never Be...

The parable of reconciliation...

2011-01-15T20:22:00.001-08:00

If you ever wrong somebody

If you ever hurt somebody

In anyway possible

Swallow your pride

The solution is simple...

Reconciliation

Through reconciliation you will find strength, compassion, empathy, decency, honour, integrity and respect...

Everything has chains...absolutely nothing's changed

2011-01-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

I love Pearl Jam.

Since I first saw them in 1991 open for SoundGarden at the Concert Hall (Toronto),

To now, 20 years later. I still love Pearl Jam. The feeling hasn't diminished. In fact, it has grown... There's no mix of words that I can muster up to describe 20 years of music other than it has been the soundtrack to the last 20 years of my life...

Words are pittance when it comes to the feeling that comes over the audience at a Pearl Jam concert... The energy is simply overwhelming.

And the only words left after a Pearl Jam concert are, "HOLY SHIT and FUCKING AMAZING."

See for yourself...

Corduroy

The waiting drove me mad...you're finally here and I'm a mess
I take your entrance back...can't let you roam inside my head
I don't want to take what you can give...
I would rather starve than eat your bread...
I would rather run but I can't walk...
Guess I'll lie alone just like before...

I'll take the varmint's path...oh, and I must refuse your test
Push me and I will resist...this behavior's not unique
I don't want to hear from those who know...
They can buy, but can't put on my clothes...
I don't want to limp for them to walk...
Never would have known of me before...
I don't want to be held in your debt...
I'll pay it off in blood, let I be wed...
I'm already cut up and half dead...
I'll end up alone like I began...

Everything has chains...absolutely nothing's changed

Never Let Go...

2011-01-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Once you discover Tom Waits, it's more than discovering a new favourite singer or songwriter.

As corny and hackneyed as it sounds, his music becomes a friend to you...

There's no point in Direction... 2001

2011-01-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

It was nine in the morning when I read the email

from his parents. He had walked into the Rishikesh for a swim...

I walked along the beach for hours in a state of shock.

The hours passed in a matter of seconds.

The Sun was setting. It was evening.

I walked to the village store and bought a bottle of cheap Thai Whisky.

I walked back to my beach hut, sat on the sand and drank the bottle.

I watched the stars. They stared back at me in silence.

I listened to the Andaman Sea crash on the shore, then retreat back to the Sea.

Over and over...

That night I dreamed I was in the Kathmandu airport shaking Sunjay's hand, saying goodbye.

Him and his giant backpack and skinny frame.

Four weeks into a year long adventure around the World...

He was one of the funniest Bankers I'd ever met.

He could read a person and react to how they felt, immediately.

He could read the mood of a room and change it with one joke.

Laughter was his gift.

Beautiful, crazy tones of English laughter.

That was his purpose.

To soak up all those sad feelings in the World...

2001 - Sunjay Via con Dios...

My Greatest Foe...

2010-12-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

From a Man who is no good at it...

The older I get the more it takes

Time..

Sadness...

2010-12-31T20:56:00.000-08:00

"It is the pain we feel that seasons our joy" - @ bk_brown

Nasty Words

2010-12-31T20:44:00.000-08:00

Everyone talks

Nobody understands

Like I always said Mr. Carter

"You are a very nice man"

They give you five cents.

You give em back ten and blood

"It's ready sir, what'ya think?"

Who really gives a crap?

Nobody can afford to give a crap these days

All together shout once more

"Pride wins"

Yeah you bet. Ten minutes before 2011 and Pride Wins...

Via Con Dios 2010

2010-12-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Exiting 2010

As the saddest mother fucker...

Entering 2011

As the saddest mother fucker...

Nothing changes on New Years Day...

December 30th 2010

2010-12-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

For you

And you hardly knew it

It's always those who you cling

That pull you under

October... November...

2010-12-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

December...

Paid for

Year after Year

Crushed out

Like the rest of them...

When will the receipts arrive?

R.I.P - TheStory

Post Day

2010-12-30T22:19:00.000-08:00

I don't really care.

But wouldn't mind spending it with my girl :)

No worries, will go to blue during the day.

Stay home at night.

It was a close game.

Back n forth.

In the end we won 10-6.

The other team brought a few ringers

And all their families, LoL.

We started to use the body

After they started getting chippy with the sticks.

I levelled one of the ringers at the blue line.

Fair hit

As i was going for the puck.

He had his head down.

Being all fancy.

He ran into my shoulder. :)

I got an assist

Possibly 2.

You feeling better today?

Six Mile Bridge...

2010-12-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a town called Six Mile Bridge

The locals call it, "The Bridge"

Like the village name

I've lived my life in the same description

Far to some

Short to others

Somewhere in-between

I am...

Four legs and not a Pot to Piss in...

2010-12-30T21:49:00.000-08:00

Four Legs and a Heart as big as the World

Don't be ashamed

A House is hardly a Home

These days

You tell me Four Legs

Why people are so on fire

these days?

Flap Jacks

and

Flat Tires

Taken by a message

You tell me Four Legs

Why People are so cruel

these days?

Why do we even bother?

The Dream is there

In the hollow of the heart

the Dream is there...

I'll feed you brother Four Legs

I'll feed you Sister Four legs

Even if the paper is torn...

God meant it all...

2010-12-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

Like locks on the door

Lines in the street

Rules from Freedom

Spots from Lines

Kisses from Hugs

Hellos from Goodbyes

Real from Fake

Water from Wine

Heartbreak from Love

You bet...

God meant it all

Even Goodnight Beautiful Girl

The Habit of lifetime

2010-12-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

Why break it?