Sunday, March 04, 2007

March mayonaise

The hearty pansies have weathered the winter and are now bragging
about it to anyone who'll take a minute to stop and listen with their eyes.

Sunday, March 4th. Making the rounds of the blogs I read regularly, I've noticed a dearth of new reading material and wonder why. Blogs left unposted for days and days, weeks even. One, experienced computer problems and was gone several weeks. One of my fave blog authors left in early February promising to be back by Valentine's Day. Now, nearly a month later, she still hasn't returned. Has anyone reported her missing person?

Most recently, I learned of another who's shutting down her blog completely after a couple of great years. Saying, "spending time writing and complaining about this sorry state of affairs in the country distracts me from taking more positive actions that could effect change." One of the things she plans to do is devote time as patient advocate for victims of breast cancer.

Maybe what we're seeing here is a collective manifestation of mass March 'mayonaise' - or malaise - setting in at the the seeming hopelessness to enact change desired by so many, yet so evasive for us all.

Or maybe it's simply a case of March Madness. Or spring fever. Certainly, I've been feeling it too. Whatever it is, we've little choice but to keep "Marching," be it the same old road or striking a different path.

Which brings me back to Bill McDannell's Walk to End the War. He's the fellow who sold his California home and is walking from San Diego to D.C., gathering signatures of citizens as he goes. He plans to present lawmakers with his petition upon arrival in D.C., urging them to end these insane wars that have little to do with fighting terror as they have to do with Bush keeping us terrorized with policies that grow terrorism rather than check it.

Such is Bill's chosen path and he's now making good progress crossing Texas. But he, too, has noticed a certain 'mayonnaise' as reflected in the number of people visiting his website. I'm glad he mentioned it. When I walked with him a couple of miles in January, I said I would try to promote his effort. Now seems the time.

With spring just around the corner, perhaps I can take inspiration from the pansies of spring to rededicate efforts recently waned, be it pounding the same old pavement, or striking out on a new path. Whichever, the March continues - just hold the mayo!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pansies look like gospel singers surrounded by full-body halos. Wonder what they're singing.

I'm also wondering about our missing Valentine's blogger, though I'm chalking it up to moving mayonnaise.

Bill McD is an amazing man who definitely walks the walk! Hub & I were proud to sign his petition. I've enjoyed reading of his travels & thank you for spreading the word. Let's hope after he gets through TX, he will have smooth trails.

Yes, March is for marching! It's also when winter is supposed to be gone, so where are my 50 tulips I planted last fall? I've only spotted a couple lonely green arms pushing up so far. ~~ D.K.

Dada said...

Patience Deke....if you're seeing but a couple tulips peeking out, more are sure to follow I'm sure.

Man,I've about had it with the desktop comp...it's like totally freezing up. Fortunately, I managed to print a copy of our tax return today before it became totally useless. (I'm now using the laptop.)

So no blog...but did you hear on Countdown this evening that Fox had 55 stories on Anna Nicole during the same period they mentioned Walter Reed but once? "Fair and Balanced"

Wow!

Anonymous said...

What, only 55 to 1? Yup, they are fairly bolloxed. And Walter Reed is supposed to be the nation's premiere vet hosp, isn't it? Makes me very afraid of what's happening elsewhere. I hate to think these poor guys are so used to be f*cked by the system, they just take it. Not to mention some of them are brain-damaged & not thinking clearly how badly they are being f*cked by their double-dealing support-the-troops by tax cuts for the wealthy & unltd terra supplementals until we are all sucked dry warf*ckers-in-charge.

All of which reminds me to ask if you saw "The F Word" on IFC this weekend? I'll have to catch the repeat March 12th. Read about it at ifc.com if you missed it. As Steve Earle sings, we are livin in the muthahfukin usa.

Our comp keep freezing up last week just about the time I needed to download tax forms. Seems OK now. I found if I waited until after midnight, I had no probs, so I chalked it up to peak demand by all us honest taxpaying citizens. Of course, that leaves out the likes of Exxon, who is neither honest nor taxpaying (and may not even be citizens come to think of it). They must've been very angry with Leona Helmsley for telling the truth yrs ago: "taxes are for the little people".

I so excited, I counted a few more green tulip arms sticking up about 1-3" today! All on the south side, none on colder northern side. Now I'll have to give 'em some water & hope for the best. ~~ D.K.

Dada said...

OK, after spending last eve on the laptop, I thought I'd give the desktop a second chance this morning. It's performing at an acceptable level so far today, i.e., I was able to do my M-I-L's 1040 return on it.

Frighteningly, however, was the Blogger desire to convert my blog to their new, improved Blogger which keeps me from 'going there' until I can back up the old blogger.

But that aside, you were on a roll with your rant, Raed. These "retirements" of generals are some of the biggest trees in the forest felled to date, aren't they? But Bush and his admin walk on the heads of his beheaded without fear their's will ever end up in that pile. In another Universe, they would.

PTCruiser said...

I'm happy to say I am the proud owner of a fancy, shmancy new computer.

Posting, on the other hand has been hit and miss as we have a huge Tahitian dance competition coming up in about a week and a half. I need to get both myself and my drummers ready for it. We've got over 30 girls counting on us to play this piece perfectly.

As far as March Madness goes, I think sometimes people tend to get a little burned out on all the negative news going on around the world (particularly us bloggers as we are constantly watching the news for the latest developments) and they just need a break from it.
that's my theory and I'm sticking with it.

Peace, Dada.

azgoddess said...

i love the new look~~ beauteous!! and i'm one of those few who go to bill's site regularily -- to read his progress...

Dada said...

az: Thanks for the kind words re the "new look". Have to say, I was inspired by your blog and your new look.

And as far as following Bill's progress as he walks across the country, that tickled me. Knowing you and Deke are "watching" Bill is nice to know. Thanks!

Dada said...

pt cruiser: Congratulations on the new computer. (We've been experiencing recent glitchy annoyances with our own. Should I hope? ~grin)

As for your analysis of the recent decline in blog postings, I have to say I think you hit the nail on the head, i.e., at least from the way I've been feeling lately, you scored a direct hit with your hammer on mine. The outrageous continues to be increasingly outrageous to the point it's difficult to maintain any decent level of incivility against these incredible sociopaths. (Hint, hint to president Bush: "I guess we have to wait til they pass sentence on him, but this would be a good time to pardon Libby," Americans are so stunned numb at the moment.)

Thanks for the hint of another aspect of the life of a freeway blogger. Good luck on your upcoming Tahitian dance competition. Visiting the site, I couldn't help but wonder if we might be glimpsing sight of pt cruiser in that photo?

Can we expect a Youtube video out of this competition? (Hope so.)

PTCruiser said...

If any videos come out of it, I'll be sure to post them. There's one picture on that site of a very heavily tattooed man. That man is not me but he is the guy who carved my drum. Goes by the name of Chief Miko. I'm hoping to meet him at Merced this year. He carves some of the best Tahitian drums in the world.

By the way, I absolutely love the new look of the blog here.

Dada said...

Thanks PT. I kinda like the new "face" of the blog as well. So far, all comments have been positive and the transition to the new blogger went smoothly.

(I still have a few things to fix, like turning my little picture around that's now on the left, facing left. It's like turning my back to the blog. Been so long since I uploaded it, I don't remember how/where I did it.)

As for any video possibilities, I'm sure a number of folks besides myself will be hoping at least one makes it online.

In that the Tahitian dance competition is around next weekend, I assume it's to commemorate the fourth anniversary of our invasion of Iraq.

We're having a poppy festival on the mountain to celebrate the war. (grin)

Good luck!