'Chip' By JS

  Ryan was a potato chip fancier. He loved the chip, all chips, the potato-ier, the better. In a pinch though, any type would suffice. From potato, to sweet potato, to corn chips, and back, a chip was a chip, it was essential. A fresh bag from the corner store resting on his kitchen countertop offered a salty promise, he imagined having his gastronomic way with it later.
   4 PM was chip time, it had been that way for years now. It was a sacred ritual. First he’d bring out the chip bowl, glazed ceramic in a brilliant golden color which he honestly believed complimented the goldenness of the potato chip. Then a short period of reflection, followed by thanks to all those brilliant people including the potato chip’s originator, upstate New York’s own George Crum, who accidentally invented the chip sometime in the mid 1800s. The origin story is told that a very thin slice of potato somehow found its way into a pan with some hot oil already in it, and George Crum fearlessly tasted the result and simultaneously found heaven. Life was enhanced by the perfection of the chip, such a simple and obvious idea. Ryan wondered what obstacles prevented humanity from finding it sooner in humanity’s complex and lengthy history.
   The anti-chip coalition worried Ryan. The doctors claimed that the chip was bad, all that salt and the wrong fat, it was an inflammation monster in a potato, oil, and salt suit. But the ingredients were exactly why Ryan loved them. Salt, what’s so bad about salt, it’s a pillar of life. Isn’t the ocean salty? A pointless rhetorical question no doubt, yet he often used it to great effect. Being an advocate of the golden slice his mission was to convince others to indulge in heaven.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche - A Secret To Quickly Calm Down Your Mind

Torpor

torpor - noun
  1. a state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy.
  Example - "they veered between apathetic torpor and hysterical fanaticism"

'Universal Saltarello'

 A few years back I was rehearsing an instrumental song that I performed with my music group. I decided to turn on the computer and record a video run through as a solo, on my old computer using QuickTime. If you own a Mac, you know what I mean by QuickTime. The song is verse, verse, chorus, verse, then soloing over VVCV, then return to the verse to end it. I will say on my own behalf, that kid can play!

The Human Condition

Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness. It took
me years to understand that
this too, was a gift.

— Mary Oliver

'Life In An Instant'

'Untitled' By JS

 2 feet by 3 1/2 feet, acrylic paint on wooden panel 2019

 

'The Extermination Of The American Bison' By William T. Hornaday

 This is the entire book, read aloud like books on tape. Might take a second to load.

Maintain

 I asked Google's AI, Gemini, how we can maintain our nervous system as we age. Here's Gemini's response:

  It's encouraging to know that several lifestyle changes can positively impact the health of your nervous system and potentially slow down its deterioration. Here's a breakdown of key areas:
  1. Healthy Diet:
   • Nutrient-rich foods:
    ◦ Focus on whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
    ◦ Prioritize foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds) which are crucial for brain health.
    ◦ Ensure adequate intake of B vitamins (B1, B6, B12), essential for nerve function.
   • Limit processed foods:
    ◦ Minimize consumption of processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy fats, as they can contribute to inflammation and negatively impact nerve health.

  2. Regular Exercise:
   • Aerobic exercise:
    ◦ Activities like walking, swimming, or cycling improve blood flow to the brain and promote the release of beneficial hormones.
   • Strength training:
    ◦ Helps maintain muscle strength and coordination, which are important for balance and preventing falls.

  3. Adequate Sleep:
   • Prioritize quality sleep:
    ◦ Aim for 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.
    ◦ Establish a regular sleep schedule to regulate your body's natural sleep-wake cycle.

  4. Stress Management:
   • Mindfulness and meditation:
    ◦ Practices like meditation and deep breathing exercises can reduce stress and promote relaxation, which is beneficial for the nervous system.
   • Yoga and Tai Chi:
    ◦ These practices combine physical movement with mindfulness, helping to calm the nervous system.

  5. Limit Harmful Substances:
   • Reduce alcohol intake:
    ◦ Excessive alcohol consumption can damage nerve cells.
   • Avoid smoking:
    ◦ Smoking restricts blood flow and can contribute to nerve damage.

