Kurt Brindley's Blog, page 124
November 20, 2014
Limits
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Filed under: Photography Tagged: art, combines, farms, fields, graphic art, graphic design, harvest, limits, natures, photography, pictures, signs, speed limits
Sun Ripened
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Filed under: Photography Tagged: evening shadows, fruit, graphic art, graphic design, nature, photography, pictures, shadows, sun, touched
The Happily Disgruntled Writer reflects on discipline and follow through…
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Filed under: Humor Tagged: authors, discipline, follow through, Happily Disgruntled Writer, humor, Indie Authors, NANOWRIMO, resolutions, writers, writing
Can you please help me please?
(Okay, the following intro paragraph is going to hurt a bit. Just look at that thing…one big blob of a block of text. You may want to grab yourself a cuppa of whatever it will take for you to keep the eyelids propped up for about fifteen sentences cram packed with pedantic pain. Are you ready for all that? Are you sure? All right, don’t say I didn’t warn you…good luck.)
On my About page I mention something to the effect that I consider myself somewhat of an human relations guy. I mentioned that for a several reasons. One being that I really enjoy humans; I don’t always enjoy being around them in close and confining proximity so much as I enjoy observing them, scientific like…from a safe and considerable distance…with multiple escape routes just in case things go sideways without notice like they so often do whenever a human is involved in the equation. And another reason I consider myself as a human relations guy is because I gots that paper that says I am. In addition to an undergrad degree in English, which I believe is fundamental to just about all I have become, good like and bad like, because it instilled even deeper into me than it was prior, which was already pretty deep, a love for literature and an appreciation for the language it takes to paint a story, which usually involves humans. But I gots more paper props, too. At about 2/3rds the way through my navy career, I got a little bored with my primary gig – telecommunications – and I looked for a way to take a break. I found that break by volunteering and qualifying for a three-year stint in a, go figure, human relations gig where I served as an Equal Opportunity specialist. To qualify, I first had to attend three-months of intensive, so called, sensitivity training (a misnomer because instead of being sensitive to my feelings, it exposed them and ripped off their calloused protective scars and scraped over them until they were bloody and raw), where I learned about how much of a turd white males have been throughout the United States history, and before. It was a very tough, but wonderfully enlightening, three-months. And finally, to top off my ice cream claim to my human relations affinity is a cherry of masters degree in, go figure, Human Relations.
So why did I just put you through all that?
Because I need your help.
And the reason I am asking you for your help, is because, even though I’ve had considerable experience of and in the field of human relations, I still don’t feel I am the one most qualified to do what it is I want to accomplish here.
But I think you are.
I think you know much better than I about what it is like to be a woman in this somewhat of a misogynistic world, or to be a person of color in this somewhat of a racist world, or to be a homosexual in this somewhat of a homophobic world…
Yeah, you know…
So I was wondering, knowing all that you know about all you’ve learned and experienced while maneuvering through this difficult and sometimes dangerous obstacle course called life, would you please help me please?
Filed under: Human Relations Tagged: features, flash fiction, homophobia, human relations, LGBT, misogeny, non-fiction, poetry, race, racism, sex, sexism, women's issues, writing
November 19, 2014
My Friend, My Advisor
You’re always giving me advice,
You must think that I’m really dumb.
Cuz you advise me on just about everything,
From books to bubble gum.
You know, I’m really not so clueless.
My head is not filled with just air.
Please stop telling me how to dress,
And how I should wear my hair.
To prove your point you’re willing to fight
About anything—even Parchezee!
You ALWAYS act as if you are ALWAYS right. . .
You know, it makes me rather queasy.
So please stop acting like my advisor,
And like you always know best.
And please just shut your mouth, that’s all,
So my ears can get some rest.
Well, you’ll be my advisor until the end,
In my mind there is no doubt.
Still, I do want to keep you as a friend,
It’s just your advice I can do without.
From Poem Man
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Filed under: Poetry Tagged: advice, advisors, children's poetry, friends, know it alls, Poem Man, poetry, relationships, rhymes, rhyming poetry, writing
George Winston: a genius who excels not only in musical talent, but also, especially, in kindness and compassion
George Winston playing his unique and wonderful adaptations of Japanese traditional music for the lovely and loving Megi while she happily takes pictures of him. A crane made by a fan and presented to him after the performance sits atop the piano and happily enjoys the impromptu performance.
An in-depth article will follow but I just wanted to say real quick what a magical evening we had with George Winston last night. I knew he was a musical genius because we’ve listened to his music for thirty years and have seen him perform before, but I had no idea he is as kind and compassionate — and funny! really funny! — as he is. I suspected he was; but last night it was confirmed.
What a wonderful evening.
Amazing…
A selection and sample of George Winston’s work
The Official George Winston Site
Follow George Winston on Facebook
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Filed under: Music Tagged: #iamthatiam, abundance, compassion, concerts, George Winston, interviews, kindness, live performances, music, music concerts, music reviews, musical genius, photography, reviews
November 18, 2014
Guess who’s the lucky guy…
Me is, that’s who!
Because as soon as I hit the “Publish” button, the fam and I are heading right out the door to Ephrata, PA to see the one and only George Winston perform.
