I went to a small public school in Maine and then went to a competitive engineering school in Massachusetts. I went from a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond. I quickly established a philosophy that served me well back then and still does today …

There will always be someone further up the food chain than me and someone further down the food chain than me.

To put this in other popular terms …

Be thankful for what you’ve got.

When I was a kid, Saturday evening was for “The Muppet Show”. (That should give a sense of my age.) One show never left my memory. Thanks to YouTube, the segment I remember is still available …

It seems only fitting to pay respect to the art and artistry over at RTTC and the Rosarium for not only showing some very beautiful pieces of art, but also sharing the knowledge on how they are created.

I took it upon myself to attempt to understand how the Mala is made the best way to understand a thing is to undertake that thing. Thus, I am ready to present my attempt at making a few Malas.

The Mal in the upper left corner is 12mm Old Palmwood. I made this for someone with larger hands or less dexterity. The others are (clockwise) Nangka, tiger ebony, black ebony, rosewood, and another Nangka wood.

A few of these have carved beads for the Guru bead. The tassels are all made using pearl cotton.

I have enlisted “family” to make Mala bags. The black ebony Mala has already been paired with its bag and whisked off to a new home. They others will venture out into the world soon <sigh>.

Given any number of circumstances, this blog entry has no physical substance. Anything more for less esoteric would be inconsistent with the subject and the inspirations.

So, what does it mean to be the “last” ? If you take things literally – and by that, I mean all that we have been told of ourselves – each one of us is unique. Then, when we finally pass, we are “the last of our kind”.

While the “Last of the Time Lords” is the title for an episode of the current Doctor Who series, it is also an opportunity to stop and reflect. “What will the world be when you or I are gone?” Will we have made a difference? When 10 years or 100 years have past, will there be a record of our existence; or our accomplishments ; or will we be just a record in a database somewhere, recorded in a format long since obsolete?

Too much reflection for you – yeh ? Not a problem. Let’s turn the deck up-side-right and look at all of the card on the table. Imagine for a moment that it is 10 years after either of us has passed. How is the world different ? How is the world the same ? And here is the kicker – How would you like the world to be ?

Take that last bit and now ask yourself – what have I done to insure the world is as I imagine ? Have I done anything to insure (or at the very least nudge) the world has moved toward how I dream it to be ? If not, then how can we expect that image to become a reality ?

Perhaps it is G&T + Doctor. Perhaps it is the transition of chapters in our lives. Perhaps it is the result of recent readings of RTTC. Perhaps it is a few well rehearsed words from our parents. What ever the reason, the source matters little. The action matters most. “Deeds not words.” Decide how you want to change the world. Take action. Our days are numbered. Leave a legacy. Each day is an opportunity. Each night signals a day gone. There are only so many days – how many we are not told. Act everyday to move a little closer to the “tomorrow you envision”.

PEOPLE = CHANGE

Where I now live, there are two kinds of people. Odds are good, where you live the same can be said. However, here, it is not what I expected. I expected “local” and “outsiders”. This implies there are those who “uphold the local beliefs and values” and those who “wish to impose an alternate culture”. This is not the assumption here.

In this section of the USA, there are “from heres” and “come heres”. This only refers to your birth place. There is no assumption of your values, your beliefs, orientation, or other “categorization”. Rather, it is just a point of reference. You could be here two days as quickly as two centuries and still be welcome.

If you were to ask if someone is a “local” you could just as easily get a history lesson on tje 5,6, 7 generations of their family as the expected “I’m originally from ….”

“Come here” or “from here” only refers to your birth. The rest of your presence is up for grabs and you get to choose if you “fit in” or if your are an “outsider”. This is refreshing. A new “come here” has as much a chance of “fitting in” as a 7th generation resident. It’s all up to you.

To be honest, with the definition of “come here” being what it is, the bar is pretty high. This part of the USA has history as old as non-indigenous people can bare witness. So, even “birth place” is hardly evidence on our label.

Fortunately, the real value assigned to a person is “how you fit in”. In short, do you attempt to change who every one else is, or do you accept those who came before you and adapt ?

If you are the first group, you are and “outsider”, all else are welcome. I got this lesson early. I needed permit to clear some trees. Initially, I made a long distance phone call to ask for the procedure. I got a letter in the mail with a long list of questions and a number of technical / engineering requirements. I realized I was out of my league. All I wanted was to put up a barn but the 10 pages of questions was the same as if I wanted to install a shopping mall.

I did the best that I could but decided I should wait. I called the planning office and asked if I could “stop if for some help”. An hour and a half later and I and all the permits I needed and a better understanding of “local” vs “outsider”.

So, what is the lesson here ? For me, it is simple. You can either accept your environment or you can attempt to force it into your own likeness. The latter is possible. In some rare occasions, the latter is correct. However, stop; think; listen; and observe. Everyplace is unique. Everyplace has an entity that has something to teach. Learn what there is to learn before you assume your perception is better than that of your surroundings.

So, do you “fit the place you live” or do you “fit the place to you” ?

I have been in the drawn out process of selling my house. In the process, I have been culling my belongings. Last year, “the big stereo” went by-by. I now have a small table top iPod radio. It sounds great and does everything I want. The real TV went away last year and has been temporarily replaced with an old computer serving as a media server (complete with a Hauppauge TV tuner).

I’ve made the tentative decision to not resurrect the media computer once I move. It seems this is not a unique choice …

I have made the decision to go sans boob tube, although some have had odd reactions to such a decision, and that has been one of the more freeing decisions of my life. Once you undertake to reduce the amount of ?stuff? in your life, it?s cleansing.
Source: Chris, The Great Purge at Pensieri di un lunatico minore

a month it has indeed been since I arrived here in Maine, and I have yet to connect the DirecTV tuner I brought out with me up to one of the basic TVs we have up here. All that?s required is a $2 coax cable, but it simply hasn?t been a priority for me.
Source: Stephen, Kill Your Television at tecosystems

I want to use the time lost in front of the TV for a bunch of “personal growth” projects. I have a lot of old 35mm film and slides I want to digitally archive; I want to get more exercise and lose some weight; and I want to learn guitar. Time will tell if any or all of these get accomplished <pondering>.