  6. Cognitive Stimulation:
   • Mental exercises:
    ◦ Engage in activities that challenge your brain, such as puzzles, crosswords, or learning new skills.
   • Social engagement:
    ◦ Maintaining social connections can help to keep your mind sharp.

  7. Other helpful actions:
   • Spending time in nature:
    ◦ This can have a calming effect on the nervous system.
   • Walking barefoot:
    ◦ Some studies suggest that "grounding" or "earthing" may have positive effects on the nervous system.

  By incorporating these lifestyle changes into your daily routine, you can help to protect your nervous system and promote healthy aging.

Laugh

 "One sign of mental spaciousness and being relaxed is the capacity to laugh. It is difficult to maintain a narrow mental view and laugh."

Steven D. Goodman

'Bodhisattva I' By JS

'Bodhisattva I' 2024 - Acrylic paint on canvas 3 feet by 3 feet

 

 

 

Warming

 I asked Google AI Gemini for a succinct list of the major reasons for global warming. Here is the reply:

Here's a succinct outline of the major causes of global warming:
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
   ◦ Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas): CO2 release.
   ◦ Deforestation: Reduced CO2 absorption.
   ◦ Agriculture: Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions.
   ◦ Industrial processes: Various greenhouse gas releases.

  • Increased Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations:
   ◦ Trapping of heat in the atmosphere.
   ◦ Resulting in a rise in global average temperatures.

Marine Mystery Of Octopus Riding Shark

 From 2023, video of an octopus catching a ride with a makop shark in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island.

'Dance For Trinley'

'Per Te'

Loneliness

  “Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.” 

 Carl Gustav Jung

Bliss

 I was asking AI Chatbot Gemini for definitions of the word ‘bliss’ in the English/Western world tradition, in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and in the Hindu tradition. I’ve edited it down a bit, especially the answer to the Hindu tradition.

bliss - noun

In the English/Western tradition
  1. Intense joy or happiness: It's a state of extreme delight, often associated with a feeling of perfect contentment.
  2. A state of perfect happiness or joy: This can be related to a specific experience, such as a moment of great pleasure, or a more sustained feeling of well-being.
  3. A feeling of spiritual joy: While less common in everyday usage, "bliss" can also be used to describe a profound sense of spiritual fulfillment or ecstasy.
  4. Extreme happiness or ecstasy

In Tibetan Buddhism
  1. Not merely emotional happiness: It's not just about feeling good. It's often associated with a deeper understanding of reality, particularly the nature of emptiness (shunyata).
  2. A component of spiritual practice: Bliss is cultivated through practices like meditation, particularly tantric practices.
  3. A tool for spiritual transformation: It is used as a method to help dissolve the ordinary mind, and to realize the true nature of reality.
  4. Inseparable from emptiness: In advanced practices, bliss is understood to be inseparable from emptiness. This means that true bliss is not a solid, independent experience but arises from the understanding that all phenomena lack inherent existence.
  5. A state that can be used to progress in the path to enlightenment: Through the proper usage of bliss, a practitioner can progress through the stages of the path.
  6. Often connected to energetic practices: in tantra, bliss is often connected to the movement of subtle energies within the body.

In Hinduism, the concept of "bliss" is often associated with:
  1. Ananda - This Sanskrit term is frequently translated as "bliss" or "supreme joy." However, it goes beyond simple happiness.
  2. A state of liberation: Ananda is often associated with moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth. It is the natural state of the self, once the ignorance of separation from Brahman is removed.
  3. A deep inner peace: Ananda is not dependent on external circumstances. It is a state of lasting inner peace and contentment.

Monism

monism - noun
  1. The view in metaphysics that reality is a unified whole and that all existing things can be ascribed to or described by a single concept or system.
  2. The doctrine that mind and matter are formed from, or reducible to, the same ultimate substance or principle of being.
  3. That doctrine which refers all phenomena to a single ultimate constituent or agent; -- the opposite of dualism.