In the words of my loving and lovely wife, “I am stoked!”
The wife and I were oh so fortunate to see him perform several years ago in York, PA, and what an incredible performance it was. Winston does things with his instruments — and not just the piano, we’re talking that and a guitar and a harmonica and a couple of others I’m not even sure what they were — that I’ve never seen done before.
I’m talking like playing the piano strings like a guitar, playing the guitar like every square inch of it is to be used to make magical melodic sounds, and playing each song as if he were possessed with every Mad Musical Muse there ever was.
Man*…
He really is a musical genius.
And the best part is you would never guess it by his appearance and demeanor.
He dresses often in just a flannel shirt and jeans…classic.
And he’s a pretty nice dude to, apparently.
My loving and lovely wife writes for a Japanese travel website and Mr Winston has agreed to a brief interview and photo shoot with her after the performance tonight.
Pretty cool, huh?!
So, you can pretty much expect you’ll be hearing about this performance afterwards.
Dude*, I am so stoked!
But not even nearly as stoked as the wife…
Gonna be fun — I guarantee it!
Click here to check out George Winston’s complete selection
You can tell by the looks of that cracked CD case that we (especially the wife) have been long-time fans of Winston’s. I’m talking since way back when in the Eighties…
*non-gender specific
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Filed under: Music Tagged: autumn, concerts, George Winston, Japan, music, music concerts, music interviews, music reviews, reviews, soundcloud, travel writing, writing
MERCH! Just in time for the Ho Ho Ho Holidays…
#notetoselfyou
#dontsayididntwarnyou
#hohohocoughhackspitooie
The Writer's Life Series 001 by Kurt Brindley
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The Writer's Life Series 001 by Kurt Brindley
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Filed under: Merchandize Tagged: authors, Christmas, coffee, coffee mugs, holidays, Indie Authors, merch, merchandize, notes to self, quotes, tee shirts, The Writing Life, writers, writing
November 17, 2014
A Song of Life for Thee, A Song of Life for Me #4
no surprise in death
tho’ dying startles us so
t’is the thrill of life
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Filed under: 俳句 Tagged: abundance, death, dying, haiku, life, living, poetry, songs of life, thrills, writing, 俳句
A quick check-up from the neck up…
I have absolutely no idea why I wrote that as a title for this post…
Tru dat.
But since it is what it is, I guess we might as well just go with it.
Just go with the Flow of the Is of the Now…
Oh boy…
Anyway, since you’re here I was wondering if you could do me a favor.
Well, the two features Relating to Humans and the Indie Author Book Selection & Review thingy are beginning to get a little love, meaning, there is stuff up there just waiting for someone to look at it…
So, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind stopping by every once in a little while or more and give a little of your own love in return.
I was wondering if you could read over the submissions in these features and, you know, “Like” those that you like. You know, give those Authors and Poets and Artists, all those Creators of the Sublime, a little support because, let’s face it, it can get a little scary putting our stuff out there like that in the open, all exposed and vulnerable like…
It takes a lot of courage sometimes to be original, to dare to be different and to be exceedingly loud and proud about it…
Yeah…
Can you do that for me?
Great.
Oh yeah…one other thing since you’re already here.
There are a lot of strange and interesting and wonderful and sad and scary things going on all around this petulant little planet of ours…
And I would love to know what your take is on all of it.
I mean…just look at all that is happening right now that will be defining this period of our lives – this Is of our collective Now – for years to come.
I mean…
Ferguson? How can something as tragic as what’s going on down there still possibly be?! I am very concerned about what could happen as a result of the forthcoming grand jury decision.
ISIS? I cannot even begin to get my head around that level of evil. But, really, what are all the historical drivers behind that beheading madness?
Russia and Ukraine? What in the fracas is going on over there?! I mean, it’s like déjà vu all over again, to quote that ever-prescient and wisely wry yogi-like Yogi of a Yankee guy…
Man*…
And that’s not even the tip of the terrible and towering iceberg…
It’s more like a minutely miniscule drop of condensation floating gas-like in the air looking for an iceberg to become…
So so much is going on right now…
So yeah, I was wondering…what do you think about all this madness of a mess that is happening Right. Now.?
I would love to know…
And not just because I’m an inquisitive querying kind of guy…
Which I def am…
But also because I believe you just might have the key…
That golden kernel of Karmic Truth…
That wise Way of how this wonderful world should wax…
Tucked right inside that magic of a marvelous mind of yours.
And, you know what…
I kind of feel it is incumbent upon you to share that wisdom with us.
You.
You have the responsibility for allowing us to know what it is You know to be true.
So we can, like you, be a better We like You.
I believe that.
Truly I do.
So please please please, share your Wiseness with us by submitting something, anything, to one of the Relating to Humans features.
And if you got something that just doesn’t seem to fit with any of the features already profiled…
Then hit me up through the Contact page and let me know.
Perhaps we can create a new Feature just to feature all of your amazing and fabulous features.
Can you do that for me?
Great.
*non-gender specific
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Filed under: Writing Tagged: artists, authors, beheadings, Ferguson, Indie Author Book Selection & Review, ISIS, life, living, racism, Relating to Humans, Russia, submissions, Ukraine, writing
