Summing up to solve the equation

Minaret at sunset, Safa, Dubai. (April 2011)
Minaret at sunset, Safa, Dubai. (April 2011)
Darkness has come,
Day is turning into night.

It’s time
to solve today’s equation.

What have I done?
What did I miss?
What’s ready?
What’s left?

What did I learn?
What learning did I defer to some other day?

Wait, the sums don’t match,
I must balance debit and credit.
What to do,
Since I know that all the different between plus and minus
is to be paid by restless sleep. Continue reading Summing up to solve the equation

Introduction to User Manual for “Life 1.0” beta

Greek peaches. Yummy!
Greek peaches. Yummy!
Congratulations on your choice to become a user of “Life”.
We’re convinced that you will be very satisfied with “Life”.

Please observe, however, that “Life 1.0” still is undergoing
so called “beta testing”.

For you, as a user, this most of all means that
things sometimes don’t go as planned.
In rare cases, things may totally “f-k up”.

If that should happen, try to find some other way of
reaching the desired outcome.
The developers specifically declared a strategy
to allow a large number of alternative paths to
do basically the same things.
(See, for instance, the discussion of similarities
and differences between the major religions in
chapter 2.) Continue reading Introduction to User Manual for “Life 1.0” beta

Who thinks about their trails? They just happen

Paw print in Catalan concrete (April 2011)
Paw print in Catalan concrete (April 2011)
As they were pouring the driveway,

Chico caught sight of a bird and rushed.
He didn’t care about half hardened concrete
or his master’s resounding oaths (in Catalan)

Thus Chico left his trail to the history,
which archeologists will study in some one hundred years from now!

We ought to be a bit more like Chico: Continue reading Who thinks about their trails? They just happen

Puzzle of life

A left behind toy shovel on a Dubai beach in April. Who's missing this piece in their puzzle?
A left behind toy shovel on a Dubai beach in April. Who's missing this piece in their puzzle?
Life contains many mysteries.

Who am I?
Why am I here?
What’s my task?
Why am I afraid of … ? (fill in the gap yourself)
Why can’t I… ?

And so on.

Some answers may be hidden in our very first years of life.

For example, I start to realize, that some relatives, who died when I was still very young, have affected me much more then I’ve understood before. Continue reading Puzzle of life

Where to find a nodding dog toy?

Flowerbed in Safa Park, Dubai
Flowerbed in Safa Park, Dubai
Where can I find a nodding dog toy? I might have use of one.

Do you remember the “Nodding dog” toys?
In Sweden, they’d be sold at gas stations and some other places:

A headless dog body in plastic with a loop in the neck. In the loop a separate head (with a counterweight) was hanging from a hook.

The larger model would reside on your desk. When you felt like it, you’d touch its head, and it would start nodding or shaking.

There were smaller models, as well, that you’d find fastened on the dashboard in those cars, where a bunch of once-good-smelling paper trees would hang from the rear mirror. Here, the head would move around by itself, as induced by the movements of the car. (It was, of course, still possible to touch the dog’s head, too, if you really wanted to.)

So here’s my idea: Continue reading Where to find a nodding dog toy?

Happiness for everyone

Look: a bird's nest in a broken lamp post! Safa Park, Dubai (April 2011)
Look: a bird's nest in a broken lamp post! Safa Park, Dubai (April 2011)
Luck and happiness,

Lots of Luck!

 

Come and get it,

No need to wait in line.

We do remote delivery, as well.

(As a matter of fact, about an hour ago, we sent a large lot to a guy in Dubai. Right now he’s crying of joy!)
 

Free of charge!

And that includes the delivery!
 

Just one condition:

You must share your happiness! Continue reading Happiness for everyone

Bach, Sven and a Grand Piano in the parish community building

Flying birds at sunset (Dubai, 2011-04-23)
Flying birds at sunset (Dubai, 2011-04-23)
I’ve written several times about “Air on the G string” by Bach. Let me tell you how it all began.

After playing English flute for one year, we eight-year-old pupils, were allowed to test a wide selection of different musical instruments one day towards the end of the spring term. All rooms in the building for gymnastics classes were occupied by musical instructors and intruments.

A couple of days later we got their suggestion. The municipality music schoold recommended that the boy Tor-Björn should continue with percussion instruments (drums) or clarinet. We opted for clarinet. I continued attending clarinet lessons throughout primary school. My teacher’s name was Sven. He was a bit odd, but I liked him. Continue reading Bach, Sven and a Grand Piano in the parish community building

The optimist

My mother pulled the winning ticket last summer
My mother pulled the winning ticket last summer
I don’t believe that everything will be fine.
But I know everything will be fine.

I know everything will be fine.
There is a meaning with all that happens.

I know everything will be fine.
And I’m grateful for it.

If you’d notice that I’ve lost my hope –
Please pinch my arm slightly
To wake me up again!