'Still Life' By JS

 'Still Life' 1990 - Colored pencil on paper 24 inches by 18 inches

 

Angry

“Angry in the ultimate dimension
I close my eyes and look deeply.
Three hundred years from now
Where will you be and where shall I be?” - author unknown

Peepers

 Sound on. Spring peepers peeping on March 19, 2025.

 

Random Photo

 Random iPhone photo at the supermarket

 

Squee

squee - verb
  To squeal with excitement or delight.

squee - interjection
  A squeal of excitement or delight.

squee - noun
  A cry of squee.

Blowflies

 "Blowflies, the most abundant consumers of salmon by sheer number, time their emergence to synchronize with the sockeyes return. Blowflies...get about 85 percent of their food from salmon carcasses...(and) will lay about a hundred and fifty to two hundred eggs on a salmon carcass. Once they emerge as adults, after about a week, they feed on flowers and serve as pollinators...kneeling angelica, (which) resembles Queen Anne's lace, also times its bloom to follow the salmon run and the blowfly emergence. More flies means more pollination and more seeds."

- Joe Roman from his book 'Eat, Poop, Die, How Animals Make Our World'

Blowfly image

Gamete

gamete - noun
  A mature male or female germ cell usually possessing a haploid chromosome set and capable of initiating formation of a new diploid individual by fusion with a gamete of the opposite sex

Blame Versus Acceptance By JS

 True story. In January 2025 I caught the latest strain of Covid. I was sick for a solid week with a few of those days nursing a fever, a very sore throat, and feeling weak. Bed rest was my friend, I didn’t take any special medications, the doctor did recommend Zinc and vitamin C. I had a minor lingering cough that improved with each passing day. Otherwise it’s been back to normal.

  I caught Covid while I was in the dry sauna at the local gym. Some individual with Covid was in the sauna along with me and a few other people. I haven’t been in the dry sauna since and I don’t have plans to go back in the future.

  Initially when I started feeling sick and realized what was going on and where I caught it, I was annoyed with the person who infected me and probably infected several other people. Why didn’t this person stay home? Did they get the latest vaccination and so their Covid symptoms were so slight that they didn't even notice? The vaccination diminishes symptoms but does not protect you from getting Covid, and if you have Covid and the vaccine, you definitely can still infect other people.

  For a while, I was blaming, and somewhat annoyed, at this person for not having the common decency to stay home and not spread Covid to others. Yes, I was blaming the other person. Yet on a larger scale, this is how we all get a virus, somebody else infects us.

  I have since reconsidered my blaming. I am moving more towards acceptance, this is life. This is life now. Should the person who spread Covid stayed home? Yes, of course.

  There are more angles to this. In other cultures, and I’m thinking Japan, people wear masks if they’re sick. If they get sick their minds tend to move in the direction of, gee I don’t want to give this to someone else.

  But this isn’t how we function in the USA. We are continuously busy, and often we go about our activities anxiously and without being mindful. In addition, we live in a very materialistic time. It goes with the territory that we are more narcissistic and less concerned about the other guy or gal. Not all of us, of course, there still are genuinely empathetic and concerned people. Simultaneously, we live in a time when elements in our society are telling us that empathy is a problem and to stop being empathetic. That’s another story in itself.

  So what’s my point. If you’re sick, stay home, be kind to the other guy or gal. Don’t get them sick. If you do get sick with Covid, it’s useless to blame the stranger that gave it to you in the dry sauna. Accept it and get better. But, there’s more. Don’t assume that everyone out there is on the same page as you. Protect yourself. There are some people running around with a virus, and they just don’t care. Others are compelled to work while they’re sick, for example, because they need the money desperately. Exercise caution. Besides, think about who is out there now blaming everybody but themselves for all their problems. Blame isn't a good look.

Random Photos

 Random iPhone photos early 2025

 

Scree And Otoliths

scree - noun
  1. Loose rock debris covering a slope.
  2. A slope of loose rock debris at the base of a steep incline or cliff.
  3. A pebble; a stone; also, a heap of stones or rocky débris.

otoliths - noun
  These are small, hard structures made of calcium carbonate, located in the inner ear of vertebrates, especially bony fish. Their primary functions are to provide a sense of balance and to aid in hearing by detecting sound and changes in orientation. They are also very usefull for scientist to determine the age of fish.

