I've been writing these Changes poems since March, 2006—very loosely based on the I-Ching. Today I have worked through half of the i ching hexagrams. No. 33 is the turning point. I crib from three versionsof the book—James Legee's I Ching: Book of Changes; Wilhelm, and Baynes' The I Ching or Book of Changes, with a suitably strange forward by Carl Jung (my favorite version, and it's a beautiful book with a great dust jacket); and a version I keep at the office, Rediscovering The I Ching.
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Poem: Changes 33/ Retreat Is Not Surrender—
We are at not at liberty to retreat When the way ahead is fogged When doubt and darkness set in
When reason degenerates And bedevils the heart Flight is not retreat
Flight is a mad scramble For the exits Flight is throwing in the towel
Retreat is tactical A gathering of reason As the dark forces assemble
A provisional retreat Is choosing the right moment While you are still under
A full head of steam And biding your time For the counter-attack. ---o0o---
The End Of The Line is an rollicking tune, with slyly shifting choruses, and the all so familiar (and beloved, for me at least) voices trading verses and choruses. Supergroups have always been a mixed bag (*cough cough* Beck Bogart and Appice; Blind Faith; Super Session; The Highwaymen). Does anyone even remember the Super Super Blues Band (Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf)? Crosby Stills, Nash and Young pulled it off frequently. So did Derek And The Dominoes. Supergroups have mainly been short-lived, primarily due to the difficulty of reigning in multiple massive egos. The Wilburys decided to not reach for the stars, and just write, play, and sing music together. It was funny, it was touching, and it was at times moving. They refused to become ponderous and collapse under the weight of their egos. They just made music. The lineup:
Volume 1: Nelson Wilbury - George Harrison Otis Wilbury - Jeff Lynne Lefty Wilbury - Roy Orbison Charlie T. Jnr. - Tom Petty Lucky Wilbury - Bob Dylan
Volume 3 (there was no Volume 2; it was skipped in memory of Roy Orbison): Spike Wilbury - George Harrison Clayton Wilbury - Jeff Lynne Muddy Wilbury - Tom Petty Boo Wilbury - Bob Dylan
You may have to hit the play button twice!
The End Of The Line by The Traveling Wilburys
(chorus 1) Well its all right, riding around in the breeze Well its all right, if you live the life you please Well its all right, doing the best you can Well its all right, as long as you lend a hand
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring Waiting for someone to tell you everything Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring Maybe a diamond ring
(chorus 2) Well its all right, even if they say youre wrong Well its all right, sometimes you gotta be strong Well its all right, as long as you got somewhere to lay Well its all right, everyday is judgement day
Maybe somewhere down the road aways You'll think of me, and wonder where I am these days Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays Purple haze
(chorus 3) Well its all right, even when push comes to shove Well its all right, if you got someone to love Well its all right, everything'll work out fine Well its all right, were going to the end of the line
Dont have to be ashamed of the car I drive Im just glad to be here, happy to be alive It dont matter if youre by my side Im satisfied
(chorus 4) Well its all right, even if youre old and grey Well its all right, you still got something to say Well its all right, remember to live and let live Well its all right, the best you can do is forgive
(chorus 5) Well its all right, riding around in the breeze Well its all right, if you live the life you please Well its all right, even if the sun dont shine Well its all right, were going to the end of the line ---o0o---
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead (2003), by Max Brooks, is a detailed physiology and genealogy of the undead, with a road map for survival against zombie attacks—random attacks as well as more concerted, global uprisings. I am reading this book now. The Survival Guide delves into the zombie myth from the ground up and explains the role of the solanus virus in creating the undead. It's a good read. . .at least if you're a zombie fan. There are clearly parallels with the world of greys and aliens, although the promulgators of the zombie myth seem to have—shall we say?—more of a sense of humor about their subject matter than the UFOlogists. This isn't surprising when you consider that Max Brooks is the son of Mel Brooks.
Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack
1. Organize before they rise! 2. They feel no fear, why should you? 3. Use your head: cut off theirs. 4. Blades don’t need reloading. 5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair. 6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it. 7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike. 8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert! 9. No place is safe, only safer. 10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
Some of my favorite horror movies star zombies, notably, Romero's The Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead/Day of the Dead/Land of the Dead series. But don't forget White Zombie, and Zombi II, Peter Jackson's Braindead, and of course, the recent Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Days Later. As for videogames, I do have a soft spot in my heart for games like Silent Hill,Resident Evil, House of the Dead, and one of my quirky Japanese favorites, Typing of the Dead.