'Bodhisattva II' By JS

 'Bodhisattva II' 2025 - Acrylic paint on canvas 3 feet by 3 feet

 

'Kaya' By JS

 'Kaya' 2017 - Acrylic paint on wooden panel 3 feet by 2 1/2 feet 

 

'Worry' By JS

 Most people worry. We worry about money, about our health, about our relations, our family and friends. We worry about the state of the world and the country. A few have learned how to accept worry or work through it.

 People worry about small things; getting the garbage out of the house on time, getting the oil changed for their car. They worry if their football team loses and if it wins, how it will fare next time.

 Then people worry about very small things. They worry about the exactness of their bedroom clock, the stain on their kitchen sink. They worry about the pimple on their face being seen by the person they have a crush on. Sounds a tad compulsive to me.

 A few people worry about very large and existential complexities. They worry that their minds cannot truly fathom infinity; that the universe will dissolve into blackness. They worry that our sun will run out of fuel.

  Some worry about things that are extremely subtle and forgettable; that they once misspelled the word ‘precise’ on an English test, that the boy she kissed in high school, decades ago, didn’t like it.

 Then for many of us, there is worry about the present state of the world. Will America survive as a democracy, will global warming destroy humanity, will micro plastics give us cancer. These are hard question.

 I searched Google, “Why do people worry”. Google first gave me an article from Psych Central written by Kaitlin Vogel titled ‘Why do we worry so much’. Summarizing this article, the author cites three main reasons why we worry so much:

1. “Your natural alarm system alerts you to a potential danger.” And, “We worry because we’re constantly trying to figure out how to solve problems. By nature, humans are problem-solvers…”

2. “Fear of losing control”. And, “…people worry because their life is just generally chaotic and uncertain”.

3. “Caring too much”. And, “…trouble stopping themselves from getting overly invested in a worrisome line of thought.”

 Google’s AI chat bot Gemini provides this succinct definition of worry:

“Worry is a cognitive process involving repetitive, intrusive thoughts about potential negative future events, often accompanied by feelings of anxiety and unease.”

 Gemini also suggests that, “there may be some benefits to worry in moderation”.

 For example:

“Some researchers suggest that worry can serve as an "emotional buffer," helping us to brace for potential negative outcomes.”

 I searched again, asking the question, throughout human history have people always worried?

 This led me to an interesting Youtube video produced by National Geographic, ‘How Fear And Anxiety Drove Human Evolution’. The video is four minutes long and is useful.

Science Daily has a curious article, ‘The upside of worrying - New study shows there's a positive side to worrying’.

 Here’s an excerpt:

"Extreme levels of worry are harmful to one's health. I do not intend to advocate for excessive worrying. Instead, I hope to provide reassurance to the helpless worrier -- planning and preventive action is not a bad thing," Sweeny said. "Worrying the right amount is far better than not worrying at all."

 The suggestion is that some worrying is useful because it motivates people to do things like get checkups.

 Which at night might eventually lead to:

‘The 5 Keys to Falling Asleep On Time Every Night - Sleep is crucial. Follow these steps to get the rest your body will thank you for. By Scott Young’

 Here’s an excerpt:

“…napping can alleviate some of the adenosine build-up, which conversely, makes it harder to fall back asleep at night time.”

“Adenosine acts as a neuromodulator, influencing sleep, wakefulness, and cognitive function.”

 Finally I asked Gemin this question. Gemini, in what part of the brain does worry occur?

 Gemini answered:

“It's a very insightful question to ask about the physical manifestation of worry within the brain. Worry, particularly as it relates to anxiety, involves complex interactions between various brain regions. It's not localized to one single "worry center," but rather involves a network. Here's a breakdown:  

The Amygdala:
    •    This is a key player in processing emotions, particularly fear and threat. When you worry, the amygdala can become overactive, triggering the "fight-or-flight" response. This leads to physical symptoms like increased heart rate and sweating.  
The Prefrontal Cortex:
    •    This area is responsible for higher-level cognitive functions, including decision-making and planning. In worry, the prefrontal cortex may become engaged in repetitive, negative thought patterns, trying to anticipate and solve potential problems. However, in anxiety disorders, this can become maladaptive, leading to excessive rumination.  
The Hippocampus:
    •    This plays a role in memory and learning. Chronic worry and stress can impact the hippocampus, potentially affecting memory and contributing to a cycle of anxiety.  
The Brain's Communication Networks:
    •    Worry involves disruptions in the communication between these brain regions. For example, in anxiety disorders, the prefrontal cortex may have difficulty regulating the amygdala's activity.

Here are some key points to consider:

It's a Network, Not a Spot: Worry is a process that involves a network of brain regions, not just one specific area.

Neurotransmitters: Chemical messengers in the brain, like serotonin and GABA, play a crucial role in regulating mood and anxiety. Imbalances in these neurotransmitters can contribute to worry and anxiety disorders.

Physical Manifestations: The physical symptoms of worry, like muscle tension, headaches, and digestive issues, are a result of the brain's influence on the body's nervous system.

In essence, worry involves a complex interplay of brain structures and neurochemical processes.”

Three Micro-Stories By JS

  The sad walkers were out again this morning. The four walked closely together in two groups of two forming the four points of a square, visible if you were looking down on them from twenty-five feet directly above. They walked silently, expressionless, unmoved, and blank. They walked at the same pace and in a type of formal sullen unison, they all heard the same beat which kept them coordinated in step. Why were they sad, on that he could speculate. Perhaps they were mourning; someone to whom all four were deeply connected had passed away. Maybe the walking was one way to cope with the intensity of their grief.

  Friends are attendants on a ferry, a ferry that is you. They assist in crossing the river of your life. But, once you cross and land on that other side, there is no choice but to leave all friends behind. Then you start a new journey. Appreciate your friends now, while you are still making the crossing.

   In the summertime, as a young child my father would drive to the Carvel stand in Croton NY, where I usually got a small dish of soft serve ice cream. My father, on the other hand preferred an ice cream cone. Ice cream cones are for the hands-on type of people and dad was a carpenter. On one occasion, I asked for and got the big deal, a banana split, replete with every conceivable thing that one could throw at ice cream. It was all there, cherries, chocolate syrup, butterscotch, sprinkles, whipped cream, nuts, and a helpless banana, docile, subservient, and mocked by two, or was it three, dominating scoops of ice cream. Beneath its visible extravagance, the banana split was a metaphor for a power struggle, if there ever was one. As I was young, I was hopelessly overwhelmed with eyes bigger than my stomach, and I only managed to get through part of it, guilty again of wasting food.
  I narrate this story for really only one reason, and I even did the light scholarly homework required. Turns out the banana split was invented in the very early 1900s. Wikipedia describes an optometrist coming up with some farfetched far flung ice cream idea and capitalizing on it as well. Jump ahead to the late 1970s, and you can clearly see where I’m going with this. We’re talking about a good 70 years or so of the banana split wedged and tamped deep into the modern psyche. An archetype it became, resting proudly as one profound piece of the vast psychological puzzle. No longer is it necessary to question what a banana split is, we are virtually born with its design etched into our minds. People are saying that leading childhood researchers believe that the first word out of a child’s mouth is in fact “na-na” and not “ma-ma”. The “na-na’ refers to the banana, ba-na-na. And somewhere in the world, this makes perfect sense. Now here is the final piece of this thesis that will bring it all home. What event occurred in the 1970s that has any relevance at all to any of this? You are correct, and thank you. I knew we were in bipartisan agreement on this singular issue from the very start. Yes, indeed, the everything bagel, invented in the 1970s has found its intuitive psychological and grub-worthy parental home. Sprung from a psyche basting in the archetypal elegance designed by that infamous optometrist, the everything bagel is none other than the long lost child of the banana split.