The guide goes into detail on:
1.1 Myths and Realities 1.2 Weapons and Combat Techniques 1.3 On the Defensive 1.4 On the Run 1.4.1 Terrain types 1.5 On the Attack 1.6 Living in an Undead World 1.7 Recorded Attacks 1.8 Appendix 2 Solanum 2.1 How it works 2.2 Cross-species infection 2.3 Symptoms 3 Cultural appeal 3.1 Humor fans 3.2 Zombie fans
Brooks' suggests that the best defense is an M1 Carbine semi-automatic rifle, a good handgun with a mounted sight, and a machete. Shotguns and swords also do the job, of course. Brooks warns against fully automatic weapons (only one bullet will takw down a zombie; using any more is a waste of ammo). If you love zombies, you'll want to buy this book! The chapter on Recorded Attacks provides enough ammo to spook any group ranged around a campfire. ---o0o---
Down the hatch to the tapsters, barkeeps, barmaids, bartenders, and Mistresses Quickly; l'chayim to the vintners, brewmasters, corkers, rumrunners, and distillers; skoal to the grogshops, ginmills, roadhouses, bars, taverns, rathskellers, and saloons; here's how to the supporters of coffin varnish, hootch, whiz, crazy water, and gargle; a toast to those twisted, boiled, hammered, wrecked, tanked, corked, tight, pie-eyed, oiled, shellacked, crocked, ripped, and fried to the hatline. Tomorrow the bill comes due again. ---o0o---
I recently had an interesting epistolary exchange with a London Barrister, Harry McCoy. Read from the bottom up. . .
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Sat. 27 Jan 2007
To: BARRISTER HARRY COY HARRY ASSOCIATES AND CHAMBERS 128 DESTMOND AVENUE KENT LONDON Tel PHONE ; +447031945240, DATE 26th JAN 2007 .
Dear Barrister Coy:
Enclosed in the personal information you requested. Please let me know if you need any further information to effect the transfer of funds.
As to meeting with you, rather than forcing you fly all the way over to the states, I’d be glad to fly over and meet with you in your London offices. I guess once I have the funds, I can probably afford to fly first class!
Let me know when you would like to meet. I, of course, look forward to hearing from, and meeting with you soon.
Sincerely,
Jack Brummet ___________________________________________
From: HARRY COY To: johnbrummet@hotmail.com Subject: Can we proceed? FROM HARRY COY ESQ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:49:19 +0000 (GMT)
DESK OF BARRISTER HARRY COY HARRY ASSOCIATES AND CHAMBERS 128 DESTMOND AVENUE KENT LONDON Tel PHONE ; +447031945240, DATE 26th JAN 2007 .
Dear Jack,
It’s my pleasure to receive your mail dated 26th Jan 2007 , well I must tell you that the contents of your mail were well noted, and to make you really Understand that I am who I claim to be I will need you to Work with me and be honest in all things, its rightfully said that a mans word is his bond, so let us keep to what ever we agree on.
I must also make you understand that it’s my duty to educate you in your role in this transaction and to provide every document needed for this transaction, of which I will need your consent in some aspect.
I will need you to send me some information which Shall help me open a pay file in the security company Where these funds are deposited, note that in due Cause of this transaction I will need you to give me An address where I can meet up with you in your Country to have my own share of the funds of which I Will need also a good business to invest on with your advice.
Here are the following information’s ;
[1] Complete name [2] Phone number [cell phone] [3] Address [4] Age and sex [5] Marital status [6] Job type and years of experience.
Note that whatever information I give you here should Be kept under the confirms of your person and should Not be disclosed to any one, it is also applicable to me as I will keep every information about you secret.
Finally I must also reminder you that you should be rest assured that this transaction is 100 % risk free, so keep your mind relaxed.
Sincerely, Harry Coy Esq. +44 703 194 5240
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Fri, 26 Jan 2007
To: BARRISTER HARRY COY HARRY ASSOCIATES AND CHAMBERS 128 DESTMOND AVENUE KENT LONDON Tel PHONE ; +447031945240, DATE 26th JAN 2007 .
Dear Barrister Coy:
While I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Martin Brummet, I am glad you contacted me. I am, of course, eager to discuss the disposition of the $5.4 million dollars. Please let me know what your fee will be, and what information you might need from me.
Will I need to make a good faith payment to you to set this transfer in motion? If so, please give me the information as to where and how much I need to send.
I am naturally eager to set this transaction in motion. Again, I thank you for seeking me out. And I also greatly appreciate your offer to protect me from commiting any legal trangressions as we move forward.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Jack Brummet
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From: "HARRY COY" Reply-To: harry_coy1@yahoo.co.uk Subject: YOUR DECEASED RELATIVE, BRUMMET Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:46:21 +0000
HARRY ASSOCIATES AND CHAMBERS 128 DESTMOND AVE KENT LONDON DESK OF BARRISTER HARRY COY PHONE +447031945240 DATE 25th/JAN/2007
ATTN : Jack Brummet
I am Barrister Harry Coy, a solicitor at law.I was a Personal Assistant to late Martin Brummet,a national Of your country, who died on the 30th of April 2004, my client was involved in a car accident in London .All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. Since then I have made several enquires here to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to search through with his name which motivated me to contact you, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted you.
I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the fund valued at US$5.4 Million (Five million, Four Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) left behind by my client Before it gets confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Security Administration, which has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have his account confiscated within the next Finance Firm (Bank) where this huge amount were deposited. The said Security Finance official has given us ten working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives,I seek the consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased ,since you have the same last name with my client, proper documentation will be made so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you.
Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer. I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up for claim. All I require from you is your honest cooperation to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.
While this doesn't change how I feel about Senator Clinton's candidacy, I'd tell the staff to have her pull back a couple of feet from the microphone when she sings. ---o0o---