'Wander Where They Will'

 My solo classical guitar track that lately gets streamed around 1M times each month as background music in an advertisement. Hey, don't look at me, I can't explain it except that possibly they like the opening theme of the music. I don't know what commercial it is being used on either, the distributor doesn't give that information.

On The Side Of A Laundromat In Town Today

 

Riparian

 "Riparian refers to areas located on the banks of rivers, streams, or other water bodies, characterized by unique vegetation and ecosystems that thrive due to the presence of water. These zones play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, improving water quality, and providing habitat for various wildlife species."

  "A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a riparian zone. The word riparian is derived from Latin ripa, meaning "river bank". - Wikipedia"

'Happiness' By JS

  We hear that there is a lot of misery in the world. “Everything is broken”, wrote Bob Dylan. But was there a non-broken time? Did people once upon a time live in a community or society where well being was universally experienced and expected? How would we even know how happy or sad tribal societies and early human societies were. There are no records only stories. A happy society sounds like something unrealistic, utopian, and surreal especially to the skeptics. I asked Google, “What is the happiest period in human history” and here are a few answers.

  The following is an excerpt from an article found in ‘The Atlantic’ from March 1928:

  “The happiest period in human history in which to have lived, concludes Gibbon* after a learned dissertation on the subject, was that of imperial Rome under the Antonines in the second century of the Christian era. Although he fails to say so, no doubt the famous historian argues on the assumption that he, or anyone making the election, would have enjoyed the privileges of aristocracy and wealth. It would be unreasonable to expect great satisfaction from life as a member of a slave gang on one of the great latifundia, or as one of the rabble dependent on public largesses and the uncertain arrival of the grain ships from Egypt.”

  *Gibbon is Edward Gibbon, an English historian who passed away in 1794. 

 So, this doesn’t sound like everyone was happy, only wealthy aristocrats. Aristocrats today can plunk down a few million to take a few loops around the Earth from a spaceship in the pursuit of happiness.

 Google brought me to this article from ‘Medium’ titled ‘Our Happiest Years Behind Us? New Research Says Yes’. Apparently 1957 was the happiest year in the 20th Century. Here’s an excerpt from this article:

  “A recent study by the Social Market Foundation has found that 1957 was the happiest year of the twentieth century. Plus the Victorians were happier than we are today...They used computational linguistics to chart how often positive and negative words appeared in eight million books in order to track the changing patterns of happiness.”

  This happiness was built on the change in the language found in books. Wasn’t civil rights a huge issue in the fifties, wasn’t the atomic bomb a rising existential threat, didn’t the KKK and supremacists cause all kinds of misery. 1957 happiness also seems to be for the privileged and erudite, that’s just my opinion.

  Then in the Harvard Business Review from an article titled ‘The History Of Happiness’ by Peter N. Stearns:

  “Until the 18th century, Western standards encouraged, if anything, a slightly saddened approach to life, with facial expressions to match. As one dour Protestant put it, God would encourage a person who “allowed no joy or pleasure, but a kind of melancholic demeanor and austerity.” This does not mean people were actually unhappy—we simply cannot know that, because cultural standards and personal temperament interact in complicated ways. But there is no question that many people felt obliged to apologize for the moments of happiness they did encounter. Sinful humanity had best display a somewhat sorrowful humility.”

  And:

  One historian has also noted the 18th century as a time of improved dentistry, when people became more willing to lift their lips in a smile; he argues that the ambivalent smile of a Mona Lisa probably reflected embarrassment at tooth decay.

  What can be said about this. Here we’re talking about centuries when smiling outright was shunned, people apologized for happiness. It doesn’t sound very happy.

  Dropping this as a tactic, I decided to ask Google something more direct. I asked, “happiest country in the world 2024”. Google led me to the ‘WHR, World Happiness Report’, which is produced by The University of Oxford’s Well Being Research Centre.

World Happiness Report  - Responded with Finland!

Harvard Business Review: The History Of Happiness

Good News Network: People Happy with Their Lives Are Less Likely to Suffer Heart Attack or Stroke By Andy Corbley

'White Duck On Yellow' By JS

 2 1/2 feet by 4 feet, acrylic paint on paper, 2016